Band: Unearth
Interviewer: Liz Wise (Liz@Bandvibe.com)
Interviewee: John “Slo” Maggard, bass
Date of Interview: 9/12/06

BAND MEMBERS:
Trevor Phipps - Vocals
Buz McGrath - Guitars
Ken Susi - Guitars
John Maggard - Bass
Mike Justian - Drums

BV: How did you get the nickname Slo?
Slo: When I was in High School I had a big group of friends. We all had stupid names for each other. There was Beacon, Nickel, Corby, and a bunch of us. I was Winslow and then it got shortened to Slo. There was really no reason any one of us had the names. Except for Beacon cause we would play capture the flag and he wore a big orange coat and stuck out- so Beacon, of light (laughs).

BV: How has the tour been going so far?
Slo: So far so good. It’s been really fun. Good crowds, good package of bands, we’re all having a good time, so no complaints.

BV: So you guys had an album come out a little over a month ago, III: In the Eyes of Fire. How has the album been received?
Slo: Not very many bad reviews at all, mostly good reviews. It’s been selling well and we’ve been getting a good reaction from the kids about it.

BV: What changes did the band go through with this last album? Anything for you personally?
Slo: No, not really. I think that what we had was a lack of change. We didn’t want to do what seems to be the ‘status quo’ for bands to do right now. We didn’t want really melodic choruses right now. We stuck to what we’re good at which is heavy, thrashy metal. If there is a change, it is that it’s a lot heavier and darker than it ever has been. We went that route instead of the Metalcore route.

BV: A lot of times when I read interviews or reviews of albums, bands say, “This one is a lot heavier.” It seems like there can only be a certain level of ‘heaviness’ that music can reach, like a saturation point. Do you think there is a limit to how heavy a band can go before it’s just constant noise?
Slo: (laughs) I just think if it in terms of compared to our last album. The last one was heavy but this one is I think darker.

BV: So what makes is heavy to you then? Like chunky riffs or…
Slo: I think it’s the attitude behind it. The last album I think we were really excited to be putting out a bigger record. We wanted it to pop when it came out, like wow, this is bright and driving. This record we more wanted kids and fans to think, oh, that’s heavier. It’s a sadness I think to the record that makes it heavier. I think it reflects our attitude when we were recording. We were worn out. We’d been on the road for a few years. And when it came time to write again we thought, hey, we’re kind of pissed off right now and that’s what we needed to use as inspiration.

BV: You only had about four months to write and record this album and then needed to get ready to tour with Ozzfest. That had to be tough. What was the typical recording schedule?
Slo: We got together 4-5 days a week at noon and then work till midnight. Then I would immediately go a couple blocks away to the Hurricane Café in Seattle and there were a couple of bartenders there that knew us and would have the drinks waiting for us. We’d get drink and come up with great ideas and then forget them by the next morning.

BV: Did you have some songs written before the process began?
Slo: We had a few songs written while we were on the Slipknot tour. Then we got home and decided it was all shit and scrapped it all. I don’t know that two riffs from those songs even made it in to this album.

BV: Back to Ozzfest a little… Do you like touring with a large festival like that or with just a few bands and playing non-arena venues?
Slo: I actually prefer clubs to festivals. Festivals are expensive and it’s hot. Just as a metal fan, that’s a lot to put up with. You have fun though because you have your band mates and friends.

BV: How do you warm up for a show?
Slo: I just kind of hang out and have some drinks. I’ll do some stretches. I don’t like to play too much before we go on because my hand cramps up if we play a long set. I like to keep it fresh.

BV: You played the piano in the track “Aries” on The Oncoming Storm. When did you learn to play piano, how long?
Slo: I’ve been playing piano for a very, very long time. I got my first keyboard when I was 4. I started taking piano seriously by the age of 16 I would say and I played everyday hour many hours for years. I went to college for Classical piano. When I started doing that I decided I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to play live and be in a band. I didn’t want to be a music teacher or concert pianist so I joined a few bands after that and played keyboards and bass, sometimes guitar. But yeah, I played the piano in “Aries”. I actually played all the instruments on that track. On this latest album, III: In the Eyes of Fire on the last track, “Big Bear and the Hour of Chaos”, I play the piano on that as well.

For more information on Unearth, log onto:
+http://unearth.tv
+http://www.myspace.com/unearth

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