AOL Music are currently hosting a listening party for DANZIG‘s new album, Deth Red Sabaoth, online now at this location. ‘Deth Red Sabaoth’ will be released on June 22nd via The End Records. The Limited Deluxe Edition, detailed below, is currently available for pre-order at this location.
This exclusive box set contains the following and is limited to an infernal 666 copies:
Stunning porcelain-like urn with exclusive art on all four sides, aprox. 11″ x 8″
CD version of Deth Red Sabaoth, housed in a beautiful gatefold digipak
Limited Edition ‘On A Wicked Night’ 7″
Instant download of Deth Red Sabaoth available the day of release
Autographed poster
The album features the following tracklisting:
‘Hammer Of The Gods’
‘The Revengeful’
‘Rebel Spirits’
‘Black Candy’
‘On A Wicked Night’
‘Deth Red Moon’
‘Juju Bone’
‘Night Star Hell’
‘Pyre Of Souls (Incanticle)’
‘Pyre Of Souls (Seasons Of Pain)’
‘Left Hand Rise Above’
Confirmed itinerary for Danzig’s special nine-city tour is as follows:
JUNE
15 Norva, Norfolk, VA
16 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
18 Nokia Theatre, New York, NY
19 Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
21 House of Blues, Boston, MA
24 Knitting Factory, Boise, ID
25 Knitting Factory, Reno, NV
26 Nokia, Los Angeles, CA
27 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
Glenn Danzig will be tonight’s guest on the Fox News Network’s “Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld.” The show airs on the west coast at 12 Midnight and on the east coast at 3:00AM (Saturday morning).
Danzig’s new album “Deth Red Sabaoth,” the band’s June U.S. tour dates, and Glenn’s new book “Hidden Lyrics of the Left Hand,” will be just some of the topics on the table to discuss. Be sure and tune in.
Deth Red Sabaoth will be released on June 22, but those fans who have a ticket to any of the east coast dates scheduled prior to June 22 (see below) will be able to buy the new album at the show, before it’s available in stores. But wait, there’s more – those who purchase Deth Red Sabaoth at one of these special Danzig shows will also receive – as long as they last – a collector’s edition CD single with two versions of the album’s first single, “On A Wicked Night,” complete with exclusive art work. Only a limited number of the CD singles will be available, so once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Confirmed itinerary for Danzig’s special nine-city tour is as follows:
JUNE
15 Norva, Norfolk, VA
16 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
18 Nokia Theatre, New York, NY
19 Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
21 House of Blues, Boston, MA
24 Knitting Factory, Boise, ID
25 Knitting Factory, Reno, NV
26 Nokia, Los Angeles, CA
27 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
As if nine, special tour dates to usher in the release of Deth Red Sabaoth wasn’t enough, the Danzig June concerts trek just got even better. Deth Red Sabaoth will be released on June 22, but those fans who have a ticket to any of the east coast dates scheduled prior to June 22 (see below) will be able to buy the new album at the show, before it’s available in stores. But wait, there’s more – those who purchase Deth Red Sabaoth at one of these special Danzig shows will also receive – as long as they last – a collector’s edition CD single with two versions of the album’s first single, “On A Wicked Night,” complete with exclusive art work. Only a limited number of the CD singles will be available, so once they’re gone, they’re gone.
On this special nine-date trek, Glenn Danzig will be joined onstage by long-time Danzig cohort guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry), drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative), and former Samhaim bandmate, bassist Steve Zing. Danzig plans to dig deep into his career-defining catalogue and perform tracks from Danzig, Lucifuge, How the Gods Kill, and on up to the present, including several new songs from Deth Red Sabaoth. Support for the east coast dates will be Gorgeous Frankenstein, the band of original Misfits member Doyle, and Seventh Void, the band that includes Danzig/Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly and Type O guitarist Kenny Hickey. The west coast dates will feature All Shall Perish and Toxic Holocaust as support.
If this is still not enough Danzig for you, the Deth Red Sabaoth Limited Deluxe Edition – only 666 are being manufactured – is now available as a presale exclusively online at this location >
This box set, which is being sold for $66.66, includes the Deth Red Sabaoth CD, a limited edition “On a Wicked Night” 7-inch, an instant download of Deth Red Sabaoth available on the day of release, an autographed poster, and a stunning porcelain-like urn with exclusive artwork on all four sides.
Confirmed itinerary for Danzig’s special nine-city tour is as follows:
JUNE
15 Norva, Norfolk, VA
16 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
18 Nokia Theatre, New York, NY
19 Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
21 House of Blues, Boston, MA
24 Knitting Factory, Boise, ID
25 Knitting Factory, Reno, NV
26 Nokia, Los Angeles, CA
27 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
The tale of Melissa Auf der Maur begins simply enough, a young, beautiful, musically inclined Canadian girl following a dream — both literally and figuratively. After a vivid dream at the age of nineteen, she picked up a bass and set sail on her journey. The chapters that follow in the story are no-less engaging as her path of musical enlightenment would take her to dizzying heights. Through the years, she would find herself playing roles in such iconic bands as Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, alongside rock royalty such as Courtney Love and Billy Corgan. Even after her departure from those genre-defining bands, her story was far from over. In fact, it had only just begun. The early 21st century would see this seasoned musician spread her wings as a solo artist and go on to receive critical acclaim. Now, she has just unleashed her most ambitious work to date, a multimedia extravaganza known as ‘Out of Our Minds’. The project not only features an amazing new album but is accompanied a beautifully crafted comic book and a short film. Jason Price of Icon Vs. Icon recently caught up with this trailblazing artist to discuss her musical past, the conceptualization and birth of her new project, her work alongside the legendary Glenn Danzig and what the future may hold for her!
How did music first come into your life?
Through my mothers record collection. I was raised in Montreal, Canada. My mother was and still is, the coolest lady that I know. I still ask her to give me her feedback on music. She was the first female rock Disc Jockey in Montreal, Canada. By the time I was born, she had already been listening to the good rock music in the 60s and 70s, so I was raised on her record collection. Then she sent me to a music school from six years old on, so I’ve always had it in my life and I’ve been playing it since grade one.
What was the catalyst for you to pursue a career in music? As opposed to going a different route.
Well, I never thought I would have a professional career in music and still to this day, it is more of an emotional relationship than it is a professional career, so I never actually thought it would make any sense for music to be my professional career. I was studying photography in University and I thought that photography would be my profession and music would be my romantic love on the side, but then I got this crazy opportunity when I was 22 to join Hole. That’s when the professional element came up but in terms of the catalyst as making it a full time passion of mine, it was discovering the music of my generation when I was 19 and 20, discovering bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Kyuss, all of these amazing records of the early 90s that made me fall in love with music, deeper. Then I had a dream when I was 19 about the power of music bringing people together. It was a dream that I actually tell the story of on the last song in my first record. Its called “I Need, I Want, I Will”. In this dream, I was playing this strange post apocalyptic science fiction storyline and then music had the power to bring people together. I woke up the next morning and realized I had to do it, I had to find my instrument and start a band and that’s what I did, I picked up a bass, started my local band in Montreal and everything happened from there.
How did the idea for “Out of Our Minds” originally come about?
It started in January of 2005, It was about 5 years in the making. It was totally crazy. A lot of things happened in that time. At the beginning it was as simple as I had gotten off a 180 show tour from my first record and I spent Christmas with my family and I hibernated for the winter of 2005. I started writing my new soul record, it was sort of a followup from my first solo record. While I was writing, I also was looking for a deeper story or concept, I wanted to make it more of a conceptual record and also be able to bring in visual elements. So from the very get go I was writing a record but with the intention to find a story for a theme that I could then expand into a fantasy film and comic book. So it started with that and throughout the years many things happened like my record contract with capital records came to an end with everyone at Capital being fired in one day. So I took a year off from the record because legally, I had already started recording a bunch of my record and lawyers had to decide who owned it. That is when I took a year off from the record. So, I started making the fantasy film, I spent a year making the fantasy film, and when I went back to the record, I decided that it’s self produced and self finance at this point, I might as well start my own label and my own production company. That’s when I decided to not look for a new label. That took another couple years of my life. [laughs]
What was the biggest challenge in putting this project together?
Patience. Once I saw that it was going to be more than a year or two, after releasing my first record, I then sort of had to take all rational time lines and put them aside. I had to submit to the idea of “when its ready”, and “when there is an opportunity” and “when there is a way to release it” and it all feels right to me, then it will be ready. So I kind of let go and let the project take its own time line. Then also, becoming more of a practical person, I’ve never in my life paid notice to the business or planning on that end. I’ve always lived in the fantasy/creative side of things. So a couple of years into this project when I decided that I should start my own artist run label and production company, that was hard too, but it was worth it.
This project features a lot of collaboration. What can you tell us about that and specifically about your work with Glenn Danzig.
Basically the reason why I went solo as it were and make solo records and a solo project in this case, is because of my love of collaboration. The reason I make music is because it is all collaboration. I am not a Joni Mitchell singer/songwriter type, I’m a rock musician, so everything is about the drummer, the engineer, the guitar tone, the guitar player. It is my love of collaboration that fuels all of this to begin with. My first record was made by reaching out to all of my heroes and all of my mentors such as Josh Homme and Chris Goss, who was the co-producer of my first record. So it’s always been based on collaboration. Obviously, with this project as you see, comes down to the collaboration with the film makers, the illustrators and the players on the record. Glenn Danzig is the guest of honor and the most surprising guest, he has been a hero of mine since I was a teenager. He was sort of a mythological king that I looked to for inspiration and I never really thought that I would work with. It would have been anti-climatic to meet him as a fan and just say “Hi, how ya doing?”. So, for over fifteen years I’ve been a serious and devoted fan. I’ve worn my lucky Danzig sweat band throughout all of my touring and he is like this Viking type of man that I look to, to find the strength in side of myself to get up on stage. It started by me deciding that I was going to reach for the lofty goal to come together with one of my heroes. I wrote him a song, “Father’s Grave”, which is the duet where he plays the grave digger and I play a woman who has lost her father. Through this strange conversation in the song, she finds some healing for her loss. I decided to write him a song and invite him into my world through song instead of just calling and asking if he wanted to meet for coffee. [laughs] I did something that I’ve never done before which is, basically write a song from another person’s perspective. I know his music very well. So I basically closed my eyes and thought, “What would Glenn do?” To tell this story about this grave digger and this woman. The end result was that I wrote my first six minute blues/funeral duet. I sent him a demo with me singing his part and my part and a two page letter explaining the impact that he had made on my life and the story of the song. I sent it to his PO box, he doesn’t have a manager or an agent per-se, he does everything pretty direct. I sent it to what was essentially a fan PO box. Everyone told me that it would never happen because he had never collaborated on anyone else’s record. Six months later my phone rang and it was Glenn. He liked my song and I flew out to L.A. and we went into the studio to record his parts. It was amazing!
Was it a difficult process to bring your vision for “Out Of Our Minds” to life?
No. It was so much fun. It was so satisfying and so exciting. Obviously, I pick collaborators who are up to this sort of abstract challenge. Director Tony Stone and Illustrator Jack Forbes were amazing to work with. I basically had this crazy idea about time travel and I had my visual references along with certain period pieces, like Vikings and Witches. These references created this strange sort of art piece by trying to merge Tony’s language of cinema and story-telling and then my way of seeing and feeling stories within a song and then merging them together. It was really, really fun for everyone involved. I think I chose to work with people who are excited to do an odd ball collaboration.
Is this sort of collaboration something that we can look forward to seeing more of from you in the future?
Definitely. My hope or plan is to basically make this the first project that really embraces all of my inspirations — visual, storytelling and music. I absolutely hope and plan to continue on with this multi-media format.
Can we look forward to you touring later this year in support of the project?
I have been bringing the film to various places, for example, to screenings this spring. I have been bringing the film into other communities, reaching out to film houses, film festivals, science fiction conventions or comic book conventions, basically dabbling in these new ways to share a project and then building up towards a fall tour in North America with like-minded artists and will try to bring in the film and illustration components to the tour.
“Out of Our Minds” seems very ripe for blending those elements. I was curious to see how you might intermingle them.
Yeah. I am still developing it. The music stands on it’s own but I have been touring in Europe and playing some shows in Canada, only a few in the U.S. so far but the U.S. is a big country. Sometimes, I have been using the film as an opening act and then playing a straightforward, raw, rock show right after and that has been working very well. It all depends on the time, place and how to mix the components but it is also important that the music stands on it’s own, of course.
It is hard to mention your name and not bring up your past endeavors with the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole. Billy Corgan and Courtney Love are obviously two very dynamic personalities. What were the greatest lessons you took away from your time working with them?
I always break it down into two chapters. My time with Hole was “Character Building” and an incredible opportunity to define my vision, character and strengths. Working with Courtney Love was an amazing lesson in that. My time with Smashing Pumpkins, I always refer to as “My Greatest Music Lesson”. Billy is one of the most professional and prolific musicians that I have ever worked with. Learning his catalog was the ultimate “fine tuning” of my tools as a bass player and as a songwriter. Those were the real strengths of those two chapters, along with the honor of finding myself in the whirlwind in the midst of an incredible decade of music. Like I said at the beginning of the conversation, I had a dream about music bringing people together and I kept my ears open for the music makers and found my way into that world by believing in the power of music. Those two people are obviously two huge spokespeople for my generation and it was phenomenal to be a part of that.
The project is really amazing and we are excited to spread the word. What is the best place for people to get all the information and discover the latest chapter in your musical journey?
My website www.xmadmx.com has everything that you need from my blog to, most importantly, a free download of the song “Out of Our Minds” which will be up there for free for eternity. It is the ultimate introduction to the project and it gives people the option to give it a go and if they want to go deeper, online exclusively in my shop, is all of the multi-media elements like the film and the comic book. For all those that stop by, it is an invitation to dive into the world of the surrealism, psychedelia and following your heart! It is the invitation to a parallel world… and I will be your host!
Glenn Danzig, at the forefront of the hardcore/dark metal movement for nearly three decades, announces a special nine-city concert trek that will kick off in Norfolk, VA on June 15. The dates, played to usher in the release of Deth Red Sabaoth (evilive/The End Records), Danzig’s first new studio album in six years, will feature long-time Danzig cohort, guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry), drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative) and former Samhaim bandmate, bassist Steve Zing. Support for the east coast dates will be Gorgeous Frankenstein, the band of original Misfits member Doyle, and Seventh Void, the band that includes of Danzig/Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly and Type O guitarist Kenny Hickey.
A special internet pre-sale has now launched at www.ticketmaster.com and is ongoing through Thursday, May 13. During this internet pre-sale, fans who purchase a ticket can also purchase a special, limited edition Danzig 7″ vinyl single with two brand new songs – “On a Wicked Night,” the first single from the new album, and “The Revengeful.” See the itinerary below for on-sale info and where to purchase tickets.
Danzig plans to dig deep into his career-defining catalogue and perform tracks from Danzig, Lucifuge, How the Gods Kill, and on up to the present, including several new songs from Deth Red Sabaoth . “Danzig fans have their own favorites from throughout the years,” said Glenn, “and I hope the set list we put together will satisfy everyone.”
Deth Red Sabaoth, which marks Danzig’s ninth studio venture that began back in 1988 with the Rick Rubin-produced, Platinum-certified Danzig, is an 11-track collection penned by Danzig, and is laced with Glenn’s lycanthropic growls and blues-infected wailing. Tracks including “Black Candy, “The Revengeful,” and “On A Wicked Night,” emit a spectral glow to rival the highest points in Danzig’s colossal discography. Part I of the exquisite two-part “Pyre of Souls” opens with acoustic guitar, haunting piano, Glenn’s plainsong vocal, and an almost dirge-like feel; Part II explodes with electric guitars and a driving, mesmerizing cadence.
In addition to the upcoming Deth Red Sabaoth, Danzig has just published a book of select, previously unreleased Misfits, Danzig, and Samhaim lyrics, titled “Hidden Lyrics of the Left Hand” (Verotik). The book features illustrations by Simon Bisley, who has painted numerous album covers for Danzig and collaborated on many Verotik comic titles.
Glenn Danzig has received many titles, from the Godfather of Dark Metal to a punk pioneer to a man of integrity, but most agree that over his near-30-year career, his intense musical and lyrical statements have left a permanent mark on rock music. He is a gifted songwriter, and his songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Johnny Cash, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Roy Orbison, just to name a few. His “13,” originally written for Johny Cash and then recorded for Glenn’s own Satan’s Child, was the opening song in last year’s box office smash and Golden Globe winner, “The Hangover.” Danzig’s music is dark, gothic, and haunting, and continues to influence generation after generation of musicians and music fans across the globe.
Confirmed itinerary for Danzig’s special nine-city tour are as follows:
JUNE
15 Norva – Norfolk, VA (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketmaster)
16 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketmaster)
18 Nokia Theatre, New York, NY (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketmaster)
19 Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketmaster)
21 House of Blues, Boston, MA (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketmaster)
24 Knitting Factory, Boise, ID (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketfly)
25 Knitting Factory, Reno, NV (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketfly)
26 Nokia, Los Angeles, CA (public on-sale May 14 @ 10AM through Ticketmaster)
27 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA (public on-sale May 16 @ 10AM through Ticketmaster)
The charismatic and complex singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig is set to unleash his first new Danzig studio album in six years. Deth Red Sabaoth, produced by Glenn and recorded in Los Angeles over the course of 2009, will be released on June 22, 2010 (Evilive/The End Records).
The 11-track collection, penned by Danzig, is laced with Glenn’s lycanthropic growls and blues-infected wailing. Tracks including “Black Candy, “The Revengeful,” and “On A Wicked Night,” emit a spectral glow to rival the highest points in Danzig’s colossal discography. Part I of the exquisite two-part “Pyre of Souls” opens with acoustic guitar, haunting piano, Glenn’s plainsong vocal, and an almost dirge-like feel; Part II explodes with electric guitars and a driving, mesmerizing cadence.
“I think that fans will really dig this new album,” said Glenn. “I’ve been told several times that the album has a cool vitality to it, that it sounds energized, and I got that feeling when I was recording it. I wanted to have an organic sound, bigger and thicker, so I went out and bought some 1970′s Kustom tuck ‘n roll bass amps to play some of the guitar parts through. You’ll hear real reverb, real tremolo on this album, which sounds completely different than the stuff that’s done with computer chips.”
Joining Glenn in the studio for the recording of Deth Red Sabaoth were guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry), a Danzig cohort on and off since 1996, and drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Seventh Void). While Kelly has toured with Glenn intermittently since 2002, this is the first time he has recorded with the band. Glenn handled the bass chores for most the album, and played drums on “Black Candy.”
As with all of Danzig’s releases, the CD cover artwork for Deth Red Sabaoth is provocative and ominous. The cover is an original piece created specifically for the CD by the award-winning artist Joe Chiodo, whose work has graced not only Danzig’s Verotik publishing line, but also the covers of numerous graphic novels and comic books, including “X-Men Unlimited.” Deth Red Sabaoth isn’t the first time one of Chiodo’s paintings has been part of a Danzig package – one of his erotic “good girl” pinups was part of 2007′s The Lost Tracks of Danzig.
Deth Red Sabaoth marks Danzig’s ninth studio venture that began back in 1988 with the Rick-Rubin produced, Platinum-certified Danzig. A live version of his oedipal projectile “Mother,” was a major hit, and added to his iconic status that began a decade earlier when he founded the near-mythic punk band Misfits and then Samhain. Sales of ten-million albums later, and having been dubbed “goth-punk’s godfather” by SPIN, Glenn Danzig is arguably the most versatile talent to emerge from hardcore’s first wave, and truly is a renaissance man – a graphic designer, photographer, comic book publisher and composer. His venture into composing and recording classical music yielded Black Aria, that debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Classical charts, and Black Aria II, that had Glenn sharing the Billboard/Classical’s Top Ten with Itzhak Perlman and Andrea Bocelli. His indelible stamp is on artists like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails, and he has written songs that have been sung by a diverse array of artists, from Metallica to Johnny Cash.
Over his decades-long career, Glenn Danzig’s intense musical and lyrical statements have left a permanent mark on rock music, and continue to do so going into the 21st century. Danzig’s song, “13,” originally written for Johnny Cash and then recorded for Glenn’s own Satan’s Child, was the opening song in last year’s box office smash and Golden Globe winner, “The Hangover.”
Danzig – Glenn, guitarist Tommy Victor, drummer Johnny Kelly and bassist Steve Zing – also an original member of Samhain with Glenn – plan to tour extensively to support Deth Red Sabaoth; dates will be announced shortly.
Ring in 2010 with Marky Ramone, special guest DJ of the night at the Hudson Hotel in NYC on West 58th St. Marky will be spinning tunes in the Ramones fashion from 11:00pm to 1:00 am EST.
Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg’s first new song with Michale Graves (ex-Misfits) “When We Were Angels” made its debut on Matt Pinfield and Leslie Fram’s morning show in NYC last week. Marky has also been playing the song on his radio show Marky Ramone’s Punk Rock Blitzkrieg. 2010 marks his 5th year as on Sirius/XM Radio. “When We Were Angels” will be available through iTunes in January 2010.
Marky’s radio show on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio was rated the #2 show on the Faction channel in 2009. Also appearing on various T.V. shows (including Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations’ and IFC’s ZROCK). Marky shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to tour the world with his new band Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg, with friends Michale Graves (ex-Misfits) on vocals, Alex Kane (guitar), Clare B (bass). The band plays all the classics that lead to Marky’s induction into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame!
Marky Ramone is best known for the 15 years he spent drumming for the legendary Ramones. Marky appeared in the cult classic film “Rock n Roll High School” in 1979, performed over 1700 shows and recorded over 15 albums (studio, live) with the Ramones. In 2002, Marky and his band-mates became the first punk rock ensemble to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Often described as “the best kept secret in modern country music,” Jesse Dayton has achieved a level of success that most people can only dream about. Armed with an eclectic musical background and collaborations with artists such as Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and The Supersuckers, Jesse has truly made a name for himself in the music industry. The Austin, Texas-based guitar slinger has also found further musical success in the film and television industries. Directors and producers have been knocking on Jesse’s door for years, asking him to be a part their projects. Rob Zombie took notice of Dayton’s talent and recruited him for two of his films. Jesse is responsible for creating the music of Banjo & Sullivan in The Devil’s Rejects and most recently took on the role of bringing Captain Clegg to life in Rob Zombie’s Halloween II. Humbled by his success, Jesse believes that his career is the result of proper timing, a little bit of luck, and the support he has received from his cult following of fans. Steve Johnson of Icon vs Icon catches up with Jesse to discuss his long career, the current state of country music, the creation of Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures, his upcoming tour with Rob Zombie, and the fact he may be booked up solid for the rest of his life during the month of October! Are you phantom jammers ready to begin? Yes? Well then, I give you Jesse Dayton!
Where did you grow up?
I was born down in Beaumont, Texas. On the Texas, Louisiana border. A big Cajun music kind of scene down there. It was a great place to grow up. I have been coming to Austin all my life. So I live in Austin, Texas. That’s where I live because there’s such a burgeoning music scene. It’s kind of a liberal hub of the south, if you will.
How did music first come into your life?
Man, all kinds of stuff happened. My parents are big music fans. My whole family went to the University of Texas. They used to take me to these incredible concerts in Austin when I was a kid. It was very much like San Francisco was. We’d go to The Armadillo Palace when I was a little kid and see Willie, Waylon, Miles Davis, and Frank Zappa all on the same bill. I grew up on big doses of honky tonk music, Cajun music, and rhythm and blues. Stuff like that. Then when I got older, of course I got introduced to punk rock. I just had to immediately start rebelling against the family. [laughs]
How did you get your start in the music industry?
Man, I did all kinds of stuff. I got a record deal when I was pretty young. One thing that really helped me tremendously was a fluke. I was in Nashville and I was doing this TV interview that Kris Kristofferson was on. Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessi Colter were watching the show that I was on because they were watching for Kris. They were good friends with Kristofferson. They saw me on there and while they were watching the show, Waylon cut his finger in the kitchen while he was cooking. The next morning as I was leaving my hotel, I got a phone call saying Waylon Jennings saw me on the television show, would I come down and play guitar for him. So I started playing guitar for Waylon Jennings. That led to a whole bunch of stuff. The day that I got to the studio, Johnny Cash opened the door to the studio. He hung out with us all day, so I played with him. I played with Waylon. I got a job playing with Ray Price. I played on some Willie stuff. It just kind of snowballed after that. I was this young kid who played guitar, who was from Texas. I just got introduced to everybody in a real cool way.
Your music has been described as everything from honky tonk and rockabilly, to Americana and speed-country. For people who aren’t familiar with your music, what would you classify yourself as?
Aw man, I hate to classify. It’s really hard for me and always has been for me to put a label on it. It’s so many things from American music and I just kind of make them into hybrids. It’s just got a lot of different stuff. Honky tonk, blues, punk, psychobilly, and all kinds of stuff.
You are often referred to as “the best kept secret in modern country music.” What are your thoughts on that statement?
Well it’s kind of interesting. I never really tried to appeal to the mainstream country radio people. I think because of that, that’s where I kind of got that response. A lot of those people end up liking me after they hear me. To lump me in with whoever is on modern country radio would be a huge mistake. My music is just way more gritty and more hardcore. It kind of freaks me out when people call me country because people immediately think of who’s on country music today. I think modern country music today sucks. It’s Nashville factory. Real safe, middle of the road, pop music that has very, very little to do with country music.
What do you attribute the longevity of your career to?
Man I don’t know. I somehow built a cult following of fans and I really attribute my career to them. I could somehow go on tour and play and people show up. I’ve never had to do anything super mainstream. I think a lot of it is just me going out and playing for all of those years and building up that cult following. It was always something that no record company or radio station could ever take away from me.
Being in the music industry as long as you have, are there still surprises?
Yeah. The music business is about the most cutthroat business I can think of. The thing that surprises me is the lowest depths of misery that these labels will go to prefab some artist and put them out there, and then people buy it. That is what surprises me.
What do you consider the defining moment of your career so far?
Man, I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me. When I made records with all of these legendary outlaw country guys, I think those will probably go down in history. Somebody will probably pick up that Jesse Dayton played guitar on that. That was a big deal. There’s been all kinds of deals. I played at the inaugural ball. I met the president. I don’t know… There’s been so many great things that have happened. Somehow people in the film industry have really taken to me. That has always given me kind of a leg up. I’ve had a lot of songs in a lot of films, TV shows, and stuff like that. One thing that happened with me is that I was one of the first artists seven or eight years ago to go to a major label and ask to be let off the label so I could start my own record label. They all thought I was crazy. Of course the house of cards totally fell and the record business went under. It helped me pin point who my audience was and who I wanted to play for. I think the defining thing of me and my career is probably when I took a hold of my career and started doing what I wanted, instead of doing what labels wanted me to do.
If someone were to go out and pick up just one of your albums, which one would you recommend and why?
‘The Country Soul Brother’ record is probably a pretty good starter kit. It’s got all of the stuff in it that I think appeals to different fans. We have a lot of rock n’ roll fans, in the same way that Waylon sold to a lot of rock n’ roll fans. We have such an edge to our music. ‘The Country Soul Brother’ record has that edge throughout the whole thing. It’s got some real aggressive guitar playing. I appeal to a lot of different people for different reasons. There are some people that come out just to listen to my guitar playing because they are guitar freaks. There are some people that come out who just want to hear that outlaw, crazy country, something different than what they hear on the radio. Then there’s the girls. [laughs]
You recently released a Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures album. How did that come about?
It was such a cool deal. I had done the Banjo & Sullivan record for ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ movie. It came about in a real wild way. Rob called me and said, “Hey, we’re making this crazy white trash horror movie called ‘The Devil’s Rejects’. We think your music would be perfect. Would you be interested in doing this fake CD for Banjo & Sullivan?” I was like, “Yeah! Sure!” So I flew out to L.A. and I wrote a bunch of songs. I took them to Rob. I went into his office, it was the first time I ever met him. He died laughing listening to all of the lyrics. He just thought it was really cool, so we put out that record. The record did pretty good. Then he calls me when I am playing with Social Distortion in a theater in Hollywood. He calls me and he’s like, “Are you in L.A. right now?” I’m like, “Yeah.” He goes, “Me and Sheri are going to come down.” I was like, “OK!” It was kind of a big deal. The show I was playing with Social Distortion was real cool. Everybody was kind of freaking out because Rob and Sheri were coming backstage. Rob and Sheri come backstage and we hang out for a while. He’s like, “Hey man, I’m doing this new movie and I think I want to put you in it.” I was like, “Great!” I was like, “Sign me up man!” He watches the show and when he saw that show, that must have been where he got the idea to do the Phantom Jam scene. It was a really cool show that night. We had tons of people there just freaking out and singing along to our stuff. It was a very edgy, kind of punk rock crowd. Anyway, he called me later and said, “Hey. I want you and your band to be in the movie. I want you to play this new character. The movie is going to be ‘Halloween II’.” I was like, “Holy shit!” I was like, “Right on man!” Immediately we started to email each other song ideas back and forth. Rob was very much the person who came up with all of this. He came up with the idea for the name of the band, which he took from an old English horror movie. We started talking about hybrid music ideas. What would it be like if Buck Owens did an Iggy Pop song? What would it be if we mixed The Misfits with The Cramps? There were all of these different ideas. I just wrote all of these ideas down and I got in the car and drove to New Orleans. I checked into this haunted hotel called the Lamothe House on Esplanade Avenue and I wrote all of these songs in like two days.
What has it been like working with Rob?
Rob is the greatest. He’s a sweetheart. He’s a real nice guy and he’s very much all about ideas and art. Things don’t really turn him on. What turns him on is ideas and art. You talk about somebody who’s got some integrity. When it comes to his vision, he won’t back down for anything. Working with him… He creates a really nice vibe on the set. We did two days that were over fifteen hours long when we filmed the Phantom Jam. We went and filmed other stuff besides that that didn’t make it in the movie, which will probably make it on the DVD. The two days we did the Phantom Jam, we’re out in the middle of Georgia in this super hot barn. He’s got it all decorated like it’s a club that’s in hell. It just looks unbelievable. There was me and like four hundred extras and the crew. I didn’t hear anyone bitch the whole time. That’s just unbelievable. That’s just unbelievable man! I mean we’re in there sweating our asses off dude. It is like one hundred and five degrees in the place. We’re all made up, perfectly coiffed, with these incredible costumes on. The vibe that Rob creates on the set, it’s like no one wants to let him down. He’s just a good dude. No one bitched the whole time. I thought about that afterward and I was like, “Wow! That’s unbelievable!”
Are there any noticeable differences between Rob Zombie the musician and Rob Zombie the director?
You know, I don’t really see any differences. I think for him, it’s probably all just art. Rob’s a multi-level kind of guy. He does art and shit that’s incredible. He whipped out the artwork for the Banjo & Sullivan record himself, like it was nothing. I don’t think he sees a difference between making music, directing, drawing, and producing. The guy is a multi-talented guy and he just tries to go for what’s honest. That usually ends up being very cool. You know what I mean?
Definitely! I enjoy his movies a lot. I definitely liked this new one even though the so-called critics panned the hell out of it.
The thing is, it’s real easy to beat up on a horror movie guy. Let’s face it man, Rob’s movies are really about escapism. Rob doesn’t just make movies, he makes whole worlds. No director goes to the plane of being that elaborate to where you make your own fake TV commercials, fake TV shows, and you invent fans. Directors don’t think like that. The difference between Rob and most directors is that most directors are usually super geeky film guys, where as Rob Zombie is a cool guy that chicks are crazy about! [laughs] When people pan his movie, I think there’s got to be some kind of jealousy in there for that guy. He’s an animal man. He’s non-stop, constantly inventing and doing shit. I think people who pan his movies are just kind of jealous of him.
Did you have any input into the look of Captain Clegg and the rest of the band or did Rob have that laid out for you?
We talked about it. He had the idea. I was like, “Yeah, that’s cool man!” When we first came out with pictures of the band, a lot his crowd said, “You look like The Ghastly Ones.” Rob was like, “No! They look like The Damned!” Rob was like, “That’s where they got that look dude, The Damned. OK!” If anybody took the look from anybody, it was from The Damned. He just wanted something that was totally creepy and kind of like grave digger. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the background bio that he wrote for Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures. Rob Zombie actually sat down and wrote that shit out man. That’s just crazy. We’re four grave diggers from Sherman, Texas who decided to start a band. It’s crazy. I read it and I just busted out laughing. Everybody in his movie has these incredible back stories.
I do enjoy the fact that he takes these characters and gives them these huge back stories that you’ve never had before, especially in this new ‘Halloween.’
It’s cool. It helps actors. It helps people realize who they are. It gives you a sense of what he wants. There’s nothing worse than working with somebody who doesn’t know what they want.
Whose idea was it to come up with a full album of material and release it separate from the film’s soundtrack?
It was Rob’s idea. We didn’t know how we were going to do it. We didn’t know if we were going to get a big label to put it out. Universal put out Banjo & Sullivan. Rob was like, “How are you doing on your own label?” I said, “Man, my label is doing great!” He goes, “Why don’t we resurrect my label Zombie A Go-Go.” I didn’t know the name of it until after I wrote the song by the way. It was totally a fluke. So we made a deal. Rob let me put it out on my own label imprint with his label, which shows you how cool he is. He didn’t have to do that. He really gave me a piece of the album. If the record goes good, I’ll do really well. The record has been doing really well.
I actually downloaded it last week off of iTunes.
They’re playing it a lot on satellite radio. The buzz is spreading. Every day I jump on my Facebook or MySpace and somebody talks about how they just heard it on the radio.
Were there any challenges to making the music/album?
Yeah, there were. Like I said, it’s only difficult doing stuff like that when you don’t really know what your director wants. Rob gave me all these ideas. He would text message me. We made the video for Zombie A Go Go. Rob would text message me back, “Just saw some of the footage from the video. Needs more blood and gore! Ha Ha Ha!” Then he’d text message me later and he’d go, “What do you think about a bouncing skull, like a bouncing ball following the bouncing skull for the chorus?” Just hilarious stuff. I just made it happen man. I called some friends of mine here that are in the Austin film scene and said, “Hey! Rob Zombie wants a bouncing skull. Can you animate that for me?” It was just all fun man. The thing that you can see with Rob and his fans too, is that little inner kid inside of you gets to come out and really get mischievous and really have a good time. We’re hoping the record does that. The big news that we got and I can’t release any dates, is that Captain Clegg is going on tour with Rob Zombie. It’s going to be amazing bro. We are going to go out as Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures and play these big huge places every night and open up for him. It’s going to be amazing.
Speaking of your tour, are you going to have the go-go dancers up there with you?
I am! I’m bringing the go-go dancers with me. I’m bringing a pedal steel guitar player and The Night Creatures, the three guys backing me up. We’re doing all kinds of crazy shit. Since we only have one record of material, in the middle of certain songs we put in other people’s songs. In the middle of ‘Creeps For Cushing’ we bust into ‘War Pigs’ by Black Sabbath. Then on another song, in the middle of ‘Zombie A Go Go’ we break into ‘Hybrid Moments’ by The Misfits. It’s just a fun set. It’s like a whirlwind set. I’m excited.
You mentioned the ‘Zombie A Go Go’ video. Can we expect anymore videos from Captain Clegg?
I don’t know if you knew this, but before we did the Phantom Jam scene Rob flew us to Florida and we made videos for every song on the record in a civil war graveyard. Rob is telling me that he is going to have all of this footage of Clegg and the Night Creatures on the DVD. We’re talking about actually doing a Clegg and the Night Creatures Psychobilly EP for Christmas. Like the most fucked up Christmas album you’ve ever heard in your life. I think the world could use one right now. Really, just totally unchristian Christmas record.
Do you think you will have time to breathe for the rest of your life during the month of October?
Oh man! I know we’re playing with Rob on Halloween night. As soon as the movie came out the Halloween offers started pouring in. I hope I don’t man. I hope I am swamped every year in October with Captain Clegg stuff. The cool thing about the Clegg music and the record is that it’s such a party record. It is a record to just get down and dirty and drink and party. That’s what kind of record it is. I think we’re going to be pretty much booked on Halloween for the rest of my life bro. [laughs]
What do you hope that people come away with after listening to your music or seeing your live performance?
My favorite thing that happens is when people come up and they go, “You know I’m not really into country or rockabilly, but I like this guy because he was edgy and different and he put on a good show.” That’s the highest compliment I could ever get from anybody. Like somebody who wouldn’t necessarily be into that music, but saw us and just converted.
Ever had a “Spinal Tap Moment” on stage?
Oh yeah man! One time I was playing in Hollywood and I fell off the stage and I fell into a box that held a bunch of microphones and it got stuck perfectly on my ass. When I stood up I had this box on my ass. Quentin Tarantino and Warren G were in the crowd in the front row. A musician named Dave Alvin actually pulled the box off of my ass. It was one of those devastating moments. I was like, “Oh well! I can’t do anything about it! I guess I’ll have a shot and keep rocking out!” Dude when you play thousands of shows, when you play two hundred shows a year, there’s going to be shit that goes wrong. It’s all in good fun man.
Other than the tour with Rob, what’s next for you and your band?
I’ve got some more stuff coming out in Rob’s animated movie. Supposedly they animated me as Adam Banjo and I get to sing ‘Dick Soup’ in the movie. What we’re talking about doing is a Captain Clegg versus the Zombies grind-house b-movie in New Orleans. This will be a thing that me and a buddy of mine, who is a film guy here in Austin, are working on. I’m going to have another Jesse Dayton record coming out at some point. Right now I just need to focus on getting ready for this tour because it’s going to be a humongous tour.
Do you have an advice for anyone who would like to get involved in the music industry?
Yeah man! The best advice for people getting involved in the music industry is to just treat it like you treat anything else. Just be honest with yourself. If you work and you play a ton of gigs, all this other success stuff will come. I’ll tell you one thing, being in the music business, you’ve got to be a lifer. It ain’t for the weak of heart.
That’s good advice. That’s basically what I have been hearing from everyone that I have interviewed. You’ve got to go balls out or go home!
Yeah! Same thing with acting or anything. One of my best friends in the world is Lew Temple. He was the guy that puked on the bed in ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ and he was the guard that raped the girl in the last ‘Halloween’. Lew calls me the other day and goes, “Man, you’ll never guess what happened.” I said, “What?” He said, “I met Tony Scott. I just got cast in a big character actor part opposite Denzel Washington in the new Tony Scott thriller.” I was like, “Wow!” Lew’s been at it in acting as long as I have been at it in music. He just never gave up man. Now he finally got this big, huge part in this movie. It just pays off man.
Is there anything else you want to add or let your fans know?
Be sure to visit www.captainclegg.com. You can go on iTunes and get the record now. The record will be in stores any day now. It can be found at most of the independent music stores and Hot Topic.
Thanks for your time and best of luck!
You got it man! Thanks a lot!
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For all the latest information on Captain Clegg And The Night Creatures, be sure to swing on by the official site at www.captainclegg.com!
How did music first come into your life?
Basically the reason why I went solo as it were and make solo records and a solo project in this case, is because of my love of collaboration. The reason I make music is because it is all collaboration. I am not a Joni Mitchell singer/songwriter type, I’m a rock musician, so everything is about the drummer, the engineer, the guitar tone, the guitar player. It is my love of collaboration that fuels all of this to begin with. My first record was made by reaching out to all of my heroes and all of my mentors such as Josh Homme and Chris Goss, who was the co-producer of my first record. So it’s always been based on collaboration. Obviously, with this project as you see, comes down to the collaboration with the film makers, the illustrators and the players on the record. Glenn Danzig is the guest of honor and the most surprising guest, he has been a hero of mine since I was a teenager. He was sort of a mythological king that I looked to for inspiration and I never really thought that I would work with. It would have been anti-climatic to meet him as a fan and just say “Hi, how ya doing?”. So, for over fifteen years I’ve been a serious and devoted fan. I’ve worn my lucky Danzig sweat band throughout all of my touring and he is like this Viking type of man that I look to, to find the strength in side of myself to get up on stage. It started by me deciding that I was going to reach for the lofty goal to come together with one of my heroes. I wrote him a song, “Father’s Grave”, which is the duet where he plays the grave digger and I play a woman who has lost her father. Through this strange conversation in the song, she finds some healing for her loss. I decided to write him a song and invite him into my world through song instead of just calling and asking if he wanted to meet for coffee. [laughs] I did something that I’ve never done before which is, basically write a song from another person’s perspective. I know his music very well. So I basically closed my eyes and thought, “What would Glenn do?” To tell this story about this grave digger and this woman. The end result was that I wrote my first six minute blues/funeral duet. I sent him a demo with me singing his part and my part and a two page letter explaining the impact that he had made on my life and the story of the song. I sent it to his PO box, he doesn’t have a manager or an agent per-se, he does everything pretty direct. I sent it to what was essentially a fan PO box. Everyone told me that it would never happen because he had never collaborated on anyone else’s record. Six months later my phone rang and it was Glenn. He liked my song and I flew out to L.A. and we went into the studio to record his parts. It was amazing!
No. It was so much fun. It was so satisfying and so exciting. Obviously, I pick collaborators who are up to this sort of abstract challenge. Director Tony Stone and Illustrator Jack Forbes were amazing to work with. I basically had this crazy idea about time travel and I had my visual references along with certain period pieces, like Vikings and Witches. These references created this strange sort of art piece by trying to merge Tony’s language of cinema and story-telling and then my way of seeing and feeling stories within a song and then merging them together. It was really, really fun for everyone involved. I think I chose to work with people who are excited to do an odd ball collaboration.
It is hard to mention your name and not bring up your past endeavors with the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole. Billy Corgan and Courtney Love are obviously two very dynamic personalities. What were the greatest lessons you took away from your time working with them?
Ring in 2010 with 
Where did you grow up?
You are often referred to as “the best kept secret in modern country music.” What are your thoughts on that statement?
It was such a cool deal. I had done the Banjo & Sullivan record for ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ movie. It came about in a real wild way. Rob called me and said, “Hey, we’re making this crazy white trash horror movie called ‘The Devil’s Rejects’. We think your music would be perfect. Would you be interested in doing this fake CD for Banjo & Sullivan?” I was like, “Yeah! Sure!” So I flew out to L.A. and I wrote a bunch of songs. I took them to Rob. I went into his office, it was the first time I ever met him. He died laughing listening to all of the lyrics. He just thought it was really cool, so we put out that record. The record did pretty good. Then he calls me when I am playing with Social Distortion in a theater in Hollywood. He calls me and he’s like, “Are you in L.A. right now?” I’m like, “Yeah.” He goes, “Me and Sheri are going to come down.” I was like, “OK!” It was kind of a big deal. The show I was playing with Social Distortion was real cool. Everybody was kind of freaking out because Rob and Sheri were coming backstage. Rob and Sheri come backstage and we hang out for a while. He’s like, “Hey man, I’m doing this new movie and I think I want to put you in it.” I was like, “Great!” I was like, “Sign me up man!” He watches the show and when he saw that show, that must have been where he got the idea to do the Phantom Jam scene. It was a really cool show that night. We had tons of people there just freaking out and singing along to our stuff. It was a very edgy, kind of punk rock crowd. Anyway, he called me later and said, “Hey. I want you and your band to be in the movie. I want you to play this new character. The movie is going to be ‘Halloween II’.” I was like, “Holy shit!” I was like, “Right on man!” Immediately we started to email each other song ideas back and forth. Rob was very much the person who came up with all of this. He came up with the idea for the name of the band, which he took from an old English horror movie. We started talking about hybrid music ideas. What would it be like if Buck Owens did an Iggy Pop song? What would it be if we mixed The Misfits with The Cramps? There were all of these different ideas. I just wrote all of these ideas down and I got in the car and drove to New Orleans. I checked into this haunted hotel called the Lamothe House on Esplanade Avenue and I wrote all of these songs in like two days.
Are there any noticeable differences between Rob Zombie the musician and Rob Zombie the director?
Whose idea was it to come up with a full album of material and release it separate from the film’s soundtrack?
You mentioned the ‘Zombie A Go Go’ video. Can we expect anymore videos from Captain Clegg?
Ever had a “Spinal Tap Moment” on stage?
That’s good advice. That’s basically what I have been hearing from everyone that I have interviewed. You’ve got to go balls out or go home!
