MoM- When did the band start, and did everyone meet each other?

V- Well with the band, we've actually been together for about 3 1/2 years. What happened was me and the drummer, Morgan, was in a different band. We have known each other for about 7 years. We all knew each other from different bands, and playing at clubs in the Atlanta area. So we all just got together just to jam. We didn't really expect anything from it, we just wanted to jam. After that, everything kind of just fell into place. Morgan and I got John and we started writing together. Then after that we got LJ. He was in an R&B act so we didn't know how it was going to work out, but he dug it and we kept him in there. Then Clint was out final piece. Basically the whole band just started from friendship though. It was good because everyone could kind of stand each other. (while laughing)

MoM- Was anyone in any different bands before Sevendust?

V- Actually we were all in regional bands. Morgan and I were in a band and had something going on with RCA, but things didn't work out. John played drums for the piece dolls which were on Energy Records. Clint was in another regional band, and LJ was in an R&B band.

MoM- I heard something about how someone's brother is in Stuck Mojo, who's brother is it?

V- Yeah. Clint, our guitar player, his brother Corey is the bass player for Stuck Mojo. It's pretty cool how it works out.

MoM- That's pretty good, do you think you'll be doing a tour with them?

V- Yeah, we've been hoping to do one. We've done some radio shows with them, but we haven't really crossed paths and set something up yet. I'm sure that a tour with them will happen in the future.

MoM- Are you going to be playing the Ozzfest?

V- Yeah, we're very excited about that.

MoM- Are you doing the Europe and U.S. tours?

V- Oh, we're just set up for the U.S. dates. I think that's it either going to be 17 or 18 dates on the Ozzfest in the U.S. .Maybe we'll be able to do some date in Europe but I'm not too sure.

MoM- Which stage are you going to be on?

V- We're going to be on the main stage.

MoM- Oh, I'll definitely be there.

V- Yeah, I'm really excited. I can't wait to see Tool play.

MoM- Yeah, I heard that they put on a great show.

V- I have never gotten the chance to see them live, but I've heard a lot of great things about them. I love their music. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing those guys play.

MoM- How was that tour with Limp Bizkit and Clutch?

V- I was killer! We sold out places every night. It was great for us. We made a lot of good friends. Limp Bizkit was good, Clutch are great guys. It was probably one of the best things we've ever done. Out of the 5 tours we've done, that one had to have been the best.

MoM- Yeah, it was a great show. I saw you guys twice on that tour. I went to the one at the Stone Pony, and the one at the Electric Factory.

V- Well the one at the Stone Pony was a little bit freaky. LJ lost his voice that night and we weren't able to play too many songs that night. We had to cancel the Philadelphia one since his voice was strained out. Besides that, everything was pretty good for the rest of the way.

MoM- I understand that you're going to be doing something with Coal Chamber.

V- Yeah, we're doing the tour right now with them. We're out with Coal Chamber, Human Waste Project, and Day In The Life. We're doing about a month with these guys. Then we're going to go to Europe for 10 days and do Dynamo and all that stuff. Then we'll be back to do another leg with Megadeth before Ozzfest.

MoM- That's got to be great doing all of those tours with such great bands.

V- Yeah is killer! As I've been saying, it's been crazy for this whole year traveling all over the place and meeting all these cool bands. It's been a real trip.

MoM- It's got to be great playing with Ozzy.

V- Yeah, it's great. I'm looking forward to it big time. We're just waiting for it, knowing that it's coming up, and we're just thankful that we have the opportunity to do it. Hopefully we'll make some new friends on that tour too. That's what it's all about.

MoM- Yeah, that's got to be great. I remember that you did something with Powerman 5000, do you think you'll be doing anything else with them?

V- We haven't come across those guys in a while. A couple of times on the road, they'll come out and see us, but I'm not sure what their schedule has been. We'd love to do something with them again. That was one of our first tours. We did all of these clubs with Coal Chamber. It was a really cool tour. It really got us going. We'd love to play with them again. Actually I haven't heard from them or anything so I don't know if they're on tour, or on stage, or what, but it would be cool to do something with them.

MoM- Was it strange playing at the Pony one time where there was no barrier, and then coming back and having the huge speakers, and the barrier and everything?

V- It was definitely weird! But we love it when people come out to shows and support us. That's what it's all about. It's crazy. It's definitely crazy.

MoM- Yeah, I've been to a number of your shows. I'm going to be seeing you in a few weeks down the street from me.

V- Oh, that's cool. You could drink down a bunch of beers and don't even have to worry about driving!(while laughing) We're definitely looking forward to that show. Definitely.

MoM- Yeah, what bands did you listen to when you were younger?

V- Everybody in the band has been listening to different stuff because we all come from different backgrounds. I listen to all sorts of things from old Ted Nugent to Metallica. All sorts of different styles of music. I can't really say that one thing was a big influence, because it was mostly everything around me personally was an experience. My family plays all kinds of stuff like Blue Grass, so that's what I cut my teeth on and learned how to play an instrument. I think everything around me has been pretty much an inspiration.

MoM- Is there any funny things that have happened on tour?

V- Every night man! (while laughing) Some things you could talk about, some things you can't so basically it's just the same old stuff. We are cool with the people we're on the road with. We do practical jokes and stuff on them, but nothing too out of whack.

MoM- I understand that Metal Edge rated you number 1 band of the year.

V- Yeah, it's a trip!

MoM- How do you feel about that?

V- I'm just really flattered. I've been reading Metal Edge for who knows how long? It's weird seeing our pics up in the magazine that we like to read. Then we see pictures of us and other bands in the magazine. It's just unique. You just can't really grasp it when you open up a magazine and you see your picture in there. I have people calling me and saying "Hey, I saw you in a magazine!". It's flattering, I'm glad. The people from Metal Edge have been really good to us and we appreciate their support. They just made our whole organization feel really good.

MoM- How was that boat show with Candiria and Pro-Pain for WSOU?

V- Oh, that was killer! It was a weird setup how they had it on the boat, with the low ceiling, and how the stage was, but it was really cool! After all, floating around New York, jamming on a boat, what more could you ask for? There was a couple of times that I thought it would get out of hand when Pro-Pain was playing, but it was pretty kick ass! We were hanging around slamming beers. I don't even think that there was supposed to be beers on that boat, but we came across some.

MoM- Yeah, someone must have smuggled it in there.

V- Yeah, someone got it in there, but everyone was having a good time, and it was really cool. Usually you go and play at a club or somewhere so you know what to expect, but a gig like that, you just don't know. You just walk in having no idea about how it's going to be like so it's like you're going in blind. It turned out to be killer.

MoM- Do you think you're going to be doing anymore shows like that in the future?

V- I hope so! Those shows just come up out of the blue, they sneak up on us. We'll play anywhere though. Those shows are fun and you remember them better then you do others. All the shows are fun and killer, but I'll never forget this "The Boat Gig". It was a great show, we made it back and it didn't sink. (while laughing)

MoM- Yeah, you don't want a Titanic thing going on there.

V- Yeah, definitely not. (while laughing)

MoM- Have you been writing any new material?

V- Yeah, we're going to be touring up to Fall, but we've been working on some new stuff on the road. We probably won't be able to put the stuff together until late fall. Hopefully we'll be recording the new record by the first of the year. So we're excited about that too, but we've been on the road non-stop and have only had a few days off in the past year so it looks like they're going to push us to the fall. We probably won't have any time to go in and do any tracks. We're definitely working on stuff for our new record.

MoM- Do you have any closing comments?

V- Yeah, well I'd just like to say, everyone that's been around us, we appreciate the support from everybody that's helped us out. So far it's been a trip and everything has been great for us. We've met a lot of cool people, and we're just really happy about where we're at. We love to play, we love to meet everybody, it's all good right now. We're having a blast, and good luck with your online magazine bro.

MoM- Ok, well thanks for the interview and I guess I'll see you at the show.

V- Ok, I'll see you at Birch Hill.

MoM- Bye.