diary of a madman-from guitar one (july '99)

"The guitars on our new record sound like lawnmowers-- that's how heavy it is," Coal Chamber guitarist Meegs Rascon declares of the band's forthcoming release, Chamber Music. "But," he adds, "there's more melody, too." The Los Angeles band, which is rapidly gaining critical attention for its self-described 'SpookyCore' sound, spent three months in studios in L.A. and Boston laying tracks, but the sessions were unexpectedly delayed due to the passing of a close friend. Meegs explains, "Our engineer, Chad, who was also going to be our mixer, died three days before we were to go into the studio to start mixing, so the whole thing got pushed back. That's why we're not doing OzzFest this year-- the album's not going to be out until late June or July." But according to Rascon, the band's sophomore record marks a giant leap forward for the quartet. "We're going for a totally different sonic quality. Everybody in Coal Chamber loves rap and hip-hop, but there are so many bands doing that now. With this record, we're trying to incorporate a different element into metal-- there are tracks with keyboards, a talk box, and even a string orchestra." With the rock world awaiting their new release, Coal Chamber is poised to become hard-rock heavyweights. As for Meegs himself, there's no place he'd rather be than right here, right now: "Playing music is the only thing I know how to do, it's the only thing I live for. Without it, I'd just be a Joe Schmoe, working at a fast-food restaurant being miserable, flipping burgers, and having a shotgun at home contemplating my death."

MTV has referred to Coal Chamber's forthcoming album, Chamber Music, as "one of the most anticipated hard rock albums of 1999." That's a surprising amount of respect coming for a musical outlet that has become notorious for neglecting heavy bands.

Yeah. MTV's definitely notorious for that, but I think it's changing nowadays-- especially with bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, and Marilyn Manson. It's definitely changing, and I think heavy music is coming back. There are so many other bands, including us, that are doing the same vibe, I think MTV's going to start taking notice-- we'll all have to wear makeup and try to look good now! No, we’re just trying to do our thing, and I think they’re recognizing that—especially since we’re taking metal to a different level. Just a little while ago, MTV got bored of playing the same old thing. Then Nirvana and all that stuff came down. Now rap, especially, is conquering the airwaves everywhere. And metal, I think, is resurging back, coming out of the underground. We did an interview with Ozzy the other day on MTV, and they asked him, “Do you think metal went away?” And he’s like: “It never went away. It’s always been here.” It’s like a rollercoaster: It has its peaks, it goes down, and it stays down for awhile, but I think it’s going up the big hill right now. Of course, eventually, one day, it will go back down. But it will always be here. The rollercoaster will never stop.

Were you guys feeling any pressure to live up to that kind of hype when you were writing the music for the new album?

No. It was funny, because the hype started after we wrote the record [laughs], which is incredible. I think MTV heard about Chamber Music and came down to the studio, but we already had the songs recorded. And they were really impressed; they were blown away. We’re taking our sound and our thing to the next level on this record.

In what ways has Coal Chamber evolved since the recording of your self-titled debut?

We’ve all matured, we’ve all grown older, and we’ve experienced so many things on the road—we’ve seen so many bands, we’ve heard so much music. We try to incorporate all those little things—rap, “goth” music, everything—into that heavy, downtuned sound. Now our songs are more mature, more song-oriented, but with that heavy-assed, Coal Chamber grind.

Does the term “SpookyCore” still apply to your music?

Oh yeah, definitely. Now it’s even gone to a creepier, darker level.

Given that so many of the vocalists/lyricists in metal’s modern era have experienced their share of horrific events—like the things Jonathan Davis of Korn witnessed while working in a coroner’s office, for example—it’s no surprise heavy music is getting “darker” these days. Those types of extreme experiences seem to have a direct influence on an artist’s lyrical output. Didn’t your band’s singer, Dez, see his stepfather shoot himself to death?

Yeah. I’m not really too familiar with that because Dez didn’t talk much about it, but he’s told me some—that it was suicide or something. But Dez experienced that, and he experienced his wife leaving him. Everyone in the band has gone through really, really bad things—everything from problems with drugs and alcohol, fighting and violence, to death. But we’ve all come out in a positive way. Playing heavy music, for us, is therapy. It’s natural. For Jonathan Davis and all these people, it’s a form of therapy—you scream your ass off, you sing beautiful things, you yell awful things. It’s almost like an exorcism. All these demons leave.

The majority of heavy bands these days play severely detuned guitars. What do you feel separates Coal Chamber’s sound from other downtuned bands like Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Sevendust, and System of a Down?

It just comes down to the way you play. It’s the delivery—the vocals, the drumming, the arrangement of the songs. Obviously, on our first record, there are noticeable influences, but our new record is definitely more “Coal Chamber.” We were just so naïve and raw and very young back then—and I’m very proud of our first record. But everyone has their own separate vibe: Limp Bizkit has a hip-hop vibe, Korn has a combination of that and some other elements, and System of a Down, they’re great—they’re like circus music with grindcore. And us, we’re trying to incorporate more of a rhythmic groove—kind of a nonstop, pound-yourself-in-the-head type of thing. This record is definitely an accomplishment for us; I’m very proud of it. Now you can hear Coal Chamber and go, “Damn! That’s Dez right there!”

You sound excited about the new record.

I’m really, really excited about the new record. It shows the growth of Coal Chamber for sure. From each individual—like Mikey, Rayna, Dez, and me—we’ve all evolved. We’ve definitely grown as players.

I hear the new record features a cover version of Peter Gabriel’s “Shock the Monkey” – a track you guys recorded with Ozzy. What was that like?

It was incredible! We were recording all our stuff—we kept that song at the end because of the time schedule—and Ozzy came in and just belted it out. He’s a funny guy; he’s hilarious. He’s just the nicest person you’ll ever meet. I mean, he’s weird—he’s like your “weird uncle”—but he’s the coolest. MTV did an interview with Ozzy and Dez, and Ozzy said, “You guys are part of the family.” So we’re part of the family—the Sharon and Ozzy family. We’re very fortunate. And Sharon Osbourne, who’s also our manager, is a big name in the business. She started managing us after the first OzzFest. She saw the OzzFest video, and she was like, “Who is that band? That’s the one new band that fully makes me go, ‘Wow. I wanna manage them!’” And for her to manage someone, it had to take a lot because she only manages Ozzy—she hasn’t managed another band in over a decade. She was really into the music, the whole vibe, the whole image, the whole sound, the whole package, basically. And she’s like a mother to us: She’ll never do anything bad to us, we always hug each other and cry and give each other headaches. It’s the best thing ever.

I understand you recently went to Ozzy’s house to celebrate your birthday?

Yeah. That’s a funny story. We arrived in London on my birthday, and I was really jet-lagged. Ozzy and Sharon picked us up and took us to their house—and it’s a humongous house with a huge backyard the size of a city, and he has like 10,000 dogs, bikes, everything. And Sharon has maids and all that, but she’s like “Let me cook you some breakfast!” She starts reaching for some eggs, and Ozzy goes up to her and says, “This lady doesn’t know how to cook. Let me cook. She’ll fucking poison you or something!” Ozzy cooked eggs, bacon, ham, and beans for the whole band—he poured us juice and everything.

What kinds of things have you learned from being so close to Ozzy these last couple years?

What I’ve learned is to try for longevity. I mean, Ozzy’s been doing it for a long time, and obviously he’s been doing it for so long because he’s a great musician, a great singer, and a great character. And everyone knows Ozzy. We’ve learned that you gotta be your own individual character, and keep the music dark. Even if you go into a ballad and you sing more melodic stuff, there’s always that dark, emotional element to it. And Ozzy’s always kept that—ever since Black Sabbath. You can’t get any creepier than that.

You guys formed back in the spring of 1994.

Somewhere around there. Dez and I each put our ads looking for people to jam with, and he ended up answering mine. We hooked up, and I’ve loved the guy ever since. We’ve had our share of problems, but Dez and I have gone through everything—from fistfights, to screaming at each other, to kissing each other. We’ve gone through bands together too, but nothing really serious until we actually formed Coal Chamber, and Rayna and Mikey joined. That was the core of the band; that was it. We just went full-throttle after that.

Can you talk a bit about what led up to Coal Chamber’s signing with Roadrunner Records?

We were playing around Los Angeles, and we seriously busted our ass. We put out flyers every fuckin’ day. Every show that was considered “rock music,” we were there. We were spending money out of our own pocket on flyers, giving people stickers—we were so poor, we couldn’t even eat. But we borrowed money from family members, from girlfriends, and put out demo tapes. We’d go record a demo tape and just give out a shitload of ‘em. And eventually we started playing shows, we started hooking up with other bands, and before you know it, our shows started getting packed, and we developed a following. People helped us out—people like Ross Robinson, who was a real important part, and Dino Cazares of Fear Factory. They definitely hooked us up, and I’m grateful to them. Ross got one of our demo tapes, and he convinced Monte Conner, the main A&R guy at Roadrunner, to have meetings with us. Before you know it, one thing led to another, and boom, we got signed within a year.

What was L.A.’s heavy music scene like before Korn and Coal Chamber got signed?

I think it was mostly glam-rock bands, and I’ll be honest: I fuckin’ loved all that stuff. I’m not gonna deny it. I loved stuff like Guns N’ Roses, L.A. Guns, and Skid Row. Shout at the Devil, by Mötley Crüe changed my life, is one of my favourite records of all time. Mötley Crüe changed my life. I had long hair, and I loved it—I actually wanna grow it out again.

Back in those days, you couldn’t get away with having a female bass player in a metal band.

You know what’s funny? All those ‘80s bands looked like girls [laughs], so I don’t know why they wouldn’t put a girl in there. I won’t name names, but hey, they were pretty—some of them looked better than girls. I don’t know what the big deal was.

On the subject of fashion, you guys look different every time I see you.

We get bored; we amuse ourselves—and we try to get away with murder. We just put makeup on, go on a heavy-ass tour, and see if the kids hate us or not. We come out, and they’re like, “What the fuck is this shit?” But then, when we start playing, they’re like, “This shit’s heavy. It pounds you in the head.” And they look at us—we have a girl bass player and the whole thing—and to some of them, we look like fags or whatever. Wait! You might wanna edit that [laughs]. We look like homos.

Yeah. That’s a lot better.

[Laughing] Hey, believe me, there’s nothing wrong with that—I’m trying to be politically correct right now, okay people? It’s just, we come onstage looking like freaks, and I love it. I love people just looking at us with their mouths open going, “What the fuck?” It’s the best. And we’ve been hated in certain cities, but then we gain popularity, and we come back to that city, and before you know it, we’re selling out theaters and clubs, and these people are dressing like us—they got the hairdo, the little fishnets, and makeup on. It’s crazy.

Is the response to Coal Chamber’s music different from one part of the country to another?

Yeah. In the United States there’s a difference everywhere you go. You go to the West Coast, and there’s not much of a “rock” scene compared to the East Coast—they love hardcore music and all that heavy shit over there. The West Coast, I guess, is more hip-hop and all that, but they still have their heavy music scenes. The deeper south you go, there’s a difference: Sometimes they love you, sometimes they hate you. It depends. We’ve been in certain cities where they’re like [speaking with a southern drawl], “What the fuck is this?” And we’ve been banned from playing certain places in the “Bible Belt,” just because they thought we were satanic. And we look pretty satanic, I guess. I just need to put on some horns next time, and get a pitchfork.

Tell me about the significance of some of your tattoos.

Everyone one of my tattoos has a certain meaning. My first one is definitely the cheesiest one of all, but I still love it, it’s just so metal: It’s a skull with fire in the background, and my last name’s tattooed on the bottom. And I have one of my last name on my stomach too, which I’m very proud of. I’m proud of my Mexican heritage. I’m Mexican and part Chinese, and I have a Chinese dragon on my chest. I have “Coal Chamber”—which is like my family—tattooed on my arm.

Coal Chamber has toured with some of the biggest names in the business: Ozzy, Pantera, and Megadeth, among others. How has that kind of association helped the band’s profile?

We’re fortunate to play with all those big bands like Pantera, Ozzy, and Black Sabbath. When you play in front of thousands of people, you wanna play your ass off and leave an impression on the audience, which we do. We try to do anything and everything possible to captivate the audience. Whether or not they think, “You guys suck,” they’re still watching you. And they’ll probably buy your record the next day. But there are a lot of bands that don’t do that; they don’t play their asses off. I mean, I’ll break my feet jumping up and down, Dez will rip his vocal chords out, and Mikey will break his hands.

Since you guys were touring like crazy promoting your debut album, was it hard to find time to come up with new material for Chamber Music?

We tried to write on the road, and we did come up with a couple songs that actually came out on soundtracks. When we were touring in London, we wrote this song called “Blisters,” which came out on the Bride of Chucky soundtrack. And then we had 10 days off in Cincinnati, and we wrote a bunch of songs in a rehearsal room. They only song that actually made it to a soundtrack [Strangeland] from that session was “Not Living” which is on the new record, but it’s a different version—it’s the same arrangement, but it has different vocals and less electronic stuff on it. For the new record, lyric-wise, Dez wrote about 80 songs, but the band itself wrote almost 30 complete songs. They’re short songs, but we wrote a lot of them. We had to narrow it down to 14 for the record. We just wrote and wrote and wrote when we got off the road. We went to Longview Farms Studios in North Brooksfield [suburb of Boston], and we just jammed it out for a month and a half, wrote, and started recording right after that.

Jay Gordon of Orgy and Jay Baumgardner, owner of NRG Studios, produced your first record. What drew you to Orgy producer Josh Abraham for Chamber Music?

We’ve known Josh and Jay for the longest time, but back then, when Jay was producing our first record, there was no Orgy—there was not even a concept of it. I wanted to use Jay again for this record, but he was on tour—he’s in Orgy now, doing his thing—and Josh was the next logical choice. He’s a great producer; he’s awesome. They’re two different types of producers, but they’re both great in their own way. Josh is more into that electronic type of vibe, which we didn’t do—we wanted to avoid that “Orgy” type of vibe. We did the whole organic thing, but we sprinkled it with electronic candy.

What kinds of things did Josh Abraham do in the studio to help you guys capture that particular sound you were after?

I think Josh is very open-minded, and he likes to incorporate weird things into a rock or metal format. He’ll throw in keyboard sounds and then make ‘em sound like a guitar. On this record, we did a lot of experimentation. Before this album, we were still a four-piece. We were raw; we just wanted to come out as a four-piece band and try to avoid doing so many overdubs. And now, forget it. We’re going crazy. We put an orchestra—strings, violins, cellos, and everything—on a song called “My Mercy,” but the song is still heavy. It’s very creepy, very slow and spooky. We have two guest vocalists on it: Elijah from Deadsy—who’s the son of Cher and Gregg Allman—and Aimee Echo, who’s in Hero now and used to be in Human Waste Project. She’s singing backups, so we have a girl singer on there. That’s one of my favourite songs because it has so much shit in it.

Did you use a variety of guitar and amp configuration on this record, or mostly your custom B.C. Rich and Marshall JCM-900?

I used all my B.C. Rich guitars. They treat me well, and they make guitars that I love—like my custom jumbo Tele-looking thing. And I have two other Les Paul-looking models and a crazy metallic silver acoustic that’s the shape of a Mockingbird. As far as amps, we used Marshall JCM-900s on certain sections, but we used mostly JCM-800s for the crunchy tone. We also used this old ‘70s Plexi Marshall, which gives you the most insane “that-sounds-like-somebody-gargling” tone—that fuzzed-out, weird distortion. Everything was basically Marshall heads and old Marshall cabinets. We wanted to have that full ‘70s tone, but modernized—kinda like Sabbath for the new millennium.

What does your pedal board consist of these days?

It’s definitely expanded, but since I haven’t played these songs live yet, I haven’t figured out how I’m going to reduce the number of effects that I used on the record for when we play live. I might have so many effects that I’ll have to do the whole MIDI-controlled footswitching thing. But I probably used twice as many effects as I did last time: everything from a talk box on part of “What’s in Your Mind?” to all the basic ones like chorus. I also used an envelope filter a lot on this record.

Whatr kinds of tunings did you use on Chamber Music?

We used the same tunings that we did on the first record, my B-E-A-D-G-B tuning—imagine a regular six-string guitar without the high E and an added low B, or the bottom six strings of a seven-string guitar. And all of my guitars have a Hipshot on them, which drops the B down to A so you can play those one-finger “Helmet” chords. The Hipshot is my savior when I go from a low B to Drop A when we’re playing live. I hate it when people tune onstage: It’s horrible, and it’s un-professional. I noticed they had the Hipshot for electric bass, and I was like, “Why not put it on the guitar?” I mean, my guitar basically sounds like a distorted bass anyway, so I figured, “Why not?” And Dave, the owner of Hipshot, actually put mine on years ago. Ever since then, B.C. Rich has put the Hipshot on all my guitars.

I read somewhere that you use real heavy strings that were originally designed for lap steel?

Yeah. The low B is an actual lap-steel string—it’s also a bass string, but they use it for lap-steel. I’ve been using .070s for fuckin’ years, and once I actually went to .075! It was just insane—it was cutting my fingers open! My whole guitar has a weird gauge: It goes .070 (B), .056 (E), .046 (A), .036 (D), .026 (G), .020 (B). I’ve never broken a string, and I never will. I can’t even though I’ve tried. And you can forget about soloing on my guitar—you’ll sound worse than a second grader! Our style of music is more rhythmic; it’s not like you have to bend the strings so much, like when you’re soloing.

Will we ever hear a guitar solo from Meegs Rascon?

Yeah, on this record! On “My Mercy.” Well, it’s not necessarily a solo; it’s more of a “melodic theme” kinda thing. It’s not an Yngwie Malmsteen type of thing—and no disrespect to the guy, I think he’s incredible; I really thought he was good when he came out—but this is nothing like that. It’s just a very, almost Nirvana-type of weird vocal-melody kind of thing. I think that solos belong in certain songs, but the “soloing thing” was abused; nobody used it in the right context. I think the ‘70s bands did it the “correct” way and it actually fit, then the ‘80s came about and people were just like, “Wheedly-wheedly,” on the guitar and it just sounded like shit.

Did you have a practice regimen when you were younger?

Yeah. I definitely studied theory and all that—but, trust me, you ask me anything about theory now, and I have no clue. I learned Phrygian and Mixolydian modes and all that stuff, and I can’t even tell you what they are now; I haven’t done them for years, and I have no idea. I mean, it’s great to learn it, if you have the patience…but you don’t need to. I feel like learning comes from inspiration, from hearing other bands, and coming up with your own shit. That’s how you actually break ground.

But didn’t you practice eight hours a day at one point?

Yeah, when I was younger. When I was 16 or 17, I was infatuated with the guitar—that was my girlfriend right there. I would stay in the room with it for eight to 12 hours sometimes. Then there came a point where I just kinda let that go and started writing music and simplified my whole approach. I was like, “What’s the point?” When I listen to music, I love to listen to simple-ass grooves and simple-ass riffs, and I just got into that whole vibe. I’m just not into real intricate stuff, even though, on this new record, we’re expanding a little more. I actually do a tapping riff in a song called “Truth Is Like a Tragedy.” It’s the main riff of the song, tapped on the B string, but it actually sounds like a keyboard ‘cause I used a bunch of chorus and other weird effects on it. It sounds killer.

Are you primarily self-taught, or did you have a teacher?

It was a combination of both—I don’t wanna sound like one of those guys who are like, “Oh, I taught myself.” I didn’t. I had teachers for a couple of years, then I just branched out into my own thing—I started buying books and guitar magazines and learning little things here and there. Before you know it, I learned the “power chord,” and it took off from there.

When did you start getting into heavy guitar music?

Led Zeppelin was one of the first heavy bands I ever heard. My uncle played them, and they were just heavy—“Immigrant Song” has almost a White Zombie-like groove to it, and I fell in love with it. I’ve been in love with Led Zeppelin forever; that’s one of my favorite ‘70s bands. After that, I got into stuff like Pantera, Helmet, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. I’m a “metal head,” for sure.

Were you also influenced by other styles of music?

Yeah, definitely. We were influenced by everything from the Psychedelic Furs to Pantera to Ice Cube. We just love everything: hip-hop to “goth” music. When I was little, I used to listen to Michael Jackson and Madonna [laughs] and stuff like that. I was way into pop and Top 40, then I started branching out into the “devil” music: Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden. Then I started getting into rap. Ever since then, I’ve gotten into everything.

Can you describe what your stage show will be like on this upcoming tour?

It’s top secret! It’s definitely gonna be evil; it’s definitely gonna be dark; it’s definitely gonna be mature. It’s not gonna be any more of that scary “Toys ‘R’ Us” thing that we used to have—stuffed animals with bondage gear. We’re taking it to the next level.

You guys have a very theatrical type of stage presence. What kinds of things inspired your unique performing style?

You ever see those horror movies where there are those innocent looking dolls and they open their eyes and move robotically? That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I saw that, and I was like, “Whoa. Let me do that onstage.” And a bunch of kids always get scared. Our stage performance is scary because Rayna and Dez...we’re all doing our own psychotic, convulsive thing, and Rayna seems like she’s in outer space. She’s loony. We’re all loony when we’re onstage, and that’s our whole persona and our whole mentality. That’s the whole impression that we want to leave. We don’t want to be just “some guys” playing onstage with a smile and looking stupid.

Do you think it’s hard for a heavy band to stay on the “cutting edge” these days?

Yeah. It’s definitely difficult now because, when bands like Korn and Deftones came out, and then we came out, it was still early for the whole “comtemporary” sounds. And it’s hard for new bands to do that now ‘cause, at this point, it’s just repetitive, and a lot of people go, “Well, it’s been done.” And it has been done. Luckily we came out early enough. I still hear a lot of different vibes from different bands, but unfortunately people just don’t see past the “tuned-down” thing. Everyone’s like, “Oh. You sound like Korn.” You just gotta put your own edge to it.

What do you feel the approaching millennium holds for people interested in heavy music?

There are so many bands coming out, and some of them are just tearing it up—they’ll be doing something out of this fucking planet with that heavy sound. I think the new millennium is definitely gonna have a host of very good, very heavy bands.

What are some of the newer, lesser-known bands you’ve been listening to lately?

I don’t want to leave anyone out here, ‘cause I’d hate to have enemies. I’ve been listening to Dead Girls Corp.—that’s a great band with great music, and they’re great friends of mine—System of a Down, Hero, Static X, and Spineshank. I’m sure there are other bands, I just can’t think of them now.

Do you feel it’s difficult for a band to have any sort of longevity these days?

Yeah. I feel it is because there are a lot of bands that come out that are labeled “flavor of the month” and they have one hit—the “one-hit-wonders.” And I’m not saying they’re a bad band and they’re not good or anything; it’s just one of those things where one band almost sounds like another. And it’s hard because you have to really come out sounding unique—I don’t mean so unique that no one’s ever heard it before. You have to come out and sound refreshing—take an old idea and update it. I think a lot of bands just don’t do that, and they kinda copy an old formula. And a lot of them write catchy songs—I’m not saying that they don’t—but it’s just been done and people kinda get tired of it real quick. A million people will buy their record, and then they’ll be like, “This band sucks,” then they’ll move on to the next flavor.

Where do you envision yourself and Coal Chamber in the next 10 years?

Hopefully, we’ll still be around enjoying the music, and people will be buying our records. I know we’re definitely striving for the best every time we write new songs and write a new record—we’re not gonna come out with a bunch of crap; we’ll fuckin’ bust our ass to write good shit. And 10 years, that’s a long way. You never know. We might be the next Metallica, or the next flavor of the month. Who knows? But we definitely have plans to stay here for a long time; we’re gonna be here for a while. We’re hungry, and we want it bad. And I appreciate all the support of our fans—especially because we have a lot of young kids who are very into us: We’re not gonna disappoint you. Hopefully you’ll grow old with us, because we’re still kids, too. We act like kids, and our mentality is like a 12-year-old’s. We’re still gonna be here, we’re still gonna be freaks, and we’re still gonna be heavier than shit. You can always count on that.



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Email: MeegsIsMyMercy@aol.com