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(Fall 2005) by George Dionne
Rock Is Life last spoke with David Ellefson via e-mail in the spring of
2004. Back then his current band F5 was putting the final touches on what
would
become
their
debut album
A Drug for All Seasons (read
CD review). David was shooting for a summer 2004 release at
the time, but the new disc was eventually released during the tail end of
summer 2005. During his
F5 down
time, the former Dave Mustaine group bassist (more on that later) has been
keeping himself busy forming and playing with other metal and hard rock bands,
as well as producing a few upcoming projects.
RIL:
Why did it take so long to get A Drug for All Seasons completed and released
in the U.S.?
DE: The band formed in early 2003. We did a little
bit of label shopping then, and had interest from JVC in Japan, who ultimately
released it for
us in Japan and Asia this last summer. Rather than just going in and trying
to make a record at that point, we had an opportunity present itself to us.
We were able to go in with Ryan Greene and with my friend Steve Smith as
an executive producer in the spring of 2004, and make the album which is
now A Drug for All Seasons. I’m glad we waited to be honest with you,
because what we got is basically, in my opinion, a very well-produced, major
label quality album, as opposed to just trying to put together an indie album;
which it would have been had we just gone ahead and tried to do it in 2003.
RIL: What are the differences working with a smaller label like
Deadline and a major label like Capitol?
DE: One of the things is that I was able to actually
license [the album] as opposed to just signing a direct artist deal. I
started on an indie label
(Combat), and the idea then was hurry up, run don’t walk into a major
label immediately, because in those days indies were just used as a stepping
stone. Now it’s ironic that I’m back licensing new work that
I’m doing through indie labels essentially, but I tell ya, between
JVC, Mascot, and Deadline, I feel like it’s a major label push with
the radio, publicity, marketing and distribution of it. Ultimately, it’s
comes down to how well is a company going to promote it and can they make
sure they can get it out to the stores so people can actually buy the thing.
In this day and age, the indie record labels basically rule the roost in
the record industry. There is only four or five major distribution networks
from the majors, the rest of them are all indie labels anyway. I’ve
been very pleased with the JVC, Mascot, Deadline release that we had around
the world with F5.
RIL: Will F5 tour in support of this album?
DE: We were just talking about that this week. We’re having those discussions
now that the album has been out for a couple of weeks. We’re starting
to get some good reactions from radio, and everybody is responding favorably
to the album. Were looking at trying to get some shows together and get the
thing out on the road.
RIL: Which song did you release to radio?
DE: Initially to college and metal specialty radio,
we released the whole album. Then the service is going to be out to mainstream
and active rock
radio, maybe even some alternative radio. I think the three songs that
people on radio have always praised were “Dissidence”, “Fall
to Me”, and of course “What I Am”; just because of the
familiarity, which I’m cool with. I’m good with any one of
those.
RIL: Is there a particular song that stands out on the album for you?
DE: You know its one of these albums that…you know, F5 is good driving
music. I find that I speed when I drive to F5, which probably isn’t
good for anyone’s driving record. It’s interesting because for
me, I listen to all of them and it probably sounds trite to say this, but
I really like all of them. I think it just depends on the mood I’m
in. I’ve always looked at music albums as photo albums; they’re
really just a collection of individual moments in time. To me, they all have
something pretty cool about them, and I think they fit really well together
on the same album.
RIL: F5 isn’t the only project you have your hands in these days,
you’re also a member a few other bands, plus you’re playing as
a special guest with others. How do you keep track of them all?
DE: I tell you what, it’s nice when the phone rings. I’ve worked
really hard over the last three years to get all of these things moving forward.
It’s ironic and it’s also rewarding that they’re all happening
in 2005. I didn’t plan it that way. If I had it my way, the F5 record
would have come out in 2004, and the albums I produced (War Machine, Avian)
would have come out in 2002. That’s just the way it goes. Obviously
everyone can see I’ve been working hard for awhile now, even though
the perception is that I just woke up in 2005 from hibernation and decided
to work again. It’s not true. I’ve been doing it all along. I
like all the different things that I’m involved in because, to be honest
with you, they all reflect a different side of who I am. The F5 thing is
more of a mainstream hard rock record, and I’m very proud of it. It’s
a very honest display of what F5 is.
At the same time, Temple of Brutality
is the real, rip-your-guts-out, almost thrash metal record. Killing Machine
is a very old school traditional metal thing, same with Avian and the War
Machine records. I worked on the last couple of Soulfly records, and even
did some shows with them. I love working with Max, he’s a cool artist,
and it’s fun to work in a very creative environment. You can’t
be all things to all people anyway, so my position is I like being in different
bands that specialize to certain people. Some people that like Temple of
Brutality aren’t going to like F5. Some people that like Soulfly aren’t
going to like Temple of Brutality. They all have there space, and rather
than being in one band and be all things to all people, I rather be in like
six different bands that all do something special that people really really
like.
RIL: When should we expect the album from Temple of Brutality?
DE: That one is supposed to be release in November
or December in Asia and Europe, and then we’ll release it very early ‘06 in America.
That’s what they’re shooting for.
RIL: What about the Killing Machine album?
DE: That one I think we’re finishing the deal up. I hope its next week
and that will probably be an early ‘06 release too.
RIL: Would that be Europe first then in the U.S.?
DE: Probably yes.
RIL: The last Killing Machine record (one in which Ellefson
was not involved in) only came out in Europe…
DE: I thought that record came out good. The production
was great. I loved working with Jimmy Degrasso every time I can. James
Rivera produced some
things before with Hellstar and even played some shows with them. It’s
a cool cast of characters in Killing Machine.
RIL: Are any of these projects something you had in mind or were put together
by you?
DE: F5 kind of fell in our laps to be honest with you.
We all knew each other and it was just the result of us getting together
and writing some songs.
Killing Machine and Temple of Brutality; I got the call because Peter Shinower
was working on those and I love both of them, even though they were both
different than each other. I said lets make them happen, so I really pushed
that forward, and James Rivera and I really pushed Killing Machine forward.
With the War Machine guys, that production was something I really wanted
to do, but it just took a couple of years to get that completed because they’re
in Toronto and I’m in Phoenix. The Avian record was just something
we worked on. It’s Yan Leviathan's band. He’s the guitar player
and writer and he funded it all himself. So whenever he got money, we worked.
It’s funny with Yan because he’s a visionary. He said this is
a traditional old school prog-metal band and that’s all that it is.
We got a nice little box to work in so it wasn’t like we were off in
any experimental tangents with it. I respected that about him. I’m
down with the direction he wanted to take it, and I tried to do my best as
the producer and bass player to help bring the members together and fold
and form and mold this record to be what it is that he was looking to do.
RIL: Do you see yourself in involved with these bands long-term?
DE: I think every band I been in was a let’s
try this and see what happens. Some of them have lasted longer than others.
You know, things change,
people change, times change, people relocate, people get married and have
kids, they grow up, and they don’t grow up. You know what I mean. Certain
things happen to bands. Bands are living breathing entities and that’s
why sometimes the longer you stay together, the more difficult it actually
gets. As much as you have a history, fan base, and world wide recognition,
often times the thing that becomes most difficult is to make things work
the way it was. All of these bands I’m involved in right now, I‘m
just trying to just contribute to them and kind of let them take there own
natural course.
RIL: Weren’t you tied to a band with Vanilla Ice?
DE: I was not. What happened was Dan Spitz (Anthrax)
had contacted me because he was doing some stuff with Nicko McBrain (Iron
Maiden) because they were
neighbors down in Florida. They asked me if I wanted to play on it. It
sounded like a cool idea, could be fun. Then Dan had gone in and had Vanilla
Ice sing on some tracks. I never got in the room with those guys. I never
played with them. I had absolutely no involvement with it; zero involvement
with it. All of a sudden my name was attached to it as if I was a member.
I have a mantra which is, I don’t join any band without first getting
in a room and playing some music with them first.
RIL: Is it true that you’re only permitted to mention your
involvement with Megedeath once when you promote yourself?
DE: I haven’t said it at all yet.
RIL: Does your answer qualify or can I say it again?
DE: Actually, all kidding aside, I prefer not to even talk about it. Things
are peaceful right now and I just kind of want to keep everything totally
on the up and up.
RIL: That’s cool. Let me run these [former band] questions
by you and you can decide if you want to talk about them. If Dave called
you tomorrow
and wanted to bury the hatchet and get the classic lineup back, would you
do it?
DE: Yes I would.
RIL: Last year Capitol Records remastered and remixed the Megadeth catalog.
Do you think that was a good thing, or like me do you believe it changes
history and deprives the listener of the raw, original sound that the music
is remembered for?
DE: Well I guess it can go both ways. Sometimes something old made new is
exciting and fresh again, other times the originals are classics too.
RIL: That would be good, but with the remasters, Capitol is phasing out
the originals all together.
DE: I would like to think that at some point you would
have the option to buy both, but I don’t know how that’s going
to go.
RIL: What’s next for Dave Ellefson?
DE: I think I have enough going on every day now. I
just wake up and do everything that’s in front of me; whatever the next issue is needs to be dealt
with on any of the projects I’m working on. The nice thing is they
all seem to be moving along just fine without me having to push and nudge
them. It’s great that all the things that I’ve worked on are
all going to see the light of day with a release. After that, I’ll
just try to enjoy it, and hopefully with most of these things, we can be
out playing some shows so everybody can finally see them on the stage.
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DAVID
ELLEFSON
