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Rock 'n' Roll Fireworks
I remember first hearing about Chevelle back in 2002, the very same year I started working in radio as an intern. I got my hands on a promo copy of their album Wonder What’s Next, which featured hit singles in “The Red” and “Send the Pain Below.” Now, seven years later, the band has grown into an established rock band and is releasing their fifth record, Sci-Fi Crimes, in September. Recently I had the chance to catch up with the band’s drummer, Sam Loeffler.
You guys are coming here on Fourth of July, which is kinda rad.
Yeah, that’s weird; I didn’t know anyone did shows on Fourth of July.
Yeah, I told everyone to leave their roman candles at home.
[Laughs] Let’s hope so.
You can’t shoot them off at shows, you’ll get arrested. I’ve tried it before. Well, tell me a little bit about Sci-Fi Crimes, the new album coming out September 8. Did you guys try anything different this time around?
Well, yeah, we did. We’re a hard rock band, that’s our M.O. They are rock songs, but we’ve had Point #1, our first record recorded with Epic. I like those, they’re studio [songs]. With this record, we tried to do it straight up, like whatever you know how to play, you play it. If you can’t do it, it won’t go on the record. We did full takes, actual drum sounds and actual drum takes. We didn’t quantize things, which is going back and fixing individual sounds. We just recorded straight takes. Same thing with vocals, Pete [Loeffler, Chevelle's vocalist] went through and sang everything, and if it didn’t work, he re-sang it. We didn’t fix anything. I actually posted things on Myspace of Pete singing songs so fans could hear what he actually sounds like. People put out perfect digital records, and when they’re on stage you get disappointed because they can’t play it perfectly.
It’s interesting you say that, because I was having a conversation with someone the other day about Michael Jackson (rest in peace), and the album Thriller, which is by far the highest selling record of all time. We’re talking one hundred and nine million copies on one album! Now I realize it’s a different era and it saves time and money, but I wish they would go back to the old school ways or recording.
Yeah, that’s true. Michael Jackson, I’m sure just sang it ‘til it sounded right. There was no auto-tune to make it sound weird. If music was pixilated, I’m sure that’s what it would be. I know it’s a bit of a soap box for me, but I’m not talking about politics or religion, I’m talking about music and that’s something I know.
Well, it seems to go in waves, so maybe you guys are leading the way to going back to a more organic sound instead of doing the digital stuff.
Yeah, I hope so. Usually it’s the band that wants to do things so it sounds real, but a lot of the times it’s the producer that doesn’t allow it. They’ll do so much as to push the band out of the studio and then fix it while they’re gone, then lie about it. That literally does happen. It happened to us. | RDW
Chevelle • 7/4 • DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jay Hudson 89X: Monday through Friday, 7-11p.m.
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