TheJHub.com

All > Arts & Entertainment
An interview with Rob Arnold of Chimaira
Topics:
Posted by Jen1180 Wed Feb 13, 2008 21:29:19 MST
Viewed 98 times
0 responses 0 comments What is a Chimaira?  
    In Greek mythology, a Chimera is a creature that was a combination of a lion, a goat and a snake. Sighting it was an omen of storms, shipwrecks and natural disasters, particularly volcanoes.
    In biology, a chimera is also an animal that has two or more different populations of genetically distinct cells that originated in different zygotes.
    The band spells the word with an “ai” rather than an “e.”

By Jenny Wixom
jwixom@journalnet.com
    One thing that has always attracted me to a band or musician is the passion they have for the music, no matter what genre it may be. When I first heard Chimaira’s “Pass Out of Existence” in 2001 I was amazed and intrigued. Not just by their obvious talent, but by the fact that I could listen to something that heavy and enjoy it.
    Although my musical tastes had evolved from listening to my parent’s hair metal when I was a kid, to being a pre-teen when alternative rock bands such as the Gin Blossoms, the Cranberries and (SIGH) Ace of Base were huge, I never really got into anything as heavy as Chimaira.
    Eventually I experienced MTV for the first time, and thus, a whole new world of music was opened up to me (keep in mind this was in the 90’s when MTV didn’t suck quiet as much as it does today). When I heard “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails I did a 180 and never looked back.
    “Pass Out Of Existence,” Cleveland-based metal band Chimaira’s second album, had much of the same effect on me. It was as if someone had opened a door in my mind. The first time I heard it something hooked me. I had to listen to it again. It became one of those CD’s that you put in your car’s player that literally stays there for months. I memorized the words, the ones I could understand, anyway, and knew exactly when my favorite part of each song was coming up.
    Near the end of the title track, the song gets very quiet and dark and singer Mark Hunter practically whispers a few lines before the song very seamlessly goes right back to it’s anger and intensity. “Jade” does much of the same thing. It has a melancholy but very consistent and infectious rhythm to it. The song is about suicide, and the melody and overall vibe of the song seems to be able to put you in the position of the character in the song.
    That’s what got me about Chimaira . . . the ability of this band to make music that one can almost literally feel is absolutely amazing. And, of course, they are all amazing musicians. Each song in all five of their albums has intense guitar riffs wrapped around carefully orchestrated bass lines and drum beats, combined with lyrics that are so true to life it is as if they are being read from someone’s personal diary.
    And then there is Mark Hunter’s voice. He has a voice that anyone familiar with metal can instantly recognizable. In fact, Chimaira’s overall style is very recognizable, but in the most positive sense . . . in the sense that no-one sounds like that but them. No one.
    Chimaira will be playing on Saturday night, Feb. 16 in Salt Lake City at The Avalon, and on Sunday, Feb. 17 at the Big Easy Concert House. For more information, go to their website at www.chimaira.com or their myspace page at www.myspace.com/chimaira
    I recently was able to interview Rob Arnold, lead guitarist for the band, over the phone while he prepared for a show in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His passion for the music was apparent while I talked to him about the new album, “Resurrection,” having Andols Herrick, the original drummer, back in the band, and how they have managed to stay together for almost ten years.

    Jenny: How has it been having Andols back?
    Rob Arnold: It’s great, the family vibe of the band is definitely back. Andols and I went to high school together, a bunch of us went to high school together, but Andols and I knew each other and we had a band back before Chimaira together so we’ve been long-time buddies. It was really heartbreaking for me especially when he left the band. In hindsight now I think maybe things kind of happen for a reason, ya know, he really needed to take a couple of years off to get his head space cleared up again and really prioritize what he wanted to do and taking some time off is what he needed to make that happen. So he’s back, he’s in way better spirits, he’s got his priorities down and we’re loving having him.
    (Andols left the band in 2003 because he didn’t like being on the road all the time. He went home to get a music degree. He returned to the band in 2006.)

    J: So did you guys keep in touch while he was out of the band?
    R.A.: I don’t know, not that there was any bad blood or anything like that, but I talked to him here and there. I mean, he was doing his thing and we were doing ours. During the time he was gone we never thought he was gonna be coming back. We thought it was over for some time there.

    J: How is it that he came back to the band?
    R.A.: Well, we were really having some stressful times with Kevin Talley and we had began to start thinking of other ideas, whether we were gonna call it quits or what. We didn’t really want to replace the drummer again. It would have looked bad for the band to have a fourth drummer in a couple of years and things like, ya know, so the next best thing to replacing was getting Andy back. So Mark, our singer, had been talking with Andy and Andy had mentioned that he’d been playing drums a little bit again and that he’d love to come back to the band, so it was just an easy fix, we did the old switcheroo. Kevin understood, because of the stress we’d been going through.

    J: How would you say you guys have evolved as a band since your first release?
    R.A.: Well, we’re older. And that’s it. (Laughs) No, we’ve evolved in all the ways that I’m sure a lot of bands do. We’re better players, we’ve certainly gelled more and I think it’s experience that really helps a band grow and just the hundreds of shows we’re done together now and great tours we’ve done has helped us write better records and helped us become better musicians. I think it’s just been a natural evolution.

    J: How has being on a new label affected your music? Do you have more control?
    R.A.: Ya, when we first started talking with Ferret they said they wanted to sign us without hearing a single note from Resurrection, so that was great motivation for us, knowing that they were ready to put out whatever Chimaira record we were gonna make for them. So there were no pressures, no stresses whatsoever we could do whatever we wanted to do and that’s what we did.

    R.A. Hang on one sec, Jenny.
    J: OK.
    R.A. (to someone else): You can come back here, I’ll go out in the hallway since I am on the phone.
    Matt’s got an in-person interview here so I’m gonna move my . . . move into the hallway.

    J: So you are all doing your pre-show interviews huh?
    R.A. Yes, yes we are.

    J: Do  you ever get sick of doing that?
    R.A.: Well, you can’t really say that because any press is good press and if you are constantly wanting to be interviewed you must be doing something right.

    J: True, true, good point. I try not to ask stupid questions. (Laughs)
    J: So you mentioned that some of your influences are Kerry King(guitarist for Slayer), Kirk Ham met (guitarist for Metallica) and Dimebag (late guitarist of Pantera and Damageplan), have you ever gotten to meet them?
    R.A.: I’ve met them both actually (King and Hammet). Actually, Kerry’s a big fan of ours and a big supporter since they (Slayer) took us on tour in 2001 and it’s really been a lot of help for us. Ya know he’s mentioned in a lot of interviews that he’s done when people ask him what new band hare you listening too and he always mentions us and that’s a real pat on the back and really cool at the same time, a band that I kind of grew up worshiping and listening to and that’s completely influenced our music is a fan of ours and a friend. Matt and Mark, when they’re in town they spend the night at his house and hang out drinking all night. So that’s really cool and Kirk Hammet, I’m not buddies with him but had the opportunity to meet him. We played with them (Metallica) in England in 2003 and so that was a great accomplishment for me personally. So I have met a few of my idols now and I am proud to say that.

    J: Ya know, I completely forgot that you guys went on tour with them (Slayer) that was a really dumb question. I just said I’m not gonna ask any dumb questions!
    R.A.: You’re alright I won’t hold it against ya. (Laughs)
    J: Duh! You’ve toured with them, of course you’ve met them! (Laughs)

    J: When you set out to write a new song how do you sort of get in the groove for that? Is there anything that you do to kind of get  yourself pumped up to write?
    R.A.: No, it just kind of comes to me. If I’m in the shower or laying or watching TV or whatever and you think of a riff or a cool part and if it’s good enough and you have the opportunity to pick up a guitar and put it down. But it isn’t really a thing where you can say, ‘Ok, I need to write something’ and go and write something. If you asked Van Gogh to paint a picture right then I mean, he could but it probably wouldn’t be one of his best works like the ones where he was completely inspired, jumped off his whatever he was sitting on, some stone bench or whatever back in the day (laughs) and just started working on some masterpiece, ya know. It’s really spontaneous, I think.

    J: Have you guys started working on any new material?
    R.A.: We haven’t started working on any yet, we are still in the midst of a touring cycle here and we like to come of the road and be able to get into the rehearsal stage and hear how things sound with the drums and everything like that. We lay down a few riffs here and there, kind of like I was mentioning before if I feel inspired, but for the most part we’ll wait til the touring cycle is over with then we can get back and get to work on the album. We may even start writing a little bit as soon as May or June but if some touring plans, reservations come up like that then we’ll probably wait til after the summer.

    J: What are the band’s plans for the future? You’ve kind of already answered that, but as a band what do you want to do from here?
    R.A.: We would like to retire super rich and famous and . . . no just kidding. We just have some more touring coming up here, we’re going to Europe right after this tour  and Australia and from there it’s kind of up in the air. If touring opportunities become available then we’ll decide whether we want to take part in that or not or we may start writing. And then during the summer we’ll probably take part in one tour or another.

    J: You guys have been together for quite awhile. Since ‘98.
    R.A.: Yup, we are coming up on our ten year anniversary.
    J: That’s true, are you guys going to celebrate?
    R.A.: Probably.
    J: Celebrate that you haven’t killed each other? (Laughs)
    R.A.: Yep, yep yep.

    J: So many bands don’t make it ten years, they end up fighting and stuff. How do you guys make it work?
    R.A.: We just have a common bond. We all know it’s a long journey, but uh, there’s coal in the engine, the locomotive's’s rolling so we’re gonna see where it takes us.
        (Laughs) Jim, our bass player is standing next to me and he just charaded putting a gun to his head. So that’s what it’s really like, we do want to kill each other. (laughs) No, we’re fine, ya know, we all went to high school together and that’s cool, we’ve got a friendship as well as a career together so that really helps things.

    J: What advice would you give to local band here in Idaho or wherever that are just starting out and trying to make it?
    R.A.: I would say first that anybody that really wants to make it happen, they know they want it more than anything in life, that they’re willing to give up their jobs, their family their girlfriend, their free time and everything they have going on to be able to be in rehearsal space five nights a week and with no excuses. If you have that then maybe you have what it takes. Then you have to be pretty good at your instrument as well. Then the next step is finding whatever the other four or five guys that feel the same way as you. Then if they don’t feel the same way you do they’re only holding you back and you’ve gotta cut them loose. Once you assemble that unit and you’ve got a good chemistry then in terms of training on the music the number one thing. A lot of young bands think that you need to go out and make stickers and T-shirts and play shows and record demos and everything and they think that’s what it takes, but all that’s helpful, but all that will fall into place if your music’s good enough because great music will speak for itself and great music and great music rarely goes unnoticed so just concentrate on making sure that you’re great at your instrument, that you’re making sure it sounds as good as it can and then things will just happen naturally for you if you can get that combination of things together.

    J: Is there anything you want to add?
    R.A.: I’d like to mention that I have my new RA-600, my Signature Series ESP’s guitars coming out and you can check them out now on my myspace, myspace.com/robarnold there’s a link there to check it out, pictures and specifications and also there on my myspace you can check out stuff from my new instructional DVD. The presale is gonna start in about three or four weeks and it’s gonna be ready to hit the guitar centers and stores like that probably by late March and I really recommend that people check that out there’s a ton of stuff that I talk about, especially a lot of great information for young bands in terms of song writing, ripping, soloing, things like that and I think it will be really cool.

    J: Alright, well, I will let you get back to what you were doing. Have a great show.
    R.A.: I hope you can make it to Salt Lake.
    J: I’ll try! Thanks for your time.
    R.A. : Bye.

Reply or Comment

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation