The band started as a project we did for fun. And before we knew it, we were recording an album.”
Wikimetal (Nando Machado): Hi, Josh.
Josh Rand: Hi, how are you?
W (NM): Hi, this is Nando, how are you?
JR: How are you? I'm fine.
W (NM): Let me start by asking what influences led you to decide to become a guitarist?
JR: Well, my main influence in becoming a guitarist was actually Paul Gilbert. I started playing bass, probably around 14 or 15, influenced by Jason Newsted, Cliff Burton, and Dave Ellefson, basically the Thrash Metal guys. After playing for a few years, I started listening to more virtuoso bass players, like Sheehan, and working with that kind of thing, and then with Billy Sheehan… Listening to his work, “Mr. Big,” kind of introduced me to Paul Gilbert and that whole style. I kind of went back, checked out his tracks, and I fell in love with his style and his approach to the guitar, and I decided to switch to guitar.
W (NM): That's interesting. And have you ever thought about recording bass for Stone Sour after you had Rachel Bolan from Skid Row record the last two albums?
JR: I've written a lot of things on bass over the years. You know, people talked about it, but we really wanted someone else to play the bass parts, not me. Because the problem was that I had more of a guitar-oriented approach, and we didn't want that. We wanted to take the music to another level, and Rachel is a phenomenal musician. I knew he could do it.
W (NM): Do you remember when you were invited to join Stone Sour?
JR: Well, actually, I started this band in 2000 with Corey. And we worked on a band, on a project, recording demos, just the two of us, for almost two years before it became Stone Sour.
W (NM): And soon after you formed the band, Stone Sour released their self-titled debut album, which was nominated for two Grammys in the following years. Did you have any idea that the band would be so commercially successful when you recorded the album?
JR: No, not at all. The band started as a project we did for fun. And the next thing we knew, we were recording an album. It was a kind of crazy recording experience for us because we didn't have a producer, we were still very green in terms of recording techniques, but we had a lot of fun.
W (NM): On the second album, you and Shannon Larkin from Godsmack recorded one of Stone Sour's biggest hits, "30/30-150". What was that like?
JR: Cool. It was one of the tracks I did… Shannon came to play, and he knew Corey and Jim very well, and he added a completely different atmosphere to the song than we had initially planned at the time.
W (NM): Great. Changing the subject, Josh, we have a classic question on our show, one we ask all our guests: imagine you're listening to maybe a rock station, or maybe your MP3 player, and a song comes on that makes you completely lose your mind, and you feel like headbanging nonstop wherever you are. What song would that be, so we can hear it on the show now?
JR: Ah, it would have to be "South of Heaven" by Slayer.
I think the fact that we all write allows us to have the diversity that we have, and not music that always sounds the same.”
W (NM): Great choice, “South of Heaven” by the great Slayer on Wikimetal! When did you decide that “The House Of Gold & Bones” would be a concept album, and when did you realize it would have to be a double album?
JR: Well, Corey created the story, and he initially approached me to see what I thought about doing a concept album, and I thought it was a great idea. And as the material came in, because we all wrote, when we realized it, we had 24 tracks, and I was sure I wanted it to be split. I know that at the beginning it wasn't a very popular choice for a while… I just felt there were several reasons, number one: there was too much material to put on just one album. I thought it made sense to separate it, and release the other one 6 to 9 months later. Because it's a concept album, and a story, I thought it would work really well.
W (NM): That was a really cool idea, and I personally love both albums, so it was great that you didn't leave any songs out. I see that all the songs on both albums are credited to the band, so what's the songwriting process like for Stone Sour?
JR: As I said, each of us contributes musically, and then Corey usually writes the lyrics, and sometimes asks us to make some chord and key changes, and once we have a draft of it, and when we're all together, that's when it really becomes a Stone Sour song, so I think the fact that we all write allows us to have the diversity that we have, and not a song that always sounds the same.
W (NM): Were all the songs already written when you started recording the first part of “House of Gold & Bones,” or did you record both parts at once, or did you have some time between the two recordings?
JR: No, we recorded both albums at the same time. It took us three months to do it, six days a week, about 10 to 12 hours a day. And we really went through the list, as soon as we knew what the tracklist would be, we made a poster with things that had to be recorded, and we went through the list.
W (NM): So what do you think and what can you tell us about the album's concept, the story behind the concept?
JR: It's basically the human and the subconscious making the decision that will change life forever, for better or worse. Basically, everything comes down to that decision.
W (NM): So changing the subject again, Josh, what do you remember about playing at Rock In Rio in 2011? And what was it like sharing the stage with Mike Portnoy?
JR: It was an incredible experience playing in front of so many people, it was truly an honor. Roy couldn't play because his daughter hadn't been born yet, and his wife was going to give birth any minute, so Mike… We toured with Avenged Sevenfold for a long time, for about a year, it seemed, and luckily, Mike came to play. I'm a big Dream Theater fan, so for me, since Roy couldn't be there, it was amazing to be able to play with Mike.
W (NM): And back to the new album, what was it like working with producer David Bottrill?
JR: I loved it. Dave was exactly what we needed for this album. He's not a "Yes, sir" type of guy. It's about creating and trying to be as artistic as possible. And he knew how to handle everyone's attitudes and egos, and he was the perfect guy for us at that moment. It was wonderful working with him.
W (NM): And going back to the bassist topic, you had Rachel Bolan from Skid Row, and now you have Johnny Chaw playing bass on tour. Have you considered asking Rachel to join the band? And what was it like sharing the stage with Johnny at recent shows?
JR: Initially, we did ask Rachel if he wanted to tour, but obviously, he had commitments with Skid Row. We knew Johnny from Systematic, and actually, he and Roy have a decades-long relationship, so we knew he was an incredible musician, he would be perfect, so we asked him to join.
W (NM): How was the show at Download Festival last Sunday?
JR: It was good, it was good. I love playing at all the festivals, it still surprises me that so many people can come together to watch a show. And being on stage watching… It's hard to explain, it's an incredible thing.
I love playing at all the festivals. It still amazes me that so many people can come together to watch a show.”
W (NM): OK. I'm going to ask you to choose another song now, I'm going to ask you to choose a Stone Sour song that you're very proud of, so we can listen to it on the show now.
JR: Ah, I'll go with "RU486".
W (NM): How difficult is it to coordinate the schedule, since you have to split Corey and Jim's time with Slipknot? Do you think this brings any advantage?
JR: The schedule kind of works on its own at this point. We've been doing this for a long time, and it's not difficult, you know?
W (NM): Besides playing with Stone Sour, do you have any other projects you'd like to share with our listeners?
JR: I'm going to release an instructional DVD at the end of the year, and it will feature me teaching the solos I play on both "Hell and Consequences" albums, and there's a scale exercise, plus a biography, which is basically a documentary about me. It will probably come out in the fall.
W (NM): That's great. You can check out our website, wikimetal.com.br, and when it's released, you can count on us for promotion, so get in touch, and we'll do everything we can to help with that. So, we're almost at the end of our interview. I saw your Download setlist, and you played "Children of the Grave." Have you heard the new Sabbath album, and what did you think of it?
JR: I haven't been able to listen to it yet, unfortunately, because we've been touring, and the internet is terrible, so I can't download it. I'll probably listen to it in the next few days, hopefully, but I congratulate them, you know, they're the godfathers of Heavy Metal, it all started with them, and one of the reasons we're playing "Children of the Grave" is as a tribute to them. I've heard mixed reviews, I've heard some people say it's amazing, I've heard other people… I think the expectations were so high that it would be difficult to meet, you know? I mean, how long has it been since they recorded together?
W (NM): I thought it was incredible, but I'll let you form your own opinion when you have the opportunity to listen. So first of all, Josh, I'd like to thank you for your time, and thank you very much for everything you've done with these incredible albums you've released this past year. I think you're really taking hard rock and heavy metal to another level, and that's very important because we need new and fresh bands that bring new elements to this genre. What would you say to a 15-year-old boy who is thinking about forming a metal band? What would your advice be?
JR: Just be yourself, stay on your path, and don't listen to anyone else.
W (NM): That's great, we're really looking forward to seeing Stone Sour play in Brazil soon, so when you do, we hope we can promote the show as well, so thank you very much for your time, Josh.
JR: Okay, thank you.
W (NM): See you later, man. Bye, bye.
