Dm138: How long have you been in DANZIG?
Location: The7thHouse - Los Angeles, CA
I got to talk with guitarist Jeff Chambers of DANZIG on the new record. Read below for the interview. Hope you enjoy.
Dm138: How did you get started w/ DANZIG?
Jeff: Blasko, the bass player from Rob Zombie's band informed me that DANZIG was searching for a guitar player. I was honored to try out and to make a long story short I got picked.
Dm138: Were you in a band prior to joining DANZIG?
Jeff: Yeah, I played in 57Crown for a couple years before that. We actually opened up for DANZIG on Halloween of '97 at The Whiskey.
Dm138: What type of music were you playing in 57Crown?
Jeff: Heavy. Tuned down low...Sepultura type vocals. Super heavy stuff.
Dm138: Did you know what you were getting into when you joined DANZIG?
Jeff: I had no idea what I was getting into. It's great and everyone in the band is great. I mean working with Glenn is total education. He is probably the most musical person I have ever worked with. He has shown me new ways to get certain sounds out of the guitar. I was there for like hours playing one riff just to get it right. I had to soak my fingers in ice because Glenn had me bending the strings this way and that way.
Dm138: Did you know the whole history behind the Misfits/Samhain/Danzig?
Jeff: Not really. I had heard of the Misfits and Samhain, but I was not familiar with them. I knew the DANZIG stuff.
Dm138: How long have you been in DANZIG?
Jeff: Maybe over a year.
Dm138: What was your first gig in DANZIG?
Jeff: In Germany at the Full Force Festival in front of about 30,000 people. I thought the first show might be a secret show like at The Whiskey or something. And then Glenn and Lazie call me up and said we're going to Germany in 10 days. I was like hell yeah, but at the same time I was like I gotta know these songs. Up to an hour before the first show I was listening to DANZIG songs on my cassette player. Now it's in my blood.
Dm138: You guys have just finished mixing the new record?
Jeff: Yeah, mixed it and it's heavy.
Dm138: How did that go?
Jeff: Great. We recorded the basic tracks like in 4 or 5 days. It was rough. Being the guitar player I would play the tracks with Joey and Lazie a few times each. And then I had to go back and put on 3 or 4 guitar tracks on those songs. And then after that was done I had to go back into the producer's studio and play each of those songs for overdubs and solos another 4 or 5 times. The day after we got out of the studio my left calf charlie horsed in the middle of the night from playing the songs so much. I said it's for DANZIG6, I will take the pain. It's going to show on the new cd. It's a brutal album. I'm real proud of it.
Dm138: From what I've heard it sounds incredible.
Jeff: Glenn really brought my guitar playing to another level. The way Glenn approaches music so different. I really learned a lot from Glenn. Just like on "Five Finger Crawl" the chords....if someone tries to figure it out they probably never will. It's a guitar chord, but it's being played up by like the 15th fret of the guitar and I'm playing all the strings. If I would have heard it and tried to figure it out I would have never been able to.
Dm138: Do you have any favorites from this new record?
Jeff: Apokalips! That song will want to make people play guitar. I love "Five Finger Crawl" and the ballad "Cold Eternal." I did a slide effect on that song (the ballad) with a little ginsing bottle. I had the guitar on my lap and put a bunch of delay and reverb. "Lillin" sticks in my mind. Real moody song with a bunch of different guitar tones on there. I used this really old pedal. Real noisy octaver pedal and it's just got the most brutal sound on it. That song is slow and evil. You don't want to hear that song late at night driving alone in the rain. Something might happen.
Dm138: How do you like working with the rest of the band?
Jeff: Great! Joey is an awesome drummer. When Joey plays drums his whole kit is moving. He hits so hard. Lazie is a great bass player. So it's great. But I will say that in DANZIG you have to earn your stripes. I definately had to prove myself. It wasn't a situation where they were like "ok, your in." No way! But I prefer it that way because these guys brought out the best in me. That is the way it should be.
Dm138: You sound really excited about this new album.
Jeff: We can't wait to play it for everyone. It's going to be dangerous when we play "live." I think the fans have a lot to look forward to. We will probably be going to Europe first and then come back to the U.S.
Dm138: Any last comments for the fans?
Jeff: Pick up the cd! I think everyone will enjoy it. Looking forward to seeing everyone on the road. I'm ready to go out and annihilate. Everytime I put on my guitar it's like the last day on earth. You never know...it might be.
Dm138: Thanks for your time. Also you can reach Jeff Chambers by e-mail at: sexwitch13@earthlink.net
"FANGS" to Jeff Chambers for the interview.
~THE END~