Scrit: First off, has Kenny made a full recovery from his cancer scare? How is he doing?
Tommy: Kenny is doing great. He has had some residual pain from time to time and there was a slight scare a while back where they thought there might have been another lump in his neck but it was just scar tissue. From all accounts he is fine and cancer-free.
Scrit: Solace made it all the way out to Tokyo in 1998. How was that facilitated? In more recent years has it�s been much more difficult (save for Emissions and SHoD) for Solace to play outside of the Tri-State area/New England.
Tommy: Ha ha! Yeah! Tokyo was a blast! Anyway, the thing is with us is we�re not young guys. We all have kids and day jobs and real-life shit that gets in the way of just getting in a van and touring for weeks at a time. Everyone that knows anything about this scene and bands like us is that there is NO money in this. We�ve been plagued with problems too with people splitting at key moments in the band that has made us have to cancel shows and tours and recording and all kinds of shit that has held us back.
Justin: Well I wasn`t around at the time of the Tokyo trip, but I`m pretty sure the producers of Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla flew them in to do soundtrack work and voice overdubbing for the film. They ended up playing a live show at the Tokyo premier. Killer stuff. As far as playing locally goes, of course it�s easier to play in our back yard. We all have jobs and kids and lives on top of Solace. It�s not that we don`t want to get out there and play everywhere. I mean, we drove to Kentucky for a one-off show with Mastodon, played to about ten people, got drunk, and had a great fuckin` time man. I personally wish we could, or would tour a couple months out of the year. Really push this beast down everyone`s throat. But then again, I`m the youngest guy in this band and all the other guys have done it all before - Rob and Tommy in Godspeed and Kenny in Lethal Aggression. It�s just hard to balance a band and a real life.
Scrit: When did Jason Silverio leave the band after Distanced from Reality?
Justin: Who the fuck is Jason Silverio? Must be one of the thirteen thousand drummers this band has killed off or scared away.
Tommy: When or Why? Yeah he left after that but he only plays drums on one track of that EP. Matt Gunverdahl plays drums on the other tracks. Jason plays drums in Lord Sterling so he felt like he couldn�t play in both bands.
Scrit: Bill Belford then departed as drummer after Further. Were these two players not the right fit for Solace? (Now that I refer to your liner notes closer, it was yet one more drummer, Jon Proveaux, who handled 13. So the same question applies.)
Tommy: I�m not throwing anyone under the bus here but there were various reasons that those guys and Matt left the band. Substance abuse was one and different views of life were other reasons. It�s hard too get four or five guys that have different opinions on things in a room a few times a week for weeks and months at a time without having problems. At that time a couple of us were very into this band and a few who weren�t were the ones that left.
Justin: Dude, if you dig a little deeper you`ll find there have been even more drummers than that. Some guys can`t handle being around guys who have such up-front personalities. Southard isn`t for the faint of heart, man. But he`s a fuckin` puppy dog inside. He`d give you the shirt off his back. But if you don`t bother to get past his asshole, in-your-face exterior, you�re in for a rough ride. I love all my boys. I`ve had some of the best times of my life crammed in a truck with five stinking scumbags. The chemistry is just there. It�s unbelievable how well we all click together. Totally meant to be.
Scrit: And to wrap up the �Who�s Who� portion of this, Kenny and Justin came on board when?
Tommy: Damn it�s gotta be about two years ago now. He knew Kenny for over 20 years now. He played drums for a band called Lethal Aggression that Rob and I used to play with when we were in a band called Social Decay.
Justin: Here`s my story. The scene here in south Jersey is hell. I`d been playing in classic rock cover bands for a couple years, always trying to put together something original. A friend of mine mentioned that her new boyfriend, Rob, was in a band in north Jersey, but she couldn`t remember the name. In my head I was like, "Yeah, who fucking cares, every scumbag is in some shitty band right?" So a couple weeks later I`m going on a bike run and she`s bringing this boyfriend along. I hit it off with Rob right away, and if you know Rob you`ll know why. He`s Mr. Party and the king of laid-back smiles. Anyway, we ended up back at his house and he played me some Solace. I was new to the scene man, I only knew Orange Goblin, Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Nebula, The Obsessed, etc. I was fucking completely blown away. I bugged his girlfriend for weeks about getting me into that band. Rob finally came and saw me play in my cover band. I tried out for Solace a couple days later. That was 2003 and I will NEVER play in a cover band again after experiencing all I have since I joined Solace.
Scrit: What IS singer Jason�s last name; why isn�t it printed on your albums? Is it a serious matter to him that the fans not know who he is?
Tommy: He�s the Madonna of stoner rock, man! But seriously, that�s a question best left for him to answer.
Justin: I don`t even know Jason`s last name. No shit.
Scrit: What are some of the circumstances resulting in Jason�s elusiveness? I know a fair amount of shows are played without him fronting the band.
Justin: I haven`t even seen him since Kenny`s benefit at CBGB�s. I can`t answer this. Really only Jay can. We all want him to be part of this band more than anything. He`s irreplaceable and it gets me so frustrated, man. I really don`t understand what the problem is, and if there is a problem, why its so impossible to work out.
Tommy: He�s a private guy. I think he battles his own demons his own way; the bottom line is he�s our singer. He is part of our sound so even though he�s held us back in ways I feel he�s helped us in others. But there comes a time when you�re in a band and you�re doing nothing because you�re waiting on one person that you gotta make a move. We never wanted to play without him ever, but if we waited for him for everything, we�d never get to do half the shit we�ve done. It�s a very hard give and take situation.
Scrit: Who has been your favorite producer to work with? Who has been producing A.D. up until this point? Will he see the album through to its completion?
Tommy: We produce all of our own shit with help from Eric Rachel from Trax East. We�ve worked with a couple other people but Eric knows our sound and knows what we want. Although I�d love to have Thomas Skogsburg (sp?) who did some Entombed stuff produce Solace.
Justin: The studio experience has been great, and this album is gonna be absolutely devastating. The album clocks in around 69 minutes and its only ten songs. Just totally epic destruction. I can`t wait to hear Jason`s voice on top of those mad riffs.
Scrit: In your opinion did Monster Magnet really help pave the way for New Jersey heavy rock, or was it an alternate source who directly impacted you as musicians, as fellow band members?
Tommy: I love old Magnet but they never paved anything for me. Bars like the Brighton Bar and Jacko did shit tons more. I mean other than saying we�re from the same state what have they done for me? Nothing. I�ve never been asked to tour with them to open local shows to do shit. I guess I�m not part of that hero worship bullshit. I�m more influenced by bands like Dirge and early Jersey hardcore bands. What little I have as far as what I have done with music was done by me and my band members. Maybe Magnet made a few people aware that there is SOMETHING outside of Springsteen and Bon Jovi but personally they ain�t done shit for me.
Justin: As far as I can tell, the way is still unpaved and bumpy as hell. Don`t get me wrong, Monster Magnet is one of my favorite bands, but I don`t think the Jersey scene came from them. I know we`d still be playing the same shit if Monster Magnet never existed. When I was fifteen I picked up a guitar because of James Hetfield. Then Jerry Cantrell a few years later. And after searching for the musical "Why are we here?" I found Tony Iommi.
Scrit: (To whom this applies:) How was the experience of collaborating with all the artists involved in Meteorcity�s Scene Killer?
Tommy: I think it�s a pile of shit. It could have been much more. After it was done I asked that my name be taken off of it. It could have been a cool thing but it was put together so haphazardly in my opinion. I mean I have a diluted opinion because I was close to it, but not as close as I�d like to have been, so maybe some people think it�s cool but to me it�s a cheap shot at cashing in on the Desert Sessions that falls measurably short of the goal.
Scrit: Wes Benscoter contributed the artwork for Further and Paul Vismara for 13. Who has the honor for A.D.? I�ve seen the cover on MySpace and it�s killer, very in-line with the Solace aesthetic.
Justin: That�s Vismara`s work too. I believe Tommy gave him a little concept, and Paul just ran with it. You gotta see that cover close up to see all the sick little shit going on in there. He`s a talented motherfucker, man. And a really nice guy. He loves this band just as much as we do. I`ll never forget him at Emissions `05, standing in front of me, screaming every line of every song at me. He`s a passionate madman.
Scrit: Who is this Rare Bird that Tommy speaks so highly of?
Tommy: Rare Bird was a prog/psych band from the early 70�s. We thought it would be cool to do one of their songs from one of their albums since we are a heavy guitar-oriented band and on their first two records they did not even use guitars, only keyboards.
Justin: I`ve only ever heard �Hammerhead,� the song we covered on the split with Greatdayforup. I don`t think Tommy`s a crazy, rabid Rare Bird fan. He just has a knack for finding off the wall songs that work well for Solace to cover. That song is fun as hell live. It makes me want to swing a sword over my head.
Scrit: I know it was Justin and his lady who created the first three in the Solace DVD series. Did either of you come from an artistic or proficient-in-Photoshop background?
Justin: Before I ever thought about picking up a guitar I wanted to be a graphic artist. And since becoming a musician I`ve been fascinated with using images and music together. Capturing the feel of a song visually is a great challenge. But the finished product is so overwhelming. It�s very personal. Penelope has been an artist all her life. She has her little fingers in all the different aspects of art. She�s good at whatever she puts her mind to. She is one hundred percent the tech wizard. I just sit and watch mostly, amazed and awed. This undertaking would be impossible without her. Hopefully some other bands or labels see what level we can produce at and come to us for work.
Scrit: In my opinion, and this is in reference to comments made in the SR.com forums, it would indeed be fair to charge �appropriately� for those DVDs, perhaps to the end of assisting in the completion of A.D. They�re a very cool idea by the way (the first three songs in the DVD series are �Die Drunk,� �Cement Stitches,� and �Hungry Mother.� The next three we can expect will be for �Man Dog,� �Try,� and �The Rumble�).
Justin: Thanks man. We`re in the process of putting all three on one DVD now. The singles were a limited run. We plan on releasing more three-song volumes soon. It�s a ton of work, but also a lot of fun making these. Finding footage is the hard part.
Scrit: As quoted in the review of the DVD, and in no attempt to �get anyone in trouble� nor piss-off anyone, �In 2005, Jason left again, and while the band was just as strong with second guitarist Justin Daniels handling vocals, the wheels flew off the bus that summer. Their tour was cancelled, and work on A.D., the full-length follow up to 13, stopped.� With whatever you are prepared to disclose, how did things come apart that summer of 2005?
Tommy: This is a long, sordid affair, with numerous reasons none being too simple to explain. I don�t want to hurt anyone�s feelings or throw anyone under the bus as things are just starting to heal but it was a rough time for everyone. Kenny was just recovering from his cancer and was feeling very enthusiastic about the band and wanted to move forward. As I think we all did.
But a series of unfortunate events hit all at the same time. Jason was pretty much just not showing up or returning calls. His father had just died and also fell off a roof and broke a bunch of bones, Kenny was booking a tour that would have had all of us lose our jobs if we did it and right at that moment I got kicked out of my house and was in danger of losing my kids if I wasn�t able to keep my job. There were some things said on the internet that should have been kept in house but with tempers flaring and feelings hurt things were said. We wound up losing our record deal because of it and A.D. was shelved. There was a lot of miscommunication and it was a shame because in �04 and early �05 we were killing it. We tried to move on after the Jason thing and Justin was going to handle the vocal duties. But after recording some tracks it just didn�t have the same vibe. There�s a bunch more shit but there�s no use in dragging all this shit up again. We�re hoping to pull it together; Kenny, Justin, and I have been jamming every week now for months. Jason has agreed to finish A.D. and we�re hoping Bobby gets his ass back from Chicago soon and we can put this behind us and move forward.
Justin: We had just come off of a successful spring tour that ended at Emissions. The whole thing was a great time and everyone was amped-up and excited. We decided that it was time for Solace to do a proper U.S. tour. We wanted to bring this thing out west where no one had experienced us before. Kenny put an entire tour together without any booking company help. It was hard for him, man. As it got closer and closer he realized some of the shows wouldn`t come together. During the time Kenny was putting all that together, Tommy was going through a lot of shit at home. Personal shit. Hard decisions and hard times. Because of this he never seemed really excited or into touring, but I guess he never really said no either. I`m sure he was torn and I know he was stressed the fuck out. Anyway, Kenny wanted to know what we were gonna do about having too many nights off on the tour. I guess Tommy and Kenny never really told each other what was up. Just really bad communication. Kenny was upset `cause he went through so much trouble, and Southard was pissed because he felt Kenny was being unfair. It all comes down to bad fucking communication between friends. My heart was torn out when I found out the tour was cancelled. The band kinda fell by the wayside because we were all so let down. Our label got pissed because we didn`t tour, so I guess MeteorCity wiped their hands clean of us. The whole thing got aired out on the fucking internet when we should have just put out a release saying that we had had trouble putting the tour together and shit didn`t work out. A lot of people blamed this on "drama" and "Tommy`s bullshit" when they really had no idea what was going on in his life. Fuck the nay-sayers, man, fuck `em. Obviously none of us can just let go of this band. Here we are again, all great friends. That�s gotta say something.
Scrit: Have you given yourselves sort of a time-table for the Solace documentary?
Tommy: Justin?
Justin: We still need to do interviews with all the band members and with some peripheral people. The plan is to put it out when A.D. gets released. It�s going to be partly a �making of A.D.�� and partly a bio of Solace.
Scrit: What labels are you targeting for Solace� next home?
Justin: Any label that can help us finish A.D.! Honestly, we haven`t been shopping ourselves around. We were on a roll and we stumbled. We`re in the midst of picking ourselves back up. We have a big festival coming up which will be the first European Solace appearance. And we have an amazing album half in the bag. With some effort hopefully we`ll gain some momentum again. The interest for our music is definitely there. If only we could get these emo haircuts perfected. Kidding.
Scrit: Who would you say is really steering the Solace ship right now, with the ability to push it forward?
Tommy: Hopefully from here on out the band collectively will make smart decisions as a unit.
Justin: Solace is Tommy`s band, but it belongs to all of us too. I`m hoping we kill at Roadburn and that kicks our asses into high gear. We need to work, and push forward. We need to get out there and play more shows. WE need to tour. We need to TOUR. And we NEED to tour. Sitting around will get us nowhere. We have to complete A.D. and get out there behind it. I think we all agree on that.
Scrit: What happened to SolaceDoom.com?
Justin: Kenny is in the process of putting the site back up. After being disgusted at how things went down last summer he took it all down. He was done with Solace, man. He put so much effort into everything. T-shirts, the web site, putting that tour together... He was so downtrodden when shit fell apart. We all were. But we can`t NOT play. When we all get together its so fucking right. The puzzle is complete. It�s hard to walk away from that.
Scrit: Tell me what some of you are thinking about your upcoming gig at Roadburn. Your first time (playing) in Europe, correct?
Tommy: We can�t wait to get to Holland and crush people�s faces!
Justin: I personally have never been to Europe. Shit, before Solace I`d never been off of the east coast. I`m so fucking excited about bringing this behemoth overseas. We`re gonna crush `em. Holland is not prepared for this. Is that arrogant? Sure. But I know we can back that statement up.
Scrit: A live Solace album would be, of course, essential. The soundboard recording made during your 2004 CBGB�s show was excellent. You have anything else of that order that could be appropriate?
Tommy: I don�t think you�ll be seeing that any time soon. We�re not one for live perfection. We are hardly the most talented group of musicians. I think we make up for lack of talent with heart and intensity. The sum of our parts far outweigh the individual, and I think we�re better seen live than heard. We give it all we got and there is no faking it with us. Rob, Kenny, and I all come from a hardcore punk background and a very take-no-prisoners, who-gives-a-fuck kind of kind of attitude towards music and playing. We do this shit for fun and to get our ya ya`s out. We never sat at home and practiced to play masterful doom ya know? We were more about drinking and partying and breaking shit up. That comes through with us live. Therefore I don�t think most of our live recordings are worth shit as most of them and us suck. I got into music to have fun and break the rules, as a form of rebellion. I�ve gotten off stage feeling like we killed it live only to look at video or hear sound board tapes and cringe. I�ve been happy with very few live recording we�ve done. But if you wanna come watch a bunch of drunk knuckle-dragging South Jersey scumbags rock as hard as any band can, then we�re the band.
Scrit: Who would you ideally love for Solace to play a show with?
Tommy: As you may or may not know, I was in a band called Godspeed that opened up for Cathedral and Black Sabbath on a European tour. I always thought Solace would have been and should have been the band that was signed to Atlantic and tour with Sabbath. I know if we played in Godspeed`s place we would have gotten a much bigger and better response. I always wanted Godspeed to sound more like Solace but we didn�t have the great vocalist that we do now. Or sometimes do now! But that would be my dream really to get back out with some bigger bands like that. Don�t get me wrong - we have played with some great bands over the years and I am very grateful for the love and support we get from bands around the scene. We`ve been very fortunate but I can�t help but wonder how it would have played out if Solace was the band opening for Sabbath and not Godspeed...
Justin: Years ago I stumbled upon an album review in Hot Rod Magazine, thought it sounded cool and went out and bought the album. The album was The Big Black and the band was Orange Goblin. My head exploded. I didn`t know shit about this "scene" before that. On April 29, 2004, I got to open for that band at CBGB�s. That�s good enough for me, man. Another reason I`m so fucking stoked about Roadburn is that Big Ben is gonna sing �Forever My Queen� with us! Fuck wishing when reality is this cool.
Scrit: Justin and Tommy, I thank you enormously for all this. As do all the Solace fans I�ll speak on the behalf of.
