Joel: Steve, thanks for doing the interview. Before we get into it, is it "sHEAVY,� "Sheavy," "SHEAVY," "sHeAvY," or what? Does it matter, or is there some meaning to the grammatically-incorrect capitalization of the band name? I know it probably drives our anal-retentive editor-in-chief mad [YAAAAAAARGH! - ed] so I`d like to know.
Steve: Oh yeah, the infamous spelling issue. I`ve been using sHEAVY lately, but I`m apt to change at any moment so really, there`s no right or wrong way to write it. It`s a Rennie thing and a multiple personality thing so we don`t mess with it. Editors be damned!
Joel: The Machine That Won the War is the new album and, in my opinion, your heaviest and most aggressive offering yet. As on the last album, Republic?, the riffs are thicker and the keyboards and synths of 2002`s Synchronized are gone. The lyrical subject matter is considerably darker with an apocalyptic science-fiction slant as the record borrows its title and general theme from a short story by Isaac Asimov that could be interpreted as an allegory for the ongoing conflict in Iraq. Is this an accurate analogy? What prompted this concept?
Steve: I wanted to write an album that was darker lyrically than some of our past albums, so on that level the move was somewhat intentional. I don`t think we`ve ever set out to be heavier or write heavier. We always just lock ourselves in the basement and see what comes out. I`m not sure what might have motivated the darker themes and heaviness. I hardly even think about Iraq anymore and that`s a bad thing because it`s a shame what`s happened over there. But it`s really nothing new. The history of man is a tale drenched in war and blood. I spent a bunch of time in Brazil before writing this album and sometimes it was a struggle to find books to read in English. I came across a stash of Asimov and bought it for something to read. The album title is from an Asimov short story that I happened to notice in a book someone else was reading. But you�re right, I think this album is darker and heavier.
Joel: Much like Orange Goblin did with Healing Through Fire earlier this year, The Machine That Won the War represents the evolution of the band, almost an amalgam of the previous albums to distill the essence of sHEAVY - "The Sleeping Assassin" kicks things off with a quick energetic jolt like Synchronized`s "Firebird350" and Republic?`s "Spy Vs Spy" did; there are upbeat rockers such as "Aboard the Mothership" and "Rings of Saturn" that sound like Blue Sky Mind on steroids; "Here Falls The Shadow" and "Humanoid" have that spacey vibe from The Electric Sleep; and "The Gunfighters" and "Where Earth Meets Sky" wouldn`t have seemed out-of-place on Celestial Hi-Fi. "Dawn of the Black Orchid" is straight-up traditional-style doom, fairly different from most of the sHEAVY catalog, while "Demon Soldiers" and "Lords of Radiation" have the dark heavy groove of early `70s Black Sabbath. How do you feel about the new album? What songs or moments stand out for you?
Steve: I`m really pleased with how the album turned out. On a personal level it`s the first time I`ve engineered a full recording and while it seemed stressful at times, I think a lot of that had to do with pressure I was putting on myself. I think the recording and the tunes will hold up well. As far as highlights go, I tend to gravitate towards the tunes we like to perform live. I think "Demon Soldiers" is a standout and "Aboard the Mothership" really works well. I`m a big fan of the slower doomy stuff so "Dawn of the Black Orchid" also strikes me as one of the better cuts.
Joel: The new album is sHEAVY`s first studio recording to feature two guitarists, with the addition of Tommy Bolan to founding riffmaster Dan Moore, and only the second with Kevin Dominic behind the drum kit instead of founding drummer Ren Squires. Tommy seems to add another layer to the sHEAVY sound and plays off Dan really well, while Kevin is a deceptively skilled, hard-hitting drummer. Can you talk a bit about the changes in the band over the last five years? What happened to Ren, where did Kevin and Tommy come from, and how do they fit into sHEAVY?
Steve: I think that despite the lineup changes we`ve had over the past few years, the sound of the band has actually changed very little. As far as the two-guitar attack goes, I think it`s a much bigger boost live than on record. If things sound different, it`s probably because Tommy brings riffs to the table that Dan might never have thought of. So in a way Dan ends up learning them and the guys blend styles. In terms of the drumming, I think Kevin`s accuracy and timing have tightened up the rhythm section and it was odd playing the old tunes at first because we had gotten so accustomed to Ren`s more loose and groovy style. Ren was a pounder. He`ll tell you he`s a hack, but we know he can play when he`s on his game. I think Ren got pretty weary of the whole music biz, to tell you the truth. He was the backbone of this band for years. Having stepped into his shoes in a lot of ways I can understand some of what he went through. Sometimes it seems like a lot of work for relatively no gain.
Joel: Don Ellis, who helped mix and produce the two sHEAVY classics, The Electric Sleep and Celestial Hi-Fi, returns to mix The Machine That Won the War with Mark Reccord. He seems to really "get" your sound, although Mike Butcher also did a fantastic job on Synchronized. You received the sole engineering ("Crudely engineered by") and producer`s credits for this album. Was this your first time handling production duties by yourself? How was it different from working with Don, Mike, Rick Hollett, Billy Anderson, or others?
Steve: It was nice to throw Don back into the fray on this one. I think Republic? marked a high point in terms of our production and I don`t foresee us going in that direction again. Rick Hollett and Billy Anderson did a fabulous job but I felt that the recording was lacking something organic. It felt a little too "professional" maybe. As a result, I thought it might be nice to keep this recording a more personal affair. I`d never recorded a full album before, and I`m glad that I was working with friends and not paying clients because there were times when I was rattled. It`s funny, but I think working in analog and recording to tape made it much easier. Sure we had to get used to the machines and there was no cheating, but I also think it`s easier to capture good sounds to tape than it is to stuff tracks into a computer and have them come out right.
Joel: Your two DVDs (2005`s Republic? At The Masonic Temple and the DVD included with the special edition of The Machine That Won the War) are essential companion pieces to these last two albums as they present the new songs the way they were meant to be heard - LIVE. That`s where they really get to breathe. Are there any plans to release more DVDs? Perhaps some of the old footage from the "History Reel" segments on the Republic? DVD?
Steve: I enjoy doing video projects, but the only problem I see with getting heavily into video is the extra cost involved. The bonus DVD that comes with some of the CDs actually cost twice as much as the CD to produce. It`s more expensive to manufacture, it takes a lot of time to finish, and it just ramps up the amount of time you have to spend on a project. We may dabble in video again, but I think we`ve proved that we can put together a good video package. The first one was a learning experience and this one took the production to a whole new level. We may assemble some outtakes and bloopers for YouTube or something. I think that`s the future of video these days.
Joel: One notices from watching the two DVDs that you have grown your hair out again, which is obviously a better look for the rock-star thing. Does this mean we can expect more activity from sHEAVY soon? What`s next on the agenda - any tours being planned, albums, whatever? Or am I reading too much into your hairstyle?
Steve: My hairdos change as fast as the weather, so I don`t think they can be used as a truly accurate gauge of band activity. I figure I`m due for a mohawk pretty soon. I haven`t talked to the guys about touring. If something comes up we may go for it, but right now I have to work and try to pay for the new CD.
Joel: How about any of the demos, outtakes, and bonus/compilation tracks being cleaned up and released? Your covers of Sabbath, Skynyrd, Motorhead, and AC/DC tunes are killer, and "Pictures of You" and "Face In the Mirror" are two of my favorite songs, so a sHEAVY: Lost and Found collection would be cool. A re-release/remaster of Blue Sky Mind would be nice too.
Steve: I don`t expect we`ll do much with the cover tunes we`ve done over the years. It`s usually a spur-of-the-moment thing and I`d prefer to release our own material rather than trying to do tried-and-true renditions of tunes that are classics and really shouldn`t be messed with. Blue Sky Mind has been re-mixed and remastered and will be re-issued on vinyl sometime soon. It`ll include the original eight songs we recorded during that session. Adding all the bonus tracks would turn it into a double LP and that`s a really expensive deal. I swore up and down we�d never re-release Blue Sky on CD after some guy paid $110.00 for it on eBay. My friend, your collectible will stay a collectible.
Joel: Since early in your career, detractors have labeled you an "Ozzy clone" and sHEAVY a "Sabbath ripoff," which you mention on the Republic? DVD. The funny thing is that many of your fans (myself included) got into the band for those very reasons and see it as a compliment, rather than criticism. That one review calling The Electric Sleep "the best Black Sabbath album in 25 years" must have been pretty high praise. Since then, sHEAVY has expanded on that sound and carved your own niche in the stoner/doom pantheon just as your voice, while heavily influenced by the Ozzman, is its own entity. I`d equate the comparison between your voice and Ozzy`s to the comparison between Glenn Danzig`s and Jim Morrison`s - undeniably similar and uncanny at times, but unique and identifiable. When did you first discover this voice and how long have you been singing? Who else has influenced your vocal style?
Steve: I had no idea what I actually sounded like until I got together to do some 4-track recording with Dan and Ren back in 1995. The Ozzy-ish style was pretty evident right from the start and we saw no reason to hide it if it got people talking about the band. Only later, after all the comparisons and all the knocks about clones and ripoff artists, did it really get a little tiresome. I`ve gotten used to it now so none of it bothers me. Other vocalists I like? I like Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Chris Cornell, and Peter Steele. Eddie Vedder is also pretty damn cool. He`s had his share of clones, but you can`t beat the real thing.
Joel: I had just discovered sHEAVY when I started to use Napster in 1999 and much to my amusement, "Electric Sleep" came up as a rare Black Sabbath demo from the early 1970s. I knew what it was, but apparently it fooled a lot of people as it was oned of the most-asked questions on Joe Siegler`s Black-Sabbath.com website. I believe the confusion came from a Sabbath bootleg that included your track erroneously labeled, but I have also heard rumors that you guys labeled the song as a Sabbath demo to generate publicity and interest. If so, that`s fucking genius and you were the first band to understand how to properly harness the influence of a digital medium like Napster, because it worked on a lot of Sabbath fans I`ve met online who discovered sHEAVY that way. Would you care to answer the charges?
Steve: Wow, this is news to me. Well, Ren was runnin` the show back in 1999 but I can`t see him doing something like that so I`d have to say no, we definitely did not mislabel "The Electric Sleep" to generate buzz. Genius maybe, but it`s still dirty pool. But hey, thanks to the kind soul who did mislabel it!
Joel: Another way you are connected with Sabbath history is the audition for Tony Iommi that you alluded to in the liner notes of The Electric Sleep. From one massive Sabbath fan to another, that must have been mindblowing for you. Tell me all about it, if you can, as it`s something I`ve often wondered about. How did it come about? Was it for the Iommi solo project that eventually came out in 2000? Were you recording backing vocals for Ozzy for the next Sabbath tour? (Just kidding but, as much as I love Ozzy, it sounds like he could use you now.) Did you get to keep any tracks you recorded?
Steve: The Iommi audition was just a stroke of luck. His manager was sharing offices with a management company affiliated with Rise Above and he happened to hear Blue Sky Mind. The Iommi solo project was rolling along but I guess they hadn`t nailed down a vocalist. I remember I was out in my driveway shoveling snow when I got the phone call from England. Two weeks later I`m in Los Angeles singing two demo tracks. It was a great experience. I got to have breakfast with Tony and we worked in the studio for about eight hours over two days. The worst part was having to write lyrics for the songs on the spot. After the audition I heard from Iommi`s manager and they were all pleased. But, as luck would have it, the Sabbath reunion was a big success and Tony went on to record the album with an all-star lineup of vocalists. No regrets though. I`ve seen Sabbath six times since then. Ozzy is the man!
Joel: How do you feel about the post-Ozzy Black Sabbath? Have you caught any of the Heaven and Hell shows? Where do you stand on the divisive issue of Ian Gillan in the band on 1983`s Born Again?
Steve: I`ve seen the Heaven and Hell reunion show and it`s great. I love the Dio stuff actually and even some of the Tony Martin material. I think my biggest problem with post-Ozzy Sabbath, especially the Tony Martin era, is the power metal sound and the production on the albums. I just don`t enjoy listening to them. Born Again is freakin` awesome! That cover! Ian Gillian wasn`t a great match for the band but come on, the album rocks!
Joel: What are the last five albums you listened to? What`s your Album of the Year for 2007 (aside from The Machine That Won the War, of course)?
Steve: Here`s what I`ve been listening to lately:
Type O Negative - Dead Again
Birds of Avalon - Bazaar Bazaar (Cheetie Kumar rules!)
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Om - Variations on a Theme
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
My fave of 2007 so far: Type O Negative � Dead Again.
Joel: One last question... it`s been pointed out to me more than once that Kevin Dominic bears some resemblance to famed pornstar Ron Jeremy. Have you seen him naked, and can you confirm this?
Steve: I`ve seen a great deal of Kevin`s anatomy and I can assure you he`s far less hairy than the Hedgehog. Inch for inch and pound for pound I`d say Kev`s got him covered!
Joel: Thanks for humoring me, Steve, it`s been a pleasure. Congratulations on the new album, The Machine That Won the War, and good luck in the future.
Steve: Thanks, Joel, and thanks to all the fans out there who keep listening. Enjoy the tunes!
