TJ:

That was the Columbus area, right?

TJ:

Well, I mean, with Ozzfest, there’s so many bands. Especially back then everything’s a trip, you know. Ozzy’s pretty crazy. So Ozzy probably takes it. 

TJ:

Well, for me, it’s any of those bands like Pantera or Ozzy, these iconic bands of that caliber. It’s interesting to mingle with those guys. When you see them, it’s just another day, in the catering hall or something, you see these guys, and it’s super cool. It’s something you don’t get used to really. Like Maynard from Tool. These guys are such an eccentric personality on stage and to see them just kicking back and being themselves.

TJ:

Yeah, for sure. Like Sahaj, the guy from Ra playing tonight. I was a huge Ra fan back in the day, so I still get awkward around him.

TJ:

When you’re a fan of the music and the band, it becomes kind of personal, your relationship to the music does. I think it’s just weird, it’s not really weird, but to meet somebody. You feel like you could have known them a little bit through the music. Or what your mind has created about them in your own head. Then when you meet them, you almost have to kind of snap out of it a little bit.

TJ:

Sevendust. Those dudes are just top notch, classy guys. They’re the one band at any festival, when Sevendust plays, if you look at the side stage area, you’re going to see everybody from every other band that played that day, watching them. Because they are just one of those bands that have the musicianship, they have that energy. They have just that thing, that usually comes natural, but sometimes you have to work at it. Those guys, they’ve just nailed it, and they are one of my favorite bands.

TJ:

 I don’t think I can share any of that!

Recently, Tim was making sandwiches for everybody. He was stacking the sandwiches real tall and putting chips on them and stuff. There was just something about it, we were just acting like little kids, making fun of everybody. It’s not really anything exciting, just a bunch of idiots being idiots.

TJ:

 We don’t have a cook but Tim loves to be the shot maker, the drink maker, end of the night, and recently, the sandwich maker. He likes to be the host of the party. For example, some of us take a shower and I’m ready to go back to the bus and go to sleep. And somehow, Tim has a way to rekindle and it’s time to party again. It’s just little things. Dude’s being goofy.

TJ:

Probably Godsmack. Soil has toured with Godsmack but it’s been a long time. It’d be cool to do it now. I think Godsmack or Shinedown. I’m a real big fan of the band called Big Rick. The singer of the band, he’s more of progressive guitar player and I’m a huge fan of that band. I don’t think Soil would really fit in the lineup because it’s a little more progressive. Kind of a different vibe. But they are a great band, great musicians. We’ve toured with a lot of bands that we feel lucky to be able to tour with. We’ve been on a lot festivals and got to see a lot of shows. Tool would be cool, but that’s a difficult one to do.

TJ:

Let’s just say this concert is this lineup: Metallica headlines, Tool opens. Let’s just throw Iron Maiden in there. Sevendust and Soil.

TJ:

 I think Nonpoint, their energy, the whole dynamic, the whole show is going to be good. Hed PE with their energy too. I think that the audience for Nonpoint-they do kind of pull from a different crowd base. I think Hed PE definitely does too. So I think we’re pulling from two different groups of people, which I think is what you want to do when you put a package together. You want to try to find bands that are alike, but also different enough to where it sweetens the deal. If you’re thinking about coming to the show, having these other 2 bands on the bill will sweeten the deal enough to where it’s like it’s a done deal. And so far the shows are selling really good. We did a tour right before COVID with Alien Ant Farm, which is quite a bit different than we are. But it was interesting because we were able to pool from a different fan base and make new fans with some of their fans. And likewise for them. I think that tour worked really well because of that. It was just different enough that you’d like both, but you might be more partial to one over the other. So that’s a good way to diversify your fan base. And find new fans that may not be aware of the band. I think it will be a good tour. A lot of the shows have sold out so far or are getting close.

TJ:

I think when you’re trying to break your band if you’re a new band, you do tour a lot more. Especially like in the old days, because with the record labels, you have a lot of recoup to do. You go out there to build your fan base and sell some records. Touring used to be how you promoted your record. Nowadays it is kind of different. You don’t make the majority of your money from selling records anymore. The tour is where you make your living. Tour and merch. But it’s a different world. For bands like us who’ve been around for 20-30 years, you’re not so much as building a fan base as you are staying relevant. Being there for the fans you already do have. We don’t go out and tour 9 months of the year. We’ll do four weeks at a time here, 4 weeks at a time there. We go overseas for usually six weeks or better. 

TJ:

Making new music. When you play in front of a crowd and the audience responds to it, it makes you feel good about it. It’s inspiring. We’ve played Piere’s so many times.  But it’s still exciting. It’s still fun. Every experience is a little bit different. You find inspiration in everything. In just living and being present, I think. When you’re 3-4 weeks into a tour, you’re kind of getting exhausted, and wish you could have your own bed to sleep in for a minute. It’s hard. You’ve got to reach a little further for inspiration. Or when you drank too much the night before. For some reason you’re a little less inspired. You’ve got to manage those situations. But I think, in the end, why we play music is the same reason it’s always been. You want to connect with people. And you can feel the love, you can feel that there was something special accomplished in creating those songs. When you play it for people, when you see them react to it, that it’s still the same thing. And never gets old. It’s always kind of a new thing. I think that’s where I get the most inspiration from. That little magic thing that happens when you’re on stage every night. Every little moment that was new in some way. You know, that’s good stuff. At the end of the day, that’s what excites me about going back out on the road each time. 

TJ:

Depending on the night too because, I get it, on a week night when you’re going to work the next day and you’re coming from work and there’s some people that just want to kind of just watch the band. Nothing wrong with that. The front row is usually giving it their all because it’s kind of your duty as a front row member. But sometimes you try to reach out to the ones further back, even if they’re just kind of jamming with it, it’s fun.  There’s no expectations on how they’re gonna respond, there’s still an exchange, you can still feel it. I’ve been there sometimes, I go to shows, I’m not here to express myself like these other people are, I just kind of watch and just enjoy it, you know.

I think too with COVID, a lot of people realized how much they enjoyed going to shows. Because it feels like there’s this reinvigoration of live music. We went through a little plateau where the turnouts weren’t as good. But you take it away, and then you realize what you had. I mean, for me, not being able to even go see a show for that long, I was excited to get back to see some shows, let alone be a part of a show. I think that’s kind of what’s going on. I feel like there’s kind of a resurgence of going to live shows. It’s fun again. 

TJ:

Life is better when you experience it with other people.

TJ:

Mic drop! I’m sorry, microphone. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to drop you!