And here it is, gang. *A great Q&A with bassist extraordinaire, Mr. Joey Vera:
Axis of evil asks=
I was wondering considering Charlie's remarks on the Anthrax site concerning the terrible incident with Dimebag he said that this changes everything.
How now are things gonna change in the Anthrax camp regarding playing live etc.
I can't really speak for everyone but I know that we are all going to be a little more conscious about people coming up onstage. *That's for sure. *But I also know that we will continue our lives as we did before, enjoying every minute.
Also, is it true that you were in fact rumored to join Metallica with John Bush after the Cliff Burton tragedy and if so how far did things get?
This is two different stories. *First, back in 1983 just before Metallica were to record Kill 'Em All, they asked John to sing for them as James wasn't completely comfortable with being the front man (can you believe it?) but John declined (thank God) and the rest is history. *After Cliff was killed in the tragic accident, they began auditioning people and after a few weeks of doing that they were understandably exhausted. *At that point they wanted to jam with some guys they knew personally which led to Lars calling me. *It was really an invitation to jam only, and to see what happens. *But I had to decide whether or not I wanted to quit my band at the time (Armored Saint) if I were to pursue this thing. *Saint was in the middle of recording our 3rd record for Chrysalis and I had to realize I was not ready to give up the band I had been in for 5 years. *I then declined.
What are your thoughts on the new album sales. *Considering you made this album of greatest hits due to 'public demand' and yet the sales now seem poor so far. *Would you blame this on the record company in the poor promotion of it thus far or blame it on something else such as the internet shareware systems or even the public themselves?
I'm not so sure about how "poor" the sales really are but I have to admit that I have not seen much in the way of promotion for this record. *And for that I blame the record company. *Maybe file sharing hurts a little, sure. *But in the end most people will buy a record from a store if they really want it.
Warlord asks=
What was it like touring with Dio, was this different to any of the other many bands you've toured with over the years?
I toured with Dio back in 2001 with Armored Saint, so touring with Ronnie again was great. *It's just killer seeing a legend as he is every night and sounding amazing. *He's *the real deal and personally one of the coolest people you'll ever meet. *It's really nice to be with people who have been doing this for a very long time and seeing how they've managed to retain humility.
And I'd like to say thanks for the music over the years especially Armored Saints Delirious Nomad' an absolute classic of an album, it has so many great tracks on it. Could you tell us of what those early Saint days were like?
Thank you. *The early days were great (from what I remember!!). *The best part was when we were first starting out and nothing at all mattered except having a few hits of pot, some beer and jamming. It was just pure fun. *We were young and naive and not yet influenced by the machine called the record business. *Our live shows were like nothing else here in Los Angeles.
And are the rumors true regarding Anthrax being lined up for a spot on the Ozzfest ? It also rumored that this will be the mark 2 line up in some fashion. Although doubtful could you give us the word on this?
You're correct in assuming doubt in getting an answer from me on this. At this time I really don't know.
Snake asks=
What was it like taking over from Frank Bello?
Frank is a great player and performer so I had some big shoes to fill. *I am trying to make sure that there is not much of a noticeable weak link in the chain. *As long as I can fill that, then I'm doing my job. *At the same time, I'm just being me.
What is your fave Armored saint song and why?
Well, this changes a lot. *I never listen to records I play on so it's hard to be accurate on this. But for now I'll say "Control Issues" because I love the riffs and I'm a control freak.
What is your fave Anthrax song and why?
I like playing many of the newer songs especially "Refuse to be Denied." *It's just so heavy and it's got a killer groove.
Potblack420 asks=
Do you feel like you have a big reputation to live up to replacing Frank Bello or are you excited about building your own legacy with Anthrax?What is it like joining a band which has been together so long, is it hard to fit straight in?
Like I said, I do have big shoes to fill, but my main thing is to keep the energy level high and to do my own thing. *I'd known the guys in the band for quite a while so coming into the band in a working environment was pretty smooth. *We all get along very well.
Also how do the crowds in the UK (particularly Manchester) compare to crowds in the US, where are the best live crowds?
Compared to the US, Manchester is like playing a riot. *In general the crowds in all of Europe are far more intense than shows in the US. *The US has it's cities that are great but as a whole the European crowds are totally insane. *I love it. *And some of the best crowds are in Greece, France, Italy, Poland, the UK, Japan, Australia to name a few!
The cdstop asks=
Joey congrats on the Anthrax gig, 2 questions for ya:
What is the status of Armored Saint now that you are in Anthrax?
Saint has been on hold since 2001 and is still on hold. *Really it's about finding time to get together. *And we won't do anything until we can give it full attention.
What is your favorite Saint album? *Thanks for taking the time to answer fans questions.
I would say my favorites are Revelation, Symbol of Salvation and Delirious Nomad.
Yurei asks=
I too am a bass player, and I've seen you in Armored Saint and in Anthrax and I've got to say, you make it all seem so easy! *Your finger picking is brutally fast, articulate, and accurate. *Before you guys hit the stage, do you have any special warm-up routines that you run through?
Sometimes I do. *I'll just run through chromatic exercises to get the both hands talking to each other. *But after a week of the tour I start to get lazy I have to admit and in most cases I got out cold. *Other than that I do stretch out before every gig for about 15 minutes. *Arms, legs, fingers, wrists, back and neck! I think it's pretty important to stretch out at the very least.
Joey, I know this may be a bit personal, but please tell us some of your fonder memories with Dave, from Armored Saint, be it on stage or off stage stuff?
I've watched those 2 Armored Saint DVD's time & again, and he looked like a fun guy to be with. *As was the case with Randy Rhoads, I feel Dave was only just beginning to "find himself" on the guitar. *He really was quite a talent.
Yes, Dave was quite the character. *Always up for a party or some pranks. *Dave was a very creative guy and a strong force in the band and his passing at a young age makes me wonder what he would have turned into as he grew older. *I know for sure he would have become quite the guitarist and producer.
He was always into something. *One time when he used to deliver mail for the USC Medical Facility in Downtown Los Angeles, he told me I should meet him during his lunch break. *So I went and when I met him he says "wanna see some carcasses?" *I said "huh?". *He says "check this out" and takes me down all these long corridors of this building and we enter this huge room with about 30 tables with plastic covering them. *So we start poking around I realize we're in this lab for students who are "practicing" on human corpses. *It was a pretty eerie thing looking at all the bodies donated to science. *So in the extreme quiet, Dave picks up a corner of plastic covering a body and then does a high screech, "AHHH!!!". *Scared the piss out of me and we ran out of there like two little kids.
Vegetaman asks=
What is it really like to hang out with Scott Ian? *
Well, he's really like a regular guy.
How did you like playing the acoustic guitar when ever Armored Saint played "Aftermath" live? *What's your thoughts about switching over from the bass to guitar; even if it was just for that one song?
I liked it, it gave me chance to chill my fingers on some steel. *Actually I'm a closet guitar hero.
Geckochameleon asks=
Joey,
Care to tell us any memories of your first gig ever? *...and was it playing bass, or guitar?
My first gig ever was at my Junior high school lunch break "concert". *We charged 50 cents to get in and it was packed (in our minds anyway). *The chicks were all sitting in the front and screaming while we played "Feels Like the First Time" and "Smoke on the Water" (of course!). *I was playing rythm guitar (my first instrument) and I was hooked. *Oh, and John Bush was the singer.
Warlord asks=
So the new world tour is about to start, what the fans expect to hear from you this time around. *Any changes to the set-list perhaps. And are you touring all over?
The only tours I have coming up are Europe with Fates Warning Feb 12 - 21 and then with Anthrax in South America Feb 22-March 10. I'm looking forward to both tours as I'll be playing lots of places I've never been to.
Warlord says=
Thank you once again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for us.
Thank YOU! And I hope to see some of you out on the road!
