Sevendust is currently on tour in support of their newest release “Blackout the Sun,” which is due out on March 26th. Prior to their show in Nashville, even though Morgan Rose was feeling a little under the weather, he agreed to sit down with me and talk about the new record, filling in for Tommy Lee, and his health. This is what he had to say:
JK: Nashville is now becoming known for its rock scene. Did you visit Nashville much when you were younger and living in Atlanta?
MR: I Played Nashville a lot with some other bands I was in before Sevendust. Back then, coming to play Nashville was equivalent to us going to Japan now. It was a big deal to us back then. Just to get out of the state was like “We’re on tour!”
JK: “Blackout the Sun” is the title of the new album. Is there a significant meaning behind it?
MR: There’s a song on the album called “Blackout the Sun” and it’s dedicated to the passing of Clint’s father. When we are looking for a title, we like it to have a meaning and that song meant the most to us.
JK: The approach to making this record was to go into the studio collectively and write versus individually demoing songs and then bringing them to the table. How did that process work out?
MR: It was good. Clint and I had a side project previously called “Call Me No One” and that’s how we approached that record. It was easy for us, because it was just the two us in the studio. It was a little sketchy going in with the five of us, because all five members contribute to the song writing. Getting everyone to agree was a concern, but we remembered writing together. We’ve done it every way possible. We’ve done it this way before; just never for a full record. So it worked out great. It forces you to second guess more.
JK: Your guitarist Clint left the band for several years and rejoined in 2008. This is his second record since being back in the band. How was this record compared to the last?
MR: The last record was his first one back with us, and he got on a roll with the writing. So collectively we decided to let him run with it and when he needed help we’d jump in to help. We let him quarterback that record like it was his own. It was smooth both ways. This one was really gratifying because we could all stay in the same room and record twelve songs without killing each other.
JK: Some recent reviews have said that the first single “Decay” sounds like older Sevendust songs. Do you agree?
MR: That particular song does remind me of some earlier stuff, some others not so much. It’s a simple tune; chunky, not overly riffy. The drums aren’t crazy, it just has a decent up tempo groove to it and that’s how we used to be. We ended up evolving into this songwriting band that tried to be a little too tricky at times. It’s just a straight forward aggressive rock song, like the older ones.
JK: Has there ever been a Sevendust record that you’ve looked back on and said “I wish we hadn’t done that?”
MR: It always changes. Sometimes I look at “Hope and Sorrow” as our weakest record. That was the last one without Clint. I also think that’s because we were tapped out. We were doing records at about a one per year pace. There were some good moments on that album. As a whole we like to look at the records and think all of the songs are great. We want to be proud of all of the material.
JK: You and Clint have a side project called “Call Me No One,” and John and Vinnie have one also. Is it hard to separate those from Sevendust when it comes to recording?
MR: Clint and I made a conscious effort not to make “Call Me No One” sound like Sevendust. We simplified everything, especially my drums. I played on a stripped down kit which forced me not to use as much double bass. It was very challenging for me. I had my drum tech in the studio constantly telling me I had just played a drum fill from a Sevendust record.
JK: When it comes to tracking drums in the studio, is it like clockwork for you? Do you get excited to try something new that has recently inspired you?
MR: Actually, I hate playing the drums. I like playing live to a certain extent. But, when we’re doing a record, I’m more interested in the vocals and melodies of the songs. When I hear something cool that another drummer did, I will mess around with it. If it feels smooth, I might try and incorporate it into my style.
JK: Are there any guest performers on this record?
MR: Nope. We kept it all to our selves.
JK: I recently found out that you and Tommy Lee are best friends. You guys have talked about putting something together. Is there any chance of that happening in the near future?
MR: I think it’s possible. He’s one of my closest friends in the world. We’re like two little kids sitting around talking about what we’re going to do to freak everyone out. He can do that on his own, so for him to even consider adding me to the equation is humbling.
JK: Do you guys stay in touch regularly?
MR: We just talked yesterday. I helped him out when I filled in for him on a Motley tour when he hurt himself. And in the process, he helped me change as a human being. Filling in for Tommy was such a challenge. For the first time in my career, I ended up feeling proud about something.
JK: What was it like filling in for Tommy?
MR: Ya know… I’m not arrogant and there’s nothing special about me; but there was something special about being able to pull that off. I’d never heard any of those songs and there were 20,000 screaming fans waiting to hear them. I had Tommy in my ear telling me how to play and it can’t be a train wreck. That was definitely the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
JK: I read that another person you would like to work with is Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. If you had your choice, Tommy or Trent?
MR: Tommy first, cuz’ I love him. But, I’m a huge fan of Trent. He’s one of my favorite artists ever.
JK: In a recent interview you had mentioned not having many more left in you as a band. Any update on that?
MR: Well, there was a lot of talk about that on the last record. We went away for a year and that made people think it was over. We’re gonna go as hard as we can and as long as we can. I don’t ever want to be that band where people are saying “I remember when they used to bring it.”
JK: You had a recent scare when you thought you were having a stroke behind the drums. Has that changed how you look at life?
MR: I don’t know. Every time we do a record, I’m going through some sort of turmoil. It always seems to be a woman or a long time girlfriend. It’s catastrophic in my emotional world and it shuts me down. I end up doing bad things to my body; drinking way too much. I didn’t care about my health. I wasn’t doing anything but trying to be a horrible human being and getting hammered every day. Then I met somebody and they pulled me out of the dark place. And then that went bad, and it started all over again. I decided to go to a doctor friend of mine, because I thought I was dying. Knowing what I’ve done to this body, there’s no way my health is good. We did a full physical and a stress test, to find I have the insides of a twenty year old. The same thing happened to Tommy Lee. It must be something in our genes, because I don’t deserve to be in good health after what I’ve done to this carcass.
JK: Morgan thought that was the perfect way to end the interview. Agreed!
We would like to thank Amanda Cagan of ABC-PR for setting up the interview with Morgan. For more information on the new CD “Black Out the Sun” or the current tour, please go to: Sevendust.
