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The Company Band Interview with James A. Rota: Making a Killer Wager

Beers at the ready, gentlemen!The Company Band, the debut full-length from the supergroup of the same name, is an album of strong personalities. Whether it’s the prominent vocals of Clutch‘s Neil Fallon, the bass of Fu Manchu‘s Brad Davis, the guitars of Dave Bone and Fireball Ministry‘s James A. Rota or the drums of CKY‘s Jess Margera, there is little in the output that can’t be tracked back to one source or another within the band itself. “That sounds like Fireball,” or “Man, that’s a Clutch part,” etc.

The success of the album and the band as a whole, then, hinges on being able to combine these personalities into something wholly new. I’ve already reviewed the album, so I’ll spare the evaluations, but suffice it to say that The Company Band is an entity unique among its components.

In the phone interview Rota was kind enough to grant The Obelisk from his Los Angeles home, the guitarist discusses the makings of The Company Band and the album of the same name, touching on the future of Fireball Ministry and the current climate in general for musicians and artists looking to be heard. Thanks to Rota for his candor and to you for reading.

Interview is after the jump. Please enjoy.

Rota in the studio with Fireball Ministry.Are you comfortable with the term supergroup?

Sure. I would use it. I think that it is a super group (laughs). It?s a super group of dudes (laughs), so yeah. Everybody in this band is a fan of everybody else?s band in some way or another, so in a way it is a supergroup. All of us are getting to do something we really love to do and do together.

Was leaving behind the corporate theme a band decision or was that something Neil did on his own?

How do you mean?

With the EP, you had the lyrics and with that goofy band photo with the heads on the suits, but on this record, you open with a song about zombies. It?s not as explicit, corporately.

I think when we were all kind of conceptualizing the band? Neil?s obviously been in his band for quite some time now (laughs), and he?s very knowledgeable and what Neil does appeals to all of us and we?re totally stoked to be working with him. So when the concept came down — we spent, I swear to god, it seemed like a year, trying to come up with a name. We had all these different names, and right when we would think we had the right name, it was like, ?But how do you really conceptualize that to make any sense to other people?? A lot of the times you come up with a name that, oh, it?s funny to us or amusing to us, but it doesn?t really make any sense to the rest of the earth. I think it was Dave who threw out the name Company Band, and then that just lent itself to inspire everybody, probably because we were so totally exhausted from trying to come up with a name (laughs). Neil was probably just inspired by that, ?Oh that?s great and here?s some songs that match it!? The artwork on the new record is pretty corporate and stocks and bondsy, but you know, you give Neil Fallon 10 or 11 songs to write lyrics about and you don?t know what you?re This would be the goofy photo in question.gonna get. That?s part of the magic.

What happened with Jason?

Um, you know, Jason had some other commitments, and honestly I think what happened with him was geography. Brad and Dave and I live out here in L.A. It started out that we?re gonna write a bunch of songs to do a full-length, and I think Dave and Brad were hanging out one night, and Dave was like, ?You know, I think it would be really cool if you came down to play bass with us while we?re working on these songs, because it would help us to work out the ideas,? and Brad was like, ?Cool.? Then Brad was giving input for the songs, and it became like, now you?re writing, and it just morphed into you?re here and we?re here, so we might as well just make it this way. It wasn?t anything ugly or anything, just a matter of geography.

So once he became part of the writing process, you couldn?t really be like, ?Okay, thanks. See you later!?

Exactly. Plus, we recorded the record out here in L.A. at a studio called Grand Master, where all of our bands — I don?t think CKY?s recorded there, but Clutch and Fireball and Fu Manchu have all recorded there — it was just convenience over anything. And Brad?s Brad. He?s one of the greatest bass players alive.

How was it for you guys writing this record coming off the EP? Did you know what you wanted to do musically?

Well, you know, in Fireball, for me, I?ll do a bulk of the writing. I?ll come up with a lot of the ideas and take it to the guys and we all put our own thing on it and turn it into a Fireball song. It was cool for me because Dave is the guy in this band, in The Company Band, that pretty much comes up with the ideas, and then we all get to go in on it. For me personally, it?s been refreshing and a cool thing to have a different approach to writing the songs, but once those Rota's not in this shot.ideas get flowing, it?s pretty cool because everybody has such a distinctive thing about them, the way they do it, from Neil to Jess and Brad to me and Dave, everybody?s got their own flavor to throw in there. It comes together pretty quick once we just sit down and do it. Dave and I and Brad are even already starting to come up with some new songs and this one hasn?t even come out yet. It?s pretty darn fun.

In terms of getting that stuff to the other side of the country for Jess and Neil, do you guys send files back and forth?

Oh yeah. We fully utilize the digital distribution methods that have been given to us. I?ll tell you that the band couldn?t exist without the internet, in more ways than one. I think it?s awesome that we can do that. Dave and I or Brad and Dave can come up with something in a rehearsal room and make a recording of it, then slap it up and email it around to everybody like four hours later. That?s crazy. It really helps get everybody amped and involved.

How is it playing with these people who you?ve been friends with, as opposed a personal relationship, having band relationships with these guys?

Well, you know, it?s funny. When you?re in a band with a bunch of people, it?s kind of like having three girlfriends. You have that kind of relationship where it?s kind of inevitable that some of the same drama and some of the same parts of knowing people so well in an intimate way that is at times unnatural because you spend 24 hours a day with them in closed quarters. I think with The Company Band, the vibe that?s always been from the beginning is that everyone?s just hanging out and having a good time. It?s kind of a different monster.

How many times have you actually gotten together and played in the same room?

Well, right before we recorded? let me think here? The first time we all got together, it was with Jason in PA when Bam [Margera] got married. That was ?06, I think, and that was out at Bam?s house. He?s got a rehearsal thing in his back yard. After that, we got together before we recorded the EP and we worked through that and some of the songs that ended up on the full-length. Then, before we recorded the full-length we got together, then we did two shows out in PA. I?d say maybe five times (laughs)? Four times? (Laughs) I know, it?s totally weird.

It is, and yet you listen to the record and there?s a band dynamic.

He's certainly in this one though. It's another Fireball shot. (Photo by Andrew Stuart)Oh yeah, for sure. I got to hand a lot of that to Andrew Alekel, who did the record and to the guys. The guys, Brad and Jess and for the most part, Dave, they all recorded at the same time. The foundation was all recorded live. It wasn?t like, ?Alright, go in and do the drums and then we?ll overdub everything else.? I can tell you right now for sure Brad and Jess recorded everything together, and I think that really does a lot to give it the vibe of guys playing together, as opposed to piecing it together. Takes the Lady Gaga out of it.

No Autotune going on?

Only when necessary (laughs). The cymbals (laughs).

The songs are really very straightforward and you can feel the structure to them. Everything?s very up front, no real trickery in the songwriting.

I?ve always been a big fan of writing songs that you can sing. I don?t know how popular this is, but I think it?s important when you put on a record, that you hear music that makes sense to you as a listener. I think that if I wanted to turn myself on, I?d put on Mahavishnu Orchestra, but when it?s beer-drinking time, I just want to hear some songs I can yell the words to, and The Company Band is really about having a good time and about a bunch of friends getting together that they all love together. I think that vibe comes across in the songs.

You keep an accessibility to the music.

Yeah. If you?re not making music for people, then who the hell are you making it for? That?s how I?ve always felt about it.

What?s going on with Fireball? Is The Company Band your main priority at this point?

Nope. We finished recording a record about a month ago, and in the current climate, it?s been really tricky to figure out how we?re gonna put it out. We actually are rounding the basses and we?re gonna have an announcement pretty soon. I personally had some stuff happen with my family last year. My mom got really sick and she passed away and that kind of slowed everything down for us for about a year. Honestly, it?s just been a matter of trying to figure out how to do it in today?s day and age — and I don?t want that to come off as negative, because I think right now, as a person putting out records, I think there?s more opportunity now than there?s ever been. It?s just a matter of learning how to do it a different way.

How do you mean?

The requisite album cover.It used to be you?d go into a record label and they were like a bank. They?d basically loan you X amount of money to make a record and to go on tour and to do all the things that you want to do, and you basically owed them that money back until you sell enough records to pay back all the costs. That used to be the great thing. You don?t really tend to see a lot of money off the actual sales of records, it?s more like, ?Okay, we get on the road,? and you gig and you sell your merch and get your guarantees and that?s how you make your money and then you come home. Nowadays, you can make a record pretty much by yourselves if you know what the hell you?re doing, and the distribution network is free (laughs). You could put things on iTunes by yourself, or you can go out and press up X amount of CDs and get a distribution deal with somebody to get them in the stores. You don?t need this juggernaut of mystery money hanging over your head anymore. You always would hear from the label, ?Well, you guys are still in the whole for $30,000 or $45,000, but it?s dwindling down because the sales are pretty good,? and you?d be like, ?What did you spend $45,000 on? Where the hell did that come from?? And they would always use these words like ?marketing? or ?advertising? or ?retail promotion programs,? and you?re just kind of like, ?What? I didn?t see any billboards out on Sunset when I was driving around today. Last night when I was watching CSI or whatever the hell show, I didn?t see the commercial for the new Fireball record, so I?m a little confused as to where $45,000 came from.? Nowadays you don?t even need to go through that process, to put yourself through that bullshit. It?s nice.

I?m sure it?s a welcome change.

That?s what I mean. There?s a lot of people who are like, ?The industry?s done! People don?t want albums anymore! People don?t buy records!? I don?t know, man. I think people are always gonna buy records, it?s just how they buy ?em that?s changed and how they get the stuff that?s changed. I don?t think it has anything to do with the fact that stuff?s not out there, because if anything, there?s more out there than there used to be. I think it?s a very positive time for the two groups of people that have always mattered the most in the music business, and that?s the musicians and the fans. Being both of those things myself, a musician and a fan, I can?t think of a time where I?ve been more optimistic about putting out albums.

And do you have a release date in mind for the new Fireball?

Looks like it?s gonna be late February/early March. I want to pay attention to The Company Band stuff for now and make sure that gets its proper.

Is The Company Band going to tour? Clutch and Fu Manchu have albums, CKY?s touring. Everyone seems really busy.

And Clutch never stops! I think what the plan?s gonna be is we?re just gonna find some time when if everybody?s off, the plan is to maybe fly in somewhere and do a show, then fly back. Maybe fly into the New York area and hit New York and Philly or New York and D.C., try to do those kinds of things. See how the record does and see where people want us to be, then we?ll come to them.

The Company Band on MySpace

Restricted Release on MySpace

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