Interview With Devildriver Guitarist Mike Spreitzer
When I think of DEVILDRIVER the first thing that comes to mind is the precise and tight live performance. Since they started touring this band has come off live like a wild fire! The music is driving and pounding. Dez is a total front man from the way he delivers the songs to the way he interacts to the crowds.
With the bands latest album THE LAST KIND WORDS peaking at number 48 on Billboard 200 and with over 140,000 copies sold you know metal is not dead by far. Currently the band took their amazing show on the road on the BOUND BY THE ROAD tour and took along some great bands like my most favorite band in the world, 36 Crazyfists, Straight Line Stitch, Invitro and the mighty Napalm Death.
I was able to catch up with Guitarist Mike Spreitzer before his show in Hartford, CT to ask him about this tour, new ideas for a record and find out a little more non musical stuff about this head banging guitar player.
THE CURRENT BANDS ON THIS BOUND BY THE ROAD TOUR YOU MUST ADMIRE SOMETHING ABOUT THEM TO ASK THEM OUT ON THE ROAD. IF YOU COULD TAKE ONE THING FROM YOUR BAND YOU SEE IN EACH OF THE BANDS WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Well, Napalm Death is one of the first bands to start the whole blasts beat, fast death metal thing. I think that compares us directly and non-directly. I’m not a huge Napalm fan but the other guys are, but I have a lot of respect for them and they have been doing it for so long. The other bands, well 36 Crazyfists the one reason they got picked was because we liked them musically but they are also really cool people. First time we ever did a show with them we felt like we had already been on tour with them because we got along with them so well. They are fun to hang out with, fun to drink with. It’s not musically related but also the same thing with Invitro and Straight Line Stitch. I don’t know I just kind of like the way our band is!!!
THAT’S ALRIGHT TO SAY THAT! THAT’S WHY YOU’RE IN THE BAND RIGHT. OKIE, THE SET YOU GUYS ARE DOING IS A BUNCH OF STUFF YOU NEVER PLAYED LIVE BEFORE AND B-SIDES WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GO THIS ROUTE?
We wanted to mix it up we have been opening with END OF THE LINE and closing with the WRETCHED for a long time, too long. So for this tour we wanted to mix it up and it keeps things a little more interesting for us to because it can get a little boring playing the same stuff over and over again.
WAS THERE ONE SONG YOU GUYS HAD A HARD TIME GETTING DOWN FOR THE LIVE SET?FIGHTING WORDS and HORN OF BETRAYAL HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE BAND FOR NOW?
Four years in April
IN THE FOUR YEARS YOU HAVE BEEN IN THIS BAND CAN YOU LOOK BACK ON YOUR CAREER AND PUT CERTAIN THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO THE BAND THAT WOULD DESCRIBES THE WORDS I AM GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT
I’ll try
FIRST WORD IS PASSIONATE?
Probably playing the Download festival. There were so many people and it went so well. There was the biggest god damn mosh pit I’ve ever seen. I think that was the moment where the whole band felt very passionate about keeping it going and a sense of accomplishment
NEXT WORDS ARE COURAGEOUS AND INTEGRITY?
Man I don’t know those words describe almost every aspect of being in a band. You have to have all three of them in many different situations. There is living together, putting up with one another, getting along, keeping the drinking under control, staying away from drugs. All those things kind of tie into each other
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?
Just a kid watching MTV saw Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me. That is the way I got into it.
SO WHO IS MIKE? HERE IS ANOTHER THREE WORDS FOR YOU. WITH THESE WORDS CAN YOU DEFINE SOMETHING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE? FIRST WORD IS STRENGTH?
For me personally I can fix anything. If I could play guitar like I could fix something….
DEZ: He is the guy we would all go to if we were trapped on the moon and no way to get home and all we had was a can and a shoe string, he could get us home.
NEXT WORD IS HONESTY?
Probably if someone asked me a question I’m usually very straight forward
CREATIVE QUALITY OTHER THEN MUSIC?
Does surfing count as creative? That’s more athletic. The only other thing I’m interested in other then music is surfing and wakeboarding. I guess it is artistic if you’re doing tricks and stuff like that
SO YOU CAN DO TRICKS?
YEA
SO YOU COULD BE A PROFESSIONAL?
Well a professional no! Maybe back in the day since I don’t get to surf much anymoreCAN YOU SNOWBOARD TOO?
Yea but I gave up because I kept on getting hurt too much. I got a concussion, broke my arm, threw out my back really bad once and I decided I would just stick to water sports.
SO TOURING IS LIKE A PIECE OF CAKE?
Ya!!
ARE YOU GUYS WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW?
Yes! Sometime next year we should have something new out. We are toying with the idea of going in later this year and doing another record
ANYTHING DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT?
We got a couple of songs written and I think its going to be the same but different. It’s still going to be DEVILDRIVER. It’s going to be heavy, don’t worry about that. Some of the songs maybe a bit longer, maybe more parts. Do some things we never have done before. There was a lot more guitar solos on this record and we would like to double that on the next album, well I would personally, so I’m looking forward to that
WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN FROM ANYONE OF YOUR PARENTS THAT HAS HELPED YOU THIS FAR IN LIFE?
Both my parents were not poor but not as well off as I was as a kid. They kind of taught me how to be thankful for what I have. I am very thankful for all this and I appreciate what I have and I wouldn’t have any of it if it wasn’t for them
IF YOU WEREN’T PLAYING GUITAR WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING FOR A CAREER?
Probably one of two things. Working in a recording studio or I’ve been trying to get into writing music for movies.
WHAT KIND OF MOVIES?
Anything. I’m really into classical music and electronic music. I’ve written a few things for friends that have done like B movies and one friend that had a documentary but nothing major yet.
IS IT EASIER TO WRITE FOR THAT THEN WITH THE BAND?
Yes because it’s just me. Things tend to come out better when you’re working with a group because you get a bunch of ideas all in one and you get outside opinions but you re write a lot of the stuff before it actually makes the record. So when I write something I’m happy with the way it is but when I write something for this band we have four other guys coming to critique it. Re writing stuff for me is kind of hard because I get stuck in a rut because I like it this way but then I have to be like alright we have to change it. In the long run it usually comes out pretty good
WHEN YOU GUYS WRITE DO YOU WRITE A WHOLE SONG AND THEN MOVE ON?
The way we write one of the other guys will write on their own or sometimes they will jam together up in Santa Barbara and I live in Los Angeles so its like a 100 miles apart from each other. Then they come down to my house with a somewhat finished song or a idea and we will record it in my studio at home and put it on CD and listen to it. A song is never done until we actually go into the studio and record it there because we constantly make changes. Having a studio its good cause you can make that CD and listen to it in the car and you can tell the parts that wont work or I’ve listened to a certain part and after 10 times I’m already sick of it. Sometimes we think things are done but we will go make changes. Ideas come sporadically and just because you like something one day doesn’t mean you’re going to like it the next.
DO YOU THINK OF THE LIVE APSECT WHEN WRITING A SONG?
I do. We have done stuff on records like on FIGHTING WORDS I think there is like four rhythm tracks and its like how the hell are we going to play that live because we only have two guitar players. I try not to get too carried away because I like to layer a lot when I’m writing because I have the studio in my house and I can record it and see how its going to sound. So I try not to get too carried away with effects because we are not going to play the tape when playing live so sometimes I have to stop myself.
IF YOU COULD PICK ANY PRODUCER TO WORK WITH WHOM WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
Mark Lewis and Jason Suecof. They are a lot of fun to work with and Jason is a little crazy. But he helped me out a lot on the new record. He pushed me and Jeff a lot and got us being better guitar players. For me when I would get stuck in a rut he wouldn’t write stuff for me but he would give me a lot of ideas. I couldn’t even play half the stuff at first but he made me work on it and it worked out great. The whole recording process this last time was just really smooth working with them and I like that
ANY PRE EXCERCIES BEFORE YOU HIT THE STAGE?
Stretching, getting a guitar in my hand and warming up. I like warming up for like an hour everyday or more. Other then that drinking between three and seven beers (laughing)
IF YOU COULD PICK ONE MUSICIAN YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE SAME PERSONALITY AS, WHOM WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
HMM… Well I guess without all the depression and Heroin he did I guess maybe Trent Reznor because he is so into gear and studio shit and likes programming and plays guitars and is somewhat classically trained. Plus he is one of my idols.
HOW DO YOU GUYS TRY TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ON THE ROAD?
(laughing) well I started drinking green tea a couple of years ago and it seems to be keeping me from getting sick. Try to drink a lot of water before you go to bed when you’re drunk so you don’t wake up hung over the next day. Try to stay away from McDonalds. Some of the other guys in the band go to the gym every now and then but me I have never been to a gym in my life. That’s why I go surfing and shit like that because I just hate gyms; they are no fun for me.
ANY FAMOUS LAST WORDS?
No not really
WELL THEN HOW ABOUT YOUR BEST PICK UP LINE?
Baby you smell like the inside of my mama’s purse.
NEVER HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE (LAUGHING)
I don’t know (laughing) I don’t have any pick up lines
DEVILDRIVER: myspace page | Music Videos & Live Videos on UVTV
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:43pm
jason suecof is the shit !