Jon “Fatguy” Marté of the Alabama radio station WVNA-FM [105.5 FM] conducted an interview with Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch on May 17 at the Rock On The Range festival at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.
On how he is feeling about everything at the moment:
Welch: “I know that there’s bombs that go off in life, and there’ll be more to come in the future, but right now I’m riding this wave of just, ‘Man, this is awesome.’ Everything is going good. My daughter is doing great. Music’s doing great. I’m back with my brothers, who I’ve been separated from almost ten years… eight years, you know. It’s just… Not to sound all positive, you know, but it’s just going good right now.
“I’ve learned how to deal with struggles, and so even when the struggles come, it’s not a bad day; it’s just, like, tomorrow’s better.”
On whether it’s possible to have positivity in music:
Welch: “You’re gonna be able to hear, like in the melodies and in the music, a lot of positive stuff going on with these new Korn songs. But that’s me. And a lot of the other guys [in the band] have been going through a lot of positive stuff. But Jonathan [Davis, Korn singer], that poor guy just goes through hell on earth sometimes in his life. And he’s been going through a lot of stuff the last couple of years, personally — like he’s in a dryer tumbling around in circles; he’s getting beat up — and so a lot of that’s coming out in the record. He’s really good at facing his pain head-on. You know, what’s cool is the last… Since 2013, things have been going a lot of better for him, so I’m really glad. Ever since I got back, it seems like everyone’s life is just on the right track. Not ’cause of me, obviously — it just turned out like that. But it’s really good to see. Jonathan, he gets all of his passionate lyrics about life’s circumstances, so he’s got a lot to sing about on this album.”
On what it feels like to be back on stage with Korn:
Welch: “I played one show so far, two nights ago, and it was just the most amazing, electric, just powerful feeling. I mean, the fan response to, like, just people having fun onstage; there’s smiles even sometimes, goofing around. And then, about halfway through the set, I was, like… My body was, like, ‘Dude, you haven’t played an hour-and-a-half set in ten years.’ My legs were starting to get all sore. ‘Cause I played with Love and Death [Welch‘s other band], too, earlier in the night. So I’m, like, ‘You’ve gotta be like a marathon runner to do this stuff.’ So it was really kind of bittersweet. But the sweet was way better than the bitter, so who cares?!”
On Korn‘s forthcoming album:
Welch: “Dude, you could feel the realness in the music. It’s true from inside of all of us, and Jonathan‘s lyrics and stuff. And the choruses? These are the best choruses. I love big choruses that people can just sing to. Yeah, the choruses are just huge, man. And it’s really creepy, like with Jonathan and all this stuff, and me and Munky‘s [Korn guitarist] stuff. I’m so happy with it. Everyone who still cares is gonna share what we’re feeling right now.”
Upcoming Shows – Korn + Brian “Head” Welch
May 21 – Silver Springs, MD @ The Fillmore
May 22 – Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theatre
May 23 – Bethlehem, PA @ Sands Bethlehem Event Center
May 24-26 – Pryor, OK @ Rocklahoma
May 25 – St. Louis, MO @ Peabody
June 07 Rock Im Park, Nürnberg, Germany
June 09 Rock Am Ring, Nürburgring, Germany
June 11 Atak, Enschede, Netherlands
June 12 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
June 14 Download Festival 2013, United Kingdom
Jul. 19 – Cadott, WI @ Rock Fest
Love And Death:
Jul 11 Richlands High School Richlands, VA
Jul 19 Willmar Civic Center Grounds, Willmar, MN
Jul 21 Memorial Park, Rapid City, SD
Aug 09 Enumclaw Expo Center, Enumclaw, WA
Aug 16 Montana Expo Park, Great Falls, MT
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/jon-fatguy-marte/rock-on-the-range-interview-4[/soundcloud]
Related articles:
Metal Bible’ finally available in English [August 2011]
‘Brian “Head” Welch’ Talks About Finding Christ And ‘I Am Second’ Campaign [Video] [April 2012]
Love And Death – Chemicals [EP review]
‘Brian “Head” Welch’ ‘My Favorite Thing To Do Is Talk About The Lord’ [July 2012]
‘Munky’ Optimistic About Permanent Reunion With ‘Brian “Head” Welch’ [Dec. 2012]
Love And Death – Between Here & Lost [Album Review]
‘Brian “Head” Welch’ Is ‘Really Excited’ About Reuniting With ‘Korn’ [Jan. 2013]
‘Love And Death’ ‘The Abandoning’ Music Video Released [Jan. 2013]
‘Brian “Head” Welch’ On Reunion With ‘Korn’: ‘It’s So Cool To Feel So Welcome’ [Video] [Feb. 2013]
‘Brian “Head” Welch’ Says “Pornography ‘Sucks You In Like A Drug” [Video Interview] [March 2013]
‘Brian “Head” Welch’ With ‘Korn’ More U.S. Tour Dates Announced [April 2013]
‘Brian “Head” Welch’ Says His Reunion With ‘Korn’ ‘Was Meant To Be’ [April 2013]