The ugly side of the music business (think contracts and legalities) always seems to present itself at the least opportune times. Egypt Central was stifled twice by “the biz” when the Memphis band tried to release its self-titled debut album: once being dropped by Lava Records back in 2005 and then mutually parting ways with Bieler Bros. Records in 2006. As cliché as it might sound, it does seem that the third time is a charm. The quintet is now signed to Fat Lady Records - label #3 - and can take pride in the fact that its album debuted at #8 on the Billboard New Album Charts.
Heath Hindman (guitars),
Blake Allison (drums), and
Jeff James (guitars) recently chatted with
Ultimate-Guitar writer
Amy Kelly as they were gearing up for their next tour, a high-profile gig with
Drowning Pool. While the band has every right to feel a little bitter about its past, the 3 members came across as nothing but humble and thankful. Sure, it took a while for their songs to see the light of day, but the guys in
Egypt Central realize that they are still the lucky ones in a sea of struggling bands.
UG: You’re about to hit the road with Drowning Pool this April. Would you consider this one of the biggest opportunities for you so far?
Blake: It will be our second tour with a national artist. We were doing this headlining tour for a while, and we’re just humble and excited to go on something with a band that is so well known. We’re not exactly sure who else is on the bill, but we’re looking forward to sharing the stage with those guys as well. I think Papa Roach might be joining us on a couple of the shows.
Heath: We’ve played in front of I think 60,000 people before in our hometown. We did a 4th of July show called the Star-Spangled Celebration a couple years back. We’ve done the Memphis in May Festival for the past 3 years in the row. Last year we did play with Papa Roach, Hinder, and Daughtry. I think there were 20,000 or 30,000 people there.
We’ve played some pretty hard audiences before, but we’re definitely excited about doing this. This is a pretty big step for us being the 2nd national band that we’ve actually toured with, and this will be the longest tour that we’ve done with another national act.
It sounds like you went through some pretty frustrating times attempting to get your music released.
Blake: It’s been a long road for us with some ups and downs. For the first time we’re moving ahead faster and better than ever. The CD is out and it’s selling well. We’re #21 on the alternative rock chart right now. In times like this, you just don’t think about the bad stuff. That’s what our lyrics and songs are about. They’re about overcoming obstacles. It’s very cool to rediscover your own music when somebody breaks your heart. You have your own songs to get back on your feet. It’s been the fuel for the fire this whole time.
Are the lyrics ever the jumping-off point when you begin the songwriting process?
Heath: Actually the music for the most part came together before we knew the lyrics. We wrote and arranged the music for vocals, and that was ultimately the inspiration for the lyrics. It was a combination of the music that we were writing and the struggles that we were going through at that particular time in our lives. We were just reflecting on things that each person had already experienced prior to that. There was some stuff that was written actually in the process of making the record while we were in L.A.
I read one particular band bio that said you spent months upon months writing music before you even considered getting up onstage. Is that true?
Blake: We spent about 8 months just writing and rehearsing before we ever played out live. We had seen other bands make the mistake going out with half-written songs. We felt like we wanted to hit the floor running.
The songs we hear on the new self-titled album have actually been circulating for about 3 years without a label. Did you have to do much tweaking for the album in its current form?
Blake: Absolutely. We actually had a shot at retooling the record ourselves, and that was with the Bieler Bros. When that deal fell sour, we lost all those mixes. Paul David Hagar opted to retool our record, and that’s exactly what he did. It shed new light in his studio for us to just get those mixes back. For the most part, they are still the same songs, but it’s a lot better. He did some great things to it.
It’s been a while since you recorded the album, but can you recall your experience in the studio?
Blake: I remember it like it was yesterday! You never forget your first record that you make. It sticks with you, or I would imagine so, like your first date!
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| "It's very cool to rediscover your own music when somebody breaks your heart." |
You were perfectionists in the songwriting, waiting months before you unveiled the songs to the public. Did that same perfectionist attitude carry over to the studio? I imagine there might have been a deadline.
Blake: We were rushed! Working with a guy such as Josh Abraham, he has magic fingers, I suppose. The songs that come out of his studio are incredible. We pretty much went in there with all of our songs already written and ready to go, and we didn’t do much editing or rewriting or anything. He made the record sound great as it was, and 3 years later we were ready to hear another take on it. That’s when it was remastered. You go in with the expectation of your record sounding good. When a guy like that gets behind the board and turns it into almost something completely different, it’s surreal.
Would Josh offer advice in terms of the equipment you might want to use?
Blake: He actually asked us individually what sounds we wanted. Who did we want to sound like? Who are our inspirations? We just went around the room, and everybody said who their favorite musicians were and this is what I’d want to sound like. He did it! I don’t know how those guys do it, but he did it.
What inspirations did each of you select?
Blake: I went for Matt Cameron, who is one of my favorite drummers.
Heath: I had a few different ones. One was Brad Delson because I absolutely love the guitar tones that were on the Linkin Park Hybrid Theory record. There were some classic rock artists in there. I listen to a lot of stuff. I’m a huge Metallica fan. Some of those guitar tones from the …And Justice For All record I really, really loved.
Wes Borland was one of the people I would put in there. I actually used one of his amps and actually one of Brad Delson’s amplifiers, a Marshall JPM 800. I used Wes’ Mesa Triple Rectifier. Josh did an excellent job on recreating the tones that initially inspired us. He put his own twist on it and kind of gave us our own sound rather than making it sound like everything else that was out there. We ended up with our own unique sound. He’s really awesome at the tones he gets out of his studio.
Jeff: I would definitely have to agree with what Heath just said. My inspirations follow very close to him, Wes Borland and Brad Delson. I agree 100 percent with him.
I imagine that Josh probably has a lot of equipment at his disposal in the studio. Did you have fairly extensive options in picking out your instruments?
Blake: Yeah. As far as drum tones, there are companies out there that hold on to the equipment that they bring to the studio. I used a snare drum, and the roster for this single giant brass snare drum just goes on and on. From Rage Against The Machine’s 2nd record to Offspring’s Smash to a Linkin Park record. I actually used a bass kit that Linkin Park’s drummer used on their first record. It’s this company called Drum Doctor and they bring these great kits in, a great cymbal selection. They just have it there for you, and it’s like Christmas!
I was sitting here working at the same drums that my personal inspirations have played on. I hope that I’m doing this justice! I should have put more time into the record or something. I’m feeling inadequate, but at the same time, the sounds that came out of it…That’s when I understood that the equipment that you use is a huge part in the tones that you want. What it really comes down to is the kind of picks you’re using, the strings on your guitars, the heads on the drums. All that is going to mix together to make the one sound you’re looking for.
Heath: Hey, Blake? Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the snare drum that we used on that record the same snare drum that Dave Grohl used on Nirvana’s Nevermind?
Blake: I think so. The guy was just sitting there, reading off the list of people. The snare drum that I had, I think it was called The Terminator. It had been used so much. It was like a 50-pound drum. Well, I’m exaggerating, but it’s a heavy drum that is actually made out of a bell. They welded it and put a drum head on it. It’s the loudest. Every time you hit it, you have the resonance of an actual church bell or whatever it was used for.
Considering that the tracks on the latest album were written quite some time ago, have you had an opportunity to work on a new batch of songs?
Jeff: Absolutely. We definitely have got a lot of time to write when we’re out on the road. We definitely have a handful of songs that are ready. When you’re in hotel rooms every night, the inspiration is definitely there.
Do you usually write with an acoustic on the road?
Jeff: Absolutely.
How about when you’re jamming onstage? Have you created a few songs during soundcheck?
Blake: Every chance we get!
Jeff: At the expense of the soundman’s ears!
Blake: It’s so few and far between, when we do get a chance we run with it.
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| "We definitely have got a lot of time to write when we're out on the road." |
Are you itching to get back into the studio or are you still enjoying life on the road?
Blake: We’ve got 3 weeks at home right now, and we’re going to do an acoustic version of “You Make Me Sick.” We get the chance to write string parts and really get into the studio. We’re going to shed new light on the song, so we’ll primarily be working on that. I have a home studio here in Memphis, and this will be where hopefully we will all convene to lay down some tracks and take some of the ideas that we put together out on the road.
Will you have Josh Abraham producing the next record as well?
Blake: We would love to. For the most part, I think we’ve all been listening to so many different records that have come to light, new producers. We might and we might not. We’re just going to have to see what is in the cards for us at that point. If we could, we would like to do it. But who knows?
There are probably quite a few bands that have experienced being dropped by a label or dealt with an assortment of other disappointments. Do you have any words of wisdom for them?
Jeff: I would personally say never give up. Always persevere and do what you can.
Heath: You just have to pick up the pieces and put it back together. Keep on moving and keep your head up because you can’t let it get you down. Stay true to yourself, what you believe in, the message that you’re trying to get across to people - that’s the defining moment.
Interview by Amy Kelly
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2008
, and btw guys and girls, they got their name from a street name in Memphis, TN
