TINA PEEK: Hi Ben thanks for taking some time to speak with me today. Did you have a nice Christmas?

BEN MARCHANT: Yeah, I did. How ‘bout you?

TP: Yeah, it was good. I spent it with family and my niece and nephew that I haven’t seen in a while, so it was cool.

BM: Yeah, same here. My mom actually flew out for the first time in like, two years, so she came out to L.A. and it was so cool to finally see her.

TP: That’s great. It’s been two years since you’ve seen her?

BM: Actually, no. I saw her after the tour with Candlebox, because our last show was in Charlotte, North Carolina and she lives in Chapel Hill. So the bus dropped us off, and we went to Chapel Hill and I stayed with her for a couple of days after to just wind down. But you know, my brother finally moved out here, and he’s been here for about six months and will be for another six, for his work, so it’s just cool that my brother, myself and my mom were able to be together for Christmas, and that was really cool.

TP: That’s great. What a nice Christmas gift!

BM: Yeah, it was actually the first time in 5 years or 6 years for that.

TP: You’re kidding.

BM: Yeah. And now that I’m thinking about it, I’m like holy crap!

TP: Well it will give you something to look forward to for the next Christmas. Try not to leave it so long next time. Five years is a long time and we’re all getting older right?

BM: Yeah. No, no, exactly. [laughs]

TP: Okay, first things first, I heard that the band is working on the next album and I was wondering how that’s been going for you.

BM: You know, with the Christmas break and everything included, it’s been amazing, because we did all of the really hard work of getting the songs written and kind of having the band put it all together and working with David Holman, our producer, (Adema, No Doubt and Bush to name a few) and orchestrating the songs, just getting everything ready. And we started recording two days before Thanksgiving, and then we went into Sunset Sound, the studio here in L.A. and we did the bass and drums. And we were there for two days, two full days. And now we’re doing all the guitar work and extra keys and stuff. And the vocals I did at David’s studio, which is Cactus Studio, and it’s really been great! I had a lot of work to do because Sean [Hennessy] our lead guitarist and Adam [Kury] our bassist were away playing with Candlebox, because I knew that they had a couple of shows, and so I basically was working my ass off or whatever, trying to get all the songs ready for Sean to come in and once we were able to do that, I was able to just relax during this break. So I’m very happy.

TP: And you’re using the same producer as you did for your debut album, Beginning, David Holman, because you’re comfortable with him. You liked his work and liked what he did for the band on the first album?

BM: Oh yeah, definitely.

TP: Have all the songs been written for the album?

BM: Yes, for this next record we’ve added fourteen new songs. When we started Beginning, we actually picked from probably a pile of like 30 or 34 songs. And they’re all recorded. So what we did was, we wanted to pick the songs that were more towards our live performance and playing with Candlebox. We kind of wanted a more faster, up-paced CD. So this is going to be more of a collaboration of what the band is really all about and just kind of more chill, and I love these songs.

TP: So is there a song or songs that you’re extra excited about on the new record? Anything you can share with me?

BM: Yeah. Two of my favorite songs are probably, well I’m going to say three that I’m really excited about that I’m just thinking off the top of my head, is “Here She Comes”, “Over And Over”, and “She Was A Queen”.

TP: I know that you probably love all the songs because when you’re writing and recording, all the songs are new and fresh and they sound great, but why those three in particular?

BM: Well, for “Here She Comes” we actually played that live without any vocals. I just made up stuff as we went along to a couple of shows before we went into the studio and it seemed to go over really well. And it’s a different style of writing, that as a band and myself, we have matured a bit and getting more comfortable with everybody and just the collaboration and everything--everybody just felt really good and the audience really accepted it, so that style was definitely brought into play. So I’m really happy about that and “Over And Over” and “She Was A Queen” I mean, just right off the bat, just the bass and drums and simple guitars that we have on it right now, it just feels so good. I mean, there’s nothing else I really want to do to it.

TP: You keep mentioning Candlebox, so I want to bring them into play here for several reasons, one is that this past summer, the band opened for Candlebox, and I wondered what that experience was like for you as a band and also for you personally?

BM: I think as a band it was a great learning experience and also a very exciting experience and for me. It was my first time on the road.

TP: Ever?

BM: Yeah, ever. As a front man, as anything, and I couldn’t have asked for a better tour.

TP: I bet! I actually interviewed Kevin Martin not too long ago. He’s a really nice guy, and it was a fun interview. So that was your first time going out, it must have been super exciting for you!

BM: Oh yeah, it was very exciting, and you know, Kevin’s a great front man and just a great guy and he and Scott, I mean they’re like…those guys were wonderful and like I said, with Adam playing with them and Sean, it was just a great family experience.

TP: That was the other thing I wanted to bring up, because there is a connection to Kevin Martin and Candlebox, in that Sean and Adam play in Kevin’s side project, The Hiwatts.

BM: Yes.

TP: So I wondered how did you meet them and how were they brought into the fold?

BM: It was actually, I guess by luck. The drummer that I originally used in the studio sessions and the first sessions when I came to L.A., I had finally convinced—and this is before the band was ever created, I had finally convinced David Holman to work with me, to help collaborate in the writing of songs and to produce a record and just see what happens ya know? Just start recording some songs and whatever falls into place, falls into place. And a drummer who had played on…he had played for David on a project before me, I guess with a girl named Summer Rose and his name was Brian Burwell, and he was our studio drummer for the first half of Beginning and he knew Adam and Sean, because I think he had actually played with them for maybe a couple of days in The Hiwatts and he was a drummer for Neve, which was a band back in the day, back in the ‘90’s or something, I don’t know too much about it, but he was our original drummer and he was able to get Sean and Adam on board. And he actually would’ve stayed our drummer but right before the tour started he wasn’t able to make it.

TP: So instead you got Dave Krusen from Pearl Jam.

BM: Yes.

TP: So how did that come about, because that’s a pretty good coup.

BM: Yeah. That was huge and you can thank Kevin Martin for that.

TP: Really.

BM: Yeah, he made the call and told Dave, he was like, “Hey I know this new band, they’re going out on the road with us, whaddya doing? If you’re not doing anything just come on out and we’ll all hang.” And it was just wonderful. I grew up listening to Pearl Jam and Candlebox and I was like, super excited!

TP: So is Dave going to be a permanent member of the band?

BM: Yeah! He was the drummer for this session, for this record.

TP: So he does all the drumming on this second album?

BM: Oh yeah!

TP: It seems that everyone in the band has meshed and you all get along well.

BM: Yeah, we blended great and we also added a keyboardist to the band because David Holman had played keyboards on the record, so we needed somebody to come out live with us. The guy’s name is Walker Gibson, and he just fit in perfectly. It was his first time actually on the road, too, and he was Sean’s best friend, or not best friend, but they were like really, really good friends and they lived next to each other, so he was able to get introduced.

TP: Who does most of the writing? Do you or does the whole band work on the songs together?

BM: In the beginning it was pretty much all me, and then on this record and especially with the addition of Dave Krusen, he was really able to—I mean, normally I’ll bring the songs in, like they start as just melodies with simple guitar licks and when I brought the songs in this time with the band and just the way that—and Dave and Adam had started working really well together and then Sean and his influences and the same with Walker, I mean, it was just everybody piecing it together. But I think one of the coolest parts about this record coming out is gonna be the rhythm. You can definitely tell that we’ve got an all-star in our band, ya know? I think all our musicians are. I’m definitely the weakest link when it comes instrumentation.

TP: You sing, but don’t play any instrument?

BM: I do play guitar, but I’m more the rhythm guitarist and it’s wonderful playing with guys who are much better than you. The songs, they all start from an acoustic guitar pretty much.

TP: Do you find it challenging when there are players better than you, or how does that work for you?

BM: No it relaxes me and I’m able to give it to them and not worry and know that it’s going to sound amazing.

TP: Because you trust them.

BM: Yeah, it’s like I trust them with my babies ya know, with my life. It’s like here’s a part of me, or here’s a piece of me, now make it your own. And they do that and they just do a great job. I’ve never felt that before because I’ve always just been the studio writer guy, like in Nashville when I did a record, I hired a bunch of guys and the music was done and that was it. And the most emotion I could possibly put on the record would just be from the vocals and all the rest was just standard stuff. And this time it’s different, it’s wonderful and it’s relaxing.

TP: And it’s more of a group effort now because everyone in the band has a stake in the outcome, where as before, you were the only one who really had anything invested, now it’s a band working towards a goal.

BM: Yeah definitely. And it’s excitement too, like after getting off the road you’re kind of like, “Okay what’s next?” You can’t wait to get back on, you can’t wait to have new material and just kind of keep it going and that’s really, really nice. I think this is going to be—a lot of times bands have problems, from what I’ve heard, I don’t know actually from my own experiences, but bands have always had problems with their sophomore record, but I think that this is actually going to be awesome, I think it’s going to be great!

TP: Did you like touring?

BM: I loved it.

TP: Did you? What did you find was the best part of touring?

BM: The best part of touring was sleeping on the bus.

TP: What? In those crazy little bunks? [we’re laughing]

BM: Well yeah, I was lucky I had the back room, so I had them put a bed in, like the back lounge, so I had this huge lounge and I brought all my video games, because I’m a huge gamer.

TP: Are you?

BM: Oh yeah, I’m enormously huge! [we laugh] So I was playing X-Box like non-stop, whenever I could and it was just really, it would put you to sleep, especially after all the adrenaline and everything that you get from going up on stage, like from beforehand and after, it’s just the generator of the bus when it’s moving it just winds ya down and it’s time to relax.

TP: The bus kind of lulls you with the sound of the engine.

BM: Yeah, exactly.

TP: So what was the worst part of touring?

BM: Wakin’ up! [we’re laughing]

TP: Really?

BM: Well, no, not really. [pauses] You know, I don’t really think there was a worst part. I really don’t, because I was lucky enough that when I missed my girl, I was able to fly her out and she was able to come and hang with us. So yeah, I think the whole experience was absolutely amazing, I was just so excited.

TP: That’s great. And the audience was receptive to you guys when you opened for Candlebox?

BM: Oh yeah, they were great. They show up early, and so being the opening act, you don’t know how many people you’re going to be playing in front of. And we played in front of the same amount of people every show that they [Candlebox] did. I mean, they came to those places early.

TP: So when do you think the new album might be finished?

BM: Well, I’m going to say we’re gonna be done in probably two to three months.

TP: Oh that’s great, in time for spring. So do you think you might hook up with another band and tour with them, is that the plan?

BM: Yes, yup definitely. We’re planning on lots of showcases and lots of tours and if we get picked up by a label, that would be great. I mean, we may start shopping a little bit, now that we have shown what we can do and that kind of stuff.

TP: Where would you like to see the band? What accomplishments would you like it to achieve in say the next 5 years?

BM: I would like the band to be able to support itself so we can continue writing and playing music. Because this is what we love. It’s what I’ve been fighting to do my whole life, and I think it’s the same for everybody else with me. We’ve completely grown as a band; we’re just super mature now.

TP: So Ben, is there anything else you want to talk about, that I haven’t asked?

BM: I think I’d just like to give a shout-out to my guild in World of Warcraft; NO BADS ALLOWED if that’s okay? I’ve never done this before. [we laugh]

TP: And who is this going out to? [clearly I’m not getting it]

BM: They’re a group of people I play with in the online game I play. I mean, we’re ranked number two in the world, on our realm.

TP: Really? I’m not a gamer, so this is all foreign to me. I play guitar hero and that’s about it.

BM: Oh nice!

TP: Yeah, but I’m not into all the online gaming stuff, so I really haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, but obviously these other people, the gamers, would. So you’re ranked number two in what, the world?

BM: Well, out of nine million players, we are—in our realm, we’re ranked number two.

TP: Get out! [this sounds very good to me]

BM: Yeah, 25 players and I’m one of these 25 guys. So yeah, NO BADS ALLOWED is the name of the guild and the realm that we’re on is KILROGG.

TP: Okay, still haven’t a clue, but I figure to be ranked number two out of nine million people sounds pretty cool to me, it’s pretty awesome!

BM: Yeah it’s pretty cool.

TP: Have you ever met any of these gamers?

BM: You know, actually, who got me into this game was some real-life friends. [laughs] It’s funny how ya describe people, but with the friends of ours in L.A., I was telling them about the new Zelda and stuff that had come out and I was all excited and then they told me about this game Warcraft. It was about three years ago and so I just got into it and I haven’t stopped.

TP: And have you met any of these gamers yet?

BM: Only three of them.

TP: So the majority of them don’t even know who you are and what you do?

BM: Actually they do, because I have to tell them why I’m late or if I’m gonna miss—like for instance, when we went on tour, I had to let them know that I wasn’t going to be able to play for three months.

TP: Oh my God.

BM: Yeah it’s pretty crazy actually. [laughs]

TP: So you realize that they’re going to take total credit for this right? Because they’re gonna say, “Well Ben, you weren’t there for three months, so we had to tow the line for you!”

BM: Oh no, no, no…[I’m laughing]…that was three or four months ago. Oh no, we’re ranked because of what we’re doing now. The new expansion, the new game came out and so, yeah. [we’re laughing]

TP: Your gamer friends are going to read this and be like, “Oh yeah, sure Benny. [Ben is laughing] You tell her whatever you want, but we know.” [we’re both laughing]. Well I have to admit, it does sound cool, so good luck with that. I’ll for sure let you know when the interview is up so you can tell your gamers and they can read it.

BM: [laughing] All right, nice.

TP: Any last words or messages for your fans?

BM: Just thank you for being fans.

TP: Great. Well thank you so much for your time Ben, if the band ever makes it out this way, I’ll be sure to check out your live show.

BM: That would be great. That’d be awesome.

TP: Take care, good luck with the new album and all the best in 2009 to you and the rest of the guys.

BM: Thanks so much, the same to you.