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| Photo Courtesy: KELLY LLOYD |
Brad shares his side of the Empire with us, talks about filling in for Clint, in Sevendust, and what we can expect in the near future!
Our first interview of the week is with Eye Empire's guitarist B.C. Kochmit.
Angela:
Under "a brief history" the Eye Empire website states: "It all started in 2007 when Corey Lowery (Stuck Mojo/Stereomud/Dark New Day) and B.C. Kochmit (Switched) started to construct what would eventually become the foundation of this Empire...."
How did this particular construction began between you and Corey, who called whom, & how did this come about initially?
B.C. Kochmit:
Corey gave me a ring in May of '07 and just asked if I wanted to come down to Atlanta and write some stuff with him and Morgan Rose (Sevendust drummer). I always felt we had a great songwriting connection so I jumped at the opportunity.
Angela:
Could you elaborate on the songwriting connection? How did you know Corey prior to 2007? Were you already friends?
B.C. Kochmit:
Well back in 2003 Corey was looking to put something together after Stereomud. I guess he talked to some of the Sevendust guys (my old band Switched toured with 7d and we really hit it off) and my name and Chad's name came up. So Chad called me and and asked if I'd go down to Atlanta with Corey to jam. I said sure, because Switched wasnt doing much at that point so I said hell yea. We actually got Corey to come back up to Cleveland and join Switched for a little bit too.
Angela:
Chad, the former drummer for Switched?
B.C. Kochmit:
Yes, Chad Szeliga was the drummer for Switched before he joined Breaking Benjamin
Angela:
What happened when you came to ATL and sat down with Corey up until you found a vocalist years later? At what point did you call in Morgan in that process?
B.C. Kochmit:
Morgan was already there in the beginning. (Chad was already in BB at that point.) They wrote around two songs or something before I got down there. There was a little bit of "Man, is that connection musically still there?" going on in my head, but we just sat down and started jamming. I think the 2nd day or so Corey was playing this bass line and I chimed in with this lick out of nowhere. That became the song "More Than Fate"... that's when I knew we had something still.
Under "a brief history" the Eye Empire website states: "It all started in 2007 when Corey Lowery (Stuck Mojo/Stereomud/Dark New Day) and B.C. Kochmit (Switched) started to construct what would eventually become the foundation of this Empire...."
How did this particular construction began between you and Corey, who called whom, & how did this come about initially?
B.C. Kochmit:
Corey gave me a ring in May of '07 and just asked if I wanted to come down to Atlanta and write some stuff with him and Morgan Rose (Sevendust drummer). I always felt we had a great songwriting connection so I jumped at the opportunity.
Angela:
Could you elaborate on the songwriting connection? How did you know Corey prior to 2007? Were you already friends?
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| Photo Courtesy: Jeremy Adamo |
B.C. Kochmit:
Well back in 2003 Corey was looking to put something together after Stereomud. I guess he talked to some of the Sevendust guys (my old band Switched toured with 7d and we really hit it off) and my name and Chad's name came up. So Chad called me and and asked if I'd go down to Atlanta with Corey to jam. I said sure, because Switched wasnt doing much at that point so I said hell yea. We actually got Corey to come back up to Cleveland and join Switched for a little bit too.
Angela:
Chad, the former drummer for Switched?
B.C. Kochmit:
Yes, Chad Szeliga was the drummer for Switched before he joined Breaking Benjamin
Angela:
What happened when you came to ATL and sat down with Corey up until you found a vocalist years later? At what point did you call in Morgan in that process?
B.C. Kochmit:
Morgan was already there in the beginning. (Chad was already in BB at that point.) They wrote around two songs or something before I got down there. There was a little bit of "Man, is that connection musically still there?" going on in my head, but we just sat down and started jamming. I think the 2nd day or so Corey was playing this bass line and I chimed in with this lick out of nowhere. That became the song "More Than Fate"... that's when I knew we had something still.
Angela:
When you, Corey, & Morgan were writing/composing songs together, did all of you (three) contribute to the lyrics? How were the Eye Empire songs created? ie., Music or lyrics first?
B.C. Kochmit:
Yes, we had to write vocals and lyrics out of necessity. We had no idea who to get to sing for this. We didnt find Donald Carpenter for about 3 more years. Music came first for alot of the songs.
Angela:
In the studio, there's lots of hard work, but also some stress relief, good memories, laughter, lots of fun to be had, as well. Do you have any memorable stories you'd like to share? Stories that are funny, awesome, stupid, cool, or all of the above?
B.C. Kochmit:
Corey just makes me laugh about 500 times a day. Hard to pin down one story or one event in particular. We just go in and have fun. I'll look down at some point and see we've been in the room for 16 hours and haven't eaten all day ... you just get tunnel vision on the tunes. Corey and I are VERY similar in work ethic. It's like that cheesy saying "Time flies when you're having fun!" haha
Angela:
Did you guys document any of your studio time or the creative process on video? Photos?
B.C. Kochmit:
We did some studio updates on the website after we found Donald and actually tracked the album.
Angela:
How did Donald "DC" Carpenter step into the Empire?
B.C. Kochmit:
We were looking for a singer and Corey called me one day and said the guy from Submersed wasn't doing anything at the time. I've known of the band and one of my friends said the singer was incredible. I youtubed some stuff and thought it would be worth a shot. So Corey sent Donald some tunes and got hime to fly up to ATL to track on a few songs. The first one he sang was "I Pray"." They sent me an mp3 of the track after he layed down the vocals and by the time I got through the first chorus I turned the song off, called Corey and said "HE IS THE ONE." I instantly knew.
Angela:
That had to be a good feeling. To know all your hard work up until that point was going to pay off and that now that your music has a VOICE, more hard work can commence.
B.C. Kochmit:
It was an incredible feeling! Having chops is one thing, but after I talked to him on the phone and we just hit it off it was the best feeling in the world. I still talk to him 3 or 4 times a day even if its not about music. We just became great friends. That's rare. Same thing with Corey.
Angela:
The chemistry musically has to be there, but when the band members connect both mentally and emotionally, it shows in their performances for sure.
B.C. Kochmit:
Absolutely. Being in a band with someone you cant stand is not fun. Being in a band with someone you can tolorate is ok. Being in a band with people you love and consider family is awesome.
Angela:
When you guys asked DC to join, what was his reaction? How did you ask him?
B.C. Kochmit:
Honestly i dont think we even asked him ... it just smashed so hard that we all just knew this was it haha
Angela:
Did you step into the studio immediately after you knew DC was the one you wanted?
B.C. Kochmit:
Well when we knew he was the guy we just got together to write more music. We didnt have that many songs at that point.
Angela:
On the EE website, you state you can't choose a favorite Eye Empire song from your CD Moment Of Impact. But what are some of the songs you guys wrote with DC that stand out in your mind?
B.C. Kochmit:
"Idiot" was one in particular, especially the chorus. Donald writes like I like to write. Corey is an amazing lyricist too.
Angela:
So you have Donald set in stone, Morgan came down to ATL track the drums for the CD. Now the master is sent of for printing....at what point does Will Hunt step in as the Eye Empire drummer? His resume is taller than both you and I combined! And I think you're pretty damn tall...
B.C. Kochmit:
No doubt! 'Cause of his talent, work ethic, and hes just a great guy. Corey and I threw around the idea and Corey just called him one day, then just sent him the music and he learned it. The album was done at that point.
Angela:
He most likely learned it while he was sleeping.
B.C. Kochmit:
It wouldn't surprise me!
Angela:
Have you had the opportunity to practice or play live w/Will yet?
B.C. Kochmit:
We did a show with Will in Tampa in December (2010) and then a showcase (for labels, etc) in January (2011).
Angela:
1000 limited edition prints of the CD was your "first run." It featured your own original artwork, and now you're doing a 2nd run of another 1000, with some involvement from your fans? Are you doing all the design/artwork again and how is it going to be different?
B.C. Kochmit:
Yes, we're gonna number these 1001 - 2000. We wanted to give the fans that were here from the beginning a little something special for believing in us and showing support so early on. Im doing it again yes, im changin it up a little bit. We asked the fans who bought the first run to take pics with the disc and we're putting a collage of those in the 2nd pressing to show our love for our fans. Bands are NOTHING without fans!
Angela:
Will this 2nd run of another 1000 CD's be signed by all of the band members again, like the first 1000 were? Or has your hand even healed from the last time?
B.C. Kochmit:
YES! and my hand has not healed yet. haha
Angela:
You're currently on the road, for a few weeks, with Sevendust, filling in for Clint Lowery (guitarist) on the Music As A Weapon tour til Feb 1. What happens after this tour and after the 2nd pressing of the Eye Empire cd's is finished?
B.C. Kochmit:
After this run I'm doing with Sevendust, we plan on getting out there, planning on touring.
Angela:
Thank you very much for all your time B.C.!!
B.C. Kochmit:
Thank YOU for the time!
© Hard-Rock-Reviews.com
Written by Angela Villand
All Rights Reserved
ang@hard-rock-reviews.com
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
Note: The content within these articles, reviews, news updates and interviews may not be used without proper attribution and credit given to both the author and the website. The content within this website is protected by License & Digital Copyright Laws. All photographs, links to other websites & news have been used with express written permission from the artist, publicists, photographers and other applicable owners of material, in all instances. This content may not be copied & re-blogged without express permission from the owner/operators of this website.
The content herein, written and published by by Angela Villand is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at ang@hard-rock-reviews.com.
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When you, Corey, & Morgan were writing/composing songs together, did all of you (three) contribute to the lyrics? How were the Eye Empire songs created? ie., Music or lyrics first?
B.C. Kochmit:
Yes, we had to write vocals and lyrics out of necessity. We had no idea who to get to sing for this. We didnt find Donald Carpenter for about 3 more years. Music came first for alot of the songs.
Angela:
In the studio, there's lots of hard work, but also some stress relief, good memories, laughter, lots of fun to be had, as well. Do you have any memorable stories you'd like to share? Stories that are funny, awesome, stupid, cool, or all of the above?
B.C. Kochmit:
Corey just makes me laugh about 500 times a day. Hard to pin down one story or one event in particular. We just go in and have fun. I'll look down at some point and see we've been in the room for 16 hours and haven't eaten all day ... you just get tunnel vision on the tunes. Corey and I are VERY similar in work ethic. It's like that cheesy saying "Time flies when you're having fun!" haha
Angela:
Did you guys document any of your studio time or the creative process on video? Photos?
B.C. Kochmit:
We did some studio updates on the website after we found Donald and actually tracked the album.
Angela:
How did Donald "DC" Carpenter step into the Empire?
B.C. Kochmit:
We were looking for a singer and Corey called me one day and said the guy from Submersed wasn't doing anything at the time. I've known of the band and one of my friends said the singer was incredible. I youtubed some stuff and thought it would be worth a shot. So Corey sent Donald some tunes and got hime to fly up to ATL to track on a few songs. The first one he sang was "I Pray"." They sent me an mp3 of the track after he layed down the vocals and by the time I got through the first chorus I turned the song off, called Corey and said "HE IS THE ONE." I instantly knew.
Angela:
 | |
| Photo Courtesy: KELLY LLOYD |
B.C. Kochmit:
It was an incredible feeling! Having chops is one thing, but after I talked to him on the phone and we just hit it off it was the best feeling in the world. I still talk to him 3 or 4 times a day even if its not about music. We just became great friends. That's rare. Same thing with Corey.
Angela:
The chemistry musically has to be there, but when the band members connect both mentally and emotionally, it shows in their performances for sure.
B.C. Kochmit:
Absolutely. Being in a band with someone you cant stand is not fun. Being in a band with someone you can tolorate is ok. Being in a band with people you love and consider family is awesome.
Angela:
When you guys asked DC to join, what was his reaction? How did you ask him?
B.C. Kochmit:
Honestly i dont think we even asked him ... it just smashed so hard that we all just knew this was it haha
Angela:
Did you step into the studio immediately after you knew DC was the one you wanted?
B.C. Kochmit:
Well when we knew he was the guy we just got together to write more music. We didnt have that many songs at that point.
Angela:
On the EE website, you state you can't choose a favorite Eye Empire song from your CD Moment Of Impact. But what are some of the songs you guys wrote with DC that stand out in your mind?
B.C. Kochmit:
"Idiot" was one in particular, especially the chorus. Donald writes like I like to write. Corey is an amazing lyricist too.
Angela:
So you have Donald set in stone, Morgan came down to ATL track the drums for the CD. Now the master is sent of for printing....at what point does Will Hunt step in as the Eye Empire drummer? His resume is taller than both you and I combined! And I think you're pretty damn tall...
B.C. Kochmit:
No doubt! 'Cause of his talent, work ethic, and hes just a great guy. Corey and I threw around the idea and Corey just called him one day, then just sent him the music and he learned it. The album was done at that point.
 |
| Photo Courtesy: KELLY LLOYD |
Angela:
He most likely learned it while he was sleeping.
B.C. Kochmit:
It wouldn't surprise me!
Angela:
Have you had the opportunity to practice or play live w/Will yet?
B.C. Kochmit:
We did a show with Will in Tampa in December (2010) and then a showcase (for labels, etc) in January (2011).
Angela:
1000 limited edition prints of the CD was your "first run." It featured your own original artwork, and now you're doing a 2nd run of another 1000, with some involvement from your fans? Are you doing all the design/artwork again and how is it going to be different?
B.C. Kochmit:
Yes, we're gonna number these 1001 - 2000. We wanted to give the fans that were here from the beginning a little something special for believing in us and showing support so early on. Im doing it again yes, im changin it up a little bit. We asked the fans who bought the first run to take pics with the disc and we're putting a collage of those in the 2nd pressing to show our love for our fans. Bands are NOTHING without fans!
Angela:
Will this 2nd run of another 1000 CD's be signed by all of the band members again, like the first 1000 were? Or has your hand even healed from the last time?
B.C. Kochmit:
YES! and my hand has not healed yet. haha
Angela:
You're currently on the road, for a few weeks, with Sevendust, filling in for Clint Lowery (guitarist) on the Music As A Weapon tour til Feb 1. What happens after this tour and after the 2nd pressing of the Eye Empire cd's is finished?
B.C. Kochmit:
After this run I'm doing with Sevendust, we plan on getting out there, planning on touring.
Angela:
Thank you very much for all your time B.C.!!
B.C. Kochmit:
Thank YOU for the time!
© Hard-Rock-Reviews.com
Written by Angela Villand
All Rights Reserved
ang@hard-rock-reviews.com
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
Note: The content within these articles, reviews, news updates and interviews may not be used without proper attribution and credit given to both the author and the website. The content within this website is protected by License & Digital Copyright Laws. All photographs, links to other websites & news have been used with express written permission from the artist, publicists, photographers and other applicable owners of material, in all instances. This content may not be copied & re-blogged without express permission from the owner/operators of this website.
The content herein, written and published by by Angela Villand is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at ang@hard-rock-reviews.com.
