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| Mike Froedge w/Black Label Society Photo by Carrie Lynn |
Mike Froedge recorded the drum tracks that Morgan Rose (Sevendust) put down for Eye Empire. Eye Empire’s bassist/vocalist
Corey Lowery played bass in a band called Dark New Day with Troy Mclahorn and their drummer was Will Hunt. Troy is Mike’s old guitarist from doubleDrive. Troy also went on to play with Evanescence. Evanescence eventually adopted Will Hunt as their drummer. Will Hunt eventually also became the drummer for Eye Empire. When Will had scheduling conflicts because he was recording tracks for Evanescence earlier this year, Mike Froedge sat in for him with Eye Empire. Will was also the drummer for Tommy Lee. There was a time when Will had a scheduling conflict with the Leno show Tommy Lee had going on and Morgan Rose filled in for him. Morgan sat in for Will back then. Will is the former drummer for Black Label Society. Guess who’s the new drummer for Black Label Society now?Mike Froedge!
Hilarious...It's "like a circle..."
Corey Lowery played bass in a band called Dark New Day with Troy Mclahorn and their drummer was Will Hunt. Troy is Mike’s old guitarist from doubleDrive. Troy also went on to play with Evanescence. Evanescence eventually adopted Will Hunt as their drummer. Will Hunt eventually also became the drummer for Eye Empire. When Will had scheduling conflicts because he was recording tracks for Evanescence earlier this year, Mike Froedge sat in for him with Eye Empire. Will was also the drummer for Tommy Lee. There was a time when Will had a scheduling conflict with the Leno show Tommy Lee had going on and Morgan Rose filled in for him. Morgan sat in for Will back then. Will is the former drummer for Black Label Society. Guess who’s the new drummer for Black Label Society now?
Mike was kind enough to answer questions for Hard-Rock-Reviews.com and we are very grateful for his time!
Angela:
How old were you when you started playing seriously?
Mike:
Mike:
I got serious about the drums probably around 7th or 8th grade, after seeing a life-changing Van Halen concert! (Laughing) But I took guitar and piano lessons as a kid as well.
Angela:
Describe your kit: toms, snares, cymbals, hats etc. for our readers that are musicians/drummers.
Mike:
Well, that depends on the gig. Right now with Black Label Society I'm playing a kit with two 22" kick drums (probably gonna' go to 24's soon, though), a 12" rack tom, 16 and 18" floor toms, 6 1/2 x 14 snare, 18, 19, and 21" crash cymbals, a 21" ride, 14" hats, 19" china.
Angela:
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| photo by Carrie Lynn |
Are you endorsed?
Mike:
Yep, been with Pearl drums for many years and with Sabian Cymbals, Vater Sticks, and Aquarian Drumheads for even longer!
Angela:
Let’s talk about doubledrive and Speed X, the two bands on your resume. Tell me all about the band members, album names, tours, anything you want to share with someone that may not have heard of them previously. Is either band still together? Give me a “where are they now” update!
Let’s talk about doubledrive and Speed X, the two bands on your resume. Tell me all about the band members, album names, tours, anything you want to share with someone that may not have heard of them previously. Is either band still together? Give me a “where are they now” update!
Mike:
doubleDrive did two albums during our seven or eight years together. "1,000 Yard Stare" was released in 1999 on MCA Records, and "Blue in the Face" was in 2003, I think, on Roadrunner Records. That band was split up by 2004, but we did a lot of touring together and had a lot of fun. Great dudes, great memories, and two great albums to show for it.
Our guitarist from doubleDrive, Troy, went on to form Dark New Day with some other friends of ours (Clint Lowery of Sevendust, Corey Lowery from Stuck Mojo, etc.) and he was a member of Seether for a while, and also Evanescence.
Speed X project I did at my studio in Atlanta with Josh, my old bassist from doubleDrive, Nick Catanese who I currently play in Black Label with, Mike Stone from Queensryche, and our buddy Jason Fowler from Atlanta on vocals. We released the album on iTunes, etc. last year, and did several shows, But since we're all kinda busy doing other tours and projects at the moment, it's on hold for now, but we'll get back to it.
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| photo by Carrie Lynn |
There are bands still out there trying so hard to get signed because they think that's the way to go. Then there are bands such as Eye Empire and other DIY'ers whom have opted to go against that grain, taking a harder, but perhaps higher moral ground even though it's much more difficult, but they still own their own music. Where you do stand on this?
Mike:
Well, I have been on two major record labels and although we toured the world, had songs on the radio, and had WAY too much fun touring - when the party was over and we came home, we didn't have a penny to show for it. It was the time of my life, and it was also the more broke I ever was in my life. (Laughing)
Major labels, at the time anyway, had control over what got heard and what didn't get heard (on the radio) and a lot of great music fell by the wayside as a result. The thing that the majors always seemed to be best at was wasting tons of money.
Nowadays, with quality recording gear more readily available, there is much less need for a label. Thanks to the internet, information and training on how to use it properly is more accessible, and of course iTunes making physical distribution by a record label largely obsolete. Labels are still trying to do things the old-school way, trying to get endless spins on FM radio, which not that many people regularly listen to anymore, trying to beat everyone over the head with endless advertisements and promo, which most people just ignore nowadays... The business is in a big state of change and evolution right now, and the major labels are either going to get dragged into it kicking and screaming, or they are just going to go away.
In other words - if you can find ANY possible way to make things happen for your music WITHOUT signing to a label then do it! Screw 'em; they've been screwing artists for decades. Now you don't need 'em anymore.
Angela:
You spend quite a bit of your time when you’re home in your studio recording and tracking artists. Do you have any funny stories from your studio?
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| www.openskystudioatlanta.com |
Mike:
Well, back in 2006 I worked on an album for a very famous singer (whose name I will leave out of this) and for quite a few weeks of the session, he would only actually show up one out of every two or three days. We were recording in south Florida, by the way, so a large percentage of the time, I was getting paid to FISH, or swim, or jet-ski. (Laughing) Gotta' love it.
Angela:
What's the most insane thing that has happened to or around you in your music career?
Mike:
In 2003 doubleDrive was involved in a pretty ugly accident on the highway in FL. We basically did cartwheels down Interstate 75 South! But amazingly everyone, and pretty much all of our gear too, came out largely unscathed. Except for needing clean underwear, we were all fine. (Laughing) We were on our way to a sold-out show in Orlando when it happened, so since we miraculously survived the accident, we went ahead and played the gig.
In 2003 doubleDrive was involved in a pretty ugly accident on the highway in FL. We basically did cartwheels down Interstate 75 South! But amazingly everyone, and pretty much all of our gear too, came out largely unscathed. Except for needing clean underwear, we were all fine. (Laughing) We were on our way to a sold-out show in Orlando when it happened, so since we miraculously survived the accident, we went ahead and played the gig.
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| Mike & Nick C. |
Angela:
What drummers do you look up to?
Mike:
A lot of the usual suspects: John Bonham, Alex Van Halen, Steward Copeland (the Police), Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), John Densmore (the Doors). And then the more recent guys like Stepthen Perkins from Jane's Addiction, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Devo).
Angela:
Are you a fan of any progressive bands and/or their drummers? (Opeth, Dream Theater, Epica, Symphony X, Sonata Arctica)
Mike:
I appreciate the chops skills that are involved in that kind of playing, but style-wise it's not really my thing. I'm more into groove-oriented drumming. I always viewed myself as more of a "rock" drummer than a "metal" drummer, per se.
Angela:
Let's talk about your involvement with the band Eye Empire, with their Moment of Impact CD. What was your role in the making of their debut CD, how do you know them all? And tell us how it transpired that you filled in on the drums on their FL dates earlier this year?
Let's talk about your involvement with the band Eye Empire, with their Moment of Impact CD. What was your role in the making of their debut CD, how do you know them all? And tell us how it transpired that you filled in on the drums on their FL dates earlier this year?
Mike:
Well, Corey Lowery and I co-produced the Eye Empire album at my studio in Atlanta (www.openskystudioatlanta.com). Morgan Rose (Sevendust) played the drums on the album, and our buddy Will Hunt was supposed to do those tour dates around the southeast, but he had a schedule conflict and was unable to do it, so they called me. Corey and I go waaaaay back, and we have worked on several studio projects together in recent years, so it all just made sense.
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| will hunt & mike froedge |
Angela:
Do you think the fact that Morgan Rose laid the tracks down made it all the better for when you played with them on their FL dates earlier this year? Because you guys go way back - how crazy is it to record the drum tracks and then later be asked to play them! Was that difficult?
Mike:
I've known Morgan since the doubleDrive days too, because we played a LOT of shows with SevenDust. Just saw them play the other day on a festival BLS did in Kansas City, and they're still KILLIN' it! Morgan put some amazing drum tracks on the Eye Empire album, and it made it a lot of fun (and also a little challenging at times, since we play so differently) to learn the drum parts and tour with EE. Only had a few days to learn the whole album (producing and album and knowing all the details of the drum parts are two very different things). And our first rehearsal with all four band members present was actually the first gig, at a little club in Sarasota, FL. No pressure, of course! (Laughing) They're all my Atlanta home-boys (except Will, he's in FL), so it's all family.
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| www.openskystudioatlanta.com |
What are you doing when you're not playing drums?
Mike:
Well, recently, riding on a tour bus. (Laughing) Or I’m producing bands in my studio, or hanging out with my kick-ass dog, or sitting in a coffee shop somewhere, wasting time on my laptop.
Angela:
Whom do you play for full time? Are there any other projects waiting back home? (in addition to BLS)
Mike:
Recently started playing drums for Black Label Society, and I'm loving it. I also have a couple of great bands back in Atlanta. The Dreaded Marco, and The Nominees.
Angela:
How long have you owned/operated the Open Sky studio, where is it located, and what's going on there at present?
Mike:
The studio is in midtown Atlanta, and my biz partner and I opened it approx. 5 years ago. He and I both produce and engineer for bands (both separately and occasionally together), we play on various sessions (he's a bassist), and we also do occasional rehearsal lock-outs for people who are preparing for tours, album pre-production, etc. We accommodate photo and video shoots as well, since it's such a cool-looking room and has a great vibe. We have a large, great-sounding live room, tons of new and vintage guitar gear, guitars, drum gear, bass gear, Hammond Organ, piano, Rhodes, etc. Local bands often show up with just picks and sticks and make a record at our place.
Angela:
Ever had a “rock star moment” in reverse where you find yourself in awe and speechless when meeting a musician?
Mike:
I've never really been one to be "star-struck" or to chase autographs or anything like that.. I have immense respect for the talents of a lot of people, but I'm also level-headed enough to realize that they are in fact just people, and most real artists appreciate being simply treated as such, rather than having someone freak out, get nervous and weird, and all of that crazy stuff that some folks do when they meet an "idol" of theirs.
Mike:
I've never really been one to be "star-struck" or to chase autographs or anything like that.. I have immense respect for the talents of a lot of people, but I'm also level-headed enough to realize that they are in fact just people, and most real artists appreciate being simply treated as such, rather than having someone freak out, get nervous and weird, and all of that crazy stuff that some folks do when they meet an "idol" of theirs.
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| www.openskystudioatlanta.com |
Angela:
Is there someone you have not met that you’d like to shake hands with some day?
Mike:
I'd like to meet Alex Van Halen at some point, since it's basically his fault that I'm in the music biz. However, I'm not sure if I want to shake his hand or punch him in the face for it! (Laughing) Maybe both!
Angela:
What's on your favorite Ipod playlist? Are there any bands out there that you’d like to give a shout out to, maybe a shameless plug?
Mike:
There was a band from NY a few years ago called Instruction. They did one album, called God Doesn't Care. A friend of mine worked on the album, and Bob Ezrin produced it. They toured a little bit, then it all fell apart and nobody ever heard from them again. But I think it is one of my all-time favorite rock albums. It's ALWAYS on my iTunes playlist. Slammin' stuff Find it if you can.
There's also a local band who has been slugging away at it for over a decade in Atlanta called DROPSONIC. A kickass 3-piece band who have always been one of my favorites. Wish they could get some more love nationally one of these days.
Angela:
What does the rest of 2011 hold for you?
Mike:
Looks like I'll be doing a lot of touring with Black Label Society. We have Europe and South America coming up, and then more USA dates this fall, and also a lot of sessions at my studio in Atlanta during our down-time.
Mike:
Not likely, since the BLS gig came along. I know they plan to be doing some more shows, but I'm not sure who will be drumming. But they are a bad-ass live band, and anyone who has a chance to see them should do so!
Angela:
Closing thoughts you want to share....
Closing thoughts you want to share....
Mike:
Give me Starbucks and no one will get hurt.