EchoBrain |
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Thu. May 09.2002 3:17 PM EDT |
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Jason Newsted: Wherever I May RoamMetallica bassist talks about why he left the band, and how fun it is to rock with Echobrain. by C. Bottomley |
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Echobrain ( ) |
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Jason Newsted is so disarmingly friendly and candid, it's hard to remember that a short time ago he glowered from stadium stages as a member of Metallica. In conversation, he can fix you with a stare as intent as Sad But True. But since walking
With Dylan Donkin on vocals and guitar and Brian Sagrafena on drums, EchoBrain is definitely a band. Boasting a homespun spin, their self-titled debut might be the best batch of songs Newsteds played on since 1991s Metallica. These are musicians who play as often as they "rock." The single Keep Me Alive finds Donkins lead guitar tying itself into knots around Sagrafenas intricate drumming. SuckerPunch, is a cross between Blurs Coffee & TV and Queens of the Stone Ages trippier rock, with wah-wahs courtesy of Metallicas Kirk Hammett. Members of Faith No More and the San Francisco Symphony help out on some tracks, and Haight-Asbury doesnt sound that far away. There are places where its very delicate, Newsted says. Soft and wonderful and sometimes a little bit blue. The music has everything to do with Northern California. Theres melancholy in a lot of the tunes, and great melodies that really grab you. It has heavy spots, too, and the overall mix is the sound of EchoBrain. EchoBrain started life in Newsteds Chophouse studios in San Francisco. He met the 16-year-old Sagrafena at a 1995 Super Bowl party and they bonded over 70s R&B-funk band Tower of Power. Its hard to picture the uber-lord of metal bass as a closet funker, but its true. Tower of Power had the coolest rhythm section that ever existed! he avers. The polyrhythms were incredible. During his downtime, Newsted created an informal atmosphere at the Chophouse. You cant spit on the floor, but its still like a hang-out, he says I invite Bay Area thrash metal guys from Exodus and Machine Head and Sepultura to jam - all the friends that Ive met touring. The minute anyone plugs in, the tapes rolling. We make copies for the guys who play. That's our thing." Sagrafena asked his high school pal and occasional band-mate Donkin to one session. Brian has a jazz background. He was raised on Ornette Coleman, Newsted recalls. When he came over and saw the platinum records on the walls, he just said, Wheres the drums, man? Dylan knew Metallica songs and was a little more intimidated. But after about five or six get-togethers, we got on an even playing field, and thats where we remain. The trio played together sporadically, and never planned to share their music with anyone outside the circle. Several things happened that changed that - all of them connected with Metallica. When the band's name comes up, Newsted launches into a spirited diatribe about why in 2001 he walked away from a group he'd been with for 15 years. Listening to him talk about Metallica, you get the feeling that he wonders whether leaving was a good idea. In fact, he sounds mildly obsessed. Here are the highlights. On the death of his predecessor Cliff Burton: They were never allowed to grieve over Cliff. Thirty days after his death I was standing in his spot, playing out of his amplifier. They were drunk for all those 30 days, literally. On the bands changing image: When they wanted to take photographs with the short hair and fuzzy jackets for the Load album, I fought it tooth and nail. I said, That is not f*cking Metallica, man. That does not represent us. On suing Napster: We own our own music. If youre stealing our music, youre stealing from me. But we were only doing what any man or woman in their right mind would have done to protect their children. And Metallica's music itself: I didnt get it until the last few years. James [Hetfield] can sing in this certain range, and we play all the songs within that key. James has made something like 110 songs out of those four or five notes. But Newsted says the real reason he left the band was because of their dim view of his time spent interacting with other musicians. When they asked me about doing all these things and whether or not I'd still having time for Metallica, I said, Guys, Ive been doing this for 10 years. Have I been late to practice? No. Have I missed a gig? No. Have I been there for you every time? Yes. Ive been waiting for you every f*cking show. So when you ask me about my dedication, thats pretty shitty. I had to make a decision as a man: Are you going to take this or are you going to bite the bullet? Newsted bit. And now hes making music outside of the Metallica formula. He and Dylan and Brian have put their songs on record, and Echobrain tours America during May. He has also been sitting in with some of his favorite bands. His "have bass will travel" attitude has found him working with both the preteen duo the Moss Brothers and grizzled Southern rock vets Govt Mule. When you see a 10-year-old kid who plays like Stevie Ray Vaughan, and whose Stratocaster is taller than he is, youve got to pay attention, he explains. Govt Mule have had their ups and downs, but they still seek out the feeling. I rehearsed with them last night, and we were learning Hendrix and Black Sabbath songs. It felt like when we were 15 years old, listening to the record over and over again until we get it right, then playing it loud! In Metallica you learn patterns, play them at 130 decibels, and blow peoples heads off, says Newsted, but the best weapon a musician can have is being a good listener. In EchoBrain, we all hear what each other is playing, and everything is played differently every night. Maybe a song will be five minutes long one night, and ten minutes the next night." Last year, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett turned up to EchoBrains first gig in San Francisco to give their seal of approval. The blood still runs pretty thick. Newsted will always be a business partner in Metallica, so hell see the others across a boardroom table. But what would he say if the trio asked him to play bass with them again? No problem. More than half of my adult life has been completely dedicated to Metallica. Nothing comes before it. But it would have to be James inviting me to his house to hang with the kids or coming to my house to jam and looking me in the eyes and saying, Ive got some songs. Id like you to play bass on them for Metallica. Id be there in a second. Right now, though, Newsted isnt wearing black and seems happier for it. Hes his own boss and likes being back underground. It was hugely important to me to clean the slate, he says. [With Echobrain] I make decisions on everything. When we play these first 35 shows across the country, were taking our own sound system so it comes across the way we want it to. |
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