Staind comes to Lowell on 'Illusion of Progress' tour

"The Illusion Of Progress" hadn't even hit store shelves when the music press began buzzing that the newest release from Staind would feature some fresh wrinkles in the band's edgy hard rock sound.

Singer Aaron Lewis himself was quoted saying the record would surprise the band's fans in advance of its August release. And there were mentions that "The Illusion Of Progress" includes several songs with pedal steel guitar and another track with a gospel-styled chorus.

But in a recent phone interview, Lewis sought to put things in perspective, saying the album and any musical shifts really just represent standard operating procedure for Staind.

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do every time you go into the studio?" Lewis asked. "I thought that is what you're supposed to do. My theory has been proven wrong by a lot of bands that seem to go into the studio, and write the same record over and over and over again. But that's something that we've always tried to steer away from."

If the idea of exploring fresh musical territory was planned all along, what surprised the group, Lewis said, was the type of music that emerged during the writing.

"We went into it thinking we were going to write the heaviest record ever, for us anyway," Lewis said. "And we started writing songs, and that's not the (type of) songs that were coming out. The songs that were coming out were good songs, so we didn't want to throw them away just because they weren't the heaviest songs we'd ever written. So that's kind of how it ends up happening."

He and his band mates are happy with the outcome, Lewis said.

"It's just a matter of whether the fans are going to agree with us or not. That's the deal," he said.

Founded in Springfield in 1990, Staind is made up of Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki

The band's agitated and aggressive sound initially prompted some to lump it into the "nu metal" category. That label, however, never fit the group's sound or musical intent, Lewis said.

"We've always gone for a (stylistic) mix," he said. "We've always tried to make sure we weren't pigeonholed into being one thing or another thing. That's one of the reasons that the whole nu metal label that was always put on us always irritated me."

In fact, he said, the band has only about three songs that fall under the classification.

"The rest of them are straight up rock," Lewis said.

Staind's rise to prominence, in fact, came with a musical departure. After the band's million-selling major label debut album, "Dysfunction," had run its course, an acoustic version of "Outside" was included on the "Family Values Tour '99" live CD. With Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst joining Lewis on vocals, it became a runaway hit.

Then to preview its next CD, 2001's "Break The Cycle," Staind released the ballad "It's Been Awhile." This song became a smash hit, too, and helped propel "Break The Cycle" to a chart-topping debut on the "Billboard" magazine album chart. The record sold 5 million copies.

With "The Illusion Of Progress" doing well, Lewis figures he'll be busy touring with Staind for the next year or so. But he also has his sights set on returning to his burgeoning solo career.

"I started doing those (solo acoustic) shows like five years ago in casinos," he said. "They did so well that it just couldn't be ignored as a viable tour to go out and do for real. So I ended up doing that all year last year."

He already began writing for a long-planned debut solo record and hopes to release it toward the end of the touring cycle for "The Illusion Of Progress."

Considering Lewis' solo shows have been acoustic, it's no surprise that he expects his solo album to lean toward the softer side of his songwriting.

"Songs over the years for Staind, like 'Outside' and 'It's Been Awhile,' and 'So Far Away,' and 'Zoe Jane' and 'Everything Changes,' and 'Epiphany,' those are songs that I wrote on acoustic guitar," Lewis said. "So it's those types of songs that are what I naturally write when I sit down with an acoustic. So I feel like (that's) definitely the thought of the acoustic project, or the solo project. It makes it seem kind of a feasible concept."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Lisa Patto (AKA) ADDICTEDtoStAiND,

lisa, this article came out on 10/12 and we're just now seeing it?

get on your game woman.

seriously though, thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Lisa Patto (AKA) ADDICTEDtoStAiND:
Founded in Springfield in 1990, Staind is made up of Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki

1990??

i can't freakin wait for this solo album!

sick, that album is a must buy!

quote:

Originally posted by Dazedandcnfused:
i can't freakin wait for this solo album!

Ditto!