Chiodos at Vans Warped Tour 2013. Photo by Lauren Aguirre
After the departure of frontman Craig Owens from Chiodos, the fate of the band remained rather uncertain. Members Bradley Bell and Matt Goddard even shared with Buzz that they thought they might never tour again. But, all this is in the past and Chiodos said they are now in the best place they have been in years. They are currently playing main stage each stop on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour, and working on a brand new album. Buzz caught up with Bradley Bell and Matt Goddard to find out how their summer on Warped has been, and what’s next for this superband. After taking several years to find themselves, Chiodos is back and better then ever!
buzz: How has your summer on the Vans Warped Tour been so far?
Bradley Bell: Pretty warpedtastic! (Laughs) Lots of sitting around in parking lots, and listening to loud hardcore bands all day.
Matt Goddard: Lot of terrible tan lines.
BB: But really, it’s been good! We took some time off so its great to be back on the road, and Warped Tour is a good way to keep us moving.
buzz: As a full band you took some time off, how did Chiodos get back together?
BB: Craig (Owens) hit me up, and then we brought up the idea to Matt. So we were all kind of into it and thought it would be a good idea to round up the troops again. Everyone else was down, so here we are.
buzz: Did you ever think that you would be back playing main stage at Warped Tour?
MG: Before the reunion, No. We didn’t think we would ever tour again honestly. But the fact that we are back here again is awesome!
BB: At our first rehearsal, we decided that it was all going to work out and that we wanted to this again. Warped Tour was a great way to reintroduce ourselves again.
buzz: How has it been having Craig back as your frontman, and has it ever been hard to find the chemistry you had before the break?
MG: Its definitely back! Chiodos is in a very healthy spot.
BB: Yeah, we realized the mistakes of our relationship last time and what we would have to do to fix them. Also, making sure we stay healthy this time, which is key with any band. We’ve been together almost 12 years now, so it’s great. We have all been through a lot together so its good to move on from the past. Also, we know we just have to communicate, that’s the key too.
buzz: Where does your inspiration come from when writing songs?
BB: It’s like a daily thing almost.
MG: Yeah it depends of what mood you’re in that day really, it just comes from everywhere.
BB: It could be while your grocery shopping and you hear some stupid instrumental song, or it could be Kenny G (laughs) and that might inspire something in you, you never know.
buzz: Do any of your songs have special meaning or interesting stories behind them?
BB: Every song has a story to it. Like last time we were writing we were trying to come up with a song structure, and we decided to format it to the process of having sex. It started out nice and slow and then it built up to a little more, then you hit the climax, then its over and you then have a cigarette afterwards.
buzz: What do you want your fans to take away from watching your sets, or listening to your album?
MG: Hopefully if they ware watching our set they are having a good time. At Warped Tour our set is a lot shorter than we would like to play. So we try to put a good mix of all of our records and stuff.
BB: Hopefully they take away the fact that we are just normal dudes that like to do this for fun.
buzz: So what is next for Chiodos? Albums, tours, studio time?
BB: We are going into the studio after this tour to work on the new album, and it should be out early next year!
buzz: Do you have an idea of what the title of the album will be yet?
BB: Nope! We still have to work on the songs a little bit and all that.
buzz: Can fans expect to hear a single released any time soon?
BB: Probably not. No, I mean we have the demos and stuff but we don’t want to just release that. We want released something polished that’s actually going to be on the album.
buzz: What is your favorite song to play live?
BB: I don’t know. They’re all so great ya know? It depends on the scenario, at Warped Tour or something probably “The Undertakers Thirst for Revenge”. But at a venue or something more intimate with a smaller crowd probably “Lexington (Joey Pea-Pot With A Monkey Face)”. They all have their own personalities, its like asking who’s your favorite child.
MG: Yeah, “Undertakers”.
buzz: Is there anything you would like to add?
MG: Stay on the lookout for the new album and a documentary coming out soon that will tell the whole story of chiodos, and good stuff.