1
Disturbed bassist John Moyer discusses Fan love Sat 23 Jul 2011, 08:46
CrowX
Administrator
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Disturbed bassist John Moyer says heavy metal is more than just a genre of music — it's a lifestyle. He describes metal and hard rock as the "bastard children of the music industry."
"If you are in to metal and hard rock, it belongs to you. Once you discover it, it's yours," Moyer says over the phone. "People who don't listen to it or ignore it, make fun of it. The thing about metal and hard rock, it isn't a trend. It's not about following the newest thing ... it doesn't come and go. It's just not trendy. I think a lot of people don't realize how big and powerful metal and hard rock are."
Disturbed will get a chance to flex their muscles on July 31 during the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival stop in Camden. They will be joined by a slew of fellow head-bangers, including Megadeth, Godsmack and Trivium, among others.
"The truth is that a tour like Mayhem is outselling all those other tours and does it every year," Moyer says. "There are plenty of pop and R&B artists and country artists who schedule tours and then have to cancel tours. Heavy metal just keeps trucking along. No one talks about it. No one mentions it. It's just this underground thing."
Moyer says there is a responsibility not only to entertain, but to keep an audience captivated when performing at an outdoor concert such as the Mayhem festival. "After a full day of rocking and people are drinking and having a good time in the sun, it's a challenge for us to make sure we keep them there and engaged," Moyer says. "To us, it's a personal challenge."
Moyer describes the atmosphere of touring with such noted company as being in a traveling musical summer camp. He says the band is "in the best musical condition we've ever been in."
"We're ready to bring it," he says.
Moyer joined Disturbed in 2003 and has appeared on the albums "Ten Thousand Fists," "Indestructible" and the band's most recent effort, 2010's "Asylum." The latter two were self-produced, which Moyer says has been beneficial to the band's growth.
"Keeping it in-house, the four of us and the engineer, maybe it streamlines the process a little bit. The thing is, we've always come in very well prepared and with a very good idea of what the songs are going to be," Moyer says. "(Guitarist) Dan (Donegan) felt after '10,000 Fists' we knew the routine well enough to do this on our own. I think it's turned out great. At a certain point you have to trust yourself and not look to other people for every little thing."
Since taking over bass duties, Moyer says he has been touched by the outpouring of appreciation and support from Disturbed fans around the globe.
"It's crazy. Fans ask us to sign whatever, sign prosthetic limbs, you know, and also, serious fans who have come from hard times and used our music to get through whatever difficulties they are going through in their lives," Moyer says.
He adds, "We get a lot of stories from military personnel who use our music to get through missions. It's heartbreaking stuff sometimes, but you know, that's what the music is for, it makes you feel powerful. It pumps you up and so as hard as it is sometimes to personally hear these stories, it makes me proud our music can touch people like that."
Disturbed bassist John Moyer says heavy metal is more than just a genre of music — it's a lifestyle. He describes metal and hard rock as the "bastard children of the music industry."
"If you are in to metal and hard rock, it belongs to you. Once you discover it, it's yours," Moyer says over the phone. "People who don't listen to it or ignore it, make fun of it. The thing about metal and hard rock, it isn't a trend. It's not about following the newest thing ... it doesn't come and go. It's just not trendy. I think a lot of people don't realize how big and powerful metal and hard rock are."
Disturbed will get a chance to flex their muscles on July 31 during the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival stop in Camden. They will be joined by a slew of fellow head-bangers, including Megadeth, Godsmack and Trivium, among others.
"The truth is that a tour like Mayhem is outselling all those other tours and does it every year," Moyer says. "There are plenty of pop and R&B artists and country artists who schedule tours and then have to cancel tours. Heavy metal just keeps trucking along. No one talks about it. No one mentions it. It's just this underground thing."
Moyer says there is a responsibility not only to entertain, but to keep an audience captivated when performing at an outdoor concert such as the Mayhem festival. "After a full day of rocking and people are drinking and having a good time in the sun, it's a challenge for us to make sure we keep them there and engaged," Moyer says. "To us, it's a personal challenge."
Moyer describes the atmosphere of touring with such noted company as being in a traveling musical summer camp. He says the band is "in the best musical condition we've ever been in."
"We're ready to bring it," he says.
Moyer joined Disturbed in 2003 and has appeared on the albums "Ten Thousand Fists," "Indestructible" and the band's most recent effort, 2010's "Asylum." The latter two were self-produced, which Moyer says has been beneficial to the band's growth.
"Keeping it in-house, the four of us and the engineer, maybe it streamlines the process a little bit. The thing is, we've always come in very well prepared and with a very good idea of what the songs are going to be," Moyer says. "(Guitarist) Dan (Donegan) felt after '10,000 Fists' we knew the routine well enough to do this on our own. I think it's turned out great. At a certain point you have to trust yourself and not look to other people for every little thing."
Since taking over bass duties, Moyer says he has been touched by the outpouring of appreciation and support from Disturbed fans around the globe.
"It's crazy. Fans ask us to sign whatever, sign prosthetic limbs, you know, and also, serious fans who have come from hard times and used our music to get through whatever difficulties they are going through in their lives," Moyer says.
He adds, "We get a lot of stories from military personnel who use our music to get through missions. It's heartbreaking stuff sometimes, but you know, that's what the music is for, it makes you feel powerful. It pumps you up and so as hard as it is sometimes to personally hear these stories, it makes me proud our music can touch people like that."
