COAL CHAMBER: KEEPIN'. IT Loco With their first album, Ice Cream Truck, the Southern California-based metal group Coal Chamber estab- lished themselves as one of neo-metal's finest new acts. They blended power metal with punk and hip-hop influences to create their own unique, super-heavy sound. Tracks like "Big Truck," "Sway" and "Loco" eventually became late-night rock radio fodder and lee Cream Truck pushed gold status. On their latest effort; Chamber Music, Coal Chamber builds off of that foundation and develops a deeper, more diversified musical tyle, incorporating more speed variation and symphonic elements, but never failing to kick your ass. At age 22, drummer Mike Cox ("Mikey") has virtually grown up in the band, sticking with it through the departure and return of singer Dez Fafara, personal difficulty, lo sand, finally, success. He discussed the band, its history and its future directions prior to their Oct. 27 show at Tipitina's. De pite their success, Coal Chamber have not lost touch with the forces that drive their music. "Our inspiration comes from everyday life. Tragic things seem to happen to our band left and right. Rayna [their regular bassist] almost died giving birth just a few weeks ago, which is why she isn't doing this tour with us, and four people that were real- ly close to us have died during the mak- ing of this record. Things like that make it easy to find inspiration, but on the FILE PHOTO new album we wanted to do stuff besides Look. kids. facial piercings are funl Meet the men and lady of Coal Chamber. hate. There are still some songs where we are pissed off, but there are also songs where we beating each other up. We could have easily written sits at home. If you look at someone like at Ozzy (who are not, it just makes it more universal," he said. the first album over again, but that' not what we collaborated with the band on a cover of Peter Gabriel' Mikey believes the change is for the best. wanted to do, we wanted to do something that sets "Shock the Monkey"), he's never on MTV, but he "We like to change, while still laying basically the us apart. There are so many other bands in this same changes, he plays live all the time, and he can have same; a lot of bands, if they are successful with their vein; people said we wanted to be Korn, we wanted 20,000 people al every show." first album, then they don't want to change, because to be this and that, but now we have our own idcn- Thcr' have be n drawbacks to fame, but Mikey they think their for- tity." says that thcr' ilrc definitely more positive than neg- mula is perfect, but "The music is everything for us, it's Although they have faced ative aspects toil. "Its weird. You lo go to the mall, I think that's bad," many difficulties, Oill cham- and our shirts arc in <111 of the stores, and right now he said. "We were our life. We do it for the fun, for the ber continues to focus on their we arc on the cover of ircus mag<1zinc, and kids arc pretty ucce sful ' rt. coming up to you and saying 'sign this, sign this'. with the first album, security, and lately we have been "The musi is everything I'm very humbled by il. We arc <1lways a very p 'r- but we wanted to be for us, it's our life. We do it for sonal band, we like lo hang out with our fans and more melodic, sending a message, too, like with the fun, for the security, and int •racl. I think that kids can kind of live through us, rather than just lately we h<1vc been sending a bccilusc I was just one of those kids on the other side pissed off and heavy "Tyler's Song." message, too, like with "Tyl 'r's of the bMricddc, you know, and then I got lucky and all the time. Heavy Song". It's a message to young now I'm on stage." is fine, but that wa -Mike Cox (drummer) people like us, who wer' told If the con crt and the new album arc any indica- the first album. With we can't do this, we can't do tors, these kids from the other side of the barricade this album, we wanted to be a little bit different, that, and then you keep trying and it happens." arc looking to k 'cp their position on stage. Once the change a little." Still, mu ic is a job as well. speakers were set and th' makeup was applied, it Though many hard rock bands are written off as "Touring can be tough, you can't just go lo a ity, was time for oal hambcr lo get down lo business, sellouts at the first ign of musical evolution, Mikey wake up, and say we don't want lo pl<1y today. You and do whilt lhey do best: work crowds into a fren- said that hasn't been a problem for Coal Chamber. always have to put on the b 'St show 'very single zy with great music. They did not disappoinl. "Only a couple people have complained about the night. But when w' are at home w' feel like w ', ren'l difference, but we have gained o many more fans doing our job. Because we aren't really an MTV band, Henry Riekena, for it. Now we are even getting twelve year-olds and or a radio band, all of our fan, have come from liv their parents at hows, not ju ta bunch of big guys hows. We can n 'Ver be a band that writes a hi land ontributing writer 10 november 6, 1999 arcade .