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ROCK N' WORLD // |
For this edition of
Debut we are able to do things a little bit differently. Normally, we would
bring you a review of the debut CD plus a band bio to give you a feel for the new artist
and their debut album, this time around with Adema we were given the opportunity to speak
with Adema drummer Kris Kohls and lead vocalist Marky Chavez who gave us the low down on
the band, their history and their debut CD. Here is our conversation with them.
RNW: This interview is for a section we call Debut: New Artists you should know
about.
Kris: Cool
RNW: But before we jump into talking about the album, lets get some background on
the band.
Kris: Right on
RNW: Where did the name come from?
Kris: The name is actually a medical term. Its spelled edema and we just changed the
spelling. A friend of the band who worked at a, he was actually working at a morgue for a
while, he just mentioned the term one night and we thought it was cool so we used it with
the different spelling. Basically it a, it can also be like a German name; we thought the
spelling was cool. It comes from a medical term, thats where it comes from it mean
swelling of the skin.
RNW: How did Adema get together?
Kris: Marky the singer and Mikey, one of the guitarist had the band going for about three
and half years and the line up they had at that time split up, they werent doing
anything for a while. Marky went off and was kind of writing songs on his own. Dave, our
bass player and Tim Flucky one of our other guitarists, one of the two, they were in a
band called Juice which also broke up and I was in a band called Videodrone which also
broke up and this all happened around the same time. Marky and Mikey formed the band with
Dave and Fluckey, they had it going; they were writing some songs and they needed a
drummer. They played me the songs and I flipped out and loved it and joined the band and
then a few weeks later we did our demo, we were searching for a label, we were in a
bidding war and had all these labels wanting to sign us. It was kind of like that, kind of
a Cinderella story, its pretty cool.
RNW: Sounds great, so it wasnt very tough for you guys trying to break into the
business being from Bakersfield?
Kris: Well we had all been in prior bands. We had all paid our dues as they say;
weve been playing for years and years. Everyone in this band, although weve
only been together, you know a little over a year, everyone in this band collectively has
toured and played tons of shows, played on records done things prior to this band. We kind
of have the experience and just wrote some good songs, were glad people cared enough
to be interested.
RNW: Now what is the local music scene like there in Bakersfield?
Kris: Well I havent lived there in probably about seven years and when I left it was
bad and I go back every now and then and it seems like it will start up for a while and be
pretty cool but then you now youll see some cool bands but then youll come
back in a couple months later and those bands are all broken up, its kind of over
with. I dont want to say there is no music scene there, thats not really fair
but I will say that its not stable, it changes a lot, people go from band to band
and theres not a lot of places to play there. Its kind of minimal, is what
Ill say.
RNW: Yeah, were in Orange County, its sort of the same way here.
Kris: I actually lived in Huntington Beach for a while.
RNW: So you were down at Club Mesa a lot!
Kris: Yeah (laughs)
RNW: You just got off the road from playing with Staind and Cold. How did that go? (This
interview took place in early July)
Kris: Actually, were still on the road with them. Were playing tomorrow night
with them. Tonight were playing with a band called BoyHitsCar. Tomorrow were
back on the Staind and Cold thing, then we have a couple days off then we go back out with
them for another couple weeks. In August were doing a bunch of promo stuff for the
record, doing some radio shows and stuff like that and then in September we go out with
Disturbed. As far as Staind were still on that and its great, they are super
cool and Cold as well, theyre really nice guys. Its really cool, its kind of
like a big party really, after a show we get to hang out with each other and drink beer,
have fun, its cool.
At this point I began to ask Kris about each song and he suggested that Marky could
better field this part of the interview.
RNW: Can you tell us a little about each track? The meanings behind the lyrics, any
stories about the songs. Lets start with Everyone?
Marky: Everyone is just kind of a song about, you know people are always trying to put
their shit on other people, you know, make it somebody elses fault. They can just
turn around and look in the mirror and realize that its them. Thats what that
song is about.
RNW: Blow it away
Marky: Blow it away is about an addiction I had with drugs over a girl, its
like I was, it was the stupid part of my life, I was pissed off at everything. Id
just graduated high school and that song was kind of like retelling the story of what was
going on in my life.
RNW: Giving In
Marky: The single, yeah that song is probably one of the most spiritual matters on the
record. Its about everyone having impulses and acting on them sometimes gets you
into trouble. And thats what that whole song is, its about giving in to your
personal demons and realizing it and trying to do something about it.
RNW: Freaking Out
Marky: That song is about high school and youre trying to fit and people are; kids
are mean and shit and a lot of people feel alienated and taken aback and that song is
pretty much about that.
RNW: The Way You Like It.
Marky: Thats like my laugh back at all those people, like ha ha Im here
Im doing what I wanna do. I dont have to deal with that anymore and
thats what Way You Like It is about.
RNW: Close Friends
Marky: A real close friend of mine stole my girlfriend from me. Thats what that song
is about; its about being betrayed by two people you love.
RNW: Do What You Want To Do
Marky: Do What You Want To Do, thats pretty self-explanatory. Its about me not
listening to anyone tell me how to live my life or try to get me to do things I dont
wanna do so thats what that song is about.
RNW: Skin
Marky: That song is about the struggle between two people wanting to be together and not
being able to because of the differences and opinions and ideas of the way relationships
should work.
RNW: Pain Inside
Marky: Pain Inside, that song is about religion and stuff; its about people trying
to push ideas and thoughts onto you, tell you that youre wrong, youre going to
hell cuz you dont go to church and you need to save yourself and thats what
that song is about.
RNW: Speculum
Marky: That song is about losing a child actually an abortion. Somebody in the band, I
wont say who but one of boys in the band had his girlfriend, she was pregnant with
his kid and didnt even tell him and had an abortion and he found out about it after.
Its not putting all the blame on a women, because there is a part in the chorus that
goes If I would have known, I cant say what I wouldve done. Its
kind of like a serious song, kind of a tribute to that.
RNW: Drowning
Marky: That about all the people I hate in the world, thats very
self-explanatory, what Id love to do with them. (laughs) and then the last track
Trust is about pointing the finger back on myself and apologizing for being a
prick in some of my relationships I had in the past. Thats pretty much what all the
songs mean.
RNW: What are your favorite tracks from the CD?
Marky: My favorite tracks on the CD are Trust and Giving In...
Heres Kris, thanks man.
RNW: Ok Kris, what about you, what are your favorite tracks?
Kris: I like Do What You Want To Do, Close Friends,
Everyone and Blow it Away.
RNW: Do you get much of a chance to go out and drum the hell out of these songs live?
Kris: Yeah, we play every song on the record. The one we are not playing too much now is
Speculum. Yeah but we play every song and its pretty much there is a
little bit of electronics for color but its pretty much just bashing the hell out of
the drums. Its what I love to do, so its cool.
RNW: On Arista, thats interesting, did you guys find that Arista is an interesting
label to work with since they really havent had many rock artists in the past?
Kris: Thats actually appealing to us because we get more attention being one of the
only rock bands and their great man. Everything they said they were gonna do, they have
done and we get a lot of support. They are always out here on the road with us, its
really close knit which is cool. Theyre very attentive and throw a lot of support
into us and its great; thats what every band wants.
RNW: Yeah its better then stuck on a label with 20 other bands and getting lost in
the shuffle.
Kris: Exactly, thats what we didnt want.
RNW: Alright Kris, thanks a lot and good luck with the record, well see out on road.
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