by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
WHAT: Candlebox with Cinder Road and The Lighter Exchange
WHEN: July 24 @ 8 pm
WHERE: Freebird Live
When Candlebox started hitting the music charts in the 90s, they showed the world that grunge can be a cleaner, more radio-ready sound. Some might argue that they were musical pimps who took grunge and whored her out to commercialism, diluting pure grunge for popularity. I’d say that they already had a classic rock sensibility that was inspired by the grunge movement. Their music was most definitely a turning point in the scene, ushering in a post-grunge era that absorbed grunge and moved on. EU spoke with Kevin Martin, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist.
EU: First, the inevitable question: what spurred you guys to get back together and tour with your original line-up?
KM: We got a phone call from Rhino Records, said they were putting out a ‘best of’ record last year and they asked us if we wanted to be part of picking the songs…As we were going through the process we started talking about putting the band back together…see how things go and go out on tour with the band…It was great, we had a blast last year.
EU: What was different when you first started touring in ’06 than back in the 90s?
KM: The main difference is that we didn’t have a label that we had to answer to; we didn’t have to tour on a record that the label was trying to sell… It was pretty much our game and our tour…That was something that we never really had the opportunity to do back then.
EU: You guys will be putting out new music soon, though. Isn’t something supposed to be coming out sometime this year?
KM: It’s coming out next year, early next year.
EU: Well, tell us something about your new stuff. I heard one of your songs on your MySpace ‘Stand Full Length.’
KM: The new stuff’s very reminiscent of the early Candelbox.. I think we’ve found ourselves going into our songwriting…the energy/perspective that we had when we first started as a band. Getting back together has made it exciting for us because it’s new but we don’t have anything to prove to anyone.
EU: Who’s going to your concerts these days? Old fans, new fans?
KM: It’s a pretty wide spectrum of fans. A lot of old Candlebox fans. There’s a lot of 18, 19, 20 year-olds that I think still consider Candlebox to be a grunge band. Our MySpace page is doing really well. I think that’s where that audience is coming from because, honestly, we don’t have anything new on the radio. It’s not like they’re hearing our songs, so they’re just finding out about us that way. Or from their parents or an older sibling.
EU: What caused the breakup in the first place?
KM: Maverick was really kind of disheveled and falling apart. We were exhausted as a band, you know, we’d been touring since ’92 and writing. The label was constantly changing the game plan for us…and we just got sick of it and said “let’s get out of this and be done with it.” We thought that that would work, um, but it didn’t, of course. Something always backfires in a situation like that and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, from the perspective of an artist and a label. But it worked itself out…here we are on our own now, which is great.
EU: So you guys don’t really have a label right now. Are you looking to DIY it or are you looking for a label?
KM: I think it would depend on the type of label relationship we could set up. A major would be our rules; the way we want to do it…We are a band that’s always been about our live show. That’s all we want to do: make records and tour.
Catch Candlebox live, here in Jacksonville, July 24th at Freebird.
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