3 (THREE)
Interview w/ Joey Eppard
By John Jf Haag
What was your initial reaction to HIGH TIMES hosting a song off of your record?
I thought it was exciting to have them on board. A few years ago my wife actually used to dog sit for the editor so we had a little connection there. I also support the idea that Marijuana should be legalized.
Have you guys ever discussed previously of getting your material out into that market?
I guess we never made a focused effort to push “3″ to that market before but it does make sense. We approach creating music with open minds and I think that HT readers are probably more open than a lot of other demographics. There has been discussion of another band I’m involved with (“DRUGS” featuring members of P-Funk) playing one of their Cannabis Cups, but we’ll just have to see if that ever comes to pass.
For your new record, The Ghost You Gave To Me, the band noted that you, “ended up with about 25 solid song ideas which were eventually narrowed down to the best 12 compositions, mostly by going with the material that was the most lyrically complete.” Where did you guys begin on this musical journey?
After a series of great tours with the likes of Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me and even Scorpions, we returned home brimming with inspiration. There’s definitely a musical osmosis that goes on when you’re around so many great musicians. The first thing I did when I got home was record some riffs which ended up evolving into the song “Sparrow.” We made several other demos before we were interrupted by some typical music biz bullshit. After a year had passed we were finally able to resume work on our new material. We were literally pent up creatively. When we finally hit record we improvised some really great stuff. We would put up a couple of mics in the room and just throw down ideas. Then we’d burn cds and all listen. A lot of times it was just me and The Gartdrumm recording hours of stuff and then listening through it and picking out the stuff we liked and wanted to refine. Other times each guy in the band would write a section, almost like a musical “exquisite corpse.”
Was it a tough process, or did it run relatively smoothly?
Yeah it was tough at times, but it was also a lot of fun. Right around the time we began to work I found out I was going to be a father. That had a huge impact on every aspect of this record. Though it may have slowed the process down a bit, it also transformed me for the better in so many ways. When you’re going through a lot in life I think it tends to translate creatively. Not only the fatherhood thing but as a band we’d been on a rollercoaster. We’d signed to Roadrunner Records, gotten dropped before we even made a record, and then returned to Metalblade. We were reeling from it all but in the end it brought us to a place where we just wanted to focus on making a great album. We realized the only power we really have is in the music and all the other bullshit has to take a back seat.
I’d have to say that writing the lyrics was hands down the most time consuming aspect of creating this record. The rest of the guys were wondering what was taking me so long to finish the songs but I couldn’t sign off on anything until I was 150% satisfied with the writing. I put a lot of thought into the words. When you have music with so many scene changes you really have to work to create verbal and melodic threads that carry the listener through the peaks and valleys of the songs.
What were the highlights of writing/recording/listening to this record?
For me the highlights are always the initial seeds of inspiration, the sparks that fire us up to press on through the more tedious aspects of realizing a vision. One particular writing highlight occurred after I had fasted for 7 days and then locked myself in the studio. In a fevered reverie I wrote and recorded an entire new song that day. The lyrics just poured out of me. It was such a great feeling to write so much in a day when I’d been struggling with other songs sometimes only getting a line or two in the same amount of time. That song became “The Barrier” the track that closes out the record.
The other writing highlights were the high pressure moments in the last days of making the record. We had several songs that we knew had to be on it. The music was complete but I hadn’t written a word or even attempted a melody. The rest of the band was mixing at Applehead studios while I locked my self in my recording studio and forced my self to complete the songs. I had a single day to write and record the vocals for each tune. And so with my back to the wall I went for it. The results were “The Ghost You Gave To Me” and “Numbers.” Sometimes you need that gun to your head to really bring out your best.
When it came to recording, the major highlight was our return to Applehead Studios to work with Chris Bittner & Mike Birnbaum, who were both members of the original “3″ production team during the making of our first record, “Paint By Number.” My dad designed and built the live room there, he really put his heart and soul into it. It made recording the drums in there very special to say the least.
What was your initial reaction the first time you heard the name The Ghost You Gave To Me?
I loved it and I went with it. Like I said it just came out when I had my back to the wall up against a serious deadline. It was just a lyric in the chorus of a song: “I want to thank you for the ghost you gave to me” but it really resonated with me. We’ve been haunted all these years chasing this crazy-ass dream of making music for a living. Every year is gonna be “our” year, and we’re always on the verge of “big things.” When you’ve been through it as many times as we have you start to transcend that whole mentality. Thats the thing though, looking back at the journey we’ve been on, I’m thankful for all of it. Maybe we’re still a very underground band but we have some very dedicated fans who’ve witnessed our evolution over the years. They inspire to keep on fighting for the recognition we deserve. Its all brought us to this point where we’re on the verge of releasing our best record yet.
We were considering “React” as an album title, but in the end we decided to go with something a little more unique. Being called “3″ we’ve learned the hard way that you need a title that is searchable for people to find you these days. Try searching “3″ or “react” and you’ll see what I mean. Search The Ghost You Gave to Me and we’ll be the first thing to come up.
Where does the song “Numbers” fit into the album?
This song was truly a group effort. Gartdrumm layed down the beat, I wrote a Primus-ish little groove to it (that seems to be mistaken for bass by a lot of people), Daniel wrote the Chorus riff and Billy came up with the ending. It really is a pretty unique song and it represents us well. Its also the heaviest track on the album. I came up with the lyrics and melody last minute and it gives them a raw vitality that I really dig. They are all words I can stand by, written with certain greedy corporations in mind. “You look down on me, all your eyes can see, numbers on a screen, looking back at you I can see right through, you’re not what you seem.”
How does this song complement the album in your opinion?
I think “Numbers” is a great counter balance to some of the other mellower songs on the album. It shows people what we’re all about these days. Music that is inventive and unique. Lyrics and melodies that stay with you.
