Oct
29

Red Pill Music Exclusive: Interview with Ryan McCombs (Drowning Pool)

Drowning Pool, Interviews
Comments Off on Red Pill Music Exclusive: Interview with Ryan McCombs (Drowning Pool)

Hey guys, this is Anthony Montalbano and Anthony Danko (A squared, as we’re so called) with RedPillMusic.com. We both have followed Drowning Pool for quite some time and are privileged to have spent time to ask the following questions with Ryan McCombs of Drowning Pool. Here is the interview:

Drowning Pool has gone through many emotional and management changes through the years, how has it been working the guys and with Eleven Seven Music?

Working with the guys; Mike, CJ and Stevie has been great. We were friends for so long before I joined the band that it has been a very natural change, personnel wise. Emotionally speaking VERY few bands have gone down the road these guys have so it’s very even keeled out on the road and off of it. We’ve all been there done that so it takes a lot to get us fluster-fuct. Eleven Seven Music has been a breath of fresh air. It’s nice to have so much input on our music and everything that goes into producing an album. They work with the band not around them. Something very rare in this business.

In ‘Full Circle’, lyrically and musically it is a big step for Drowning Pool, I know Soldiers is dedicated to the U.S. army, but what are some of your other influences for your songs?

Previous DP albums as well as my previous work have always been made up of reality I think, personal experiences. So keeping that in mind not much has changed. I really don’t like discussing exact topics of songs because I like the listener to pull from the song what it means to them. Those are the songs that spoke to me as a listen back in the day.

Drowning Pool did a classic Billy Idol cover song to end the album, what made you pick that song to cover? Were there any other cover songs you had in mind?

Was just a fun track to jam. We didn’t even run through it till we were in the studio recording for the album. We started jamming it and thought it was a good way to close an album that can come across serious.

There’s nothing quite like a live concert, we believe that the live performance of a band has a huge impact on the band as a whole. What is your favorite thing about playing your own music live?

Fans giving us the time of day to do what we do. That?s the ONE thing every band has in common. We owe the fans EVERYTHING. I never leave the stage without letting the people out there spending the night with us know that the music starts with them and the music ends with them.

The recent single Enemy was directed to your former band mates in Soil. Why did you decide to write a song directed to them and how’s your relationship with them?

When I left the band I sighted family reasons as the sole reason for my leaving. I “TOOK THE HIGH ROAD” as the songs states. I didn’t sling any crap or spit any personal bile at anyone in the band that I had issues with yet certain members of the band tried everything they could to hurt my family and myself. They trashed me to fans, friends. They even attacked my family and I to people withen the business. The funniest thing about it though was that their grade school antics just showed everyone why I left and the type of people they really were. When i quit I got so many emails from people we had dealings with saying that they knew all the BS wasn’t me and that if I ever needed anything to just call.
So “ENEMY” is just a reminder that I tried to do things the right way and a bit of a middle finger as well. To this day I really feel sorry for a couple of the guys that they still have deal with the world that a couple of them has created around them.

The music video for Enemy is animated and it’s Gorillaz-esque. Why did you guys decide upon an animated music video and what message, if any did you have in mind with the video?

I hate the video so I’m really not the one to ask.

Drowning Pool had the privilege with working with Nikki Sixx and DJ Ashba. How was it working with them and is the song Reason I’m Alive directed towards anyone or anything specifically?

It was a killer experience working with DJ and Nikki. I would suggest anyone that would get the chance to work with them at FUNNY FARM STUDIOS to do so. Was relaxed and just awesome. I think we all had different things in mind as we bounce lyrics off one another.

Drowning Pool has been very active with your fight to support the troops. The band has also helped launch thisisforthesoldiers.org as well as titling your headlining tour the same, how has the campaign been and do you feel like you’re making progress?

I really think we are making progress on the matter. We encourage everyone to take a second out of their day log onto thisisforthesoldiers.org and check out what you can do to help take care of our troops when they return home.

People really don’t realize the emotional trauma our troops go through over there, what are some direct messages or stories you would like to say that will open up people’s eyes up, making them realize the full effect and truth behind what is “really” going on?

Impossible to answer that question without writing a book. EVERYONE should go over and see with their own eyes the work being done there. The media back here is such BS. CNN is a total joke PERIOD!!!!!!!!

We believe music, in general, is one of the most powerful mediums for sharing thoughts and feelings. It’s as much as a motivator as it is a form of mood. What are some songs that you feel have had an impact on your life and how?

Aeosmith’s “DREAM ON” has been one of my favorite songs since I was a kid. Says it all.

Overall, the success of Full Circle has been growing, we here at RedPillMusic.com personally love the album and believe it is a very powerful and mature album from Drowning Pool, very different from previous material. One last question from us, if you could personally talk to anyone in history, who would it be and what would you ask them?

EVERY COCKSUCKER THAT HAS EVER WORKED ON CAPITAL HILL. I WOULD ASK THEM WHY NONE OF THEM SEEM TO REMEMBER WHO THEY WORK FOR. AND REMIND THEM THE LOBBIEST ARN’T THE PEOPLE.

We thank Ryan McCombs for taking his time with RedPillMusic.com and wish Drowning Pool the best in their fight for U.S. soldiers and their latest release. If you haven’t already, get out to your local record store and pick up Drowning Pool’s latest release Full Circle or click here to order it now! At the very least go visit thisisforthesoldiers.org

Comments are closed.

Red Pill Music created and updated by Anthony Montalbano since 2007.