A few years back, Lenny Kravitz declared that �Rock & Roll is Dead' on a confusing single from an even more confusing �Circus.'  Record buyers didn't stroke their chins for two long at Lenny's shallow lyrical conundrum, in fact they didn't buy his claim at all- LITERALLY.  The album fell off the charts after a few weeks, and the whole matter that he might have actually been right- at least in terms of the next few years- disappeared from consideration.  Grunge had certainly depressed Rock n' Roll's sails, and Rap-Rock almost did kill it altogether.  True rock n' roll became subterranean betwixt the hybrid style of �MODERN ROCK' that ruled the late 1990s and early millennium.  Certainly there a handful of truly innovative new styles/sounds that emerged from the period- Rob Zombie and Tommy Lee's rocktronica sub-genre for instance; but ultimately fans stopped buying rock records, shrinking the genre as a major record-selling demographic down to a proportional size.  Rock n' Roll needed to have a fire lit under its ass before it would truly rise again in some new revolutionary form, or at least in a more respectable reinvention.  The Strokes got things going a little with a catchy update to Iggy Pop meets the Ramones, but failed for any prolonged period to catch on as the next Guns N' Roses or Nirvana.  In fact, the biggest commercial rock groups of the past 3 or 4 years have been reunions for alt-rock icons Jane's Addiction and the Pixies, or so-called super-groups like Audioslave (comprised of Soundgarden's singer and Rage Against the Machine's rhythm section) and Velvet Revolver (famously featuring Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and the principal members of Guns N' Roses.)  Still, as far as new blood is concerned, the stone remains largely dry, for the moment anyway.  That the majority of rock's fan base would rather $60 to see Motley Crue or the Rolling Stones or Kiss for the umpteenth reunion tour further proves this point.  The latter bands aren't touring in support of new records in many cases; rather their catalogs drive the loyalty and longevity of their audience.  Teenagers show up at these shows with their parents, to see what a real arena rock n' roll show should look, feel, smell and sound like.  But those kids are singing their parents' anthems rather than any of their own.  Let's face it, the next �Smells Like Teen Spirit' has yet to be written.  Steven Van Zandt, guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E St. Band, recently acknowledged the latter by pointing out that "in a real sense, the last big (rock) band through the door was U2, 25 years ago�When our generation stops touring, it's over.  Rock n' Roll is a living, breathing animal that needs to be fed. With new blood."   Despite the gloomy outlook, there is- in this columnist's opinion- hope to be found in one of Canada's hottest up and coming rock bands, ONE BAD SON. 

Based out of Saskatoon, Sask�, One Bad Son is fronted by Shane �The Impaler' Volk, a charismatic frontman with pipes that cross Mick Jagger, Scott Weiland, and something we've not quite heard before, and fellow band members Kurt Dahl slamming away on the drums in the stylistic vein of Matt Cameron from Soundgarden/Pearl Jam and John Bonham, Adam Hicks on lead and rhythm guitars mixing Kirk Hammett and Zack Wylde, and finally, Geoff St. Germaine (who recently left the band) holding down the rhythm on bass in a style almost eerily akin to a blend of Duff McKagen and Eric Avery from Jane's Addiction.  In a candid chat with Shane, Kurt, and Adam, we got to the bottom of where rock is sitting right now on its ass, and how One Bad Son plans to get the genre back playing competitively in the game again with the 2006 release of the band's debut LP, �This Aggression Will Not Stand.' 

Smack Down: What in your opinion is rock n' roll most guilty of at the moment, in terms of what its failing to offer fans- old and new- as a genre (overall)?

Kurt Dahl: I guess the best way for us to say what's missing is to say what we don't want to be identified or grouped with stylistically: as far as that term Nu-Metal, a lot of us can't stand that term's application, because its inaccurate.  We're hard rock with a new twist.

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: We don't want to be a Nickelback or Default, or even be the next Disturbed or Slipnknot.  We don't want to be Opeth.  Those bands are all fine for the moment, but we have something in mind for tomorrow that actually also infuses yesterday's derivatives- the Stones, GnR, Soundgarden- in a new way that we think modernizes hard rock for the first time in a way everyone's been asking for, but haven't been getting up to now�

Smack Down: In terms of the material you're writing and recording for your forthcoming debut LP?

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: I think its hard to musically compare the direction we're going with another band.  I would say �Appetite' in terms of people hearing it and saying �Nobody's playing that right now.'  Its good edgy rock n' roll. 

Kurt Dahl: I'd say its somewhere in between Metallica's �the Black Album' and GnR's �Appetite for Destruction', that's pretty fair.  In terms of our band's overall sound, the common comparisons are always to Soundgarden, early GnR, but it doesn't sound dated- its more a modern version of hard rock, but a bit heavier at times. 

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: We're not trying to revive old music, just use elements of our influences in a new context, in that we're tuned down, but still have the elements of good, old fashioned rock n' roll, and ultimately its geared toward good old fashioned melodies and hard banging drums.  We don't use a double-kick, we like to have a lot of feel, as opposed to just new-age, trashing garbage beats.

Smack Down: One complaint across the board from millions- I mean MILLIONS- of rock fans in the past few years- concerning many of the newer bands that come out- is an inability to establish a sustained live following, one which- for instance- allows Janes Addiction or Motley Crue to tour without a new album out and still play to sold-out arenas in the dead of winter.  Fans are clearly willing to come out, so what in your estimation is missing from the live show of newer rock bands that might work to interest those same fans in something new- both as a sound, but also as a SHOW? 

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: I think what you get out of a One Bad Son show is, not to sound egotistical, but if we convince you to come to our show, you will enjoy yourself.  Personally, I think the songs will grab ya, if you like rock, you will like our music.  When people watch us, we don't approach it like we're another local band- we move around, we go crazy, you can tell we enjoy the music.  I can't calm down on stage, and the audience feels that every time.  Energy is a big strength, also integrity of the songs.

Kurt Dahl: As soon as Shane gets some tighter pants, we'll have the sex appeal thing down (Laughs).  We have a good rock look, me and hicks got the long hair, and Shane has the front man vibe going on.  I think we are visual, and first-impressions are huge, in terms of the vibe people get right off the bat.  As far as the bass player�

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: we might hire a midget bassist. (Laughs)  Seriously though, we're always having fun, no matter what we're wearing, and that's apparent.  We're not out to intimidate people or talk about how crazy we are- we're out there having a blast, smiling and that's the vibe we're trying to throw out there.  Now adays, there's a lot of bands that try to encourage aggression in fans and that's it.  As far as being a front man, it kind of is my job because I'm the mouth piece interacting directly with the crowd- I really like to see people enjoying the music instead of just having a good time.   There are certain times when you look out in a crowd and see people don't give a f*** who you are and what you're playing.  More and more at our shows, and what really gets me going is when the audience is tuned into our sound specifically, and moving to our music because of our music- as opposed to just pretending.

Kurt: We also have the gong! It has our logo sandblasted on it!  Like Bonham style!

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: One problem I think is its become cliché for bands to say we want to bring back rock n' roll.  That's become a problem in itself, we just want to be a great rock band.  We don't have any illusions about being the Beatles or Stones or GnR, we don't want to go back in time.  We just want to go out, play great songs, and view our live show the same way we do writing music: its as much a band in terms of how you write the music as how you perform it.  After the shows, we are self-critical where its needed, because we're always striving to get every piece of the puzzle in place.  We want to go out there and entertain the s*** out of the crowd, which doesn't happen overnight.  The two things I always notice is that either a band is so concerned with being crazy in their performance that the music suffers, where you see kids hopping up and down and doing everything but playing well�

Adam Hicks: Its cool to go crazy, but the best show should have both. 

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: The other kinds of bands who are maybe tight musically, but don't look like they're having fun.  You look at them like �You're playing music right now, doing your dream, but it looks like your sitting in the office.' 

Kurt Dahl: I think its always good to assume the audience is smart, and if you try to short-change your performance, your short-changing your audience.  And visa versa, if you get away with it, and they don't notice, in the long run, you're still f***ing up your music.

Smack Down: That's a good point I'd never thought of Kurt�  How does a band know when they're getting too comfortable though, with themselves or their fans?

Kurt Dahl:  I think when they take their position at any point along the way for granted, either in terms of thinking they can't put on a bigger or better show for their audience, or when a band decides for an audience what their hard-earned money is worth in terms of the energy a band puts out when they play.  I want to play music the rest of my life, and I think often times, when we play a live show now, people say our music is meant for a larger venue.  So when we play small places, people say it doesn't do our sound justice.  The size of the venue impacts our sound, and we sound better in a mid-sized venue, and of course, our goal is stadiums, but at a minimum, mid-sized venues so we can properly execute our sound.  But even now, in the clubs, we play every night like we are in an arena, in terms of the energy and the show we give the crowd.

Smack Down: Aside from your live show, another great strength of this band seems to be the quality and calibre of your songs.  Every song on this album sounds like an anthem, and that hasn't been the case with a new rock album since the days of �Appetite for Destruction' or the �Black Album' in the case of a rock album.  I can't think back to an album since Fleetwood Mac's �Rumors' or Led Zepplin IV where every song had the solid potential to be a radio smash.  What is your internal songwriting process like as a band?  Who plays what role, do you have a resident Nikki Sixx for instance who writes all the band's songs, or does everyone chip in their 2 cents?

Adam Hicks: Lyrics are all Shane, they're all right in your face� 

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: I do the lyrics, and always figure, an easy way to put it is everyone always writes their instrument.  I never say �Hicks, you have to play this solo�'  But none of us are against someone saying �Hey, try this out.'  Its collaborative.  If there's a song happening, and Hicks or I suggest to Kurt, �Hey, try a half-time beat�'  We're not afraid to take suggestions or give criticisms.  I love the riffs Hicks comes up with, him and I always split the riff writing.  Plus his soloing is deadly.  As far as Kurt goes, when I kind of started with this idea for the band, I wanted some double-kick, and was mad at my old band's sound because I didn't think it was heavy enough.  But when I first heart Kurt's sound,   he's a classic drummer like a John Bonham, when you hear it, it doesn't need a double-kick or tons of speed, because its got all the feel in the world.  I always liked rock n' roll drumming, if it gets too heavy it gets boring.

Adam Hicks: Even in our heavier songs, the drums are right there.

Kurt Dahl: The first thing that caught me was the sheer strength of his voice.  With this band, we walk away from shows gushing about how strong the vocals are.  There are tons of great vocalists out there who don't have much substance, and Shane has as much substance in his voice as he does power.  He knows how to use it, and knows how to emote.  He doesn't just go out and scream his lines, everything he sings is well-put.  As far as lyrics go, he's got a really unique, honest lyrical style, and he can also be the entertaining front man as far as the live show is concerned.  He's got a great presence live, and people can't take their eyes off him, but he also knows when to step back and put the spotlight on someone else.  A lot of front men don't know when to step back.

Smack Down: It sounds like you guys have a very communal vibe going on as bandmates and musical brothers if I'm not being too bold?  In terms of your long-term outlook, where do you see One Bad Son fitting into Rock N' Roll's larger fabric say 10 years from now, when you'll either have had your day or have somehow been permanently sewn into the genre historically, as happens with all bands who have any larger relevance in the long run�

Kurt: We cite our influences- Alice in Chains, GnR, Soundgarden- we're not trying to revive that, but our music has the potential to be that mainstream.  The songs are catchy hooks, and have some crazy changes, but its stuff you can sing along to.  We're not afraid to sell records, but our sound is definitely not like anything I'm hearing on the radio.  And I consider myself the average rock fan.  I hope we get a lot of really young fans, but with a void there in the fact that a lot of people are tolerating a lot of what they hear on the radio, and we want to push that bar a little higher.  The average rock band should expect a little more than what they're getting right now. 

Shane �The Impaler' Volk: whatever hole our music has the potential of filling now, I hope a decade from now, maybe we've helped to fill that void with a new kind of Rock N' Roll that will hold up not just 10 years, but 20 or 30 years.  That's our dream as a band�

Well on their way, One Bad Son will definitely be a band to look forward to in 2006 as what will hopefully become part of Rock n' Roll's future, even as the band so gloriously celebrates its past in the same time.  To learn more about this bad ass new rock act, check them out online at www.onebadson.com.
 
 
 

Shameless Plug: �Motley Crue: In the Studio' currently is exclusively available for pre-order through both Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil's official webstores, as well as through Motley's, via the following link: http://store.motleystore.com/inthestudio.html.  Featuring exclusive interviews with Tommy Lee, Bob Rock, John Corabi, Scott Humphrey, Tom Werman, John Purdell, Dave Darling, and James Michael, this is the first, only and definitive study of Motley Crue's creative process over the past 25 years. 

About the author: Jake Brown is owner/operator of Nashville-based Versailles Records and a biographer who has published several books. Click here to more details.