GODSMACK Drummer Talks UGLY KID JOE Reunion, ANOTHER ANIMAL In New Interview

Lou Di Monaco of the NY Rock Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

NY Rock Music Examiner: I've heard some rumblings about an UGLY KID JOE reunion What can you tell me about that?

Shannon Larkin: The rumors are true! Whit, Klaus, Cordell, Dave, and myself got together this year and made six new songs for an EP to put out at some point. We are really stoked at how it came out pure UGLY KID JOE, dude! We have no label, agent, or management and did the record by ourselves without a real plan other than getting together in a room again after all these years and jamming out! We'll keep people posted as to when we will release something and perhaps even play some shows if there is interest in us.

NY Rock Music Examiner: So with the giant GODSMACK machine starting to slow down again for a while, there's some activity from UGLY KID JOE. What can you tell me about the single, "Fall Of Rome"? Any idea on a release date?

Shannon Larkin: ANOTHER ANIMAL is set to release "Fall Of Rome" in late September or early October. That's the plan. The song is spoken from the standpoint of the young people in places like Iraq, Egypt, and most recently Libya, as a direct letter to the horrible tyrants and dictators who still resist/refuse to show empathy or humanity to their own folks struggling to survive, and live like kings while people are starving and shitting in the streets. It's a middle finger and a threat to the oppressive backward thinkers that think they are immune to justice.

NY Rock Music Examiner: A few years back you played on a track for STONE SOUR's album, "Come What(Ever) May". I've always noticed the similarities between your and Roy's [Mayorga] playing styles. Is there any chance of future collaborations?

Shannon Larkin: Well I don't know about collaborations, but Roy (as well as the rest of STONE SOUR) will always be a part of my life as a friend that I've kept in touch with for well over a decade. He is one of what I consider a certain style of drummer like myself, Morgan Rose, Jamie Miller...I call us slinkbacks. Freaks with style and substance behind the kit, in it for life because it picked us.

NY Rock Music Examiner: What do you see in GODSMACK's future?

Shannon Larkin: I see GODSMACK having a busy year in 2012. We are already making some really cool plans which I am not at liberty to discuss, as they are not set in stone quite yet, and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, but believe me, you haven't heard the last of us yet! We are stronger than ever on a personal level, and as a band we are a well-oiled machine that know each other's ins and outs to the point of reading each other's minds, musically speaking.

Read the entire interview from NY Rock Music Examiner.