KORN Bassist: We Realized When HEAD Left Just How Much Chemistry Was Gone

Bass Musician magazine recently conducted an interview with KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Bass Musician: So the new album sees the return of Brian "Head" Welch on guitar, and, of course, you have Ray [Luzier] on drums, and this will be his third album with you. There must have been a lot of chemistry and excitement in the air?

Fieldy: It was exactly that. We realized when Head left just how much chemistry was gone. When he came back, it was, like, "Oh, there it is!" It was amazing, almost like family members when you don't see them all year or even years and you see them at Christmas and just pick up where you left off.

Bass Musician: Did you guys get together and jam on material or was some of it worked out ahead of time?

Fieldy: We all decided to meet at the studio, so we could jam, and Head said, "I've been gone for eight years, so I have some riffs, because I wanted to bring something to the table." So he got it started with a few riffs and then [KORN guitarist] Munky started bouncing off of it, and they we're doing their left and right thing and it reminded me of back in the day when I could sit and listen. And I could listen for the holes and then come in on the bass and shine, doing my clicks and pulling and slapping. I was able to be me again, where before when Head left I had to take the role of writing riffs and I'm not really a riff guy, I'm more of a percussion style bassist filling in the holes.

Bass Musician: Was that how you developed your style originally, with both Head and Munky exchanging guitar parts and you filling in the gaps?

Fieldy: It was fun listening to those two bouncing back and forth — it was exciting, more than just listening to a single riff. So I find myself listening until I can find a good spot where I can jump in. I don't really learn the riff until later and a lot of times I don't learn the riff and I make up my own thing. I find the root note and work something around it.

Bass Musician: I know you had a close relationship with Chi from the DEFTONES, and he passed away earlier this year which left a lot of fans and fellow musicians deeply saddened, as it seemed he was maybe coming around. What legacy did he leave behind as a bassist?

Fieldy: As far as a bass player, I would say he was definitely a solid groove player. You know, he just had something there — a style, that just worked with the DEFTONES. It was good and he was a great performer. That's what I like a lot… it's a package deal, and I like watching performers and someone who can jump in. When he was playing with [DEFTONES drummer] Abe, there was a swing in there; and I'm really attracted to that.

Read the entire interview at Bass Musician.