36 CRAZYFISTS Guitarist: 'I Don't Think That ROADRUNNER AMERICA Has Ever Had Any Faith In Us'

Mark Wrigley of OneMetal.com recently conducted an interview with 36 CRAZYFISTS guitarist Steve Holt. A couple of excerpts follow:

OneMetal.com: In terms of your current record, Roadrunner decided not to release it in the States, what was the story behind that?

Steve Holt: They had just signed like MEGADETH and HATEBREED, and a bunch of bigger bands from over there, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, and they wanted to wait and put it out this year. We were like, "Nah, that ain't happening," so we went and did a licensing deal with DRT and that allowed it to come out finally in November.

OneMetal.com: But it was still leaked onto the web before hand …

Steve Holt: Yeah, absolutely…

OneMetal.com: Do you think that harmed you at all?

Steve Holt: Yeah, well, it had been out over here [Europe] since June, and it didn't get out over there [USA] 'til November, and we did a bunch of tours over there during that period, and at that point we were just telling people to download it… you know… we don't care. (laughs)

OneMetal.com: So you are quite happy with people downloading, do you think it harms the industry?

Steve Holt: Yeah, yeah, I think it harms the music industry, but it's just the way the business is now, you know. It's not like technology is going to go backwards. It's just the way it works now. It's shows and stuff now where bands can hopefully make a little bit of money (laughs)

OneMetal.com: So you don't think it was a case of Roadrunner losing faith in you ?

Steve Holt: I honestly don't think that Roadrunner America has ever had any faith in us for some reason. It's just the way it is, and I understand that it's a business and you got to make money. We're just a smaller band over there, for the label you know? They got some pretty decent-sized bands over there, and we're lucky enough to make two records on that label just because of the sales expectancy of bands.

OneMetal.com: Yeah, I see, so the new album … it's a bit more melodic. It wasn't because they heard it and, for want of a better word, considered it a sellout?

Steve Holt: No…no, I think Roadrunner America would be the exact opposite, you know, their bands are like NICKELBACK and stuff like that. I mean, if anything they'd be like, "These guys aren't radio enough" or whatever. It'd be like pretty much the opposite to over here. I don't know, I'm not really sure what it is, there are people in the label that like us, but there's no one that really wants to work for us.

OneMetal.com: Do you get any say in it, or do they just tell you that's what's going to happen?

Steve Holt: Well they were kind of just feeding us along, "OK, we'll put it out…" First it was June, then it was end of July, August, September and so on, then they were like "next June." We were like OK, no way, like, we're not going to sit around on a record for a year.

OneMetal.com: Have you ever been star-struck?

Steve Holt: Yeah, but not anymore. But I have, yeah. When I first met Robb Flynn from MACHINE HEAD I was kind of star struck because I was a big MACHINE HEAD fan at the time, and I saw Axl Rose backstage at Download last year which was kind of odd. I was like … meh. I wasn't star struck but I was like… "That's actually him." (laughing) Cos that guy's a piece of work too.

OneMetal.com: I now have to ask you… what's your verdict on the new GUNS N' ROSES?

Steve Holt: Aww, man. I don't even care. That's just a bad deal (laughs)

OneMetal.com: We've already spoken about Joey [from] SLIPKNOT… Is he the nicest person you have come across on the scene?

Steve Holt: No, I don't think so…

OneMetal.com: What, he's a little sh*t?

Steve Holt: (laughing) No, no, he's nice enough. I was pleasantly surprised with Joey, 'cos I had heard stories that he could be a little touchy feely, but he was really cool. All the time I was there he was really nice. He's a really short guy though and like this. (Steve does an extremely amusing impression of playing a tiny drum kit) (laughing) I'm trying to think of who's the nicest… There's been lots of them. Robb, we went on a tour with MACHINE HEAD over in the States, and he was a really nice guy. Surprisingly enough though as again I had heard stories but he turned out really cool as well. Yeah, everyone's been really cool, we haven't had any problems. Everything's just always been cool. We're easy to get along with. So it works out alright.

Read the entire interview at OneMetal.com.