DOWN Guitarist: 'We Don't Agree On Everything, But In The Long Run, That Makes For Great Songs'

Andrew Dansby of the Houston Chronicle recently conducted an interview with DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein.

Houston Chronicle: Did you find it difficult to get everybody together?

Kirk: No, it's something we've discussed. We wanted DOWN to be a type of band that we could grow old with. And we really believe that. We've all done the heavy-rock thing, this is our priority now.

Houston Chronicle: That sort of runs contrary to the band's name.

Kirk: Yeah, we've discussed that. But we wanted to get together and make it a real band. Make a killer record and tour, tour, tour. Then do it all again.

Houston Chronicle: I'm sure I'm not the first to ask, but is there a particular meaning to the album's title?

Kirk: To us, it means we're over all the negativity. Obviously there was "Dimebag'' Darrell's death, the storm in New Orleans. I know people are sick of hearing about it, but I still have FEMA trailers on my street. You see reminders every day. So it's about appreciating simple things, being alive, having food to eat, a roof overhead.

Houston Chronicle: Even with a new commitment, DOWN won't eat up all your time, will it?

Kirk: No, we'll always take other breaks, do other projects. I'll always do CROWBAR. But after a tour, we'll catch our breath and relax a little. Do something different. I'm a firm believer that everybody should play in different bands. We do that a lot in New Orleans, it's incestuous, with guys jumping from one band to another. We just like different styles of stuff. I'm a music lover. I like good music, regardless if it's soft rock, reggae, metal.

Houston Chronicle: Why, I, too, enjoy soft rock! What album do you own that would most surprise people?

Kirk: One night, it was very late, I'd been drinking beer and I ordered one of those Time Life collections from the '70s. '77 is my favorite year on that. But it's not odd for me to rock on to SADE. I can listen to VENOM and two minutes later play SADE. You'd be surprised, Phil's got an iPod in his dressing room. He'll play stuff on shuffle while he stretches. It'll play (Norwegian black-metal band) IMMORTAL and then MORRISSEY. That's just how it goes.

Houston Chronicle: So is the process typically handing music to Phil who writes lyrics?

Kirk: Usually somebody has a main riff. Then we all sit in a circle and bang them out again and again. Everybody puts in his two cents. It completes the sound of a band when everybody does something with it.

Houston Chronicle: Does everybody play nice?

Kirk: Well, we can butt heads, don't get me wrong. We do that a lot. You have five heavy-hitters in this band. Everybody's got strong personalities. We don't agree on everything, but in the long run, that makes for great songs.