STUCK MOJO Guitarist Talks About Songwriting Process For Next Album

STUCK MOJO's MySpace page has been updated with a recent interview guitarist/songwriter Rich Ward gave to Hit Parader magazine. A couple of excerpts from the question-and-answer session follow.

Hit Parader: Why resurrect STUCK MOJO at this point? What was your main motivation?

Ward: This question requires a layered answer. STUCK MOJO was my first real band and my first true love. I was 19 years old when I started the band, and while my friends from high school went on to start families, go on vacations and joined their kids' PTA, I was living in my rehearsal space, making love to my Les Paul 24/7 and recording riffs on a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder. For the next 10 years the MOJO machine and I toured the world, made 7 albums and shared stages with some of my favorite bands. My songs were my kids and my band was my family. In the summer of 2000, we had reached a point where we weren't getting along, we were burned out and we needed a break from the road and each other. I formed the band FOZZY with WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, toured the world again with that band and made three records that I'm really proud of. I released a solo record under the name THE DUKE which I think is one of the best records I have ever made. BUT... everywhere I went, people asked me about STUCK MOJO and pleaded with me to get the band back together. That passion and support from the fans, my desire to play those MOJO songs again, and to get back on the road with what I consider to be one of the greatest live bands in the world, was the motivation. How's that for a simple answer?

Hit Parader: What's next? Are you writing for the next album?

Ward: I just started the writing process for the new album and so far the stuff I'm coming up with is the stuff dreams are made of. You know what they say, if you don't love yourself.... I've got the next two months set aside to completely dedicate myself to this album and I've never been more excited about making the doughnuts! You know, almost all artists think that their latest album is their best, or at least they almost always state that in interviews. For most bands, it is usually NOT the case, but it ALWAYS is for us!

Hit Parader: STUCK MOJO was always praised for its metallic Southern rock style. What can we expect from new material, to go that same route?

Ward: To those who have the new "Southern Born Killers" record, I think that they will find it to be the STUCK MOJO thumbprint. Riffs, groove, melody, tone, vibe and the occasional clubbing of baby seals, all delivered courtesy of the hairiest set of balls on God's green earth.

Hit Parader: What made you choose to go with Napalm for the re-release? Will the next album be on Napalm?

Ward: Napalm reminds me of Century Media when we first signed with them in 1994. They're a small European independent metal label with a roster full of bands that couldn't be more different than STUCK MOJO. It worked for us with Century Media because we stood out in roster full of Norwegian black metal bands with unreadable band logos. Since the band views this as a new beginning of sorts, being on Napalm is a perfect fit, like wearing a familiar, comfy pair of bedroom slippers. The next album will be released on Napalm, unless after being compared to comfy footwear, they decide to drop us.

Read the entire interview at this location.