Suffering Is Necessary to Achieve Something and for A Band Called Pain It’s Gonna’ Hurt… All the Way to the Top!
“They need to kickout everybody who is doing rap right now and get a revival going. It’s mostly shit.”
—Shaun Bivens,
A Band Called Pain
I happen to have been introduced to A Band Called Pain by the same chick who hipped me to BloodSugar. She called called me on the phone one night and begged me to take her to see these brothers play the whisky in Hollywood. If I remember correctly she said “ Tim there is this all black metal band playing at the whisky tonight that I am currently managing. I want you to come see them with me baby”.
I thought to myself if these brothers are dumb enough to let her steer there music careers they must really suck or they’re completely under the influence of her pussy.
I found out later I was wrong on all accounts, and like before, this sister who definitely had a free ride on the cookie truck had turned me onto some more great music. So chill for a minute on these nouns, verbs and adjectives from A Band Called Pain’s guitarist Shaun Bivens.
When did you start playing music?
I was about eight or nine years old and started out on drums, and then I got into the metal thing with my cousin Allen who now fronts our band. We started emulating bands like Iron Maiden, Kiss and shit like that. It was exciting to us.
How did you end up on guitar?
I got into guitar because my cousin sucked so bad on guitar and I just told him we needed
to switch. He had a Strat and I think I traded him a skateboard for his guitar. I had no lessons or anything and it went from there. Allen then switched to drums. He was a drummer back then.
How did A Band Called Pain come together?
ABCP came about because me and Allen wanted to get back into playing metal and I’d say around the mid 90’s I got out of my deal with RCA and he got out of his deal with Roc-A-Fella. He was doing an R&B thing and I was doing a hip-hop joint. We decided to get together and do metal again. Then we thought, let’s put an all black metal band together like when we first started as kids, like when we had a band with all our cousins.
Does everyone in the band write material?
We don’t have the time for everybody to sit down and write together as a band so usually I come up with something and then flip it over to Allen. As it gets more structured Kent and Tony put their stamp on things.
Has the band recorded any live shows?
We have recorded a few live shows, but we have never been happy with how they turned out.
Did the band do a show last year with the reunited Smashing Pumpkins?
Last fall we played Indiana. Thatis for some reason our adopted home. They really get what we do there. But yeah, we did a show with Black Light Burns (Wes Borland’s project), Another Animal (GodSmack guys), The Bravery and Smashing Pumpkins.
Are you ready to tour?
As soon as we get this next record done we are gonna hit the road and promote it.
What are you listening to right now?
I am listening to a lot of Lamb of God lately, and Devo. Hip-hop is not interesting right now. I dig Lupe Fiasco, the last Jay—Z record and Kanye, but they need to kick out everybody who is doing rap right now and get a revival going. It’s mostly shit. CH —T.S. 2008
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