Interview With Carl Bell of Fuel
Posted: 11 November 2007
Contributed By: Nick
TuneLab Music: Fuel is back out on the road after a lengthy time off. What has it been like readjusting to life on tour, especially after major lineup changes?
Carl Bell: Not much readjustment really. It's basically all we know and it's what we do ya know? I mean yeah like I was just talking to you walking in here and I see some familiar surroundings. I've been in every club in America pretty much by now, but it's uh not much of an adjustment really. We just get back to what we do and what we enjoy doing-back on the bus, back on stage, back on the bus, back on stage. That's pretty much how it goes.
[Carl gets someone to turn off the blaring television in the bar]
TL: Speaking of that lineup shuffle, Fuel officially welcomed new front man Toryn Green and drummer Tommy Stewart to the group earlier this year. What have been their most positive contributions to Fuel thus far, and how have fans responded to the absence of Brett Scallions and Kevin Miller?
CB: Well, to answer the second question I don't-I really have had minimal response to the change really now that Toryn and Kevin, I mean Toryn and Tommy are in there. There's a few things on the internet and I'm sure there's a few people who, that are voicing their opinion by not buying a ticket or whatnot but for the most part it feels pretty seamless. They're both doing great-I mean Tommy the former drummer of Godsmack obviously brings a lot of road experience and Toryn, great vocalist, I mean he's really the package deal so he really brings a lot to the band just by being able to every night go out there vocally [knocks on wood]. [laughs] But his voice has held up the whole time and we're just, we're stoked.
TL: Fuel was huddled in the studio with many people during the sessions for 'Angels and Devils', including Scott Humphrey, Tommy Lee, and Keith Wallen from Tennessee act Copper among others. How did the aforementioned aid in the tracking of the new album and who else would you have liked to work with?
CB: Um, well Tommy Lee came in and played on the song "Wasted Time" which ended up being our first single, and, I don't know-Tommy is on "stun" constantly. He walks in going "What's up?!" and you know just brings a lot of energy into the room and he's definitely the focus and the attention of everyone in the room. And you know of course I'm a big fan of Tommy Lee's going back to the 80's. I think "Shot at the Devil" is one of the records, not the only record, but definitely one of the prominent records where you hear the energy, the individual coming out through the kit, you know what I mean? The drums on that are incredible. I mean Tommy was great, Scott Humphrey was great. We worked in his studio and he's got a fantastic studio out in California and it's just amazing. It's all setup-the drums are miced all the time, you don't have to do anything like that. It's basically a turn-key studio and I highly recommend it to anybody. Josh Freese also played on the record and he's played on everybody's record. But the reason he played on everybody's record is because he's that good. You know Josh worked with A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, some of those guys.
TL: He did the Daughtry record.
CB: Yep, did the Daughtry record and everybody's record cuz he really is that good. He's absolutely amazing and he was great to hang out with and he's a lot of fun. I wrote some songs with the band Copper and their singer Keith Wallen and that song "Scars in the Making" made it on the record. You know it was just a lot of fun with a lot of people and we put a record together really quick once we got in the studio. All the songs were written before we got in there but it was a good experience this time around.
TL: Much of the material off 'Angels and Devils' is feels far more urgent and exploratory than much of the band's previous efforts. What were some of the factors that galvanized your approach to writing this record, and what in your opinion sets 'Angels and Devils' apart from other Fuel albums?
[The interview is interrupted as Carl places his lunch order with the crew]
CB: Next time I get my hands on that gun I'm gonna shoot your asses!
[laughs]
CB: Oh man we were on the Submersed bus and they have little pellet guns.
TL: Oh no.
CB: [laughs] Yeah and we were just shooting everybody. And they were trying to tell me how hard this one hurts. And uh, ya know, slightly intoxicated and I shot myself in the leg with a pellet gun. It didn't really hurt that bad at all actually. It left a nice mark. But anyway your question was...
[I repeat the previous question]
CB: I think one of the things is just the benefit of time or the curse of time, one way or another. I mean we took too long to make the record because a lot of things changed when we got out of the studio, or rather off the road from 'Natural Selection'. We had to let our drummer go and Brett calls up and he quits and all the transition of trying to find a new singer took us a lot of time. But that also allowed a lot of songs to be written and a lot of good stuff. It's kind of like the cream of the crop coming to the surface and we were able to pull the best of the best out of all the songs I'd written and I think that's probably why, or maybe why, the record is stronger than the other records. In my opinion I think it's some of the best songs we've got. The label felt great about it, and we're uh, having a bit of a time with the label right now, but we felt good about it at the time we turned it in so... Infact we thought we were going to get dropped losing the singer, but once the label heard the record they were back on board.
TL: Let's say there is a secret "Fuel" edition of an episode of 'Dancing With the Stars', and you Mr. Bell are the "star". Which member of Fuel would make the most graceful dance partner and why?
CB: [laughs] I think that's probably why we play rock music dude cuz we don't dance. I think that's why we're in rock bands but I dunno. I don't think any of us would be too good on 'Dancing With the Stars' bro [laughs].
TL: You guys are shipping "Gone" to radio as the album's next single. What other songs from 'Angels and Devils' would you like to see released as singles, and which track is the best representation of the sound which you aspired for with 'Angels and Devils'?
CB: Um, I think the best representation might be "I Should Have Told You".
TL: Everyone's favorite song when I play it for them. Everyone loves it.
CB: For me it's got the perfect blend of what I was trying to do for the record, as far as looking for a song that would be acceptable at radio, and that's one of them I like. But most of the record as far as songs I think they're as strong as any record we've done, and maybe even stronger just from a songs standpoint. But I think "I Should Have Told You" is probably the standout for that.
TL: Ok, I hate to bring him up but-Chris Daughtry. If he would have accepted the offer to front Fuel, how do you think things with the band would be different?
CB: Probably sold a lot more records [laughs]. I mean that 'American Idol' he's got-
TL: That stigma with it.
CB: Yeah, there's that stigma there, but at the same time he's got Super Bowl size audiences watching that every night.
TL: More voters for that than the President.
CB: Right, exactly. More voters for that than the President. I mean it's a huge, huge audience that you're able to reach. Now some people can parlay that into record sales, other people can't. Obviously Daughtry was able to do that whereas a bunch of the people are gone already, so it was interesting. He and I wrote a song for his new record as well. It didn't make it on the record but he plays it live. I mean, c'mon Daughtry, what's up with that? [laughs] But uh, he's got a great voice, he's a really great guy, and when we hung out with him he was really cool. It would definitely have changed the band I think in a lot of ways though just because he is his own franchise basically now. I dunno, that's one of the things we worried about, as to how far it would have taken us away from what Fuel is-would that have been better or for worse? I mean he ended up selling 2 or 3 million and may end up having the biggest record of the year perhaps which is great. But I dunno, I think he was probably-the whole thing came about when he sang the song "Hemorrhage" and I got a call in the middle of the night saying "Hey there's this guy singing 'Hemorrhage' on American Idol" so I went and checked it out and we began talking from there. He got picked up by American Idol. American Idol pretty much picked him up all the way down the line, so there really was never a decision on anybody's part. But I dunno it would have been different and he sounds different singing the old stuff whereas our new guy sounds really great on the old stuff. It would have been a different change but hopefully it's better this way.
TL: Well ya done good with Toryn.
CB: Yeah man Toryn's great.
TL: Cuz I've been following him since Something to Burn, so
CB: Oh yeah, oh yeah. Alright, yea that's good stuff.
TL: Fuel will be closing out 2007 on the road with Trapt and Submersed. Has the band lined up any other touring plans for the immediate future?
CB: Actually we were just talking about it yesterday and what we're gonna do and what's gonna happen and what's happening for next year. I just had a big meeting with the label trying to get a bearing on what was happening with them and it remains to be seen so stay tuned.
TL: And how do you guys feel about your upcoming shows in Alaska in front of Toryn's hometown crowds?
CB: [laughs]
TL: I've never seen any band book in Alaska, ever.
CB: [laughs] Yeah, it's cuz Toryn's from Alaska and he wanted to go to Alaska and it's like "Aw, thanks dude." It's December, in the dead of winter and I think there's only 4 hours of daylight there now.
TL: You're gonna have to get like a big shovel on the front of the bus.
CB: [laughs] Yeah, Alaska's fine, but maybe not in December though. I mean c'mon, but ya know it'll be interesting, it will definitely be interesting, but yeah we'll just go up there and see what happens. But mostly it's Toryn and his connection with that up there so we're letting him have it. He wants to go home and maybe have the parade or something, but I dunno.
TL: With Christmas right around the corner, what is the best gift Fuel has ever received during the holidays and what would you like Santa to put under your tree this year?
CB: [laughs] I'd like Santa to put a platinum record, that'd be fantastic. I hope you're hearing me Santa. But uh I dunno dude, you just try to do what you do and hopefully people will acknowledge you or can appreciate what goes out on the record and they appreciate your efforts as a band-that'd be what I'd wish for.
TL: The band inked its original deal with Epic Records back in the mid-90's. What is the biggest change you have noticed about the music industry since Fuel's infancy and where do you see the music world another ten years from now?
CB: Oh man you don't want me to get on this. Uh, the biggest thing I've seen personally from the label is most of the people that I, that were there when I signed are gone, long gone. I just lost my A&R guy and he was with me for 9 years but he just, he left right before we dropped this record and it just-yeah, definitely sucks. Ben Goldman-he was great. He signed Chevelle and he's been awesome to us for a lot of years, but I think about Epic and how it used to be a rock label, with Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, and all that, and I don't think their agenda is more "rocky" as much. It's more pop.
TL: And emo too I'm sure.
CB: Well that, and what's worse is the Hannah Montana's of the world and that kind of stuff, because Hannah Montana is monster right now, so that's part of what's happening there. And I think labels are just trying to figure out how to exist in this world. I think the machine that was there 5 years ago even is not there anymore even, you know as far as the radio stations, the way they did promo, the way they setup a record, the way they delivered records, the way you were able to have "hits", the way you were able to have success as a band in general. I don't think that machine is there anymore to be able to tap into. It's a lot harder now-I've been talking to a lot of bands and they're saying it's getting harder and harder for them to get out there and make a living and make this work. It's, ya know, it's a lot of questions that we're all trying to find the answer to.
TL: I just think it's sad that music has become a commodity, something to be just bought and sold. I mean I walk in record stores now and no one knows what they're talking about anymore.
CB: A lot of it's over saturation, and yeah I agree with you. I think, I mean the internet has its great side as well, where bands working can get their music out there and get their music heard, but at the same time it allows everybody to get their music heard which floods the market and nobody gets heard. So I mean if you have a million voices screaming at the same level, nobody hears them, ya know what I mean? It's just, it's tough really. Record labels used to take the role as kind of the gatekeeper, and for better or for worse would allow, would weed out-the theory was, they would weed out the bad stuff and let the good stuff get through, so everyone that had good stuff got heard. But it's harder now man, it's different times, and everyone's just trying to figure out what's going on.
TL: The new album 'Angels and Devils' was released in August and album sales, as well as the airtime of its lead single "Wasted Time" have been a little slow in taking off so far. How have you guys bounced back from a "not-so-typical" Fuel reception?
CB: Well a lot of that goes back to the agenda of the label for one thing. I mean I'll take full responsibility as well-if the songs suck and that's how it is.
TL: [laughs] That's so far from the truth dude.
CB: Yeah, but uh you have to get a good solid push because there's so many other people out there to push. If they're not pushing you then you're not gonna make it through, and I don't think at this point right now that the label is paying attention to what's going on. Infact, they admitted to me, you know, wow-they were shocked at our first week sales. I think they'd kinda written us off and now they're trying to catch up and get with the program, but it's tough to do that. It's kinda like your buddy going "hey, this girl last week she's got a great personality" and then turning around and going "hey this girl this week, she's hot". If people don't feel the heat coming out of the gate then they, that's the way they set their gauge for what's going to happen with the record. I mean like I said even the label thinks it's a great record but I just don't think we have top down priority right now with 'em and without that you're gonna be hard pressed to get anywhere.
TL: I think it's crazy because you hear "Wasted Time", whether it's the G-Mix or the S-Mix either one, and it's got "hit" written all over it.
CB: Yeah, and the label, most everybody at the label said they think it's a smash, they think the whole record's a smash, but once again if you don't have heat, if you don't have a push, you're not gonna make it. I feel like the record's great, I feel like the record's strong, but I don't buy records and other people may not feel that way and you know if that's how it is than that's how it is. I'm not saying the label's completely at fault either, but it's just whatever happens at that time happens at that time, and you have to have a thousand things right to make a record successful and maybe we don't have all of them right now. I'm not sure.
TL: You have always written the majority of Fuel's material, opting not to co-write heavily with producers and reputable songwriters like the bulk of today's major label rock bands. What has this sense of artistic freedom provided Fuel?
CB: That's something that's always really personal to me. I want to and I enjoy writing. Let me take that back-I enjoy having written. [laughs] Writing can sometimes be hard. Having written and having a good song is great once its all done. I did write a couple songs with a couple guys this time around which is different, just to try and get a different angle on things but I have been able to write successful records up to now. I don't really feel the need to go into that world for us. Now I'm looking to write with other bands and I'll do whatever. You know I've been writing with other bands and doing a lot of that stuff and looking to do more of that stuff. I'm not opposed to [the idea] but I've always challenged myself to try and write the record myself and I kind of enjoy that challenge actually.
TL: I mean yeah cuz you look at like 90 percent of the albums that come from some of these bands and you look at the credits it's like, everything is written by Howard Benson, or Brian Howes, or Joey Moi.
CB: Exactly. And I mean for me that's not the way I like to go. It works for some people I guess but for me I like to keep it in house. We've done the work and not cuz we had to hire someone else. I think it would be odd, well, odd for me to be a Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston or country acts; most country acts don't write any of their songs. And that would be, that would feel weird for me in some way to do.
TL: Singing someone else's stuff?
CB: Completely someone else's stuff! And then just to have me come in and sing it and say "this is our music"-that doesn't feel like our music I don't think. It would feel like I'm a cover band.
TL: And you notice that with the Daughtry record too. You look at who he co-wrote with on the songs and each song sounds like the band that he worked with. Especially like the Brent Smith one "There and Back Again" sounds like a Shinedown song and the Mitch Allan song sounds like an SR-71 song or something like that.
CB: Yeah, yeah. Chris had the song he and I wrote together and he came in and put a lot of it together.
TL: What was it called?
CB: It was called, uh, hang on a second. I'm trying to think of it. But anyway, he and I wrote and put a song together and he brought a lot to it and to Chris' defense he does have writing chops.
TL: Yeah, he wrote "Home" by himself.
CB: I mean yeah, he does have writing chops and he does have that part of his life together which is great as well. You don't wanna see-I mean not that you know I'm a huge fan of American Idol by any means anyway, but at least the people can see him on that show, or at least the people that end up in the top 10 or whatever, and obviously some of them are having writing chops and have been doing them so at least he's got that part of it. Chris definitely has his writing chops together.
TL: If there were only 24 hours left in Fuel's existence, what would you want to accomplish and what would you say has been the most fulfilling part of your time in the band?
CB: [laughs] Well 24 hours wouldn't do a whole lot for you anyway. I don't even know what I would do in 24 hours period, but the most fulfilling part? I think it's just writing the songs. That's where, that's the most fulfilling part, second only to being able to go out and play those songs you've written to a crowd and get a great response and see the fans light up when you play "Hemorrhage" or something like that you know what I mean? That's very fulfilling for me, to have written a song that people respond to and that's good for me, that's why I work so hard at it and try to make it successful.
TL: What would you say is your favorite song that you've written.
CB: "Hemorrhage" is not a bad song for me. "Hemorrhage" is a great song that worked really well for me. It's one of those songs that came really quick. You know you labor over songs and they all turn out like crap and then a flash hits you and you have a song really quick, so it's uh definitely one of them. I mean there's another song called "Solace" which I love but probably never saw the light very much and probably never will which is fine but it's personal to me.
TL: That album is stacked. My favorite tune is on there, "Last Time".
CB: Alright, cool. Yeah that one worked out well. It's kinda been a problem with us I think that part of it is once again coming from the label's side an trying to push us into a more mid-tempo ballads band and not the heavy stuff. And we're out with Trapt right now and Trapt came up to us and said "we knew you guys were heavy, but we didn't know you guys were that heavy" when they saw us live and playing with them. I mean I think there's a big misconception as to what the band is about just because of the singles that have represented us so. If I had 24 hours I would make everybody listen to the record and they would know that we're not just about mid-tempo ballads.
TL: That's all I got man. Anything else you wanna get off your chest?
CB: No man, just go to fuelweb.com or myspace.com/fuel and check out what's going on and see you out there on the road I hope.