by Jason and Brent

Hello Wayne.  Thanks for doing this interview for the fan site.  This seems to be your first ever-dedicated fan site.  What do you think of it?

I’m very flattered. This is definitely a first for me. Just make sure you include photos of me posing with all kinds of exotic women…

With your solo album coming out soon, you probably are focused on getting that to market.  In spite of that, do you have any plans right now to make another solo album?  If so, do you think it might be a Northern release?

Yes, definitely. Northern’s been very cool, and I’m glad to get to work with them. These guys really care about music, and they want artists to have the most opportunities possible to get their music out there.

You mention on your site that there will be limited-edition copies of your album.  Can you elaborate on that a little more?  Will there be extra songs available?  How will your fans be able to purchase these?

The special edition is getting specialer and specialer. Just when I make up my mind to do a certain thing with it, I change my mind. I’m trying to find a way to get some extra songs out there, but who knows. My astrologer friend would say I’m a typical Libra.

You seem to write incredible love songs.  Are there any author’s that inspire your lyrics?

I’m kind of embarrassed to say it, but I really don’t read very much. My inspiration comes from different real and imaginary places, but books are generally not one of them. Besides, right now my day job is copyediting, so I can’t be bothered to go home and look at more text. Of course, what am I doing right now??

Is there anything you would change on KingsQueens?

It always seems like there’s not enough time to finish an album, but with this one I’m very happy with the results. Frank Lenz did some really fantastic things with it, and I’m very nervous and excited to hear what people think. In many ways it’s very soft, but I hope it seems more like a modern Elton John or Fleetwood Mac or Bread kind of thing. There are some pretty screwed up things on it.

How goes the effort in putting together a liveshow for KingsQueens?  Do you see any touring in the future?

I’m working on that right now. I’ve got a show on March 6 at Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles, California. More shows in SoCal are coming, and I’d really like to take a trip out of town. We’ll have to wait and see.

What do you see yourself doing musically in the next year?

Right now I’m gearing up for the KQ shows, but I’m also playing drums on a record for Cush at the moment.

We have heard rumors that Lassie may be back together.  Is this true? If so, what should we expect from Lassie in the next year or so?

I wouldn’t say we’re “together,” but we’ve been talking about doing some more recording this year. I’m hoping that we have something out by the end of this year, but nothing’s planned yet.

Are you involved in any of the new Cush projects?

This new thing I’m working on is really exciting. It’s really early to tell what it’s going to be, but if it stays this way it’ll probably be the most dark rock thing Cush has done.

In the past, you have been involved with many musicians and bands.  What is it like to play with so many personalities and mixes of musicians?  For example, what was it like to play with Starflyer 59 as opposed to playing with The Prayer Chain?  What was it like to work with Fine China and Honey?

The Prayer Chain was a different dynamic than the others. It was a rigid democracy–probably to a fault. Everyone had creative input throughout the whole process–writing, recording, the day-to-day decisions, etc.

SF59 at that time was basically Jason doing all the creative stuff and Cloud doing all the business stuff, and Fine China and Honey were bands that hired me to contribute a few things to their recordings. They were all very fun experiences, but they were very different, as well. SF59 was probably the most laid-back, since all I had to do was play drums and cards.

You have sat in the production seat a number of times.  How was that experience?  Do you see yourself doing that again?  Do you see yourself working in any other capacity for other bands (like engineering, etc.)?

I guess in some way I’ve never stopped producing, but being “the producer” on a record is definitely a distinct gig. You bear more of the responsibility for the entire session instead of just contributing when you feel inspired. It’s a challenging exercise, so it was great on KQ for Frank to take on some of it. He had great ideas, so it was fun to explore something that I hadn’t thought of before. The record has some beautiful moments, and I think Frank had a large part in creating much of those.

For the fans, we thought we would ask a couple of questions about your college life.  Where did you go to college?  Did you graduate?  What was your major?  How was it being in TPC and trying to go to school?

I went to Pepperdine U. and got a BA in Intercultural Communications. School and rock was hard to combine at times. I took a semester off to do a fall tour, and I had to miss the first day of a tour for my graduation. The latter ended up great, though, because the guys hired some dude to fill in.  That dude turned out to be Frank Lenz.

You know French.  Was this something you learned in college?  What attracts you to French culture?  Have you spent much time in France?

French was my minor in college, but I had taken it since 4th grade. I really got into it when I spent a summer in Paris during college. The French seem to be very laid back–which I can relate to, being from Southern California and all. I appreciate their emphasis on living for life rather than living to climb some economical or social ladder. If the U.S. had the same amount of legal holidays as France, perhaps it wouldn’t be as wealthy, but I think Americans would be a lot happier.

Who are you currently listening to?

I just bought the Ramones’ End of the Century.  Strange combo between them and Phil Spector, but it’s also not that weird–they all loved the same 50s music. It’s terrible what’s going on with Spector these days.  I like listening to hip-hop/R&B, which to me has got some of the most interesting music going on right now. I like the new Missy Elliot record and different singles I hear on the radio. Rock and roll seems to be dying, no matter how many Strokes and Vines bands try to save it. I hope I’m wrong.

Wayne Everett