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Interview P.J. CLEVENGER
Interview By PATRICK DE SLOOVER
METAL TO INFINITY
Most of the interviews concert a new album, an important issue or a decisive change, but Metal To Infinity likes to go beyond those matters. Why not enquire a musician, have a chat with a passionate man, interrogate a music freak and above all, introduce the world of metal to those liable musicians. P.J. Clevenger started drumming at the age of 10, originated from Great Falls, Montana, and he's currently living in Phoenix, Arizona.
Q: Before we start talking about music, let's introduction yourself. Who the f*ck is P.J. Clevenger and what does P.J. stands for?
A: P.J. stands for Patrick Jon. I was born on St. Patrick's Day. The doctor came out and told my parents ''You have a Patrick!'' Other wise my name was going to be Darrin. I was born and raised in Great Falls, Montana, Not exactly a metal town but somehow I managed to get into metal. I was in the Navy for 4 years and got stationed in San Diego, CA and stayed there once I got out of the military then I moved to Phoenix, AZ in 2002.
As of right now, I build drums for Medicine Man Custom Drums, teach drum lessons, and play in band. I recently received a degree in video game design and am an independent sound designer for video games along with being a contract game tester for THQ...Yes, not only do I play drums for a living, I supplement my income by playing video games.
Q: What made you decide to start drumming at the age of 10? Most kids prefer the strings in stead of the sticks.
A: Actually I wanted to play guitar too but when I got into the school music program in 4th grade, they didn't offer guitar. They did offer percussion though, so I went with that and pretty much stuck with it from there.
Q: Did you see a particular drummer on TV or video. Perhaps you had in mind: ''hey, this is what I wanna do'', so you started with a few buckets or garbage cans, pretending being a rockstar?
A: Oh yeah. I saw Peter Criss on TV and decided that THAT'S what I wanted to do. I started my drumming career out with Tinker-Toy sticks and pillows. I would play records and play along to them.
Q: I remember my first acquaintance with hardrock and metal. UFO and Led Zeppelin were revelations, but when I saw KISS on TV, my world turned upside down. From then on, things have never been the same. What is your driven force? What is your musical goal, what are you aiming for?
A: I don't think there's a musician alive today that wasn't affected by KISS either directly or indirectly. They may not be the most technical band in the world but they knew how to put on a show. Peter Criss and Eric Carr were my first drum influences. I used to run around wearing the Catman makeup when I was a kid.
My aims for drumming have changed over the years. When I was younger, my goal was to become rich and famous, but nowadays, I do it for the love of drums, drumming, and being able to pay the bills yet still afford a few toys here and there.
Q: You formed your first band at the age of 16. I guess that this was the very first step into the business. It was a tender attempt to see what a band is all about?
I don't know if it was a TENDER attempt at anything. It was my first attempt at playing in a band. It was a cover band put together with some high school friends. We played Sabbath, Ozzy, Motley Crue, Judas Priest, and Deep Purple songs.
Q: At that time, friendship was still prior to success, isn't it?
A: Yeah, at 16 I didn't have a clue about the business. It was just 4 friends getting together and jamming. There wasn't really a business end to it.
Q: And what about nowadays? Do you still need the chemistry, the great feeling on stage, or did it convert: nowadays success is prior to friendship. Perhaps you had so many bad luck and setbacks that you look at it totally different, now?
A: Yeah, it's just like the saying goes, friendship is friendship but business is business. It sucks having to put business ahead of friendship but it's part of the industry. I've been on both sides of the coin. I've had to fire really cool people simply because of something that had nothing to do with their personality or talent. I've also been fired for the same reasons.
Chemistry is important. If there's no chemistry, your music sucks and no one will like you. In my opinion, a band of mediocre musicians with good chemistry will do better than a band of prodigies with no chemistry.
Q: Before we start talking about your band Tribal Rift, I want to notice that you auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne in 1995. Tell us how this worked out?
A: It didn't (Laughing). I was young and hopeful but still lacking in the talent department. I'm pretty sure I got cut in the first round.
Q: Have you been in touch with Ozzy himself, or was it limited to some first contacts by sending in a tape or a video?
A: It was send in a promo pack and then I jammed to some recordings live. I don't know if he was actually there listening or if it was just someone screening for him. I've never met Ozzy personally. Dean Castronovo ended up with the gig and then eventually Mike Bordin got the job.
Q: The next step in your career was the band Tribal Rift. What kind of music did they play, and was it well received in your area?
A: Tribal Rift was a fun band. I worked with one of the guitar players who was roommates with the singer and other guitar player/keyboardist and I was in a previous band with the bass player. We all got together and jammed. Everyone had completely different influences but somehow there was a chemistry that produced some really good music (in my opinion anyway). It was kind of Progressive rock with a hint of metal in it. People liked us a lot. We were always told that our music was hypnotizing.
Q: Tribal Rift recorded the album Tribal Rift in 1997. I guess that this was a limited US release? Did you have a record deal at that time, or was it an independent release?
A: It actually never got released. We recorded it two months after we put the band together, played a few shows and then the band fell apart.
Q: The progressive metal band Tribal Rift was accepted to fill the opening slot for Alice Cooper's European and Japanese tour. Due to significant problems with the manager, you had to cancel this great opportunity. If you look back now, don't you think it's a missed chance?
A: Definitely. This was the main reason Tribal Rift fell apart. We put our hearts, souls and hopes into the project and the upcoming tour so when it fell through, everyone was bummed and we just decided to call it quits.
Q: Shortly after, you joined Voodoo Temple from San Diego. How did you get in touch with this band?
A: There's a paper in San Diego call The Weekly Reader. I had a ''Drummer available'' ad they responded to. I auditioned and then joined a short time later.
Q: Voodoo Temple had some successful years with a lot of great gigs. The band opened for numerous bands like Warrant, Bang Tango and Randy Castillo. Can I say that this band was the best band so far?
A: Yeah Voodoo Temple was pretty successful. We played the New Jersey Metal Fest with Fozzy, Deicide, Anal Blast, and a bunch of other bands as well. We also shot a video for the song ''Closure.'' It's on youtube and my myspace page (www.myspace.com/pjclevenger).
Q: You recorded three albums with Voodoo Temple, but left the band in August 2004. Was it because of the well known musical indifferences?
A: No. My exit from Voodoo Temple was mainly logistical. Voodoo Temple was based in San Diego so when I moved to Phoenix in 2002 going to band practice became a 6 hour drive for me. We tried to make it work long distance but the bands tightness started suffering after a while. Then one day in August of 2004, I got the ''Dear John'' call and I was out. Voodoo Temple disbanded in early 2005.
Q: Afterwards, you joined the band 12 Ton Sledge, but they played a totally diverse musical style. Progressive metal became Hardcore metal. Is it that easy to get into a totally new musical direction? I suppose that drumming in a metal band is totally diverse than drumming in a hardcore band?
A: Yeah, it's a different style. Progressive has a lot of time changes and odd time signatures. Voodoo Temple was more thrash metal like Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth where 12 Ton was more like Hatebreed and Lamb of God. 12 Ton was more like thrash but on fast forward.
Changing musical styles isn't always easy but I try to be as diverse as I can. If you listen to the songs on my myspace page, they are 4 different styles of music. Progressive, thrash, hardcore, & kind of bluesy.
Q: With this band, you played some cool shows as well. You shared the stage with bands like Ill Nino, Flotsam And Jetsam, Pitch Black and Sacred Reich! Especially, Sacred Reich is a cool band with a cool drummer Greg Hall. They are planning to tour Europe again, and I guess that you like the drumming part and skills of Greg Hall as well?
A: Yeah Greg is a great drummer. Sacred Reich is also from Phoenix as well.
Q: At this moment, you left 12 Ton Sledge as well. Can I say that P.J. Clevenger is unemployed at the moment?
A: Not at all. I'm playing in band called Remains Nameless right now. The style is a metal/punk fusion with some pretty good melodies. It's really hard to describe our sound. I'm also considering putting Voodoo Temple back together or at least a new version.
I have a few other bands interested in me as well. I've been taking some time off since my son was born back in July, but I'm definitely not unemployed.
Q: Being a session drummer is a kind of risky job. It gives you the freedom to decide what project you want to join and what band you want to refuse, but it gives financial uncertainty as well. Can you make your living as a musician or is it mainly a hobby that pays off now and then?
A: It really depends on where the hiring band is at in their career. I've done session work for money and I've done session work for barter. It's nice because I can add to my discography without all the headaches of releasing a CD.
Right now, I don't have my own home recording studio so it's more of a here and there paying job. If I were to get my own recording gear I could probably do it for a living.
Q: You played a few tracks on the upcoming Lunar FX album, and you also recorded some tracks for the band Storm Within. Are both bands temporary?
A: Lunar FX was a session gig. It's a one man operation and he hires studio musicians to record his CDs. Storm Within was a band that I had joined for a short time and recorded some drum tracks for but the chemistry wasn't there so we mutually separated.
Q: What are the upcoming jobs, in which band will you participate?
A: Like I said before, I'm contemplating reforming Voodoo Temple. I've also been talking with Michael Mozart (Accomplished session guitarist) and Martika (Michael's wife and former pop singer who sang the song ''Toy Soldiers'' in the late 80's) who have a band called Oppera. They're interested in me being in their touring band.
Q: If you had the chance to choose between session work, a tour or drum teaching, what would you prefer?
A: Tour. Session drumming is fun, teaching is great. I love it. It's actually made me a better drummer but I get the ultimate high from playing in front of crowds.
Q: Besides being a versatile drummer, you also build drums for Medicine Man Custom Drums. Tell us something more about that. What is your task exactly?
A: I've been endorsed by Medicine Man Drums since 2000. One day I was on the phone with Dana, the owner, and he asked me if would be interested in building for him. At first I declined because I didn't know the first thing about drum building but he talked me into it and walked me through the process and now I'm pretty good at it.
I run Medicine Man Custom Drums AZ. Dana covers the eastern U.S. and I cover the western U.S.
Q: Since years, you have a lot of endorsement deals. Danmar products, Saluda Cymbals, Attack Drumheads, Capella drumsticks, Factory Metal Percussion and so on... Is it so easy to obtain those endorsements, and what do they demand in return?
A: Capella closed down their drumstick operations so now I'm endorsed by Trueline. Getting that first endorsement is a pain in the ass. No one wants to make the gamble of being the first to endorse you. Once you get that first one however, the others come a little easier.
Q: Besides endorsements with technical stuff and material, you also have merchandising on your own. People can buy T-shirts, mouse pads, stickers and even underwear! It's all available as ''drummer from Hell'' goodies for fellow drummers. Give us a little extra! How can people purchase?
A: (Laughing) Yeah, that's another KISS influence. I'm not so egotistical to think that people will want to buy ''PJ Clevenger'' merchandise so I came up with ''Drummer from Hell'' merch. You can get it at my webpage www.pjclevenger.com/merchandise.htm
Q: Well, P.J., I guess we know much more about your passion and love for music. Is there one last thing that you want to add to this interview?
A: Thank you for your interest in me and giving me the opportunity to interview with you. I'd also like to thank my wife Raechel for putting up with me and giving me my son. She's the best woman in the universe! You know what they say, ''Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.''
Please keep us updated about future activities and spread the word of metal! Just like you quote: Be Proud, Be Loud!
Patrick de Sloover on behalf of Metal To Infinity Webzine.
www.myspace.com/pjclevenger www.pjclevenger.com/merchandise.htm
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