Rockstar guitarist Sam Loeffler from Chevelle is not the typical touring partier. Intelligent and down to earth, interviewing Sam was like having a regular conversation with a friend, laid back and easygoing.
Explain the last year in three words.
I don’t know if I can do that. The thing for us is that we were in the studio writing for five months so we haven’t been out and about. We finally decided we had to get out of the studio; we were really burnt out. The tour is fun and easy, because it’s a support tour.
How has the band changed since the separation of Joe? Do you talk now?
It’s complicated-Joe quit three times. He wasn’t really fired like everyone said. He never wrote with us; it wasn’t his thing. He was just so unhappy. The last show we played together he quit and when he came back we told him he needed to figure out what he wanted. We didn’t want to do it anymore, to struggle with him. He just didn’t have the passion. The new bassist is Dean, who is our brother in law. It was really great having him come in. It was very natural and organic because we’ve known him for awhile and he has played with us before. We knew right away that we wanted him to join the band.
How was the writing process?
Pete is out songwriter and he works on everything, anywhere. In the studio, we’ll sit there and piece it together. We throw out most of what we come up with because we know we can come up with something better. We’ll use like five out of 20 songs.
Did you feel more pressure when you were writing this second time as a result of your initial success?
You have to be careful that you don’t do the same thing. The first was indie, the second was polished. We always want to push it, play some really heavy music and not radio-play.
Did you have any new influences on this album that you may have not had before?
We have a lot of punk influences in the beginning. But Pete is really just influenced by strong singers and rhythms. I think as an artist you wear your influences on your sleeve, which is head-bobbing music. I’m into more in heavy stuff, things that are hard rock or metal.
What is your favorite track?
For playing wise, “Get Some” is a fun song to play. Songs that aren’t necessarily singles because the fans appreciate them more since they haven’t heard them that much.
Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.