An Interview with Matt Sorum

We heard you have moved from L.A. to Palm Springs! How do you like it?

Well right now, it’s a little toasty. We’ve lived here for about 4 years. When the Baby was coming, we decided to get out of the big city. Maybe thinking about getting a second home at Lake Tahoe. We love the Summers there. Palm Springs is cool, and we love it in the Winter and Spring. We just recorded a new Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) record out here too.

Oh yes, we heard about the Recording, so can you tell us about that Project?

In Pioneer Town and Joshua Tree there are a lot of Musicians up there. I was working up at my friend’s place (Christopher Thorn) who used to be in the Band Blind Melon, and of course Shannon Hoon who was a cohort of Axl’s. So, I was working up at his studio, but there’s another Studio up there called “Escape” near Pioneer Town (Pappy and Harriet’s area) on 140 acres, 2 Studios, 4 Houses and a bunch of Airstream trailers. I talked Billy into coming out there last Summer in July. We made the record in the middle of nowhere and shot 4 videos, super low budget and stripped down. We worked really hard coming up with the best songs, and I think we came up with a really cool record. It came out and was a Top 20 Record in England and #1 in a couple of Countries in Europe, and it’s doing really well.

We want to hit on your Book “Double Talkin Jive” and it is an amazingly fun read. You have met so many people and jammed with so many amazing artists. How does that make you feel?

Obviously when you write a Book, not to sound like a name dropper, but it’s hard to tell the stories when you’ve had all these experiences I have had. People would always say “Oh my God you have some amazing stories, you should write a book”, and with me for some reason I was like Rain Man. I could just remember everything down to the details; I guess being a drummer, I was just always detail oriented. When we got into the Cult stuff and me and Ian (Astbury) almost get arrested by the Fire Marshall, I mean, I can remember the Room number; it was room 626 because I remember thinking “Oh my God, we’re only four doors down from the Devil”. I remember it was Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it was over 30 years ago. So, when I remember the characters in my life, it was such pinnacle moments, and I used to say to people when I was partying hard “Well, it’s going to be good for the book”.

This is in your Book but let our readers in on what led to you becoming the Drummer for Guns n Roses, and… the first time you met Axl Rose?

The first time I met Axl was when I was in NYC, and I was playing with The Cult. There is a segment in the Book explaining about a famous Rock n Roll Hotel in New York right outside Central Park called “The Mayflower”.
All the Bands used to stay there, and The Cult liked the Hotel. I remember when I first walked into the Hotel, I saw Sean Penn and Robert DeNiro. I went up the elevator, and the guy who brought my bags to my room said, “Is there anything else you need”? (Wink, Wink, like drugs, alcohol). It was that kind of Hotel!! I then went downstairs to the Bar, and there was Nick Nolte and Christopher Walken. I sat down at the bar in between Ian Astbury and Christopher Walken who asked, “Where you guys going”? After we said, “we’re going Downtown to the East Village”, that’s when Ian announced that Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin were going to come pick us up. Before I left The Cult, we were the Headliner and Guns n Roses was the Opening Act. Ian was the one responsible for giving Axl his headband look and had rapport with him long before I did.
Christopher Walken asked, “Can I hitch a ride”? So, this Limo pulls up in the front of the Hotel and there was Axl and Izzy. We end up jumping into the Limo and get into this conversation about Axl funding and supporting these Nicaraguan Guerillas in their plight against their government, and I thought that was just so eclectic and cool. I just remember the imagery of it all…. there’s Christopher Walken just being Christopher Walken (laughter). We then drove down to the East Village to the “Scrap Bar”. Went down there and drank until that placed closed, and then ended it up at a place called “The Loft”. I found Ian later laying besides a trash can. I said “Hey, we have a photo shoot this morning at Central Park”!! 

Who was the first person who brought up the notion of you becoming G & R’s Drummer?

The Cult was finishing up a Tour and Shows in L.A. and Slash and Axl showed up. They get out of a limo that made me think of scenes in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. These guys were the epitome of Rock n Roll; it looked fabricated but was One hundred percent real. At the time, joking to my girlfriend I said, “Those guys look like fun, maybe I can play with them”. Fast forward a month or two later, I get a call from Mike Clink (who produced a lot of big records (Whitesnake, Triumph, Guns n Roses, Motley Crue, MegaDeath, UFO, Jefferson Starship, The Baby’s, Eddie Money, many more) and he says, “I got your number from Lars Ulrich, and I’m not going to tell you who’s calling, but somebody is going to be calling you in a minute”. Not long after that Slash called me, and Mom said something like “Slush is on the phone” (more Laughter). When Slash and Duff (McKagen) came to see me, the conversations were about playing on their recordings, but shortly thereafter I was put up in a Hollywood apartment. I walked in and started playing with Slash, Duff, & Izzy and it was awesome! In those days the pressure to come up with the second album was huge because bands needed to come up with an album every year, and if you didn’t you were in trouble.

“Double Talkin Jive” is written about your heyday and all the amazing stories. Besides the obvious answer of your Family, since you aren’t the Party Animal you were before, what is the one thing that now motivates Matt Sorum every day?

I’ve always been the guy who wakes up and takes it one day at a time. I can’t really say I had a “plan” for that particular time in my life; I just wanted to be in a Rock Band and play Rock n Roll. With that type of mindset, you just go after things because you have nothing to lose. 

I still have the kind of mindset going into my life, except now I have a family, I’m Married and have a Baby, and everything changes. I still feel like going out and being creative, trying to do good things. My life in the Book lays out that I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but I always fall into something incredible; my Bucket List is “pretty full”. I’ve played with some of the greatest in the business from Steven Tyler, Lemmy, Alice Cooper, etc. I’ve lived the Rock n Roll dream!! I’ve taken all that experience and it has opened other doors for me. Now I’m doing things as an Entrepreneur, I’ve got a couple Charities going. Guns n Roses opened a lot of doors for me because if people want to be around a creative environment, I can give wisdom in other ways.

Who is your Hero now, who do you look up to?

Right now I’m in Baby World!! I can’t even think right now, this has been 60 years in the making! There are heroes to me in other aspects of the World for sure. Guys like Ric O’Barry behind the Dolphin Project and Jill Robinson with Animals Asia Foundation. There are a lot of things out there, and as you get older different ideas come, and I like that. Lars is a good friend of mine, and Metallica is one of those bands that gives back.

Switching gears, you have a new Beer coming out called “Drummer Beer”? Can you tell us about that?

Sometimes I work with people who I met who are a “Fan” of mine. I was doing some stuff in Brazil, and someone wrote something about me doing a Beer. The beer is in Brazil, and we are launching in August here in America. It’s already out (released) in Brazil, but those are the type of things you’ll see me doing in the near future.

Matt as you leave the Stage what are your parting words?

Are you talking about my final bow? Well, I definitely have more to do, but I don’t know….

“I came and lived the Dream; I felt the rush and it’s been a beautiful life. I’ve grabbed every piece that I could and there’s more to come, I hope”.

For 20 years and running, Copenhagen, Denmark-based band Volbeat has had it both ways: the popular group has honed its brand of hard-rock (with elements of early, vintage rock ‘n’ roll) while appealing to an audience that extends well beyond rock fans. Few groups have been as successful at maintaining their musical integrity while continuing to grow their fan base decades into their careers. Volbeat kicks off its 2022 North American tour with a January 25 concert at the Reno Events Center, co-headlining with fellow European hard rockers Ghost.

Formed in 2001 by Michael Poulsen, Volbeat was conceived as a way for the guitarist-singer to pursue a style more creatively rewarding than the death metal he had been playing with his previous group. He enlisted the talents of other like-minded musicians including drummer Jon Larsen.

While carrying on with the power and energy of the music its members had made previously, Volbeat would also draw inspiration from more classic and timeless sources like blues, rockabilly and soul.

Larsen says that Volbeat’s musical approach is a natural one for its members. “Michael grew up [listening to] all the great artists of the ‘50s: Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis.” Larsen’s own formative years centered around the music of the following decade; he mentions four British bands – the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks – as early inspirations.

From Volbeat’s earliest days, the four-piece band focused on original material that conveyed the energy of modern-day hard rock and metal, but remained true to the spirit of early rock ‘n’ roll. But Larsen emphasizes that the group’s mindset wasn’t some kind of studied, clinical exercise in music-making. “We don't say, ‘Oh, we've got to do a ‘50s-type of rock ‘n’ roll song.’ It just happens, you know?” he says.

And Volbeat’s inimitable style quickly won the attention of fans in their native Denmark. The group landed a record deal on the strength of their demo tape, and their major-label debut, 2005’s The Strength/The Sound/The Songs sold well, going Double-platinum in Denmark and Gold in Germany. The record was named Best Album of 2005 by the Danish Metal Musik Awards.

Even though everyone in the group was a seasoned musician, Volbeat couldn’t coast on the reputation of its members. The band had to pay its dues, “playing in ‘toilets,’” Larsen says with a chuckle. But he says that Volbeat’s bookings quickly progressed from small clubs to bigger clubs, and then to larger and larger concert venues. “There's a bit of luck in it,” he admits. “But we've worked really, really hard.”

Volbeat’s success has grown steadily. The group became a popular fixture on the European festival circuit, and by 2009 Volbeat was a featured act at some of the continent’s biggest outdoor festivals. Soon Volbeat was sharing stages with the biggest names in metal, including Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer.

Conquering America was next. Larsen credits the band’s emphasis upon touring in the States as a key factor in building a fan base here. Volbeat landed in the U.S. in May 2009, supporting Nightwish on a tour of the East Coast. But what followed was even bigger. “There’s no denying it,” Larsen says. “Being on tour with Metallica helped. We went east, we went west, and we had shows in the middle as well. They are the biggest metal band of all time; wherever they go, it’s a sold out show.”

Opening acts sometimes get less love from audiences who have paid to see the headliner. But Volbeat won over those Metallica fans. And they didn’t take the new audience for granted. “As soon as we could, we came back to a lot of those cities,” Larsen notes.
“We played in clubs, and we kept on touring. We did it the good old fashioned way.” The touring paid off in other ways, too: Volbeat’s increased Stateside profile helped push several of the group’s songs to the #1 spot on Sirius XM.

Former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano started working with Volbeat as a producer during sessions in late 2012 and 2013. Caggiano had also planned to serve as “guest guitarist” on the sessions, adding some searing solos. But the experience went so well for all concerned that by the time the resulting album (2013’s Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies) was released, Caggiano had joined the band as a full-time member.

Larsen says that the addition of Caggiano “opened a door” for Volbeat. The group's original concept more or less prohibited guitar solos, a trademark of metal bands that didn’t figure prominently in early rock ‘n’ roll. “We started out by saying, ‘No guitar solos at all,’’ he explains, “because most guitar solos are kind of boring!” 

But after four or five albums, Volbeat was ready to relax that restriction. “It was like, ‘Okay, maybe we should have a guitar solo here and there,’” Larsen recalls with a laugh. “And Rob’s guitar style has really added to the band.”

A more recent addition is bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen (no relation to Volbeat’s drummer), who joined in 2016 and was first heard on record with the band on 2019’s Rewind, Replay, Rebound.
With a background in both punk and metal – and previous experience as Volbeat’s touring bassist more than a decade ago – Kaspar colors the group's sound in a new way as well. “Sometimes he plays with his fingers and not a pick,” says Jon Larsen. And as opposed to following the basic chordal structure of a song, Volbeat’s bassist comes up with other ideas that contrast and complement Caggiano’s guitar work.
Volbeat had a major tour scheduled for 2020. But when the global pandemic scotched those plans, the band wasn’t content to sit still. Larsen recalls the band’s thinking: “We can’t just sit at home with our feet in front of the fire! We have to keep working.” So they made another album. Released in December, Servant of the Mind is Volbeat’s eighth studio release, and the second with the current lineup.
Servant of the Mind is consistent in serving up the kind of rock the band’s fans have come to love, but at the same time it’s possibly the most stylistically varied album in the group’s catalog. One of many standout tracks is “Dagen Før,” a song featuring guest vocals from Stine Bramsen, former lead singer of massively popular Danish pop group Alphabeat.

“When Michael came up with the basic track for the song, he said, ‘I hear a female voice on this,’” Larsen recalls. They asked Bramsen; she agreed, coming to the studio and knocking out her superb vocal parts in less than three hours. In a sense, it’s a testament to Volbeat’s reputation that the band can feature a pop singer without raising the ire of hard rock fans.

Larsen dismisses the idea that having Bramsen guest on a Volbeat record is especially unusual. He suggests that his band has always defied expectations. “Back in the days when we had Barney [Greenway] from Napalm Death on a track, there were probably people wondering, ‘What are they doing?’” he says. “By now, I guess they’re kind of used to it!”

VOLBEAT with Ghost and Twin TempleReno Events CenterTuesday, January 25, 2022, 7 p.m.Tickets $39.50 - $99.50
www.volbeat.dk/us/