PipemanRadio Interviews Evans Blue at Welcome To Rockville 2025

0:04 Hi, you love done too? Yes, that's sure. W for see why crazy young. Welcome to Rockville, North America's largest rock festival is finally here. This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four CY Radio at Welcome to Rockville twenty twenty five and I'm here. With Dan Chandler Evans Blue. What's going on? Nice? Yes, So I'm very excited because we're here at Welcome to Rockville and this is is this like your first festival or even first show, and since two thoy fifteen or something, it's. Been a while. Until last weekend we played up in Lansing, Michigan at a festival. So it was a good show to have a first show back in a long time, get the kinks worked out, make sure everything's working correctly, and we did have a couple of hiccups, but that's to be expected.

0:59 It's great that you said that, because I like that Rockville's the second because you got rid of all the bugs and cobwebs and everything, and now you can kill it here at the Daytona Speedway. That amazing. I know we're driving on the track to get to the dressing, right. I mean, it's just crazy I got my kids with me, so they get to see everything kind of experience and it's amazing. Man. They like driving on the speedway. They love it. Their papa is a huge race car fanatic, used to drive cars, build them, race them. He's not with us today, so we ended up filming him and he's like, it would have been the best part of my trip. I'm like, you would have loved it. Man. Did you see the wall? It's not like it looks on TV.

1:40 Like, absolutely not. The first year I was here, I was like, because I have a jeep and I have my skateboard and the jeep, and I said to Christine, who runs media here, I'm like, hey, if I take my skateboard and ride it out on the wall, Well, I got at my media passport. She said yeah, probably. I'm like, okay, wait until after. There you go that end. But I looked at that wall like, yeah, I would probably break a lot of bones get on my skateboard and try to come down the wall. I ain't going on skateboard without a wall. Yeah, I've been a big trouble. But yeah, the wall is so much more angle than I see on TV. You don't know. And then Okay, do you know why those colored seats are.

2:22 No, But we thought it was people when we first pull it. It so that when they're on TV, that's incredible no matter how many people are here, it looks like it's full. I need to do that at all our Evans Blue shows. Yeah, there he goes. Tell us what made you come out of this long hiatus to it? Seems a lot of bands are doing it in twenty twenty five for some reason. Yeah. I don't remember like collaborating with people and telling them, hey, let's all go back out and play. But we've been wanting to play for a long time. I did a couple other projects just for fun to stay a bit. I can't just not play or make music. But really just came down to life's events. Man. It's everybody's got kids, and everybody's trying to make it work, and we just figured it's time. I want to get back out there.

3:08 I miss it. My kids are at the age now where they can actually experience something that I did for my whole life and get a memory. And for me it's medicine and I miss it. Oh, definitely the best therapy, Yeah, it's for sure. And and the way I look at it is it's kind of like you were talking about that with you know, having kids, Like you're in band and then you start a family, and like you focus on the family, and then the kids get older. It's okay, now I can go back. To doing yes, coming out of the bubble. There you go, there you go. What do your kids think about when they see you up there doing that? I don't know, that's very impressive. Hoards up. So they're both are so they're into it. We listen to a lot of music at the house, play a lot of music. They both love it. But yet I don't hear them jamming my CDs or streaming my music. But they're fans. I'm no Taylor Swift or anything.

3:58 So it's a little different. It's funny you should say, because I was just gonna mention I have a granddaughter, two grand daughters. There Swifties, okay, Adam in the car isolated, couldn't go anywhere. I'm like, here, I'm gonna play this song. Let's see what you think about it was I prevail, Oh yeah, blank spaces and so one of my granddaughters. Both of them were like, all right, I like Taylor better. And then got back to the house and one of my granddaughter she's locked in her room like a typical preteen in it. By the way, I love it. I'm like converted. Thank you. So you were coming on this. Okay, so this is my battle vest from the eighties. Okay, awesome, this Slayer didn't even have patches yet. Okay, this okay, it's fight because I was on ship Rock doing coverage and that was the first time I've brought this out of closet and brought it to festivals to do interviews, and I'm like, wow, that was a great fucking idea because Okay, Whinston Parkway Drive was totally geeking out, especially this patch, because he's like, holy shit, I've never seen a logo like that for Metallica because they're not a Satanic or whatever band. I have not either, so I have At first, I have a trivia question for you because it just came up before. Do you know what that represents that patch?

5:19 I got nothing, I got nothing. What is it? It looks like a devil king Kong dragon something. It's the song Jumping the Fire. Oh it makes sense now. Before Kill Them All came out, this was the patch no kidding. Wow, man, what a conversation conversation piece this jacket is. Oh yeah, it's got a lot. Now we go on the other side and you see the mosh pit conversation piece. Gosh okay, and of course like. Wow, look at these patches. I know right, that's a Metallica patch, believe it or not. That is incredible. And that's a Venom patch. Wow, I've never seen it has like the actual picture on the patch. Yeah, that is killed. We need to get some of these, bring them back.

6:03 I know, right, I love it. And then over here it's blood from climbing up a Marshall stack, running from security and diving into the crowd and they moved I you oh no, and the ergo I have no teeth up. My god, man, don't do that. It's do not be stupid like I. Was jumping in the crowd unless Yeah, I just don't do it. It's awesome. And so I was like, oh, what great conversation. I never thought of that. Look at this no posers, Oh my gosh, that's back in the day. You don't even use that reference now. I remember Metallica, there were like twenty five of us that used to go to Metallica shows. Yeah, and then they did the Black album. We're like, fuck, damn fucking posers sellouts.

6:52 Oh my god, that's funny. And then I was right up front for two sets at Sonic Temple last week. So, you know what, you're an idiot when you're young, and then you come back a little layter realize it's different when you're done and doing this stuff. You know, it's like, there shouldn't be that gatekeeping. There shouldn't be that poser bullshit. What I love now is there's going to be two hundred thousand people here at Welcome to rock Felle and we're just one big family and nobody's an outcast, right, nobody. You could be whoever you want to be. I wasn't the case in the beginning. I'm so glad it got to where we are now. You came back at the right time, then. Yes, I guess so, I guess we did. I wanted to be back earlier, we all did. But yeah, we've been tracking songs in the studio, recording, trying to get some new music. We've got tracks done. We just have to figure out the best scenario. Because we were like, well, if we're going to do these festivals. It'd be nice to have something new out there, but we didn't get them done in time, and we didn't want to pass up an opportunity to play a show like this.

7:52 Yeah, no doubt. Yeah, So we'll get them out there as soon as we can. Do you have other festivals you're gonna be doing. Yeah, we're going down to Houston, Texas next week and Dallas and we're playing I guess the Marilynd Manson or like the Buzzfest okay, and the df something I forget what they called it, but yeah, Dallas. It's gonna be same bill, same line up. Nice. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, and then we go home for a little bit. That's always nice, right, is it's better now that you're a little older, like instead of being touring three hundred and seventy million days of the year or two, go take some time off recharge like me. I do almost all the festivals in the US, UK, Europe. I do a bunch. Yeah, and like I'm gonna go home from here and I'm gonna have four days before I have to go to Vegas for Punk Rock Bowling and I will seclude like, oh okay, we'll see me outside at all, I'll be like, like, just let me just chill out, recharge p mice. But then I come here, I'm like, oh my god, I love this. It's like a love hate relations.

8:56 That's what it's like. You can't wait to get back out and you can't wait to get home. Then you can. It's just that's what we are. We're humans, so we do we we can't have, and when we have it, we don't want it. If you were to take one story, good or bad, that you've had throughout this whole career of music that you're going to tell your grandkids about, what would it be. I don't know. If I didn't, i'd have to encompass maybe the whole way it went, how it started. I would say it seems impossible, and I think you have to be a little bit delusional to think you can actually pull something like this off. But be delusional. That's how it happens. Keep pushing, keep going. I think just the really it was just the climb and the desperation, and everything looks better now looking back because it worked out, you know what I mean. But at the time, it's difficult.

9:43 So sometimes things are going to be hard. And like I said, when I tell my kids, it's if you want something bad enough, you can get it. You just have to want it bad enough. You don't get it. You got to do everything it takes. And I love that story because it takes. It's not a job like someone's making you do it. It's the one thing in my life that has been like under my control. Nobody told me to do it. Nobody said pick up a guitar, write a song, do that. It was all in my heart. So the fact that it actually felt more accomplished. We're not Nickelback and Creed Metallica, and but dude, I am not upset about how we've gotten to where we've gotten. Think you have that sound though, Like this, your music sound sounds like those big stadium bands you were just mentioning, especially like a Nickelback or Creed or anything along that lines.

10:29 It has that. There's bands that do it, and then there's bands that sound like it, and you guys are like, sound like it. Okay, you got that familiarity. Let's see your music and like, man, I know that, right, Yeah. I know, I know exactly what you're talking about. And I'll take that all day. Yeah, And I love what you said because I'm also a motivational speaker, and it is all about this business is all about persevering and persistence. Like you don't have those two components, you are screwed. Yep. And initially, like I was very involved in the eighties LA metal scene and sang thrash metal and knew everybody. And then I didn't do what like Metallica did, Like they were so persistent persevering, and why was at their first show ever and I saw what happened, and I'm just going to go in a different direction, which I did, and I went into the business world once I kind of my twenties in the financial business. But then after a while of that, it just came back because hey, it's part of you. It's like when people say to me, oh, I used to like metal, and like then you were never a metal head. I don't know any metal head that says I used to like metal. I don't know any rocker that says I used to like rock. I don't know real punks that say I used to like punk.

11:50 You know, it is in you, in you all the time, and so I understand exactly what you're saying, and thank God, you're still here because I am, and to give that message to the younger generation that you just you can't see what's on the other side of the forest. Yeah, and they get told that what's possible and what's not possible. That's what the delusion part is. It's if I listen to everybody, you know, just like everybody who's ever tried to do something they really wanted to do and it was hard. A lot of times you're just told how to believe, like, well, it's just not possible. And I don't think that ends. I think I'm still snapping out of things that people told me and doctrinated me into believing that, oh, there's no real rockstars, so there's no real money and there's no way you're gonna it's if I really believed all that stuff, I would give up. Who wouldn't. It's okay, I do it because I love it. That's the difference. I don't do it for the money. I don't do it for you know what I mean. It's not that. And I think any band that's going out there thinking, oh I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna make money, I'm gonna make a song that sells a million records because it sounds like this and it does this, and it's just like that, that's just not gonna work.

12:56 No, And see, to me, the true musicians are the ones that are around and become the icons because they just have no clue. They're just being musicians. Are not out to be a rock star. But most of them don't like it. Like you take Kurt Cobain, he's not with us because he didn't like it and he couldn't escape it. He just wanted to sit in the hotel room with Courtney and play music. Yeah, and people don't understand that's the real rock stars. Yeah, it's like those people who be careful what you hope wish for because you just want to get it right. That's saying I'm not at any level like that, but I do know that there is a We had that festival last weekend, and you'll have those certain fans, which I'm so grateful for, but they really enjoy your company and talking and I'll talk until it's morning to be honest with you. But there is like you said, you sometimes have to get away that four days you're going to have to just seclude yourself. And it's like my social limit gets drained after a while you're like, okay, I gotta recharge this, so I don't know how to talk anymore totally. But yeah, it's that's what it is.

14:02 And thank God for these people, man, Yeah, God for him. And I love when I run into a fan like that's just it changes. It makes you feel just completely different. When they're singing your song. Yeah, okay, does that trip you out or what it is? It's amazing. I'm just a guy and they're just a guy or a girl or whatever, and for some reason, and I know how it is because I'm just a guy who sees other artists that I'm like, oh my god, I just admire them or and they see it that in you and you're like, I don't know what you see because you know, I'm just a dude. But right, so cool. It's a very lucky life to have those kind of people around you. And most true creatives are their own worst critics.

14:42 Yeah. I have a lot of friends that are band members. And it's funny. There's this picture we were in media and I was talking Phil Onselmo because we're friends, and really what I was doing was his wife. He was like talking to everybody, and they were all try ass for selfies and stuff. His wife's like, hey, can you get him for me? Because he'll never leave. Okay, he's just too nice, he'll never leave. So I go whisper in his ear. I'm like, hey, your wife needs you to leave. Now, there you. Go, and then he whispers in my ear. My set sucked today. And it is funny because that is how people think. Everybody's what do say? What do he say?

15:23 And I'm like, I'm not telling them, you know. It's like the same for me. I'll do interviews and I'll get off the interview, I'm like, man, in my head, I'm like, man, I fucking sucked. And then the arts are like, man, it was so much fun. I'm like, were you at the same interview. I'm not sure because I think I sucked, but it's perspective. Man. We'll get off stage and I'll be like, he's we killed. It was so fun. And one guy's like, god, I couldn't hear anything. I missed this. I'm so sorry. I probably asked everything up. I'm like, what do you what? That was amazing. I'm like, I guess I better listen to you guys too. Instead of you myself. But you know what, I think those mess ups and live shows are what make them great. One of my biggest memories US Festival nineteen eighty three Van Helen's headline and they they're about they start planning, talk about love, and David Larros's just standing there at He's looking at him, and he just goes this crowd of three hundred thousand people and goes, I fucking forgot the word. Oh yeah, and the whole fucking place cheer. That was the best part of the whole show.

16:29 Amazing. And then of course one there was one heckler in the crowd. There's always at least one dude, okay, and so Dave just turned him and goes, where's your kids. They're okay, good, they've heard it all. I'm gonna fuck your girlfriend. It's amazing. That's what lives. It's about, though it's not the perfectionism that's for the studio. That's exactly right. I want to see and watch and feel. I love it. Yeah, we mess up, I've missed it. That's how you handle it right, Own it like. That always because most people don't even notice you. The artists notice when you fuck out. And typically you won't notice until you see the artists act weird something happen. You're like, oh, what they must have missed up, wouldn't have.

17:13 Not, wouldn't know, wouldn't pay attention. It was even funny with Metallica at Sonic Temple the I think it was the first set I heard something like miss but I didn't really pay attention to it. And then everybody around me because everybody likes to throw shade at Lars okay, and they're like, oh, Lars fucking missed it, and I was like, I didn't even really notice it like that. I just noticed it, like there was a little blip. But listen, it's live. Like you know how many times I'll do an interview and there's shit I was gonna ask and I don't even remember this. Fuck Afterwards, we're like, fuck, I wanted to talk about that. You're just in the moment, man, and I think everybody out there in the show should be in the moment. Forget that stuff. Forgetting the bullshit come planing that goes on all the time just bugs me.

18:03 I thought that was gonna be over with COVID, like when we didn't have live music for time, oh my god. Yeah, no kidding, but it's like back full force now, and you're just ridiculous. This is the best therapy ever. And listen, fucking doesn't it make you feel good? Who cares if it's perfect, if someone something whatever. If you're out there and you're doing debits and credits on how the band's performing, and like, oh god it you see, Oh, then we're not playing for you, no doubt. It's for the people who feel it. Who cares it happens? You know who I know that does that most is my friends are musicians that never even got up above the ground, much less up anywhere. And it's like they're all criticizing. All the big musicians are up there, and you know what, everybody likes criticized Lars, But look at where he is.

18:47 He'stressed about it. He was, he was. He was right about Napster too. Everybody gave him shade of about that. Have everybody listened to artists would be making a lot more money right now. Yes, that's so true. But I'm glad you're here at Rockville. You guys are badass, so happy so much. It's gonna be such a cool live show here. And man, I hope to see again a lot more at these and oh I can't wait new music and all that. Tell everybody how they can reach out to you. Guys. Forever, we got the typical stuff, all the social media, the Facebook, we get. We got to get more active on those social media. But now that we're out playing again, we're gonna have some new music soon. You're probably gonna hear a lot more from us, right, so just the basic social media platforms.

19:28 It's weird too that you were on that long hiatus and come back and fuck, I gotta do the social media. Shit, what do we say? Take a video of me just standing there. It's wild, right, Like you come out and it's like, oh, that's a lot of change. Like I'm from the tape trading days, like I want to go back to that ship. Yeah, no kidding, when's tape's coming back? I know Metallica's last album, they put out a cassette tape, right. Even James even said during the set, it sick that boy he's buy the cassette. Oh my god, that's amazing. People would buy that just for. Novel, no doubt. I still have my from tape trading the no Life till Leather that their demo. Oh no, it's recorded over fifty times. Yeah, you can't even tell what it says on it, but it's like, I'm keeping this fucking that's amazing. All right, man, it's been pleasure and man, thanks a lot for being on the Adventures Pipe Matt.

20:21 I appreciate you. I'll be here all weekend, so I'm gonna come back and see you a little bit later. I love it. Let's do it. Awesome brother. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of plate Man on w for CUI Radio.