Once upon a time in Seattle a band named Candlebox burst onto the early ‘90s rock scene with an alt rock sound and a hit heavy debut album. They rode popular live shows and a few heavily played singles (“Far Behind,” “You”) to platinum success and an explosive eight-year run. Then the flame flickered out. By 1999 the band had fractured and Candlebox’s four members went their separate ways for six long years.
Now, Candlebox is back, reunited and ready to reintroduce America to a little something called rock and roll. This past Saturday the band stopped at Ricochet in Fort Myers for the second to last show of their two month long national tour. Coastalbeat.com hooked Candlebox lead singer, Kevin Martin, 38, for a pre-concert, post-drinks interview and got a taste of Martin’s “saucy” side. Here’s what he had to say:
Coastalbeat.com: Candlebox formed in Seattle in 1991. How did you and the other band members meet each other?
Kevin Martin: Seattle has a real big swinging scene, so we were all at this swinger’s party in the process of male-male-female-male-female-female sex….No, Scott [Martin] crashed my 16th birthday party, and that’s when I met him as a drummer. And we were looking for a guitar player after Rick Vaughn quit the band. Our producer introduced us to Pete [Klett], and I went to high school with Bardi [Martin], and we needed a bass player. I called my friend Sarah, and she was like, “Oh, you know Bardi’s a bass player?” And I was like, “no I did not know that.” And that’s how we got Bardi.
Photo courtesy of New Ocean Media
Candlebox is back and they're pumped.
CB: Your debut album sold over four million copies. At the time did you have any idea it would be such a huge success?
KM: No, none whatsoever. I don’t think we even what we were doing when we started the band, so for us to have a platinum record was actually quite a bit of a shock. Then it just continued from that point on and sold more and more and more. Even now we still get the checks to pay the rent. It’s a great experience. But we had no idea. I don’t think any of us really knew what we were doing back in the day.
CB: In 1999 Candlebox broke up. How did you spend the next few years?
KM: Playing in other bands…Pete had redlightmusic. Bardi was in Lever and the Train Wrecks. He was also in law school. You know, just kind of all over the place.
CB: Is Candlebox the original band members back together at this point?
KM: It is…we are except for Bardi because he passed the bar in February, which I don’t think he was expecting. So, we said, “Don’t be an idiot. You’re a lawyer. You paid $80,000 for school you might as well earn a living.”
CB: When Candlebox reunited in 2005 what made you think it was time to get back together?
KM: The best of record (“The Best of Candlebox” album was released in 2006)…We got a phone call about the “Best of” album coming out…and I called up Pete and said, “What are we doing? Ya know, it’s been seven years, let’s do our thing.” And that was it. I don’t think we expected it to be as much fun as it was, but when you go away from one another for seven years I think you tend to forget the things you don’t like about one another and you remember things you love about one another and the music you were making. So, it definitely was well worth the time off.
CB: How would you describe your current sound? How has it changed or how has it stayed the same?
KM: (Laughing) It’s the same! We’re the same band! It’s just we’re more mature. I get asked that question all the time and it’s kinda funny. We’re the same band, and we make the same music, and we do the same things. So it’s just more mature. I think there’s a different element of respect for one another’s musical abilities, and I think that’s what’s making the sound so reminiscent of when Candlebox first started.
CB: I heard a little rumor that you guys are recording an album…
KM: Yea, it comes out February next year.
CB: What can people expect from it? What’s the feel behind it?
KM: It’s a rock and roll record. I think it’s one of the things that people tend to forget, you know, that there are still bands out there that make rock albums. Everybody’s kind of used to this whole…whatever the f*ck it’s called kind of sound…I think what we’re doing is just bringing back an element of rock and roll that I think people have kind of missed over the past 10 years.
CB: Do you think grunge is dead?
KM: Well, there’s no such thing as grunge. I mean, if you’re talking about Nirvana and Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and that sort of thing, they’re still around. There are bands that use all elements of their music in their writing styles nowadays. The problem with grunge is it’s the wrong type of term. It just means dirty music, which you could consider to be acid rock…Black Sabbath…Guns N' Roses…any of that sort of thing. So, grunge never died; it just never existed. It’s just a kind of music.
CB: When you’re not playing music what are you doing?
KM: Having lots of sex.
CB: It sounds like you’re being mobbed with fans right now…
KM: No, it’s the end of tour so we’re taking the opening band, Cinder Road, and our crew out for dinner just as an end of tour “thank you.” So we’re at the restaurant…
CB: What’s been the highlight of the tour so far?
KM: This right now! Um no, I guess the highlight has just been playing the music and hanging out with our friends and doing our thing. It’s been amazing.
CB: Is there one thing that you can’t live without that comes on tour with you that would surprise people?
KM: My wife.
CB: Awwww. A lot of bands ignore the Southwest coast of Florida, but you guys always stop here…
KM: ‘Cause a lot of bands are stupid. The Southwest coast of Florida is where rock and roll is happening. That’s why we don’t avoid it.
CB: What kind of music are you listening to right now?
KM: Kings of Leon and Cinder Road. I can’t stop listening to Cinder Road because they’re just so goddamn good, Sarah.
CB: After this album what is coming up next for Candlebox? Are we going to see you guys with a reality TV show?
KM: No. No. No. No. Another record and a worldwide tour…I mean this is what we do. Music is what we do, it’s our life and that’s how we live it. There’s no getting away from it.
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