Brainchild recently had the pleasure to talk to AJ from the Verve Pipe...here's what he had to say.

BC- How’d you guys end up hooking up?

AJ- Donnie called (I’ve known him since 1987) me to audition. I was in Cinncy, so I went to Michigan for the audition. Began with them in April of 1993.

BC- Do you think it’s better to explode nationally or build up grassroots fan support?

AJ- I think it’s an extreme advantage to any band to build up any kind of local following that they can because what it ultimately means for the record label who signs the band that it’s less work for the label to do in terms of presenting the band in that area. The broader base that you have, the less money they have to spend and are fairly ecstatic when they run across a situation like that.

BC- Tell me your thoughts on Villians-

AJ- We did lots of demo work prior to the record and spent what I consider to be a short amount of time in preproduction. I don’t think that it put any pressure on us because of Jerry’s track record. We were extremely happy to work with Jerry. I can honestly tell you that he wasn’t everybody’s first choice, but sometimes you do things for the greater good of the situation.

BC- Your thoughts on your lead singer, Brian Vanderark

AJ- I have a lot of respect for Brian as a songwriter and lyricist, and I feel that he’s more apt to want to perform something that he has written, as opposed to singing someone else’s lyrics, and I respect that. Usually, I gave Brian the tape and said, ‘Here’s this...put some lyrics to it if you like.’ and that’s basically the way it came about.

BC- With him playing rhythm, what do you try to do as lead guitar player?

AJ- With Brian being the main songwriter in the band, my role is to try to embelish what he’s doing with his instrument. Brian is a good player, but he doesn’t give himself a lot of respect with his playing and because of that he tends to play very very basic things. So I go in and fatten things up a bit. I’ve always been a big fan of Keith Richards and Ron Wood and how they play off one another, it’s kind of the same school of thought.

BC- Where does the Verve Pipe sound better...live or in my CD player?

AJ- I think one of the great things about this band is that we are able to pull off what we do in the studio live. I think the band is talented enough as a whole that we’re able to do that. We’re kind of anal when it comes to our live show. With the new album, we kept the overdubbing to a minimum so we could perform the stuff live, where if you listen to an album like Popsmear, there’s tons of shit on it. There’s strings here and tons of harmonies. It was a good record for us to make, very eclectic, but it was good that we got all that out of our system. I’m more of a fan of us live. Plus I’m a big fan of variables, and they always happen when you play live. It’s a bit more rewarding to play live because you do have that immediate reaction from the audience.

BC- Ever get into a conflict, sort of a Brothers vs. the Rest of the Band-

AJ- I personally- there’s a certain amount of anominity that happens within this band because of the fact that Brian is a highly visible character, as is his brother, but his brother is just the quietist guy on the face of the Earth, and he doesn’t care for the press. Unfortunately for him he’s a goddamn good looking man so he gets trapped with all that. For me, I enjoy my anominity. I like the fact that I can walk through the crowd and people rarely recognize me; that’s a joy for me. There isn’t any trepidation on anybody’s part that anyones being overshadowed in the band. Quite frankly, if that were to happen, it would ultimately end with the 5 of us in a room yelling about it. That’s not what we’re about.

BC- Tell me your thoughts on Donnie

AJ- Donnie is the perfectionist in the band. I’m a pretty free willing spirit. I don’t mind the sloppiness or looseness, it gives it character. I think out of all of us in the band, probably Donnie and I are the only guys that would love to go out and watch a band and maybe sit in with them. Goodbless him, Donnie’s the anal one.

BC- So you guys still like to cut loose and jam for an hour or so?

AJ- This band is so against jamming because of Brian and Brad. Brad’s a great bass player, but Brad is a very rehearsed bass player. He doesn’t fair well in a situation like being a sit in musician where they say, “Here’s the key, here’s the progression, let’s go.” I think he’d be a little lost there. Brian’s kind of the same way.

BC- Why the Beatles covers?

AJ- As long as I’ve been in the band, we’ve always covered a Beatles song or two in a set. We actually started playing “I am the Walrus,” quite a long time ago, and then we heard that Oasis was doing it and were like, “Fuck, we can’t have that!” so we ended up learning Strawberry Fields. We actually received a lot airplay from a little demo we did of it. That’s just a way for us to to cap off the show and be pompus and where our influence on our sleeve.

BC- What was it like to tour with KISS?

AJ- The exposure of touring with KISS was incredible and nothing short of surreal. For me, touring with my boyhood idols, I was the kind of kid who had a job in a drug store in high school and was such a huge fan that I would. Every Monday, the magazine guy would come in and take the old magazines away. And any kind of magazine that would have a picture of KISS or anything related to KISS in it, I would grab two because there was usually a picture on the backside I’d want to. My room as a kid was an homage to that band. Truth be told, I think I’ll enjoy Europe more. I have strong family ties there (mom was from Germany) haven’t been since I was 12, so now that I’m an adult I’m looking forward to going over and seeing what kind of trouble I can get into. They are absolutely cooler than cool, really really nice and treated us very well.

BC- What have you learned from the Verve Pipe?

AJ- The one thing being in this band has taught me is that a band can be a pop band and still be respected. I have no qualms in calling us a pop band; that’s what we are.

BC- Who is the next guitar guru? Any thoughts?

AJ- I don’t think the times allow for another Hendrix or Morrison to come along, or another Stevie Ray Vaughn to come around, even though Kenny Wayne Shepard is trying real goddamn hard on that last one. I’m sorry, he needs to listen to some other players.

BC- What lies in the future for you guys?

AJ- I doubt we’ll be in the studio before winter. Now that the record’s doing well enough to keep us out of the studio. I know that a few of us have been in the studio writing some music, but not as a band. I think our music will open up a bit more. This record is isn’t close to the last album, and this album will probably not sound like our next one. I expect things to evolve- I don't think any of us will be happy with just playing the same old shit.

BC- Finally AJ, what’s your attitude re. the not-so-good reviews you guys have received in the past?

AJ- There are a lot of writers out there who think we’re a lame Pearl Jam type of band, and all of us in the band have a lot of respect for them, but we’re only trying to be us.