Question and Answer

What process do you go through in deciding what to play on a given night? This tour had less variety from show to show. I would think you all would get tired of the same stuff. Was this caused, in part, by Jeff and Phillip being added this tour? Do you expect David Blamires to return? I think David, Phillip, and Mark would be tremendous together, and that they would compliment each other quite well.

basically i try to think of the set as one big long song. one important thing, it is never the same, even if we play the same songs. the whole point is to come up with new stuff each time and make it sound good, like it's always been that way. if you figure that we may do as many as 200 shows a year, even if i were to slightly change it a little from night to night, we would still (like every other band in the world) ultimately end up playing mostly the same kind of matierial in just slightly different orders. and change just for the sake of change in principal doesn't really interest me that much. i also want everyone who comes to hear us to hear our "a" material, the stuff that we play regularly and that is really sounding good at that point in the bands story. as far as this tour having less variety from night to night, well, not really, this philosphy has been there since i started the band - what IS new is that with the internet everyone posts what songs they heard and compares a list with a list. until 5 or 6 years ago, no one knew what they would hear until we came to their city.

as far as david blamires coming back? i wish he would, we miss him a lot, but i kind of doubt it - he is really doing well in his new home of chicago doing commercials where he makes tons more money than i could ever pay him - with 3 kids, it's working out much better for him. we all think the world of him.