Here is part 2 of a recent interview I did with Shay Mehrdad (Tomorrows Gone, Attaboy Skip, Faded Grey, Curl Up And Die, etc). In case you missed part 1, you can check it out here. Big thanks to Shay for taking time out of his busy life to answer these questions. Enjoy!
Live at The Showcase Theater in Corona, CA with Faded Grey
Following the demise of Attaboy Skip and Tomorrows Gone, Faded Grey would be the next band you played in. I know the story of FG has been well documented on the internet, but I was hoping to get your personal take on the band. Please expand a bit on your feelings and thoughts regarding FG. What were your greatest accomplishments with the band? Did you have any regrets as FG came to an end?
Starting up what became Faded Grey was exciting. Almost every band I’d been in before then was something already in motion so I always had to figure out a role while the train was moving. Being at the start of something was kind of new.
I wanted to take the Tomorrows Gone model further, bring together reasonably skilled people and find that balance of melody and aggression while establishing a sense of personality that set us apart. I like to believe we achieved that.
Looking back, I’m proud of pretty much everything about that band. Completing A Quiet Time of Desperation is something I’m still very proud of. Traveling to the midwest and east coast on our one U.S. tour was rewarding since that was my first time going out there. Playing all the local and regional shows over those years was gratifying considering we were fairly well-received most the time. Fast forward to today, It’s humbling to see there are some people out there who still like the music and care about what we did.
As for regrets, sure, it would have been nice to try to hold things together in order to put out another record, do more touring, possibly even go overseas. This many years after the fact, it’s more satisfying appreciating the accomplishments rather than lamenting over the “what-ifs.”
You also joined Curl Up And Die for a stint. Did you ever record with the band, or did you just tour? What exactly was your role in CUAD? Did you ever feel like there was a rivalry between CUAD and FG?
Never recorded with them, just filled in on second guitar for a few local Vegas shows, a west coast trip and the east coast leg of one of their U.S. tours. Around that time (‘02), Mike Minnick (CUAD vocalist) and I were hanging out some and CUAD were down a second guitarist. The idea of me temporarily filling in came up and sounded fun to try. I was down to help so I agreed.
My time with CUAD was a lot of fun and I hope I did right by their music. Mike, Matt and Jesse are incredibly talented people. If I were smart, I probably should have fought to stick with them. Not sure if they wanted me around for the long haul, but they were about to ramp up their recording and touring activity significantly. I was looking to scale down my playing activity in order to hang on to my job at the Review-Journal as well as get married and likely leave Vegas, which I later did. So it probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. CUAD went on to do great things before calling it a day so hats off to them. Good dudes, good band.
As for a rivalry between CUAD and FG, I guess there was a little bit of that early on, but nothing serious or malicious in my opinion. I believe there was more mutual respect and admiration for each other as both bands went along. CUAD and FG are always going to be linked to that time period in Vegas and that’s not a bad thing at all.
Faded Grey at Sound Barrier (with Mike in the background)
I know you played in some bands after FG/CUAD. What were those bands and what are you up to these days musically?
I didn’t want to play in anything serious for a while after FG and CUAD. Before moving, I spent some time playing guitar in Rod Pardey’s alt-country band, Romance Fantasy, and I filled in on bass for some shows with Ann Yu’s old indie band, Daphne Major.
After living in San Diego and not doing any playing there, my wife Jera and I moved to Phoenix in mid ’05. Jera’s cousin there was playing bass in a pop punk band called Helens Wheels. They were down a guitarist so I dusted off the axe and played with them until they folded months later when their singer quit. The rest of us started a new group, half-jokingly called Man The Hatches. We had a sound similar to Planes Mistaken For Stars, Hot Water Music and Dinosaur Jr, but we could never get vocals sorted. After I moved from Phoenix, the rest of Man The Hatches/Helens Wheels went on to form Said Gun and are still around today.
We moved to Los Angeles in mid ’07. Got the itch to find some music projects around ’09. Thanks to Craigslist, by 2010 I had a d-beat hardcore band going called Nameless Lights and an instrumental prog/post-metal project called Almas Cero.
Almas Cero’s sound is in the ballpark of Neurosis, Yob, Pelican and Sleep. We played some shows around LA through 2012 before loss of personnel forced the band into hiatus, but we haven’t officially called it quits yet. We have a self-produced full-length recording that we’re hoping to post online soon. I’d like to see that band get revived.
Nameless Lights played a handful of shows and was in the middle of recording a demo when the band imploded in 2011. Last year, I reworked some of the songs I wrote for it, wrote additional songs and started a new group called Lost Lands with Bruce Harrison (from Nameless) on bass, Eagle Barber (ex-Stay Gold, Frontiers) on drums and Justin Smith (Graf Orlock, Dangers, Ghostlimb) singing. Lost Lands is about to release two 7″s on Vitriol Records and Man In Decline Records and we’re currently playing out and looking for more shows.
Other than that, I played keyboards and did some synth noise-mangling on Seas Will Rise’s last full-length, Disease Is Our Refrain (on Man In Decline Recs). Wouldn’t mind doing more stuff like that down the road.
I’m game to try my hand at other fun and/or interesting projects as time allows. I’m way past too old to still be up in this nonsense, but it’s fun so fuck it…why not?
Of all the bands you played in, what were some of your favorite songs to play live? How about favorites as far as the songs you had a hand in writing? Do any of the songs you created or played hold a special meaning or significance for you?
Bent Tool had songs called “Growing Stronger” and “Be Yourself” that were fun to play. If people care, that band’s one and only demo is out there floating around on the web. I liked playing our cover of The Adolescents’ “Kids Of The Black Hole” probably more than anything else.
From Tomorrows Gone, “In Silence” is special since it’s the first song I ever wrote for a band that actually got put out. “Without A Face” was the second. I didn’t write “Watch Me Fall,” “Faded Grey,” or “Taken” but I enjoyed playing those quite a bit.
During the Attaboy Skip years, the song “976” was written before my time, but I anticipated playing it live as it always got a reaction out of audiences. I wrote and arranged “Frontline” and “Numbskull” from the EPs, even helped orchestrate the vocals on both, but my favorites to play that I helped write came later: “24 Times A Second,” “Slow Mind Ticking,” and “180 Proof.” Live versions of those exist out there, I believe.
All of Faded Grey’s songs are special to me since I had a hand in each, but I’m not sure we could’ve topped “The Great Divide.” I remember the first time we played it when we opened for Bane at The Sanctuary and the reaction it got. “New Crusades,” “Emo Solution,” and “A Quiet Time of Desperation” are my other personal faves.
While with Curl Up, I always looked forward to playing “Dr. Doom” live every time. I love how that song transitions. Great ending too.
I hope the Lost Lands 7″ songs will be posted by the time this interview comes out. The ones I’m most proud of so far are “Body Of Habit” and “Visible Fissures,” but I like them all.
Is it true The Killers offered you a gig as a “ghost” guitarist for their live shows? What is your relationship like with those guys? I’m sure you still keep in touch with Ronnie.
Not true. They were talking about adding a hybrid guitar/keyboard player for live shows back when Hot Fuss came out but I was never offered the spot. They brought Ted Sablay on a couple years later to do that job on the Sam’s Town tour. Ted is still with The Killers today in the same capacity and they even have a second guy with them playing keyboards and guitars. If it was offered, I probably couldn’t hack it because I’m nowhere near as skilled a keyboard player as Ted or Brandon Flowers. I’m more of a MIDI-manipulator than a live keyboard player.
I still keep in touch with Ronnie and Ted and usually see them when The Killers pass through Southern California on tour. Ronnie and Ted are still the same guys I’ve always known, despite their surreal day to day lives. The same goes for Branden Campbell (ex-Attaboy Skip) who plays bass in Neon Trees and is experiencing similar success with his band.
Going off with Faded Grey at an unknown location
What guitar(s) are you currently playing and what amp setup do you have? What was your favorite guitar and rig of all time? Do you miss any of the guitars you got rid of?
I’ve been using an ESP Eclipse II and a Gibson Les Paul Studio Vintage Mahogany for Lost Lands and before for Almas Cero. Both bands tune down to C, so I’ve set up both guitars with heavier strings (.12-.56 gauge) and Lace pickups (Nitro Hemis, Drop ‘n Gains). I use the same Mesa Dual Rec rack mount head and 4×12 cab I’ve had since the FG days. I’ve since added a Mesa 2×12 cab to the mix. Sometimes I run two stacks: the Mesa stack as a 6×12 and a used Carvin V3 head I picked up recently atop whatever 4×12 I can borrow (yes, I’m in the market for another 4×12 cab).
I still have the black Gibson SG Standard I bought during the FG days and it still plays like a champ. The SG and the Mesa stack have been clutch going on 13 years so I guess that’s my favorite rig, but any of my guitars paired with that amp works fine for me.
I wish I still had the block-letter Peavey 5150 head I had back in the early Skip days that got stolen. For sentimental reasons, I wish I also still had that black Les Paul Studio from the Bent Tool and TG/Skip days, but I like the newer one I have now much better. I’m pretty happy with my gear in general.
Who are some of your favorite guitarists of all time? Name at least 5 and explain a bit regarding each.
There are so many guitarists who’ve inspired me over the years. This is not a “top 5 of all time” list, just some players in the world of rock/punk/metal who I admire.
Eddie Van Halen – Everyone knows and loves his riffs and lead playing, as do I, but what I get the most out of listening to his playing is how great a rhythm player he is and how inventive an accompanist he is when playing underneath a vocal.
Johnny Marr – I’m impressed with his use of effects and alternate tunings as well as how economical he is with his fretting hand while turning out lush chordal layers and arpeggiated textures. I like The Edge and the Radiohead guys, but Marr’s style is my favorite of all of them.
Brian Baker – Always liked his sense of phrasing in his leads, making typical blues scale pentatonics sound fresh, not unlike Angus or Slash. His rhythmic style on the early Dag Nasty material was pretty unique for punk. He’s the best reason to see Bad Religion today, in my opinion.
Chris Hannah – Easily my favorite metal-influenced punk guitarist. Top notch riff writer, precise rhythm player, and his leads are always intense and well-crafted. I never miss a chance to see Propagandhi so I can glue my eyes to his hands, like every other guitar nerd in the audience.
Matt Pike – Sick riffs and shred for days. He’s the modern day Iommi. I’m kinda late to the party on him but he’s great.
I feel like I have to mention some of my earliest influences besides EVH: Summers, Lifeson, Page, Fogerty, Hendrix, Angus, Rhoads, Dr. Know. There are others, but those guys are pretty crucial to me.
What are your interests outside of music? Do you have any other hobbies besides playing guitar? Also, please tell us a little bit about your family.
I spend most of my free time hanging out with my wife, kids and dogs. I’m annoyingly fanatical about UNLV men’s basketball and the NBA, and I probably watch too much TV in general. My kids are young so there are lots of school and extracurricular activities to be involved in, as well as trips to theme parks, museums, the beach and so on. I’m otherwise a boring loner homebody.
Jera and I recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We have two girls: Carmen (6) and Petra (3). Carmen just finished kindergarten and is all-around awesome. Petra also is awesome and is an endlessly entertaining, unpredictable pistol. Both Jera’s and my parents still live in Vegas so we go back regularly for the kids to have essential time with their grandparents.
Thanks so much for doing this interview. Do you have any closing comments?
It’s been fun recounting the past. I love Vegas, my hometown, born and raised. Aside from that, I hope folks reading this check out Lost Lands. Thanks, Lance!
-Lance Wells
You can check out Mehrdad’s latest musical project, Lost Lands, here: http://lostlandsmusic.com/
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