Some Interview Updates with Chester

I found two new interviews with Chester on our beloved partnersites Chesterland and JoeHahn.org.

Artistdirect.com

By delving into that darkness, you give fans more of yourself, especially in a song like "Inside of Me."

I wrote that song specifically about being away from my family and my wife, and how I really don't like that. I get into a very dark place. I'd battled relapse at that point. I'd been away from her for so long that I was like, "I'm not doing well—I want to drink or do something." That's the kind of thought process that my brain goes into—well, it's bad, let's make it worse. That's not cool, you know? That song is exactly about that. "Fire" is the only song where I didn't go directly to something with me, but after I wrote it, it actually related to me. In a lot of ways, that song is about doing some soul searching and trying to feel that greater power out there in the universe—knowing you're connected to that. Some people feel like it's a sad song about losing somebody and having them look down on you. You always imagine, after someone passes, that they're up there looking down at you and watching over you—that brings comfort to people as well. In that way, I think that song does connect in many different facets. Every song on this record is about a specific thing that happened to me—that I dealt with over the past four or five years. More...

ultimate-guitar.com

Did you already have an inclination that Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh would be the perfect musicians for Dead By Sunrise? What was it about them that was a good fit for your vision?

I’ve been friends with Ryan and Amir for 10 years now – and close friends. We hang out. When I’m not touring with Linkin Park, I’m with Ryan and Amir. We have plans today where we’re hanging out at the pool. They’re more family than anything else. If I’m at home and they’re around and I play songs, Ryan will be like, “What the fuck is that?” I go, “That’s a song I have.” He’s like, “You need to do something with that.” Timing is always everything as well. The guys were no longer in Orgy, and they were starting with their new band Julien-K. It was kind of like, “We can do this if we wanted to.” When there was time, it kind of all came together.

Mike’s quote was certainly an intriguing one that piqued our curiosity.

That quote is so not Mike’s personality. He’s a really pretty humble guy, and he doesn’t like to toot his own horn. For him to come out and say – “ Yeah, it’s genre-busting” – it’s kind of like, “Well, all right!” More...