Sevendust in the Wind

They’ve been on the road for two years straight. They’ve been away from their families and their cars are parked at home. It’s been all about following the American highways to another destination for Sevendust, and what do they have to look forward to after the Vans’ Warped Tour ends in August? More touring.
These five southern boys from Atlanta, Georgia collectively known as Sevendust know how much hard work it takes for a band to emerge in between a debut album and the second release. Their first self-titled album introduced listeners to their soulful melodies and hard-core tunes such as "Bitch," and "Black." Since then, they have been playing a multitude of tours and venues, as well as putting together songs for the new album, Home, which will be available August 24 on TVT Records. Still, the hard work has paid off. Sevendust has hit each city of the Warped tour with a dynamic 30-minute set that includes some new songs.
I had the pleasure of speaking with bass player Vince Hornsby and guitarist John Connolly at the Boreal Warped Tour. They told me a little about being on the road, going Home, and playing metal, not punk.

How’s the tour been going?
Vince: To tell you the truth, it’s been real good. Even better than we expected. From the crowds on the West Coast, we’ve never had that much success on the West Coast, we’ve played a lot of small places.
John: It’s harder to get exposure on the West Coast than it is on the East Coast.

Where are you from?
John: Atlanta, Georgia. We’re southern boys.

Yes, now I can tell from the accent.
Vince: We’ve enjoyed this West Coast run. It’s been awesome, man. The crowds have been great.

How would you compare the California music scene to what you guys are used to seeing in Georgia?
John: I don’t even know what the music scene in Atlanta is like anymore, to be honest with you. We’ve been so removed from it all. Southern California is like the hard-core punk scene and we did pretty well there, I was pretty surprised. San Diego we didn’t expect to have much of a reaction at all and it was one of the best of the tour.

How do you feel about your sound?
John: The whole punk thing, we were never really influenced by punk at all. It’s not that we don’t like the music, it’s just something I’ve never been into much. We’re metal pretty much. People are afraid to call us heavy metal but that’s what it is. We just play and have a good time.

What have you been doing with your free time on this tour, in between sets and stuff?
John: Alcohol!
Vince: Drink and have a good time. I love touring in the summer more than anything. Everybody’s loose. That’s how it’s supposed to be. We feed off the crowd. Our show’s work better when the crowd’s into it, you know what I mean? It’s a good buzz. A good high.

What now?
John: We have 2 days off, then we go to LA to shoot a video for the first release. Then we’re going to do a week’s worth of rehearsal and then we hit the road again on August 11 for touring. There’s a couple of tours we’ve got to wait on, like Kid Rock.

Do you guys have spouses?
John: Yep, I’m finally doing the deed.
Vince: I already took the plunge, which is all good.

Do your families come with you?
Vince: Sometimes they come along for the fun.

How did the name "Sevendust" come along?
John: Tomato pesticides.
Vince: Basically my family’s in agriculture. But it's a southern thing, it's a term they use down there.

So what’s the new record?
Vince and John: Home.
Vince: The new record’s out on August 24. The record’s basically about us being gone on tour for two years. It’s just about as real as we can get.
John: The road is reality. There’s no question about it.

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