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Dissaray 

Disarray is a name I have not heard in a long time, but when I got the bands new disc I knew it was time for an interview so here is an interview I did with guitarist /vocalist Chuck Bonnett.

MC: OK it has been a long time since we last heard from you guys. What have you been up too?


CB: First off, thank you Chris for the support you have given us. Yes, it has been a while. The last time Disarray released a record was summer of 2002. After the dust settled from touring and promoting that disc, we went through a lot of difficult times... our booking agent went out of business, the record label pulled the plug on us, the drummer stole a bunch of band money so we fired him, and I had a personal crisis going on at home that ultimately led to bankruptcy. It was a rough time. Over the next couple years we recorded this new album and played out on weekends. We shopped the disc around but wound up putting it out ourselves.

MC: Is the line-up the same or are there new members and if there is new members how did they come to join the band?


CB: On this record I have Vance Wright on bass, and he has been with Disarray since 2000. The drums were recorded by Shane Harmon, who was the drummer on the first two Disarray CDs from the 90's. Shane quit the band prior to pressing the disc, so there is another guy's face in the booklet. We actually have a new drummer now named Keith Feulner, from Long Island, New York.

MC: The music scene has changed much in the past few years, how do you plan on going about promoting the band?


CB: Yes things have changed a lot in the past few years. To be honest, we'd like to get on a good tour like we used to, but gas prices are so high we have to be a bit more selective when we play. If we can land a support slot on a good tour, like we did in 2002 with GWAR, then we'd love to go out for a while. The days of Disarray leaving for a 3 week club tour by ourselves are pretty much over. It's just not worth playing week nights for 10 people. Right now we are promoting the band heavily on the internet and continue to trade CDs the old fashioned way with bands and labels.

MC: The new CD I got was an excellent release. How long did it take for the songs, recording, etc to come together and are you totally happy with this release?


CB: Thanks for the kind words. The songs were written fairly quickly. I usually write the riffs and then get with the drummer to arrange things. We went down to Florida for two weeks to record with Gary Meskil of the band Pro-Pain. He was a total professional and brought out the best in us. I love the record and feel that it is our best yet. It is a shame that the record industry is in such turmoil. Because of this I'm afraid the music won't be heard the way it should be.

MC: Do you plan on posting any videos of the band for this release and can we expect some touring from you guys this time around?


CB: We do plan on recording a video for the lead single, called 'Punishment For Being Born.' It will be put on the free video sites like YouTube and MySpace. Touring is still up in the air. If we can get on a good tour as a support act we will definitely do it. Otherwise it will be about eight regional shows a month.

MC: Do you feel that this release being as good as it is, can finally maybe break the band?


CB: I hoped for that with our 2002 album as well. You just never know. On the positive side, it appears as if metal has come full circle and is more acceptable with the mainstream. The negative side is the downfall of the industry. The record business of metal's heyday doesn't exist anymore. The resources are not what they used to be. We'll just do what we can do and hope for the best.

MC: After all this time why did you decide to remain with Inner Void Records and are all your releases still available?


CB: Inner Void is owned by us, so this record is totally a DIY effort. Our previous two albums were for Eclipse Records. Eclipse is a one man indie label that has done quite well, but we really never did fit the roster. The bands on Eclipse are way more commercially safe and are geared toward the 'Hot Topic' kids. We moved more units with our first two CDs on Inner Void than we did with the two on Eclipse, just because there were no rules. We were not worried about SoundScan and retail stores with the early records. We did the underground trading thing and managed to move a lot of units while still breaking even financially. I felt that since it had been 5 years since the last record, we would need to 'start over' with some grassroots promotion like in the old days. It just made sense to put this one out on our own this time. All of our records are still available. We plan on re-releasing the 'Widespread Human Disaster' and 'Bleed' CDs with bonus tracks in the near future. You can get the two Eclipse Records releases at www.eclipserecords.com and the others can be purchased directly from us.

MC: What keeps you going after all these years and was entering the studio for the 1st time in awhile easy or hard for you?


CB: What keeps me going is being too stubborn to quit. I live for music and it's just not something you can shut off. No, the studio is not a problem for us. Drums were done in two days. Vance finished his bass in about 6 hours. I obviously have the biggest job when it comes to recording. The Pro-Pain guys had a very cool system worked out where they would have our goals for the day written down when we arrived. For example, we'd do rhythm tracks for six songs and then leave for the day and hit the beach. There was no 'watching the clock' or anything. Most of the time we would reach our goals in a few hours and then it was free time. It is very stress free and easy to get the project done when you work that way.

MC: Do you have a website and/or a My Space page and if you do what are the url's to them and what will people find on them when they log on?


Our official website is www.disarrayonline.com and the MySpace page is www.myspace.com/disarray - both of these sites are run by the band. We have all the updated news and tour information on there. You can also order the 'Edge Of My Demise' CD on the MySpace page.

MC: Do you miss the days of actually writing people a letter and stuffing the letter full of band and zine flyers?


CB: I do miss it to a degree. The metal scene was more of a brotherhood then. It's amazing how quick things change. It is certainly easier to promote online, but it just seems a lot less personal. I don't miss spending tons of money on stamps though!

MC: How would you describe your music to somebody that has never heard you?


CB: It is Southern metal with a groove that has hints of hardcore in the mix. We got a review recently that said we were a mix of Wrathchild America, Sacred Reich, and Pro-Pain. I think that pretty much sums it up.

MC: Would you say you're a good live band and what to date has been your favorite live show and any funny live show tales to share?


CB: Disarray can definitely hold it's own in a live situation. We are one of the most high energy three piece bands around. My favorite show was probably the entire tour with GWAR. We're talking tour busses, huge crowds, and selling tons of merchandise. It was amazing and I hope to do that again soon. The funniest thing that comes to mind was a show we did with the GWAR side band Dave Brockie Experience in Saint Louis, Missouri. It was about 150 degrees in the club and we were miserable. It was so hot in there that Brockie (who is Oderus in GWAR) stopped in the middle of their set, pissed in a beer glass, and drank it! The crowd was dying laughing.

MC: Do you think being from down South has helped or hurt the band or it doesn't matter where you're from?


CB: This question can go both ways. One the one hand, we definitely have a lot of Southern influence in our sound. There is no way to get that without living down here. The whole 'South' thing works as a nice marketing tool to a degree. People hear about us and are curious to see what a band from Tennessee can do. They usually assume we suck, and then we tear their faces off. The downside is it's hard to get industry attention down here. Sometimes I wish we would have relocated to New York back in the day. It would have probably been a lot easier to get noticed.

MC: Have you gotten any feedback on the new release so far and if so what has it been like so far?


CB: We are just beginning to send the record out to press and radio, but so far everything has been really positive. Of course there will be the closed minds that will bash it, but that happens with any record. We have received a lot of emails from people across the world who are excited to see us putting out a new record. That's what matters to me.

MC: Do you have any short or long term goals for the band?


CB: Short term goals would be to get this record out to all the press, play some shows to support it, and start writing and doing demos for the next one. Our long term goal is to keep going no matter what. The record business is drying up and it's a lot harder to make any income off this, so I guess our goal is to survive and keep going. We're not aiming to be rock stars, we just want to release our music to that fans that want it.

MC: During this down time, was there any talk or thought of breaking the band up?


CB: There have been times where it seemed to be more of a liability that it was worth, but we have never let the band die. During the down time we did some songs for a few tribute records, some compilation albums, played a few shows, etc. I also write and perform acoustic music around Nashville, so I've been busy with that. I do what Hank III does. I write music for Nashville as a day job, but still keep the metal fire going as well.

MC: About how many hours in the week are spent on doing band related stuff?


CB: Music is my day job, so I work it 7 days a week. The Nashville songwriter gig is very demanding and challenging, so when I get to do metal I am very serious about it. Disarray is only part of my music career, but it is very important to me. I work on Disarray every day. The down time actually helped get the fire back for me. I got burned out a bit on touring and being away from home all the time. My focus shifted away from the music for a while. Thankfully I have got it back!

MC: What stuff do you have for sale?


CB: Right now we have a limited amount of 'Widespread Human Disaster' and 'Bleed' cds. When they are gone we are going to repress them, remastered with bonus tracks and new artwork. You can get the new album from us on our MySpace page. At shows we have some of the tribute cds for sale, as well as a t-shirt or two. I believe you can still buy 'In The Face Of The Enemy' and 'A Lesson In Respect' from www.eclipserecords.com

MC: Any last words? Horns up for the interview.


CB: I just want to say thanks for the interview and thanks to all our fans around the world for sticking with us. We are back and feeling better than ever. Hopefully we'll see all of you real soon!