CHEVELLE's PETE LOEFFLER: 'The Guitar Is Starting To Become More Of A Struggle To Write A Song With Than It Used To Be'

During a new appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, CHEVELLE vocalist/guitarist Pete Loeffler spoke about the challenges of reproducing the material from the band's latest album, "Bright As Blasphemy", in a live situation. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I am feeling like 10 albums in, the guitar is starting to become more of a struggle to write a song with than it used to be. So I can elaborate on that, if you'd like, but I'm dabbling more with keyboards lately, and you'll hear a little bit of that. Well, primarily I'm a guitarist in a rock band, a three-piece. And this quite possibly — [we launched our new] tour [in August] and I'm already wishing I hired a guitarist for these new songs. They're up there — they're in my upper register vocally and they're in my upper difficult area. So I'm maxed out here. So, the next album or the next thing I do, it's possible that it could be a different style in general just right out of the gate, for nothing than just really wanting to do something different at this point. I love what we do, but I also need to try new things. So it just happens sometimes. But, yeah, any good guitarist out there, send me your reels, 'cause I need to represent these songs live well, and I hope I'm doing that on this run.'

He added: "These are the stresses of tour. These are the things that keep me awake at night: am I gonna have my voice tomorrow? Am I gonna have my chops? So, c'est la vie."

Asked what it was that first drew him to heavy music and the desire to write and play, and if he feels that spark or that love has changed over time or developed into something different, Pete said: "Yeah, the spark was there from me being young. I mean, it was definitely there from the first time I picked up a guitar. I mean, I'm going way back. But I was learning Cat Stevens folky tunes, things like that. But you get a little older and you hear some punk like DEAD KENNEDYS or whatever, and then you realize, 'Oh, there's this whole new world that's opening up.' And I had my heavy metal summer, and that really changed me for the better. And as much as I say I'm in a rock band, I'm really metal fan more so than rock music in general. But it depends what you call metal. LED ZEPPELIN was metal when it came out, so it was, like, yes, rock and metal. And then you're, like, 'PANTERA, now that's real metal,' or 'GOJIRA, that's metal.' So there's genres."

He continued: "Starting out, I just leaned into the heavier part of SOUNDGARDEN and that sort of vibe of the rock, which is why we're a band that could tour with probably MARILYN MANSON, but at the same time probably with — say, who's on the lighter side? I'd like to think we could tour with INCUBUS or something like that, 'cause it's sort of like we're both at radio at the same time. But. to me, they're sort of the lighter side of the rock scene, which is more dreamy and vibey and cool. But I like all genres.

"At this point now, 30 years in, when I sit down to write a song, it's harder for me to even pinpoint something that I even like because I've written so many songs that the world will never even hear because they're just not fully flushed out," Pete explained. "And now I'm just trying to find something that my mind will enjoy to hear and envision putting out, and try not to overthink everything all the time, try to have a little more fun with it. But that's tricky too. The mind is a weird thing, and I'm just navigating life, my own reality. I'm trying to make it a good place every day."

"Bright As Blasphemy" came out on August 15 via Alchemy Recordings. The follow-up to 2021's "Niratias" marked CHEVELLE's first release through Alchemy Recordings following a long run with the Epic label. Alchemy Recordings is a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States.

Earlier this year, CHEVELLE drummer Sam Loeffler was asked by "Whiplash" why he and his brother Pete decided to produce the band's new LP themselves after working with Joe Barresi for almost a decade and a half. Sam said: "Well, I'll tell you this. We did four records with Joe [starting with 2011's 'Hats Off To The Bull'], and he was awesome. And he said to us, he goes, 'You guys should do something different. Go try doing a record yourselves. See how it goes.' So we did. And it's the hardest thing we've ever done, for sure. It's probably not worth it, but we did it, and we can say we did it."

As for the decision to part with Epic and find a new label home, Sam said: "After we did eight full-length records with Epic Records, which we still have a very good relationship with them, yeah, we branched out and became part of a label with our friends that we've known for 25 years in the business. And our old friend Danny Wimmer tried to sign us to Flawless Records back in like 2000, and it didn't work out, and we went to Sony instead. So now, after all these years, we've signed with him and his current label, so it was kind of cool."

Earlier this summer CHEVELLE embarked on a massive tour with special guests ASKING ALEXANDRIA and DEAD POET SOCIETY. Produced by Live Nation, the 38-city trek kicked off on August 7 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, making stops across North America in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Airway Heights, Washington at BECU Live at Northern Quest on October 2.

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.