COLD Frontman: 'The Best Thing After All These Years Is To Be Able To Survive'

Amy Harris recently conducted an interview with COLD frontman Scooter Ward. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Amy Harris: ["Superfiction"] is your first album in six years. Was it hard to go back and write and go back in the studio together?

Scooter: No, it's pretty easy to write. I think writing just comes to us. We could write songs every day. That's not the hard thing. Recording and getting the sound we want and spending time on harmonies is what really takes a long time. Hooking up with Eleven Seven, they gave us the option to have the time to do that and get the sound we wanted.

Amy Harris: You guys famously took a break in 2006 and everybody thought the band was finished for a while. Did you guys stay friends or stay in touch during that period of time when you were off?

Scooter: During that time when we took the hiatus, we were set on separating for a little while because we had been together for 12 years relentlessly writing records and touring. There was not much time off that whole time. During that time, we had kids and got married and things like that. We really wanted to spend time away from each other to focus on families. Of course, we talked on the phone every now and then, but nothing major. It was nice to be away from everybody for a little bit. Then we got back together for the reunion tour; I had played with Sam [McCandless, drums] and Jerry [Marshall, bass] since I was 12. I am 40 now, 41, so it was like we are brothers. It was nice to see everybody again and I think when all the fans showed up for the "Resurrection" tour, it just inspired us to stay together and continue with COLD.

Amy Harris: Each one of the songs on the album is accompanied by a piece of art. Can you tell me how that concept came about and who did the illustrations?

Scooter: For sure. The definition for "superfiction" is art coming to life from the images. When I heard that definition, that is how I wanted our record to be with the audio. At the same time, as I was creating the songs, there were certain images that stuck out in my head, and we remodeled the song lyrics around those images. I thought that everybody should see where the song came from in the first place so we got an illustrator and I would kind of draw a rough sketch of the images. I would then send it to the illustrator and he would really draw it. It came out pretty cool. But through the songs and creating and writing the lyrics, those were kind of the images I had in my head.

Amy Harris: Did you have any musical influences on this album?

Scooter: I don't know about musical influences. After COLD disbanded, I work on a band called THE KILLER AND THE STAR. So I was writing the entire time. Then when we got COLD back together, I just went into writing for COLD. When I write, I don't really listen to other music or radio. I just focus on creating my own world with COLD. I don't know about the influences. We always draw influences from old school stuff like DEPECHE MODE or THE CURE. Those are some of my favorite bands. I always have those influences in my writing. I think that is where the dark things come from.

Amy Harris: What is the best thing about touring and being in a rock band for you after all these years?

Scooter: The best thing after all these years is to be able to survive and pay the bills and still do what we love. Seeing the fans, they have become part of the family over the years. We have a very loyal fan base. We see the same people all of the time at shows. It's nice to see everybody again.

Read the entire interview at this location.

"Wicked World" video: