EVANESCENCE Frontwoman Says Lineup Changes 'Had To Happen' For Band To Survive

Kevin C. Johnson of St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently conducted an interview with EVANESCENCE frontwoman Amy Lee. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On recent lineup changes:

"It's really given the band the kick start it needed, and a real breath of new life. Things were at a point where they were so bad, something like that had to happen with the lineup change. That's never something you want. It's a last resort. It's like a relationship, when you try and try to make it work and it just doesn't and you have to break up.

"But it did happen, and now we have Will [Hunt, drums] and Troy [McLawhorn, guitar], who are such passionate players and cool guys. And now when we're up there, we're having a lot of fun. I think that has made the show a lot better."

Q: Why did you decide to do Family Values, as opposed to your own tour?

Amy: I think being part of a festival with a lot of other good bands is a good thing. There are so many festivals going on, and I think Family Values is a really great one to be a part of because it's a ton of great bands for $10.

Q: What is it about KORN that made you want to join this tour?

Amy: I'm definitely inspired by them musically. I loved them when I was younger. I remember going, I think, to Family Values a long time ago, when I was probably 17 (she is now 25),if that's right. Maybe it wasn't Family Values then, maybe it was just KORN. But it was something very exciting for me. They put on an amazing show.

Q: Can we expect any collaborations on stage?

Amy: Not as yet. People keep asking if I'm gong to do the acoustic version of "Freak on a Leash" with KORN. Obviously, that's totally up to them, and I haven't heard anything about it. I've seen the set they've been playing this summer, and it's awesome and heavy, and I wouldn't be surprised if they just want to play all their songs heavy and skip the whole acoustic thing.

Q: What can people expect from EVANESCENCE's performance in terms of production?

Amy: Now, finally, we have the opportunity to spend some more money and get some rad set going. My lighting director and I got together and brainstormed and came up with a really cool set idea. It's all basically LEDs and mirrors and things, and it's going to be really cool. We're just hoping we're going to be on late enough that the sun goes down and it's not all in the light.

Q: You talk a lot about being a perfectionist when it comes to writing and recording. Does that apply to live shows as well?

Amy: You can't be a perfectionist when you're talking about the live show. The whole point (is),it's live and stuff's going to happen, and stuff's going to be different every night. When you come to a live show, you get those little mistakes and changes and parts when you know the music moves you so much, you just have to do the solo differently or whatever.

Q: What was it like to get married and take right off for your tour? (Lee married a therapist in May, and he's on the road with her.)

Amy: We went on a honeymoon for a week, so it's not like we went straight on tour the next day. But it's not too different from that, because we pretty much came back from the honeymoon, repacked our suitcases and went on tour in Europe. It's a little harsh. I think it would be more normal to be at home cooking and cleaning and talking about where to put the china cabinet. But we love it.