Former MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON Talks About His New Band

Former MEGADETH and current F5 bassist David Ellefson recently spoke to KNAC.com about the formation of his new project and the differences between his previous group and F5. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

KNAC.com: How would you say this relates, musically, to MEGADETH?

David Ellefson: "Musically, everyone in F5 is spot-on and plays very well. I like that the F5 songs are pretty structured, concise and to the point, which is comparable to some MEGADETH songs, but a bit of a deviation from the earlier material.

"The grooves are generally different as well. For instance, when I brought in the riff for 'Dissadence' (now available for a free download on www.f5theband.com) I played it very straight with an old school pedaling type right hand picking pattern. Dave Small suggested a more rhythmic break in the pattern and consequently made it sound about 20 years newer! I'd say it's a culmination of different influences and ways to approach a riff. In other words, it's genuine."

KNAC.com: Do you think MEGADETH fans will get into this band or is it too big of a departure?

David Ellefson: "I think they'll like it! F5 kicks ass and is heavy with strong melodies, guitar solos, great drumming, thick bass lines, etc. Basically, it has all the elements we like. Other than that a band's sound is a collective of the musicians and songwriting. With that said, F5 is a whole new set of faces so by nature it's going to have a new style and sound to it."

KNAC.com: Have you grown as a musician or songwriter since your last band?

David Ellefson: "F5 started as a creative burst and got moving so quickly that it took on a life of its own rapidly. I think that passion has to fuel any band or else the rigors of the process can grind you down so much that it sucks the life out of you and your music.

"This has been a great growing process for me to be able to step up and lead the charge but not dictate to everyone how the band is going to run. In F5 it's the group collaboration that makes it better than the sum of all its parts. That's what continues to keep everyone bringing their best to the group. Ultimately, there's a common vision and that's where the strength resides."

KNAC.com: Will there be an album out in stores soon or are you shopping to get a deal?

David Ellefson: "We did things a bit backwards in that we completed an album first before seeking out a record deal. This helped us define our sound and it certainly takes the guess work out of what the final disc will sound like. With that said we are just now getting it out for labels to hear. At the same time, so many people want to hear what the band sounds like. So, we put a track up on our website to download and gave a few radio stations, like KNAC.com, an additional track to put on the airwaves as well."

Read David Ellefson's entire interview with KNAC.com at this location.