ROBERT TRUJILLO Had No Idea What His INFECTIOUS GROOVES Bandmate JAY WEINBERG Looked Like Without A Mask

In a new interview with Australia's Wall Of Sound, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo spoke about what it has been like for him to rehearse with ex-SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg in preparation for their upcoming shows with INFECTIOUS GROOVES, the long-running outfit formed more than three decades ago by Trujillo alongside Robert's then-SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bandmate Mike Muir. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's interesting with Jay because I didn't know him before all of this. One of the things with METALLICA is we get very busy and almost feel like we're sort of in this bubble, which is sometimes a creative bubble, sometimes a touring bubble. It's just this zone. And when you get home from tour, sure, you're gonna reconnect with your musician friends and or your friends in general and sometimes you're gonna run into other musicians from other bands that you maybe didn't have a prior connection with. And Jay would have been a musician that I didn't have a prior connection with. We just didn't cross paths. I know he crossed paths with Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] and all that. So it was a bit of a mystery for me."

Robert continued: "I was excited to finally meet him. And I was a big fan, or I am a big fan of his dad's playing [Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND], so it was kind of a surreal thing for me. It's like, 'Wow, this drummer from SLIPKNOT. I only ever see this dude in the mask.' And it's, like, 'Who is he?' I didn't know what he looked like even. And that was pretty funny 'cause I almost didn't wanna know what he looked like until we were in that room rehearsing together, and that's how it was."

Trujillo added: "Going back to the position of drummer in INFECTIOUS, I think about Josh Freese, who's now with the FOO FIGHTERS, and him being 19 and playing in INFECTIOUS. I think about Brooks Wackerman — he was 15 when he recorded the 'Groove Family Cyco' album. I think about Stephen Perkins. There's a drummer that is not often talked about who played on the first album, and his name is Scott Crago. And Scott Crago actually is the drummer for THE EAGLES currently. So we've had quite a lineage of players who have served as the drummer in this particular band. So Jay actually steps into some — I don't know — he's entering a position that's carried a lot of powerful lineage, I guess you could say. And again, the music has always been really centered around the drums anyway. Drummers love it 'cause they just can go crazy, and we don't really care — as long as we can keep up with 'em."

INFECTIOUS GROOVES has scheduled two U.S. shows this month — March 23 and March 24 at the Garden Grove Amphitheater in Garden Grove, California — before embarking on a short tour of Australia in late March and early April.

Weinberg was recruited by INFECTIOUS GROOVES for the band's first live appearances since a one-off show in 2019 due to longtime drummer Brooks Wackerman's commitment to AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

In addition to Weinberg, Muir and Trujillo, INFECTIOUS GROOVES' 2024 lineup includes guitarists Dean Pleasants (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) and Dave Kushner (ex-VELVET REVOLVER).

INFECTIOUS GROOVES was formed soon after Trujillo joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in 1989. Muir and Trujillo got together with some friends to write song that centered more around the bass, but with the intent of giving everyone else a whole lot of freedom.