STATIC-X Bassist Is 'Not Opposed' To Continuing Band Beyond 'Wisconsin Death Trip' 20th-Anniversary Tour

STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos recently spoke with Australia's Wall Of Sound. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the response to the partial reunion of the group's original lineup:

Tony: "It's really cool, and fans that didn't get to see the band, in my travels throughout the years with other bands, I've come across a lot of people that loved the band but never got to see the band either because they got into the band late or the band just never went to their countries. To be able to bring that not only to our old fans but to fans that never got to see it is really cool. I'm really excited to get this out and get people to not only experience it again one more time, but to actually experience STATIC-X for the first time live... The support has been really overwhelming. To be able to get this out worldwide like we can now do because of the support from the fans, it's just been overwhelming... We put a lot of thought and effort into this show, and I think fans will walk away feeling like,'Yeah, we got to experience STATIC-X one more time."

On deciding to resurrect STATIC-X and celebrate late frontman Wayne Static's memory:

Tony: "I think once we all got together in the room for the first time in many, many years, it felt right. It just clicked. It just felt right. I had the belief that had Wayne overcome his addictions and distanced himself from the negative people in his life that were enabling his additions, he'd be with us right now doing this with us. Once the three of us got into the room together for the first time, that just reinforced that feeling for me. We all feel that way. It felt right. Once we approached Wayne's family about doing this and showing them what we're going to do [and] how we're going to pull this off live, once they gave us their blessing and approval, we knew this is the right thing to do and the right time to do it. It was really important for me to make sure Wayne's family was okay with everything we were doing. Blood's thicker than water, and yeah, he was our friend and our brother, but that was their son. I know how I would feel if one of my siblings died, so it was really important for me to make sure they were okay with everything. We're fortunate to have their backing and their blessing to do it all."

On keeping the identity of the group's new vocalist under wraps:

Tony: "We didn't want it to come out and the first thing people say is, 'Oh, here's STATIC-X moving on with their new singer.' That's not what this is about. It's about remembering the original lineup, the original record, the good times we all had together back when we started doing this and remembering Wayne for the guy he was back then, and having a good time remembering the good times. Taking away the focus from the new singer, I think it helps in achieving that. We didn't want it to be a Van Hagar situation where it's like, 'Here's Static Hagar.' [Laughs] I think with the mask, and when you come out and see the show and the lights go out and the stage production comes on and you see the four guys up on stage and you get that silhouette of Wayne and trying to bring back the vibes and the visuals as close as possible to the sights and sounds and feelings that you had when you first saw the band, the mask helps accomplish both those things."

On the status of the band's upcoming album, "Project Regeneration":

Tony: "We're in the process of finishing up the tracking. I just finished up the last of my bass tracks and backing vocals, so it's just little things here and there that we've got to finish up. We've already started handing stuff off to Ulrich Wild to mix for us, and our plan is, by the time we leave for this U.S. tour, to have everything handed off to Ulrich so he can mix at his leisure, and by the time we get done with this first U.S. leg, it should be mixed and ready to go. We're hoping to have it ready to go for a fall release."

On the band's future plans:

Tony: "We haven't really thought that far ahead, actually. We're just kind of enjoying the moment, in the now, just trying to do this as best we can and really just enjoy our company again. To be on a bus with these guys again after so long, I'm really looking forward to that and traveling the world with these guys. When this is all said and done, we'll see. If it's something the fans want, I'm certainly not opposed to it. I still want to go do other things – I'd love to work with MINISTRY again; I'd love to do some shows with the Cavalera brothers; I still have another ASESINO record to finish... I still want to do other things, but if it's something the fans want, we'll definitely keep it in mind, for sure."

STATIC-X's forthcoming album, "Project Regeneration", will include the last recordings of Static, who passed away more than four years ago. The album will also feature the surviving members of the band's original lineup — bassist Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda — as well as newly recruited touring vocalist "Xer0".

STATIC-X kicked off the first leg of its tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band's gold-certified debut album "Wisconsin Death Trip" — a six-week trek across North America with co-headliners DEVILDRIVER — on June 18 in Tempe, Arizona.