STREET TEAM UPDATE: The NoizePollution Street Team is spreading the word about these guys throughout the country. Currently we are promoting the EP. Their debut album, Prince Valium will be in stores in June.

Logan Mader--ex-guitarist from Machine Head and Soulfly took some time to discuss his newest spawn--Medication. A completely different venuture than his and his bandmates previous efforts both musically and creatively.

We met up at a Burbank mixing studio where Logan filled us in on their soon to be released full-length album and their ensuing tour.

Noize Pollution: Since we're here in the studio--what are you guys up to?

Logan Mader: We're mixing our full-length album and it's called "Prince Valium." It should be released on June 18th worldwide. It's the shit. We did the pre-prodcution at my house. The way we write songs is different than a lot of bands. The three of us--me, Whit and Blunt write the songs. Me and blunt sit in the studio with a drum machine and pro tools. We throw out all the ideas we have. We do that really efficiently. We can put seven songs in one session. Then we give it to Whit and he comes up and throws out ideas about it. It's just cool, because in a digital enviroment, it's so fast to do that as opposed to the other way-5 guys in a room jamming only to realize that it sucks. I don't have time for that anymore--not after doing it this way. My studio is good--and a lot of the takes we do there are the final ones. We're giving the big recording studios a run for thier money cos we don't need them as much anymore.

NP: Is this your first time producing?
LM: I've done a lot of demos. I've done Puddle of Mudd, Rumbulfish. I was an in-house engineer at Dave Dunns for two years. That's all I do is make music. I'm a workoholic.

NP: How long have you been making music?
LM: I joined Machine Head in 1992. That was my first band. I started making records since then. Just three years ago, I became a full-time engineer/producer. I had time on my hands and I wanted the opportunity to culitvate this band and be actively involved in all aspects of it because in making records and working with other people. There is a lot of amazing people to work with but sometimes they're slow or sometimes their vision is not the same as mine.


NP: Do you like playing live or do you prefer being in the studio?
LM: Playing live is the reward. That is what it is all leading up to. But I enjoy all of it.


NP: Can you describe your sound to people who have not yet heard Medication?

LM: It sounds like good music. All you need to know is that it's good. We got together in '99...Blunt, Whit and I and we got this house in Hollywood and we started writing songs . We had no idea what we were gonna sound like. We had no intention of making us sound the way that we do. I'm not quite sure how to describe it--it's good music. For me as a guitar player--I get to be free to express whatever comes out. And if it sucks, then one of them will tell me it sucks. There are no egos. If their idea sucks--I'll tell them. We have to write a lot of songs to get to the good ones.

NP: The album comes out June 18th. What will be the single?
LM: I don't know yet. The thing about this--it's exciting but it also gives me a fucking headache at times--is that some of the songs aren't done. And some of them are really new so we haven't done them live yet. There are many potentials--we just don't know yet. It's exciting but stressful at the same time. We are stepping up to a deadline.

NP: Do you think that interferes?
LM: No--we get off on the pressure. It's cool, our label is totally confident and supportive of us producing ourselves. They don't come around the studio. It's amazing. It's unheard of. I think it's because when we hooked up with them initially, we already had gotten five songs done already. So that was the proof right there.

NP: You guys used to be called "Pale Demons"--why the change to Medication?

LM: No that's not true. We didn't have a name at all and we had a show so we needed a name. We just used Pale Demons for that one show.

NP: So how did the name Medication come about?
LM: Whit's ex-girlfriend was taking some pills and he looked over and said--What's that, I want some. It was some kind of birth control or something. And she was like--no you don't want that--it's just my medication. Then we thought hey--that's kinda rad. We were going crazy looking for a name. It took like 6-7 months. Then also looking at the name. Music itself is a medication. It is healing. It is a form of escapism.

NP: The music and the lyrics do have a dark feel to it-where do you draw those emotions from?
LM: Whit writes all the lyrics. All I can say is that he writes about what he knows.

NP: Everything that I've heard about the band, always states what all of you have done in the past--like Machine Head or Ugly Kid Joe--before talking about the present. Do you think that it is positve or do you feel it may hinder what you guys are doing because people have a preconceived opinion or bias of what you may sound like?
LM: To say the least, it's interesting and that's why they are putting it there. I don't mind it because we don't sound like any of the bands we came from. I can't blame the people for wanting to label us like that or announce us like that. It's a way for people to know who we are. It may also be a way to lure some people in. I don't know. We did a tour in England--we did 13 shows in a row and we had no music out and we did it all ourselves. It was all sold-out. The flyer said Logan from Machine Head and Whit from Ugly Kid Joe. But the response that we got from the crowd was amazing and it was because of who Medication was. I just think it's there right now and it will go away as soon as we establish ourselves with Medication.

NP: There has been a lot of other bands that have contributed to Medication's music such as Robert Trujillo from Suicidal, Josh Freees from A Prefect Circle and Shannon Larkin from Amen...is there any other people who you want to collaberate with?
LM: Ok. Let's clarify this. Robert was never in the band. Robert played with us. He's a rad bass player...he was just helping out. The songwriting has always been Blunt, Whit and myself. We were blessed to have Roy from Soulfly to do some shows with us and play on the EP. He's great. Then Josh to play on our album. He's the perfect drummer to have on any record, no matter what. We don't have a drummer but we've only had the best drummers in the world play with us. I'm not even tripping on it. Like I said it's never slowed us down--not having a drummer. We do need a drummer--we are going to start touring in May. I'm not going to worry about it. We have such high standards about who can even try to play drums for us. It's gonna be someone of the caliber of Josh, Roy or Shannon. I like playing with Roy a lot. The best part of being in Soulfly was playing with Roy. He's a fucking monster.

NP: Where do you guys see your musical direction heading within the next few years?
LM: Kind of George Michael-ish. I have no idea. As long as we don't ever try to be Medication.

NP: We've never seen Medication live--what can we expect at a show?

LM: It's really amazing. Extreme high-energy output. The chemistry on stage is really someting special.

NP: You guys start touring in May?

LM: Yeah. We don't know where. We're shooting a video on the 17th. I know the target date is May 10th. Expect to see us all over America and Europe.


NP: Is there anything you want to say to the 20,000 street reps out there that we haven't asked?

LM: You are fuckin rad. I love them all. Thank you for pimping our shit. It's amazing. I think it's a great concept.

Interview by: Mindy and Suzy

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