FAITH NO MORE NAB NEW GUITARIST
Steffan Chirazi
Who is the man set to fill JIM MARTN's big, sick and ugly shoes? The Big K! tells ya, as STEFFAN CHIRAZI files this WORLD EXCLUSIVE!
FAITH NO More have announced the name of their new guitarist. After many months of speculation and anticipation, the man set to fill Jim Martin's big, sick ugly shoes is Trey Spruance - who also plays in Mr. Bungle with Faith front man Mike Patton.
The new line-up - completed as ever by Patton, Mike Bordin (drums), Bill Gould (bass) and Roddy Bottum (keyboards) - will head to Bearsville Studios in upstate New York, where they will work with producer/mixer Andy Wallace (Slayer, Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine,
Sepultura) on their as-yet untitled fifth studio album. Recording will start in September and the album is scheduled for completion by the end of November, leaving it on course for an early 1995 release. The band will choose from over 20 songs they've written, and enthusiasm is at an all-time high in the camp.
"We knew we had songs that worked. We tried out a lot of guitarists and Trey definitely understands our language," explains Billy Gould, "He had his own very capable language and is able to lock into what we're thinking too. It's exciting to be able to finally get in and do the album we've been waiting to do all this time."
And contrary to popular opinion, the band had not already penciled in Spruance as Jim Martin's replacement when Jim left the band. "If anything, we did everything possible to convince ourselves that he wasn't the right guy," laughs Gould, "Patton had said that Trey was going to be our man, but he didn't even want to deal with the idea. He's known him for years and the last thing he wanted was to be in another band with him, but in the end we were hurting ourselves by avoiding him so hard. For a long time it was too obvious, and we were fighting the obvious - but there comes a time where you have to realise who the right guy for the job is."
ER... WHERE'S JIM MARTIN
Where is the big sick ugly Metal mutha hiding? MIKE PEAKE tracks down the former FAITH NO MORE axepert!
IF FAITH No More have finally named their new six-stringer, what of Jim Martin, the self confessed 'Big Sick Ugly' ex member of Faith No More, who was shown the door just before Christmas? The hirsute axeman has been conspicuous by his absence, with no concrete news of his return to Metal action. There have been rumours that Martin would hook up with Ozzy Osbourne, replacing Zakk Wylde for much anticipated live dates next year This pairing has certainly been suggested to the Osbourne camp, but no official news on any such collaboration is currently available.
In addition, Jim Martin has been involved in a project with German Techno Metallers Die Krupps, who are currently finishing off an album containing remixes of their own songs. Martin, a friend of band guitarist Lee Althus - formerly of Bay Area bangers Heathen, was asked to remix their tracks 'Crossfire' and 'To The Hilt'. LA Guns, Carcass, Paradise Lost, Revolting Cocks and MOD - among others - are also involved with the project, lending a hand with the remixes.
The tapes of 'Crossfire' and 'To The Hilt' were handed to Martin by Althus in May, and then were taken to San Francisco's Bay View Studios where Martin began remixing.
His remix of 'Crossfire' is released through Equator on July 25, with the Die Krupps album The Final Remixes' set to follow later this year. In the meantime, the lanky guitarist has more pressing matters on his mind than music - he's currently on a three-week bicycle ride to Alaska!
