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Kristin chats with Joey Belladonna

The Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ on 10.09.2005

K: BacStagePass.com last chatted with you in June. How has everything been going since then?
JOEY: Just fine, things are getting better everyday we are just having a good time. Uh the shows looking great i mean we are doing everything accordingly to what we were aiming to do in the first place, i mean were taking it day to day. We really haven't moved into anything further than the lines go.
K: ok
JOEY: You know of course we have the new release and stuff, that's the only thing we've actually done other than play live.
K: Since the reunion you guys have pretty much been on the road non-stop. How is everyone getting along?
JOEY: OH we're getting along great, you know it's...it's everyday on the road...life on the road is uh, it has the ups and downs. Like today we're on our sixth show in a row- This is the first time since i've been in the band that we've done six shows in a row. Back in the day we'd usually do seven then a day off then another seven which is pretty heavy... that's alot. Each day when you do, it's nice to have a few days off in between to set your charge back up. I mean these guys are unloading these trucks everynight. That's alot of gear.
K: Yeah
JOEY: And driving some of the drives that are hours a piece you know so you feel for everybody but you know you gotta get to and from these places- you have to have that.
K: How do these shows differ from the shows 20 years ago?
JOEY: Not a whole lot. Not really i jjust think we're better, you know it's more aggressive. Uh the experience is more there. Everything we've achieved musically over the years. We've uh taken in and learned from maybe just the business side of it, the whole uh budgeting of the touring and uuh just taking care of day to day business...you know that kind of stuff. Shows are basically the same. I think we are much more agressive that's the only thing i can get from it other than it's cool to be back. You know it's good to be the stage with these guys again.
K: That's great... With Anthrax being around for 20 years, what do you feel the bands biggest accomplishment is besides surving the music industry that long?
JOEY: I don't know I just think that uh I mean like you said surviving, you know I mean that's for anybody that's been in a band for along time like I have or like these guys haven't stopped. Like Scott and Charlie I mean and Frankie even though he's been out for a couple years that'sa long time i mean to keep a band together is really a hell of an achievement... to stay together and being able to keep it fresh and you know stay focused and not only do it for a certain period of time and saying like you know I've had enough that isn't what we do. It's because we wanna play...not cause of other reasons I mean thats one thing we do is do it for the love of playing.
K: Where do you feel you personally are at creativly at the moment?
JOEY: Well I haven'thad to be creative uh i mean live that's the only thing I've been creative with. We haven't written anything, no new music or anything so by myself before I got back together with these guys i was doing my own music. So writing and playing with other people that's where I was creative. Here I am coming in and buckeling in and you know doing what we do. What we've done versus what we haven't, again we haven't had anything new except a live album which is again old songs.
K: On this tour you have dates with Judas Priest, how have these shows been going? Have you ever played with them before? 
JOEY: I haven't. They, the line up after me had played with Ripper...uh everybody but Rob Halford...Rob's back and now I am so we are reuniting.
K: Yeah, there you go!!
JOEY- No I haven't played with Priest
K: What is life on the road like for you?
JOEY: Great, um it's uh for me everything that we do on the road trying to achieve the entertainment part of it in keeping everybody happy enlightning the band and bringing in new people into the show now and making them..getting them introduced to the old style meaning the new at this point.Uh that's the part of love. That's the big thing about being on the road.
K: After you perform everynight you see all these fans going absolutely nuts. You walk off stage and what really runs thru your head?
JOEY: Just how amazing people are, it's great- I mean I am a fan too of other things and I can leave a show and go wow that was awesome, I can't believe he did that or you know how cool it was, whatever you can get from it. I mean i don't care if a guy wears a pair of pants that you liked or a cool guitar or uh the lights were awesome... whatever you can get from it is just that something like here they come they're coming onstage.
K: Musically who blows you away?
JOEY: I like so much stuff, I ...I don't know.
K: Do you like any newer bands?
JOEY: I like newer bands- I mean I've seen alot of different bands lately I mean I don't care if it's Nickleback uh Dark New Day, Fear Factory, great bunch of guys someday some of us might get together and do some stuff but you know they're are alot of bands out there.
K: Who is your all time favorite?
JOEY: I really don't have an all time favorite I mean back before I found these guys I was big on The Led Zepplin,  The Journey, The Rush,The  Bad Company's, the Deep Purples.
K: You have a broad range...
Joey: Yeah I am like one of those who can listen to Seal ,Sade then I can listen to Priest, Slipknot, I mean I am so like of the mark. I mean if anybody was to listen to my stuff they'd say ewh. These guys hear me listen to certain things and say you are really listening to that.
K: Laughs
JOEY: I mean when it comes to listening I like things that make me learn and uh get a mindset. I think it was last night and I must of sat in the bunk and had the whole thing of Chicago going on and what I think there's 21 records on there and I let that baby spin. Sometime it's just about easing your mind. Vocally I really do like stuff that's got- I love vocals from the Beatles on.
K: In your opinion, out of the songs you are performing at the moment on tour, which song would you say has the crowd going the wildest?
JOEY- Well the crowd likes ....singing wise there's antisocial, thats a big singing one then you got uh Indians is a big vocal and then theres other songs thay are downright good headbanging you know- it's people jjust kinda doing their own shit down in the front. I mean there's seats tonight but when there is a general admission, we get a few wild pits going.
K: That's my kind of show- general admission
JOEY: We've had a few of them on this tour but not very many but you know what seats are one of those things at concerts it challenging that way cause we don't always have to have people get loose on the floor.
K:If you could turn back time, what era would you go and why?
JOEY- I guess if I could turn back time maybe I'd go - knowing what I know now and the people I used to play with like friends that we used to jam in my basement...if we got all those guys together and did this type of thing we could of said well we did it. I've done it with people I've never known but now I guess I look back and saw anybody I played with in High School or something and we tried to do something that never really got off the ground. I mean it would of really been cool. Other than that I don't know.
K: If you were a vegetable what would you be?
JOEY: An Avacado I guess, I really love Avacado or I guess I could be a head of cabbage since I have been eating it so much.
K: A lot of musicians are know to have obscure tates in music. What bands are you currently listening to? Oops well we kinda..
JOEY: Yeah we just went over this but I like alot of heavy stuff. I like Modern stuff, I like Blues, I just don't listen to a lot Country music or Jazz.
K: Tonight's show is at The Borgata in Atlantic City,NJ. Are you or anyone in the band into the whole gambling scene?
JOEY: One member gambles. Im not good at it.
K: You just released the Anthrax Anthology No Hit Wonders and a live cd... What's next to come from Anthrax?
JOEY: Well more touring for sure um obviously. There could be a next one but I don't know for sure. Um it's getting better and better as we go but if we do that it would have to be really great or we won't do it. All I know of right now is more touring. We have to headline the States by ourselves, headline Europe, go to Japan Maybe South America. I don't know it's alot of that stuff is pending.
K: Any message for your fans?
JOEY: Right on you know it's good to have everybody uh that's been with us for so long. We wanna thank anybody that's ever had a chance to acknowledge Anthrax and still sticking with us. You ever have anything you wanna say or spew out you can always get a hold of us on my site or at www.anthrax.com . It's a good way to really reach one another nowadays.
K: Well thank you so much for your time and i can't wait to see you guys play tonight.
JOEY: No problem...I hope you enjoy it. 

Myspace:  www.myspace.com/Anthrax