My Ruin interview – Chris Lisee – Pt 3
This is the third and final installment of an interview with My Ruin bassist Chris Lisee.
Morley: Live, My Ruin is a dynamo. How did you go about working yourself into the mix and is it a tough balance to let the light shine on Miss B, yet still retain a physical presence?
Chris: Dude. I'm the bass player. I know my role. I can lift heavy things and I'll drop the rock on you when necessary. I've never even thought about having to let the light shine ANYwhere. Miss B's got her shit all under control. I just do what I'd like to see, which is everyone giving 100% the entire time. I'm not up there making sure my shoes are tied. You won't catch me doing any karate-chop-kick-flips off my amp, but you'll definitely know I'm there.
Morley: Has the band changed since you first joined, in terms of direction, sound or attitude?
Chris: Definitely. As far as direction, we've taken more of a "hand's on" approach to the business. We also kind of have the attitude of "if it's not fun, it's not worth it". We realize that being in control of our band won't always be a basket of kittens, but it's an incredible feeling to know that we ARE in control. I think the band has always had an "us against them" attitude, and these days it seems there are more of us than them. Musically, I don't think there has been much change to the songwriting but we're all constantly striving to improve the overall sound, which is why we're all very excited about the release of our new live album & DVD.
Morley: You toured in France and Britain on The Brutal Language. Was that your first time playing to an overseas audience? What was the experience like for you?
Chris: Yes, the 2 trips to the UK and the week we spent in France were basically the only places I'd been outside of North America, never mind playing music in front of a crowd. I had a blast the whole time. Some of those nights were WAY beyond what I imagined I'd ever experience. I was in the band for about a year by the time we went to the UK the 1st time, and was well aware of some of the people that I was going to finally have the chance to meet. Mick, Tairrie and I had been detained in customs at Heathrow for about 6 hours on that trip, and we thought we were going to be sent back home for most of that time, so once we finally got into the country to start the tour we partied our asses off!
Morley: Where would you like to see My Ruin be in a few years down the road? Are there musical areas that you would like to delve into?
Chris: I'd like to see My Ruin be recognized on a larger scale for all the hard work and dedication, to ourselves and to the fans, over the past 8+ years. I know I haven't been here all that long in the grand scheme, but I challenge anyone to find a musician that cares as much about their band as I do about this band. For the most part, everything that My Ruin has accomplished has been done so on the band's terms. We are finally starting to build a team behind us that understands us and supports what we do on the business side but we are always going to continue to do it ourselves. I think that there are some misconceptions out there about what it takes to be in a band like My Ruin. There are so many far more popular bands out now that have achieved much greater success, which makes it difficult for us when people try to compare us to those bands for whatever reason. There are quite a few things that My Ruin has done independently over the years that we're all very proud of. I do this because I love the music. I love what My Ruin represents. If more people can get turned on to what we do and why we do it without us having to conform to someone else's standard, then that's all I really care about.
Morley: The beard seems to have taken on a life of its own. Any plans on cutting it before it reaches ZZ Top dimensions? ;) (It’s cool by the way)
Chris: I'm slightly amused by the fact that I was able to shave it clean off a few months back and nobody even knew. Then again, I can grow a beard during soundcheck. I had mutton chops similar to Mick's when I joined the band and it took me a minute to convince Tairrie that I would actually look better with a full beard. I try to keep it trimmed... and shake the extraneous food and animals out every once in a while. I'm honored that you would even mention my beard in the same sentence as the great ZZ Top. I may let it grow to that level of complete dominance once we achieve Classic Rock status.
Morley: Any last words about Throat Full Of Heart?
Chris: Thank you, Morley, for the enthusiastic review and continued support of My Ruin. Also, thanks to anyone that actually bought a copy. For those of you that illegally downloaded it, or are considering such actions, buy us drinks in Hell and all will be forgiven. Maybe.
If you missed them, check out the earlier installments of this interview with Chris here:
Pt 1: https://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art59063.asp
Pt 2: https://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art59065.asp
Morley: Live, My Ruin is a dynamo. How did you go about working yourself into the mix and is it a tough balance to let the light shine on Miss B, yet still retain a physical presence?
Chris: Dude. I'm the bass player. I know my role. I can lift heavy things and I'll drop the rock on you when necessary. I've never even thought about having to let the light shine ANYwhere. Miss B's got her shit all under control. I just do what I'd like to see, which is everyone giving 100% the entire time. I'm not up there making sure my shoes are tied. You won't catch me doing any karate-chop-kick-flips off my amp, but you'll definitely know I'm there.
Morley: Has the band changed since you first joined, in terms of direction, sound or attitude?
Chris: Definitely. As far as direction, we've taken more of a "hand's on" approach to the business. We also kind of have the attitude of "if it's not fun, it's not worth it". We realize that being in control of our band won't always be a basket of kittens, but it's an incredible feeling to know that we ARE in control. I think the band has always had an "us against them" attitude, and these days it seems there are more of us than them. Musically, I don't think there has been much change to the songwriting but we're all constantly striving to improve the overall sound, which is why we're all very excited about the release of our new live album & DVD.
Morley: You toured in France and Britain on The Brutal Language. Was that your first time playing to an overseas audience? What was the experience like for you?
Chris: Yes, the 2 trips to the UK and the week we spent in France were basically the only places I'd been outside of North America, never mind playing music in front of a crowd. I had a blast the whole time. Some of those nights were WAY beyond what I imagined I'd ever experience. I was in the band for about a year by the time we went to the UK the 1st time, and was well aware of some of the people that I was going to finally have the chance to meet. Mick, Tairrie and I had been detained in customs at Heathrow for about 6 hours on that trip, and we thought we were going to be sent back home for most of that time, so once we finally got into the country to start the tour we partied our asses off!
Morley: Where would you like to see My Ruin be in a few years down the road? Are there musical areas that you would like to delve into?
Chris: I'd like to see My Ruin be recognized on a larger scale for all the hard work and dedication, to ourselves and to the fans, over the past 8+ years. I know I haven't been here all that long in the grand scheme, but I challenge anyone to find a musician that cares as much about their band as I do about this band. For the most part, everything that My Ruin has accomplished has been done so on the band's terms. We are finally starting to build a team behind us that understands us and supports what we do on the business side but we are always going to continue to do it ourselves. I think that there are some misconceptions out there about what it takes to be in a band like My Ruin. There are so many far more popular bands out now that have achieved much greater success, which makes it difficult for us when people try to compare us to those bands for whatever reason. There are quite a few things that My Ruin has done independently over the years that we're all very proud of. I do this because I love the music. I love what My Ruin represents. If more people can get turned on to what we do and why we do it without us having to conform to someone else's standard, then that's all I really care about.
Morley: The beard seems to have taken on a life of its own. Any plans on cutting it before it reaches ZZ Top dimensions? ;) (It’s cool by the way)
Chris: I'm slightly amused by the fact that I was able to shave it clean off a few months back and nobody even knew. Then again, I can grow a beard during soundcheck. I had mutton chops similar to Mick's when I joined the band and it took me a minute to convince Tairrie that I would actually look better with a full beard. I try to keep it trimmed... and shake the extraneous food and animals out every once in a while. I'm honored that you would even mention my beard in the same sentence as the great ZZ Top. I may let it grow to that level of complete dominance once we achieve Classic Rock status.
Morley: Any last words about Throat Full Of Heart?
Chris: Thank you, Morley, for the enthusiastic review and continued support of My Ruin. Also, thanks to anyone that actually bought a copy. For those of you that illegally downloaded it, or are considering such actions, buy us drinks in Hell and all will be forgiven. Maybe.
If you missed them, check out the earlier installments of this interview with Chris here:
Pt 1: https://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art59063.asp
Pt 2: https://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art59065.asp
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