VOX: We’ll just jump right in. Let's go back 5 or so years, how did you guys get started

DEZ FAFARA: We started in ’94 here in LA. Meegs took out an ad for a singer; I took an ad out for a guitar player. I answered his ad. He walked over to my house with hair down to his ass and a guitar slung over his shoulder! And that was it. We were in a band called " She’s In Pain." We played 3 or 4 gigs. Got Coal Chamber together and started playing. Reina was a good friend of my ex’s, that’s how we me her. And then we heard through the rumor mill that there was this young drummer Mikey who was really good and he and his brother Travis whose also a drummer. They set up their drums and tried out. Mikey came in.

Basically we toured the hell out of all around here. We played LA two or three times a week.

VOX: It shows a lot of dedication that you would tattoo the name of the band on your arm

DF: Yea I got that way before the band got a deal. Meegs did his way before we got a deal. Then I got [a roadrunner tattoo] our record company who's been behind us. Independent label but they have managed to stick a lot of money & effort behind us.

VOX: What made you think this was your destiny?

DF: You know I got my first tattoo at 16 and my mom said, "What are you doing to your body?" And I said, "Mom, I am going to be in a rock band." There has always been this puppeteer working our destiny. I have always believed that. I don’t know where my life is going - I have no control over that.

VOX: Where did the name come from?

DF: I wanted Coal, Meegs wanted Chamber.

VOX: What was the music scene like growing up?

DF: We grew up on all sorts of music. From The Cure and Bauhas to Motley Crew and Judas Priest . Umm, Pantera, White Zombie, you name it…

VOX: You can feel those influences in your music.

DF: Yeah, definitely.

VOX: What do you think of the LA scene nowadays?

DF: I think it’s good. All of the LA bands seem like they got signed and they’re out and doing their thing. I feel sorry for the kids here. I don’t think – I don’t know if there’s real strong local scene here…most of the bands we came up with…I mean every time we played we played with Static-X, System Of A Down. I could go on. Now, most of those bands have deals. They are all signed now. So with the local scene I am really not in touch with it now. I will be home for about a month, so I am going out to feel it and see what’s there.

Other bands have come here - I get feedback from bands that come here. It’s so different. I hear all the time people saying, ‘I’m going to LA to get signed!" and I say, ‘Really? There are five hundred million of you out here." It’s one of the most difficult things to do. I am happy to see some of the bands we worked with come up.

VOX: What about the rock scene in general - where is it going?

DF: It’s just getting bigger. It’s just now a drop in the bucket of what’s going on. MTV is really paying attention. They’ve given us as well as a lot of bands great support. I’m seeing radio being real supportive. Where two years ago you could not hear anything heavy on the radio. It’s a good thing

VOX: Your lyrics contain a lot of positive messages, stressing individuality? Where does it all come from?

DF: Right! Umm, I just wanted an accurate depiction of my life through my lyrics. If I was only angry and pissed off then someone saw me at the grocery store and buying Fruit Loops with my girlfriend, laughing going down the aisle…I would think as an artist you would look at me in a totally different fashion and totally different light. So this album, I want to give a lyrically accurate portrayal of life. It’s got negative, it's got positive, just the way you live day to day.

VOX: You wrote a song for your son, Tyler…

DF: For me, it was trying to find a way to say the opposite of what everyone in this genre is saying, but not to say it in a cheesy way or in a cliché but say it as blatant as I could. With my lyrics often you have to figure out what I am talking about you know what I mean. So with this song I just wanted to put it right out there. Respect your mom and always think of her first. It’s just so blatant. I just want to give back something that I just don’t think anyone cares giving to...

VOX: "Untrue" is an awesome song, what's it about?

DF: Waiting at home for your girlfriend. "You have been untrue. The phone rang all night. I waited here all night Where were you?" It’s an endless story that happens to all individuals. I just thought I’d put that out there.

VOX: You have a totally committed fans base. We get many requests to cover you guys…

DF: Cool! It’s a great thing. It’s a fan base we really worked hard for. We have been on the road now for almost three years straight. We did nineteen months on the first album. That album went gold. We’ve been out on this one for eight months. It means a lot to me. We are on an independent label. We work harder than most people do. Because of that fact, to have that status with the bands and that cool underground following is great. I love it. It can only get better.

VOX: You put a lot of work on your own web site, is that an integral part of the music now?

DF: Just now we are getting into the dot-com world. I am so computer illiterate I can’t turn one on! I am just technology wrong. I have someone set my own stereo up. That other side of my brain works. But buttons I…I’m just not there! I'm just starting to get into that before we really get the web site to take off and do some other stuff we’re getting into right now.

VOX: What "other stuff?"

DF: Uh, we really can’t talk about it, but if you hit us up in a month, I’ll let you in on it [Editor's note: Dez was referring to their decision to break off touring and get back into the studio.]

VOX: What’s the next step?

DF: This is that last day of a ten-week tour. Take three weeks off, then go out for another couple of weeks with Sevendust. Then we’re going on the Tattoo The Earth tour with Slipnot, Sevendust and some other really big headliners though. Again, I cannot comment on this stuff. Again, there’s mystery.

VOX: VOX has been great supporters of those bands…

DF: Yeah they’re great bands. We love ’em.

VOX: What should fans expect from a Coal Chamber live show?