Old Dogs, New Tricks

Stabbing Westward Show They're Not Afraid of Change

This certainly isn't the Stabbing Westward you thought you knew.

Many, if not most, bands show growth both musically and in their writing from album to album. For Stabbing Westward, the change has been phenomenal. On their breakthrough release, Darkest Days, the guys relied heavily on loops and sequencers to channel their sound. The effort worked sonically, giving them a dark sound that crossed rock, electronica and very heavy lyrics. It didn't, however, translate into a very dynamic live show. While Stabbing Westward put on what can be called a very dramatic live performance, the loops and sequencers didn't allow the band much leeway in changing songs or letting the songs take their own course.

Much of this could be attributed to the fact that the band didn't have what they could consider a guitar virtuoso among them. "In the past, everybody would step in and play parts," bassist Jim Sellers told us, "And loop those if we needed to."

In steps producer Ed Buller, and SW's world gets set on its ear. "He wanted us to approach it as rock," Jim said, "With a pure, organic sensibility." The result was the addition to the band of Derrek Hawkins as the full-time lead guitarist and the reconstruction of the old SW tunes along with a new approach to writing and performing. If the early returns are any indication, the change has been a success.

Stabbing Westward simply tore up the famous Roxy in Hollywood when we caught them in May 2001. With a slimmer Christopher Hall fronting a revived and much more flexible band, the guys seemed to be having more fun that at any time in the past. The new tunes mixed seamlessly with the re-tooled older tracks and judging by fan reaction, Stabbing Westward version 2.0 is working out fine. Given that they're getting radio support, with "So Far Away" getting many spins and their new record label, Koch Records, putting out massive support, 2001 looks to be a turning point for SW.