Luck was on my side, as I was granted the opportunity to work with one of the hottest guitar players around. John Connolly is a very talented musician, and song writer. You may know him from his work with Sevendust. I am proud to introduce him to you, as well as his side project, Projected.

You were one of the founding members of Sevendust, how long have you been together and please share some of the adventures that you have had over the years?

We started Sevendust back around 1994 and our first record came out in 1997. Over the years we’ve played with everyone from Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth to Jewel, Nickelback and Creed. We’ve played 2 Ozzfests, Warped Tour, Carnival of Madness, Uproar, Tattoo the Earth, Soundwave, Download, Rock am Ring, Rock am Park, Novarock and have played in Iraq and Afgahnistan for our troops. Ironically, we have yet to play South America or Japan lol.

You are a magnificent guitar player, when did you start playing, and what type of equipment do you like to use in the studio, as well as on the road?

.Thanks so much! I started playing very late in life as I spent the first 24 years as a drummer/percussionist. The older I get, the less I seem to use as far as gear goes. Back when 7d first started I had tons of pedals and effects and amps and cabs……….I was basically using gear to make up for the fact that I couldn’t play. I still can’t play, but there is something very pure about guitar, cable, amp , cabinet which was the setup I used for Projected. Not even a wah pedal for solos. My go to amps are the EVH 100watt and old 71 Marshall Super Tremolo into a 25watt greenback Marshall cab with either my signature Dean Z or my 91 Gibson Explorer. I like being able to grab a guitar and plug and play on any setup that’s available really. Less is more. I use effects very sparingly now and pretty much rely on the song to carry the weight. All the effects in the world can’t make a bad song good…..it just makes a lousy song effected.

You had the opportunity to play at the second Woodstock, this had to be quite an experience, tell us all about it?

we actually played the third one……second Woodstock was in 94. We played the drama filled one in 99 lol. Honestly, for us it was such an incredible experience…..by far the largest crowd we ever played for at around 120 thousand people. It was such a surreal experience waking up to Willie Nelson jamming while we had breakfast and did press. It was really overwhelming for us because of the sheer magnitude of the event. We stood on stage while the Chili Peppers played and the fans decided to burn down some tractor trailers……sucked that it had to end on such a sour note, but for us the experience was unreal.

Sevendust has just finished a tour, do you plan on touring again any time soon?

We have Shiprocked booked and usually play New years eve, but nothing major till 2013 for the dust. Projected on the other hand is gonna try to get out this fall somewhere around Oct.-Nov.

I understand that you have been quite busy working on a side project, aptly named Projected. For those that are unfamiliar with is endeavor, could you tell us a bit about the band?

Projected is Scott Phillips on drums, Eric Friedman on guitars/vocals, Vince Hornsby on bass and myself on vocals/guitars. I had a bunch of songs lying around that didn’t quite fit with 7d and basically just took some friends that I normally hung out with into the studio to make a record. No real big expectations or budget and most of the record was recorded through an mbox in my home office on PT Le…..version 8 even lol. We just had fun with it really.

Projected has a new CD coming out in September entitled “Human”, which I will go into more detail about later, lol. Where was this recorded, who produced it, details, details...lets hear them all?

We started recording at Paint it Black studios in Orlando tracking drums and rhythm guitars over about a week. We then moved to my house to record vocals, bass, guitar overdubs and solos and started editing and programming. I produced, Elvis Baskette mixed and co-produced during the mix and Ted Jensen mastered. Eric and Vinny came and stayed at the house while we tracked their parts and we kept everything really low-key.

When can we expect a tour from Projected?

In theory, as soon as we finish the 7d record, we will hopefully jump back into projected mode for a fall tour. Maybe a first quarter tour next year, depending on 7d and AB schedules. We will definitely tour, just a matter of trying to figure out when really.

If you were not in the music business, what do you think you would be doing?

.probably a marine biologist lol. I love scuba diving and the idea of just how unexplored our Oceans are is so interesting to me, so most likely id be somewhere down at the bottom of the Ocean starting at some undiscovered sea- monster hoping I’m not his dinner. I have a pretty large fish collection at home as well. I’ve always collected fish even as a young child. I’ve probably had 30 or so fish tanks over the years.

Do you have any advice for any up and coming musicians, and how do you think the business has changed over the years?

I think the business changes over a matter of weeks instead of years. It changes so quickly. It’s not that there is less of a demand for music, just a different demand in how people want to access and digest it. Years ago, we stood on a corner and passed out flyers and cassette tapes to get the band name out…..now with a good FB page and a killer website a new band can reach around the globe overnight. Best advice I can give is get a good attorney, read A LOT and do your best to NOT sign a record deal. It’s just a shitty loan that doesn’t ever favor the artist and you can distribute ww with companies like Cd Baby or Tunecore and keep control of your career. 360 deals are a death sentence and they don’t even really generate the money they once did. A good song will have demand if you do your homework and maximize your brand and virally market your band. Radio is going the way that newspapers have been going too……it’s a very volatile business that is becoming harder and harder for traditional labels to exist in……primarily because they are mostly unnecessary………..Branding is everything and you don’t need a label to do the legwork if your willing to interact with your fanbase directly. And ultimately, be flexible, because what we know as standard practice today will change in about 30 minutes…..remember Myspace?...........

I had the privilege of hearing Human, and can honestly say it fucking rocks. If you are already a fan of Sevendust, then you are in for an extra treat. The songs are all fantastic, but my fave would have to be “Watch it Burn”. John is not only a talented musician, but writes a hellova good song. Yea, I could describe each and every song..blah blah. But if you have the time, follow these guys, check them out, spend a few bucks and treat yourself to some good tunes, you deserve it!

http://www.projectedband.com