"Disarray, Datarray"

SKRATCH: Disarray is best described as...

CHUCK: Disarray is best described as the most intense hard rock band to ever emerge out of the home of country music.

SKRATCH: What gives you the drive to keep Disarray going?

CHUCK: I have always been the type of person who doesn't quit.  This band is a way for me to vent frustration without killing somebody.  It is literally my therapy and it keeps me sane.

SKRATCH: What are some of your musical influences?  Any that we would be shocked at?

CHUCK: I've got tons of influences.  Let's see... my all time idol is Lemmy of Motorhead, just because he is older than dirt and he's still jamming.  If he's not the definition of longevity I don't know what is.  Vocal influences include old James Hetfield, Pepper from Corrosion Of Conformity, Chuck Billy, John Bush, and Max Cavalera.  Favorite guitarists include Alex Skolnick, George Lynch, Paul Gilbert, Dimebag, and the list goes on... I guess the shocking thing would be the variety of music I like.  I love old country like Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.  I'm also into hardcore and some death metal.  Don't kill me, but I'm into lots of '80s hard rock bands as well - especially the bands from Tennessee like Every Mother's Nightmare, Tora Tora, Valentine Saloon, etc.

SKRATCH: What's the easiest and hardest thing about being a power trio?

CHUCK: The easiest thing is only having two other people to deal with.  It would really suck having to deal with 5 guys in a van for 6 weeks!!  The hardest thing is keeping the band tight in a live situation -- especially doing vocals and guitar at the same time.  We don't have a 'safety net' with a second guitar player.  If I f*ck up everybody knows it was me, but that's what makes it a challenge.

SKRATCH: Compare studio versus live show, which one you like better?  Find easier?

CHUCK: The studio is definitely harder for me because everything has to be perfect.  Plus it's hard to get the energy on tape when you have those damn headphones on your head!!!  Live is a totally different animal.  We focus on crowd energy and don't really worry about every little detail.  So I would say I definitely like playing live better.

SKRATCH: What does the next 6 months hold for Disarray?

CHUCK: Lots of touring, which really means lots of nights sleeping in the van, showering at truck stops (or not showering at all -- yuck!!), eating cold can food right out of the can, and most important of all - GETTING THE F*CK OUT OF NASHVILLE!!!!!!

SKRATCH: If you could comprise an all star band to jam with, who would you pick and give y'all a name!

CHUCK: Wow -- an all star band...let's see...I'd have Dave Lombardo on drums, Tony Iommi on rhythm guitar, myself on lead guitar, bring Cliff Burton back from the dead and put him on bass, and put John Bush on vocals.  Who knows what to call that???  All the good names are already in use so I have no idea what to call it.

SKRATCH: If I wasn't a musician, I'd be...

CHUCK:  In prison for going off on a killing spree or I'd be a vet since I prefer animals over humans any day.

SKRATCH: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

CHUCK: Get ready to invest your entire life and all your money into this if you really want to be serious about it.  Don't be a hometown hero -- get on the road and do some touring!!  Set goals and have patience -- it takes forever to become known.  If you're only in a band to be "famous" then please quit because you are wasting your time!!!

SKRATCH: What are you currently listening to?

CHUCK: I'm currently listening to old shit - Testament Practice What You Preach, Anthrax Spreading The Disease, and the self titled Souls At Zero CD.  I've also been jamming to the Superjoint Ritual record, the new Down record, and the Creedence Clearwater Revival greatest hits CD.

SKRATCH: How do you feel about the state of heavy music these days?

CHUCK: I feel that true heavy music is on the rise again.  Everything is about to come full circle again and hopefully the market will be strong like it was in the '80s.  In general I hate these 'nu metal' frat boy hard rock bands... they are so fabricated and disposable... it's pathetic.  We have kids at every show tell us how they are glad we are bringing old school metal back, so I know people are into it.

SKRATCH: Where do you see Disarray in the next 3 years?

CHUCK: Hopefully we'll have a couple more records out by then.  I'm always writing material so we have some killer new stuff that I can't wait to record and release!!  Hopefully we will be doing bigger tours and making a little better money than we are now, but if not, we will definitely still be touring and recording new music.

SKRATCH: What are you most proud of about Disarray?

CHUCK: I'm proud that I have held this thing together through the '90s when metal was not the 'cool' thing.  I'm flattered that there are tons of kids here in middle Tennessee who have started bands and who admire me for what we've done and continue to do.  I guess I'm most proud of the fact that we have survived for this long.  It's really hard to be taken seriously and to get past the stereotypes that come with being from Tennessee.  The industry has refused to accept us for years and years -- but we're still jamming, releasing music, and touring nationally.

SKRATCH: What do you ultimately want to achieve with Disarray?

CHUCK: I want to be the most well-known hard rock act to ever emerge from Nashville.  I want to release a ton of records and be the Motorhead of this generation.