5 Min Origin Stories with Chad McMurray of RivetSkull

From over there in Seattle, WA, we have a group called RivetSkull...not sure what that name conjures up in your soul, but for me, I'm instantly transported to the worst Metallica recordings I have ever heard....Night of the Rivvit Heads...

Which make St. Anger sound like Master of Puppets..

But, these folks aren't anything like that at all. 

They're a modern day proto metal band. How many bands like that can you name? They took all the metal and gave it a miss and went back to the godfathers.

Check out their record on BANDCAMP.

1. Is there an event you can point to you that made you say, wow, that's the instrument I want to play? Not like guitar or drums, but the reason why you play the model you do?

Well as the singer in this band, that's a little more complex...but as a bass player too, I think I can craft an answer. As a bass player first, I was originally influenced by Geddy Lee, Stu Hamm and John Paul Jones in the earlier days. 

Many more influences followed. I ended up playing in Rush and Led Zeppelin tribute bands for a number of years. So enter the Fender Geddy Jazz bass and the 62' Jazz reissue. 

And for the bass nerds, I had a Kubicki Factor bass too, since Stu Hamm was playing them back then. After owning a number of high end "luxury" bass guitars, really found I preferred the Jazz bass and older obscure instruments. 

The '71 Ampeg Big Stud is one of my favorites as well as a '70 Gibson EBO. When I was elected to be the singer of my original band Ashland in '93, I wanted to be known as a singer, not just a bass player that could sing, so I searched out the Maestro David Kyle (Geoff Tate, Ann Wilson, Don Dokken) and studied voice and opera for about 7 years off and on. 

I went on to front several other original bands as well as Ronnie James Dio and Iron Maiden tribute bands.

2. How do you write a song?

As an instrumentalist, I tend to create the music and structure of the song first, then write vocal melodies and lyrics to place in there. 

In RivetSkull, with a number of writers and the fact I live in LA and write remotely... pre-production ideas get uploaded and I'll slice and dice things and typically come up with some scratch vocal ideas. 

Then finalize all the parts.

3. How many concept records do you own? Could you ever write one?

Only a handful actually. Of course, Rush-2112 and Pink Floyd-The Wall being the most impactful to me. But Queensryche-Operation Mindcrime, Genesis-The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, The Who-Quadrophenia. 

In the last 20 years though, I'd have to include Rush-Clockwork Angles and Dio-Magica as solid pieces of work too. And yes, I'd like to take a crack at that some day!

4. Who's influence is most evident in your music? The least?

We're a bit all over the board, but consistently is probably Dio... The least...Weird Al?

5. Which one of your songs is the one your the most proud of?

Thanks like asking which of your children are your favorite!?  But I'll pick Another Way To Heaven, as that was our first song and does really show some versatility and highlights our influences.

6. Sum up your latest record for us.

I'd have to say it's a refreshing, yet familiar journey of traditional heavy metal concepts, through a variety of musical styles that relate to the world today.