Gigantour Interviews by Benji Womack with Nevermore

Nevermore Interview w/ bass player Jim Sheppard



Benji: So what do you think about this crazy line up at Gigantour?
Jim: At first I was wondering how it was going to work because it..s such a variety of bands. I thought there would be too many clashes of styles, but it seems to be working really well.

Benji: ..Godless Endeavor.. is so polished; is this the album you..ve been waiting to make?
Jim: Ya, definitely. We always try to perfect our skills and songwriting, but on this one we had a lot of extra time, unfortunately, due to illness in the band. Jeff was finally able to do what he wants to do with the title track. He was able to write a big ballady or epicy or whatever you want to call it song. It..s over 10 minutes long.

Benji: Are you guys Raven fans from the W.C.W.? (Because of the Nevermore t-shirts)
Jim: No....well, I am now. I was really shocked because I didn..t think any of my friends were wrestling fans, but I was sitting at home and I started getting tons of phone calls. Everyone..s like ..turn on the TV, Ravens wearing your shirt!.. I was like ..oh shit...

Benji: Talk about your favorite show the band has played.
Jim: Would have to be The Paladium in Wusta, Massachusetts, because we have such a strong fan base there. Last time we played there was the Mass. Metal Festival we were headlining. We had about 2,100 people crammed into a venue that holds 1,800...it was complete insanity. Something about Wusta, Mass. It..s like that every time we play there.

Benji: For all the people who think touring is a walk in the park, explain to the readers what it..s like to be on a major tour like this.
Jim: Basically it..s going to be a long hot summer full of very hot heavy metal parking lots. We will be playing a lot of Playstation, sleeping a lot; it..s not as glamorous as it sounds. Especially when you play a half hour set early in the day and you still have all this energy, your days over and there..s nowhere to go. Playing a club tour is a little funner 'cause your in a city and there..s more to do.

Benji: Tell me about the feeling you get when you..re on stage performing for your fans.
Jim: It..s really hard to explain, It..s pretty much all the hard work you put into it, long drives, long practice, being away from home all comes together in that moment when your on stage. No matter how long a performance it is, it makes it all worth it, everything lines up, it..s hard to explain to someone who has not performed for people but it..s definitely very gratifying.

Benji: Any advice to the new bands that are trying to make it today?
Jim: Ya...it doesn..t happen over night. If you find the right bandmates, keep it together, make it work. One thing I think is important about Nevermore is we..ve had the same core members for 10 years and we..re still doing it. Sure we..ve had our fights, I hate you, I quit, you know, you're fired, let's break up the band. But I think that there..s such a strong passion for the music that all of us share; it keeps us going. A lot of bands need to learn there..s no room for egos, you get chemistry that works, realize it and utilize it, and eventually it will pay off.