Scooter Ward of Cold
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer
Eleven Seven Music recording artists COLD are gearing up for the release of Superfiction on July 19. Cold reunited in 2009 and have been hard at work recording their upcoming release. Discovered by Fred Durst, 2011 will prove to be an exciting year for the band. Singer Scooter Ward has checked in with Hardrock Haven to discuss the upcoming release Superfiction.
HRH: Scooter, Thank you for checking in with Hardrock Haven. Superfiction is slated for release on July 19. Tell us about the writing process for the album. Cold just back together in 2009. Did the band all write together this time around?
Scooter: Well the basic structure for Cold that usually comes in with the rhythm and the tempo for the song with the lyrics and the melody and everything. The band usually adds their unique sound to the music. So that is basically what we did on this record. Except the lyrical content on this record is very different is not personal songs. I was trying to gear away from personal side of music so much. I wanted to give people an escape to listen to the song and maybe for to a different place for a little while. Our previous releases were more personal. Although, the characters created in the songs have a dark side to them. You can still gravitate towards them if you are having problems and you can relate to the characters although the characters may not be real.
HRH: Would you say the new video and song “Wicked World” has to do with the state of the world today?
Scooter: No, not really. Like I said nothing is too in your face on the record. Even though it is a wicked world, it is kind of like a make believe wicked world. There are Kings and Queens involved. There are wolves and witches. It is kind of like a dreamland.
HRH: How do you think the band has evolved since 1996 when you first got together?
Scooter: Dramatically, I mean musically we have all gotten better as players. I think any band does. Especially if you tour for years. We have toured for 14 years. You learn from other bands as far as stage shows. Where as performing, you become a better player. Your songwriting gets better. I think we all have just grown.
HRH: Are you planning a huge tour with the release of Superfiction?
Scooter: Yes, for sure. Every time we put a record out we always tour for a long time. Right now we are starting with Volbeat on the July 24. We got the seven-week tour. Then we will probably take a few weeks off and do a headlining tour.
HRH: That sounds great. What inspired the band to get back together in 2009?
Scooter: I had a side project The Killer and The Star. I started my own label on Universal. As I was completing the record, I was wondering, whom am I going to open up for? This definitely an alternative act. Normally, we would open up for people in our genre. With Killer and The Star, I didn’t know what venue to bring it to? So our drummer Sam called and said why don’t you we get Cold back together and you can open up for Cold. I know you would be pulling double duty but it would be cool. This is after four years nothing happened with Cold. So we did the tour and set it up. We did the shows all over the country and the shows were sold out. It was packed. To take a break that long and not have any radio or promotion and go out and do a tour for the shows to be packed, we knew we still had an impact with our fans. So we thought we should make a new record and see if we are still valid in the music industry.
HRH: The music industry has changed so much since the band debut in 1996. How do you think it has evolved for the better or for the worse?
Scooter: Monetarily it is for the worst. Back in the day, you did make a living playing music. There were publishing deals; there were other outlets that you would have to ensure you were protected with money. The industry has changed so drastically over the years, publishing deals aren’t what they used to be. There is literally a quarter of what they used to be. When you get 100,000 compared to 400,000 dollars, that is 100 grand split between four people that is not a lot of money. It doesn’t last long. It has changed drastically. I think The Internet is drawing people closer to the artist because they have more of a personal connection with them. Although artists have to do that right now. They have to get on FaceBook and have a personal connection with the fans. It is more valid now. That is why everyone wants to be connected with one another. Back in the day, you didn’t have that. You had that mystery of a rock star. They just magically appeared onstage and played beautiful music. Nowadays everyone knows you are sitting outside of the bus drinking a mocha getting ready to play. They know too much about you. It is kind of creepy. I think we have evolved and adjusted to the time. We try to adhere to that so we can progress musically.
HRH: Did Fred Durst discover you back in the day? Was he responsible for all of your success? Did he introduce you to Ross Robinson? Is that how the success story all began?
Scooter: Yes, Fred introduced us to Ross Robinson. I think Fred getting us back on the big tours back in the day went really well. Staind we toured with them forever, Godsmack, we toured with them forever. We had a lot of friends. We were able to do a lot of great things back then. I definitely think that Fred was the major turning point in Cold’s career for sure.
HRH: Looks like you have another chance of being on top again. You have a great label Eleven Seven Music backing you up. Thank you for your time Scooter.