Music, when viewed from a historical perspective, can be likened to an old building. For some of us, it’s a gallery where we can view our favorite artists time and again showcased in brilliant light. For others, such as myself, it’s like going back to a childhood home. Everything is just the way you remembered it, everything is comfortable, and it‘s warm in the illumination of nostalgia. However music affects your life, it marks you for the remainder of your time on this planet. The things you hear echoing off these walls can enhance your best times and alleviate the worst moments you go through. Through it all, these chambers are the place you come to time and again. The different bands and trends that pass by are much like layers of paint on the walls, and the artists that come into the limelight and create revolutionary sonic landscapes can be likened to re-modelers whom alter the facade of this worn old friend. Through out its history, there are veterans whose names come up time and again. Looking back on the last twenty years you can see the accumulation of smudges, scratches, dents and dings that show the passage of these legends. People like Tommy Victor of PRONG, Jared Louche of CHEMLAB, and the subject of this interview, Eric Powell of 16VOLT, walk these halls, touch these banisters, and leave behind a spirit in this old structure that transcends labels and genre. These legends are equally as influential in their work as the Trent Reznors and Al Jourgensens of the world, but are largely unrecognized by the masses. It’s a pleasure to bring Eric Powell’s work into the light I’ve spoken of and share it with you.


In the twenty-one year span of his career, Eric Powell has faced an incredible amount of hardship. From the day-to-day struggles of a band trying to make it, the tumultuous nature of the recording industry and the gradual betrayal of his work by major label interests, Eric has walked some of the darkest roads a musician can find himself on and triumphed. In the end, it’s safe to say, Eric and his work have flourished. From the heights of touring with KMFDM and working with major labels, to the lows of utter disaster and burn out, Eric has a hell of a story to tell. This was one of the most revealing interviews I’ve ever done. He doesn’t hold back, doesn’t obfuscate his life by cleverly wording his answers, and doesn’t try to hide behind an image. He’s real, very down to earth, grateful for everything he’s earned, and it shows time and time again throughout this. More than anything, this interview is intended as a monument, a veritable ode, celebrating Eric Powell’s triumph through 16VOLT in his own words.

Benny Hell (FANGORIA): So on Wikipedia, bastion of inaccurate information, I read that you are the son of a record company executive, and that by exposure to that, your interest in creating music was formed. That’s not true, is it?

Eric Powell: Teh interwebs is lies! Thanks to the wonderful service known as All Music Guide this information has been making it's way into every piece of automated content about 16VOLT for years. I hate AMG because they sell off their content to other "websites," the content is usually wrong, and they don't allow artists the tools to fix the issues. It's ridiculous. So in this case, it's false. The deal is that my father worked at a label in Nashville at some point but I don't know what he did, how long he was there or what it was. I don't talk to him, I haven't for decades and we have nothing to do with each other's lives. I mentioned it in some interview probably in 1992 and it's been spun into this glamorized version of the truth. The only thing that man has to do with me is that he hooked up with my mom and that's it. My interest in music came from hearing and seeing things that hooked me in like crack. Seeing DEVO on MTV, watching the STONES at the US festival on HBO, the KISS ‘Destroyer’ album sleeve, early things that planted the seed. Eventually settling into a bunch of things mish-mashed together, metal, punk, new wave, alternative, etc. To this day, that's what it's still all about. I can listen to SLIPKNOT and follow it up with GOLDFRAPP. It's very natural to me. I don't like categories really and if something is good, it's good. I don't care where the singer bought his pants. As for AMG, after trying for years we finally got our picture changed and supposedly our bio update is in the works but it has literally taken a decade.

FANGORIA: If people are going to make shit up about you for Wikipedia, the least they could do is create a page for you. I was shocked as hell to see that you don’t have a personal one. Why is that?

Eric: Honestly, I never even thought about it or looked. Maybe that's a good thing. I like to think 16VOLT is the forefront and not me. It's about the music to me, not about me. If you stand me up next to MARILYN MANSON, it's pretty easy to pick out which one is the rockstar. I have never been interested in being a rockstar. I am more interested in the music and the sound and the production. Even on tour, I am the first guy at the back of the trailer ready to load gear, I love the blue collar parts of this business, I like the work, I could care less about doing coke off of strippers asses. That's not to say I don't love performing, at the end of the day that's the highlight, to see the fans, to be in that moment that nothing else can compare to, but I am not the guy sitting in the bus all day getting massages or driving up to the studio in my Benz 2 hours late to record my vocals. I am there DIY and I love all of it.

FANGORIA: The late 80’s was an odd time to start creating music based on the movements of the industry at that time. As the son of a fictitious record label exec, I’m sure you were exposed to a ton of cock rock. Looking back on that era, what bands within the mainstream eye did you like the most, and which did you hate?

Eric: When I started doing music there were no goals at all, I never really put two and two together and said, let's get a band going and do shows, put out records, whatever. I was really young, I had no idea what I was doing. I was just moved by what I heard and I had this need to create. I had a lot of different inspirations as things solidified. Like I was saying It really started for me with DEVO and KISS, ADAM and the ANTS, BERLIN, DURAN DURAN, ART of NOISE, CHEAP TRICK, etc. Then, I went into a metal phase after and it was all AC/DC, METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, and then into punk like MINOR THREAT, AGENT ORANGE, ILL REPUTE, DRI, RKL, SNFU, all that great stuff. Then at some point I got heavy into THE CURE and NEW ORDER, really schizo musical tastes and really hard on my social life since the metal kids and the new wave kids couldn't deal with diversity. I eventually found the best of all the worlds in early Wax Trax!. The first things I heard instantly changed my life. THRILL KILL KULT, REVOLTING COCKS, PANKOW, MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO. It was like I had finally found my home musically. It was the best of all my early influences and a place where that diversity was welcome. From there on I was all Industrial all the time. The only things I can say I really hated though was pretty boy metal like POISON and shit and country. I fucking hate country. The only exception is Johnny Cash. He's above country though. Oh, and any of that tweener pop shit. Come to think of it, there is a lot I hate.

FANGORIA: There was a ton of shit to hate in that era. But, a lot of good music came out of it which led both of us to make decisions that had a major bearing on the rest of our lives. You by creating 16VOLT, and despite a shitload of adversity, keeping it going. Me by lighting a fire in my head and forcing me to put it on paper. I can’t remember what I heard first, ‘Burnout at The Hydrogen Bar’ or ‘The Mind is a Terrible Thing To Taste.‘ Whichever it was, it fucked me up for life.

Eric: Well yeah, you can look at it that way or you can look at it like it saved you for life. One of the things I loved about the genre was that in the beginning it was really a non-judgmental genre. You could lean in lot's of directions and it was fair game. It appealed to people who didn't like the "normal" lifestyle and people who didn't want to do the "normal" things. So for both of us, it was a safe haven for who we were at our core I guess. Sadly most good things don't last and that has really changed over the years. All of the sub-divisions really made the scene thin out and separate and we lost that open mindedness. It became, "if you have guitars in your music, you aren't this" or "if you wear rubber shirts you are that". I think that type of thinking has been "truth will out" and now we see the scene much smaller that it was then. I think the nature of the people who like alternative life, music, art, etc. is that they don't want to be classified to a degree, the odd thing with that thinking of course is that humans have a need to classify by nature and so even by being alternate, we are actually being the same thing. We just do life cooler than "normals". (lol)


FANGORIA: When I say it fucked my life up, I mean it in the best way possible. It, without question, changed my life in more positive ways than I can list. The easiest way I can classify your body of work is as Industrial. A lot of bands eschew labels of any sort, claiming that the music they create supersedes boxes. How do you refer to the style of music you create?

Eric: Man, I don't know. I mean I say Industrial. But is that accurate? I mean are we Industrial Metal Alternative Electronic Rock Coldwave? Fucking Industrial has such a stigma now. When you say it people see you with fake blood on your shirt and a laptop where the drums are supposed to be, it's more about image and it's a lot of rehashed garbage. I don't like that. I want to be able to do whatever I want and I don't want to be judged on it by what category it's in. I want to be judged by what it is. Putting any classification on it assumes that the people receiving it need to understand it beforehand. I am going off on a esoteric tangent here but the point is that if people can open up some more and remember what the scene was about when it started, it was about creativity and using unconventional ways of making music no matter what you wore or what instruments you used to do it, then yes. We are Industrial.

FANGORIA: Amen, when I wrote about Industrial as my mainstay a lot of people would give me shit about crossing barriers. Fuck ‘em if they don’t get it was the way I always approached it. I want to dig into your history a little bit. When you released 1993’s ‘Wisdom,’ it was through Re-constriction Records. Way back when, you were billed as part of the ‘Re-con Sound’ which featured unprocessed vocals over heavy guitars and electronics. How did you connect with Chase and get on Re-con?

Eric: We did our first little demo called "Imitation". It was a three song cassette that we sent out to a bunch of zines and radio stations. At the time, Chase was a DJ at the college station in San Diego. He called me up and told me about his idea of starting this new label, he also asked us to be on a compilation he was going to put out, "The Cyberflesh Conspiracy". We kept in touch and when we had some more material and felt we were ready, we singed with his label. “Wisdom” was the 4th album to come out of Re-con but we were I think the second band to sign, first being Diatribe if I remember correctly. It was such a great time because we felt like we were a part of something new that had that same early Wax Trax! feel, but this was our own.

FANGORIA: Those guys had their hands in so much good music that it’s freakin’ amazing. IRON LUNG CORP, LEAETHER STRIP, COLLIDE, and of course three releases for 16VOLT. After working with them, you got signed to Slipdisc, a Mercury records sub-label. If I recall correctly, things went pretty poorly with them. It’s been eleven years, are you able to talk about what happened now?

Eric: Well, things starting getting rocky before that. “LetDownCrush” actually was under another major subsidiary first. I.R.S. records. So that was technically our first major label release. Kicking off what would become tradition, shortly before the album was released, we found out I.R.S. was shutting down and so all of the CDs they had printed were to be destroyed and re-printed without the I.R.S. logo on them. It was a bummer but we ended up getting the release into the major distribution channel anyway. For LDC, we toured nine months straight in a van in addition to a bunch of small runs and one offs and had built up a ton of momentum. We were starting to get wined and dined by some big ass labels and we felt like we could make the move up. It was with Chase's blessings, he felt we were ready for it too and so we parted on amicable terms and took the plunge. We learned a lot then. The music business moved soo slow.

Everyone wanted a piece of 16VOLT, but they only wanted to buy the meal if someone else was putting the order in first. It was a weird time and we learned that just because the VP of a major tells you how much fun you are going to have on a tour bus next summer and how awesome it's going to be to have so and so mix the album, it doesn't actually mean that they are telling you the truth. We waited and waited and wrote and wrote and did a lot of showcase shows where you play a show to 3 label execs in an empty club at 4:30 in the afternoon. And we were watching the momentum we built up go away, and we were being told that it was okay for that to happen because our fans didn't mean shit. That our fans were a speck of sand compared to what we would have, and we didn't want that. We were growing really bored of the game and the timing was perfect when we were approached by Slip Disc, A new label out of Chicago with lot's of money and lot's of creative freedom under the Mercury/Polygram umbrella. It all looked perfect. A budget bigger than we had for all three prior albums put together, real tour support, and what seemed to be a great team of people. So we signed and got going.

We brought in Bill Kennedy (NIN, MEGADETH, MOTLEY CRUE) and Joseph Bishara (DANZIG, DROWN, RASPUTINA) as co-producer's and got to work on “SuperCoolNothing.” During the final mix period (it took us about 10 months to record the album) we started sending off demo's to everyone and our manager sent some over the heads of Slip Disc to Mercury. They loved what we were doing and wanted to be kept more in the loop. We turned in the album and hit the road on a US headline warm up tour. There were a ton of big plans for us with tours, we had some great things lined up. On this tour we got to New York and had a secret meeting with Mercury. The VP of radio at the time was championing us within the label and we were in talks to move up to Mercury proper and away from Slip Disc which for us meant more promo, more touring, more everything. At this point the record hadn't come out yet. It was scheduled but all this was going on to try and make it happen in time before it released. Once again, the album would be repackaged, etc.

A few weeks later we learned that Seagram's was buying out Polygram. We were on tour and one of our tour support checks from Slip Disc bounced. To make a long story short, the investors in Slip Disc pulled out, the label was going under and everyone we had at Mercury was being let go, quit or killed. We were left in the dust. We cancelled shows and went home with no money and no clue what was going on. Attorneys were put into action, our manager was on the phone, and it took weeks to find out what was going on. Oddly enough, a lot of the bands on Mercury got dropped. The ones who didn't would continue under the Mercury name but with no company there to do anything. Mercury was just a logo at that point. We WANTED to get dropped, we wanted to get our record back and take it somewhere else and we couldn't make it happen in time. Our record came out with no promotion, no touring and no ads, no radio, nothing. What an irony right? We had a super cool record and nothing... It was a few months later, I was at Tower records on Sunset in Hollywood where a friend of mine was working, he said to me, “Did you know you are on Island Records now?” I was like, What??!! Sure enough, the record had been moved over to Island as a catalog piece until the remaining stock was sold or destroyed or whatever it is they do. We tried for like a year to get another label to step up and buy it and do it right. And we ended up in that same wait and see game.

FANGORIA: What a fucking mess! When all that shit happened 16VOLT seemed to take a hiatus. Where were you at emotionally? Were you ready to quit altogether or did you just take a second to catch your breath and find a new path?

Eric: Well, finally we'd had enough. We pulled the plug. Kraig left the band and joined CRAZYTOWN, Mike and Servo went off and tried to make sense of it all, and I went into total musical hiatus and focused on my side career in interactive art direction and development. It was heart breaking. We felt like we had been served a total injustice. And we had. And the sad thing is that this story is soo typical... it's more common than you could bear to know. I mean, we started working on SCN in 1997 and here it was 1999. We lived two years of just trying everyday with all we had to strangle this record into a proper release. We believed in it that much. With that kind of passion, eventually there was a falling out. We fired our manager, he started a lawsuit against us, and we all just turned on each other in a way. I think in retrospect it was all out of exhaustion and utter desperation. It was like losing a loved one. We all had to mourn our loss. And we had to go away and learn how to do this again.

In 2002 we were approached by a guy named Russ Beer, he was starting a new company called "Dark City Music" and he wanted us to get involved. By this time we were all ready to get the band going again with exception of Kraig who was off with CXT living the life of luxury. So Mike, Servo and I hired Russ as our new manager and we set out to get the ball rolling again. Shortly after, Russ bought the masters back from Slip Disc -who we fondly referred to as Slit Wrist at this point --we put it out ourselves as SCN 2.0. We were contacted shortly after by Sony to work on the video game "Primal" and we finally were able to exorcise the beast and put the record out 4 years after, granted no major support or radio or press, just street level grass roots stuff and it worked to a large degree. And seeing the songs in the game was vindication for us, that was our major release. Right after that we got the offer to go on a big US tour with KMFDM and by the time we got back we were signed to Capitol Records working with a producer on demos. After a year of this, we had enough. They were trying to turn us into LINKIN PARK, literally. They wanted us to be Capitol's LINKIN PARK. And they wanted me to fire Mike and Servo and they wanted another singer in the band and they gave me an ultimatum, do what we say or walk away. We walked away and went back underground. At this point we were ready for a break and to work on some side projects and just needed to breathe for a while, like with GRAPHIC and RINGER.

FANGORIA: That’s another topic I wanted to cover. Aside from tracks that appeared on soundtracks, or through the band websites, neither of them seemed to go anywhere. What happened, and do you have any plans for either?

Eric: Well RINGER was really just something we wanted to try. It was really more of an experiment. We decided to take a bunch of guys from other bands and put together a super group and see if anyone would bite just based on the lineup alone. And it worked to some degree, we instantly got meetings with labels. It was Carlton Bost (DEADSY, BERLIN, THE DREAMING), Mikey Cox (COAL CHAMBER), Paige Hailey (ORGY), Kraig and myself. When it came time to write we quickly divided and ended up in two camps. Naturally Kraig and I in one, Paige and Mikey in the other and Carlton kind of bouncing in between. Kraig and I in the studio writing and the other guys in a rehearsal space writing. As it turned out, we all really had different intentions with the band and it was destined to fall apart. Kraig and I pretty much just hit record and did whatever came out and it was very different from anything we had both done, but we went with it, and what came out was a very simple, poppy, sweet record that we both are proud of. But it was a moment in time and a snapshot and we don't want it to be anything else. That's it. It's done. With GRAPHIC, I have been working with Bill Sarver on this record for years, it's a side project with a few different female vocalists and it will come out eventually. We have both just been so busy with 16VOLT and Bill with OHN plus all the side work we do, it's been tough to finalize.

FANGORIA: You’ve got another one with Charles Levi (TKK, PIGFACE, SLICK IDIOT) and Jared Louche (CHEMLAB, truly a Coldwave GOD) called H3LLB3NT. You guys have a few albums out, you’ve toured, and all in all, the band is an amazing convergence of talent. Do you have anything going for H3LLB3NT right now?

Eric: Well H3LLB3NT was an idea that stemmed out of the Chaos ‘95 US tour. It was BILE, VIRUS 23, 16VOLT and HALOBLACK. Bryan Black and I really wanted to do some work together and Levi was on board and so on that tour we decided we would make it happen. Once we started we just dropped tracks to a bunch of friends and it all came together. They are great records, again moments in time. I think at this point there won't be anymore H3LLB3NT. Bryan is blowing up right now with MOTOR and we are both soo busy. We've talked about it a few times and you never say never but for now there are no plans.

FANGORIA: In addition to your side projects and 16VOLT, you have also accumulated a hell of a resume in the commercial music field. You’ve worked with Microsoft, Zune, Molson, Coors, Keystone Beer, Red Bull, Best Buy, Television, car commercials. At which point did you start creating music for commercial use and how does that differ from creating it for your bands?

Eric: A lot of that stuff is licensing. They use music that we've already written. There has been a lot of custom stuff lately though, last year I did a ton of it as you mentioned and working with Microsoft Surface, and Coors was a big opportunity. The main difference with that kind of work is that you are creating someone else's message. The idea is to make the music support what their goals are either emotionally or with story. So it's very different. With 16VOLT or whatever it's mine, it's pure creativity just flowing and with commercial stuff it starts with a pre-defined seed. That's not to say it isn't creative, it very much is and it's very satisfying on a different level.

FANGORIA: What about the experience of working with those corporations, how does it compare to working with record labels?

Eric: For one thing it's been nice to work with them, with most of the stuff you go through the ad agency and they are all very creative people. With the labels, and I have to exclude the independent labels, it was frustrating, bureaucratic nonsense.

FANGORIA: Let’s go back to 16VOLT for a while. In addition to your side projects, you’ve also appeared on a number of movie soundtracks, such as CARRIE 2,’the remake of THE WIZARD OF GORE and you helped score REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA. What is it like to work on such diverse media? How does a movie or video game compare to commercial music, or to making a raw-as-fuck 16VOLT release?

Eric: Again, it's more calculated. With ‘Wizard of Gore’ I was really just working with the director Jeremy Kasten to help tell the story more with the director's cut. He felt like the music and the sound design needed more tension and needed to help tell the story more so what I did was come in and help support the visuals and the story with the music and sound. With REPO! I was part of a huge collection of amazing people and my contribution was rather blind to what others were doing. I worked on 40 something pieces of music for the film and I would get rough mixes from music producer Joe Bishara, write a ton of stuff around it and send it back in for Joe to put together. A lot of times they would only use a small part of what I did, some songs they used all of what I did. There were so many people involved with REPO but it was a very private contribution for me, I wasn't given a script and I had no visuals to play off so it was really about the song and very much like what I do with 16VOLT. With REPO, it's odd, I feel a lot like that stuff is my own but it's very much not mine. I was a small part of a large picture. It was a total honor to be involved in that project and something I am very proud of being a part of. I think that movie is legendary and will continue to grow.

FANGORIA: That’s cool man, it’s good to hear that you’re excited about something semi-selfless like that. So many people seem to get caught up in the name recognition part of it. Besides, REPO! Is a good flick, one that will stand the test of ages methinks… Alright, we’ve spoken at length on the past; now I’d like to focus this inquisition on the more recent past, then jump into the present and future. In 2007 you released ‘FullBlackHabit.‘ A lot of people have said it was a ‘comeback’ album for you. How do you feel about that? Do you feel like it was a comeback, and if so, where were you coming back from?

Eric: You are very thorough aren't you? I am glad you aren't my dentist. I'd go in for a cleaning and end up getting an upper colon exam with an appendectomy for good measure. Anyways, yes. I do feel like it is a comeback record. I feel like after 2002 the time just got away and 16VOLT was fairly dormant. It was a weird thing. To open up here, I think on a psychological level I didn't want to risk being hurt again by it. We left it in a place where it was fairly safe and could be left for closure. We had made a good little mark with it, I had accomplished all my goals with it and it had a solid place in the history of industrial. But I need more. I have more to say with it. I was talking to someone on the phone a few years ago and he said "You just don't die do you?" And it was meant as an insult, but it also gave me fuel. Why let it die? I mean 16VOLT is me, it's been my life's work so far, it's all I have ever wanted to do. Why not keep it going? There was no reason we could find not to. We knew we were coming into another battle, it always is. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It's the most rewarding work I could ever dream of doing, it's also the hardest work I do, that's probably out of love and passion, I love this band. I love the people who have been involved. I love the fans. There is nothing in the world I would want more than to be doing this band and that's why we are doing it. Mike is with me, and we have great people we work with on it. It's just become our own thing again. We are working with a great label (Metropolis Records), Dave (Metro's President) and Joe (Metro's GM) let us do whatever we want and we get to go live the dream and play shows and travel and meet people and it's amazing. It's also still growing. We are getting new fans all the time so until it feels like everything is over and there is nothing to gain from it. We are here.

FANGORIA: You toured in support of the album in 2008. Unfortunately I missed that tour due to a serious illness, but I followed the highlights from it via the net. I’ve watched all the Denial Highway tour clips from your MySpace page. Any plans to put out a DVD for that tour?

Eric: No, no plans. We want people to have that free. We have nothing to gain from trying to charge for seeing that. We want everyone to see it and to know what it's like. To some degree I mean, those videos show only a tiny little glimpse into what it's like out there, but if we had no fans we wouldn't get to do it. I would like to think that the fans get a kick out of the videos and that they get to see us having the time of our lives and it's because of them so in a way we owe it to them.

FANGORIA: Right on man! That’s really noble. Steve White from KMDFM, aka. Steve Pig, toured with you on the last go around. I’ve also seen the video of his guitar session for the new release… How did that come to pass, and how does he fit into the new album? With KMFDM going on the road for the 25th Anniversary tour will Steve be able to go on the road for 16VOLT again?

Eric: I met Steve on the KMFDM tour and he just buddied up with us, all the KMFDM guys did, they hung out in our bus more than theirs, hahah, Jules and Steve and Andy. So having Steve play with us is just great, it's an old friend and someone we can count on to do the job and do it well and there are no variables. He played on the last record and he played on the new one. As for touring his priority is KMFDM and when our schedules collide, which they are doing this year, he goes home to his family and we give him a hug and send him on his way. Plans are right now, and this is very up to the minute and not very set in stone, that we are doing a tour in summer and he will join us by flying back from Europe during the 3 week break with KMFDM. We are planning on a North American tour again in September and he won't be able to make that one it looks like so we'll have another friend out with us, who that is depends on schedules and whatnot but it will be fun nonetheless.

FANGORIA: What about the rest of the band? For the most part, 16 VOLT has had an ever-changing crew with a few members that return from time to time. Who’s joining you on the new record, and on the road?

Eric: Well, Mike is full time and has been since ‘96 with the exception of recording the last record where Paul Raven (RIP Brother) stepped in. Mike was working on some other projects and we hadn't really gotten around to figuring our what was going to happen with the lineup. The thing is that we really don't need full time people, both Mike and I play guitar, I program, and Mike and I write really well together. Having "members" tends to complicate things and with all the history this band has it's impossible for people to come in and get an equal share of the pie. With having the door open to bring in new people all the time it adds a lot of fun and interest to it, there are people who are working with us that we have no intention of not working with, Scott Robison (Drøne, THE NEW SLAVES) has been a HUGE part of this new record and the last one and he will join us this year on tour playing keyboards, Jason Bazinet (SMP, CHEMLAB) is on drums again and will be unless his schedule changes. Jason also played on the last record and the new one.

FANGORIA: Would you mind if we talk about the new album for a bit? Your MySpace page said you’ve got something like 17 working songs, and 9 that you’ve scrapped. Where are you at on it right now?

Eric: We have all the songs recorded, all drums are done, bass is done, guitars are done. We have a couple things out with some guests programming-wise and I am just now getting started on vocals. So we are close. Very close.

FANGORIA: John DeSalvo is taking a larger part in this album as well. What has he kicked into the FullBlackMeltingPot?

Eric: Hehe, he co-wrote several of the tracks on the record. He's out in New York now and he's doing really well, it's been awesome getting him back into the fold and working with him.

FANGORIA: To go back to the ever factual Wikipedia, I’ve read that the new album is entitled ‘AmericanPornSongs.’ That doesn’t fit in with the established record of naming your albums with ominous, cut-up method titles. What is it really going to be called?

Eric: That info is false, although we did announce that at one point, but with all things Internet, that spread very quickly and we are kicking ourselves for it. We are still working on titles and don't really know just yet. We really want to finish it, take a step back and put it all together. We have some great guests on this album. As I said earlier Scott Robison, but with programming we have Bill Sarver, Joseph Bishara, Tim Skold, Sean Payne from CYANOTIC and Jeremy Inkel from LEFT SPINE DOWN/FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY. On guitars we have Steve and also a special guest appearance by Marc LaCorte who co-wrote ‘LetDownCrush’ with me and was in the band during all the touring for LDC. He's actually the VP of Schecter Guitars now which is both insane and awesome. Jason B rocked drums and of course Mike on guitars and bass. I handled all the main programming, drum programming, guitars and vocals. I can't wait for you guys to hear this shit. This album is going to be ridiculous.

FANGORIA: ‘FullBlackHabit’ was composed in the wake of a lot of seriously traumatic shit. I think that’s what made it such an amazing album lyrically; it comes from a hell of a lot of chaos and painful experiences to a point of strength. It’s obvious that things are a hell of a lot better now. How do you think the new album will compare to writing from a place like that?

Eric: That place is always with me of course. But you are right. Lyrically it's a direct output of what was going on. There is a lot of me out in the open there on that record. It's really one of the most honest batch of lyrics I have ever done. In the past I would write a lot from a third party perspective, a lot of story telling. FBH was me on paper. Or screen. Or whatever. The new album is a good mix, there is a lot of personal shit on there but it's not as introspective, there is a lot to talk about and the world never ceases to provide material to go over. I assure you there is a lot to read into again.

FANGORIA: Good, damn it! As a journalistic proctodentologist, that’s kinda what I’m into. To return to your experiences with record labels, I understand that -as with ‘FullBlackHabit’ --your new release will be put out by Metropolis. What has the experience of working with them been like? How does it compare to the smooth, fried, and laid aside approach of a major like Capitol?

Eric: Let's put it another way. There is no more Capitol Records. There is no more Mercury Records. They are gone. The major labels are almost all but a distant memory. No one really knows how all this will pan out right now with the music business. It's in shambles. But Metropolis is here. And it's strong and steady. I actually had lunch with Dave yesterday up here in Portland. They are very excited about the new record and things are pretty much as they always are there.

FANGORIA: Right on man! I’ve always had good experiences with the guys at Metropolis. Based on the digital presence you have -and you’re really everywhere on the net --I get the impression that you’re a work-a-holic, as am I. How do you think that’s worked for you over the years, both positively and negatively?

Eric: It's kept me out of trouble. I have a highly addictive personality and I have filled that with work instead of with other things. I am definitely a full timer. My work ethic is ridiculous. I don't know what it is, maybe I get in the way of it, but there is always more work to do with the band. If I let go of it, it would just float away.

FANGORIA: I know what you mean, it’s not much different with writing, man. So you’re working on the new album, gearing up for a tour, and working on a ton of other shit. Have I missed anything? What else do you have going right now?

Eric: I always have a ton of things going on. It's really balancing chaos for me. I revel in it. I need to be busy. I think I would lose my mind if I had time to actually sit and think about all the shit. One thing I am doing that's a lot of fun is working with Krank Amps on their internet presence, working with them on getting more involved with fans and artists online. It's fun for me on a selfish level there too because first and foremost I was a Krank endorser and I came to them after the fact and wanted to get involved with them more. They are a great company with great products and I am totally stoked to be involved. I am working on lot's of interactive things all the time. Lots of web stuff.

FANGORIA: Yeah, you maintain a hell of a web presence. I think that you’re on every social networking site I’ve ever heard of. In addition to your creative endeavors, you’re a father. My children are four and six, and they don’t seem to comprehend what I do yet… but I like to think that someday they’ll appreciate it. How old are your children and how do they feel about what you do?

Eric: I have a 3 year old daughter and a 5 year old son. They don't really get any of this yet and I too know someday they’ll look at all this stuff and be like, what the fuck? Right now it's just a part of their lives and they don't know any different. To them it's totally normal to have a studio in the house, like everybody has that right? Guitars all over the place and a church organ they always play on, that's normal. It’s totally normal to see all the posters of weird shit and album covers and pictures of dad on stage, it's just the way it is for them. They are way more into Dora the Explorer and Pokemon. But they do love my music, they always ask me to play it and they dance and thrash around like wild animals.

FANGORIA: When you finish this interview, what are you going to do? How does Eric Powell spend his free time? Do you ever relax?

Eric: Today is Sunday. I am going to go take a shower. I have had a large decaf coffee and I need to eat some lunch. I am going to go to the park with the family for a while and then come back home and start recording more vocals. I play ice hockey and I have a league game tonight. We are in second place right now. Doing well. After that I'll have some dinner and probably watch ‘Death Proof’ which has been sitting in my Netflix queue for years after I help tuck the kids in. Oh and tonight is trash and recycling night. I gotta take out the trash and shit.

FANGORIA: It’s funny to think of Eric Powell, the man who founded 16VOLT doing such mundane things, but that just serves to affirm that you’re a real person instead of a “Rockstar” construct. One last question and then I’ll leave you to it. I’m sure you’ve had this one before, but if you were able to sit down with yourself in 1988, what would you say about the next twenty-one years? What would you tell yourself to do; would you change anything or go through it all over again?

Eric: I'd fucking beat the hell out of myself and say whatever you are thinking man. Stop. I'd also say, you'll ignore all the great advice I am giving you and do it your way anyways you stubborn fuckhead so good luck with that. I'd also warn myself about a few people. Explain how the music business handles money (if I'd have known then what I know now, I'd be rich). Tell myself to never stop even if I think I should. Remind myself that I need to be more cognitive about people who help me cause even though inside I appreciate the hell out of them, I don't let them know enough. I'd tell me to remind myself that no matter what happens find love in it - to keep perspective on why I love doing it. Then I'd say, you'll forget all this along the way anyway. I'd hit myself in the stomach again and after watching myself puke I'd hold out my hand and say, someday this will all make sense to both of us.

Check out more 16VOLT:
http://www.16volt.com
http://www.myspace.com/16volt

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