“The phoenix is born again,” sings CKY frontman and guitarist Chad I Ginsburg on “Replaceable,” as the lower register in his voice echoes and the melodic freedom within his guitar solo’s recalls the grandiose virtuosity of Joe Satriani; signifying a new era of confidence and power for the resurrection of CKY.
It has been quite the journey for CKY over the past few years, a long road and evolution that culminated in their fifth studio LP, 2017’s The Phoenix. This marked CKY’s first studio release as a three-piece outfit, which includes founding members and drummer Jess Margera, Chad I Ginsburg, and longtime bassist Matt Deis. Back in 2015, the band officially parted ways with their former vocalist and rhythm guitarist Deron Miller, which didn’t end in applicable fashion.
However, the remaining members decided to forge ahead from within as Ginsburg moved to lead vocals, very much Genesis style. For those unfamiliar, Ginsburg has served as CKY’s producer for all of their studio albums, contributed heavily with backup vocals in the past, and has been at the forefront of establishing this band’s core sound as an open-canvass of unconventional musical harmony and attitude.
And make no mistake, CKY is churning out some of the meanest grooves, funkiest tones, and most contagious melodies of their entire career. On a scale of Mastodon to Audioslave, CKY has shifted away from the progressive metal tonalities of their past few releases and have embraced the bouncy riffs, hanging notes, and rhythmic fortitude of Deis and Margera as their increased presence has pushed CKY’s sound into newfound territory.
On the topic of new territory, in an exclusive interview with The Pop Break, I recently spoke with drummer Jess Margera who revealed that CKY will be releasing a new EP this November, likely on Black Friday’s “Record Store Day.” He also shared that skateboarding powerhouse Element will be collaborating with the band and releasing new CKY custom decks in the very near future.
Throughout our conversation, we discussed the writing and recording process for CKY’s upcoming EP and The Phoenix, their 20th anniversary, and hilarious stories from the road, his childhood, parenthood, skateboarding, the CKY videos, and so much more.
To start off, the band took a few years off and it feels like it was the right amount of time for you, Chad, and Matt to recharge and rebuild. What was it like for you guys to come back and resurrect cKY?
Yeah, we were kind of burnt out and going through a lot of problems and trouble. It was definitely a good couple of years off. We were all able to branch off and do side projects and stuff. Chad did a solo album and I started a band with Neil Fallon from Clutch and a few other guys. It was cool to branch out and explore other worlds but it is great to get back to your original band since high school (laughs).
That experience of jamming with Neil Fallon, learning from someone in Clutch. They are the truest independent band.
Oh, big time!
What was it like to learn from someone with that type of legacy and work ethic?
Oh, I just couldn’t believe it because I have been a huge fan of Clutch since I was in school (laughs)! I just called him one day, what I call beer courage (laughs), when I was sitting out on my porch and I was like, “Yo man, let’s jam sometime!” And he was like, “Alright!” And I was like, “Oh man, that was easy (laughs).” It’s cool to work with dudes of that caliber. Brad Davis is on bass and he’s in Fu Manchu, which is another band that I am a huge fan of. The same goes for Jim Rota from Fireball Ministry. It was kind of a “I’m not worthy” moment (laughs).
On the topic of bands like Clutch and Fu Manchu, to bring it back to CKY – Rancho de Luna studios, when I saw you recorded there, I harkened back to Queens of the Stone Age’s first record. As a huge fan of those bands, how was it to record in a studio so synonymous with desert rock?
You know, I saw Anthony Bourdain’s episode at Rancho and I was like, “Man, that place is amazing and we have to get there (laughs)! I don’t care what it takes!” It just worked out because Chad was there visiting a friends band and then Brent from Mastodon was hanging out there. Dave Catching said, “Yeah, you should do the new CKY out here.” And I was like, “Done (Laughs).”
Yeah man, the vibe out there is just amazing. You’re in the dessert and you just live music. You wake up in the morning, have a cup of coffee, and than go right into making your album all day. It’s just so awesome. Even the gear there, it’s just unbelievable. They have old vintage amps and equipment that you just can’t find anywhere. You get really unique sounds out of that place. I’m really glad we recorded there, it was just amazing.
It sounds like the setting, the desert and freedom out there really influenced the positive energy of your new music.
Yeah, taking that time off, you come back with a fire. It’s easy to get into the grind, album-tour-album-tour cycle. To take a step back, chill, and take your time writing new material, there was no deadline or label pressuring you. It was amazing and it was the best experience we could have to comeback and make that record.
Like the bands we mentioned, Queens and Fu Manchu, The Phoenix has this groove heavy focus. When I listen to the record, transitioning from a four-piece into a three-piece, I would say you and Matt played a big role in incorporating those riff-heavy grooves.
We were trying to do P-Funk meets Kyuss or something (Laughs). That’s definitely what I was trying to do (laughs).
What’s your favorite Kyuss record?
Sky in the Valley. That album never gets old and every album they did was so good!
In terms of Chad transitioning from lead guitarist and backup vocalist to lead vocalist, how did that influence your approach? It does feels like a natural progression, his voice fits the material.
Chad had such a huge hand in producing every CKY album and he sang on a lot of the stuff. So yeah, for me, it was pretty easy falling into a trio and it really was a natural progression.
Definitely, he reminds me a lot of Jerry Cantrell or Ty Tabor from King’s X.
It’s funny you mention that, he is such a huge fan of both those guys too so that’s cool (laughs).
There’s a cool lower register in his voice, like Peter Steel, a horror vibe, especially on “Unknown Enemy” and “The Other Ones.” Could you take me through the process of writing those tracks?
We just got into a room and started jamming and that was how it came together. There wasn’t too much thought put into it (laughs). It just came right together. That’s the way that I have always wanted to do albums. The first two records were done like that, Infiltrate and Volume 1. For some reason, we got away from that process and started writing pieces of music that sort of went together. We would kind of clean it up in the studio and piece it together. You know, you get mixed results with that. I think there are some good moments on those records but it’s so hit or miss.
Would you say The Phoenix had the most cohesive atmosphere since the first two albums?
Definitely, it felt like we were making Volume 1 again. There was no pressure or someone telling you, “We need this by July!” We took our time and made sure it was perfect.
Personally speaking, was this your favorite recording experience with CKY?
Oh yeah, big time. This was the best experience that I’ve ever had making a CKY record. Carver City was pretty rough and the band was in pretty bad shape. We barely got through it. And it was really awesome doing this one.
With having kids and all of those changes in your lives over the past few years, did that maturity play a big role in helping to refocus and make a real comeback?
Definitely, it gives you more of a work ethic (laughs). It’s like, I can’t be out till four in the morning recording music anymore. I have to get in, treat it like a job, and just do it. And it’s definitely the most fun job I could think of.
From a production standpoint, were there any noticeable changes in Chad’s approach or did it feel like no time had passed and you guys were right back in it?
There was a massive change, we recorded all of the songs in their entirety for real. A lot of times, especially on Carver City, I would record half the song and then we would go into other room and think of a third part or bridge or something, and than I would go back and record that. You put that into the computer and put the two pieces together. It’s not a very fun way to do things but given the state of the band at that time, it was the best we could do honestly.
With that perspective, there is a real looseness and live energy with the instrumentation and tracklisting of The Phoenix.
Definitely, we tried to spice it up and give it a little bit of everything. There’s heavy songs, total funk groove songs, and kind of mellower and I don’t want to say ballads, but “Head for a Breakdown” has a chill vibe and a pretty big chorus. We tried to go all over the world of everything we’ve done in the past and add some new flair to it as well.
“Head for a Breakdown” has that Metallica type of ballad, “Fade To Black” style acoustic guitar intro, dual harmonies, and solos.
I will tell you what, that song is going over amazing every single night. It doesn’t matter where we are, Europe or the States. We’ve never had a reaction like this to a new song before. In the past, we would play new songs and a lot of people either didn’t know it or they would look confused or something (laughs). After playing “Head for a Breakdown” at every show so far, it gets a huge reaction and I’m pretty stoked about it.
“Days of Self-Destruction,” there is a cool balance of vintage CKY and what you accomplished with The Phoenix. What was the genesis of that track?
That was actually the first song we did, like the first day when we actually got into a room together and jammed out, “Days of Self-Destruction” came out. It was kind of a situation where we didn’t know how it was going to sound. It was just the three of us in a room and we’re down a guy and let’s see what happens. Within two-hours, we had “Days of Self-Destruction” demoed. It was like, “Ah man, this going to be way easier than we thought (laughs).”
In terms of Matt and yourself as a rhythm section, it feels like your chemistry really grew and evolved over the course of writing this album.
You know, when he left the band in 2010 or whatever, I was so bummed. We’re in the pocket and he is easy to lock in with. He is such a great player. When we decided to get back together and write The Phoenix, I was super stoked when Matt was on board. When he left in 2010, I mean, now I totally understand why because the band was a nightmare (laughs). I was stoked to see he got back into the groove and it is a pleasure to be on stage with both of those guys every night. Chad is such an incredible player and Matt is solid as hell on the bass and it makes my job easier (laughs).
Were there any other noticeable changes in your approach from a drum perspective? You mentioned recording live, which of course, will definitely influence your approach. Was there anything you learned over the past few years that you wanted to bring back to CKY?
Yeah, the new stuff had so much more groove to it compared to previous albums. I definitely compounded onto that and went with it. It was pretty easy coming up with stuff for these riffs that Chad was throwing out and we were just locking in with him. It was awesome and a great experience.
How did you go about recording your drums?
I used the Ludwig set that’s been in Rancho for every album they’ve ever recorded there pretty much (laughs). I brought my own drums but you know, the Rancho guys were like, “Everyone uses this kit!” I sat down and it sounded amazing so I was like, “Okay, done!” (Laughs)
Considering the history on that drum kit, how did it feel when you hit the snare drum and could recognize that tone?
The whole time, I’m just thinking of all the amazing records that were cut on there so I was like, “Okay cool, I need to do this thing justice.” It’s so funny, I cut the drums in Dave Catching’s living room. It’s basically a ranch house and there’s amps in the bedroom and keyboards in the kitchen (laughs). I don’t even know where he sleeps, he sleeps in his bedroom with amps everywhere (laughs). He uses the pedalboard as a pillow or some shit (laughs).
He literally lives for and lives with music (laughs).
He literally lives inside of music and his world and whole life is a studio (laughs).
What’s cool is how you play Ludwig on your own and also recorded on another Ludwig kit. You just don’t see enough rock drummers playing Ludwig nowadays. I know how big of a fan you are of John Bonham’s.
Oh dude, that’s the exact reason why I did it. I’ve been with Ludwig since 2001 and dude, they are awesome. You can’t even get a bad kit. I just went over to England and they gave me a maple kit. Chad, Dice, and Doug and I enjoyed the sounds of those drums so much, I basically had Ludwig recreate that kit for this tour. They’re awesome and they will do whatever, I could be like, “I need a part for this show coming up,” and they will just send it. The best company out there.
You guys just released a music video for “Wiping Off The Dead.” It’s pretty cool, there is definitely an underground basement vibe combined with ’70s style horror.
That’s exactly what it was. We were rehearsing in Bam’s basement for a tour, like a while ago and our friend Dave just filmed the rehearsal for whatever reason. And later on, he spiced in all of the extra stuff like the girl and we had kind of forgotten about it. About a year later, he was like, “Yo, you have to check this out!” And we were like, “Oh cool! Let’s put it out then!”
And the timing works out really nice, The Phoenix has been out for about a year and you’re in the beginning of this tour. It’s cool to have that out now.
Definitely, and we just finished up an EP too that’s going to be coming out this fall. It’s going to be awesome.
Oh wow, no way! Was the EP recorded in Pennsylvania or Rancho?
We did that at the “Hobbit Hole.” It’s like a converted horse stable that’s turned into a studio now, at Bam’s old house, the one where they filmed the TV show. He’s moved across town since then but he still owns the property so we kind of jam there, rehearse there, and then it turns out, we had a bunch of cool mics and pre-amps and everything so we turned it into a studio.
The same way we were talking about Rancho earlier, there is so much personal history for your family there. That definitely had to be a unique creative atmosphere.
Oh yeah, definitely. There’s so many stories from that house, good and bad, so it’s definitely weird going there sometimes. It turned out great and there’s a skate barn right outside, like a whole skatepark. You get a break in rehearsing or recording and you could go out there and skate.
You still get some free time to skate like back in the day?
Yeah, my son has really gotten into skating so that’s making me get back into it again (laughs).
Are you showing him tricks and everything?
Yeah, definitely. And actually, we just teamed up with Element and they’re going to do some skate decks for us soon.
For CKY?
Yeah!
That is so sick.
Definitely, it’s going to be awesome.
The timing couldn’t be better, I just watched the vert contest at the X-Games, and skateboarding is definitely going through a solid reawakening again.
Oh definitely, I know. There’s all these badass kids coming up. Tyson Peterson, he’s on Element and he’s absolutely insane.
Being both a musician and skater, how cool is it to have your band be attached to such a massive skating and cultural movement like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Bam’s shows, and the CKY videos?
It was such a cool way to get noticed. We didn’t go through the traditional music industry route of trying to get signed to a label, work a radio single, blah, blah, blah, or something like that. We just teamed up with all of these skate companies and then did the CKY videos and stuff. It’s funny, we sold most our albums during the early years at surf and skate shops, places like that. We weren’t even in record stores (laughs).
What’s so cool about that, one might be lucky enough to maybe fulfill one of their passions but I think it’s amazing how you guys have been able to fulfill multiple passions through CKY.
Absolutely man, it’s funny the way it works, just the confusion if it. People not knowing whether CKY was a video, a band, a skate company, they didn’t know what the hell it was so it kind of caused them to dig deeper, find out what it was, and get more into it. As opposed to hearing a song on the radio and being like, “Oh, that’s a cool song!” (Laughs)
It’s crazy to say, this year marks the 20th anniversary of CKY. If you reflect back, how could you describe a journey that you started in high school and has given you so much?
Yeah, it really is great. I mean, it’s just what we have always done and we started this when were kids and it’s just so fucking cool that we’re still doing this twenty-years later. Like my kids are getting older now and they’ve started to watch some of the CKY stuff. I haven’t watched that stuff in fifteen-years or something, which is kind of trippy to see it again. My kids are like, “What the hell is wrong with you dad? Why are you on a sled in the street….getting towed (laughs)?
(Laughs) Those videos are four of the funniest compilations that I have ever seen.
It really worked out because it was before YouTube. I think in the YouTube era, I don’t know if it would have gotten the same reaction because there’s so much out there. There’s too much.
Honestly, I’m not just saying this because we’re on the phone but what makes your videos timeless, I think it’s because of you guys growing up together; you, your brother, and your friends from Westchester, that’s what separated your stuff from Jackass. You guys were homegrown and you could feel that.
Yeah, that really is an awesome compliment, man so thank you for that.
You’re welcome. With your EP, are you looking to release 4 -5 new songs?
There’s four songs and it’s coming out, I want to say in November. Are we allowed to say that yet? Yeah, it’s going to be Black Friday.
Oh wow, a Record Store Day release?
Exactly. It’s actually just going to be vinyl with a download card or something, or just vinyl, I don’t know.
Are you looking to build off the sounds you’ve established with The Phoenix or are there different vibes on this one?
Man, I don’t know how to describe it but each song has a life of its own. It’s a fun little EP and there is a little bit of everything on there. Every CKY style and more is encompassed in this twenty-minutes of music.
Based off what I’ve seen and researched, it does feel like friendship, that sense of brotherhood between you, Chad, and Matt, has been the most crucial element to this being a successful reunion and revival for CKY.
Absolutely man. With us taking a few years off, you’re not in the thick of it and you’re not in the middle of an album cycle and the grind. You get to look back at it, step back, and realize how rad the situation really was. You come back with a renewed respect for it and we want to take it much more seriously than we might have in the past (laughs). It’s been great and I’m still very stoked that I am still able to do this twenty-years later and that people still care. It’s the best feeling in the world.
Worldwide too. You guys have done sold-out tours through the UK and Europe.
Yeah, that was our first tour, it was in the UK. Our booking agent was like, “Where do I put you guys?” And I was like, “Your guess is as good as mine (laughs). I have no idea since it’s been however many years since we last played here.” So we started with pretty mid-level venues, the biggest clubs were maybe 900 – 1000 people. They sold out within days. Every single show. That was a pretty cool email to get (laughs). You really don’t know, when you go away for that long, it’s awesome to see that people still give a shit (laughs).
The UK, and just Europe overall, has so much more of an appreciation and consumption for rock, metal, and all of their subgenres.
The UK, it’s definitely noticeable. It’s definitely still a big thing out there to go to rock n’ roll shows. In America, it’s a little hit or miss in some places. It’s getting increasingly harder to get people away from XBox and Netflix. I see a lot of bigger bands having to team up now to tour through the States. That’s not the case over there, they are still very much into going to rock shows once a week.
Honestly, I’m lucky to have a group of friends where we still hit up shows almost every week. It’s good to not be too brainwashed by Apple or Netflix (Laughs).
(Laughs) It’s good for you to get out and check out some rock n’ roll shows. I try to get my kids to go to shows all of the time but my son is all about XBox, Fortnite, and all of that shit (laughs). I’m like, “Dude, come on! Let’s go out and skate or see whatever band is coming through town.”
How old is your son?
He’s nine.
What’s cool, he’s probably right at that age where music will start to become a huge influence.
My first show was when I was nine, I saw David Lee Roth on the Eat ‘Em and Smile Tour!
No way!
Yeah, with Steve Vai on guitar!
And with Billy Sheehan and Greg Bissonnette!?
Yeah dude, with Billy Sheehan and Greg Bissonette on drums! Dude, it was like, that was such a great first show! I was nine, Phil and Ape were there, and there were people all around smoking weed and they were like, “Alright, let’s watch the show and get the hell out of here (laughs).” And Bam was eight!
Oh, wow! You both went?
Yeah, we did.
Were you guys forever changed after that show?
Oh yeah, oh my god, dude. It’s crazy because back then, bands were larger than life. There wasn’t Twitter, you would just see them on TV and shit like that. I’m nine and David Lee Roth comes on stage and I’m like, I couldn’t believe that he was a dude….for real (laughs). I couldn’t believe he was in the same building as me (laughs). It was crazy and mind blowing. The show was definitely awesome. After that, they took me to another one, the Def Leppard Hysteria tour and yeah, it was awesome (laughs).
That is awesome. Maybe there is a band that could influence you son in the same way, someone with a larger-than-life show. Actually, have you ever seen Ghost? They definitely have that.
Oh yeah, I love those guys. We have played them, I want to say it was during our first album and we did a couple of festivals and they were on it. I was immediately stoked on them, their first record and I have still yet to hear the new Ghost but everyone says it’s really good.
You’ll love it. The melodies and songwriting, I think it’s right up your alley.
It’s funny because I didn’t know that the singer was that dude Tobias from Sweden and he was in that band Crashdiet, which I’ve partied with those guys in Sweden (laughs). I might have partied with him in Sweden and I don’t remember (laughs).
That is so cool (laughs). When worlds collide!
Yeah, definitely (laughs).
Both you and Bam introduced a lot of western European bands to U.S. Audiences.
We just did the HIM Tour and it was their farewell tour, which was awesome.
How was it for you guys since it was your return?
Yeah, they were saying goodbye and we were saying hello again (laughs). It was great to see those guys again and I hadn’t seen them in a long time. We’ve always been friends with those guys.
Just to finish up, now that Chad has sang for the band for two-years and you have all of this touring experience with this lineup and a new EP coming out, what excites you the most creatively moving forward as a power trio?
We are going to keep making the best records that we possibly we can and we’re going to keep touring. That’s the plan for the next several years (laughs). I can’t wait to write and record more new music. I already have a ton of songs ready for the next album and they are awesome. I am beyond stoked about the new direction. No more long breaks or hiatuses (laughs). We’re going to go full force again (laughs).
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