John Moyer is the bassist for the platinum selling metal group Disturbed. John also is the bassist for the newly formed hard rock super group Adrenaline Mob. John took some time to talk with Media Mikes about joining the new group and his thoughts on the new album.
Adam Lawton: Can you tell us how you got asked to join Adrenaline Mob?
John Moyer: Disturbed are taking an extended hiatus and I really wanted to stay creative and keep playing. Word had gotten to Mike Portnoy that I was going to be possibly available. Mike gave me a call to talk about the project and he had also sent me a couple tracks. I thought they sounded great. I flew out to Philadelphia to jam with the band and I loved it.
AL: What were your first thoughts on the material when you were listening to it?
JM: I was very impressed with how much it was in line with my style of playing. I’m not a progressive rock player as my previous work with Disturbed and Union Underground is more of a rock/metal fusion. I grew up listening to bands like Metallica and Guns n’ Roses. You put those two bands together and that has always been my style. I didn’t know what the tracks were going to sound like but when I finally heard them they were right up my alley.
AL: How much were you involved with the actual recording of the “Omerta” album?
JM: I did absolutely nothing for the recording. (Laughs) The only people who played on the recording were Russell, Mike O. and Mike P. the bass lines I am playing are the ones there were laid down by Mike Orlando. It’s great though because he is a super talented musician’s with a great feel. Any time I learn someone else’s material I really learn a lot. It makes my own playing style grow. The thing that’s cool though is what Mike put down on the record is pretty in-line with what I would have done anyways. It has been fun learning the new material.
AL: Were you allowed to add any of your own style to the tracks since the initial recording?
JM: They haven’t told me anything. I had seen Mike Orlando a week or so prior to jamming and I took him aside to ask him about one of the bass riffs. He looked at me and told me to just play whatever I wanted. I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to playing. I think what you do in the studio matters. There is a reason a song is played a certain way. That’s something that I don’t want to take anything away from. I will surely end up playing it my own way a little bit as that’s something I can’t help but, I am going to do my best to preserve what they did.
AL: Have you noticed any similarities between this band and Disturbed?
JM: We are definitely in the same genre. The other guys in the band all come from bands that are a part of the progressive rock genre. That genre is a bit different than that of where bands like Disturbed and Godsmack come from. However Adrenaline Mob fits right in with Disturbed and the other bands in the rock/metal genre. What the other guys in the band bring to the table makes in quite a bit different than what Disturbed does. Those guys are bringing their own flavor to the rock/metal genre.
AL: What have you liked most about playing the group?
JM: There is a freshness that you get when a new group of individuals get together. You don’t know where things are going so everyone is feeling things out. Part of that process is exciting. I have always said “Life’s a journey not a destination”. I know that sounds cliché but its great. When I joined Disturbed they were a very established band but, I still was able to see the band grow over the 8 years I was there. I like being a part of something that you can build. We are at the ground floor of something new and fresh. Just being able to grow and build Adrenaline Mob is very exciting.
AL: Has there been any talks of when Disturbed will return from its hiatus?
JM: There haven’t been any talks or deadlines established for the groups return. Right now I am putting everything I have into Adrenaline Mob. I am hoping lightning will strike again and this band will be as big as our previous groups. I am very committed to this project.