Soundnova

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Jim Kaufman
Conducted By: Corey Evans

Opiate For The Masses have hands down had a year that would make even some major artists envious. Touring with the likes of Orgy, Warped Tour, Avenged Sevenfold, The Bled, Marilyn Manson, Ministry, and a cut short run with Drowning Pool, Opiate For The Masses are the band to keep an eye on. With a run on the Taste Of Chaos and Warped Tours already confirmed, and a new album coming up for release in April, this is promising to be another great year for the group. Soundnova.com had a chance to ask guitarist/keyboardist/producer Jim Kaufman some questions.

First off as always, introductions are in order... how would you describe Opiate For The Masses for those who have lived under a rock the past few months and not heard of you guys?

Opiate For The Masses is Opiate For The Masses.. With influences that range from Pink Floyd to Ministry, Opiate For The Masses has been in a unique position to be themselves. I would describe Opiate For The Masses as a techno/industrial driven hardcore rock band...

It's been a whirlwind string of tours to make anyone envious, what have been some of your favorite memories of the past couple of months?

Touring with Opiate For The Masses has been a dream come true... Highlights include touring with one of our favorite bands, MINISTRY... We learned so much watching legends at work... We had a blast touring with ORGY.... The BLED, Avenged Sevenfold, and other great bands.... I think that the most exciting thing for Opiate For The Masses on tour is being able to be influenced first hand and then going back to the bus and writing our own shit... I would say the best music Opiate has ever written was written on the road... touring is a great opportunity for any writing musician to expand by applying new techniques to an already working situation....

Your stint on the Taste Of Chaos tour is just coming up, how anxious are you to get back out on the road again?

Opiate For The Masses belongs on the road... We look forward to any opportunity to express our art in a live situation.. The Opiate is a live band.... We will be on tour for ever..

Ministry, Marilyn Manson, Taste Of Chaos, Warped Tour, Orgy, etc. in about the span of a year.... who is left that you are looking forward to touring with?

We really are happy with last yearšs touring track record... There are so many bands that we look up to.. We would love to tour with acts such as: NIN, Tool, The Mars Volta, Mindless Self Indulgence, Helmet, etc.... We also look forward to touring again with Avenged Sevenfold, the Bled, and Orgy.... We really feel a kinship with those acts, and look forward to playing with them for years....

Returning for a second stint on the Warped Tour, seems a bit of a stretch for the audience you would seem to attract, how has the reaction overall been.

Opiate For The Masses being the black sheep is not a bad thing... We pride ourselves on not being like every other band out there.. Many audience members find it refreshing to see a non punk-rock hardcore band like us or Avenged.... Although we respect all of the bands we play with, it seems that the audience is starting to disrespect non-thought provoking, un original acts.... We'll kick the Warped Tour crowd's ass harder than anyone....

You dropped off the Ministry tour due to an unnamed tragic loss. With as much or little or as much detail as you'd like to get into, how has the grieving process for the band as a whole been? Not the best way to have to end an otherwise breakout year for the group. How do you personally work through the grieving process?

Losing a friend and a mentor was not only hard on us, but was hard on the entire music community... The Ministry tour had finished, unfortunately however the Drowning Pool tour was cancelled due to these tragic events... We have tried through this horrid tragedy to be reminded of what a blessing it is to do what we do...

Has the reaction at both radio and amongst fans for the new single 'Up To Me' caught the band by surprise?

As artists, we are so excited that people understand and appreciate what we do... Opiate has for a long time made music that keeps us happy and alive, if even one person can relate or is inspired by any of our songs, our dream has come true... "Up To Me" having such a strong immediate reaction is great!!!! We hope that people are as into the rest of the album..

The four track EP has been circulating around, how close do the rest of the tracks fall in line with the teaser?

The Four songs on the EP are just a taste.... "The Spore" is a journey and a story that takes the listener through many emotions and different kinds of musical atmospheres..... We are very excited to get the entire record into the fansš hands!!!

Being independently released, and so much buzz around one band, do you have the intent on staying an independent band, or already pitching to labels?

We want to do what is best for the band, and are pleased with just being able to get the music on the shelves and into peoplešs ears.... I don't really think about major labels much.... I'm sure that throughout our career we will be in many situations... So, anything is possible....

Looking back at what the band has accomplished in just half the time as other bands... the people you know, the chances you've been afforded... do you find it to be a humbling experience? Does it get you all pumped up thinking 'this is just the beginning'?

We are totally humbled by what the last year has done for us, taught us, and brought us.. Being in Opiate is the most humbling thing to me.. I am completely artistically satisfied.. This is an amazing thing, being 23 years old and working in this project for almost six years... And this is for sure just the beginning, there is no reason that The Opiate won't be playing and writing music together for the rest of our lives...

How far into the future have you guys been planning, with once the new album is released and the stint on Warped Tour is done... any details or 'might happens' of what is next on the road for the band?

We intend to stay on the road a long time supporting "the Spore" We would love to be able to do a headlining club tour for this record...

The obvious sexual energy that comes out of the live show and a fine groomed image to boot. In an industry where itšs either all about image or all about the music, and everyone walks the line of being accused of being a 'sell out', do you find it possible for quality image and music to coexist in todayšs atmosphere?

The "image" that this band projects is just the guys in the band being the weird mother fuckers we are.. I wear the same shit every day... So do all of the other guys, we are just being who we are... As far as the sexual energy that comes across: Performing your lifešs passion and art publicly is very much an intimate thing... The relationship that band members and songwriters have is also very intimate... Writing a song with someone is very much like birthing a child... When we show our children to the world we are in essence naked.... how could this not come across sexually???

It seems over the past year with recording and nonstop touring that you've been stuck around the same group of people more then ever. How has the groups professional and personal relationships evolved over time?

We are best friends, and we love being together,... We have been able to learn from each other, and help each other grow... It's Awesome!!! We work better together and are better friends being involved with The Opiate, and this will only continue to grow..

To close up shop, what is the most pertinent advice that you have received (or wish you had) for a young band to get ahead in the industry.

Stay true to yourselves, make the music you want to make, not the music mothers want you to.... Don't ever give up... and always remember why all this is here, MUSIC.

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