Biography
| Forrest French |
- vocals, guitar |
| Jesse Cooper |
- lead guitar, vocals |
| Boomer Simpson |
- drums |
| Josh McDowell |
- bass |
Duff McKagan. A man with a big reputation through his involvement with major bands. Guns n' Roses and Velvet Revolver…you know the drill. But
this isn't about mega headlines, superstar status and volcanic ego mania. Loaded isn't a band merely to fill in time, to allow the famed bassist to
massage a hyper publicity drive. This is all about…music!
"When this band started in 1998, I was at college studying business," recalls McKagan, who actually plays guitar and sings with this lot. "But I
was sickened by all the crap music going around at the time. Seriously, I hated all these big bands who were coming through. So, I put together
Loaded to play rock music the way I wanted to do it. We had no great gameplan or philosophy. We just wanted to get into the rehearsal room,
begin writing songs and play music we felt."
To some, Loaded might appear to have a punk rock influence. Actually, this is closer to the mark than you might believe. Forget about the musical-
ity being close to punk, it's the attitude, as McKagan is keen to explain: "When I was about 14, I saw The Clash play at the Paramount Theater in
Seattle. That was in 1978, and it was amazing. I was expecting this superstar band to come onstage. Instead, the opposite occurred. The Clash
were telling everyone that, 'We're all in this together. The musicians, the fans, we're part of one family'. That idea's never left me."
McKagan has hand-picked the members of this band, feeling that each brings something special into the camp.
"It's not as if I bumped into all of them on the street and things happened by accident. I saw Geoff Reading play drums with Green Apple
Quickstep (a cult mid-1990s Seattle band) and he was just an animal behind the kit. I knew then that I wanted to work with him at some point. Mike
Squires and Jeff Rouse (guitar and bass, respectively) I watched with their band Alien Crime Syndicate, and again they really impressed me.
"It's not that I've taken these guys out of other bands, either. It's not like that in Seattle. Good musicians tend to play in more than one band. And
our producer, Martin Feveyear, is also part of the band in many respects. He's also our tour manager and our live sound engineer! It's the Seattle
way. A small town mentality"
The band released albums in 1999 and 2001, namely 'Live Episode' and 'Dark Days', before other commitments meant Loaded were put on the
back burner to some extent, although they never split up. "No way! We've been playing Xmas charity shows in Seattle on an annual basis over the
last few years," says McKagan. "These have been growing in popularity as well. Then last Xmas, we started to talk seriously about doing a record,
which is what has led us to this place. Now, I've been stockpiling songs for Loaded all the time. I'd write something and store it away for future
use, so the idea of doing a new album has always been in my mind."
The process of working on the new record, which will be called 'Sick', has exciting Duff beyond expectations.
"We all knew it would be fun to go into the studio (Jupiter in Seattle) and do a new album, but it's actually been so inspirational. This isn't a stellar
Pink Floyd kinda effort. But it perfectly represents what we do so well."
An EP, 'Wasted Heart', has already given everyone a taste of what's to come, and the foursome's togetherness is reflected in the fact that they took
the opportunity to work on fresh songs during their recent tour of the UK and Europe.
"We practically lived on a tour bus, and we'd break out the acoustic guitars and write some new material. So 'Sick' is constantly evolving." That
tour itself has given Loaded another major boost. "We never expected the gigs to be so packed, and there were a lot of younger people turning up
as well. Everyone seemed to appreciate what we're about. Gilby Clarke [former Guns n' Roses guitarist] came to see us in Los Angeles at the
Viper Room not so long ago, and he couldn't believe how we did things. He called up the next day and was just amazed that we were so down to
earth. No egos. No big star trips. Four guys enjoying the music and loving being in the same band.
"To me, Loaded is a group of equals. This isn't a solo project where I pay some hired hands to play my songs. I might have the name, but we're a
real band. These guys aren't afraid of me. And people are coming to the shows because they like Loaded, not because they're fans of something
else I've done."
So, how would McKagan sum up this band for those who've never seen or heard them before? "Loaded is the band to make you
realise how seriously the music industry takes itself."
