The man whose pounding rhythms helped propel Staind albums like Break The Cycle to multi-platinum status has finally broken his silence about his recent departure from the band he helped form nearly two decades ago. Jon Wysocki told his tale and expounded on his present project and plans during a recent phone interview with the Nightcrawler. Here’s some of what went down.
Nightcrawler: Jon, thanks for taking the time to talk. And I know you are legally bound not to speak about a lot of things with regard to your split from Staind. But I’m wondering—can you talk about the recently released documentary that illustrates some of the turmoil?
Jon Wysocki: I guess I can, because it’s out there. And I would simply say it would not have been my choice to do a video of that nature. I just don’t understand why they wanted to put out a documentary that would show the band in that kind of light.
Did you have anything to do with the editing process on the doc? Because it does show you, shall we say, not in the best light sometimes. I was also wondering about times when band members would talk about others who were not in the room, which also happened to you in the documentary. Was this is shocking and unsettling to see?
No, I had nothing to do with the doc whatsoever, and I didn’t even see it all. But I did see some parts and heard about others, and some of it was a little shocking—both in content and the fact that scenes like that were chosen out of all the footage for the final video in the first place. So maybe some of it was said in the heat of the moment, or maybe that’s the way some people in the band feel about me. They are entitled to their opinion, but I did put 17 years of blood, sweat and tears into the band, so I would say anything about my work ethic or not getting paid the same would not be a fair comment.
I don’t know if you saw my recent interview with [Staind singer] Aaron [Lewis], but he did say that despite it all, whether or not you come back to Staind is entirely up to you.
I did see that, and that was nice, and I will never say never. But as you know, when I commit to any project, I don’t half-ass it. So my attention at present is firmly focused on my role as the newest member of the band Soil [myspace.com/soil].
I heard. Can you tell me how you came into that fold?
I am fortunate enough to have reached a level of success [such] that when I left Staind, news of my availability hit the wires and a few offers came in. A couple were pretty high-profile, too, but when Soil called, I was instantly interested for a number of reasons. We had toured with them before and I knew the guys, I liked the music, and perhaps most importantly, I was looking to have a voice in a band—not just be “the drummer.”
I know Soil had the one show October 1 in Western Massachusetts, then was off to the U.K. for a couple of weeks. But did I hear right? Right back into the fire with another studio session after that?
I know, but I’m looking forward to it. Recording, touring… making music in general should be and often is fun. When it’s not, for me, is when it’s time to move on. For now, I am 110 percent committed to Soil getting to the next level, and I just can’t thank all the fans, friends and family enough for all the support throughout this entire ride. But hang on, because it’s not over yet. I have a lot of good years left in me!
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