STAIND…No Illusions Here

Staind is back with it’s sixth studio album, “The Illusion of Progress,” and in case anyone is worried, no need… the lyrics go deeper and the music flies higher than any they have released before. Producer Johnny K (3 Doors Down, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold), encouraged them to dig in and explore musical influences not normally heard on a Staind album but ones each member has dabbled in individually.

Check out the gospel choir on “The Corner”, the country sound on “Tangled up in You” and Mike Mushok’s explosive guitar on “It’s Raining Again.” 

“They were fun processes to come up with, fun processes to play and are fun processes to play live,” said Mushok.

The “Illusion of Progress” is an album showing the bands evolution since their last release, “Chapter V.” They hesitate to use the phrase they have “gotten better, preferring instead to say their music continues to grow and mature, as is evident in lead singer Aaron Lewis’s lyrics and the more noticeable guitar of Mushok.

Lewis still writes about the pain and despair fans have come to expect from Staind, but on “The Illusion of Progress,” he also writes that pain can heal and about the impact love has on our lives. Of course, he makes it clear that only he knows what his lyrics mean, but Staind’s fans have always felt a deep connection to his songs, and for the songs on this newest release, they have found hope in his evolution.

For this album, Mushok switched from a baritone guitar to a standard. He has played baritone “forever” but decided to change it up for a more versatile sound. Although he admits he will continue to play a baritone during his lives sets, for the album he wanted a different feel. It is incredibly apparent that changes were made as his sound flows smoother and more noticeable, adding a new dimension to Staind’s sound that could not be heard before. On their previous albums, it was all about the vocals and lyrics. On this one, it is all about the songs.

Staind has always been known as a fan-friendly band. They give all the credit for their success to their fans, continually thanking them for allowing the band to do what they love and trying to give back to the fans through their music. Staind also knows their fans want to see them on tour. This led to their current casino tour, which Lewis had been doing solo for sometime playing acoustic shows. This tour has allowed them to get in front of audiences that do not normally have access to them without a three to five hour drive.

“Playing casinos is more like an event. You can go there, have dinner, stay the night, make an evening out of it,” said Mushok.

With the new album released, Staind realizes that the music business is evolving and cd’s are becoming a thing of the past. According to Mushok, it is not about selling albums anymore.

“How many kids ask for a CD player for Christmas?” he says. “We’re trying to sell something that nobody wants. They all want the mp3, the iPod.”

Singles are picked by the record company, and they are looking for something that sounds familiar to everybody. Unfortunately, it does not show the growth of the band: “it’s not a great representation of where we’re going a lot of the time.” says Mushok.

These days, a band needs a strong fan base who is going to listen to their albums and their songs, getting a total sense of the music and what the band is about, where they came from and where they are going. It is hard for a band starting out, Mushok says, with local venues closing and record companies only looking for singles.

Even Staind didn’t expect Staind to be this strong ten years down the road. What got them here? According to Mushok, “a lot of hard work, being in the right place at the right time, luck, I don’t know… maybe a little bit of talent mixed in?”

A major factor in Staind’s success as a band is their success as musicians working together. They have had the same members for ten years. They know what is important to themselves and to each other. They pick their battles and they make compromises and sacrifices and expect each other to do the same. Finally, they respect each other. This is evident in their live shows. There are no divas, no screaming solos. Just a constant stream of music the fans want to hear.
They open their show with a screaming version of “Fuck It,” Mushok’s unique playing style putting him almost on the ground. In contrast, Lewis stares off into the distance or closes his eyes as if singing every song to himself. Bass player Johnny April appears scared to be on stage, and it is not until later in the show when he starts smiling like an embarrassed child caught doing something right as the fans begin shouting their approval at him. Through it all, drummer Jon Wysocki performs like a dancer, fluid and blending from one song to the next.

In the beginning, Staind is odd to watch as each member seems to be off in their own world, not appearing to be a band that has been playing together for ten years, but amazingly, somehow it all clicks and they come together—April’s vocals blending with Lewis, Lewis performing an acoustic version of “Raining Again,” and finally, with “Mudshovel,” Lewis shows emotion, whipping the audience into a frenzy of approval. And as an encore? Lewis sings acoustic, without a mic, threatening the audience that he will walk off the stage if they are not quiet. And, believe it or not, they are.