Kirk Windstein is a man whose reputation precedes him.
As the founding force and frontman of the legendary Crowbar, Windstein has spent the better part of the last two decades unleashing his own brand of down-tuned, sludge-ridden, no-holds-barred heavy music. And while a gig like that is enough to manage on its own, Windstein splits his time between pet projects Kingdom of Sorrow and the mighty Down.
While remaining dormant since Lifesblood for the Downtrodden’s 2005 release, Crowbar returned in 2011 with a new label, a new album, and a newly sober Windstein. The band kicked off their revival on the highly anticipated Metalliance tour, featuring Page Hamilton’s Helmet and Saint Vitus, among others.
Following the completion of the tour’s inaugural run, I had the chance to speak with Windstein on the band’s new album, his hectic schedule, and how sobriety has changed his life.
The Metalliance tour just wrapped up. How was it?
Tiring, but we had a lot of fun. It was a lot of traveling in a short period of time and long days. Load-in’s were early, and load-out’s were late because there were so many bands, but it was a lot of fun. I mean, for Crowbar, I thought it was fantastic. We had a great slot and had great shows every night, so for us, it was really good.
Did you feel that with having bands like Helmet and even Saint Vitus on the bill, that you were playing to a different audience than would typically come out for a Crowbar show?
Yeah, that was the idea of the whole tour for us; it was about everyone bringing something a little different to the table. So obviously, and I don’t know if they liked us or not, but we got to play to some Helmet and Vitus fans. Most of the Vitus and Crowbar fans seem to like both bands, so that’s kind of normal, but with everybody else, it was kind of cool to be able to play to their audience. We had fun and we kicked ass every night. It was cool.
Sever the Wicked Hand is the band’s first release in 6 years. Obviously, you have your hands full with Down and Kingdom of Sorrow, but what was holding you back from releasing it sooner?
Basically that’s just what it was. From the beginning of 2006 until the end of the summer in 2010, my whole life was Down basically, and somehow I managed to put two Kingdom of Sorrow records out in between. For awhile, it was Down–Down–Down, and now it’s all three bands, which is really cool.
I just got home on Sunday, and everybody on the whole tour had been sick. It was kind of like this bus funk, a “one person gets it, you all get it” deal. So we’re kind of all just getting back on our feet, but we’ve got some Down rehearsals starting up next week. We have shows coming up in the next two weeks, so I’m back in Down world, which is cool.
Considering your roles between all three bands are completely different, is it hard focusing on everything all at once, as opposed to working on Crowbar this year, working on Down next year, like that?
No, I think that all the bands are too important to just have one band going. I’ve done that, kind of, with Down for a couple of years. I think that where everybody is at with Down now, everybody is doing other projects as well. So it’s perfect for us to work on Down for awhile, and go out and do our other projects for a bit, then come back to Down, and go do another project, or whatever.
I know that for Jimmy and Phil at least, and myself, with our other projects, the way things are flowing now is pretty good.
You worked with Zeuss on Kingdom of Sorrow, but what made you go with him for this release?
He’s killer! He’s a great guy, he’s easy to work with, and he’s a really, really big Crowbar fan, what was very important to me. When it came time to mix it, he told me, “Look Kirk, this record is as important to me as it is to you.” I thought, “Wow, then we definitely have our guy.”
So yeah, he’s just easy to work with, and such a great guy. He’s really good at what he does. The results speak for themselves—the record sounds great.
You recently went through a pretty public battle with alcoholism. Is this the first album you’ve worked on while sober?
Yes and no. I’ve always written and recorded my guitar parts sober, as in not while drinking, but it was kind of weird because I’d always be drunk when I’d sing. It was a little weird at first. I was a little nervous and apprehensive, but once I got comfortable with it, I really enjoyed it a lot more.
It kind of pulls out different emotions when you’re doing it sober. You think that if you get drunk, it will bring out different emotions, but it’s more the emotion of the alcohol, not so much what your real emotions are. So for me, singing sober was a really cool experience, and now I can’t see myself doing it any other way. I really enjoy it.
How difficult has it been to maintain sobriety while on the road?
It’s very difficult. It’s really a lifestyle change. You know, tomorrow, I’ll be 46, so it’s just kind of a whole epiphany, this whole awakening thing that you really need to change everything about the way you’re living. It’s not just about drinking—it’s what you eat, it’s everything.
For me, it’s been about when I am at home, concentrating on being that “at home, regular guy” more—doing yard work, fixing up things around the house, spending as much time as I can with my daughter, doing things with my fiancé—just being a regular guy while I’m at home. I’m not going out to bars. If a band that I like or one of my friends’ bands is playing in town, that’s different, but other than that, I don’t go out to bars or anything anymore. I’d rather go out to dinner or to a movie or stuff like that. Like I said, it’s kind of a whole lifestyle change. I’m trying to slow down.
Has having people like Jamey and Rex in your life been helpful in terms of a support system?
Yes, absolutely. I’m really looking forward to the Mayhem Festival this summer with Kingdom of Sorrow. I think it’ll be a lot easier now that everybody in the band is sober. It’ll make it a lot easier.
For me, I don’t try to dwell on the whole thing or claim to be the poster-boy for sobriety or AA or anything like that. I never say I’ll never drink again. I just go day by day and try to be the best person I can be: the best father, the best guy to my fiancé, the best musician I can be to my band mates in all three of my bands, and the best business man I can be. That’s kind of my goal for the day when I wake up.
Well that’s definitely a great way to be looking at things.
It’s a lot better than my old way of looking at things! (LAUGHS)
I know you’re all probably tired of being asked about this, but what’s the status on the new Down album?
Hopefully we’ll be recording some stuff in May, and that’s really all I know. We have plenty of material, and we’ve written a bunch more stuff. Down just works at its own speed, which is slow. (LAUGHS) But it is what it is, and the end result is always great, so I’m just glad.
We did some shows with Down in March, before the Metalliance tour, and it was great. We had a lot of fun, which is really important. At this stage in our career, if it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing, so it was really important that we’d have fun, and we really did. We’re starting to pick up the pace with Down a bit more now, which is really cool.
For me, as long as I get my time at home to decompress and do some regular guy stuff, I’m all about working as much as possible. You don’t make money sitting on your butt.
Like you said, you head out on the road with Down for a little bit and then Kingdom of Sorrow in the summer. Aside from that, how’s the rest of the year shaping up for you?
I know Crowbar is doing the Ride for Dime stuff this year, which is August 19th, so as soon as I get back from Mayhem, a couple of days later we’re doing that. Down will be going over to Europe in June for a like a week and a half doing some festivals, so that’ll be really cool.
I’m just trying to mix it up between all three bands, you know? Staying busy but not running myself too ragged. Like I said, the Metalliance thing was great, but it was really tiring. I just got back Sunday, and I just really got out of bed today. (LAUGHS) I’ve been doping up on DayQuil and NyQuil and just resting my old bones, but I got a lot done today. I’m kind of back in my old routine, so it’s been good. I’m a routine guy, I really am. My girl always makes fun of me and my game plans for the day and all this, but that’s just kind of how I am. (LAUGHS)
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