BOBBY REEVES of LEVEL -by Nikki Neil

Self-reliant and self-sufficient, Level holds nothing back. Their take-no-prisoners approach transcends into an energetic and unpredictable live show. In the studio, a different side of Level emerges. Musically, Bobby Reeves (v), Christopher Wight (v), Ed Faris (g), Alley Useless (b), Nicco Villalobos (d), and DJ Primer add a plethora of intriguing elements to the standard rap/metal mix. Focusing and melody and creativity, Level injects mounds of tempestuous riffs and sensual grooves into every rockin’ tune.

You mentioned that you were on your way to the studio. Are you recording something?

We do a heavy version of Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer”. We are recording it for radio because people are asking for it. We already have half of another album completed. There were a lot of songs that we wish we could have put on the album and that was one of them. We happened to be in the studio and decided to record it. It sounded really cool, so I’m on my way to record the vocals right now.

Is this going to be an extra single?

We’re not sure what we are going to do with it yet. Some people want to use it for a movie and some people want it for other stuff, so we’re just going to record it and let them run with it.

I hear you’ll be playing the Battle of the Fans at the Knitting Factory. What exactly is that?

It basically has nothing to do with how you play. I think it is about how many people you bring. I’m not big on contests, to be honest, but some of our friends wanted us to play there and it sounded cool, so we thought we’d do it. But, I didn’t know that my foot was still going to be broken. It is broken right now.

It’s still broken?

Yeah.

I heard you broke it during the Orlando Jones show.

Yeah, it is pretty bad. After I broke it, it swelled up pretty bad because I went and played another show, after I broke it, for an hour. I was jumping around and stuff and I think I did more damage to it.

Do you have a cast on it right now?

Actually, I had the hard cast on and they took it off, so now I have this boot thing and I can take it off when I take a shower and stuff. My foot is kind of weak and I have a hard time walking on it, so I’m trying to build up strength for the show because I don’t want to have to perform with this boot thing on because it is embarrassing.

How did you break it? What were you doing?

I was just jumping around. The stage was moving a bit so the monitors were in a different place, and I wasn’t paying attention. So, when I jumped I landed on the monitor. The back part of my foot was on the ground and the front part was on the monitor and so my foot cracked in three places.

That sounds very painful.

At first my foot went numb and then it swelled up. When the performance was over I went to a club to play another show and that is when it started to hurt really badly. I barely finished the set. We cut about one or two songs out, but it no one noticed.

I also heard you electrocuted yourself on stage at the Troubadour.

I didn’t do it on purpose.

(Laughs) I know.

I didn’t try to pull an Alice Cooper. I got electrocuted so bad that I was stuck in place. I couldn’t move and my hands started curling up. It happened because there was some water and wires on the stage that didn’t get fixed, so I came out and stepped on them and was electrocuted immediately. Luckily, some guy in the crowd pushed me away pretty quickly. I felt nauseous after that, and then I started singing the wrong words to the song because I didn’t know what song we were playing. I was out of it for a second.

Thankfully, he pushed you.

Yeah. I got electrocuted a few more times after that, but they were quick, short, small shocks. I really wanted to walk off the stage, but I decided to finish the set.

Poor you. That sucks.

You know, they’re trying to hold me down but I’m gonna make it through the rain. (Laughs)

I also heard there was an incident at the Warped Show in San Francisco?

You know the barriers that they put up in front of the stage?

Yeah.

Well, the kids started bouncing them in time to the music and then other kids started doing it and…we’re a very physical band on stage, and …[Just then some one in the back ground sings, “Get physical, physical”. Turns out it, it’s the group’s drummer, Nicco.] Dude, how do you remember that song? So, that’s where those leg warmers you have came from. Nicco still wears those leg warmers on the outside of his jeans. Anyway, I jumped up on this pole, and one of the kids started bouncing it. I was hanging on to the pole. I had my feet on it, and they were trying to knock me off. The kids kept bouncing the pole and then the concrete broke under the barriers and the barriers fell forward. After that some of the kids rushed the stage and took our microphones and just went crazy. It was kind of fun though.

I get the feeling that a Level show is very unpredictable.

So far. We didn’t plan it that way. It’s just been happening. I’m just hoping that the lightening bolt part waits until after the Linkin Park tour.

So there’s a tour with Linkin Park in the band’s future?

No. I was just thinking positively. But, we are playing with Linkin Park at the Smoke Out.

The Smoke Out should be a blast.

Yeah. Linkin Park, DMX, Cypress Hill, Menudo…just kidding. They canceled this year because Ricky Martin is on tour right now.

Darn. I was kinda of looking forward to a Menudo reunion.

Yeah, well there’s always next year.

What influences have shaped you as a musician?

We listen to everything. I know everyone says that. But, I listen to everything from country music to Sarah McLaughlin to the Deftones to Linkin Park…. The first single, “Living Inside of Me,” is the first song we ever wrote. When we first started writing everything just sort of fell into place, and we just developed our style without really having to think about it. We want to keep our sound melodic. We don’t want to be considered a rap rock group. We like to sing a lot and keep all the grooves to where people can move and sort of bounce to them. Let’s just say, for lack of a better term, we don’t like those white people beats.

You mentioned earlier that you were already working on material for the next album.

We write all the time. We don’t really know what it is when it comes out, so we ride it, go with it, and get inspired. We have to write while we are inspired. We record all our stuff at home. We all have protools and we have professional recording gear at our house, so we can record ideas when we write at home and it sounds like a fully produced CD.

So was this album (Level) already complete when Z Records signed you?

It was written when they signed us, but it had not been recorded yet. When we write something, we’ll listen to it in our car for a week and make sure we like it and make sure everyone we know likes it. We try to make sure that everything sounds like a single.

Does Chris contribute any lyrics?

Chris came into the band after most of the songs were written, but he did contribute to two of the songs. Originally, we were going to hire some big time rappers to sing the choruses on a few songs, so we had those spots empty. But, Chris heard the songs and threw down his own lyrics. He gave the songs back to me and we were like, “Man, this is it,” and we dropped all the other ideas.

Chris has been your friend for a while. What was he doing prior to joining Level?

Chris and I used to write a lot together, but it was a different kind of music. I wanted to go more towards the style that Level is, so I went off in order to fulfill that side of it and it grew and turned into my main focus. Chris and I were still friends, but Level was my project. So, I got the ball rolling and we did the album and it came down to the two songs that we were going to have someone else do the vocals on. I let Chris listen to them and he got some ideas for them and it was like, “What the hell. It can’t hurt to try.” So, he recorded them himself and gave them to me and I checked it out. We all liked it so much that we decided to go into the studio and lay the tracks down. After that, he started practicing with us and now he does a couple of songs with us. But, we’re not really sure about the next album. He may not do any songs, he may do one…right now we are just writing and waiting to see what comes out. We’re not going to force anything. If he has a couple of ideas that are cool, we will use them.

What’s the background on the rest of your band members? I remember Alley from another band.

I used to play in a local band around town, and Alley was in another band. When we lost our bass player I called him up and it was pretty much a done deal. Alley is like an All-star kind of performer—the way he acts and the way he plays—he’s got that rock star thing going, so he was the first person that popped into my mind. He can be a little nutty, but, hey, we love him. Ever since the plane crash…he’s never been the same. Ever since he fell down the stairs….

He’s quite a character.

Yes. Very much so.

What is the story behind “Surrounded?”

Basically, it is about some people that I was living with who did some bad things. Actually, it was a guy from my former band and his brother. They were into a few illegal activities, and I wasn’t really happy about it. They ended up getting in trouble and went to jail. One day, my old band member called me from jail and asked if I could write a song for him that he could jam to. He wanted something with a hip-hop beat because he is a rapper. I wanted to do some sort of acoustic thing with a hip-hop beat and I wrote the chorus and some other lyrics for it. I left parts of it open so he could add his verses, but he never got to do it because they wouldn’t let me send the song to him. He went to jail and then he went to a halfway house and they were going to let him do the song, but then they changed their mind. I really liked the song a lot, so I finished it. To make a long story short, his name is Kurt and the song is basically about him getting busted by the police.

I know you wrote “This Decision” about your bout with suicide. When did you finally realize that suicide was not the answer to your problems?

When I ended up in the hospital. I was really young when it happened, but I think right after I did it I decided I didn’t want to do it.

So it pretty much was an awakening.

It was a huge awakening. But, I guess it kind of made me a little cockier and motivated me to do what I really wanted to do. I kind of felt like, “Hey I got a second chance. What do I have to lose? Why don’t I go for what I really want to go for?” It kind of gave me a kick in the ass to take more risks. Because sometimes you tend to make decisions that you know are safe, as opposed to doing something that involves some risk. It was sort of an excuse, I guess, like, “I wouldn’t have been here right now anyway, so I might as well do whatever the hell I want. I might as well do what makes me happy.”

Have you ever had to counsel any of your friends or fans on suicide?

Nicco and I had to about two weeks ago. Actually, I just got off the phone with the guy before this interview. He is a fan of ours who lives in Kansas. I don’t want to say his name, but I can say Kansas because we have a lot of fans that live there. But, he had written my name and Nicco’s name on the wall for this girl that he really cares about. It was kind of trippy, like “Wow! Our music really influences this kid.” He told me his whole story about wanting to kill himself. When you are fifteen years old, you’re not supposed to be that unhealthy to want to kill yourself. But, you are pretty much an emotional wreck a lot of times. You’re not as strong and as fully developed mentally and emotionally at that age, which is why you make bad decisions and you’re overwhelmed and emotional. I’m sure the thought of suicide flashes through a teenager’s mind at least once, but most kids never really turn it into reality. A bunch of thoughts go through your head. However, this guy kind of got the thought into his head and was about to act on it and we had talked to him and talked him out of it. We get a lot of e-mails and he had sent us one and we took it seriously. I said, “Fuck it. We’re going to call this kid.” So we called him at his house and we became friends and now we talk every day. I haven’t met him yet, but he is a really cool kid.

Well, you saved his life and that is a good thing.

At least I helped and that is all that matters. I’m sure somebody else would have intervened.

Aside from this incident, what was your most memorable run in with a fan?

There was a time with this guy at a Taco Bell. We have a friend who owns a bar and he lets us drink for free. One night we were at his bar drinking and having a good time. We walked across the street to Taco Bell and started talking to some guy who said he loved our music. This other guy made a smart-ass comment to the guy who said he loved our music. It was something like, “Level sucks,” or whatever. I don’t know if he was being stupid or just being a smart ass, but the fan pushed him down on the ground inside the Taco Bell. Nicco, was it Del Taco or Taco Bell?

Nicco gives him the name.

B: Actually, I’d rather say Taco Bell in case they are still looking for us. Let’s say a taco stand. An unknown taco stand.

N: I wasn’t there.

B: Nicco says he wasn’t there because he got maced. So, we were inside the taco stand and this guy pushed our fan down. They were arguing about us. You know how stupid people can be. So, before we knew what was going on someone pushed someone else and that person pushed someone…. Then I picked up someone’s burrito off the table and threw it at the guy and I hit him with it. Then someone else handed me their coke and said, “Try this.” People were just handing me food. “Here try this bro.” “Dude this ought to be really good it’s a Mexi-Melt”. So it turned into a food fight. Everyone joined in, but no one was fighting. There was no violence. But, Nicco ran for the door and this small little security guard was scared as hell and so he maced Nicco. Nicco ran through the grass yelling, “They got me! They got me!” And he fell into the bushes yelling, “He got me! He got me!”

N: I did not fall into the bushes.

B: You fell into that little bush. I thought he got stabbed. So he’s lying there holding his face, and then I realized that he got maced. So, that was a very memorable run in with a fan.

How long did the mace last?

It lasted all night. He was whining for four, five, six hours…and then he went to sleep and it was still burning.

How do you keep your voice in shape when you are on the road?

Basically, all I really need to do is sleep. That’s it. If I sleep I’m cool. But it’s hard because we’ll be driving somewhere and they will be playing tic-tac-toe and yelling at each other or blaring the radio. There are always three people who want to sleep, two that want to scream, and one that wants to play Play Station. So, it makes it hard for me to get a good night of sleep. Sometimes, we have to get up early to check into a hotel, so I try to go back to sleep once we are in the room, but then someone will want to bring people in the room and they end up playing around. So, basically, if I sleep I’m good. If I don’t I’m screwed.

As a singer, did you ever make any mistakes when you were first starting out?

Oh yeah. I still make them. I make them all the time. I can’t really drink and wake up with a hang over. I try not to drink before I have to sing, and I try to stay healthy. I take vitamins. I don’t feel well right now, but I have to go in and record. So I take vitamins and try to stay healthy because if I get congested, even a little bit, you can hear it when I’m singing. Lack of sleep is the worst because I don’t have any energy and my voice feels week and I gets hoarse. That happened to me when I was on tour, but I somehow managed to pull it off.

But no laryngitis yet?

No, but I felt like I was going to die a few times. A couple of times I had to let them go to sound check without me and I slept in the hotel and took a cab to the show because I had to sleep.

What advice do you have for a vocalist, who is just starting out?

Don’t drink all night before a show or before going into the studio and get a lot of rest. That is pretty much it. Also, sing all the time. Sing in the car. Sing everywhere you can. Sing other people’s songs. Sing all the time and get used to your voice. Become familiar with it because then singing will become second nature and then you can learn things.

Are there any horror stories from the early days?

What? Aside from me breaking my leg and electrocuting myself?

I know. You’re a magnet for trouble.

Yeah, the electrocution didn’t go over too well with me. We get lost all the time, and I remember driving around…. You want a horror story. I’ll give you a horror story. Actually, I have a bunch of them. But here is one. There was a time when we were driving around all night without a map. We were in San Francisco, and we had a map that was supposed to go from the hotel to the venue. The driver was driving around all night, but we couldn’t find our hotel because he was circling around the venue. It was like five in the morning and everyone was arguing. One guy got mad and walked out and sat across the street on the sidewalk and was about to quit. We were like, “Pick his stupid ass up and put him back in the car and tell him to SHUT UP!” Then we were all friends after that. We never really get mad at each other. When we do, it only lasts for about 20 minutes. So, we were driving around and there were five people in the car saying, “Look dude, I know exactly where we are going.” And then another guy said, “If you listen to him you’re fucked. I know where to go. Trust me on this one.” And then someone else said, “No, if you don’t trust me and we get lost it is your fault.” And then other one said, “I know where it is. Let me do it.” So, there were fifteen people in the car that thought they knew where we were supposed to be going. I woke up and basically said, “If you guys don’t shut the fuck up I’m going to kill everyone in this whole place. I have to sleep or I’m never going to sing again. Let me out of the car so I can take a cab, or just drop me off and stay at your own hotel.” So, then we all got out of the car and this one guy was standing at the crosswalk yelling, “I’m not driving. You tell him to shut-up.” He finally got back in the car, and we were just laughing. And, then I pulled out a piece of paper with the directions to the hotel and said, “Were you guys looking for this?” We all just started laughing. We have lots of instances like that.

Never a dull moment.

That’s right.

What is lined up for the rest of the year?

We are trying to put together our own tour, and we also got some offers to open up for some bands, but I can’t say until we decide on which one we are going to do. We might actually headline our own tour and bring a couple of other bands with a pretty big following with us. I’m hoping that will work out. Opening for a bigger band and playing shows like Ozzfest is great; however, the treatment isn’t always that good. But, if you are headlining you are treated really well and your sound is better and you have a little more control. So, I’m hoping that we will get to do that.

For more on Level visit www.levelcd.com