A Perfect Circle guitarist Billy Howerdel has lived what many might think of as a rock 'n' roll dream: After years behind the scenes, working as a guitar tech for artists like Nine Inch Nails, Tool and Guns N' Roses, Howerdel jumped into the spotlight by getting Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan as both singer and lyricist on APC's 2000 debut, Mer de Noms. Suddenly Howerdel went from tuning guitars and tweaking knobs to playing in front of thousands as the driving force behind one of the most popular bands in rock.
Mer de Noms featured fellow studio veteran Josh Freese on drums, Paz Lenchantin on bass and Troy van Leeuwen as second guitarist. By the time the band reconvened for the follow-up, last year's Thirteenth Step, Lenchantin and van Leeuwen were out, and Jeordie Osborne White,
MUSIC BOX |
A Perfect Circle may be part of a resurgence of sorts in supergroups, but alternative rock actually has been nearly as prolific in its production of the often-indulgent groups as was the classic rock of the '60s and '70s. Here are some of the better examples of alt-rockers rocking out together.
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With all these stars on board, though, Howerdel is still the primary songwriter, producer and de facto leader. For someone who didn't come from a rock-star background, he's not quite sure how to take it when his band is labeled a supergroup. "The supergroup thing I'm sure could be meant two different ways," he says, sounding a little frustrated. "It could be meant to prop you up to chop your head off, or it could be something that's meant to be complimentary. I don't know. I just hear it and move on."
In a way, it's the perfect situation: With people like Keenan, White and Iha, all of whom bring their own fans and histories to the group, Howerdel can just sit back out of the spotlight and control what's most important to him: the music. Of course, he appreciates having such an experienced and talented crew behind him, although the nature of the band, with Keenan splitting his time between APC and Tool, means the same people might not be around for the next record or tour. "I would love for it to stay the same," Howerdel says of the lineup, "because I think it's a great chemistry and we have a great thing going, but I don't know what's going to happen in the future."
Right now, though, APC is riding high on the tour supporting Thirteenth Step, graduating to mostly arenas, although in Vegas they're playing two nights at the Joint. "I kind of prefer the bigger shows, to be honest," Howerdel says, his only hint of rock-star tendencies. "We're not doing anything too crazy, no projection or anything else. It's just kind of a more traditional thing, but we have a slightly more elaborate set-up than normal. I've heard good things from some peers that have come to see the show, so I feel pretty good about it," he adds.
The crowd APC attracts is a mixed one, with some people drawn in by the associations of Howerdel's bandmates, and others simply intrigued by the band's mix of progressive rock and heavy metal. Though Howerdel admits to growing up on Randy Rhoads-era Ozzy Osbourne, these days he's more likely to listen to Interpol, Cat Power and the White Stripes, so he's sometimes surprised at the vast metal contingent in his band's audience. "We've been called a metal band before," he says, "and it's surprising, or maybe mildly irritating. But at the same time, you listen to it and go, you know, I guess we have some metal riffs going. Compared to a true metal band, it's almost insulting to call us a metal band to metal bands."
Keenan's other project, Tool, while at least as arty and edgy as APC, is undoubtedly a metal band. And APC are played on rock radio alongside typical, generic-sounding hard rock and nu-metal, which helps them get to the level of playing arenas, but can also alienate more independent-minded listeners. "It sucks if no one's ever heard it, and they dismiss it because they don't like metal, and they go, 'I don't have to investigate that.' Because I probably do the same thing. That's the way it goes," Howerdel says.
Overall, Howerdel's attitude is remarkably laid back for a guy who's gone from anonymous to rock star in a few short years. Maybe it was all the time spent on the sidelines, seeing how others behaved. He did, after all, spend two and a half years working with Axl Rose, about whom the harshest thing he will say is: "He's eccentric." Surrounded by musicians who've been through the ringer with some of the biggest rock bands of the '90s, Howerdel has put together as ego-free a group as possible, a band of stars who just want to rock.