Touring is a way of life for rock bands. They're either on the road supporting an album, staying in touch with their fans or using warm-up gigs to get ready for a major tour.
At the moment, Staind is in the third category.
The band rolls in for its first Coachella Valley concert Saturday at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.
We caught up with founding guitarist Mike Mushok in a recent telephone interview from his home in Massachusetts.
“We always like to try and get to places we've never played before,” Mushok said. “We've been doing this for the past couple of years, and it's always great for us and the fans.”
Smaller venues like the 2,000-plus seat showroom at Spotlight 29 gives the band a chance to interact more closely with its fans, Mushok said.
“There can be a disconnect in those big stadiums, especially if there are barricades keeping the audience from the stage,” he said.
“I'll look out, and I can't see anyone. Smaller shows can give us a chance to connect more.”
Asked which of the band's albums he would recommend for anyone not familiar with Staind's catalog, he said: “I'd have to say our most recent disc (‘Illusion of Progress,' released in 2008). I'm proud of everything we've done. ‘Illusion of Progress' shows where we're at. ‘Break the Cycle' was our first big break and got people listening, so I'd have say that record, too.”
Speaking of records, Mushok said he believes the music industry dropped the technical ball back in the 1990s when Napster began taking a bite out of sales.
“The Internet changed everything,” he said about the way fans now buy music.
“No one buys albums anymore. People buy the songs they hear on the radio. They don't really know (a band's body of work). That hurts everyone.”
And it's not only the record companies that are hurting. The artists are losing out, too, Mushok said.
“From my perspective, we work really hard to put out a complete record,” he said. “Now the record companies don't even want to ship them. I don't know what the answer is. Maybe EPs, maybe putting out one song every three months? I don't know. I guess we'll all have to see what happens.”
