There are very few things that come from Los Angeles that I would champion, but Fireball Ministry is definitely one of them. I first saw the band many years ago at small club in New York called Brownies and have been a fan ever since. The core of Fireball Ministry has always been singer/guitarist Jim Rota, guitarist Emily Burton and drummer John Oreshnick who have carved out their own niche in the ever fickle world of rock and metal.
Deciding early on to write actual songs consisting of memorable riffs and Rota’s vocal melodies Fireball Ministry have released three albums and one EP that have garnered them fans from Bam Margera to Kat Von D. Their newest self titled release is not just a solid rock album but also a return for the band from battles both personal and professional. I was able to catch up to Jim Rota and sit him down to talk all things Fireball Ministry.
CRAVEONLINE: It’s been five years since the last album. What’s the hold up been man?
JIM ROTA: The main thing was that I lost my mom to cancer and was dealing with all that comes with that illness for a while. After she was gone, I really wasn't feeling like I could just jump into the whole “business” side of music. I need it to be more therapeutic. That was when “The Company Band” record stepped in. I was just able to make some music with friends without having to worry about labels, release dates, etc.
It was nice that the TCB album was also a self-released title. The whole process of making music and getting it out there has changed so much in the past 5 years that we really wanted to do it right this time. I guess you could say personal tragedy and learning how to reinvent the music business model is what took us so long.
CRAVEONLINE: The new album seems like a statement that you you’re back or that you never left. Do you think that’s true?
JIM ROTA: I think what we do never leaves. It's just straightforward rock and roll music. We surely didn't invent it and are happy to be a part of it. I like to think that the music of Fireball Ministry can come and go as it pleases, because what we do is just a good time.
CRAVEONLINE: Over the last five years was there ever a point where you though Fireball Ministry was all done?
JIM ROTA: No. I really think that no matter what, we will always get together to write songs. That's part of the nice thing about the band. We are all friends and have gone through some pretty heavy emotional stuff internally and externally, but we're still standing. The bottom line is that as long as the members of the band still want to do it, we'll find a way to do it.
CRAVEONLINE: What was different about writing this album than of the previous stuff?
JIM ROTA: We did most of the writing in 3 song increments and would go in and record them. Rather than writing a whole bunch of songs, recording them and then picking “the best” ones. It was nice to just concentrate on the songs that we knew were going to make the album.
CRAVEONLINE: You brought back producer Andrew Alekel for the new album. What is it about working with him that the band enjoys so much?
JIM ROTA: Andrew is one of the only real deal, rock producers left in the business. It's hard these days to find someone so dedicated to getting the best sounds and coming up with the solid arrangements. I think that a lot of the ears out there have been hurt by overly “loud” mixes and super pro tooled recordings. Andrew is a guy who knows how to let the music live on it's own without auto tuning or editing the hell out of it in the computer.
CRAVEONLINE: With songs like Fallen Believers, Followed By A Fall, End Of Story, Common Enemy the new album seems to have themes of confrontation or redemption or both. Do you agree? Why Or Why Not?
JIM ROTA: I think the songs always just take on a life of their own. Most of the time, the lyrics are about what's going on around us at the time. When we were writing these songs was in the middle of one of the most turbulent elections the U.S. has ever seen. Not to say that we wrote “Political” songs necessarily, but it's hard for the world around us to not have an effect.
I also think a lot of the stuff on the record is a response to the current state of music. It really has gotten to be a shell of itself as far as I'm concerned. Time to get back to basics and write some good songs is the only solution I see.
CRAVEONLINE: You once told me that politics has no place in rock. Given the times we’re in now do you still believe that and do you think too many bands are jumping on a political bandwagon?
JIM ROTA: If you want to change the political climate out there, run for office. Singing about it is silly. If you put records out with one of the huge media companies and sing about hypocrisy in the world, well then you are just adding fuel to the fire.
CRAVEONLINE: Vocally you really sing instead of bark or yell. Why is that? Do you think the world of modern metal and rock could use more of what you do?
JIM ROTA: I have always been a fan of songs that you can remember. The ones that are the easiest to remember are the ones you can sing. I think that melody has lost its way in most hard rock/metal these days because there is more emphasis put on the “thing” (aka a bunch of guys who all scream the same way) than the music.
CRAVEONLINE: You describe this record as “Glowing with freedom”. What does that mean?
JIM ROTA: We didn't have anyone telling us what to do in any way. No label people saying what songs to record or putting a timeline on things. It was nice to just be able to write a song, work it out and record it. If we wrote a song that was influenced by Cheap Trick, we recorded it. If we wrote a song with an acoustic intro and a boot spur jingling, we recorded it. I think that really allowed us to be open minded and free to expand a little on this record and the results were very satisfying musically.
CRAVEONLINE: Top 5 Desert Island Records?
JIM ROTA: Wow, tough Question.
1) AC/DC – Back in Black
2) Metallica – Master of Puppets
3) Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
4) Frank Zappa – Roxy and Elsewhere
5) Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch
CRAVEONLINE: It seems today bands are either “experimental” or “extreme” do you find there to be a shortage of just great straight rock bands?
JIM ROTA: I just think that the focus these days are on everything BUT the music. It seems to me that when “scenes” used to come about, it was the music that brought people together who all had common interests. Nowadays, it's more like “Lifestyle Marketing” that creates a scene and the music is just a shitty soundtrack to the outfit that you wear.
CRAVEONLINE: Fireball Ministry has been able to share the stage with everybody from Slayer to Dio. Why do you think your music can bring together so many different types of fans?
JIM ROTA: We are like the monosodium glutamate of music. We enhance the flavor.
CRAVEONLINE: How has landing Johny Chow helped Fireball Ministry both in song writing and as a live band?
JIM ROTA: Johny is great onstage. He can work a crowd like a pro. He fit in really well with the songwriting, because he has the same sensibility as we do when it comes to writing the best songs possible.
CRAVEONLINE: What exactly is Restricted Release and how did the band get involved with it?
JIM ROTA: It's a distro company started by an awesome woman named Paula Hogan. She is a true lifer when it comes to spreading the word. She had put out the Company Band full-length album for us and it was such a great experience that we asked her to do the Fireball Ministry record.
CRAVEONLINE: What’s going on next with The Company Band? Any other side projects in the works?
JIM ROTA: Nope. We will do another Company Band record for sure as soon as all the schedules align. I know that Chow is playing on the new Cavalera Conspiracy record as well.
CRAVEONLINE: I know Fireball Ministry has been knocked around by the business end of the music industry, do you think the day of the all-powerful label is coming to an end? Why or why not?
JIM ROTA: I do because they have no reason to exist. The final reason they were still holding on was the inability for bands to distribute music globally. With the advent of Digital Distribution, bands are able to reach a worldwide network of fans. It really is exciting because, for the music to make it now I believe it's going to have to be good. What a concept. I am all for anything that puts the control in the hands of the artists.
CRAVEONLINE: What newer bands are really moving you?
JIM ROTA: The Budos Band, Grand Magus, Menahan Street Band, Baroness, Graveyard, The Black Keys.
CRAVEONLINE: What’s coming up in 2010 for Fireball Ministry?
JIM ROTA: Shows and Beer Drinking.
CRAVEONLINE: When Fireball Ministry calls it a day, what do you want the band’s legacy to be?
JIM ROTA: That the music that we put into the world has been the best music that we could make. I would be very upset if I were ever in a band that had to apologize for itself. Fireball Ministry has always been and always will be, about the music.
For more on Fireball Ministry check out http://www.fireballministry.com
Header photo: Kat Von D
