Queensrÿche Singer Todd La Torre on New Music, Touring + More – Interview
Story by Anne Erickson
Interview: Todd La Torre and Anne chat about new Queensrÿche music and more
Queensrÿche’s Todd La Torre misses the road when the band is off tour. After all, the gents of Queensrÿche are road warriors and spend weeks at a time touring the world with their progressive metal.
“We play quite a bit!” La Torre said. “There are times when you’re home for a while and you miss the band and your band family and playing music together on stage. I feel very thankful and fortune to be a part of this band.”
Right now, the Queensrÿche crew is on the road doing a handful of North American headlining shows through the end of May, followed by a run of European dates in June. On top of the live shows, the band is also working on what will mark its follow-up to 2015’s “Condition Hüman.”
La Torre spoke with Anne about the group’s current North American tour, the status of new Queensrÿche jams and why he thinks Queensrÿche has such staying power.
For more on Queensrÿche, visit the band’s official website at www.queensrycheofficial.com.
Anne Erickson: Queensrÿche is on the road right now with shows in the U.S., and then touring Europe in June. For many of the dates, Kamelot’s Casey Grillo is filling in on drums, while drummer Scott Rockenfield takes time off to be with his newborn. How has it been having Casey in the fold?
Todd La Torre: He’s been doing a really great job! He’s going to be filling in and shows for us until Scott is ready to come back. Scott just had a baby boy, and I can’t imagine having a newborn and being on the road. That would be tremendously hard. Casey will be continuing to do some shows with us, and he’s doing a really great job. He’s a great guy. Everybody kind of knows him, and he lives here in Florida (where Todd lives), so we cross paths a lot.
I’m really excited to hear you guys are working on your follow-up to “Condition Hüman.” How’s that going?
I’m actually work on new music this week and picking up our bass player at the airport today. We’re going to work together and send some songs and ideas over to Zeuss (Chris Harris), our producer and engineer for this next record. The goal is to be in the studio in September. We’re working on new stuff and have a bunch of songs. We’re just trying to refine and shape and polish the ones that seem more finished so that we’ll be able to get in there in September and record.
Do you have the sense for how the direction of the new songs are heading stylistically?
I think right now we have 15 or 16 songs, and there is still a bulk of them where we to have write more lyrics and melodies and stuff like that. I think, so far, it’s a little early to say, but so far, it’s eclectic, kind of like on the last record, where we had some mid-tempo songs and then some really big songs. I think this record will definitely have more up-tempo songs from the the last one. It’s a little early to say, though, because this record is still shaping.
When do you think you’ll release the new album?
It’ll definitely be the beginning of next year. I think that the label needs three months after we get it mastered and turn in all the artwork, so they’re able to make hard copies of everything and get it distributed. I think there’s usually a three-month window. Plus, recording for us takes usually two months by the time we start recording to the time it’s 100% complete.
Queensrÿche has amazing fans. What do you think it is about Queensrÿche’s music that has allowed you guys to have such longevity and staying power?
I think for a band that’s been around as long as Queensrÿche and active as long as Queensrÿche, people just have a lot of memories over the years and decades. I’m sure that you have a favorite band or group, and when that band is no longer active, you’re still very passionate about that music. But, if you’re a fan of a band and they’re still creating music and touring and still doing it, I think that just strengthens the relationship.
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