Breaking Benjamin – Interview

Breaking Benjamin is breaking in fans city by city. We speak with drummer Jeremy Hummel.

Have you noticed more people who know the songs at the shows?

It’s been par for the course this whole tour. I wouldn’t say that every show there are more and more, but it’s been consistent.

When was the band formed?

Ben and I started playing together in 1999 and 2000. We got together and started playing. The whole band first played on New Years Eve on the turnover of 2002.

Where you signed by a label before you all came together?

No, but we had some interest. It was within about two months after we did that gig on New Years Eve that we got signed.

I thought it was interesting to know that Aaron and Mark left Lifer after being signed and on tour.

Well I guess just because you are signed it doesn’t mean everything is great and wonderful. There were some problems within the band and they weren’t happy with their management. Even though the record deal was there all the stars weren’t aligned.

When you all came together did you write new tracks?

The whole album was done before they came into the band, we did come up with a few things. They put their stamp on some of the songs and maybe changed a few things here and there.

Fans seem to really feel like they stumbled upon something that is their own.

It’s really cool. I would say the best part is that the fans of the band aren’t just the type of fans that are into just one song. Either fans are hardcore or they haven’t heard much from us yet. The people that get into the band are in love with the whole album. It’s not like they heard the single and that is all, they seem to get into the album as a whole. They become hardcore fans.

Is touring your instrument to making a name for yourself, like a Godsmack did years back?

Yeah, that is where we are. Through constant touring we hope to get more fans, but we think we have strong radio singles and hope the combination will bring in more and more fans.

Is this stretch the longest time you’ve been on the road?

Not really, this tour is six weeks. The first time we were out we did seven weeks, so it’s close actually.

How was the first seven weeks of touring?

For Ben and I it was our first experience. It was pretty cool. I know it’s a pretty boring answer.

Do you hang out with fans after shows?

We do like to get a chance to talk to fans. It was cool on the last tour because we did get to talk to fans. At every show they were selling cds and we were signing cds, but now the venues are bigger and it’s a little less personal.

What about hanging with the other bands?

We do that all the time.

Is that one of the perks?

Yeah, as long as the other bands are cool. But we haven’t encountered many bands that weren’t cool. The other bands have been really great, but the guys in 3 Doors Down were fantastic. They had their arms wide open and great to be around.

I interviewed them and they seem like a great group of guys. They seem like regular guys and nothing has affected them.

I always tell people they are the type of dudes you hangout with and after ten minutes you’d feel safe to invite them home to your family for Thanksgiving dinner.

Do you think they gave you so much love because they were lucky enough to get a lot of love when they first came out and it really wasn’t that long ago when no one knew who they were?

Yeah, and they’ll be the first to say that they want to treat people with respect because you don’t know what end you’ll be on. They knew what it was like to be in our place.

Anyone throw advice your way?

When the opportunity comes up. There have been times when like Joey from Stereomud said one night that it’s important to discuss everything as a band because that can often get thrown to the side.

Anything ever go through your head while you was playing?

It’s really surreal. It hits you whenever you are in a different city and you look out and these people are singing along and you remember the birth of the song when it was just a couple of guys in a basement and now you are playing thousands of miles away and people dig it.

+ charlie craine