BLACK LIGHT BURNS-BRIGHT
By: Homie

I know, I get it, first you have a round of Velvet Revolver and Audioslave as though it were a rebirth of grunge on steroids in super group form.  Then you get the TV show band Supernova…when it was all said and done, most would just assume puke at the notion of a nu-metal super group.  But what if it was done tastefully?  What if it was done as a collaboration amongst friends rather than built on the hype of secret recordings, arena tours and TV shows built for the purposes of hyping record sales?  Now its not so abrasive.  Add in the fact that there’s only one static member and the rest of the cast is free to come and go as they please without turning the group into some hippy jam band.  Bring on a handful of musicians that are well respected within their genre for their musical ability more so than a fabricated reputation.  You’ve happened across Black Light Burns.
”I was a little confused.  I knew what I wanted to do but my head wasn’t in the right place and the pendulum had swung hard in the opposite direction.” says Borland of a handful of attempts to spin into new music projects after initially defecting from the Limp Bizkit camp.  In the rough and tumble, on again off again relationship with his former band, Borland found time to pick up painting and did fill in work in both recording and performing capacities for friends in From First to Last.  But perseverance proved key in what would eventually take place over the past three and a half years as the sounds in his head took shape and the key pieces to Black Light Burns (BLB) fell into place.  “It just happened to be my friends who were very professional and available from time to time, and wanted to help me do it.”
Meet the gang:
Wes Borland – A man seemingly finding life after limp serves as the key member to all things BLB.  Accomplished musician and painter, Boreland is the only constant piece to this puzzle.
Danny Lohner – If you’re familiar with the names Nine Inch Nails, Marylin Manson, Killing Joke, Tapeworm and more, you know the man’s work.  Lohner originally worked with Borland on a project known as “The Damning Well” for the Underworld movie soundtrack.  At the time, the project was fronted by Filter frontman Richard Patrick.
Josh Freese – If you like it, he did it.  Originally the Vandals stick man, Freese worked his way into studio icon and road pro for all pros.  Today, consider him the core of your toe-tapping when listening to virtually everything from NIN to A Perfect Circle, Devo to Sting.
Josh Eustis – Of the critically hailed though now defunct Telefon Tel Aviv, Eustis is largely on par with the likes of Aphex Twin, Squarepusher and others of the electronic movement so hailed in the latter part of the 90’s.
All incredible artists in their own right, gaining the support of a label proved tougher than one might think.  BLB was more or less ready to release a record in June of last year.  In negotiations that put Borland back together with Limp Bizkit, conditions were set for Geffen records to release the project.  “Geffen is the whole reason that this record didn’t come out this time last year.  But I’m glad it didn’t cause some neat things happened last year that have made the record better.  There were some last minute additions that made the record more well-rounded.  But Geffen was just a pain in the ass pretty much cause they were-they’re liars.  They were telling me what I wanted to hear and then doing nothing.  That drives me crazier than anything in the world.  For someone (to be) patting you on the back and telling you ‘we’re gonna do this,’ give you a bunch of promises, and then disappear.  And that went on forever.  Finally, Ross (Producer Ross Robinson) formed a new label.  He was on Geffen too and he got out of there and started his label.”  Suggesting that Robinson has faced much of the same dismay in the former labels actions, or lack thereof, Borland continues to describe the Geffen experience noting, “Literally you might as well just be sucking yourself off and beating yourself in the head…But there was a lot of politics involving Limp Bizkit over there too so that was a problem.”
The new home for the band is I Am Wolfpack records.  The label touts itself on a foundation of artists working with artists.  Headed by Producer mastermind Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot, Glassjaw) with A&R direction by former FFTL vocalist Sonny, the label already has additional plans to release a new project from Cold singer Scooter Ward in addition to the June 5th release of BLB’s debut “Cruel Melody.”  “It’s really interesting to move over to a label who is so willing to take chances and who you actually have to like, put on the breaks a little because they’re so forward moving all the time.  You’ve got to go ‘wait a minute, let me see that!  Ok, thanks, bye.’  They’re doing stuff, everything they say, they do and that’s incredible to me.”
More incredible opportunities continue to find the band in anticipation of their upcoming release.  BLB was just selected to support Chevelle on tour this Summer and plan to be out on the road in support of the record for the next year and a half to two years.  Also worth noting, the artists in studio won’t be joining Borland on the road for touring.  Due to other obligations including Nine Inch Nails and producing other projects that come through the door, the bulk of the group will be in and out of the picture as the story unfolds.  “Playing shows is my favorite thing in the world.  I’ve missed it so much.  I mean, I played all last year but that was with FFTL (From First to Last) playing bass and that was super fun but I was only writing bass lines on songs that were already written.  It wasn’t super ‘in my heart’ it was more just like a warm-up for this.”
This, as Borland puts it, is the amalgamation of more than three years work and yes, he’s already got new material in line for the next record.  Not bad for a man who has yet to actually release the debut effort.  June 5th will tell all the word of Black Light Burns and the new record “Cruel Melody.”  Consider yourself informed.  Ultimately for Borland it boils down to being a part of your music cycle.  “I’m in this for the long haul.  I don’t know what to expect, how many people are going to be at the shows, I don’t know how many copies the album is going to sell.  All I want to do is just be back out there again and meet people and be part of the world of music again.  I’ve been in and out of it a little bit but I haven’t put a strong foot forward in a long time.”