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An Interview with Richard Patrick of Filter
Posted: Sunday, May 03, 2009
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

Richard Patrick has a long history in the alternative and industrial scenes, getting his start playing guitar for Nine Inch Nails before going on to form his own band, Filter, in the early '90s. Filter had a string of hits that included the industrial-edged "Hey Man, Nice Shot" and "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" as well as the mellower "Take a Picture," but little was heard from the band after their brief tour following the release of their third album, The Amalgamut, in 2002.

Patrick himself stayed busy, though, working with brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots in Army of Anyone as well as Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails), and Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle) in The Damning Well, a project that would eventually evolve into Black Light Burns. It wouldn't be until 2008, though, that Patrick would bring Filter back into the limelight, and when he was ready, there was no mistaking it: the band's long-awaited fourth album, Anthems for the Damned, was followed quickly by a massive summer tour, the Remixes for the Damned companion CD, and a career retrospective entitled The Very Best Things. After a year of touring, Patrick is already at work writing new material, but he the time to speak to ReGen about his songwriting and recording process, the current Filter lineup, and just what the future may bring.

You've recently stated that the new material you're working on is going to be more electronic and heavy industrial. Having started out as a guitarist for Nine Inch Nails, and having dabbled with industrial textures in Filter over the years, what prompted this shift in style? Was it in any way a result of the release of Remixes for the Damned?

Patrick: Actually, we have been touring for over a year now and I've noticed that the audiences are reacting strongly to our heavier material. Filter has always had heavy tracks on every release; the only difference has been the sequencing on some of the albums, Anthems for the Damned in particular. Remixes for the Damned definitely sparked my creative juices, and we've already written some heavy dark tracks for our new record.

The band has undergone many different lineup changes, with the current lineup now consisting of Mitchell Marlow, John Spiker, and Mika Fineo. How did the members of the current lineup come to join Filter, and as you've done the bulk of the writing and performance yourself on past albums, how much input have they had – and will they have – on the studio material?

Patrick: Mitch Marlow came to us through our producer, Josh Abraham, who had worked with him in the past. Mika was brought into the fold by our mixer and engineer, Ryan Williams, who worked with him on his previous band Red Skeleton. John Spiker tried out for the band and nailed the spot immediately. These guys are the best musicians that have ever been in Filter, and they will be participating in the writing and recording of the new record. Spiker is also an engineer, and Mitch and I have already written a bunch of songs together.

Wes Borland of Black Light Burns and Josh Freese of A Perfect Circle and now NIN had both appeared on Anthems for the Damned, and you had collaborated with them in the short-lived The Damning Well project. As only one song from that project had been released (on the Underworld soundtrack), and it was reported that an album's worth of material was recorded, what is the potential for this project to ever see the light of day?

Patrick: You never know what the future may bring. I can't say whether or not that material will ever be released, but I wouldn't be against it coming out. I'm proud of everything I've done as a recording artist.

You'd also worked with the DeLeo brothers in Army of Anyone, which – while Filter has hardly been separated from the alternative mainstream – was something of a departure from your usual style of music. How did you find that the experience in this band affected your writing and production style while working on Anthems for the Damned? What did you do differently with that album that you might not have done had it not been for Army of Anyone or even The Damning Well?

Patrick: Working with the DeLeo brothers was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot from them. The are incredible musicians and songwriters. The main difference between Army of Anyone and Filter was Army of Anyone was a true band. Everyone participated in the writing and recording of the material, and everyone had a voice. Filter is more my baby, and while I love to collaborate, I have the final say over everything.

As industrial music has often tackled politics, so has Filter, with songs like 'Columind,' 'Soldiers of Misfortune,' and your first hit, 'Hey Man, Nice Shot.' How much would you say that politics factor into your everyday life, such that you include these subjects in your music? What are your thoughts on the current political climate and how much is it inspiring or influencing the new material you're writing?

Patrick: I'm very in touch with what is going on in the world and what is happening in the political arena. I'm a news junkie. That stuff will always have a place in Filter. Regarding the current political climate, I'm optimistic. I believe in Barack Obama and what he is trying to do.

Filter's former bassist, Frank Cavanaugh, is now serving as a sergeant and paralegal in the U.S. Army Reserve in Iraq, yet you've stated that the door is open for his return to the band. Given the nature of some of the songs on Anthems for the Damned, the most obvious being 'Soldiers of Misfortune,' how would you say that Frank's being in the service has affected your outlook on the armed services and the Iraq conflict in general?

Patrick: This band has always been pro-troops. Frank being in the service only helped fortify our position. 'Soldiers of Misfortune' is a song that was written for a fan of ours that was needlessly killed in this war.

You recently appeared on the Metal Machine Music DVD, discussing your time in Nine Inch Nails during the Pretty Hate Machine and Broken periods. Now that Trent has cryptically announced that NIN will be 'going away' for some time, what are your thoughts on this?

Patrick: I have no thoughts on it. I enjoyed my time in Nne Inch Nails, and I wish Trent well in everything he does.

Your first three albums were released on Reprise Records, with Anthems for the Damned coming out on Pulse Recordings, and now The Very Best Things on Rhino. First of all, to what do you attribute the recent change in record label?

Patrick: The label choices were all mine. With the music industry disintegrating, I decided to go back to basics and become an independent recoding artist. I own my own label now. The Rhino release, which I am very proud of, is a compilation primarily of the work we did while at Reprise. Warner owns Rhino and Reprise.

With the current shift in the music industry towards digital media, as well as your past association with NIN, who have also had their share of label issues, what are your thoughts on the state of record labels today?

Patrick: They are in serious trouble, and I don't know what the future holds for them.

Over the years, Filter has skittered the line between underground industrial and mainstream alternative rock. What are your thoughts on the new music coming out in both of those realms, and where do you see Filter fitting in? In other words, how difficult has it been for you – if it's even a concern – to keep Filter's music relevant in the current music scene?

Patrick: I write what I feel, not what may or may not be popular in today's music. I enjoy trying different things and different styles, and if that fits in to what's going on, great. If it doesn't, so be it.

Besides your own bands, you discovered and co-produced Dualesc in 2002. While that band is no longer active, have you pursued producing other bands since then?

Patrick: I'm open to everything. I just like to stay busy and keep working.

What kind of effect does producing another artist have on you and your music in terms of writing and production? Also, as you've shown an affinity for technology and reaping its benefits in your own music, what are your thoughts on recording technology these days, especially now that it's so affordable and more and more artists are emerging from the woodwork?

Patrick: I have a studio in my backyard, and I have been using computers since the first record, 15 years ago. I am intrigued by the growing technology, and I continue to try and sty current with new recording techniques.