Interview with musician Brian “Head” Welch

Check out the song: “Paralyzed”

Since leaving Korn in 2005, Brian “Head” Welch has stayed extremely busy. Besides releasing records and touring the globe he is also an accomplished writer, a professional speaker, a philanthropist and most importantly, a real father to his daughter. Many thought he was insane to leave the multi-platinum selling band Korn to pursue his Christian based solo career, but more than six years later he’s once again incredibly successful. Welch is highly passionate about helping the youth of today, especially when it involves drugs and alcohol (something he is very familiar with). Here’s how the conversation with Welch went.

Can you tell me about your upcoming release? I know it is scheduled for 2012.
Brian: Yeah I just started working with this new producer Jasen Rauch. I am excited because this is going to be a better album than the first one. We just put out the single “Paralyzed” to let people know where I am at musically and to get people talking. I am really looking forward to releasing it.

After so many years in the music business how do you stay inspired to write?
Brian: Inspiration comes when I start doing something, it is that quick. When you are out on the road away from home just traveling it is tough. That is the job part, but when I get home and can chill I start really getting excited about writing again and it is like birthing something new inside me that needs to be released.

What is your writing process like?
Brian: I am doing everything new now. My producer Jasen writes and the band has input as well. I am also working with an outside guy and an outside guitarist collaborating to make it the best. When I was in Korn we all wrote together and when I left I did not have any writing partners. Now I do and it is really working out well.

Do you write with the live setting in mind?
Brian: We definitely think about the live setting. I didn’t think that way on the first album and I think it hurt me. I flat out won’t do some of those songs because I did not think about it that way.

You have been out on the road with Red, how did that go?
Brian: It was a really good tour. I had my daughter on the road with me and she was doing online school. I just got home last week and I went to New Orleans to see Blink 182.

Blink 182 in New Orleans… that must have been a killer show!
Brian: It was amazing man. I met Travis back in the day so I got to hang with him. My daughter is a psycho fan of Blink so it was great. It was definitely fun.

Any plans on writing another book?
Brian: Not right now. I am still focused on the music and I don’t have any new ideas to write about.

You stay pretty busy with your speaking engagements as well right?
Brian: Yeah, those are really cool because I seem to attract a lot of hurting people and I get to see a lot of lives change in front of me; that is something really cool to be a part of.

So you are making personal connections with these people then?
Brian: Yeah, it is awesome.

Check out the song: “Flush”

Many of your endeavors must be sort of therapeutic as well right?
Brian: Yeah, everything except the touring. I mean it is cool to be able to connect with so many people on the road, but it does something to your mind. It is hard to do all of that touring emotionally. The one off dates and the speaking engagements are definitely therapeutic though.

How do you keep up with the physical demands of a tour?
Brian: I try and keep my daughter on track with her schoolwork, but sometimes I can barely make it. I always have a meltdown on tour where I freak out on everybody.

You are a part of the “whosoevers”, something I see all the time on Web and in magazines. Can you tell me what that is about?
Brian: Yeah you know the speaking engagements we were just talking about? Well I go and do that with these guys. We are just trying to create a movement to help out our generation. To help the kids that are messed up on drugs like we were and to help the street kids. We put on one big huge free concert every year, usually in Los Angeles; it is free to the area and we tell them our life stories and a lot of bands play. It is a Christian based thing with a bunch of really crazy knucklehead looking Christians, not your typical thing. We are planning on mixing it up now and asking some mainstream bands to come. You don’t have to separate that stuff anymore because even the people that are not Christian want to help the kids off of the streets. So why can’t we all just do something together. It is just a movement to save our generation.

In a hundred years from now what will the music history books say about Brian Welch?
Brian: They could say something cool like: “he made it to the top then left the rock star life to raise his kid and do good things with his life.” Or they could say that I was a whack job that turned into a Jesus freak and left Korn. Hopefully it will be the first one.