INTERVIEW: Candlebox’s Kevin Martin says goodbye to life on the road
Photo: Candlebox are likely to finish their 30-year career in the coming months. Photo courtesy of Graham Fielder / Provided by Press Here Publicity with permission.
Candlebox, the accomplished rock ‘n’ roll band fronted by Kevin Martin, are ready to say goodbye to the many fans they’ve gathered over the past 30 years. They are currently on their aptly titled The Long Goodbye tour, which finds them either headlining or opening for 3 Doors Down. The Long Goodbye is also the name of their upcoming (and final) album, which is due out Aug. 25 via Round Hill Records.
Martin and company have been working hard for the past 30 years, delivering their fans hit after hit, including “Far Behind,” “You” and “Cover Me,” but the time has come to turn off the microphones and hang up the guitars. For Martin, this is a bittersweet time in his professional life. He wants to leave the road behind, but he also recognizes the road has been good to him.
“We’re having an absolute blast,” said Martin, while standing on a street corner in Los Angeles. “The 3 Doors Down dates have been awesome. Our own solo dates have been amazing. It’s going better than I had hoped, I’ll say that. … We played in Cleveland, which is one of my favorite towns. I’ve been going there for 30 years. I sang on stage, we finished the set, I go, ‘This is the last time I’m going to sing any of these songs in this town that I love.’ It’s a strange emotion. I don’t even know if I’ve really thought this out. It’s bittersweet, for sure.”
Martin is taking everything in stride. He knows that some people are skeptical of a “farewell” tour from a relatively young band. Heck, people are skeptical of “farewell” tours from the classic rockers in their 70s and 80s. In fact, there are so many of these final tours that Candlebox’s The Long Goodbye has a name that is shared by the Eagles’ recently announced farewell tour. There are now two Long Goodbyes out there.
“If you don’t get your tickets now, you’re not going to see us,” Martin said with a laugh about the obvious financial boon that comes with saying goodbye. “No, that’s a joke. It’s probably the first time in my career where I thought of myself first. I’ve always booked tours when I felt like I shouldn’t, and I’ve gone out and played shows when I felt I shouldn’t. I’ve toured with bands that I felt I shouldn’t tour with. I bent over backwards for labels I shouldn’t have bent over backwards for, and this was the first time I said, ‘I’m going to make a decision, and it’s my decision.’ And I’m happy with that decision.”
For years, Martin has been telling his fans that one day he would pack it all in and say goodbye, but many of them didn’t believe him. Now he’s calling their bluff and, as he said, moving on with his life.
“I’m not a super profound writer,” he said. “I’m certainly not prolific. I’m not releasing 15 albums in a 30-year career. I released f—ing eight, for God’s sake. I never thought I was a rock star. I never really wanted to be a rock star. I’m the reluctant lead singer of a band. I started out as a drummer. I’ve always wanted to be the drummer. I think people were just shocked that I actually made the decision that I made. A few years ago, I said I was going to put this all behind me. Maybe that’s what it is. Maybe it’s because they didn’t expect me to follow through on my word, but I certainly didn’t do it to prove anybody wrong. It’s just where I’m at in my life and in my career.”
The frontman for Candlebox was quick to point out that this is not retirement. He will produce three records next year (for other bands), and he sees himself always staying in the music business. He’s also deeply involved in his foundation, Riptide Society, which helps at-risk youth and young adults in the foster care system.
“I’ll play charity shows for that,” Martin said. “Any time that there’s a show for me to play that raises money for a charity that I feel is something that I want to connect myself to, I’ll still do that. I’m just not going to be a touring musician anymore. I’m not going to make Candlebox records anymore. I’m not going to try to shove a square peg into a round hole.”
One of the reasons he’s reluctant to record new albums after The Long Goodbye release is because there’s an expectation that comes after finding success early in one’s career. Candlebox’s self-titled debut, way back in the 1990s, has sold 7 million copies worldwide, he said, and in some ways, he’s been chasing those numbers ever since. Albums just don’t sell like they used to in those days.
“I have a small audience that loves me, and that’s great,” he said. “But my love for touring and rock ‘n’ roll faded a long long time ago. The lawsuit with Maverick Records back in 2000, that left a terrible taste in my mouth for a long time, so I guess I haven’t loved it as much as maybe they loved me.”
Right now, Candlebox have scheduled dates through October, with a possible final gig in Cherokee, North Carolina. Martin said that will likely finish The Long Goodbye tour, unless the new record demands even more dates. After that, he’ll have the memories to take with him. For example, earlier this year, Candlebox opened for Bush at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. That gig stays with Martin.
“I remember standing on stage at Hammerstein saying, ‘Wow, I wanted to play this place my entire career, and I just did it. And I’m never going to see this place again.’ It was a strange feeling,” he said.
For the fans, there will always be those memories as well, but they’ll also have this one final album. Martin is excited to have it released and see what the listeners think of the artistic effort.
“It’s just another evolution of Candlebox,” Martin said of the new recording. “I think the nice thing about what we’ve done over the past 30 years is we never tried to remake that first record, and we’ve always made albums that were different. And we always pushed ourselves to a place where maybe people didn’t expect us to go, but we knew we were capable of. That’s what this album is. There are influences and inspiration all over this record that I’m just very happy with. I’m really proud of the album. I think people are really going to like it. It’s a lot more contemporary, which is very cool for me because a lot of the bands that I’m listening to now inspired a lot of the songs on this album.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Candlebox’s final album, The Long Goodbye, is due out Aug. 25. They are currently touring with 3 Doors Down, with occasional solo dates. Click here for more information and tickets.
