Jd DeServio of Black Label Society
John “JD” DeServio is best know for his work as bassist for Black Label Society. He co-produced the new Order of the Black album alongside Zakk Wylde and did the mixing as well. He also has his own band Cycle of Pain, which he formed when he was still a teenager. The track “Do My Work High” of their debut album features Sen Dog of Cypress Hill and Zakk Wylde. It was awarded the High Times “Pot Song of the Year” Doobie Award. John is an avid fan of horror flicks, a man of little words, and a hell of a lot of talent.
Q: What was it like to have the chance to co-produce and mix the new BLS album?
A: It was awesome!!! I’ve been producing music and mixing for a while now, so it was great to get this opportunity! Zakk has a ton of respect for me musically, so it was an honor as well.
Q: Do you ever get tired of working with Zakk? What has working with him over the years taught you? What is he like as a person(music aside)?
A: I am so over him! Lol no, its been getting better and better. Over the years, I just try to match his work ethic. We don’t stop! As a person, he’s one of my best friends in the world. He’s a funny mother fucker!
Q: You once listed Night of the Living Dead, and the Exorcist as your favorite horror films. Why is that? Why do you feel you where drawn to the horror genre? Why do you think metal music goes alongside horror films so well?
A: I loved night of the living dead the first time I saw it as a teenager.The movie was so believable back then. Nowadays everything is so far fetched. George A. Romero made us believe this was really happening. Same with the exorcist. you believed this was really happening. The acting back then was much better than today.I got into monster movies (King Kong, Godzilla, Frankenstein etc..) when I was like 5 years old. I had older brothers so they turned me onto them I guess. Metal is dark and gruesome just like horror movies. Alice Cooper put it all together and paved the way for kiss and everybody else after him.
Q: Do you have any other favorite horror flicks? Why? Are there any particular characters that appeal to you most?
A: The original Friday the 13th was awesome. So was when a stranger calls. That one really scared the shit out of me! I loved the Wolfman as a kid. Lon Chaney jr. was the best!
Q: Can you tell us a little about your..darker side so to speak? Why do you think people are drawn towards the darkness element?
A: I think people are generally interested in things they can’t explain, or things that scare them. As a kid I loved gorey shit cause ya never saw it in real life!
Q: Can you tell us a little about the early Cycle of Pain days? You formed that band as a teenager what was that like? How has working with them changed most over the years? Do you ever miss the early days?
A: The early days were awesome! No responsibility! We just jammed because we loved creating and jamming together, no agendas other than that! Now, we all have families and bills and shit, so ya just can’t pick up and go play for free anywhere, just to play. I don’t miss the early days, I love the present.
Q: The Cycle of Pain debut album was full of heavy tracks. What led you to create such a hard album? Is there a follow up in the works?
A: It’s just what came out! There’s a lot of influences on that record, not just heavy shit. There are jazz elements, funk, blues. I definitely wanna do a bunch more.
Q: What was the first BLS festival tour like? Will there be another?
A: It was awesome! Clutch, Children of Bodem and 2 cents. We all had a blast together. I jammed with Clutch the last 3 shows. It was awesome!
Q: How is it different doing the Cycle of Pain shows live as opposed to when you play with BLS?
A: BLS is on a way bigger scale. It’s just as fun, but just on a way smaller scale production wise.
Q: What projects are you currently working on?
A: I’m working on some new CoP stuff at the moment.
That’s my boy! Check out Cycle of Pain on iTunes, facebook, myspace…THE WEB!