Eric Avery Comments on JA/TR Collaboration

it started with a brief email. we had done the NME show a week or so earlier. it was an old friend of janes addiction; past present and future. he said (i just opened the actual email so i can quote it),

“Hey Eric – Fun set the other nite… I was wondering if you had some time to get together for a chat about the future….. I would love to have some direct straight communication if at all possible Let me know if we can chat or meet up sometime in the next few weeks.”

the word FUTURE stuck out immediately to me. the idea of janes addiction and the future. it resonated with me for two days before i returned his email. two more days later we met for a couple hours over coffee. i laid out my fears about stepping back in and he addressed them reasonably.

we spoke of not wanting to go do a bloated version of something we had done a long time ago. that the only way to go forward was to take it back. way back. to the beautiful dark spirit that got the whole story started. get in fighting shape. play some small clubs. try to write some new material.

there was even talk of trent at that point. someone with skill, cred, and a creative opinion that would garner respect from all of us. someone that might be able to wrangle the unruly clash of personalities if we tried to do some more recording. but that seemed conceptual. someone like trent.

hes busy doing his own thing. but a few days later i called our old friend again, “how real is the possibility of it being trent?” the reply was,”very real.” i found the possibility of it exciting. i was feeling excited about janes? what would a new song sound like? i started putting down some ideas. felt some good creative momentum. tried to get the ball rolling. but history being the precedent, interpersonal band relations immediately soured and we almost fucked it all away without getting it off the ground.

they convinced me to put away the idea of new songs and just play some shows let everyone get some good mojo going before trying to record anything again. ok. la cita. el cid. alright try again. trent is in. try to write/record with him followed by a tour. the opportunity to work with Trent and his team: alan moulder, atticus ross. they deliver in spades. there is much to be learned from them. but janes manages to almost implode again. so again, the answer is hit the road play some shows and see if we can keep it together and get some good mojo going.

nine inch nails. janes addiction. original lollapalooza. it makes perfect conceptual sense. nine inch nails will challenge us nightly to bring out our best. i consider it a challenge of the best kind. we will finish on our feet or die trying. but then i should let the boys speak for themselves. im eric. bass player.