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The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, March 21, 2013
Eye Street Editor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail jself@bakersfield.com
Index Matt Maher .............................................. 26 This Week’s Obsessions .......................... 27 Arts Alive .................................................. 28 Jazz Fest lineup announced .................... 29 The Lowdown with Matt Munoz ............ 30 Jeff Dunham .............................................. 31 The Great Strides Walk .......................... 35 Calendar .............................................. 35-37
“I prayed about it and I just felt in my heart, now’s the time. It just made perfect sense.” — Brian “Head” Welch, who will reunite with Korn for several upcoming concerts
Korn reborn: Welch back Semi-reunion comes as old friends find common ground BY MATT MUNOZ Californian staff writer mmunoz@bakersfield.com
B
rian “Head” Welch isn’t the same man he was eight years ago when his addictions and a spiritual crisis forced him to walk away from Korn at the pinnacle of the Bakersfieldbred band’s success. Then again, Korn isn’t entirely the same band it was in 2005. The edge and intensity — hallmarks of both the music and the band’s personal style — are still there, of course. But below the surface, where it counts, the remaining original members couldn’t be more different. Turns out that age and maturity have a way of mellowing even the most committed hellions. Which puts Welch on the same page with old friends Jonathan Davis, James “Munky” Shaffer, and Reggie “Fieldy” Arvizu. And soon it will put them on the same stage. Welch, Davis and Arvizu have confirmed to The Californian that Korn will have its original guitar player back for a series of concerts that kick off in May. (So far, no Bakersfield dates have been announced.) “It’s kind of a weird situation, because we’re all doing it based on a trial thing,” said Welch, 42, during a recent phone interview. “Everyone is so humble now, everyone’s happy, there’s no drama at all. But at the same time, it’s been so long. We’re going in, and, if I’m free, we’re doing it as far as live shows.” Davis echoed his old friend’s sentiments: “Just gonna be playing some shows and doing what Korn does,” said Davis, also 42. “We’re looking forward to these shows with Brian and we think it’s gonna be awesome. He’s a completely different person, for the better. He’s full of life.”
Out with the old ... Welch’s reunion with his old friends is all the more remarkable
PHOTO BY SEBASTIEN PAQUET
Korn has confirmed plans for a series of reunion shows this year. Pictured above from left: Reggie “Fieldy” Arvizu, Ray Luzier, Jonathan Davis, James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch.
considering the finality of his 2005 departure. To atone for what he considered grave sins committed as a rock star, he withdrew from former bandmates, friends, hangers-on — anyone who had anything to do with the hedonistic rock environment. “When I left, I was like, ‘I just wanna start over, I’m miserable, I’m not happy. I thought money and fame was everything.’ When I left and started focusing on my daughter, I thought, ‘That’s it, new life.’ Korn suffered additional turmoil in 2006 with the departure of original drummer David Silveira, who has been replaced by
Ray Luzier. Meanwhile, in 2007 Welch released a solo record and autobiography, both titled “Save Me from Myself.” “James (Shaffer) had reached out to me once or twice, but I was in this place where I just didn’t want to be connected with anybody from my old life for a while,” Welch recalled. “I feel bad that I didn’t reach back out to him, but I think he understands now that I had to go through the process. I’d lost touch with Jon (Davis) since after the last Korn tour in 2005, but I connected with him in 2006 when he was sick and he had to cancel those tour dates.”
A face-to-face meeting with Davis, the first since Welch left the group, came in 2011 when both were in Bakersfield. Davis was performing a solo show at B Ryder’s Bar and reached out to his old friend moments before the concert. “I hadn’t seen him since the last Korn tour,” Welch said. “He took me to the Korn studio in Bakersfield after my show and gave me the tour. He said, ‘We need you back, man.’ I was like, ‘Whoa, slow down, man. It’s great to see you.’ I was just so nervous. I’d always looked up to him as a singer. He’s Jonathan Davis, the quiet little guy I met before we
got famous. Just to hang out that night was surreal.” If the Bakersfield encounter was an ice-breaker, a 2012 YouTube clip showing Welch with the remaining members of Korn at a 2012 North Carolina music festival whipped fans into a reunion frenzy. Welch had intended to attend the Korn concert incognito with his daughter, Jeanne. “I thought things out first. First, I thought, ‘What if people try to get me to play a song? I just wanna go there and chill and not make a deal about that I’m there.’ I purposely didn’t tell anybody I Please see KORN / 34