John Bush Takes Us Inside Anthrax's 1990's Era | Exclusive Interview [5:00-10:03]

That's when they started and became this really juggernaut of a band, and forever, they'll always be associated with the 80s, as far as the thrash metal movement, and all the big four, and all the bands that came out during that time, but I joined in the 90s. I joined in 92, and they parted ways to join Belodona, and I got the job, so I joined, and so a lot of people who are coming of age during that time, that's when they discovered the band. That's the cool thing about doing these records, I mean, doing these shows and conjunction with those records, is that still a lot of people are associated with that particular time, because that's, like I said, that's when they discovered music, and you know how it is, when you're growing up, those formidable years, when you really start loving bands and discovering music, I mean, for me, it was the 70s, and Black Sabbath, and UFO, and then Lizzy, and Judas Priest and Zeppelin, I mean, it goes on and on, and that's, forever, those records are going to be just part of my life, and deep, deeply. And that's how it is for a lot of people, of course, and so for the 90s, and that part of the anthrax, it was, and it's kind of, it's been put in a, let's say, maybe in a little chamber for now, you know, for a long time, it's kind of been hidden stuff, that I understand they don't, they don't play a lot of that material, but they really don't play any of that material. They play it only a bunch of times, but for the most part, they haven't really played anything else, and I get it, I really do, I understand, they have a lot of other material, they've made a couple of records since the reformation, and getting back Joey Belladano on top of the fact that they have the whole 80s catalog, but, you know, for me, it's like, well, that's a part of my life here, and if I don't show it some life, it'll just go completely away, and it has been away for a bit, and it just felt like the time for me to do it. So, finding those deep tracks, coupling them with the hits, and I've been creating a set list, and it's a little lengthy right now, probably gonna have to shave it off a little bit for my own sanity and the guys who are gonna be backing me up musically, because it's a lot of work. Absolutely, I knew that's Category 7, which is your other band, with Joey Vera. Well, Joey is filling in for Jack Gibson, who is the bass player in Category 7, but he had a scheduling conflict, so I got Joey, who's my right-hand man in St. Jason Bittner. Jason Bittner, awesome drummer, comes right out of the Charlie Binanti School of Drumming, and he's incredible. And he filled in for Charlie at some point, and so did Joey Vera. Yes, he, Joey Vera, who's there for, filled in for Frankie a few times, as a matter of fact, Joey played in anthrax a few times after I left the anthrax, which is funny. Phil Demel, who's a guitar player, and plays with Carrie King, and numerous bands, excuse me, and also Michael Lando, who's an awesome guitar player, who played in the band Adrenalin Mob, and he's just off the charts as a player, so those guys are gonna be backing me up and helping me out. Yes, we agree, Joe. Yeah. I want to talk to you a little about, you know, your history, getting involved with anthrax and, you know, celebrating this era that you're gonna be celebrating at the Whiskey, and you also playing the Whiskey in LA, playing New York, in Chicago, we're in Chicago, we're in New York. In Chicago, it's a place outside of, but outside of Chicago, it's in St. Charles, Illinois, it's called Arcada Theater, and then the one in New York is called, I think it's called the Ratchet Club, or Ratchet Hall, or sorry, I think that Ratchet, and that's in New York City, it's like in the Bowery area of New York, it used to be the Bowery Ballroom, and I think it's called the Ratchet Club now, and that's gonna be fun, I've been playing, I did play there with anthrax back in the 90s or early 2000s, so, but yeah, these three shows were kind of spaced it out, so it's kind of covering every territory in America, and the West Coast, Midwest East Coast. Well, tell me, what was your first introduction, not two anthrax, but to the music of anthrax? I remember seeing anthrax at the Santa Monica Civic right here, probably down the street from us. Yeah, it's really close, as a matter of fact, I love the Santa Monica Civic, I wish they had shows that are more often, they haven't for years, I don't know what's going on in there, it's, they haven't knocked it down, they've been threatening to do shows every year too, I'll see something. Oh, really? Yeah, but they haven't. Yeah, I don't know. Like I said, LA, we have a tendency to knock everything down, that's cool and old, unfortunately, but they haven't knocked down the Santa Monica Civic yet, thankfully, but I saw so many great shows there, and I played a lot of great shows there with Armored Saint, we played with Ted Nugin, and I think we played there with actually Michael Shanker as well, and Saxon, and so it's a great venue, and I saw anthrax there, I think Testament opened,