GODSMACK's LARKIN Explains How He Joined The Band

HipOnline.com caught up with GODSMACK's new drummer Shannon Larkin, who explained how he hooked up with the group. "I've known [GODSMACK frontman] Sully [Erna] as a friend since 1988," Larkin explained. "I joined a band called AMEN from L.A. and he called me two weeks after I joined the band and told me he that he put out this demo and got major play and Universal was interested in them. So he wanted me to join the band, but I had only been in AMEN for two weeks and I couldn't quit. He understood and that was it. Then their record came out and sold four million and AMEN came out and didn't sell. So I was like, 'Wow, I could have been in that band.' Ironically, I stuck with AMEN for four and a half years, couldn't pay my rent and was doing more session work so I could pay rent. So I quit the band and two weeks later Sully called and wanted to know what I was doing and I told him I quit AMEN and he wanted to know if I wanted to join GODSMACK. So I told him to call me back when he was serious because I only really knew Sully and Tommy was still in the band at the time and I didn't want to create problems. I didn't want anything to be shaky in any way. I told him to call me when he was serious because it's like your brothers and sisters when you are in a band — one day you hate them the next day you love them. So I wanted to make sure. Sure enough, two days later he called me and told me he fired Tommy and he wanted to know if that was serious enough. So I told him to give me the songs and I'm there. I went and Tony and Robbie are amazing guys and we clicked. Everything is almost too good to be true. It was just a matter of us writing new songs and we wrote a few in five days. I came home, packed my bags and moved in with Sully in Boston." Check out the entire interview here.