PRO-PAIN: How We Launched Our Career With An American Express Gold Card

April 3, 2004

In a recent sit-down interview with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, PRO-PAIN founder, frontman, singer and bassist Gary Meskil and guitarist Tom Klimchuck explained their advantageous beginning courtesy of Energy Records' founder.

"He was worth half a billion dollars … he owns chains of corporate lawyers, and they all specialize in medical malpractice," Meskil said. "Yup, PRO-PAIN was developed with that guy's money … that guy put over a quarter of a million dollars into this band. And that's how we got a name for ourselves — because it was done right."

"They sent us on tour with this guy's American Express Gold Card that was unlimited," he added with a laugh. "Really! We had, like, steak dinners all the time! We stayed at, like, Hiltons every night!"

"The nice tour bus and the nice hotels! It was obscene," Klimchuck said, laughing.

"Well, we figured … we were so much in the red that we were like, 'It doesn't even matter, we might as well just spend, spend, spend,'" Meskil said.

PRO-PAIN's eighth studio album, "Fistful of Hate", features a guest appearance by BÖHSE ONKELZ singer Stephan Weidner in the track "Godspeed". Other surprises on the album include "a little additional instrumentation — some clean guitar stuff," Meskil said. "There's an instrumental, which is unprecedented for this band. Real strong production.

"We're never short on riffs. It's always a matter of keeping the phrasing interesting, because vocally, PRO-PAIN's not a melodic band … it's almost like a rap style. It's rhythmic, it's more monotone. And once you've written 120 rhythmic, monotone songs, you can get a little bit dry in that department … I think that's why a lot of these rappers started incorporating melodic choruses."

"Maybe we'll have like 'PRO-PAIN featuring Beyonce,'" Meskil added with a laugh.

"Fistful of Hate" is scheduled for release on April 6 through Candlelight Records.

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