James Christian Shaffer

Born on June 6^th, 1970 in Rosedale, CA

Guitar

James “Munky” Shaffer, like the other founding members of Korn grew up in Bakersfield, California. As with most people living in Bakersfield, he wanted out. Munky saw that road out of town to be paved by becoming a musician.

Munky’s journey began with an accident. Around the age of ten, he injured one of the fingers on his right hand when he crashed on a three wheeler (dirt bikes and ATV’s were a big past time for the area). “The doctor was like, ‘you need to rehabilitate your finger somehow’. Like take up an instrument. How about guitar? I thought right away about the guitar in the closet. That’d be perfect.”

Munky’s first guitar was acoustic with nylon strings. He listened to his favorite musicians for inspiration. Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath and Van Halen made early and lasting impressions on Munky. It was the epic shredding of Randy Rhodes, Tony Iommi and Eddie Van Halen that he most loved. Hearing Van Halen’s “Eruption” changed his view on how guitars could be played. He continually played, getting better and better as time passed.

Listening to all this ass kicking rock, Munky looked the part. He recalls feeling like a misfit in high school with long hair. He attracted the same kind of like minded kids, namely Fieldy and Head. They shared a common bond of music and forged ahead through the teen years together, popping in and out of bands with each other over the years.

The high school years were an important mixing period. Head and Fieldy became friends in junior high and a few years later Head introduced him to Fieldy. “Brian said, ‘I know this guy from high school’, so they called me up and were like, ‘you want to come down and you know try out for our band?’. It wasn’t even if I could play or not, it was because I had long hair. So I sat down and Brian showed me the songs and that’s how we all started playing together.” They’ve been friends and playing with each other ever since.

Munky and Fieldy were determined to make music their careers. “It’s all we knew how to do,” says Munky. Right after high school, Munky moved to Burbank, California with Fieldy and David to make it big. After a few failed bands at the start, it was the formation of Creep that was the genesis for Korn. The beginning of living the lifelong dream of being a rock star had arrived.

Creep was made up of Fieldy on bass, David on drums and Head and Munky on guitar. The original singer Corey, didn’t work out, but it was this time that they started to forge the signature sound of Korn. This is when Munky and Head discovered the duel guitar sound that no one else can duplicate. They loved playing really heavy chords and discovered that using seven string guitars allowed them to play down to drop A tuning. This down tune combined with the seven string guitar and capable amps made every note sound super heavy while managing to keep it from sounding too muddy. By blending all the music they loved, they came up with something new. Both Munky and Head took to using a large swath of Whammy/Wah/Delay/Reverb/Echo/Distort effects pedals with the help of producer Ross Robinson to sculpt the now legendary Korn soundscape.

By now, James had gotten his Munky nickname. Turns out, there’s a simple explanation for it. “He’s a monkey,” says Davis. More to the point, Munky says, “My feet. I can spread them [his toes] out. Everyone says they look like hands, like monkey hands.”

The final piece of the Korn puzzle was finding Jonathan Davis. Head and Munky discovered him singing for a band named Sexart in a club back home in Bakersfield. Once he joined the band, they continued to hone their sound under the name Korn. It was 1993 and the music world was about to change.

Korn brought a ferocious live show along with its debut album. They became known for crazy energy that matched their sound. Word of mouth spread fast as they toured with acts like Biohazard, Danzig, Marilyn Manson and Megadeath. It got them noticed and remembered by legions of growing fans. Munky talks about his early touring years, “I wanted to wear something on stage that was kinda trashy, dirty…because when I’m up there I feel sick.  Really what it is, is like the person I don’t like in me, all the things that I hate about myself, that’s who I am up there.”

With every new album, Korn kept pushing themselves to be creative and original. Breakthrough success came with their third album, Follow the Leader in 1998. Munky remembers the time:

“There was a certain method we were stuck with on the first two Korn records. There was no compromise. It was the way it was supposed to be. That was successful, but it was time to grow as musicians. It was about being open to try new things. I think that set the tone for the rest of the albums to come because we were always open to new writing methods, producers, and different stuff. I remember everybody being really willing to try working with electronics, a new studio, and even a different producer. There were no boundaries. We were writing to have fun, and we were having lots of fun at night.”

Nearly 20 years in, Munky and Korn are still going strong. He started a record label in 2006 (Emotional Syphon Recordings) and released an album from his side project, Fear and the Nervous System. The self-titled album was released digitally in October 2011 and physically in September 2012. Munky is the father of two and the 2013 release of Paradigm Shift marks Korn’s 11^th studio album.

Reginald Quincy Arvizu

Born November 2, 1969 in Los Angeles, CA.

Bass

Fieldy’s path to be a musician was set in motion from the day he was born. His father was a musician and toured with bands when Fieldy was still in diapers. There was a constant stream of musicians coming and going in the Arvizu household. With that environment, his father’s guidance and not to mention the explosive rock of the ’70’s and ‘80’s, Fieldy’s desire to become a rock star was less of a wish and more of a sure thing.

The first milestone was when Fieldy and Head became friends in junior school. Fieldy’s dad would often drive him over to Head’s house to hang out and listen to their favorite music like Dio and Iron Maiden. Head had picked up playing the guitar a few years earlier and was already quite exceptional.. He could play just about any popular guitar riff by ear.  This led Fieldy to play guitar well, Head giving him his first lessons. Fieldy wasn’t very good at it though, he couldn’t seem to make it work as well as Head could, but persevered for a number of years despite it. It was around this time that Munky was hanging out with them on the regular too.

A big change happened when Fieldy entered high school. He returned home on the first day to see his mother moving out of the house.  His parents were getting a divorce. It was decided that Fieldy would stay with his father and his two sisters would live with their mother. Here the father/son relationship turned into more of a friendship as they would often party together. High school friends along with grown adults drinking and generally causing a ruckus. The start of Fieldy’s constant drinking and partying lifestyle was in motion.

Now, where did Reggie get his nickname? “When I was younger I had these fucking chipmunk cheeks, ” say Fieldy.  “So we called him ‘Gopher’. And then it became ‘Gar’”, remarks Munky. In time that morphed into ‘Garfield’ until that was shortened to ‘Fieldy’, which stuck permanently.

Fieldy was never one for school and once he started playing in bands he thought even less of it. Head wanted to start a band and said he needed a bass player. Fieldy jumped at the chance. He knew Head was leagues ahead at the guitar so he figured his best chance at success was to accompany Head’s lead and switch to playing bass. Just like in junior high, Head taught him the basic cords for bass, but this time Fieldy flourished on his own. He had found his instrument, he had found his calling. He had way more fun playing bass, it felt much more natural than guitar ever did. He followed in the footsteps of Flea  from The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billy Gould from Faith No More. He saw how they ‘attacked ‘ the bass and came up with his signature style, which consisted of traditional plucking, mixed with aggressive slaps and holding the guitar up-right like a toy. Fieldy was hooked. He worked hard labor intensive summer jobs to earn money to buy his own Ibanez bass. Now that Head had his bass player, they hooked up with two other guys in high school to form the band, Pierct. Fieldy was 16 and having the time of his life, the draw of being a rock star getting stronger and stronger.  Head was the leader, writing most of the lyrics and music.  But soon, Pierced fell apart when the singer couldn’t commit long term. Unfazed, Fieldy and Head moved on to join Ragtime, a band their friend Richard had started. Ragtime ended quickly though, as the chemistry in the band wasn’t working. Head decided to try something else while Fieldy and Richard stuck together.

With just a bass player and a singer, some recruiting needed to be done. Fieldy brought in Munky on guitar, but they still needed a drummer. Putting an ad into the local paper, they found David Silveria. He quickly impressed them  at his audition and the full line up of L.A.P.D. was set. They moved to Los Angeles for better exposure and opportunities, recorded an album and signed with a record label. L.A.P.D seemed to have a real shot at making it big, but the band went nowhere. Money for food and rent was a constant struggle to come by, they tried selling time shares and Fieldy sold marijuana for some time. Frustrated by no progress,  the boys split up from Richard and started over again.

At this time, Head had been hanging out with them, even working as Munky’s guitar tech. Fieldy couldn’t think of a good reason of why Head wasn’t playing with them already, so he asked him to join. They found a singer named Corey. With Head writing with Munky, their sound had greatly changed so a name change was in order. Creep was chosen as the new moniker and they recorded a demo with producer Ross Robinson despite having one major problem to deal with. The singer was getting harder and harder to work with. Seeing that nothing good was going to come with his erratic behavior, Corey was let go and the hunt for a new singer began.

Fortunately, the wait wasn’t too long and they found their permanent singer in Jonathan Davis. After seeing him perform in a club and getting his name, Head and Munky told Fieldy all about their discovery. Fieldy knew Jonathan Davis from his childhood! Somehow their paths were crossing again years later. Fieldy reached out and arranged for an audition.

Head and Fieldy went to the bus station to pick up Jonathan and when he walked off the bus, Fieldy didn’t think it was going to work. Jonathan had been rocking a femme look for Sexart, it was the opposite of what they were going for in Creep. Sporting dyed long red hair, lots of makeup, silver hoop earrings, ripped jeans with zebra print spandex leggings underneath and what looked like a woman’s blouse, Jonathan really stood out from the crowd.

Any doubt that Fieldy had was blown away when Jonathan sang to the music they had recorded. It was a perfect match. He was the last piece to the puzzle, the band was complete. The boys named themselves Korn and worked through 1993 to nail down their sound, play gigs and record their debut album. Korn went nationwide in 1994 with their self-titled, genre defining record.

The next 10 years saw great success for Korn. Five albums, millions sold, and completely sold out tours all over the world. But Fieldy wasn’t doing well. He had been growing increasingly mean and his ego from the success and fame had gotten out of control. Drinking and drugs were a big problem as well. Fieldy’s insecurities and emotional walls that he had been building up since the divorce of his parents had taken their toll. It was the death of his father in 2005 that trigged a spiritual change. Many years earlier, Fieldy’s father had become a devote Christian. While his father knew his son wasn’t well, he never pushed his views on Fieldy. His last wish was that his son would be saved.  “[I] went through a deep dark moment. I just really starting thinking about everything. From what I’m doing to myself to his [father’s] death, to what am I leaving behind. I just couldn’t take it anymore.” His new found faith brought him to a sober life and making amends to those he hurt in the past.

Now a father of four, Fieldy continues making music with Korn. He’s also released a few side projects.  Fieldy’s Dreams– Rock N’ Roll Gangster, a rap/rock album in 2002, “Got The Life”, a memoir released in 2009 and Stillwell- Dirtbag, a “street metal” album in 2011. He also has a solo bass album, Bassically and a new Stillwell album that has yet to be released.

Brian Phillip Welch

Born June 19^th 1970 in Torrance, CA.

Guitar

Head started playing the guitar when he just 10 years old. His first was a Peavey Mystic, which made anyone who held it look like they could rock. Head didn’t need to look like he could rock though as he was a natural guitar player. By the time he was a teenager he could figure out how to play his favorite songs by ear. Even though he was really talented and got a lot of praise for it, Head was very insecure about himself, something that followed him all the way to adulthood. Despite being a loner as a kid, he made friends over the common bond of music.  Two of those friends were Munky and Fieldy. He was friends with them individually and later introduced them to each other to start the band, Pierced.

The friendship began in junior high school where the boys bonded over heavy metal music. Separately, Head helped them both learn how to play guitar. He got them started on their musical path, knowing all the tricks and techniques first. His natural ability sowed the seeds of Korn long before the band started.

Once in high school, Head was the first to play in a band with Fieldy. Seeing Fieldy struggle with playing guitar, Head suggested he try playing bass, which turned out to be the perfect fit. Years passed, they started and stopped playing in a few bands and graduated high school. It was when Fieldy, Munky and David moved to Los Angeles to pursue making their band L.A.P.D. successful that made Head follow them in search for something better.  Head worked on the sidelines of L.A.P.D., but was left feeling unfulfilled. Weighing his options, Head started to consider moving back to Bakersfield to work with his father. The boys had just split from the L.A.P.D. singer, Richard, and not wanting to see Head’s talent wasted any further, Fieldy asked him to join in a new band. They called it Creep. Playing together, they made a new sound, something no one else was making. After recording a nine song demo, and ditching a problematic singer, they were on the hunt for a new singer. Someone who could match their sound, someone who understood what they were all about.

On a break from practicing, Munky and Head went back home to Bakersfield to visit family. They went out one night to a club to check out the local music scene. They weren’t impressed by what they heard until the last act hit the stage. Sexart’s singer astonished them both. They had never heard someone sing like him, he was totally unique and original. His name was Jonathan Davis.

Korn’s momentum started in 1993 and never slowed down. They went from playing dive bars and clubs to 20,000 person headlining shows in less than 4 years. Head got everything he dreamed of as a kid, playing to sold out shows full of fans, fame and fortune. The party never stopped. Recording a record meant partying at the studio. Going on tour meant partying in a different city every night. The life of a rock star turned into a haze. Head was drinking and doing drugs so much he could barely keep it together. His life spun further out of control when he became addicted to crystal meth.

From 2003-2005, Head was a full blown meth addict. His whole life revolved around chasing a high.

“The party had overtaken me.  I was a functioning alcohol and drug addict. But when I got hooked on meth that was it. I couldn’t function anymore. My wife ended up leaving me and my daughter needed at least one parent who was sane. And here I was, snorting drugs whenever I was around her. I had to do it to get out of bed, it’s not like I was just snorting all day, but just to function. While I was on the road I’d do it all the time.”

His addiction to meth took over.  He was pulling away and secluding himself from everyone he knew and it was getting him into dangerous territory as he was smuggling drugs across state and international lines.

“I didn’t want to wake up. The speed was messing my mind up so bad I felt like I couldn’t be a good dad. I thought I’d never be able to be a happy person. I felt like I wasn’t good for her, even if I did get clean. I felt like the biggest loser. I’d mix Xanax and speed together just to get some sleep. Some nights I was like, you know what? I hope I don’t wake up.”

Unhappy with the music, the hard rock lifestyle and the never ending cycle of drugs, Head left Korn in February 2005 and announced he was dedicating his life to Christianity.  He felt he had to sever his ties completely with the environment that had fostered his failing life. Turning towards his Christian faith helped Head detox, get sober and reconnect with his daughter.

In the time out of Korn he wrote a book and solo album titled Save Me From Myself that were both released in 2008. Head then started a new music project with new band members  titled Love and Death. The full album, Between Here & Lost, was released in January of 2013.

Over time, communications opened back up with his ex-bandmates. He reconnected with Fieldy first who had also become a born again Christian in 2006. The Carolina Rebellion festival on May 5, 2012 marked the first time Head played with Korn in nearly eight years. He had gone to the show to see friends in the band P.O.D. and hang out when Fieldy approached him backstage.  Fieldy asked if he’d like to play on stage with the band for the encore of their headlining performance.  Always the smooth talker, Fieldy convinced him to play the show closer, “Blind.” The reaction from family, friends and fans was overwhelmingly positive and he began talking to his old bandmates in earnest.

Shortly after the Carolina Rebellion show, Korn was gearing up to start work on their next album. Munky reached out and invited Head to join them in the studio to see if the time for him to return had come. After a few days of thought, Head entered the studio with Korn in July of 2012. Writing with his now clean and wiser old friends, he saw that the old, poisonous environment was gone. May 2, 2013 came the official announcement that Head had officially rejoined Korn and would be touring the summer along with his band Love and Death as an opening act. The October 8th, 2013 release of “The Paradigm Shift” marks Head’s 7th album with Korn and the end of his near 10 year absence.

In a long overdue pairing, Slipknot and Korn are touring together. Slipknot chose Flint, Michigan natives, King 810 to be the opening act.

The tour made it through my neck of the woods at the end of the US leg last night at the Izod Center (aka the Meadowlands) in East Rutherford, NJ. Korn and Slipknot make awesome tour mates, they compliment each other really well.

I missed King 810’s set, but was more than ready for Korn to hit the stage marking my 8th show.

Their stage was really simple. No backdrop, a light up floor, two screens (the boxes with the blue circles on them in the picture), a long light set across the top and four custom hanging cluster light rigs that were spread out on the right and left and directly behind the band.

A near sold out venue lit up right when Korn hit the stage. With the lights out an odd remix of Twist started to play. Ray came out first with some lights highlighting him taking position at center stage behind his new white kit. As each member came on the crowd got louder until we saw JD come on stage, he hopped into the light and they started Twist off right. Strobes and floor pulsating in time. With that quick classic done the lights went out and Munky starts the riff for Here to Stay. “Here we go!” lights flash orange and yellow and the beat just drops off a cliff with everyone hanging on for dear life. That got the place jumping.

Amazing sound, it just blew me away. Super clear, great separation, JD perfectly in the mix. They are playing so well right now. Lots of energy, JD sounds as strong as ever and he controlled the crowd from beginning to end. They played almost all singles in a short, 50 minute set. Really disappointing amount of time, but they made the most of it. Song of the night for me was Good God, which is one of my favorites in their entire catalog and one of the heavier songs they played. So good live, JD was right on the money, the final freakout was just unreal. That amazing run out of the chorus into the delicious chunky bass riff and crisp cymbal work break down. The build up that only Korn can do just before all hell breaks loose. JD practically cracked the Earth with his howl, I swear he hit it just like the album. That was played right after Falling Away From which got a huge response. 15 years from release and it’s just as powerful. Freak on a Leash was another one that just knocked everyone silly.

With such a short set, I wished Hater was replaced by anything off of the new album. Played well, but they have much better songs than that. Oildale would have been amazing. This really should have been a co-headlining tour. Full sets for Korn and Slipknot would have made it perfect. Everyone was having a great time and just when you think you’re in the middle, it was the end of the show! Anything less than 60 minutes is a crime. Despite my complaining it was one of the best performances I’ve seen them give. They’re going to be playing the entire self-titled album soon,which has been done maybe twice in 20 years. Judging by this show, that is going to be absolutely intense. I hope they do it outside of a few festivals, I really want to experience it.

Korn worked everyone up with a upbeat, party like setlist. They let Slipknot do the heavy lifting with their 100 minutes of metal. Slipknot took the reins and whipped the place into a friggin’ frenzy. They know how to put on a show (this was my second). A sick looking stage with awesome lighting and some wild pyro (which was pretty reserved. It was used wisely). It reminded me of the club in the movie From Dusk Til Dawn.

I thought the sound was rather muddy, it seemed like it was being tweaked through out the show. It was easy for Corey’s vocals to get lost in the mix, but he was really powerful last night. He knows how to work a crowd, he name dropped New Jersey a lot which won him a lot of points and they picked a killer setlist. Just one crusher after the next. Psychosocial sent the place into a frenzy. 5 new songs and they were all played really well. Custer being the new monster song, which I called when the album came out. Duality, Left Behind, Wait and Bleed, Eyeless, Spit It Out (has to be experienced in person to understand. We got high praise that we hit a drop off chorus perfect, something a crowd had yet to achieve this tour. Bonus points for Shawn going into the crowd with balloons too). The encore was brilliant too. [sic] into People = Shit and then Surfacing to shut it down. The crowd ate up every second of it. The pit was way more active for Slipknot than Korn, it spread out probably 3 times the size at some points. The spinning  hydraulic keg platforms for Chris and Shawn continued to be a crowd pleaser. Sid must be feeling much better from his surgery in October as he was running all over the place, jumping off the back platform onto his tables and hanging off of just about everything he could reach.

Near the end of the show Corey said that this was one of the best tours the band has ever done. They came out of a dark and uncertain period with a great new album, picked the right supporting bands for their first US arena tour in a few years and their fans turned out in droves to support them.

The tour picks back up in January in Europe for another long leg starting in Dublin. It’s a great time to see these guys, I hope they come back and do it again. It’s a day later and I feel like I’m in withdrawal. Go see it!