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Aaron Lewis is most commonly known as the lead singer for Staind, a hard rock band that has sold more than 13 million records with a catchy mix of aggression, depression and contempt. Needless to say, Lewis' “Have Guitar, Will Travel” solo acoustic tour — which stops off at Majestic Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 22 — won't ring the eardrums quite as much as Staind. But it will feature Lewis, his guitar and plenty of audience interaction. In a conversation with 210SA, Lewis talked about the decision to take his solo acoustic show on the road, Staind's future and how one of the band's biggest hits was somewhat improvised.
 

So why did you decide to finally set out on a solo acoustic tour?
It was just the right time to do it. I've done these shows a few times, and they worked really well. I felt like it was something that couldn't be ignored ..... I've been doing this since I was 17, and I was doing these shows long before I met the guys in Staind. So it's more about coming around full circle.

How much did the success of “Outside” (the band's acoustic radio hit) prove to you that people would respond to an acoustic tour?
It definitely gave me a clue. The whole thing was a complete accident, and we weren't even supposed to have that song on the (“Family Values Tour ‘99”) CD. I made that song up as I went on stage in Biloxi (Miss.). For it to be an accident like that, to get a spot on the Family Values CD, being on the radio, that was all an accident. I never thought of it as a single, and the whole thing was completely accidental.

So you made up one of your band's biggest singles on the spot?
I had a chord progression and a chorus, but other than that, all the verses, I was making that stuff up. I think that's why after the first verse, (Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst) said, “This is the real motherf**king deal.” I think he says that because he's figuring out right then that I'm making it up.

Fred gave Staind its big break. Did you ever imagine the day when your band would be bigger than his?
No, and you know what, we're still not. They sold 20 million to 30 million CDs, and we've sold 13 million.

What can the audience expect from the acoustic show?
It's kind of like we're all hanging out in somebody's living room, and I'm the guy that brought the acoustic guitar. I bust it out and play some songs. It's pretty loose. I have no set list and really don't have much of a plan going into it.

What is the status of Staind? Is the band simply on a short hiatus?
Yeah, we're just on a break. They're at home relaxing, and I'm out here working. But we'll get back to work as soon as I get home.

In previous interviews, you've questioned whether Staind was ever truly relevant. What did you mean by that?
I don't know. I was probably pretty jaded at the time. For a while there, I was pretty upset with everything. Where that came from, I don't know, but we've never been the flavor of the week and never really gotten any sort of credit or had anything thrown at us ..... This business sucks. I'm a traveling salesman, and a lot of times, the traveling salesman is working his ass off and other people are dropping the ball ..... We've never gotten that extra attention. The success we've had, it's been very organic.

Are you as depressed as some of your lyrics would indicate?
I'd have to say that's a part of me, but you know, I'm quite the opposite of what people have panned me as over the years. I think some of that has come from that fact that I don't tend to embrace the machine, so by not embracing the machine, that might come off as being standoffish or being too serious. It's more being uncomfortable in my own skin than anything else. Somehow it turned into me being miserable and depressed all the time, but that's not the case.

Speaking of flavors of the week, considering Staind still gets plenty of radio play, do you like being associated with the new stuff that's playing on rock radio these days?
I don't think we fit. The landscape in this business constantly changes underneath your feet. One of the tricks to staying in this business is just continuing to move forward. It's always been about not paying attention to what's hip and cool and the flavor of the week. That kind of goes against what I'm saying, like I'm talking in circles, but sometimes, I feel like the fact that we've never been the flavor of the week is half the reason we're still here.

CLINT HALE | 210SA