Courtesy S.A. native Kevin Martin and Candlebox know what fans want to hear live.

Candlebox's “Far Behind” and “You” still get plenty of play on San Antonio radio more than a decade after they were released. This is both good and bad for the band's members. Having re-formed last year and in the process of penning a new album, Candlebox is looking to establish itself as a legitimate entity in today's rock scene, rather than a group of has-beens clinging to the glories of yesteryear. The band will continue that quest with a performance at Shiner Bock's Night of Rock on Friday, Oct. 26, at Sunken Garden Theatre, a bill that will also feature Hellyeah, Alter Bridge and Another Animal. Candlebox lead singer — and San Antonio native — Kevin Martin talked to 210SA about past glories, future ambitions and why Kurt Cobain's death really didn't do any favors for Candlebox.
 

When Candlebox formed in 1991, did you ever think you'd be headlining a major gig in 2007?

I always kind of hoped for that when I was a kid growing up, but you never really know what will happen. You can only hope for the best, and now, here we are 16 years later doing this. It's still paying the rent, so I can't really complain. But I can say I never did expect it to become what it has.

In what musical direction might you take the new record?

Candlebox has always written the type of songs that sound like Candlebox. We never followed a trend. Fortunately, that's one of the nice things about being the type of band we are. Songs we write sound like us. We don't worry about going in a different direction. We're not going to write the Beatles' Revolver because we're not capable of that. We're just a rock band that writes rock songs ..... I'm not saying we wouldn't like to have the ability to write The White Album, but it is what it is. We're the band that we are, and that's kind of where it's at.

Kurt Cobain committed suicide right around the time you guys hit it big. Do you think that soured a lot of fans' taste in anything that was new musically?

Timing is everything, and we were fortunate to write a few songs on our first record that allowed us to have some success. That sad thing about Cobain dying was entirely that — the death of a really brilliant musician. (Nirvana) was an amazing band, and thankfully, they never re-formed with a new singer. Unfortunately, (his death) put a bit of a stigma on Candlebox. Everyone else had released their records in ’91, and ours came in ’93, but it was just one of those things you have to deal with. I think Candlebox has been overlooked and underappreciated, but that's just because I'm in the band. I really don't know if we are or not, to be honest.

You were young when Candlebox hit big. Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently?

Oh yeah, absolutely. I would have paid a lot more attention to my career, and I would have taken a lot more time in the decisions that were made for us and by us. I don't have any regrets, but I do have opinions on how things would have been had I known what I know now. I hope that there is an opportunity for Candlebox to have that success again.

How does it make you feel when all these years later, you still hear “Far Behind” and “You” on the radio?

I'm grateful. Right there is a bit of respect because radio knows what sells and what people are listening to. To play Candlebox 10 or 15 years later, I guess we made an impression of some sort. It's been paying the rent for 15 years, and for that, I can't complain. I'm happy that “Far Behind” is still played on a regular basis on radio, and no one can ever take away that we wrote a hit song that, to this day, is still a hit song.

How do you plan on mixing in the new with the old at Sunken Garden?

You've got to know that (the fans) don't want to hear anything new. Although they may want a new record, they don't want to hear it live ..... You can't play a whole show of new stuff when it comes to rock and roll because our fans want to hear what they want to hear. That's the fortunate and unfortunate side of being a mainstream rock band. That's what the audience expects of you, and you have to give the people what they want.

CLINT HALE | 210SA