Wes Borland of Black Light Burns

I liked Limp Bizkit because it was like a metaphor for high school: a bunch of jocks and one odd man out. Everyone knew Wes was too talented for that band. Black Light Burns is his new child, and it's some of his best work ever. -JKR

Wes Borland never really made sense in Limp Bizkit. The band was huge during nu metal’s peak but Borland’s talent seemed out of place, like putting the cool art student on the football team wearing a cardboard helmet. Borland’s new band, Black Light Burns, proves that he still is musically relevant despite the fresh crops of young, mediocre talent that sprout up on the airwaves every other day.

In the interim of recording a follow up to their 2007 debut Cruel Melody, Black Light Burns have released Cover Your Heart and the Anvil Pants Odyssey, an album of brilliant covers, unreleased music and a documentary. Borland is a busy man, but took a few minutes of his time to indulge this little writer’s quest for knowledge.

Beyond Race: What was it like transitioning to the “front man” of your own band?

Wes Borland: It was sort of done out of necessity because I couldn’t really find anyone to work with that I felt like I could get behind… I couldn’t really get behind the lyrics of someone else and the idea and the voice of someone else. I tried for years to form other bands and it never really hit for me. I started songwriting just, naturally, by myself and writing lyrics and vocals and stuff like that and it was really hard making the transition mostly because…the performance part of it is a lot easier than the in studio trying to find who I am, what’s my voice, how does this work, how does my throat work. Trying to find that whole ability-to-sing thing was a really long arduous process. And then live, the main difference is that I can’t drink a lot of alcohol or eat spicy food or stuff like that while I’m on tour. I’m not working with much so I really have to be careful with what I do have vocally.
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