"When we were on 'Music as A Weapon' tour we had a fan who came up to me and had said that our record changed his life. He told me that he felt suicidal at a one point because he thought that nothing was ever gonna change and he was ready to die. Then he heard my record and my record was his savior," explains Stereomud vocalist and song writer, Erik Rogers about his song "Anything But Jesus" to be featured on the upcoming album "Every Given Moment." "The kid said that he watched me that night on stage and realized that I was God. He told me that I was his God and he just went on and on about how much I was his savior. I went back on the bus that night with that in mind and it does make you feel good when somebody thinks that highly of you, but at the same time the pressure that comes with that is so great and it only creates more stress. I started thinking, you know, I'm anything but Jesus. So, the song is actually me just singing to that fan letting him know that we're equals. I don't feel like I'm any better. Look, I'm grateful for all I have but, I don't have all the answers. Like the song says, 'I'm not your savior, I'm as simple as a lost sheep.'"

Like in the song, Rogers likes to put things into perspective for his audience and tries to make it clear that he is no different from his fans. In fact, he makes it a point at nearly every show to go out into the crowd, shake hands and chew the fat with the audience before and after his set. "As soon as I walk off stage I like to go out into the crowd and spend time with people," he says. "I hang outside for 30-40 minutes, an hour and a half or until the bus absolutely has to leave. I like to give time for anyone there who wants to ask us questions and get autographs and stuff.

Even on the bigger tours, like on the Disturbed tour, I had a security guy tell me that I couldn't cross the barricade and into the crowd. He thought I was nuts. I told him, 'dude, I just came off stage, I got 85 hundred friends here, I want to say hello.' This band firmly believes in taking the time to greet everybody that comes to see us and say, 'thank you.'"

Stereomud [who also includes- Joey Z; Corey Lowery; John Fattorusi and Dan Richardson] certainly have a lot to be thankful for. Their 2001 debut album "Perfect Self" sold over 145,000 units and the first single "Pain" reached #7 on the Active Rock chart, jumped to #8 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and #34 on the Modern Rock chart making the tune a bona fide hit. "I'm very thankful to those fans," he says, "It's all about them.."

Stereomud are currently getting ready to bring the "Pain" once again when their latest album off Loud/Columbia Records drops on April 1st. "Every Given Moment,' as a whole, is not as diverse as the first record was, it's not as up and down with acoustic tracks here and hardcore tracks there. It's more a straight ahead rock record," explains Rogers. "It's still heavy, it still sounds like Stereomud, but we have meshed all of our ideas and made this one a little simpler.. We found our voice."

Produced by John Travis (Kid Rock, Buckcherry), this follow up to "Perfect Self" is a hard hitting montage of fiery hooks, fist stomping beats and head pounding guitar riffs. While they still have that nu-metal edge reminiscent to bands such as Disturbed and Sevendust they tend to dig a tad deeper with more of a soul searching vibe. While Stereomud still goes for the throat with an aggressive style they have added more layers within the melody and lyrics to give an even firmer texture. "You can be melodic and still be heavy," says the singer, "I enjoy that it's a little bit more melodic and that's something that I talked to the band about. Corey (Lowery) and I both agreed that it should be a bit more melodic. You don't always have to scream for it to be heavy."

The first single "Breathing" is a radio friendly gem that has the chops to cross over and catapult the band into the Nickelback and Saliva territory. The tune was written after touring for "Perfect Self" was completed and the band felt like they wanted to unload the weight of the world off their shoulders and take some serious 'me time.' "It's okay to look out for number one," says Rogers. "That song was inspired by a line in that move 'Devil's Advocate' when he says, 'look don't touch, touch don't taste, taste don't swallow, why do you carry around that bag of bricks? Just set it down.'

It's okay to set it down, you know.. We find ourselves in so many situations where we're helping other people out in other scenarios and sometimes we let other peoples circumstances outweigh our own lives.. But, you know what, it's okay to take care of yourself every now and again, it's okay to look out for yourself, pat yourself on the back, do something for you. It's okay, you can do that and you can do for others at the same time. That's the gist of this song; to just sit the bricks down and I think you'd feel a lot better. It's nice to be appreciated by other people when you do nice things for them, but, It's also nice to appreciate yourself."

For now, Stereomud are psyched about the new record and are prepping to get back out on the road once again to support the new album. They will be featured on the upcoming Jaegermister tour with Saliva; (hed)PE; Systematic and Breaking Benjamin and as always, Rogers is ready to give his fans the full contact experience. "I always describe our show as a full contact sport," Says Rogers with a sadistic giggle. "It's a full time blood sport. It's a non-stop event for our fans from the time they get there till' the time they leave. I mean we're out there walking around and if people want to meet us they can just come up. We're not hiding on the bus, we don't want to stay secluded, we want to be a part of everything. It's full contact from the time the doors open to the time the doors shut. I'm just looking forward to getting out there and doing it all again."

"Every Given Moment" will be in record stores on April 1st, 2003. For more information on Stereomud log to: www.Stereomud.com

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