Chiodos' Craig Owens Chats to Gigs And Tours

What are you up to at this very moment?
 This very moment, I am sitting here in my hotel room on tour, in my Detroit Pistons basketball shorts covered in Aquaphor(sp?) wishing these damn tattoos would heal faster. In five minutes, I will be writing with my musical other Brad (Keyboard in Chiodos).

What can fans expect to experience at one of your shows?
CHAOS! Expect to get rowdy, learn the words so you don't feel left out when everyone is singing along and get ready to have a sensory overload.

What is your favourite song to perform live?
My favourite Chiodos song to play live is definitely "Two Birds Stoned At Once" - from start to finish, this song destroys everything in its path. Lots of aggression & even more screaming then usual.

When you’re not performing what do you do to keep yourself busy when you’re on tour / on the road?
A lot of the time when I'm not performing on tour / the road I spend my time wisely. I meditate, workout, watch sports, not call my mom (which I SHOULD do) & write / read quite often.

You’ve played a lot of great festivals year, which was the best so far?
This is a great question! I would have to say Give It A Name with Chiodos a few years back. We were the heaviest band on a more pop oriented line-up, and loved watching the little ones look around scared for there lives.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
This is a HARD question! I've been playing for quite a while now, and am not sure I can answer it. I would have to say it would be somewhere in a super small venue either in my home of Detroit, or in London. I love playing The Underground.

What was the first gig you ever went to?
 Cred points time! My first concert was actually a pretty damned amazing line-up in Detroit. I saw Murder City Devils with Botch & Grade opening up for them. A hardcore kids wet dream.

Will you be playing any new material or a mixture of your back catalogue?
 We plan to play both on the K! Tour. You can expect an array of old material, with one or two new songs thrown in to let the world know that we're coming for them.

Which other artists are you listening to at the moment?
I have a very eclectic musical taste and lately I've been listening to a few artists, including Cold Cave, Earl Sweatshirt & The Police.

Which song do you wish you had written?
I definitely wish I would've written Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien".

Who would you most like to collaborate with?
If I could collab with anyone, right now it would definitely be Diplo. I feel like dude is on point, and gets music as a whole - seeing it as a whole and not with tunnel vision goggles.

Plans for the rest of the year?
My plans for the rest of the year include a handful of Chiodos shows, and the studio. I plan on becoming a recluse and writing my ass off, everyday, all day. It's time to make a new Chiodos record, and it's time to do it the right way.

See Chiodos live as part of the 2013 Kerrang! Tour this February