10 Years - (how to live) AS GHOSTS [Deluxe Edition] '2017

Tracks list

Sometimes when band members reunite, its as if no time has passed and nothing
has changed. That couldnt be further from the truth for 10 Years. And, thats a
good thing. When guitarist/drummer Brian Vodinh and guitarist Matt Wantland
returned to the Knoxville, Tennessee alt-metal/post-grunge band for their eighth
album and Mascot Records debut, (how to live) AS GHOSTS, they burst through
their comfort zones to create something new. Something better. Something
career-defining.

Its funny, I named our last record, [2015s] From Birth to Burial, because I
thought it was our final record because it just didnt feel like 10 Years without
Brian and Matt. But having them back is really a reunion of the core writing
team and this new record actually feels like a real rebirth for the band, says
singer Jesse Hasek.

While Vodinh handled drums and guitar on the new album, hes switching to just
guitar for the live shows, moving Chad Huff from guitar to bass, while Kyle
Mayer stays on drums. Were bringing it back the way they should be, says Vodinh,
who left the band due to family commitments in 2013. It feels great to be back
with these guys and were in such a better place musically and creatively than
ever before.

That better place stems, in part, from a more collaborative writing process. It
used to be that just Jesse and I would write the full song, and the other guys
would add a little spice to it. This time, were starting the writing process as
a full band. Sometimes it starts with a riff. Sometimes it starts with a vocal.
Our formula is no formula, and it kind of works. And, we work together in a more
constructive and healthier environment now, explains Vodinh.

The sixth collaborator was Grammy award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Alice
in Chains, Foo Fighters, Deftones). Nick made us step outside our comfort zone,
explains Hasek. It made for a different sounding record. The one thing we never
wanted to do is recreate the same thing over and over. We have always been
musicians that love to explore and venture into new horizons.

It wasnt easy, the band admits. Nick threw us curve-balls and challenged us to
re-write stuff and do things we normally wouldnt have done. He helped us cut
away the fat and really get to the meat and potatoes of each song. He pushed us
and was challenging at times, but it helped us grow.

The result is 10 Years most dynamic and multi-dimensional record to date.
Raskulinecz encouraged the band to strip away some of the vocal production
theyve grown accustomed to in order to reveal a more intimate side of Hasek.

Historically, we like to orchestrate a lot of vocal parts. Well have harmonies
and layers. This time around, Nick had us strip a lot of that away. There are a
lot of moments where the only vocal is just Jesse, and not this big freaking
epic thing. It makes Jesse more human. And I think the more human Jesse comes
across, the more relatable his lyrics are, says Vodinh.

Raskulinecz also helped Hasek be more straightforward in his lyrics and message.
In the past, Ive written a lot of songs that were pretty ambiguous. But on this
record, Im more comfortable being direct and talking about things that are
important to me. Im older and find myself reflecting on the world more
especially after having traveled the world and talk to people and really see
whats going on, says Hasek.

The title track, Ghosts, is one such song. After traveling the world and seeing
all the political, social, and religious turmoil, it had me thinking about how
many people are judging and preparing for death, but are actually missing life.
And, instead of using spirituality for good, a lot of people use it to point
fingers and judge. Instead of worrying where we end up in the end, we need to
focus on the now and the humanity.

Burnout is another observation on mankind. Its about a person thats right there
in the limelight, has every opportunity to see the greatest things in life that
are right in front of them, but they are too inside themselves to see it, says
Hasek.

Blood Red Sky was originally from a solo EP Vodinh had recorded. The song
grabbed my ear the first time I heard it because it had such a different vibe,
says Hasek, but I had a different vocal idea for it so we changed it up. Its
about the struggle of maintaining everyday life and how fast your existence just
flashes before your eyes. But, it also says that we are surviving and will make
it through — that we will always fight through.

On the first single, Novacaine, Hasek looks inward. Six albums and a hundred
songs in, I wondered if Ive already written my best stuff, he admits. But at
some point, you start to get real adult problems. Life has such a numbing to it.
You see people go from such optimism in their 20s to having life just beat them
down later. I think we all kind of get desensitized and numb to life on some
level. Thats what this song is about.

10 Years has come a long way since their inception in 1999. The band landed a
deal with Universal/Republic Records on the strength of their two independent
releases, 2001s Into the Half Moon and 2004s Killing All That Holds You. Their
major label debut, 2005s The Autumn Effect, debuted at No. 1 on Billboards
Heatseekers Album chart thanks to their breakthrough hit, Wasteland, which
topped Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart, and Through the Iris, which hit No.
20 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.

The band followed that success with 2008s Division, featuring co-production work
from Rick Parashar (Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam). The album peaked at No. 12 on
The Billboard 200 and spawned the hit Beautiful, which reached No. 6 on the Hot
Mainstream Rock Tracks. The momentum continued with 2010s Feeding the Wolves,
which was produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, 3 Doors Down) and
bowed at No. 17 on The Billboard 200, while the single, Shoot It Out, peaked at
No. 6 on Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and spent 25 weeks on the chart.

The group, which toured the world with such rock greats at Linkin Park, Korn,
and Deftones, went back to their indie roots with 2012s Minus the Machine on
their own Palehorse Records, which was part of Warner Music Label Group. The
album debuted at No. 2 on the Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 8 on the Top Rock
Albums chart, and No. 26 on The Billboard 200.

We self-produced our last few records, so it was good to give the reigns over to
someone else for the first time in awhile. We had to really let go and trust and
I think in doing that, it opened us to new ideas and helped us stretch
creatively, says Hasek.

(how to live) AS GHOSTS might be the bands 8th album. But, to them, it feels
like a new start. There was a heavier, darker tone to our last record because we
werent in a good place, adds the singer. Ghosts has a brighter side to it
because were all in a really happy, optimistic, and excited place about music
and life. Were ready to see how the world embraces it.

Jesse Hasek, vocals
Matt Wantland, guitar
Brian Vodinh, guitar
Chad Huff, bass
Kyle Mayer, drums

Tracklist:
01. 10 Years - The Messenger
02. 10 Years - Novacaine
03. 10 Years - Burnout
04. 10 Years - Catacombs
05. 10 Years - Ghosts
06. 10 Years - Blood Red Sky
07. 10 Years - Phantoms
08. 10 Years - Vampires
09. 10 Years - Halos
10. 10 Years - Lucky You
11. 10 Years - Insomnia
12. 10 Years - Heart Shaped Box
13. 10 Years - Telescreen ((Vampires Early Demo) [Alternative Version])
14. 10 Years - Novacaine (Redbird Remix)
15. 10 Years - Losing My Religion

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