GINNY McCABE reports for ASSIST News Service…
Behind the tough-guy, rock & roll image, and the tattoos, the former Korn guitarist reveals he has something more to say to today’s youth with the release of his solo debut, Save Me From Myself, which was released by Driven Music Group in early September.
If you’ve met Brian “Head” Welch, or talked to him recently, it’s easy to pick up on his genuine, loving, and Christ-like spirit. Some of that same honesty and devotion to the truth is what listeners will find reflected in the songs on Save Me From Myself.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL: Many of the songs from Welch’s solo debut – Save Me From Myself – are about his own journey: his drug addiction, leaving Korn and his faith in Jesus Christ.
“Because I’ve been there, and have overcome it, I believe God has given me power to tell my story, and I believe that gives hope to other people who are going through the same thing. And, It’s cool that I feel so free inside, myself.”
– Brian “Head” Welch
Many of the songs, written over the past few years, are Welch’s testimony – about his previous drug addiction, leaving Korn, and his radical faith in Jesus Christ.
“A lot of the songs were written when I was going through different things, (such as dealing with a drug addiction),” Welch says. “I’m totally a new person today. I’m not that guy, but it’s cool to be able to sing about the drug addiction, and the freedom, because I was bound by that stuff.
“Because I’ve been there, and have overcome it, I believe God has given me power to tell my story, and I believe that gives hope to other people who are going through the same thing. And, It’s cool that I feel so free inside, myself.”
Songs from Save Me From Myself, including L.O.V.E., Re-Bel, and Money, are written from a personal place and are based on Welch’s real-life experiences.
“There are a lot of reasons why I left my band Korn,” he says. “I went through a lot, and I wanted to learn how to sing, and to talk about things. I was bottled up for years. I drank, did drugs and played rock and roll for years. I just played guitar and I wasn’t able to vent that much, because I was all bottled up.”
Welch says he has an overwhelming desire share what was on his heart, and now believes God is using him to demonstrate His love to others.
“Music is my gift and my art. I wanted to do it, and get back to me and what I love. It seemed like I was trying to please the music industry, and to be this big band that we created, rather than writing the music and doing the things that I wanted to do. I had to go find myself again to be able to do what I wanted to do.”
Although, Welch has experienced fame, and a successful career, he admits there were earlier times in his life when felt empty, and even close to the edge of death. “When I was in Korn, I would get up, eat and drink beer, and I would start my day like that, or in my darker days, I would get up, get alone, and do lines of speed to start my day. Now, I get up and I pray, read the Bible and I get with God, and then I start my day. To me, I rock harder now than I have in years. I’m the same person, it’s just what I do is different. It’s a lot cleaner, healthier, and my life is filled with so much more power.”
Welch says his daughter says it best – “She says I’m funnier now.”
In talking with him, he doesn’t attribute Korn to his demise, but rather he said it’s easy for some people to fall into an addiction, “We are all looking for pleasure down here on earth, and we are all looking for happiness, and we want to feel good. I went through some things in my childhood that affected me. Not major stuff like some people, but I went through some things that affected me, because I was a sensitive kid, and I found escape (through my addition.) I could become the person I never (thought I) was. I could get drunk and I’d become outgoing, or funny. When I was sober, I was quiet or introverted.”
“I loved having a good time with drinking and drugs, and it turned into an obsession, and it almost killed me.”
With that addiction, he says he became the kind of person he never wanted to become. “I became that scumbag. So many signs were pointing that I was going to go.”
Then there came a point in his life when God started to get his attention in many different ways, and through people he’d come in contact with.
“There was this one real estate broker that I was doing real estate deals with, and he was a Christian. He wasn’t one of those full-on Christians, it’s just that his wife was into the church, and he went to please her. He gave me a Scripture one morning. He said, ‘Man, I’ve never done this before and I don’t mean to be weird, but I opened my Bible and I feel like I was supposed to send you this Scripture’. It was Matthew 11:28, ‘Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest’. He wasn’t pushy at all, but it sparked my curiosity. I started to wonder if Jesus was real. I had an experience when I was 12-years-old, I asked Jesus into my heart, by myself, because my friend’s mom told me about it. But, experiences like that started happening to me and I began to ask more questions, ‘could that be real?’ Could all this be real? And, that Scripture, Matthew 11:28, it kept appearing to me in all kinds of different places.”
“With this latest effort, Welch is not only living out his love for God, and a passion for music, but the songs speak to people where they are.”
Early in 2005, Welch announced his resignation from Korn. At that time, as a single father, he moved away from the craziness of the rock and roll lifestyle to continue to care for his daughter, Jennea. Additionally, Welch committed his life to Christ, and became devoted to matters of faith, and became more concerned about things like helping those in need.
One endeavor he pursued immediately after his departure from the band was opening the Head Home, an orphanage that provided housing, food, and education to over 200 orphans in the most unreachable parts of India. He also continued with other philanthropic efforts in the United States, and soon began composing and recording songs for Save Me From Myself.
As the well-known, former Korn guitarist, Welch delivers that same of talent on his solo debut, and for the first time, he also lends his dynamic, emotive lead vocals to each of the songs. With this latest effort, he’s not only living out his love for God, and a passion for music, but the songs speak to people where they are.
The project also showcases the talent of Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, David Bowie) and Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails), among others.
The first single from the album, Flush, has been available exclusively on iTunes since early in July. A portion of the track on can also be heard on his MySpace page. In addition, there will be a video for the song Flush, which will be on television soon.
“Flush is a perfect way for me to come back into the music world because it’s basically about flushing all the crap in life down the toilet and starting out fresh-exactly what I’ve been doing for the last few years,” says Welch. “All the drama that I experienced with getting drunk and doing drugs, all the time seemed interesting and amusing to write about. That lifestyle is total insanity and I’m just glad I’m not dead and I was able to write a song like Flush.”
In addition to his musical endeavors, Welch recently delivered his best-selling autobiography, Save Me From Myself, which was released in July 2007 by HarperCollins. He just released a second book on 24th June titled Washed By Blood, an edited paperback version of Save Me From Myself, which is aimed at a younger audience.
In the midst of gearing up for the album’s release, Welch has spent much of his time book signings, public speaking engagements, and other nationwide appearances.
