By Therese McKeon

When "Giving In" began getting airplay across America, the band Adema was introduced to rock radio audiences as "Jonathan Davis' little brother". It didn't take long for the "Korn wannabe" tide to roll in and then ebb just as quickly to the resonating sound of true talent. Afterall, talent is talent no matter who your brother is. Adema brings not only a winning personality and a famous brother to the table but solid tracks that had made them one of Shoutweb's "5 Most Anticipated Bands of 2001". With their self-titled debut album now in stores, the wait is finally over. Shoutweb caught up with lead singer Markie Chavez before the radio hype had kicked in to discuss Adema's past, present and future, and yes, even that connection to his famous older brother.

Mark Chavez - vocals
Flucky - guitar
Mike Ransom - guitar
Dave Deroo - bass
Kris Kohls - drums

Shoutweb: How are you?

Markie: I am doing well. I just woke up from a little catnap. Just resting up. We've been traveling a lot so we get in a few Z's here and there when we can.

Shoutweb: I'm assuming this is really your first full-fledged cross-country tour?

Markie: Yes, ma'am.

Shoutweb: So, I'm sure you're partying it up too.

Markie: Uh... a little bit. I used to be really crazy but now I take what I do pretty seriously. I'll feel like shit if I'm fuckin' around every night so I've toned that down some. A couple beers here and there are cool.

Shoutweb: Vocally, I suppose it can be a drain on you.

Markie: Playing guitar is one thing but singing is a whole other ball of wax.

Shoutweb: So where are you guys?

Markie: We are in Clinton, Iowa right now.

Shoutweb: Sounds like a great little town.

Markie: We're playing a place called the Pig Pen tonight.

Shoutweb: So you're in the land of Slipknot.

Markie: Yeah, we played this place called Hairy Mary's. The locals told us that some members from Slipknot originally owned that joint. We played it. It was pretty cool and people are pretty nice to us out here. Across the country so far everyone has been pretty responsive. They take our street swag and we've been getting a response on the Internet, which is also a plus.

Shoutweb: That's my neck of the woods. How computer savvy are you guys?

Markie: My only problem with Shoutweb is that the script is tiny.

Shoutweb: Are you on a Macintosh? You're not the only band who has told us that. It's an issue with Power Macs and iBooks. We're fixing it. Don't get discouraged!

Markie: It sucks when you can't read anything. I love Shoutweb.

Shoutweb: And Shoutweb loves you. Adema was one of our "5 Most Anticipated Bands of 2001".

Markie: Not only with Shoutweb, but also with the Internet in general, it's important for a young band. Today, people are really into the Internet so it's good to get exposure. You don't even have to go out and pick up a magazine or a newspaper.

Shoutweb: It was very cool because after we ran you guys as one of our top "5", we started hearing "Giving In" on KROCK here in New York. It was on first late at night and then at rush hour.

Markie: That's cool. I really like the song. I think it's a good single.

Shoutweb: Tell me a little about "Giving In" being that it's the one song already out there catching on.

Markie: "Giving In" is actually one of the first songs that we wrote. We went to Shaver Lake, California for the pre-production of our record. We needed to go somewhere where we weren't going to be in the city life and involved in all the going out business and what not. We went to Shaver Lake, California and started writing songs for the record. We finally got all our gear set up and it just started hammering down snow. We were in this huge loft and you could just see the moon and the snow coming down. This song, this little riff starts going. Mike Ransom, our guitar player, starts playing this riff. We wrote the song. We put it together. Of course we write the music first. I come up with the melodies and I throw the lyrics down. During that time, I had just barely turned 22. I was going through a lot of different issues and problems. At the time, I was substituting other means of pleasure for that loss. I was dabbling in drugs and alcohol and other shit amongst that. "Giving In" has a chorus line that says that pretty much you're giving up and giving into all the things that you shouldn't be doing. That's basically what the song is about, giving in to personal demons and personal problems in life. The verse is about coming to terms with growing up and maturing in life and trying to stay on top of it instead of falling and dying. That was pretty much my song for trying to give up the bad habits, and eventually I did. Living with just the band in this little cabin for six or seven weeks was a pretty good change from living in Los Angeles. Just not being able to see my family every day is kind of a tough thing but I'm glad that we went there. When I listen to it, it helps me to remember that I came from a certain place. I was raised with certain kinds of ideals and there are things that I want to stay true to and not lose sight of. That's what that song reminds me of so I make sure I listen to it. It helps me stay on the straight and narrow instead of going down that path and screwing my life up over something that's really not that bad.

Shoutweb: It's a great record overall. There are a lot of songs out there that are just angry, pissed off noise. I feel that your songs are much more introspective and each one is not so much pissed off, as it is a lesson you've learned. Like "Close Friends", that is a song I can relate to.

Markie: You have the whole record?

Shoutweb: Yes, I got it two days ago.

Markie: Oh, cool. I hope you're enjoying it.

Shoutweb: I've been listening to it non-stop. I love it.

Markie: "Close Friends" is a really, really, really in depth personal song. I lost a couple of really huge relationships over pointless things, you know? Yeah, all my songs are pretty much about lessons I've learned. I think when you listen to it you get that it's not a preachy record at all. It's a story. That's all it is. It's special to me because it's like a personal diary.

Shoutweb: Those are the exact words I would have used - personal diary. "Close Friends" even starts out with "Today I made the worst mistake of my life". It's kind of looking in on your diary. What about "Trust"?

Markie: "Trust" was my apology to a very, very, very dear friend of mine that I will always love. I will always take care of them. There are parts in the record where I'm absolutely putting that person down and then it's like that last song, which is at the end of my record, is conceding to the fact that I'm human too and I've made mistakes. A relationship is a two way street and sharing as well as taking is important. I'm a 23 year old man so I haven't had too many in depth relationships but that particular one in my life has really, really taught me a lot about myself and about the way things work.

Shoutweb: With "Trust", I feel like it is the best selection of a last track on a record that I have heard in years. It really, really tells us a lot. "Is it you. Is it me. Or is it trust?" Wow. I am listening to the song but I'm not really listening to the song. I'm actually pondering that thought and it's just such a moving, poetic song.

Markie: I'm really glad that you're getting it. I was a little nervous that no one would get what it was about. After a while I was like, "you know what? I don't care if they get it." Obviously, from talking to you, you get it. It's not anything profound. It's life.

Shoutweb: But that is exactly what's so cool about it. It's not like you have to reach very far to find these emotions in yourself.

Markie: What I think about it is, I'm not asking anyone to go "look at me". I don't want to make a record that says "look at me, my life is so sad." I'm just so sick of that crap. I'm sick of every record having to be negative. Maybe it's turning a negative into a positive. I think talking about such negative things all the time only makes me feel more negative. I try to make my records soothing for me and I think there are a lot of people out there like myself that weren't abused at home. They didn't have all this bad stuff happen to them. I feel bad for people that have had that kind of stuff happen to them but I'm not going to go out there and make up some bullshit to get on the bandwagon and sell records. I'd say that there are a few songs where young kids could get into it. It kind of hits to the younger, younger crowd. I think most people set their target to people who are stepping into being an adult and that transformation of becoming an adult.

Shoutweb: "Trust" is cool because of how the song breaks down and each instrument is stripped away down to this acoustic strumming.

Markie: Yeah, it leaves some time for thought. It gives you time to kind of get in that groove. It gives you time to stop thinking about that actual singer and concentrate on what's going on in your own life. I think that's a great ending.

Shoutweb: Because you guys are a new band to most audiences out there, I have to ask you some of the more obvious questions. How did you come up with the name Adema?

Markie: We were in a studio out in Bakersfield and we were going on with names. One of our friends came to the studio and started telling us about a word "edema" so we actually had the band going with that spelling for six or seven months. That past line-up broke up and we weren't a band for six to eight months. When all of the new members came into the mix we just decided to go with that name. We liked the ring of it. The actual meaning of the word has no association with what we're about. Adema is whatever it means to you. Adema is just a way of life for us. To me, that's my family. It's my band. It's my job and my life.

Shoutweb: That's kind of like Shoutweb for me. We also run Kornweb.com.

Markie: Really?

Shoutweb: Yes, we liked what the guys in New Zealand were doing and so myself and Jess Redmon teamed up with Daniel Williams and Steve Hogg to start Shoutweb in February 2000. We're not corporately owned or run so we do whatever we want and so far we all love what we do.

Markie: As it should be!

Shoutweb: So with the Korn connection, I have to ask you because the fans are going to want to know. I know there was a frenzy of interest and a bit of backlash in terms of credibility due to the fact that Jonathan Davis is your brother. I would like to know, not from a critic's point of view or a journalist point of view but from a kid's point of view. I want to answer these things for the kid who is a huge Korn fan out there.

Markie: The more people talk, whether it's good or bad, it helps me. With me and Jonathan, it's all love. That's my family. I wish him luck. He wishes me luck. And that's pretty much the extent of it. His hand wasn't directly involved in us getting the record deal whatsoever. Now, yeah, the relationship is going to cause some heat. Of course it is. I'd be a fool to sit here and tell you that that didn't help me. Of course that helped me. Now... that didn't help me before anyone knew that. I had to pay my dues playing shitty shows. Playing for no money. Not having equipment. Not having anything. I'm glad it was that way. He didn't help me in that way because he knew it would build character for me. He knew I was talented. We got asked to sign with their label but again, I was very, very flattered that their band really enjoyed our music because that showed us that they really liked it. They just don't sign bullshit. Again, I needed to go my own path and do my own thing. Look at Arista Records, there are no rock bands over there. It's the farthest thing from whatever people want to put upon it. It doesn't bother me at all either. To me, all music is good. There's music that I like and I'm not expecting every Korn fan or every music lover to like what we do. There are going to be a certain amount of people who like our music and a certain amount who don't. I'm out there to get mine.