Drummer Raymond Herrera said that when his band - Fear Factory - played before other bands during backyard concerts, it was a good thing.
"It didn't matter that we didn't headline those gigs," Herrera said during a telephone interview from Madison, Wis., "because the cops would come and close it down before the other bands were able to go on. So at least we were able to play."Fear Factory, has come a long way since those party shows. On Friday, Nov. 13, the band will open for former White Zombie front-man Rob Zombie in the Salt-air pavilion. Monster Magnet will also crank out some tunes that night.
Fear Factory - Herrera, gui-tar-ist Dino Cazares, bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and vocalist Burton C. Bell - didn't have a lot of obstacles to hurdle when it came to playing shows.
"We played everywhere," Herrera said. "The main concern we did have was paying rent. I was the youngest and still had allowance from my parents. And then I got a job. There were times when that, along with the allowance, paid our whole band's rent."
From the beginning, the band knew what it wanted. "We didn't kid ourselves. We wanted to get signed to a record label, tour and make some money.
"We also knew that it would take work and dedication. We've seen a bunch of our friends make albums and then fall off the face of the earth. We made sure that wasn't going to happen to us. We knew a band as a career was going to take a lot of time and investment."
Old-fashioned sweat is what got Fear Factory signed to Roadrunner Records in 1992, a mere two years after Herrera and the boys got together. "We had thousands of fliers printed up, and we posted them everywhere. And we spend a lot of time on the road. It's a good thing we like each other."
The current tour with Zombie will take Fear Factory through the end of November. Then it's off on a headlining club tour until Dec. 23.
"We'll take a couple of weeks off then," said Herrera, a self-proclaimed homebody who would rather stay home than tour.
"Don't get me wrong, I love playing gigs," Herrera explained. "I just miss being at home."
In mid-January, Fear Factory will tackle another U.S. tour and then head off to Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii.
"Hopefully, by then, Pantera's new album will be finished," Herrera said. "It would be great to go on tour with them."