You might know Phoenix as one of the guitarists of Linkin Park, but he actually plays the Bass! He usually plays a Ernie Ball musicman Stingray bass. He has several of these but the one that stands out is the one which he’s seen tossing across the stage to his tech Ted Reiger at the end of “Given Up.” You might also know Dave from his comedic antics during LPTV/LPU-TV episodes or his sarcastic tweets but from my experience of meeting with him before Linkin Park’s shows he’s really a down to earth kind of guy. He was happy to answer a few questions while he’s working on new music with the rest of the band.

With the world wide success of Living Things, people were impressed with the sound as it blended everything you’ve done in the past. Will the next album be a completely different sound or something we’re familiar with? Will it be something similar to A Thousand Suns? Would you say the 6th album is sort of a metaphor for after high school where we get an idea of what you’ve put together over the last 5 albums?

I’ve never really been interested in trying to predict what our album is going to sound like. When we begin our writing process, we try to be as open as possible to the creative process and really try to work on what is sounding the best to us in that moment. It’s towards the end of the writing process where we can finally sit back and see what shape the album taking, and we can steer it from there.

What’s in store for Linkin Park for 2014? Touring, finishing up “The Mall” soundtrack or studio album? Would both the soundtrack for “The Mall” & the studio album be released in one year?

We are working on the soundtrack/score for “Mall” and our next studio album concurrently. They will be released when they are ready… and touring will happen too. How unhelpful is that answer?!?!

Would you ever hone yourselves up in the Lorel Canyon studios like you did for “Minutes to Midnight” while making an album in the future again or is the ease of being able to work in your own home studios and on the road while touring a convenience now that some of you have families & other responsibilities?

My goal with anything having to do with the creative process is to not put any restrictions on how we operate. I really feel like the best way to create something new is to not follow any preset rules preconceived notions of how things need to be. Having said that, it’s possible we could work again at the Laurel studio/house, and it’s possible for us to not ever feel the need.

Whose idea was the guerrilla street marketing for SSMF & was that a last minute thing or was it sporadic as the day went chain of events were decided?

It came out of us wanting to do some things how we used to do them, and then morphed into its own unique day. All in good fun.

Phoenix During “Given Up” at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas in Universal City, CA 12/9/12

How do you think social media has changed since Linkin Park started? Do you think that involvement in social media is important & necessary for a band to be successful? How often do you use social media & in what form?

Social media is just another way to communicate. The real driving force has and always will be the fans. I think it’s important for bands to communicate with their audience, and vice versa. But the important thing is the exchange, not the medium for the exchange. I’m on Twitter, but my activity there goes in spurts.

Linkin Park’s use of technology has increased since the last album from the use of body scans created at Gentle Giant studios to the “Lost in the Echo,” music video (which was nominated for an O music award for best interactive video) to the “Castle of Glass” video which is also used in the “Medal of Honor” game. How do you see yourselves pushing the boundaries in future endeavors as a band?

We are always trying to find new ways to pique our own interest in what we are doing… technology and its constant evolution seems to consistently offer new avenues to explore in the creative world. Moving forward, we are looking to integrate more technology into our live shows.

The “mangled” Ernie Ball music man bass is a signature piece of the touring gear. I heard its last show was in New Zealand. Any plans to have it be the first bass auctioned off at a LPU summit one day or possibly put in the rock n roll hall of fame?

I don’t know if I can actually retire that bass yet. It’s been way too much fun beating that thing up, only to have my tech (Ted) continually bring it back to life. It’s a testament to how much abuse an Ernie Ball can take and still be “operational.”

Dave, I appreciate you taking the time to do this interview and I look forward to seeing you all at the Sunset Strip Music Festival!

-Irene