Saliva was founded in Bartlett, Tennessee in 1996. Only one original band member remains, Wayne Swinny.
Hit songs include; Click Click Boom, Always, Ladies and Gentlemen, just to name a few. Their music has been featured on numerous movies, commercials, playstation ads, even WWE. “Your Disease”, Grammy nomination for best hard rock performance.
Amaru joined the band in 2012, replacing lead vocalist Josie Scott. Before joining Saliva, he played drums for the band Burn Season. Amaru made the big jump from drumming to lead vocals seamlessly.
I never knew cool until I met Bobby Amaru, is the phrase that pops to mind after meeting him.
What was intended to be a 10 minute interview, turned into a 2 hour backstage convo about everything from experiences with our Invisalign braces to the Buffalo Bills to crypto currencies.
I asked Bobby a question that caught him off guard, and he responded; ‘No one has ever asked me that before, that’s a good question.’ I asked about a song that Amaru wrote entitled, ‘Epidemic’. I asked him if it was true that the aforementioned song was about heroin, paying homage to nineties grunge rockers such as; Chester Bennington from Linkin Park and Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. Both rockers committed suicide by asphyxiation after abusing heroin. He confirmed that info was indeed true and that it is mostly about the feeling of helplessness.
This topic is quite the contrast to Bobby’s healthy and sober lifestyle. The rocker and his wife own an IV vitamin infusion business called, Drip bar in Jacksonville Florida.
He admitted that his children and family fuel the need to maintain his sobriety. That he didn’t want to miss out on his kids’ lives and they were the most important part of his life. After the formal portion of the interview was over, he talked about his family most of the time.
The difference between mild mannered, soft spoken Bobby backstage was a stark contrast to heavy metal Bobby onstage. His metamorphosis from family man to renegade was very cool to watch. Not just his appearance, with his all black clothing, greasy long hair that hung in his face, and arm sleeve tattoos on full display but his entire gestalt had changed as soon as he stepped onstage. It was a pretty cool experience!
Until next time, Click..Click..Boom.
If you would like to contact me, I can be reached at authormariasigle@gmail.com or find me on Facebook at Maria Libri Sigle.
NOTE:
A very special thank you to our friend, Susan Danenberger, owner of Danenberger Family Vineyards. This amazing woman is responsible for bringing international talent to Central Illinois. Come check out their selection of wines, craft cocktails and expanding list of diverse, live music. Coming up is ‘Here Come the Mummies’ on October 16th. For more information or tickets, go to danenbergerfamilyvineyards.com…I’ve already got mine!
