Puddle of Mudd rise from the ashes with their sixth studio album in nearly a decade, entitled Welcome to Galvania. Formed in 1991, Puddle of Mudd has sold over seven million albums and has had a string of number-one singles, including the hits “Blurry,” “She Hates Me,” and “Famous.” The new album, Welcome to Galvania, was produced by Cameron Webb (Alkaline Trio, Disturbed, Motorhead). It also marks the band’s first full-length album since Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love and Hate in 2009.
Now, Puddle of Mudd is ready to return to the rock scene with their sixth studio album, Welcome to Galvania. Inking a deal with Pavement Entertainment, their new material is primed to reach longtime and new fans. “Sometimes in life you come across people who want to bring you down and rip apart your soul. Well, those days are gone,” says Scantlin. “I have surrounded myself with a great team of people. They believe in me and I believe in them. I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their hard work and perseverance. I’d also like to thank all of my fans for their patience. This is just the beginning. I have a lot more rock ‘n’ roll in me to share with the world!”
Welcome to Galvania drops on September 13, 2019.
Music Madness Magazine caught up with Wes to talk sobriety and new music.
Music Madness: I had the opportunity to check out POM in Ft. Myers back in April. A lot of people are rooting for you and excited to see the Mudd. Saw you backstage stretching and you looked like you were in a good place.
Wes: Oh, right on. Yeah man, I’m feeling good these days. It is nice to be clean, you know.
Music Madness: I just hit 11 years myself, so I get it.
Wes: Oh, right on man. You got me beat. I’ve been in the program. My mom and dad went to AA when I young so I was one of the little program babies.
It does soak in. It really does…all the praying and the big book and everything like that. It finally does soak into your system.
Music Madness: I know you are excited about sobriety and the upcoming POM release, Welcome to Galvania, available starting September 13th.
Wes: Welcome to Galvania is just a really awesome record, man. There is a lot of emotional stuff in there. A lot of optimism, a lot of hope. Trying to just keep it nice and rocking, man.
Music Madness: The band released the first video and song off the album “Uh Oh”. The song sounded like the perfect blanket amends.
Wes: Yeah. You can’t be afraid to make a little fun of yourself, you know. Everybody messes up at some point in their life. There is always something that you can look at and go uh oh…I messed up again.
Music Madness: Does the band have any plans on releasing additional videos in conjunction with the release of the new album?
Wes: We probably will.
Music Madness: How does the 2019 version of Puddle of Mudd differ from the early days?
Wes: You know what…Everybody is really solid that’s playing right now. We all get along really well. It’s kind of a breath of fresh air.
Music Madness: Has it been difficult getting back in the grind of touring?
Wes: I personally love it. Everybody else in the band loves it, too. You’ve got to get proper rest. We all go back to our room, and we all get good sleep. You’ve got to keep hydrated. You’ve got to pre-hydrate, pre-hydrate, and pre-hydrate. You have to really keep your eye on your vocals, which is one of the big challenges.
Music Madness: You were saying that you have a good group of guys around. Everyone’s having fun, enjoying each other. Has that transcended to the fanbase with old fans coming back to support the band?
Wes: Yeah. You know what…it’s been great. The fans are amazing, old and new. People are loyal, man. They really just want to hear some new jams.
Music Madness: Let’s face it, at the end of the day, there’s nothing quite like some kick ass live music. It’s fine to hear shit on the radio or streaming but a live performance pretty much can cure just about anything.
Wes: Yeah. Even the players.
Music Madness: What does the next chapter in the Wes story look like?
Wes: Just try not to screw it up again.
Music Madness: Easier said than done, my friend.
Wes: Yeah. Fortunately, I’ve had a lot of programming, as you would say. Just trying to stay busy, boredom is your worst enemy.
I just picked up a new acoustic guitar. I’ve been catching myself just sitting around playing it for hours and hours. Yeah. If you’ve got a nice acoustic guitar, good action, you can sit there and play all day long and just kind of fiddle around and make up stuff.
It’s cool being a song writer. It’s a hard process, but it’s really fun, man. It really does soothe your soul.
Music Madness: All right, brother. Good luck with the new release and we will see you in Florida.