MUEN: Hi David, thank you for doing this interview for MUEN MAGAZINE. How are you?

DAVID: I�m doing very good, thank you. I�m really busy with a lot of new things these days, all of which are fun and very creative.

MUEN: First, a question you�ve probably been asked one thousand times: About your past with Megadeth, do you have any regrets about that period? Was it hard to emerge and appear on the music scene after taking part with Megadeth, and after troubles you had?

DAVID: Yeah, I�m glad we�re past all that stuff now. I never left the music business during the transition and if anything I worked even harder during those years to get new things off the ground. I took it as an opportunity to re-invent and do some new things rather than just do more of the same, or be lazy and just be the guy who everyone refers to as "formerly of..".

I work hard at music all the time because I love doing it and some of the things I started a few years back took a little time to ramp up and fully develop before I could launch them properly. Now, I�m happily on my way.

MUEN: I know you�re working with many bands with like F5, IRON STEEL and you have participated recently with Soulfly, Temple of Brutality, Avian, Killing Machine, and The Alien Blakk.. How was it working with these bands?

DAVID: Some of them were songwriting or producing opportunities, which led to making records or even forming new bands out of them, like F5. The others were records that I got asked to participate in, some of which led to tours, etc. No matter what I get involved in, I bring my full artillery to the table to help them in any way I can. I think that makes me more valuable as a member of a band, rather than just being the bassist. I like to see everything I do have a fair shot and in many cases I�m the guy with the most experience, the most industry contacts and the navigational abilities to sail the ship the furthest because I�ve been out in those waters before.

In anything I do I�ve finally settled on a couple basic ground rules before getting involved; I have to like the music and/or I have to like the people and lifestyle involved� period! Almost anything else I can deal with from there.

MUEN: You have played with a lot of bands on the various tours. Do you have a favorite group, or one that you like to play with whenever you get a chance?

DAVID: They�ve all got cool things about them. Soulfly is a big band and is fun to go out and play live with, because they pack the house every night and the vibe is very loose and creative, especially for a metal gig. Max is very liberal and lets everyone in the band take their moment in the spotlight, which is pretty cool of him to do.

Temple of Brutality is really heavy, fun and thrashing. They are great guys who make up a slamming band that really rocks live. That whole thing is always on the verge of being completely out of control and that�s part of the charm of the band, too!

F5 is really my main creative home and has been a great outlet for writing and recording new music, something beyond what most people heard me do before. It�s something I can hang my hat on creatively in a new and positive way. Along the way we created new ideas together, but at the same time I was able to pull out some very old material I wrote years ago and re-work those ideas in a new setting. Ironically, that material suddenly sounded about 15 years more modern than how I originally conceived it, which was gratifying. I hate letting ideas go unused but at the same time that was a great experience for me to learn how some things just require timing and finding the best home for them in order to fully develop. It taught me to honour the art of patience with song development a lot more because I�m kind of an impatient guy when it comes to getting things done, even with music.

MUEN: What about the new material for the next F5 studio album? What kind of musical direction will be on the new release?

DAVID: It�s very heavy and quite progressive this time around, which is a good direction for the band to move in. I think this is largely because the band didn�t really do much of that on the debut album "A Drug For All Seasons" and this time around there was a strong desire for the band to show that side of our abilities, especially with there being such a resurgence of all things metal in this day and age that will accept it, too. I don�t think it was that way when the first record came, which we recorded in 2004, and I think this is a natural progression for the band to grow into. Our guitarists Steve and John are great players and now having Jimmy DeGrasso on drums really allowed us to take the new songs to where we hoped they could go. I think fans of me and Jimmy�s past work will be really diggin� this new F5 record!

Plus, our singer Dale Steele really offers something different as vocalist, because he doesn�t just do the standard cookie-monster hardcore thing or even the Emo or old-school opera metal style singing either. Instead, he actually sings hooky melodies with a lot of power over top of heavy riffs. Our songs are really laid out more for him to sing over, even when we are playing heavy riffs with a ton of guitar solos and melodies, like you�ll hear on this new album.

We were originally working toward a spring 2008 release but as things moved forward it now looks to be more like a late summer or fall 2008 release, which might be better anyway.

MUEN: You are also currently working with the thrash band IRON STEEL... How would you describe the band?

DAVID: I�m just one of many bass players in that band!! That whole thing is a lot of fun with so many people being part of it. It�s great Thrash and a no-holds-barred chicanery of all things metal. I said right from the beginning that it felt like the "S.O.D." record that Scott Ian and Charlie Benante did back in the mid 80�s. I love that we can be really good and heavy, yet have a sense of humour and not take ourselves too seriously either. I think the fans really appreciate that, too. After all, they do call it "playing" music, not "working" music.

MUEN: Tell us something more about your "Ellefson Music Production Company".. Are you satisfied? Tell us about your upcoming projects?

DAVID: I started it as a company shell for me to operate under for producing and writing for new bands. Out of it I�ve secured releases for F5 and did all my work for Avian under that umbrella, too.

At this point, I don�t have any new stuff on deck with EMP, because I�ve been focusing on other records like the F5 and IRON STEEL releases which I secured labels to release them, but not under the EMP company.

MUEN: How important do you think the internet is nowadays, to promote an up and coming band?

DAVID: I think the Internet is huge for everything in our lives now. Even back in 1994 on the "Youthanasia" record Capitol Records established us as the first band to have a presence on the World Wide Web. That was huge and I embraced it immediately because I was really into computers since I got my first Mac back in 1991. I started using my computer for everything as soon as I got it including writing lyrics, writing music with sequencers and other music recording programs, accounting and everything I could possibly do with it. Now, the Internet is part of our culture and it�s the main reason computers exist, so we can access it.

The Internet has become a primary way I communicate with my fans these days and has really helped me to build a new fan base beyond what I had done previously, too. I�m very active with my websites and it is a great way to control media and help promote everything I�m doing these days with music.

Even magazines and newspapers are moving to online distribution these days because it�s a more "green" way to treat the environment, more cost effective, and the news can be more easily and quickly updated.

MUEN: Talk about passion for the music... How were you driven to this world of music? And why did you choose to play bass?

DAVID: For some reason at a young age the bass guitar was calling out to me, which is unusual because most people choose guitar, drums or vocals; probably because they are the out front positions of rock stardom! I loved how it looked, sounded, the people who played it.. basically everything about it.

I�m glad I�m a bassist because it has helped me do a whole lot more from the foundation�s perspective of a band; like sing, produce, write and understand guitar and keyboards, too. The bass is a fundamental instrument and that can be a great vantage point to view a song from when writing, recording and especially playing live. To me, the bass is the best instrument for playing live because it�s what actually makes a band sound heavy. Without the bass, it�s not going to be heavy!

As far as passion goes, that is what drives me and when that passion isn�t there anymore I have to move on to new things. Passion is always the best reason for doing anything in life. Fame, fortune and the rest are merely by-products of a job well done and they should never be the only reason to do something, at least in my opinion.

That�s why I keep moving forward and trying new things and not looking back with regret on anything in life. Sometimes playing music is as much about growing as a person as it is about growing musically because your personality is what defines your music, not the other way around.

MUEN: You are absolutely right! When you live and believe in what you do with passions and extreme caring, fame and success are by-products of a job well done, What kind of music do you listen to? What are your favourite bands?

DAVID: It�s mostly metal because I just love it, always have ever since I was a young kid. However, I do appreciate a bit of almost all music. Most of all, I like artists who are genuine, whether its rock, jazz, country or whatever. I can appreciate all of it if it�s done well and you can really hear a person�s soul and personality coming through in their music.

MUEN: How do you enjoy your free time?

DAVID: I mostly spend my time off with my family, with my kids. My wife got them involved in a lot of sports at a very young age so that has become a focus of our lives and is good recreation for us, too. It�s a great way to blow off some steam!

Sports are great because they all require some sort of group or team effort and getting out of your self. I think that is necessary because being in a band, when everyone is telling you how great you are, can be very bad for your ego if you don�t get your ass kicked once in a while out on a sport court! And, being in the studio all the time can really make you withdraw from a lot of social interaction, too. Sports are healthy and keep you involved in the mainstream of life, which is good for creative types who are always off in our own little worlds all the time.

MUEN: Could you tell us about the "dream of your life"? (Something that you would really love to do in music, and that you haven�t done yet)...

DAVID: I think it would be cool to have a rock n roll music town like Branson Missouri does for Country music. It would be beyond just a Hall of Fame concept and actually have artist venues. I think that would be a great attraction, a destination for people to come to from all around the world.

MUEN: Beside your musical career, what do you do in your spare time?

DAVID: I write a lot, I work out, I go to the beach in the summer, I mountain bike in Arizona� all kinds of stuff. I�m pretty well rounded in most ways, I just like to thrash when it comes to my music..

MUEN: Art is a synonym of freedom, in your opinion nowadays, is this still true?

DAVID: I think it always starts that way but as you try to record it, release it and certainly tour it, it becomes part of the "business of music". At that point, there is less freedom because your art becomes a commodity for sale and then you have to think about it in those terms.

I think ultimately, if we can make our music our business we are still happy because we can pay our bills and live a life based on our freedom of doing something we really love. That goes for the people in the media, radio, record companies and everyone involved in the music business who do it for the passion of being in and around the arts.

MUEN: If your music was an emotion, what would it be?

DAVID: I think that would depend on the day. I guess some day�s it would be blue for calm and steady, other days it might be red for anger or orange for danger, etc.

MUEN: Ok David, the end is yours, would you do a special greetings to our readers?

DAVID: As always, I thank all the fans for sticking with me all these years and liking the music I�m creating. I�m glad we can all make it about the music!

Interview by Angel Devil