DERRY, NH – Any alt-rock fan who was around during the ‘90s knows how important the music scene of Seattle was to that particular decade, especially the first half. A lot of great bands came out of that era, and some of them are still performing today. This includes Candlebox, who people might know from their hits “Far Behind,” “You,” and “Cover Me” that they’ve probably heard on the radio or while growing up watching MTV when they actually aired music videos. On February 26, these guys have a sold-out show happening at Tupelo Music Hall in Derry. It starts at 8 p.m. and singer-songwriter Nick Brown will be opening up the evening.
I recently had a talk with frontman Kevin Martin about how this is a new chapter for the band, starting out during a special time in Seattle, and plans for a new album.
Rob Duguay: In 2023, Candlebox released their final album “The Long Goodbye,” which was followed by a deluxe edition called “A Little Longer Goodbye,” and it was supposed to signal the band’s farewell at the time, but now you guys are back together for this comeback tour. What inspired this resurrection for the band three years later following what was supposed to be the finale?
Kevin Martin: It really comes down to Pete [Klett] coming back to the band. He had left in 2015 for about 10 years, and he filled in for a couple shows over those years, but he was really getting the bug of wanting to get back to playing with us. We sat down in 2024 and we just kind of chatted about things, what his schedule looked like, and he was like, “Look, man. I really miss this and I want to come back, is there space for me?” I was like, “Absolutely there’s space for you, dude. There’s always been space for you.” We started this band together, and I had always thought we would end it together, so that’s really what invigorated and inspired all of it.
Then we started jamming on some songs during soundchecks and we realized that maybe we had a little more musically to say. I think at the stage when I wanted to call it quits, I was really just burned out. I was completely burned out from touring, making records, and at that point, it had been 30 years of me constantly climbing that ladder. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with having a career that’s not as illustrious as it was back in the ‘90s, but it can get a little exhausting when you hit 50. Now that I’m 56, I look back at a lot of those things fondly, but I was ready to call it quits after “The Long Goodbye,” so having Pete coming back and joining us is the catalyst for it.
RD: With this reunion going on with the band versus back in 2006 where you guys got back together after six years of a hiatus, are there any similarities that you’ve been feeling, or is it a completely different thing?
KM: It’s completely different. Scott [Mercado] isn’t coming back, and Bardi [Martin] isn’t coming back, so it’s really just Pete and I. We’ve grown so much since 2006, and from obviously being 20 year-olds when we started the band. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves, and I think it’s something that all musicians kind of go through at some point where they realize that it really was all worth it. It’s all been a lesson learned, but I don’t really find any similarities between us getting back together in 2006 and in 2026 now because back in 2006, it was a hiatus. We had been out of the picture for about six years, and we’ve been truckin’ along since that time, so it’s really more of a change in gears, I would say.
RD: That makes sense. Candlebox started out during a special time in music in a very special scene during the early ‘90s in Seattle. You were playing the same circuit and the same city as bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden. Even The Presidents of the United States of America were playing in the same scene you guys were in, so looking back at that time, what would you say are your favorite memories, and how much has that experience had on the band today over 35 years later?
KM: It’s really just growing musically with a lot of our peers and good friends. Everything we learned from playing those early shows with our friends in Sweet Water and Green Apple Quick Step, because there was a series of bands that obviously came along after Nirvana and Soundgarden. Even with Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan has always been one of my inspirations and influences, and that band was so instrumental in what and why I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I’ve taken that with me for my entire life, and I’ve hung onto those memories, those moments, and those great shows. Our first show opening for Sweet Water was sold out with 1500 people in Seattle, and that’s something I’ll never forget.
Those are the things that have also allowed me to carry on my career and carry on the Candlebox name, it’s the fondness of that city. I don’t live in Seattle anymore, and I don’t particularly miss it too much, but musically, you can’t deny what happened there and what continues to happen there. Sub Pop is still a very formidable ally and asset in the world of rock & roll, and they’re not stopping. There’s still great music coming out of the city, it’s just different than it was. It’s bands like The Head and The Heart now and that sort of thing, but it’s still a little gem in this enormous mess of rock & roll.
RD: Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. Being from the Northwest, what are your thoughts on coming across the country to the Northeast to perform at Tupelo Music Hall? Are audiences different for you here than in other parts of the United States?
KM: The Northeast has always been very passionate about music, which is one of the things I love. We’ve been playing in Derry for years and Tupelo Music Hall is one of my favorites, my first time playing there is something I’ll never forget. New England has a special place in its heart for rock & roll music. Boston is one of my favorite cities to play in and I look forward to coming back to the area every time I’m headed to the East Coast. We’ve had great shows in Providence, Rhode Island, and New England is just a special place.
I have a lot of friends who live in New Hampshire. I look forward to seeing them, and it’s kind of a lot of that. It’s kind of like a high school reunion sometimes where I see a lot of the people who I met early on in 1993 during the first time we went through there. There’s still fans of the band who I’ve been friends with for over 30 years now, so it’s pretty great.
RD: It sounds like it’s going to be an exciting time. You recently mentioned online that Candlebox has been working on a new record, so without giving too much away, what’s the status of it?
KM: I can tell you that we’re writing. (laughs) It’s interesting because Pete and I haven’t been together since [the making and release of] “Love Stories & Other Musings,” which was back in 2012. He’s grown into having a real talent when it comes to production, and has been producing bands where he’s based in Tampa[, Florida], so we’re trying to figure out what record we want to make. I think we have eight or nine songs ready to dig into, but we’re not in the studio recording right now, I’ll tell you that much. We probably won’t be putting this record out until it’s ready to come out, but that could mean that we might write everything else in the next month before going into the studio.
We’re not the most prolific band, but it’s because we take our time. We want to make sure that the record we put out is the record we want to hear.