Metal Monthly: Dave, Thanks for your time, I appreciate it. Please tell our readers what's going on in Dave's World Right Now?

Dave Ellefson: We just finished recording drum tracks for the new F5 album with Jimmy DeGrasso, which is sounding awesome! The band has been working really hard for about a year writing the new material and we're very stoked for everyone to hear how the band has progressed from the last album. This record is taking some huge steps forward stylistically as a band.

Metal Monthly: Please describe f5's music, and the lineup?

Dave Ellefson: Our motto has been "heavy but melodic" which is to say that without some sort of melody it's hard to call the music a song. F5 write songs, not just musical compositions, and to me there is a big difference between the two. Arranging a bunch of cool riffs is fun and can be considered 'composition' but that does not necessarily constitute a song. A song needs to have structure that is conducive to melodies, verses and choruses and I think F5 excels at crafting that type of music.

The current recording lineup is Dale Steele (vocals), John Davis (guitar), Steve Conley (guitar), Jimmy DeGrasso (drums) and David Ellefson (bass).

Metal Monthly: Do you ever see yourself back in the Megadeth Camp? Or does that even matter

Dave Ellefson: Who knows?!   I'm certainly happy where I'm at with all the new stuff I have going on now.

Metal Monthly: As the music business is radically changing, and mutating, how important is the internet for networking, such as myspace?

Dave Ellefson: It's huge because so many sales are now on the Internet and the Web has always been a major marketing tool for bands and our fans. In fact, it's been reported that iTunes is now the third largest music retailer next to Best Buy and Wal-Mart in the USA. I'd say that's a pretty good indicator of where things are going, especially since some major record stores have had to close their doors lately. Plus, we artists are actually getting paid from online digital music distribution, in most cases.

In my world I love incorporating all the new cutting edge technology for the Web. For instance, on the www.f5theband.com site there is a feature called "Pay Now, Play Now" where you purchase the F5 CD and download it immediately to your computer, but unlike most online stores, you still get a physical copy of the CD in the mail a few days later, too. It's like the best of iTunes meets the Virgin Megastore.

More recently, a company called CARTFLY approached me about creating an estore for some of my other sites like Facebook and Myspace (www.davidellefson.cartfly.com). With Cartfly you can easily distribute the entire store across the Web letting anyone can cut and paste the HTML code of the store and place it on their Myspace, Facebook, too.  It's like bringing the entire Hagen Daaz store right inside your house instead of having to drive to the store to get ice cream.

Metal Monthly: What is currently in your ipod, or cd player?

Dave Ellefson: Anything from U2 to Ministry to songs I randomly buy online on a whim. I very seldom go to a record shop to actually buy CD's any more.

Metal Monthly: If you could send one cd/album up in the space shuttle to be left on a distant planet in a time capsule- what cd/album would you send to represent American Metal?

Dave Ellefson: Not sure if it would be considered "metal" but KISS Alive is a standard in the American hard rock annals and probably influenced more metal bands that you could shake a stick at.

Metal Monthly: What is the biggest gig /Audience you ever played to?

Dave Ellefson: Rock In Rio 1991 had 140,000 people there which is pretty huge in my book!

Metal Monthly: What are your future plans with F5, Temple of Brutality?

Dave Ellefson: Once we finish the F5 album it is scheduled to release in 2008 and tour dates will probably spin out of that.

For Temple of Brutality we are discussing making another record at some point but don't have it on the schedule yet.
Metal Monthly: Will I see you at namm 2008?

Dave Ellefson: Yes, I will be there.

Metal Monthly: Anything you would like to add for our readers?

Dave Ellefson: I'm looking forward to everyone hearing the new F5 record as it is a huge step forward for the band.