Did the songs you'd written for Lifeline demand this kind of recording process, or did you write songs with the process in mind? A combination of both. I wrote to the goal. But also, I got to the first sound check of the first show and said to my band, "We've spared no expense to bring the best sound humanly possible to our fans. You guys are the best musicians in the world. Let's do something constructive with this time." So everybody brought to the table all the ideas that they had accumulated in their lives. As a band, we all wrote the music together; then I threw the lyrics on top.

Was everyone in the band on board with the idea from the get-go? Right off the bat. There was no hesitation. The only challenge was: Could we really be that democratic? There was a time when this band wouldn't have been able to do this record. But we've grown and evolved to the place where we could actually hear each other instead of hearing our individual egos.

You're able to lead the band and at the same time function as a member of the band? I think this record proves that I am.

Were there battles over the music while you were in the studio? It was 98 percent battle-free.

What did the two percent have to do with? Just a differing of opinion as to where things should start or end. You know, "Should we go this chord or that chord?" It was nothing that would derail the session on any level.