“Finding the pocket with Robert Trujillo is one of the greatest, most exciting things I’ve ever been fortunate enough to experience.”

Jay Weinberg reflected on the joys and challenges of playing with Infectious Grooves, highlighting in particular the “pocket” he found with Metallica’s Robert Trujillo.The longtime Slipknot drummer’s departure from the Iowan metal institution may still feel raw for many fans, but Jay himself seems to embrace life as it comes and focus on what’s next. “My experience has always been like, there’s a job to be done, there is rock music to be made”, Jay tells HEAVY in a new interview.

As it so happens, the next “job” for Jay is playing alongside Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Mike Muir, Dean Pleasants (Suicidal Tendencies), and Dave Kushner (ex-Velvet Revolver) on the Infectious Grooves’ reunion tour this year. Asked whether he feels “nervous” about diving straight in this new environment, Jay said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

“I think [it’s a] part of being a rock ‘n’ roll musician. If you’re not nervous, if you’re not excited and [if you aren’t] challenging yourself in those ways, it’s oftentimes something like not worth doing. For me, I thrive on that. I love that opportunity to get integrated with the guys I haven’t played before; a style of music I feel is within my framework.”

Even so, the supergroup has a big legacy that needs upholding, and Jay says that he wasn’t left wanting for a challenge while tackling it:

“Having been asked to come into Infectious Grooves, I knew right away that this would be an amazing challenge that’s within my wheelhouse, but it’s also something very particular. They’re very specific, funk-and-groove-oriented, which is fairly new for me. And I’m really excited by that.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of his new job was finding a “pocket” with Metallica’s Rob Trujillo, the drummer explains:

“It is truly unreal. To play with all those guys is an absolute honor. Whenever you get in a room with new guys, and you’re playing together for the first time, there is that crazy energy of just kind of feeling each other out. As a [part of the] rhythm section, finding the pocket with Robert Trujillo is one of the greatest, most exciting things I’ve ever been fortunate enough to experience in my life.”

“As a drummer, that’s just unreal. It’s been incredibly exciting to play with all these guys, and it feels like we’ve just gelled right off the bat. I don’t know if we’ll have another opportunity, just because everybody has a lot of very busy schedules. So, we’re just looking at this as a great opportunity to celebrate Infectious, and, give it a little new attitude and and some new sounds.”

You can check out the dates of Infectious Grooves’ upcoming Australian tour here.