The band, which flows between dark, heavy and melodic, is scheduled to perform Sunday at the House of Blues in support of its first-ever "hits" collection, "The Singles: 1996-2006," released via Flip/Atlantic Records in November.

The 16-track album features Staind singles "It's Been Awhile," "For You," "So Far Away" and "Right Here." The disc also features never-before released live acoustic covers of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," Alice in Chains' "Nutshell" and Tool's "Sober" plus a live acoustic version of "Everything Changes."

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis chatted with Kicks! via a phone interview last week from Mobile, Ala. Here's what he had to share about 10 years as Staind and more:

(Q) Tell me what your fans should expect from your show.

(A) I have no idea. I really have no idea. We haven't rehearsed yet for any of these shows. I don't know what we're doing. I don't know what songs we're doing, I don't know whether we're going to do an acoustic thing - I don't know. How do you like them apples?

(Q) You're into improvisation?

(A) I am. I assure you that the rest of the band has a plan - I just don't know about it yet.

(Q) How do you feel about your latest release, "The Singles: 1996-2006," being out? Did you ever think your band would get to this point in its career to release a "hits collection"?

(A) That's kind of crazy. I think the craziest thing is the full title of the CD is 1996-2006 - I think that's the craziest thing right there. That after 10 years we're still doing this, we're still making records, we're still getting played on the radio and we're still moving forward.

(Q) What do you think contributed to your being able to survive those 10 years?

(A) The most amazing fans a band could ever ask for. Really, that's the only reason we're still able to do it is because we have fans that want us to be around doing it. As soon as those fans are done with us, we're done. It really comes down to that. I don't care how good a band is - a band is nothing without its fans.

(Q) What do you feel was the turning point in your career? Was there one, or was it a continual journey?

(A) It's been a pretty continual journey. The first big turning point came when we met Fred [Durst], the lead singer for Limp Bizkit. Then the next really big turning point was when we went from "Outside" to "It's Been Awhile" and those two songs did as well as they did back to back. I think that was turning point number two.

(Q) Are you still friends with Fred?

(A) Yeah. I don't see him very often - we don't see him very often. He lives in Los Angeles and I live out in the woods.

(Q) Out in the woods, huh?

(A) Yeah, totally. I live in a town of 1,200 people. There are more cows and farmland in my town than there is people. I'm a country boy.

(Q) You said that Staind will be around as long as your fans want you here. Hopefully that will be a very long time. If for some reason you aren't, what is one thing you hope Staind has represented in music and to your fans?

(A) A band that just never really tried to fit into any fad or to be a flavor of the week. We always have set out to try and write good songs that we like, first and foremost. We're our own worst critics.

And just to be remembered for writing good songs. I certainly don't want to be remembered for the freakin' kind of jeans I was wearing or my haircut.

It seems that that seems to be what the bands are being judged by these days. It doesn't have anything to do with whether the music is good or not - it depends on what your style is.

It's like, when did what you wear and your whole style and image really completely replace whether you were a good musician or not? There are so many musicians out there who are so amazing that will never get the opportunity because there's a hundred bands out there that are taking up space that are mediocre at best - musicians that just look really good. I mean, it's kind of a shame.

Some have praised their sometimes melancholy lyrical content and some have bashed them for sharing their emotions. Singer/songwriter Aaron Lewis told us in an interview a while back that he's always honest with the band's songwriting.

"All I've ever been able to do in the lyrics that I write is be honest. That's when the most brutal honesty that I have comes out. My lyrics usually reflect how I feel about life. That's all I've ever been able to do. I've never really been able to make things up and write songs like that. It's always real."

Atlantic is still looking for the next big rock band to break loose like Staind did with their monster hit "Break The Cycle," which was released in 2001 by the now defunct Elektra Records. With rock being in a proverbial slump, Lewis was asked what could fix said slump.

"It's talent, you know? People that have the ability to write their own songs, and that have the ability to write another record after their first record. And on their first record there's gotta be more than one song that might be a radio song. Hence, the one hit wonder that so many people have heard and seen, and what's insane is the amount of money that was dumped into that one hit wonder that never really amounted to anything. You can't run a business that way."

For the remainder of the year Lewis will spend his time divided between solo tour dates and shows with Staind. To find out where Lewis or Staind will be playing in a town near you, check out staind.com.

Singer Aaron Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki pound it out on cuts like the guitar-swirling "Mudshovel," the breakthrough hit "Outside" (presented here in its "Family Values" 1999 tour version), the crushing ultra-smash "It's Been Awhile" and latter-day gems, like the hook-filled radio fave "Right Here."

Several previously unreleased live acoustic cover versions are also featured on the disc, most notably impressive versions of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and Tool's "Sober."

The disc is being released simultaneously with the companion piece DVD "Staind: The Videos."

This Saturday, Nov. 4, however, the often-reclusive frontman may very well meet his “flightiest” admirer to date in Kelly Dulouz, a woman who will fly 3,000-plus miles to see Lewis perform an acoustic show at the Longmeadow High School he once attended.

“Last year, Aaron gave one of his Alvarez guitars to LEEF, an education assistance foundation here in Longmeadow,” explains Pete Thomsen, a school faculty member who is helping to organize the fundraising event. “They ended up auctioning that guitar off on eBay for $5,000, and the woman who won the bid is flying in for this show. Aaron will use the guitar during the concert, then present it to her personally.”

While Thomsen can’t promise that Lewis will have any other schwag to dish out that evening, he does add that as of press time, tickets to attend the special one-night only performance in the cozy 600-seat hall were still available for $60 in advance or $75 at the door. For more information pay a visit to: www.billupsworldentertainment.com or call (413) 733-1169.

If that’s not enough, it appears that altruistic Aaron and the boys have also signed on for another benefit occurring Dec. 2 in Mobile, Ala. One with their good multi-platinum friends Three Doors Down, no less.

It’s Three Doors Down & Friends, a one-night only, special show with guests Hinder rounding out the bill. Didn’t take a think tank to come up with the show’s name, but all proceeds from the event are earmarked for a great cause—aiding Katrina victims along the Gulf Coast that Three Doors calls home. Those wondering what it’s like to have Three Doors Down—and friends—in high places assisting a cause like this need only refer to last year’s receipts. The 2005 concert brought in more than $300,000 for Katrina relief.

Lest anyone think that Lewis and company have bowed out of the commercial market, think again. In what is shaping up to be a recurring trend, the Staind vocalist will hold court at Mohegan Sun’s Cabaret Theater for a series of solo acoustic shows beginning Dec. 27 and continuing until New Year’s eve. On Nov. 14, the band proper will release a multimedia assault of a CD, The Singles: 1996-2006 , and a companion DVD (three guesses on that title)—just in time for the holidays, too.

She was Laura Enos then, the assistant manager at the Springfield Taco Villa, a former Mexican restaurant on Sumner Avenue. Aaron Lewis, the kid with the long, thick, curly black hair, was the busboy, sometimes the dishwasher.

"He was a wicked cool kid," she recalls. "He was just nice. You know what I mean? One of those guys who got along with everybody. I remember he had one of those wallets on a chain. He wasn't a big talker, but sometimes he would talk about his music, but I never heard him sing. He was really serious about it, though. He'd invite people over to his house. I'm pretty sure he lived on Orlando Street off Sumner. He'd play after we'd close the restaurant. My ex-husband, who was my boyfriend then, would walk me home, and he'd go over and listen to Aaron play. He always said Aaron was great."

Laura left Taco Villa in 1989.

"I was five and a half months pregnant," she says. "That was the last time I saw Aaron. How long ago was that? My daughter Sam is a senior in high school. Older than Aaron was then. I didn't see him again until one day six or seven years ago my ex-husband turned on MTV - and there was Aaron, unplugged. He made it! I felt pride when I saw him. And, of course, I love his voice. His vocals are incredible. Anytime I hear Staind on the radio, I turn it up. My favorite songs? 'Right Here' and 'It's Been Awhile.'"

She starts to sing "It's Been Awhile."

Staind, the Springfield-based band with the worldwide following, has topped Billboard charts for weeks on end, sold more than 30 million compact discs, been on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and played "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Aaron Lewis is the band's lead singer, with a distinctive voice and a shaved head. He is a 1990 graduate of Longmeadow High.

Laura is 36, within weeks of turning 37. She is remarried. She also has a 3½-year-old daughter, Brianna. While she still loves music, the last concert she saw was The Who, "Maybe eight years ago," she says.

J. Geils was the first band she went to see, "way back when" at the Civic Center. Bon Jovi is still probably her favorite band.

For the past 14 years, Laura has worked as a bookkeeper for the accounting department of The Republican. Part of her job is measuring all the ads in the paper. Two weeks ago, she noticed the ad promoting Aaron Lewis' Nov. 4 solo concert at Longmeadow High to benefit the school's music program.

"I knew I had to go," she says. "I've never seen him play live. This was too good to pass up. And I just wanted a minute with him. I wanted him to sign something for me that he would get a kick out of."

Laura has a drawer at home full of sentimental knick-knacks, including an old Taco Villa menu.

At $6.50, a steak and chicken fajita was the most expensive item on the four-page menu. The bean taco went for a buck.

"We had great food," she says. "I loved the refried beans. Yum."

The ad for the benefit concert noted that a limited number of VIP tickets for $100 were available and that those ticket holders would have access to a reception and a chance to meet Aaron Lewis backstage after the show.

"I've never paid $100 for a concert ticket in my life," Laura says. "But I called the number at 10:30 a.m. At 12:15, I received a call from Mr. Peter Thomsen, a music teacher, who told me that he was holding my ticket in his hand."

Laura is sure she set some kind of record in her Dodge Durango getting to Longmeadow High from Main Street in Springfield.

"A choir was singing when I arrived," she says. "It was wicked cool to hear."

She handed Mr. Thomsen a check for $100, he handed Laura a ticket for seat 10 in row C.

"I don't know if I am more nervous or excited about Saturday night," she says. "I know everybody will want to talk to him, but I just want a few minutes. I'm bringing the Taco Villa menu. I'd love if he'd sign it."

Local fans will have a chance to give the three-time Grammy nominee a royal hometown welcome on Nov. 4 when Lewis steps onto the stage at Longmeadow High School's 600-seat auditorium to perform a solo concert to benefit the school's music program.

Lewis' desire to give something back to his high school sends a heartwarming signal that music and the arts are critical to a well-rounded education. Longmeadow High School's music program has excelled under the direction of teacher Peter W. Thomsen, who is in his 33rd year as a music teacher at the school.

Last year Lewis donated an Alvarez Yairi DY84 acoustic-electric guitar to the Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation that fetched $4,850 on eBay. Tickets for this year's concert go on sale at the high school today. Tickets will be $60 in advance and there will be a limited number of VIP seats at $100 each.

We expect a sellout crowd to greet this homecoming king.

It was first announced last fall that Lewis wanted to return to the school and perform, and the show will now take place following a tour by the band. The concert will benefit the school's music program, and will take place in the high school's auditorium, which seats about 600 people.

Tickets will go on sale at the high school on Oct. 16.

"It's something he's wanted to do for over a year now. It's just a matter of clearing his schedule," said Peter W. Thomsen, who is in his 33rd year as a music teacher at the high school.

The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be $60 in advance, and $75 at the door in the unlikely event that any tickets remain unsold at that point.

There will be a limited number of VIP seats, at $100 each. The $100 ticket holders will have access to a reception, and they will have a chance to meet Lewis backstage following the concert.

Thomsen said he was thrilled that Lewis, one of his former students and a 1990 graduate of the high school, will perform at his alma mater.

"This guy has every reason to be anywhere else at this point in his life," Thomsen said. "He's not a child."

Thomsen also said Lewis intends to come to the school and spend some time with students the day before the show.

Last year Lewis donated an Alvarez Yairi DY84 acoustic-electric guitar to the Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation, and the instrument was auctioned on eBay.

Washington state resident Kelly Duluoz won the guitar with a bid of $4,850, as well as snagging tickets and backstage passes for the show.

Lewis autographed the guitar.

"I can't believe it got that much," Lewis said in an e-mail after the auction. "I'm starting to think about selling all my guitars for that kinda money."

Thomsen said Lewis will play some songs on the guitar and present it to Duluoz.

Springfield-based Staind became hugely successful following its first gig in 1995. The group's No. 1 chart successes have included the compact discs "Break the Cycle" and "14 Shades of Grey."

There are two ways in to this exclusive event, be listening to win them on air or WAAF Army Members log on now for your chance to win passes!

Since their breakthrough record "Break the Cycle," it may seem to some that Staind has taken a progressively more melodic direction. Don't tell that to singer Aaron Lewis, though.

"I think we've always been melodic," he said. "Even on the first record when it was a heavier, more metal style of music, it was still melodic. We've just tried to grow a little bit with every record. I guess maybe that could be perceived as getting more melodic, but I think some of the heaviest songs that we've written yet are on this record."

This record is "Chapter V," Staind's latest effort, which was released in late 2005. It's the band's fourth major-label record and, as the title suggests, fifth overall. The journey to this point began in 1999, with the platinum selling major-label debut "Dysfunction." But it was their 2001 record, "Break the Cycle," that turned them into a household name. Fueled by a live acoustic version of the song "Outside," the record debuted at No. 1 on Billboard, and the mega-hit ballad "It's Been a While" pushed sales to more than 8 million copies. The next two records, "14 Shades of Grey" and "Chapter V," also debuted at No. 1 and have gone platinum. The success and a brighter outlook on life haven't changed Lewis' ability to deliver the band's earliest songs, often angry anthems drawn from his own life experiences.

"I'm a product of what all that stuff created," he said. "I don't feel like that any more, but that doesn't mean all those feelings don't still affect my life. They've made me what I am. Sometimes that's cool, and sometimes it's not."

One thing that people often miss in Staind's songs, Lewis said, is the positive message. Though delivered in an angry way, he said most of his songs have a twist.

"One of the biggest misconceptions of me over the years was that I was this miserable, down in the mouth, unapproachable person, but in actuality, these people just weren't really listening to what I was saying," he said. "They were picking out key words here and there and misjudging me on everything.

"I don't just want to throw it out there in your face. I'd rather be a little more creative about it and sneaky about it and make you really listen to figure it out. But I've found over the years that most people don't listen that well."

That doesn't keep fans from connecting with Lewis' lyrics and feeling a deep bond with the band's music. Though he's heard it a lot from fans over the years, it still hits home.

"The surprise might be gone, but it's still amazing every single time I hear it," he said. "It really makes me feel good about possibly having accomplished something in doing what I do."

Another misconception about Lewis is that he's a mysterious character. There's no mystery, he said. He's just not that into calling attention to himself.

"I guess out of the things that I might have been pegged as over the years, I don't really mind that one," he said with a laugh. "I guess it's because I'm not wanting to see my face on TV. I'm not about wanting to do every single interview that I possibly can. I could care less. What I'm about is the music and being good at delivering it. That's what matters."

It's an attitude that carries over on the stage, where Staind abstains from the glam, glitz and glitter that many rock bands use. What you see is what you get — four guys focused on the music. Usually what Lewis wears on stage is what he wore all day, and he is often statue-like as he tries to recreate the songs live.

"I don't want to be the center of attention," he said. "I want to be part of the band. I don't feel the need to be the idiot jumping around going, 'hey, look at me ... everybody keep looking at me ... no, no, no, don't look away, look at me.' I'm much more concerned about delivering the melody the way it's supposed to be. That's my goal."

Lewis said the band hasn't really begun to think about a follow-up to "Chapter V" yet. They'll be on the road until at least October, then Lewis plans to launch a solo acoustic tour in February and March. He's done some one-night acoustic shows here and there, but is looking forward to a full tour.

"That's something a little different that hasn't fully happened yet," he said. "It will be my acoustic adaptations of some Staind songs and a bunch of eclectic covers that you might not expect me to play."

The idea for Staind germinated in Springfield, Mass., in 1993, when Mushok and singer Aaron Lewis began talking music over a keg of beer at a Christmas party. The two managed to exchange phone numbers just before the drunken host threw everyone out of the house.

A few months passed before the two had the chance to get together and jam. Mushok was thrilled with Lewis' vocals and followed up the jam session by calling his drummer buddy Jon Wysoki. The three enlisted a bass player who lasted a year with the group. Bassist Johnny April signed on as the permanent bassist in November 1995.

A year later, the group self-released a debut disc, "Tormented." A chance opening slot for Limp Bizkit brought Staind to the attention of Bizkit singer Fred Durst. Durst was offended by the band's album-cover artwork, which included a bloody Bible and crucified Barbie doll. Durst wasn't mollified by the explanation that the cover depicted the room of a mentally unstable character in one of the album's songs. However, when he saw the band perform, his opinion of the band changed.

Durst declared that Staind was the best live act he'd seen in years, and helped the group get signed to Flip Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic, in 1998. For a while, Durst became sort of a big brother for the group and co-produced the band's major-label debut, "Dysfunction," in 1999.

Soon Staind didn't need mentoring. The band's second disc for Atlantic, 2001's "Break the Cycle," sold more than 7 million copies.

The group's 2003 follow-up, "14 Shades of Grey," also went platinum, but Mushok says that it was a wake-up call when the band toured Europe to support the disc. The group had played to thousands in Europe during its first tour, but sometimes played to only a few hundred on its second trip.

"The European tour after '14 Shades' was the biggest disappointment of our careers," says Mushok "It really derailed us. We had 'Break the Cycle' and did really good (in Europe). Then '14 Shades,' and the record company didn't do anything. We had friends over there who didn't even know the album was out."

He says artists need to keep an eye on all aspects of their career. The group members found out later that the record company had cut corners on promotion.

The band's recent tour of Europe, to support the 2005 album "Chapter V," went better. And Staind performed for American soldiers at military bases - something the group members specifically asked to do.

Mushok says that in the 10 years Staind has been making music, just the nature of getting the word out about a band has changed a lot.

"For a band coming up now, the Internet is really important. I think that's the way record companies do A&R now. If they see a band with 10,000 downloads, they start checking it out."

And if a group does get signed to a label?

"From that point, you're at the base of the mountain," says Mushok. "First, you gotta get a record company that believes in you, and then - good luck!"

And then, he says, an artist needs to keep his or her eyes open.

"It's a business," says Mushok. "If you let it, the business can destroy your love for the music. You battle it all the time."