Throttlerod Interview: Dude, Has Anyone Seen Josh?
The limited acoustic Starve the Dead EP aside (and that’s not one you actually want to push to the side, because it rules; see “Hate this Town” for irrefutable proof), the 10-year story of Virginia‘s Throttlerod has been one of going from noisy to noisier. Over the course of their four full-lengths — including the latest and recently reviewed Pig Charmer (Small Stone) — the Richmond trio has become continually more aggressive and more streamlined, sounding at last as though they’ve stripped their music of any and all frills and honed their most effective balance yet of melody and anger.
Guitarist/vocalist Matt Whitehead, bassist Andrew Schneider (also the Brooklyn-based producer for Cave In, Puny Human and many others) and drummer Kevin White have seen their reputation grow in tandem with their shifting sonic approach, and though they’re a decade into their career, their music has never sounded fresher than it does now. Whitehead took some time out over his lunch break to answer the email interview that follows the jump. Enjoy.
Obviously over the years there?s been a big change in Throttlerod?s sound. How much did bringing in Andrew have to do with it? How do you feel about the older material at this point?
Throttlerod has been around for over 10 years now whereas Andrew has been playing with us for less than two years. Without taking anything away from him, Andrew has had very little to do with the ?change in Throttlerod?s sound.? However, one of the best things he?s brought to the table has been the whole bass counter-melody component. ?He?s also good at keeping us reigned in as far as song-lengths go. As far as the question about older material goes, it?s still fun to play a lot of it — it really depends on the mood.
Where does the jagged noise influence come from? Are you conscious of balancing melody and dissonance in the songwriting?
Small Stone conducted market research that projected a 17 percent increase in sales if we had three percent more of a jagged noise influence. I mean, how can you argue with those numbers? That increase goes straight to the bottom line!
Seriously, I?d say we?re fairly conscious of balancing melody and dissonance. Not to sound too calculated or anything? it?s not like we?ve ever sat down to finish a song or a record with a particular formula in mind or anything, but that type of balance seems to be more exciting and challenging for us.
How does it work writing songs with a third of the band so far away in Brooklyn? Are you trading files back and forth? Seems a hell of a distance to drive for practice.
Yep. Having a guy six to seven hours away is difficult to say the least. There was usually a general sketch for the songs before we all three got together in one room which is really no different from the way it has worked in the past. This band has written very few songs by just ?jamming.? A rare exception is ?The Sweetness.? Kevin and I were waiting for Andrew to finish smoking and I just started messing around with this guitar thing and Kevin jumped in with the beat. Shortly after we started playing, we noticed Andrew motioning behind us to keep going as he hit ?record.? Aside from that instance, email and other forms of modern technology were our friends during this writing period.
How has the playing relationship changed between you and Kevin since the band formed?
We still laugh at each other when one of us screws up and laugh even harder when the third guy screws up.
How is it working with Andrew in the band vs. recording with him?
Working with him in the band is so different from just recording with him. As any band knows from recording with Andrew, you are only allowed to speak when spoken to and you are to NEVER, under any circumstances, make direct eye contact. Oh and if his coffee has cream in it, watch the ?f? out. Some of these rules were lifted once he started playing with us. Some, but not all.
Who and where is Josh? What?s the story behind that song?
I don?t know where Josh is currently. That was my question. We think we may have left him at the bar one night, but maybe he left with that girl. I don?t know, but I wish him well.
In terms of naming the songs, there are a lot of one word titles on the album, even more so than on Nail. Is that something you do on purpose, or just a consequence of keeping things straightforward and aggressive?
I?d like to say it was a conscious decision related to keeping things straightforward and aggressive, but the reality is that the one-word titles were probably the result of the laziness and me naming at the last minute. Before they had real names, they had bad inside-joke ?working titles? that will be burned in my memory forever.
?Hum? is badass. That?s not a question, I know, but if you?d like to talk about the song, the riffs that make it up and recording it, that would rule.
Aww shucks? Well, that song was the first one that I wrote for the album. Kevin and I recorded early versions of those immediately following [former bassist] Chris [Sundstrom]?s departure from the band, so it?s actually kind of old at this point. That was one of those songs that just came together out of nowhere?.I was just sitting there playing my acoustic and wrote almost the entire song in 10-15 minutes. When we got together with Andrew for the first time, he added a bass line underneath the chorus, which then turned into the outro of the song. It wasn?t until we recorded it that we realized the chorus was in ?10.? Kevin says often that it?s hard for me to write in 4/4. It?s really easier than I make it out to be — I just like to watch him try and figure out what the hell is going on.
Pig Charmer — is that as opposed to Pig Destroyer? They?re from VA too, do you know those guys at all?
No, that never occurred to me until you just asked that question. I could be wrong since I know very little about that band other than the name, but I think they?re from northern VA, not Richmond.
2009 marks a decade of Throttlerod. Do you have any reflections on 10 years in the band? Any favorite moments you?d like to share?
The last 10 years have been a hell of a ride. Really, the best thing about the last 10 years has been meeting all the great people and bands on tour. As far as specific moments go, the journey to and along the west coast of the US in 2001, playing for 18,000 people once in Richmond, and opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers in Raleigh are up there.
I know you guys are traveling north for the Small Stone showcase in Boston come September. What else does the band have planned going forward?
We?re really excited about the Boston show coming up. The last time we played up there was a disaster so we hope to redeem ourselves in September. Even better, it?s the Milligram reunion, which I?m really excited about seeing. Their last record, This is Class War, is near flawless in my book. We have more shows planned going forward and we?d like to go to Europe for a couple weeks, so we?ll see.
Tags: Richmond, Small Stone, Throttlerod, Virginia
