Six Dumb Questions with Six Sigma
One imagines that, to a band coming back after a 15-year absence, there are few words as gratifying as ‘Funded.’ New Jersey trio Six Sigma, who entered the fray of a busy post-Monster Magnet scene in Long Branch that already boasted names like Halfway to Gone, Solarized, Solace and The Atomic Bitchwax, among others, with 2000’s The Spirit is Gone EP, well surpassed their goal when it came to asking listeners to help them pick up the tab through preorders on pressing the long-awaited follow-up, Tuxedo Brown (review here). The album is out now and the PledgeMusic page currently reads it at 121 percent of its funding goal. That has to feel good, right?
As to what caused the delay in the first place? Guitarist/vocalist Doug Timms (ex-Drag Pack) is perhaps brutally honest when he attributes it to “stoner rock.” And as somebody who’s waited on bands to deliver various assets from tapes and CDs to mp3s, jpegs and YouTube embeds, I can attest that not much more needs to be said than that. I call it the “two weeks phenomenon,” as in, “Yeah, should be done in about two weeks,” as years go by. It is a real thing. The band comprised of Timms, bassist Scott Margolin and drummer Mappy, Six Sigma‘s case is obviously an extreme one, but they’re by no means the only ones and by no means is 15 years the longest stretch a band has gone between releases. To wit, The Obsessed.
Tuxedo Brown, however, has the added advantage of speaking directly to the three-piece’s initial run, since that’s when the bulk of it was recorded. Save for the extended psych jam “She Burn in Blues,” which is newer, songs like “Curb Feeler” and “Here’s Yer Stoner Anthem” successfully convey the tones and energy of turn-of-the-century heavy, but come across as fresh in their presentation thanks in no small part to the blend of old material and new. Topped off with a David Paul Seymour cover, the album is a successful return for a group who seem genuinely relieved to finally get it out, and who were kind enough to discuss the odd origin and timing of the release in the Q&A that follows here.
Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:
Six Dumb Questions with Six Sigma
How many years has it actually been since these songs were written, and what made you finally decide now was the time to release them?
Mappy: Most of the songs were written in 2000-2001. We were still relatively young as a band at the time, having got together in 1999 and having just put out our first EP a few months earlier. We put this record out because we felt we had unfinished business. Bands like Atomic Bitchwax, Core, Halfway to Gone and so many others were part of our local NJ scene. The common thread in that music scene back in those days is that every band came to play 100 percent and everyone was just kick-ass musically. Being part of that, we would try to go toe to toe with each band on a musical level every night we played and this album put a bit of a light on that setting in time. It needed to come out if only for our own satisfaction and it was a great feeling to finally hear it after fixing the little things that bothered us for a decade and a half. I think this album is a testament to our dedication as a band and that we felt strongly about getting our music out there.
Scott Margolin: I suppose there are a lot of reasons why this is happening now, but a little history on the gap first. We had a record deal in place to put this all out in 2001 – these tracks were actually on our demo and were to be recorded as part of our new full-length record. Without going into drama detail, record company reneged – they are long gone and we are still here. Karma. I guess like we said on our last record, the spirit was gone at that time. We kept doing shows here and there until 2004 – very much enjoying playing as ever, however, we just plum ran out of energy to go back into the studio. Writing, rehearing and playing was far more fun anyhow.
Fast forward to the here and now… Doug had a project from his old band (Drag Pack) that was being put out digitally, and we collectively realized that: a) we didn’t have a digital release of our first record and b) we have Tuxedo Brown on 2” tape sitting in a closet, so why not dust it off and give it a proper release in the way we wanted? That was the initial spark that got us back rehearsing, creating and entertaining the idea of putting music out again. 2017 is such an unbelievable time to get your music heard and to be in total control of doing that. PledgeMusic provided us with an amazing platform which enabled us to setup preorders and fully-fund the record – we were able to offer formats that we probably never have been able to convince a record company to put out (180g vinyl, 8-track), merch for the first time and the ability to reach new fans. Digital distribution is such a trip nowadays in that your music takes on its own life form very quickly once it’s out.
Of course, who knows what it would have been like if we put it out in 2001, but that wasn’t meant to be. With all that said, this was exactly the right time to get it out.
What do you remember about recording the album? Is it strange to have it come out now when it has to be so far in hindsight for you as a band?
Doug Timms: I don’t really think it’s that strange at all. I guess a lot of people record something and then release it within the year, but it’s quite natural for me to procrastinate things for decades at a time. So, while this may seem unusually slow for other people, it’s just normal protocol for me. How can someone consider themselves stoner rock and NOT take 15-plus years to get something done?
M: I remember a sense of anxiousness as we didn’t have much time to knock this out and how cool Charlie [Schafer]’s (Word of Mouth Studios) full-analog recording setup was. We’ve been listening to it for years so it’s strange to think of it as new. It’s great being able to share it with people finally.
Who is the character of Tuxedo Brown and how does the record relate to him? Is there a story being told in the songs?
DT: It’s 1976; the album is a movie soundtrack and Tuxedo Brown is the star. He’s a streetwise scalawag, roaming the town with style and grace and a busted-up face. The songs are meant to work together to tell the story of Mr. Brown.
Tell me about writing “She Burn in Blues.” That song is such a standout on the album. Where did it come from?
DT: This was the one song entirely written and recorded in the past year. So, it’s very encouraging every time we hear people singling out that song. It gives us confidence that we can still make good music together. We came up with a great blues riff, I set my pedals loose, we smoked up a little too much, and then just recorded the jam – we filmed the entire thing as well – because, 2017. We ended up cutting a good 10 minutes off that jam for the album. The song describes what happens when Mother Nature is a jilted ex-lover, fed up with your shitty-ass ways, and decides to unleash her full vengeance upon you and your kind. She burns in blue, and you better run.
M: My favorite song right now. Maybe because it’s new. It came together quickly (in like… we discussed what we were going to do, played it through two times, then recorded it) and it evolved in a lot of ways in that short amount of time. I’m psyched because someone commented it was Zeppelin-ish [it was me – ed.] and that was the exact vibe I was feeling when I started playing it. It’s a bit of a different sound for us and may hint at what the future of Six Sigma sounds like.
Will there be new Six Sigma material? If so, how do you see the band as having changed in the years since Tuxedo Brown started to come together?
DT: Definitely. We have one-to-two albums’ worth of material already written. Now it’s just a question of whether we can break our record and finish it in under 16 years. We could potentially drop the next album at the end of this year.
SM: In terms of how we have changed over the years, it’s always hard to judge for ourselves. We play to our own tastes and are more committed than ever to creating music to that end. Our influences remain the same, but we are definitely more united than ever on what our sound is. One other thing that changed is that nobody will help me carry my bass cab any longer!
Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?
SM: Just want to thank so many people for gently pushing us to do this along the way. Lots of gratitude to those that have supported us from so long ago and never forgot about us. We are very much looking forward to performing again soon – we expect to be playing live again this summer.
Love these guys! Always have. Great interview!