Long-running Birmingham heavy rockers Alunah will return with the band’s seventh full-length, Fever Dream, on Sept. 20. Following up 2022’s Strange Machine (review here) and continuing to issue through Heavy Psych Sounds — which last week announced it has re-signed them for this outing — the record also furthers the band’s collaboration with producer Chris Fielding (Conan, etc.), who has now helmed their last four albums going back to 2017’s Solennial (review here).

And while subsequent to that release the band went through their most major lineup shift, which brought vocalist Siân Greenaway on board with bassist Dan Burchmore and founding drummer Jake Mason — guitarist Matt Noble joined in 2020 — the fact remains that Alunah have never put out the same record twice. Their delve into classic heavy vibes can be heard on the suitably-hooky new single “Never Too Late,” and in the sharpness of its tonality and the urgent feel of its groove, there are hints of metal being dropped even as Francis Tobolsky of Dresden, Germany’s Wucan guests on vocals alongside Greenaway, who in the interim since 2022 has also signed to Rise Above with the more glam-rock-oriented project/alter-ego Bobbie Dazzle.

That is to say, “Never Too Late,” while catchy and very much Alunah‘s own, hints at shifts in intention as part of the band’s ongoing creative growth and expanding reach. This will likely be the record that carries them past their 20th anniversary (they started out in 2006), and moving forward feels like the most appropriate way they could possibly honor such a thing, since that’s what they’ve done all along.

Album details follow from the PR wire. “Never Too Late” premieres on the player like three lines down from here and last year’s standalone Alice Cooper cover is at the bottom of the post for further digging.

Get ready to have this one stuck in your head for the rest of the day, and enjoy:

Alunah, “Never Too Late” track premiere

With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length “Fever Dream” has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day.

Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching “Fever Dream” digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear. Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of “Sacred Grooves” and the doom and roll of “Far From Reality” each highlight the album’s ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the “Fever Dream”.

“Never Too Late” combines the bones of an idea we came up with right at the start of the writing process for the album, along with fresh inspiration that happened once in the recording studio. Fran from Wucan graciously added her vocal lines to help surpass our initial vision, so turn it up loud and enjoy.

Credits
Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan)
Artwork by Stefán Ari (The Vintage Caravan)
“Never Too Late” additional vocals by Francis Tobolsky (Wucan)
“I’ve Paid The Price” additional piano by Aaron B. Thompson (Rosalie Cunningham)

ALUNAH lineup
Siân Greenaway – Vocals
Matt Noble – Guitar
Dan Burchmore – Bass
Jake Mason – Drums

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Alunah, “I’m Eighteen” (Alice Cooper cover)

“Tethers” will be the first single from Terra Black since the Gothenburg semi-gazing doom nodders made their full-length debut with 2023’s All Descend (review here), and as that record cast an immediate sense of identity, finding a niche in heavy spacious and grand in its unfolding without being overly derivative in going about it, the song is one to look forward to. I don’t know whether it’s a holdover from the album sessions or a foreshadow of things to come — i.e., a precursor to an album — but it’s their first offering through Bonebag Records, the label headed by members of Cavern Deep, to which the band signed back in March.

Concurrent to the new track is a physical reissue for All Descend — CD and tape, which I love in a kind of contrarian way to the ridiculous production involved in pressing vinyl as I understand it — and if you didn’t hear the record, please accept this gentle encouragement to explore its spaces for at least a while on the player below. I know nobody actually needs something else to spend money on, but, well, maybe you do and you just don’t know it yet. In any case, I wanted to note for myself the new song coming down the line and I sure don’t mind having put All Descend on while writing here. I guess in the end it’s an act of self-interest.

From Bonebag via social media:

Terra Black will release their new one-off single “Tethers” on the 28th of June through Bonebag Records. It will also coincide with the physical re-release of their latest album, “All Descend,” on CD and cassette. More on this later…

Details about the physical release of Terra Black’s All Descend (including pre-order) will be confirmed in due course by Bonebag Records but in the meantime, you can stream the album in full now at terrablackband.bandcamp.com.

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Terra Black, All Descend (2023)

As regards the popular demand for ambitious Norwegian heavy rockers Slomosa — which is real, to be sure — I have to wonder how many of those sending messages and leaving comments in the band’s direction might ever have called it that their first US shows would take place in the company of veteran pop-punkers Alkaline Trio. Not me, obviously, but the odd pairing aside, Slomosa‘s ascent to the forefront of the heavy rock underground continues with this significant step, and as I was fortunate enough to see them for the first and hopefully not last time just a couple weeks ago in Germany at Freak Valley 2024 (review here), where they headlined the first night in everything but name, I’ll note that as significant a step as this tour is, the band are ready to take on bigger stages and broader geographies even ahead of releasing their second record.

As to that, no, I don’t have a release date. It was supposed to be this Fall (read: September), but whether or not that’s happening I don’t know since it’s not mentioned here and hasn’t really been confirmed elsewhere. Whatever the plan ends up being, early singles “Rice” and “Cabin Fever” (video premiered here) speak well of the follow-up to their 2020 self-titled debut (review here), and the mark on heavy rock and roll songwriting that Slomosa are just beginning to make. They’ll likely learn a few things on this tour, certainly about the differences between being on the road in Europe and in the States, among who knows what else, but emerging stronger is part of the point.

They’ve got dates listed for when Ripplefest Texas is happening, but I guess the potential for their squeezing in a stop at Desertfest New York is there, though that might be a logistical nightmare. The routing follows here, as posted on socials. See what you think:

Finally!!! A million begging messages and comments later, we can finally tell you that we are coming over the damn dam to tour the US for the first time ever!!

Catch Spanish Love Songs & us supporting Alkaline Trio on any (or several) of these 13 dates in September:

11.09 – San Antonio, TX
12.09 – New Orleans, LA
15.09 – Charleston, SC
17.09 – Wilmington, DE
19.09 – Wallingford, CT
20.09 – Wantagh, NY
21.09 – Sayreville, NJ
22.09 – Hampton Beach, NH
24.09 – Buffalo, NY
26.09 – Grand Rapids, MI
27.09 – Milwaukee, WI
28.09 – Columbus, OH
29.09 – Newport, KY

Another milestone for us, still sinking in. Thanks for bringing us along, Alkaline Trio. And who knows, there might even be some more gigs added to our schedule🤷‍♂️

This is going to be a blast, hoping to see y’all somewhere along the road🐫🐫

Tickets on sale this Thursday, 12pm NYC time, on our website and elsewhere!

SLOMOSA are:
Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar
Marie Moe – Vocals/bass
Tor Erik Bye – Guitar
Jard Hole – Drums

Slomosa, “Cabin Fever” official video

Just in case you don’t have the energy to read insta-handles, the lineup for Doom City Fest 2024 this September in Mexico City is as follows: Weedeater, Eyehategod, Belzebong, Weedsnake, Mizmor, Reverence to Paroxysm, Deep Sea, Age of the Wolf and Desollado. And 1,200 pesos is about $68 USD, so don’t be put off by the price. This is the second edition of the festival behind one that took place in Feb. 2020 with Amenra, 16 and others, and well, if you had to live through the entire world shutting down a month later, that probably would’ve been a better precursor to that experience than most around the world had.

Weedeater are of course regulars on the US circuit, and ditto that Eyehategod, but I don’t know how often they hit Mexico City, let alone Belzebong coming over from Poland or Mizmor from Portland, Oregon, or Age of the Wolf from Costa Rica. With four of the total nine acts being Mexican, there’s respectable representation of the country’s native underground, and you can hear Weedsnake‘s 2023 album, Grimorium Cannabinarum, below. I missed it when it came out in the Fall — but as I like to remind others, it’s never actually too late — but they fit right in with the crusty weedianism at the top of that bill. Gonna make friends with Belzebong for sure.

I know September is packed in various parts of the world between the US and Europe, and here’s one more to add to that list:

Doom City Fest 2024 – Sept. 21

4 years had to pass, but we came back stronger. We hope you can join us on this new adventure.

Our lineup:
· @weedeaterband (NC,USA)
· @eyehategodnola (NO,USA)
· @belzebong420 (POL)
· @weedsnakeband (MX)
· @whollydoomedblackmetal (PDX,USA)
· @reverence_to_paroxysm (MX)
· @deepseadoom (MX)
· @ageofthewolf (CR)
· @desolladoband (MX)

Presale Tickets $1,200
http://blt.mx/o0x

· Saturday, September 21, 2024
· Bloody (CDMX) @sangrientomx

Art: Diego Bureau @anti_art666

Thank you @alonsopanke @k_popper @fuerza_booking

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Weedsnake, Grimorium Cannabinarum (2023)

Heavy existentialism. With the Welsh concept of ‘hiraeth’ — being homesick for a place to which you can never return; mourning a loss of self-in-place — at its core, The Hiraeth Pit is the second Deer Creek full-length. The long-running Denver heavy rockers issued Menticide (review here) as a 20-years-later debut album in 2022, and the seven-track/38-minute The Hiraeth Pit follows just two years after with another round of consuming riff-led miseries. That relatively quick turnaround isn’t really a factor in terms of the band’s sound, as the four-piece of guitarist/vocalists Paul Vismara and Conan Hultgren, bassist/keyboardist Stephanie Hopper and drummer Marc Brooks have been around long enough to have some sense of who they are as a group either way, but atmospherically and in terms of mood, The Hiraeth Pit — recorded and mixed by Bart McCrorey at Crash Pad Studios, mastered by Chris Gresham at Ember Audio Productions — is vividly downtrodden.

It’s not that they’re playing death-doom, or even doom at all all of the time, but life becomes a wait for death within the album’s span, and lyrics like, “Why are we here again and again?/Simply fighting for your boring life,” from the penultimate “We Dreamed of Flames and Suffocation,” or the line “I watched the last bird die in your arms,” from the more broadly socially conscious “Crushed by the Hand Slowly Filling with Gold,” are emblematic of the point of view from which the proceedings as a whole emanate. With Vismara‘s lead vocals severe in delivery in a way that in other contexts might lean toward goth but is born of classic doom, the affecting depressiveness is there from the lumbering opener “Bodies to Be Kicked” onward, and it is the defining spirit of The Hiraeth Pit. As the listener, they put you right in it, and the deeper you go, the less any kind of escape feels possible. How do you escape when you’re your own problem anyway? When the mundane becomes a thing you dread?

“Grey” takes that hopelessness and departs from its first two verses into a litany of references to science fiction from Ghost in the Shell to The Wrath of Khan, but the central question around that escapism is asking the aliens, “As you get ready to leave/Will you give us a ride?” and the answer is a resounding no. We’re stuck here, in modernity. Stuck with the opiate crisis in “Bodies to Be Kicked” or the descent into distinctly-American stupid-leads-the-way fascism on “The Wretches Who Grovel” and “Crushed by the Hand Slowly Filling with Gold,’ grifted, without agency, and punished for existing as something other than rich. Stuck as “They Were Buried Yesterday” seems like it’s trying to shake itself out of grief but can’t, and stuck as “We Dreamed of Flames and Suffocation” imagines an overthrow of what capitalists sell as the natural order, but feels all the more like a dream as Deer Creek land in the bleak reality of closer “Almshouse Stench,” where “My zest for life grows cold,” and the album’s last lines beg for relief: “Save me from this pain/For I cannot face another day/Dreadful day of rain/Plagued by this clouded fate.”

To be sure, Deer Creek aren’t the first band to operate in this kind of emotional sphere of inward-looking and outwardly-trajected disaffection, but they are striking in the forwardness with which they do it, and the according feeling of gruel with which The Hiraeth Pit is delivered. It is resolute in its sadness, weary by the finish in a way that is consuming but not necessarily mirrored in the tempos of “Bodies to Be Kicked” or “The Wretches Who Grovel,” which at least feel relatively upbeat for how disheartened much of the lyrical perspective actually is. This contrast becomes part of what makes The Hiraeth Pit so engrossing, and it’s worth emphasizing the word “relatively” in that last sentence; it’s not like Deer Creek are writing Torche-style sludge-pop about feeling dead inside, but there’s movement in that opening duo and in the cave-doom-NWOBHM (think Witchfinder General and Pagan Altar, etc.) chug in the chorus of “Crushed by the Hand Slowly Filling with Gold” that lets the material come across as not completely void of hope even as “Crushed by the Hand Slowly Filling with Gold” resolves in flashes of noisy “soloing” that feel specifically in the tradition of Saint Vitus, who of course were no slouches themselves when it came to thematic downerism.

Ultimately, the lesson of The Hiraeth Pit isn’t so far removed from that of Menticide, but the sophomore long-player feels more purposeful in its construction as it makes a centerpiece of “They Were Buried Yesterday” and gives breadth to the central intangibility of mourning: “Ah, I miss you.”  Not brutal in the sense of death metal or other extreme styles, it nonetheless seems to center around the weight of its emotionalism as much as that offered tonally, and that leaves even “Grey” — which is arguably the least melancholic of the tracks, with its self-aware winks at The Empire Strikes Back, Dune, and so on — as an act of labor. But at no point, in “Grey” or otherwise, does it feel performative, like the band are putting on some woebegone veneer. In this way, “We Dreamed of Flames and Suffocation” feels almost daring in its willingness to envision living something other than the boot-on-neck life, and the most punishing impact isn’t even the extra-fervent plod around which “Almhouse Stench” coils and the low, throaty growl that accompanies, but the overarching feeling of loss and being lost that finds its culmination therein.

I’ve remarked on the lyrics a decent amount, and fair enough as The Hiraeth Pit has something to say about what serves as its crux in terms of subject matter, but it’s noteworthy that the title-line itself, which appears in “They Were Buried Yesterday,” isn’t trying to revel or celebrate grief. There’s no glee. But as purposeful as Deer Creek are in the expression that defines the work, they’re not lost in it or themselves consumed by what, as a listener, feels so consuming. This is where 20 years of songwriting before they did their first record comes into play, perhaps, but it’s also clear that in following-up Menticide, they’ve discovered something more about what makes an album a front-to-back experience. The Hiraeth Pit only benefits from this learning.

Deer Creek, The Hiraeth Pit (2024)

Deer Creek on Facebook

Deer Creek on Bandcamp

Names, names, names! As the Høstsabbat team is fresh off executing the first-ever Desertfest Oslo last month, perhaps after a week or two of “rest” that was more likely continuing the behind-the-scenes coordination that makes these festivals possible in the first place, Høstsabbat itself has unveiled the first five names of bands who will take part in the annual Oslo-based gathering this October. It’s late this year, Oct. 25-26, which is fair enough as Norway moves inexorably toward the cold and darkness of its ultra-Scandinavian winter without actually tipping over into the can’t-support-life-until-April depths, and this first announcement is headed up by Virginian progressive death metallers Inter Arma, who so far as I can recall have never played Høstsabbat before but whose cross-genre extremity makes them just about the perfect band to feature. I mean really. It’s like why-didn’t-I-think-of-that forehead-slap level appropriate.

SÂVER, who issued their righteous second album, From Ember and Rust (review here), through Pelagic Records late last year and who are also partly aligned in making Høstsabbat, will also make a return appearance, and the doomly Purple Hill Witch, Buskas and Feral Nature round out the first lineup reveal with more to come. Last year, Høstsabbat did announcements one at a time and that made it hard for the likes of me to keep up, but I’ll do my best in 2024, whether I end up grouping bands together or what. We’ll have to see how it goes as more names show up.

But generally speaking, how good a time is Høstsabbat? Well, when last I was there I tore my meniscus and had to have surgery but still retain overwhelmingly positive memories of the weekend, so yes, I feel relatively comfortable recommending it as a way to spend your time. If that requires travel, so much the better.

From social media:

Sabbathians, let’s get this train rollin!🔥

If anyone of you attended Desertfest Oslo a few weeks back, you might have noticed.
If you’ve had a drink, nap, coffee or just snagged a vinyl at any of the institutions supporting our underground in the Oslo area, you might have noticed.
If not – here it is:
The first announcement for this year’s Høstsabbat!

Appropriately, the weather these days is way more reminiscent of an October night outside the church, rather than a BBQ in June – so the timing feels stupidly on point.

The first 5 names from this years lineup is is a batch of talent spanning from veterans to rookies. Proto-doom to modern sludge, synthscapes to the use of silence.

We feel these five bands represent the core ethos of Høstsabbat, and we are dead proud and psyched to go live with them, and aim our headlights towards the festival in the end of October.

Please welcome US-legends INTER ARMA, Norwegian KVLT-band Purple Hill Witch, Atmospheric post-metal crushers SÂVER, duo-demolishers BUSKAS, and buzzing, ultra-energetic riff-mongers Feral Nature!

What a sick bunch of bands!🖤🤘

Further introductions will follow, but we have a feeling this does it for now,
Make sure to get your tickets – they are limited and then some this year🤝

Design by Thomas Moe Ellefsrud / hypnotistdesign

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Høstsabbat Spotify Playlist

There’s a lot of information below, but what it works out to is Elephant Tree are reissuing 2014’s Theia (review here) and 2020’s Habits (review here), and releasing a new B-sides/rarities compilation, Handful of Ten, in celebration of their 10th anniversary. It’s all out Sept. 6 through Magnetic Eye Records, to which the band returns following the dissolution of Holy Roar Records, and there’s a video up for the previously unreleased “Try” now.

The pitch is easy: the advent and emergence of Elephant Tree from London’s e’er-saturated underground is one of the best things to happen to heavy rock in the last 10 years. Their 2016 self-titled (review here, discussed here) — which I generally count as their debut, with Theia as an EP prior — remains a landmark, and I’m pretty sure the only reason it’s not included in the reissue batch is because it hasn’t been allowed to go out of print. Nor should it. But there is some new-to-listeners music included with Handful of Ten, including “Try” with the video at the bottom of this post.

Oh yeah, and I did liner notes for the Theia release.

I think that’s the basics. The PR wire has a deeper dive on all of it, plus live shows:

ELEPHANT TREE drop video single ‘Try’ & celebrate anniversary with 3 releases

ELEPHANT TREE are having a party and they’re inviting everyone to hitch a ride and join in! September 2024 marks ten years since Magnetic Eye’s release of the beloved British stoner doom quartet’s first album “Theia” (2014), and in observance of that milestone, the label is proud to showcase three releases celebrating one of the label’s landmark bands:

“Theia” (Anniversary Edition) and “Habits” (2020) are presented as reissues without additional audio content, but in new physical formats. The former comes packaged with updated artwork and significantly expanded background content (see below for more details).

The third release entitled “Handful of Ten” is a new full-length containing brand-new tracks, demos, and b-sides, and includes two of the first new ELEPHANT TREE tracks in numerous years, recorded specifically for this compilation. All three albums have been scheduled for release on September 6, 2024. Pre-orders are available via http://lnk.spkr.media/elephant-tree-ten

As a first delicious taste from “Handful of Ten”, the Londoners release the video single ‘Try’.

“This was really a cathartic exercise in playing something a little different, written with an initial cast-away attitude after a few pints on a sweltering summer’s day”, guitarist and singer Jack Townley writes on behalf of the band. “We don’t play faster songs often, let alone get space to add them to records. The subject matter is about someone conforming to try be a model citizen, not wanting to step out of line in fear of the repercussions. He tries his hardest to not express his alternate views while others around him conform and in the end it all boils over, leaving him feeling ‘forever lost’.”

Tracklist:
1. Attack of the Altaica (2013 Demo)
2. Visions (The Planet of Doom)
3. Try
4. Bird (2017 Demo)
5. Faceless (2017 Hurin Version)
6. Sunday

The seed for ELEPHANT TREE was planted in a rehearsal space somewhere in the smelly back alleys of England’s sleepless capital of London in 2013. There, the first notes of what would become ‘Attack of the Altaica’ sprang from the bass of Jack Townley and Sam Hart’s drums. Thus, it is fitting that this earliest demo became the opening track of the band’s new rarities collection “Handful of Ten”.

Soon the duo became a trio with the addition of bassist and vocalist Peter Holland, who had already established himself in the London scene with TRIPPY WICKED & THE COSMIC CHILDREN OF THE KNIGHT, allowing Townley to pick up the guitar again. With the addition of Canadian sitar player Riley MacIntyre, who also stepped in as a third singer, the band’s classic first line-up was completed.

From there, things fell into place quickly. The infectious blend of warm, syrupy fuzz and soaring vocal harmonies on the demo ‘Attack of the Altaica’ captured the ears of Magnetic Eye Records. Soon a contract was signed and the debut full-length “Theia” was released in September 2014. ELEPHANT TREE had a lightning start and the debut album achieved an excellent reception by critics and fans alike. Now reissued as “Theia” (Anniversary Edition), the music of this milestone release is untouched, but the artwork has been given a refreshing inversion, and a wealth of rare photos, liner notes and lyrics have been added to provide a thorough look at the band’s first decade since the original release.

These hardworking Englishmen did not rest on their laurels, and in 2015 followed up with the self-titled sophomore full-length “Elephant Tree”. While “Theia” had opened the European continent for touring, their second album carried ELEPHANT TREE across the Atlantic to perform at the tastemaker Psycho Las Vegas.

In the meantime, John Slattery, who initially was added to give support as second guitarist and synth player for the band’s live shows, joined ELEPHANT TREE as a permanent member. About the same time, Riley MacIntyre decided to draw back from the band to focus on production. ELEPHANT TREE also decided to try a label closer to home, a choice which ultimately did not work out as the new label ran into trouble and left the band’s third and latest album “Habits” (2020) without the ongoing support it deserved.

During the turmoil of the global pandemic years, ELEPHANT TREE were affected and set back like everyone else. Jack Townley suffered a serious accident in early 2023, and the time needed for his recovery delayed the band again. Yet despite all of this, they put plans into motion for a return both to the stages and studio. Taking matters into their own hands, the band initiated a plan to self-release some of their material – with a little help from old friends. At long last, ELEPHANT TREE are reissuing the acclaimed “Habits” via Magnetic Eye to make it widely available once more and satisfy the continued demand.

Looking back at ten most exciting years, ELEPHANT TREE enthusiastically present ‘Handful of Ten’ containing great tunes pulled from their archive alongside the brash and blistering new tracks, ready to delight longtime followers and win over new friends to their unique brand of melodic doom: all thriller, no filler!

Mastering of all tracks by Karl Daniel Lidén
Artwork & layout by Ieva Misiukonytė

Available formats “Handful of Ten”

“Handful of Ten” is available as digisleeve CD, as a solid white vinyl LP, and as a marbled black & violet vinyl LP.

Available format “Theia”
“Theia” (Anniversary Edition) is available as 36-page hardcover CD-Artbook, and as a gatefold LP on marbled clear, white & transparent green vinyl.

Available formats “Habits”
“Habits” is available as digisleeve CD, and as a marbled orange & white vinyl LP.

Live:
13 SEP 2024 Sheffield (UK) The Corporation
14 SEP 2024 Southampton (UK) Abyssal Festival
15 SEP 2024 Bristol (UK) The Exchange
29 SEP 2024 Manchester (UK) Riffolution Festival
19 DEC 2024 London (UK) The Black Heart
20 DEC 2024 London (UK) The Black Heart

Current line-up:
Jack Townley – guitar, vocals, synths
Peter Holland – bass, vocals
John Slattery – guitar, synths, vocals
Sam Hart – percussion

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Elephant Tree, “Try” official video

Elephant Tree, Habits (2019)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Andre Dumont of Dead Harrison

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

The best way I can think of this , in every aspect of what it is we do from day to day or project to project…we are catalysts. Whether it was seeing a friend just playing an instrument really well, or seeing a fantastic piece of art that someone else captured in magnificent beauty. They were catalysts to us. A passion that was there to be shared, and it creates another moment that becomes the inspiration for someone else. Hell, even if it was someone having a nice car that they worked on. Another person comes by and starts asking questions about why things do the things they do. Now you passed on another skill or piece of knowledge to help the next race car driver to find his passion. In the grand scheme of things, it’s what some of us are. Even if my band sucks to so many people out there, there is always the other end of the spectrum. Those who get inspired by what they hear, or see, or witness. So to define what it is I think I do/ we do as a band, it’s to be part of the creation of something new. It’s not just in the music, it’s who you are as people. Interact, little by little we all morph a little more into something bigger than all of us. The universe just keeps on swirling us around in its big old celestial body. You know how the saying goes…”as above, so below”. Yeah, that’s us humans colliding with other humans in the vastness of people and matter. We smash together and BAM! Worlds are created. Really, this is a whole philosophical rabbit hole, but that’s us. How this came to be in the very beginning, was a friend who was in a band called Splatter Cats. I saw them jam once, then I felt the call to play drums. Man, that was so cool watching them light up a garage party a few weeks later. That was the start of where that drive came from. I just always hope that we can do that for someone else. To create that feeling.

Describe your first musical memory.

We had an organ at home when I was a kid. I loved listening to music. Liked the way it made me feel. So I would just mess around. Pretty much always by ear. I could never really grasp the writing of music. Just like I still have to look at the keyboard when typing. So sad. You’d think it’d be easy by now. Nope. Oh well. It did however land me some accordion lessons and a little more grasp on making dynamics. Accordions can be creepy if you want them to be. I suppose that would be in the vein of that first musical experience. Then we get sidetracked and go elsewhere, but then we come back when another experience hits us. Each memory is on its own timeline. New ideas are gathered and put into new creations.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Tough one. I have a few.. The most recent though, that’s the real stuff that hits you as a musician. After these past few years, music venues have been shutting down or just using musicians to get people in the door. Kind of a bad music memory for most of us. Until recently, we started curating shows in our rehearsal space. I’ve been lucky to have a big room in an old mill building. Well, people have been missing a good scene. musicians have been missing out on playing their most killer sets. I decided it was time to do shows, but do them with the quality that I would like at a venue. That connection to other musicians and lovers of music has created such an awesome memory as of late. If we reach just a few years back as a band, it was doing a little mini tour. Stepping outside of our little box as a band. That traveling inspired this, another place where we can share music to more people. It’s those memories that give us those best musical experiences. Always strive to create the next great one. Sometimes, they don’t come around for a while. Never give up. Even if you’re out playing some little bar in a basement rock club in Baltimore Maryland, and some peeps tell you to reach out to a group called “Feed the Scene”. Find out they house travelling bands and give them beds to sleep on after being in tents or a van for a week. A shower. Great musical memory. Community. That’s what is needed again. Make more memories!!!

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I think a lot of us gave up on firmly held beliefs a long time ago. If there’s one thing that has the possibility of making things suck, it’s forcing beliefs on people. Like playing guitar, I like it loud. Crank that amp up and feel it. Love that, firmly believed that was the thing to do. Then you play a place where someone cares about how you sound. They’re like”turn your amp down”, and you’re like nah…why? Why should I do the crazy sound persons thing. Then they throw it into the monitor nice and loud, then it doesn’t blast into the microphones on stage, then there’s no feedback from trying to crank the lead vocals. There’s times and there’s places where beliefs come and go, or they change into new understandings of how things work. Oh, we can be stubborn ones. Time changes us. What beliefs do we have that are just constructs? I have a firm belief that it’s my purpose to play music. I’ve almost thrown in the towel. Tested, feeling it was never going to do anything. Well, that belief has kept me going anyways. If that’s a belief worth having, then it’s a good thing. I believe there’s a lot of good in the world. That belief is tested every day.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Maybe it leads to craftsmanship. It also leads to new experiences. I feel that as you progress as an artist, you play with new tools, or new mediums. Usually it’s some kind of connectedness to a feeling brought about by new experiences. Watching how the world, or people around us move to the new and the old. Artistic progression is also lead by watching this and wanting to create more, but better on the next round. It’s a continuous vicious cycle the we love to be pushed by. I would love to say it leads to great things. Just don’t let it be led by ego. Some ego is good, but too much is bad. Be patient, never stop learning. It leads to passion. It leads to the heart. In the end, you are led to the darkness, but your story lives another life. It leads to passing stories and legend.

How do you define success?

Being able to accomplish a task that you have undertaken. I feel that we, as a band, have been quite successful. Maybe not in the big grand picture of the regular music world, but we’ve definitely made a lot of people some really great memories. I think that’s a big success. Maybe one day we’ll sell a million cd’s or downloads or something. That doesn’t mean we didn’t succeed as a band if we didn’t. What is a success is we’re all still here as a band, creating new hopes and new songs. That is our success. We still all work regular jobs. It is a goal that music can one day be that job we love and are passionate about…..and able to still live in this friggin expensive world.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Probably a Hurdy Gurdy. Because now I want one.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A comic book. There’s actually a really cool storyline that goes with the band. It’s all about creating a character, a group of characters per say, that are kinda secret alien guardians. There’s a whole zombie thing too, but I can’t give away details. Bad guys, good guys, secret guys….and gals of course. A comic…yes…that’s what I’d like to create. I suck at drawing humans though.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Movement. It’s a flow. Whether it’s visual, where the eye moves around taking in the information. Or, it’s notes and rhythms put together to move the body. They all lead to feeling a certain way. Feeling oneness with what you’re partaking in. A very essential function. Also, this is another important piece. Interpretation. Each person can have their own interpretation of how the art may bring about certain memories, or relate lyrics to a story of their own. Great art has an openness. It’s also expression. It’s a way for an artist to show the world what they see or feel. It can be fun. It can be sad. It can be beautiful, or it can be grating. Purpose, also another function. Last but not least, connection. All these things keep us progressing. Becoming better and inspiring the next new vision.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Taking another road trip. Travelling is such a great thing to do. Interacting with new people. Seeing new and crazy things. When? Always the question. For now, it’ll be going up to the Holiday barbeque and being with a bunch of family and friends. Keeping the good times real. Most of us were blessed with spawn. Some of our spawn have also spawned. So, looking forward to seeing and being with our most important humans. They are our friends. They are our family, they are the ones that keep us striving to keep moving forward. Plus it’s mountains, sun (hopefully), and a few brewskies. Definitely a good time to look forward to. And maybe a trip to Dracula’s Castle someday….

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Dead Harrison, None for All (2024)