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: Roelof Van Tonder of Acid Magus

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

Simply put, I’m an aspiring musician, heavy emphasis on aspiring. I’ve always been in love and obsessed with music and I’ve dabbled here and there but never committed fully. I fucked around a lot in my early years, had way too much fun (if you know what I mean) and I also thought being like the musicians I admired wasn’t attainable for me. During lockdown I lost my job, and some other stuff happened that threw me into a deep depression. Music is what got me out of bed, practicing for hours every day gave me a sense of purpose and achievement that got me through a really tough time. My friend Keenan started a new project, and was in need of a drummer. I said fuck it and threw in my lot although I could barely play a single song. I realized how happy playing music made me and I should take this chance. I don’t think Keenan imagined anything to come from it at that point, but I was hell bent on proving myself. Many hours of practice, often without a working drum kit I managed to get to a point where my playing was passable. Since then I’ve moved to bass, it was another instrument I had which I could play when I didn’t have a drum kit, and I ‘ve just focused on getting this project to be successful. What I do is very much what is required at the moment, be it play a different instrument, do social media, organize shows or fill in a questionnaire. My journey is my own and I find that pretty cool now.

Describe your first musical memory.

Well… there’s many but one that I’ll never forget is listening to my dad’s Chris de Burgh CD, Spanish Train. The title track if you don’t know is a story of God and the Devil playing a game of cards for the souls of dead, on a train to the afterlife. The combination of storytelling, philosophy and music was just the coolest. I listened to that song many times, sometimes singing along other times thinking about life. I was a very broody child if you can tell!

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Frist show I played with Acid Magus on drums. We all played well, and it was just simply exhilarating! Felt like I was leading a charge into battle, hacked my way through some songs and it was over. Pure bliss!

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

The depression I went through during lockdown had me reevaluating life, it really confronted me with a lot of my beliefs of what a worthy life is and what a successful future looks like.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Art and expression usually are synonymous, and I agree but really dedicating yourself to an instrument, craft or art requires a shit ton of discipline in many aspects of your life not only the time spent practicing. To be able to express yourself effectively, honestly and with confidence you need to get a lot of things right outside of your craft, and you need to find balance and purpose in your daily life. So I think artistic progression stems from the full spectrum of life, knowledge, relationships, philosophy, experiences, and honest hard work. Seeking your inner voice and expressing it is good and all, but I think we overemphasize creativity and art. Life imitates art as they say so stop trying so hard and just live. I say this like I do it with ease, but it’s hard trust me!

How do you define success?

Being able to pivot and do what you desire without having to worry about what you’re leaving behind. And simply, being worthy of happiness, emphasizing appreciation. If you can do that every day, you’re a success.

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

It’s morbid but I saw my cat Charlie get run over by a car right in front my eyes. She was emotional crutch during lockdown, and got me through a really tough time.

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

I study history, and I think anyone who has read about South Africa’s early frontier history would agree it’s just waiting to be told in a spaghetti western style movie. My sisters are in the film industry, check out Acid Magus’ music videos for some of their work, and I’ve always wanted to write a historically accurate, narrative script set in South Africa’s frontier and make a movie with them.

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

Catharsis and documentation or immortalizing memories. Not always to the degree of processing something heavy like trauma, or something official like painting a president’s portrait. It can be something simple like doodling when bored or taking a picture of a friend. We live life and find moments that need processing and art naturally lends itself to this, just as it documents these moments that are important to us. I often think of cave drawings in this sense. People painted what they held dear or had value, but also express tumultuous times or experiences that people should remember and learn from.

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

Getting old, I’m curious where life will take me and where the world will go.

https://www.facebook.com/acidmagus
https://www.instagram.com/acidmagus/
https://acidmagus.bandcamp.com/

http://mongrelrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/mongrelrecords
http://www.instagram.com/mongrel_records
https://mongrelrecords1.bandcamp.com/

Acid Magus, Hope is Heavy (2023)

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: Mathijs Van Meensel from Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers

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

First and foremost, we make music and have a good time. It doesn’t really have to get any more complex than that, but there are two interconnected factors that explain why we make the type of music that we make, and why we have such a good time. Quite simply, we make the music we want to hear with the people we want to hear and play it with. As for how we came to it, the answer can be found along that exact vein. Our drummer, the founder of the band, realized that the type of music he loved wasn’t being played much in Belgium, so he contacted a few of his friends and that was that. From the very first rehearsals it became obvious that we shared some special connection, which shines through in our creative process, musical chemistry and onstage energy, but perhaps most clearly in our backstage banter.

Describe your first musical memory.

I distinctly remember chugging beers and rocking out to Black Sabbath’s Paranoid in my mother’s womb, she fucking loved that tune.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I don’t think I have any musical memories I would call the absolute best, but I suppose the musical memories that have had the most influence on me must be my earliest run-ins with Pink Floyd, especially Dark Side of the Moon. I remember sitting in front of my computer at about 14-15 years old just listening to them and being transported to another realm. I know that by now it’s a huge cliché to say Pink Floyd changed me not only as a music fan but as a person as well, but nonetheless I feel like things mostly become clichés for a reason, and seeing as so many people share that same experience with the Floyd, there must be something to it.

Another great memory is finally getting to see Acid Mothers Temple live in Liège, we were there with most of the members of the band and it was absolutely amazing. Somewhat strangely I’ve known them for a really long time now. About 10 years ago the Youtube algorithm decided to introduce me to this bunch of spaced-out Japanese rockers and I’ve loved them dearly ever since, so finally getting to see them in the flesh was mindblowing.

I had to ask the band if they had any other memories because it’s such a personal question, and some other good ones came out. For example, one of our guitar players remembers listening to Maggot Brain during his first experience with space-cake, he told me “[his] bed turned into a spaceship man”, and I can totally see that happening. Another one of our guitarists mentioned the time we went to France as a first band teambuilding trip. While we were there, we jointly listened to Matthew Halsall’s beautiful minimalist jazz tune “Only You” and just all fell silent and enjoyed. That song holds a special place in the band’s shared heart for sure.

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

I try not to hold on to any beliefs too firmly, I prefer to remain mentally malleable. The beliefs I do hold onto firmly though, like equality and ecology, are not likely to be tested by anyone.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

It is unclear to me what exactly you mean by “artistic progression”.

Artistic progression can be viewed as a broad historical phenomenon, or as something personal to the individual artist. In the first case, I would disagree with the term “progression”, as I do not believe art progresses in the same way as for instance medicine or technology. The history of art is not a progression, but rather the assimilation of a tradition of tastes and impressions hailing from the human experience. This assimilation, in turn, leads without end to a more and more expansive library of the artistic tradition.

As for the more personal interpretation of artistic progression, I would like to divide the response into two sections: first, the progression of any individual work of art; and second, the progression of the artist as an artist.

The progression of any individual work of art leads to a cut-off point. At a certain point in time, the artist must say enough is enough and determine the work of art ready for publication, which is of course much more easily said than done.

The progression of the artist as an artist leads, preferably, to a purification and as such an intensification of their personal aesthetics.

How do you define success?

I’ve never thought about defining success, I’ll know when I get there. For now though, small victories will do nicely.

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

I once saw a whole chicken coming out of a can from a dollar store and let me tell you, it did not look like chicken.

Btw, if you’d like to see what I’m talking about, here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nrcgTp0SChU

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

Anything but whole-canned chicken-soup.

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

To me, the most essential function of art is its non-functionality, its ability to exist without any clear purpose and to create in the face of nothingness. Uselessness is what makes art so special and powerful. To view art as necessarily connected to a utilitarian value, is to diminish its potential. If it is created impulsively and without any clear function, art manages to escape from the everyday drag of late-capitalism where the cadence is determined by the dictum “time is money” and any time-consuming move needs to be justified. A good analogy would be a jam-session. When you’re deep into a half-hour musical freakout, with all the musicians on fire and creating on the spot, something unique and undefined happens. It is exactly in this undefined happening that a true and unfiltered artistic spirit reigns supreme, and at such a time, everybody, artist and audience alike, is connected in a distinct and ephemeral moment that will never be replicated.

This is not to say that art cannot have certain functions. For instance, art can make people happy, it can make them sad, and if used correctly, it can humanize. However, I am firmly against the idea that clearly defined functions can or should be essential to any art form.

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

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https://www.facebook.com/MojoAndTheKitchenBrothers
https://instagram.com/mojoandthekitchenbrothers
https://linktr.ee/mojoandthekitchenbrothers

https://laybarerecordings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/laybarerecordings/
https://www.instagram.com/laybarerecordings/
https://laybarerecordings.bandcamp.com/

Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers, Mojo’s Heavy Cream (2023)

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: Rob Garven of Cirith Ungol

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

“It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” Quote from the movie Batman Begins.

Describe your first musical memory.

When I as a small child my parents bought me a drum to play with.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

When I look back on the recent years, the memories I have, are burned indelibly into my consciousness. They are filled with endless flights to distant destinations, meeting new friends, and playing at venues that once were only a dream back when we started. One moment however is seared into my mind. We played the “Chaos Descends Festival” out in the forest near Crispendorf, Germany. The festival is named after one of our songs, and set in a scenic rural location that was surreal. A beautiful yet haunting valley, set between two small mountains with a lonely river snaking between them, and small narrow gauge train circling the area. I remember looking out from behind the drums, while pounding out our song “Chaos Descends”, seeing the trees and stars, and hearing the huddled masses humming out the refrain, louder than our amps. I could feel a direct connection to the earth elementals, and all those fevered souls in attendance, rhythmic swaying in frenzied unison, with the pulsing of the molten metal we were laying out before them! The feeling I experienced was beyond description, and will remain as long as I draw breath!

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

The cowbell.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Artistic progression leads to the “Dark Parade”.

How do you define success?

“A Churning Maelstrom of Metal Chaos Descending!”

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

The first hair metal band…The horror…..

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

A perfect “Cirith Ungol” shirt.

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

The most essential function of art is its reflection of reality.

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

Sharing time with those I love.

https://www.facebook.com/cirithungolofficial
https://www.instagram.com/cirithungolband

http://www.metalblade.com
http://www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords
http://www.instagram.com/metalbladerecords

Cirith Ungol, “Velocity (S.E.P.)”

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: Julia Gaeta of Dreamwheel

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

Playing music feels like an inevitable path, but one that didn’t become clear to me until around 21 years old. My parents are both professional classical musicians and I spent much of my early life in the musical world surrounded by virtuosos. I tried various instruments that never held my interest. But something hit me while I was in college with the guitar. I started skipping university classes to stay home and play. Since those early days of covering stuff on guitar in my bedroom, I’ve ventured into songwriting, playing live, etc.

Describe your first musical memory.

My mom had a big ’90s wooden entertainment console in our living room when I was growing up. There was a TV, stereo system with 2 giant black speakers on the sides, and drawers full of cassettes and CDs. I remember picking out Holst’s The Planets – specifically the version recorded by the Berliner Philharmonic and conducted by Herbert von Karajan.

I sat with my back against the speakers so I could feel the bass, and closed my eyes. I was totally transfixed by “Mars”. I would go back there and play it over and over again and just become enveloped in a feeling, like I was floating in the complete blackness of space. I think this shaped my love of 5/4 time signature specifically, as well as variation in textures and dynamics in music. “Jupiter” is another great one – it’s got an absolutely heart-wrenching melody towards the middle.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Seeing my dad play clarinet with Metallica in-the-round for S&M2. I’m not sure anything I ever do with music will bring the same level of unbridled joy I felt from that one, since Metallica is the band that got me into heavy music. I laughed and cried and screamed and all that. After the gig, my dad and I were out at a random pizza joint and some Metallica fans came up to him and were freaking out. He ate it up – he’s totally not used to that. It was hilarious.

Wow, I’m talking about my parents a lot, aren’t I? I guess there’s a reason for that. They’re mostly responsible for this path I’m on, whether they like it or not!

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

Every time I’ve made it through a tidal wave of self-doubt or crippling anxiety. You are not your brain…

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I feel that the second I get caught up in outcomes or final destinations, things start to feel less authentic. So I don’t really think about this too often.

How do you define success?

As a musician? I don’t think I have a single definition – it depends on the day. It could be creating something that stands the test of time in my own head, or creating something that pushes me into more authentic expression – like when I started solo music. It could be having an awesome musical collaborator like I do in Dreamwheel or getting to know incredible people through the act of creating. It could be someone telling me they resonated strongly with a song, getting my music played to more ears or being invited to play somewhere new. It could be having access to a clean bathroom backstage.

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

I love big bustling metropolises, and over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to call several of them my home. But recently, especially since the pandemic, big cities in both the US and Europe seem to be more and more challenging places to live for not just artists but people in general. Homelessness, drugs, rising prices, lack of affordable housing, etc. It’s a tough pill to swallow for those affected.

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

Plenty of stuff. Something gnarly and anonymous. A film score. More weird guitar-based stuff. My first full-length solo record.

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

If I knew, I probably wouldn’t feel compelled to create anything.

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

Snuggling my cat.

https://www.instagram.com/dreamwheel
https://dreamwheel.bandcamp.com

https://instagram.com/nefarious_industries
https://facebook.com/nefariousIndustries
https://nefariousindustries.bandcamp.com
https://nefariousindustries.com

Dreamwheel, Redeemer EP teaser

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: Felix Gebhard of ZAHN

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

In ZAHN I play electric guitar, a craft that was taught to me (unbeknownst to them) by listening to and watching several generations of electric guitarists play numerous styles and genres of music.

More generally – being moved by music made me want to create a bit of it myself.

Describe your first musical memory.

Riding up front in my father’s Volkswagen van, listening to the cassettes he used to play – mostly The Beatles, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ton Steine Scherben.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Barely being able to play guitar but nonetheless writing songs and recording a 7“ with my first band mere months after its formation was a very intense experience.

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

Above-mentioned first band sacking the drummer, then breaking up altogether, then, a few weeks later, surprisingly playing a show with two new people replacing the drummer and myself was a pretty sobering episode.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

As artists progress they – if they’re lucky – discover paths to places hitherto unknown to themselves. Where those places are, or what or why they are, nobody knows beforehand. So I honestly can’t say.

How do you define success?

I am currently extremely stoked about the new album we made with ZAHN. To be able to collectively create something that leaves all three of us scratching our heads in awe thinking: “This really didn’t just come out the way we thought and hoped, it actually turned out even better!“ makes me feel that we were quite successful with this one.

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

The flyer to above-mentioned show by above-mentioned first band.

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

With ZAHN I would like to get the opportunity to make music for film or theater.

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

Art in its best moments can give people subliminal pushes in new directions and make them think about things they hadn’t seen or thought about before without being too striking about it.

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

I haven’t had the chance yet to put my canoe in the water this year – I hope to be able to do that before the fall.

https://www.facebook.com/zahn.band
https://www.instagram.com/zahn.band
https://zahn3.bandcamp.com

https://crazysanerecords.com
https://www.instagram.com/crazysane_records
https://www.facebook.com/crazysanerecords
https://www.youtube.com/c/crazysanerecords
https://crazysanerecords.bandcamp.com

ZAHN, Adria (2023)

ZAHN, “Apricot” official video

ZAHN, “Idylle” official video

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: Alex Bossen of Oxx

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

I like to play and write music. I try to keep it at that.

An unhealthy consequence, I think, of how we tend to mythologize art and artists, is that it ends up being about everything else than the art. We’re so obsessed with the personal lives of our favorite musicians, that the music becomes intrinsically linked to their sufferings and trials. I mean, even the PR campaign for Oxx’s own, most recent record, has been heavy on the personal stuff. So I’m no better. But I think there’s a widespread misconception that suffering produces great art, and that miserable people are more creatively inclined. Or more broadly: that music is as much about how you feel as it is about the actual music. Which is wrong. Everybody suffers in very real, very valid ways. Some suffer a lot more. A lot of both groups make music. And most of it sucks. The notion that the intensity of your emotional life is somehow linked to the validity of your music is a distraction that keeps people from seriously discussing the art and practicing the craft as much as they should.

I’ve certainly been guilty of this myself. So I try to keep it simple these days. I play and write because I enjoy being around art as much as possible. And it keeps me out of trouble.

Anyway: how did I come to do it? Too dysfunctional to do anything else, I suppose.

Describe your first musical memory.

My parents playing Ibrahim Ferrer on the stereo while having guests over.

Or Scatman John on some shitty eurodance-for-kids-compilation. I don’t remember which. The first is vastly more romantic, but eurodance gets a bad rap. So let’s go with Scatman John. Rest in peace, King.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Probably by myself, practicing. Occasionally, everything falls into place, and I fool myself into thinking that I’m completely uninhibited, without any technical or cognitive constraints, and get to just play and feel good about it. That’s pretty great.

Or perhaps walking 6 k through a literal storm in Copenhagen with shit falling from the buildings and debris flying everywhere, to get to a Mark Lanegan concert. Only to arrive and find out that 1: the gig is cancelled and 2: me and the five other morons stupid enough to brave the weather are forced to stay and wait out the storm. Turns out Lanegan was stuck as well, and though pissed, decided to play anyway. In a massive concert hall for eight people sitting on the floor. I got to see Lanegan a bunch of times, and every one was transformative in different ways, but this was perfect.

And Lou Reed had just died the day before, so they did four impromptu Velvet Underground songs as well.

And a million others. I love music.

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

All the time. I resist the urge to rant about politics here…

But in the less serious department: it’s a continual source of frustration and mild disillusionment to me how many bands insist on espousing the old hardcore tenets of scene-solidarity and community, without any actual interest in either beyond how it can benefit them personally. That posturing is especially exhausting, but every other kind of careerist behaviour in heavy music is off putting to me as well.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Poverty? I’m not sure… sorta continuing where my massive rant a couple of questions back ended, i don’t think it’s very constructive to attach any grandiose goals to creative pursuits, or make it out to be anything more noble than any of the innumerable other ways of passing the time while we’re waiting to croak. I play and write music because it makes me happy. And in order to stay happy I need to do my best with it and keep in tune with whichever directions my musical interests might be heading. So it’s self-regulating in that it’s only fun if I put in an unreasonable amount of effort. It’s a worthwhile pursuit, and making an effort at honing a craft should be reward enough.

How do you define success?

If I can get to a point where I, with reasonable confidence, can declare that I’m not an asshole, I’d be happy. Not being miserable would be a bonus. Hippy shit.

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

I feel like this question could lead me down a road that might end up at me becoming unemployable. Or at several other, less serious, but no less regrettable pit stops on the spectrum of oversharing.

But pertaining specifically to the topic at hand, music, I’m immensely bummed out every time I’m confronted with how much my favorite musicians have to hustle to scrape by. It’s symptomatic of much broader structural problems in late-stage capitalism as well, but Jesus Christ. We should really get our collective acts together and take better care of the people keeping art alive and evolving.

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

Let me count the ways… I suffer from the same malaise that has driven The Rock to the delusion that he should act. The affliction in the grasp of which Dwight Yoakam thought it wise to direct a movie (he really can act though). The very ailment that, in its most terminal stages, had Sean Penn write a book.

That is to say, the particular kind of arrogance that creative people have, that makes them think they should stray from their chosen craft, and would probably be “like, pretty sick, brah,” at something completely unrelated, aside from the fact that it’s another act of “creative” self-realization. To wit: I have recurring fantasies (delusions?) of writing novels, making movies and.. I think I got offered to do porn once as well. Luckily, these kinds of moonlighting are a privilege reserved for the filthy rich. And since I’m occasionally filthy and always broke, I never had the chance of acting upon any of it. Which is probably in humanity’s best interest. I do however have a, slightly more modest, ambition of making a guitar record. Like a guitar-guitar record. I’m hoping for some weird mix between Danny Gatton, Charlie Parker and Allan Holdsworth. That I could make in good conscience, and I probably will at some point.

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

Letting us get in contact with the sublime.

But for me, this implicates a much broader definition of art. Same thing goes for sports. Or food. Actually standing face to face with proof of the extent of what a human body/mind is capable of, in spite of everything, is the most life affirming thing to me, and very far removed from any mystical notions of the soul of the artist as it relates to the cosmos, or whatever.

Experiencing someone at the peak of their craft freely expressing themselves is the most genuinely touching thing, and I try to get as much of that as I can. But again, that’s not restricted to the arts. My most substantial aesthetic experience last year was Alexander Volkanovski’s performance against Max Holloway in their third match.

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

The inevitable fall of western civilization.

A distant second place, and much less probable: that the upcoming Blood Meridian adaptation doesn’t disappoint me immensely.

Nah, fuck it… I’ll go with something much more mundane, and much more adult. I’m looking forward to getting out of bed tomorrow, hanging out with my cat, having a good 4 hours of practice time and going to the gym.

https://www.facebook.com/oxxmusic
http://instagram.com/oxxmusic
https://oxxmusic.bandcamp.com

https://instagram.com/nefarious_industries
https://facebook.com/nefariousIndustries
https://nefariousindustries.bandcamp.com
https://nefariousindustries.com

Oxx, “The Coast” official video

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: Evan Linger of Dreamwheel and Skeletonwitch

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

I never really liked anything the way I like and gravitate towards music. Growing up, everything felt like static. Not horribly terrible but also not stimulating or exciting to any degree. It was all going through the motions to fit in like everyone else; get up, go to school (later work), play sports or have a typical hobby, watch TV, spend time with people I called friends and repeat. Even at a young age this all felt like being in some kind of tedious purgatory, especially growing up in the homogenous American Midwest. I was, even at a young age, full of complex feeling and emotions that had no place in the static and dull world that surrounded me. Luckily for me, my mother is a music fan and has great taste. I began to realise that, although I could not physically escape my grey and monotone surroundings, there is a bigger and more vibrant world out there. A world that fit me or at least had room for complex emotions and thoughts. I think this is true for so many people. When we have or create music, as a fan or artist, the world doesn’t seem so dull and depressing and grey. One can give some meaning and color to an otherwise chaotic an tragic world with music. At the very least we can express or feel something deep and rich we would not normally get to feel with the power of music. I essentially came to do what I do out of necessity.

Describe your first musical memory.

It is all a mix of not physical memories but rather a switched being turned on at some point. If I had to take a guess it would be riding in the car with my mother and her knowing the words to 60s and 70s rock songs and telling me all about the song and the artists. Later thumbing through piles of LPs and listening to certain songs over and over just to catch a certain feeling again.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I have been very lucky to not just be a listener, which would have been fine enough for me, but to have put music out in the world that may have also given a handful of people the same feelings I get when listening to music. This is the best for me. On a stage or on a record, it doesn’t matter.

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

I believe nothing is fixed or permanent. If you have firm beliefs eventually you are going to get very disappointed. Everyone is living their own reality and having their own experience and you have to be flexible or at least cognisant of that. You have to be open to everyone’s perspective even of its polarising to yours. It is a daily exercise for me to recognise this and I still struggle with it.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

The whole exercise itself of progressing as an artist isn’t a means to an end or leading to some final goal. The effort to progress is the end game. Art isn’t a science with defined parameters. If you pick up an instrument or put on a new record or go to a museum that effort itself is what’s important. Our willingness to create or absorb art leads us to want to create and absorb more. Art and creativity lead to more art and creativity.

How do you define success?

This is a very personal. There is commercial, monetary and personal success. Music can exist in one or all of these spaces. For me, it is being satisfied with the effort I put in to create the music. This always feels like a big success. If I can listen back to a record I played on and know, even with its flaws, I did the best I could in that time then I feel like it was a successful undertaking.

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

I have had some good and bad experiences in the music world. All of them helped me get where I am now and I try and find some gold even in the shit ones.

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

I am on a constant quest to make songs and music that pushes emotions deeper and farther. I think a good artist always thinks he/she still has to create no matter how far they have come. I cannot imagine one day saying ‘’I did it all and it was all great and I have nothing more to say’’.

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

To move people to a place they otherwise couldn’t be moved without art.

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

Just spending time with good people that I have in my life.

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Dreamwheel, Redeemer EP teaser

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: Steve Austin of Today is the Day

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

I play music. Music that I feel inside. I was alone a lot as a kid and lived out in the country. A friend of mine showed me AC/DC “Back In Black” and I was hooked the minute I heard it.

Describe your first musical memory.

Going to Square Dances with my Mom and Dad and my Dad jamming out on his Gibson ES-175D and Twin Reverb. I didn’t know that rock music existed until I was around 13 years old.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Playing Hellfest for the second time, in 2023, and bringing both my sons, Hank and Willi with me. It was a dream come true.

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

Throughout my entire career. Music has its ups and downs. Especially if you stay true to your musical vision. Especially if that musical vision isn’t trendy and goes against the musical norms. Van breakdowns, injuries, music business madness, missing band members that were dear to me.

It’s a tough business to be in and everyone is not cut out for it. I’ve wanted to quit my band probably five times, and like a deranged masochist, I just can’t let it go. It means way too much to me. Music is my life, it’s real and I can’t imagine living life without it.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

You gotta play what you feel in your heart. How you really feel. I always want to make a new song that I have never ever heard before. Life is ever changing. If you are being true in your writing, then your songs should reflect the evolution that you are living through.

How do you define success?

My wife Hanna, my sons Hank and Willi, my dog Abi, my friends, my fans, my home.

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

I saw a man that was Dead, sitting behind the wheel of his car yesterday at Home Depot. EMT’s were gently trying to remove his body from the car. He was very old. It made me extremely sad to think that his last moments were by himself in a shitty Home Depot parking lot.

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

I would like to write and direct a film sometime and then do a score for it.

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

To share the human condition with others and hopefully provide shelter from the storm and inspiration to keep moving forward for others and myself.

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

I’m looking forward to deer season this year. I hunt every year to provide food for my family. When I am out in the mountains hunting, there is a certain tranquility that really is special. Nature, only nature and me. No bullshit, no problems, no pain or suffering. Just me and all that being in the wilderness holds.

Photo above by Nathaniel Shannon.

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Today is the Day, Live in Japan (2023)