The Obelisk Questionnaire: Paul Slater of Monobrow
Posted in Questionnaire on January 5th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
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: Paul Slater of Monobrow
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I don’t think too much about definitions for our music. But I would say Monobrow is an instrumental stoner doom psych prog band… that doesn’t narrow it down too much, but there are elements of all of that in our music, and I’m not sure if any one of those elements is more dominant than the others. Depends who I’m talking to, though – if it’s someone who’s clearly not much of a music geek, “hard rock” will suffice. But no matter what you call yourself, you’re always at the mercy of other people’s definitions – a Canadian trio? They sound like Rush! Instrumental stoner rock? They sound like Karma to Burn!
Describe your first musical memory.
I don’t have one particular musical memory that stands out as the first. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been consumed by a love of music. But I can remember in kindergarten, one of the activities we had to do was ask the teacher how to spell a word, and she would write it out on a cue card for you. I said “Rolling Stones”; she started laughing and said “I knew you were going to say that!” Yup, a Stones fan in kindergarten, so I guess it all starts from there! My parents had two Stones Greatest Hits cassettes, which I loved back then. Cassettes of Queen’s “Jazz” and Blondie’s “Parallel Lines” were also big favourites around that age (and still are). Another big influence was seeing all of my uncle’s electric guitars laying around. They seemed magical to me.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
I’ve been lucky to have had lots of really cool musical experiences throughout my life. Monobrow has played with a lot of great bands (legends like Iron Man), become friends with really cool bands/people in other cities, and played killer festivals like All That is Heavy, Ottawa PsychFest, and Les Nuits Psychédéliques.
Before Monobrow, I got to play a couple of shows with Budgie’s Pete Boot on drums, playing sets of Budgie classics! Budgie’s an all-time favourite band of mine, so that was pretty surreal.
Jamming under the stars in a big field in BC the night before a festival gig when I was 17 – hardly anyone around but future Sir Hedgehog vocalist Jonas (though this was a few years before we formed SH) on drums and our bass player on mushrooms!
One recent memory that does stick out is playing here in Ottawa with Zaum a few years ago on the Friday night of the August long weekend – we were grumbling about how no one would show up on a long weekend, we’re on first on a four-band bill, blah blah blah. Couldn’t have been more wrong – the place was packed, the crowd was super into us (most of whom we didn’t know, despite it being our hometown), we rocked hard, and we knew it! Just one of those magical nights when all the stars align, and everything is perfect (except that we didn’t record it, ha!).
…ok I guess that was more than one, but it’s nice to revisit good memories, especially in these times.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I don’t know about a firmly held belief, but I do feel pretty disillusioned with how gullible and reactionary a huge portion of the population has become over the last few years. I had hoped my generation was better than that. Information literacy… sorely needed.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
The unexpected! Well, hopefully, anyway. But artistic progression should make artistic sense; just because you’ve made an Into The Pandemonium doesn’t mean you should make a Cold Lake!
I’ve found that progress happens naturally just over time, when the band is on a roll, whether it’s when we’re in songwriting mode, or live mode. On the flipside, I also think you have to push yourself to progress. Maybe doing something outside your comfort zone, like using a different tuning, collaborating with someone who plays a different instrument (or using a different instrument yourself). Keep your antenna up for the happy accidents and learn from them.
But we all hit plateaus or ruts, and those can be hard to get out of. To be honest, I feel like I’m in one at the moment. I think a lot of people do, thanks to the pandemic. I know some have found the time and inspiration to be creative, but it’s had a mentally draining effect on me. Thank god we finished recording (if not mixing) the new album when we did (fall 2019).
How do you define success?
Success to me is being satisfied with what I have created, knowing I have seen a project through to its conclusion. Artistic success is why we do it, and that is the surest path to feeling “successful”. Of course, once you have completed something, it’s immediately a feeling of, “ok, what’s next?” Not to mention, it’s easy to look back at past recordings and nitpick about what you don’t like about them. But that’s what motivates me to create something new.
I also consider the respect and approval of my peers to be a form of success. If people whose taste or talent I respect likes what I/we do, then that’s really the best compliment. I’ve actually been surprised at how well Monobrow has been received over the years, considering that being instrumental is an instant turn-off for a certain amount of people. We’ve always joked that we should just credit one of us with vocals on the albums, and just tell people that they’re mixed really low…
And just for the record, we also do enjoy getting paid.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Flower Travellin’ Band in 2008.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’d like to add more visual elements to our live show. Some form of unique lighting or projections, that kind of thing. I guess it’s nothing that other psychedelic-type bands haven’t done before, but if we could put our own spin on it, I think it could be fun. A few years back we did a Hawkwind covers set for a local Lemmy Tribute night, and I uttered the fateful words “go nuts!” to the soundman who was operating the smoke machine… well, five minutes into the show, I couldn’t see my guitar neck. But watching the video playback, it sure looked great! Even simple things like that can really add to the live experience.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
To enhance your physical or psychic spaces. Whether it’s how you decorate your house, the music you listen to… It’s something that our senses need on a primal level; your eyes need to see beauty, and you ears need to hear it. If I go too long without listening to or playing music, I feel something’s missing, and my life feels incomplete. Great art takes you outside yourself, and nothing does that to me quite like music.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Travelling!
https://monobrowmanband.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/monobrowmanband
https://www.instagram.com/theonebrow/
