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: Oscar Chamorro (vocals/guitar), Pepo Villena (drums), Ramón Viña (bass) from Electric Monolith

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

Oscar Chamorro: I like to think I create worlds. The hard way I guess. Lots of trial, and error.

Ramón Viña: I work as a musicologist, DJ, and I also have a role in this band. Simply because of my love/obsession with music since I was very young, and this is what led me to where I am.

Pepo Villena: A self taught drummer doing his best and I would say thanks to my mom’s patience during my young (and rebel) days I’ve been able to become who I’m right now.

Describe your first musical memory.

OC: Ta, Da, Da, Ta, Taaaaaa. The main motif of Steven Spielberg’s “Close encounters of the third kind”. I believe it was the first film I saw in the big screen, and I was pretty young, so I have a strong attachment to this movie.

RV: The Beatles. My parents used to listen to them all the time, so they are the O.S.T. of my life.

PV: Singing basque christmas carols dressed in typical basque clothes in my neighbourhood, going door to door to earn some money with my friends as a really young kid.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

OC: That’s a hard one, as there are so many… But I can mention a special one. The first time I heard “Come Together” by The Beatles under the influence of LSD. I’ve heard that band plenty of times since I was a kid, but I never listened to them like that once.

RV: Nirvana’s show in 1994 at Barcelona, and all that came during that era, music-wise.

PV: As a performer I would say any of the gigs we’ve played at the disappeared and missed Rocksound, the greatest venue Barcelona ever had. And as an audience there are lots of great memories to choose just one, maybe my first big festival as a kid. Warped Tour on 98 with Bad Religion and The Specials amongst other great bands from that time like C.I.V., Lagwagon or Ignite. Yes, I was a teenage punk rocker!

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

OC: Last time I broke off with someone.

RV: When I grow up, I realize everything I’ve been told was a lie.

PV: I was member of the workers council of my company and I’m a member of an anarchist workers union and recently had to quit the job because of the pressures and false allegations from other union members playing in favor of the company and getting rid of all the uncomfortable people on the workers council to do whatever they want with the coworkers.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

OC: To me it leads to a never ending road where I find myself chasing unreachable carrots all over, and over…

RV: It leads to experimentation, and trying new things. Always.

PV: To always keep discovering new ways of expression and boundaries to reach.

How do you define success?

OC: Being able to achieve whatever you want to?

RV: When you do the things you really want to do.

PV: Doing what you love the most for the living and not having to work for anyone but yourself.

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

OC: You don’t want to know. Trust me ;)

RV: So many things. I rather not talk about them. hahaha

PV: People with lots of ego turning into others for stupid things or being rude because of their supposed “social status” or whatever. Hateful.

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

OC: A full OST.

RV: A business related to musicology or show promoter.

PV: A nice and profitable venue in Barcelona for gigs and rehearsal rooms for all musician friends in our scene.

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

OC: To move people by touching their hearts, and minds. I think it is all about feelings at the end.

RV: Make you feel things, and inspire you.

PV: To transmit feelings, experiences or ideas to the audience/viewers/readers/etc. and connect in a way that anything else can.

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

OC: A full feature film or a TV series. Cinema is another love of mine. I’ve been poking there for years, too many perhaps, but it all ended in disaster ;) I have nice memories though. Some part inside me stills looking forward to it. Who knows?

RV: I always loved cinema, although I doubt I end up doing any of that. Mi world. and my job, both are related to music.

PV: Have my own farm or at least a little piece of land to grow things there.

https://www.facebook.com/electricmonolithband
https://www.instagram.com/electricmonolith/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5fHrOX1CLtvB8R4RUjgwMy
https://electric-monolith.bandcamp.com/

Electric Monolith, Turned to Stone Ch. 4 – Higher Selves (split w/ Saturna) (2022)

Tomorrow, April 15, marks the release of the latest installment of Ripple Music‘s split LP series, Turned to Stone. Bringing together two acts out of Barcelona’s underground in Saturna and Electric Monolith, Turned to Stone Ch. 4: Higher Selves, boasts four new tracks from the former and five from the latter, and though one doesn’t necessarily know it yet the first time pressing (clicking, tapping, etc.) play on Saturna‘s “Keep Me Trying,” which opens the proceedings with riffing born of Kyuss and Goatsnake as delivered through fuzz-boogie post-Sabbath-blues tonality, the two bands are more than suitable company for each other, Electric Monolith answering back later with the psychedelic hints at the outset of “By My Side” before they start the Uncle Acid shuffle and dig into a verse that reinvents Led Zeppelin‘s “Dazed & Confused” lumber as a vocal melody and go on to present their own vision of then-meets-now heavy in complement to Saturna earlier. I don’t know if these two bands hang out or what, but if not, they should probably be friends in real life.

The exceptional ease of the transition between one band and the other — and no, that does not mean they sound the same, because they don’t — makes Turned to Stone Ch. 4: Higher Selves a surprisingly smooth listen front-to-back, and while the striking cover art might catch the eye, it’s the hints toward Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in “Keep Me Trying” that lock the brain in place. Saturna‘s guitars are thick but not ridiculously so, and neither they nor Electric Monolith are aiming for largesse of sound as much as dynamic and the ability to physically move, a live energy captured on tape for parts active or mellow. “Following the Sun” offers pastoral vibes via electric and acoustic guitar and a melody that vaguely calls out to Blind Melon while foreshadowing the Zeppelinism to come on side B, and “Drowning” makes full use of the deceptive amount of space in the mix for start-stop riffing that is effective both loud and quiet before a highlight climbing solo and a swinging finish. “Don’t Run” rounds out Saturna‘s half of the LP and is a little more theatrical with the organ and piano behind the vocals, almost leaving one to expect a choral backing, but the lead tone later is dead on ’70s and the vocal melodies that cap are sincere and memorable. That track is somewhat buried in the transition, but would well earn a place either on Saturna‘s next full-length or its own 7″. A band doesn’t write a song like that every day.

A quick hum of fading in guitar noise, a drum fill, and Electric Monolith are on their way into “By My Side” with an immediate deftness of rhythm that serves them well throughout their five inclusions. Someone needs to mention Hendrix here, so it might as well be me, but “By My Side”‘s wah heroics give over to the much-more-Eddie–Hazel “I Hope You Feel Better,” which is a sub-two-minute interlude offering with percussive backing and drifting into the boogie at the outset of “Hold Me Again.” If you have a quota for catchy, “Hold Me Again” will see it met, but in its sharp 2:55 execution there’s still room for a bit of prog-rock chase in the middle, which is bookended after by more repetitions of the title lyric and the groove that’s been so reliably locked in all the while. It comes all the way to a close before the drift of “So Lonely Drying” and backing hand drums, watery vocals and soft-noodle guitar does for “Planet Caravan” what “I Hope You Feel Better” did for “Maggot Brain” — namely incorporating it into Electric Monolith‘s own context of songwriting and performance as they make it their own. There’s a 10-seconds-or-so stretch of quiet before “Nightmares” kicks in to put the final stamp on the split and strut out Iommic blues with appropriate showiness as the vocals match the guitar line. The longest track from either band at 6:49, “Nightmares” summarizes Electric Monolith‘s portion well, with a fleet sense of movement and by ending not with a huge crescendo, but a classy kind of drifting out.

In that finish, Electric Monolith tie their half of Turned to Stone Ch. 4: Higher Selves together with a fluidity and a sense of bigger-thinking that mirrors Saturna before them. Neither band here is just throwing tracks on tape to see what sticks. There’s a clear intention to establish a flow such that each side is like a mini-album that ultimately complements the entirety of the release taken together. You’re not going to hear a ton of hype about this one, most likely. For those who’ve followed Ripple‘s splits since the days of The Second Coming of Heavy, that they’d offer a product with such a sense of curation behind it — credit apparently to John Gist of Vegas Rock Revolution — shouldn’t be a surprise, but it is a stirring reminder that these releases aren’t to be taken for granted just because there’s a back catalog of them at this point, and that while the title of the split might be cumbersome, the actual barriers to entry are minimal if not nil and the passion behind the work these two bands from Barcelona are doing more than justifies the showcase.

Speaking of, the entirety of Turned to Stone Ch. 4: Higher Selves can be streamed here on the player below.

Please enjoy:

SATURNA / ELECTRIC MONOLITH
‘Turned To Stone Chapter 4: Higher Selves’
Out April 15th on Ripple Music

PREORDER: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/turned-to-stone-chapter-4-higher-selves

TRACKLIST:
Side A – Saturna
1. Keep Me Trying
2. Following The Sun
3. Drowning
4. Don’t Run
Side B – Electric Monolith
5. By My Side
6. I Hope You Feel Better
7. Hold Me Again
8. So Lonely Drying
9. Nightmares

Saturna on Facebook

Saturna on Instagram

Saturna on Bandcamp

Electric Monolith on Facebook

Electric Monolith on Instagram

Electric Monolith on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Facebook

Ripple Music on Instagram

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

Pairing up two cool bands from Barcelona on a split makes sense, and glad to see Ripple Music continuing the Turned to Stone thread. That’s all well and good. But damn, get a load of the art for Turned to Stone Chapter 4, which is subtitled Higher Selves and out April 15. Unless I missed it — certainly possible — I don’t see the name of the artist behind the work, but goodness gracious, it’s awesome. Of the genre in terms of theme, but the way it’s shaped out like a movie poster with the lines drawing it to the orange background — to say it’s working for me would be an understatement. I’d both see this film and put the poster on my wall, freaking out my kid forever.

I imagine it’s hard deciding on a first single from a split. Difficult enough with one band on a release, let alone two, but Saturna‘s “Drowning,” which calls out a classic Colour Haze progression in its pattern (think “Fire” for a direct comparison point), brings engaging and warm heavy psychedelic vibing that, if Electric Monolith are gonna come along and turn it to stone, that’ll be just fine from one side to the next. Note as well that Saturna recently took part in Spinda Records‘ Grados. Minutos. Segundos. split series (discussed here), and recently took on Soundgarden‘s “Outshined,” which is a braver move than you’ll ever see me make, ever, ever, ever.

Here’s that art and the tale to be told from the PR wire:

SATURNA and ELECTRIC MONOLITH team up for ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 4’ split album on Ripple Music; first track and preorder available!

The fourth chapter of Ripple Music’s acclaimed ‘Turned to Stone’ split 12″ series features Saturna and Electric Monolith. The ‘Turned To Stone Chapter 4: Higher Selves’ album will be released worldwide on April 15th, with preorder and a first single “Drowning” available now.

Ripple Music treats heavy rock fans to yet another exciting collaboration on the fourth installment of the ‘Turned To Stone’ split series, with two outstanding bands from the Barcelona rock scene: SATURNA and ELECTRIC MONOLITH. Both bands have specialized in perpetuating the spirit of rock’n’roll in its truest, most boundary-free expression: when Saturna plays a soulful, Southern-infused classic hard rock with gripping, soulful vocals, Electric Monolith operates on the edgier, more psych-laden side of the 70s rock spectrum. A raucous, epic pairing that will skyrocket listeners through a riff-walled time-tunnel to vintage heavy music heaven!

Ripple Music CEO Todd Severin comments: “Saturna and Electric Monolith are two bands that John Gist (from Vegas Rock Revolution) was pimping tirelessly, for good reason. They rock. And the fact that they’re both from Spain just made it a natural fit for a Turned to Stone split. Each band put their own spin on their side, with Saturna aiming for a slightly slower, Chris Cornell-inspired rock, and Electric Monolith simply putting the pedal down. Both sides are completely engaging. I hope the listeners dig these two bands as much as we do.”

SATURNA / ELECTRIC MONOLITH
‘Turned To Stone Chapter 4: Higher Selves’
Out April 15th on Ripple Music

PREORDER: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/turned-to-stone-chapter-4-higher-selves

TRACKLIST:
Side A – Saturna
1. Keep Me Trying
2. Following The Sun
3. Drowning
4. Don’t Run
Side B – Electric Monolith
5. By My Side
6. I Hope You Feel Better
7. Hold Me Again
8. So Lonely Drying
9. Nightmares

https://www.facebook.com/Saturna777/
https://www.instagram.com/saturnaband/
https://saturna777.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/electricmonolithband
https://www.instagram.com/electricmonolith/
https://electric-monolith.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Saturna, “Drowning”