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The Obelisk Questionnaire: Raphaël Jaudon of Goatfather

Posted in Questionnaire on February 16th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Mr. Jaudon (Photo by Yog-Sothoth Photography)

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: Raphaël “Grizzly” Jaudon of Goatfather

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

I play drums for a bit more than 10 years now. I’ve been in a few bands before, playing mostly post-metal and black metal, and at the moment I’m the drummer of a stoner band named Goatfather. Well, I guess that’s an easy way to describe it. But as soon as it comes to genres, subgenres and so on, I’m not quite sure anymore! The band is born from all the musicians’ stories and personalities, so our music incorporate a lot of different atmospheres. That’s what I like to do. I’m not the kind of musician that elaborates the whole concept in his head and then tries to make it happen exactly the way it was designed. When we met we had no idea what the music would become: it came up after a great deal of rehearsals, listening to and playing with each other.

Describe your first musical memory.

Both of my parents are classical musicians, so I feel like I’ve been surrounded with music all my life. When I was a newborn baby they put my cradle on the top of the piano while my dad was playing. I slept just like that, but I woke up as soon as he stopped playing. So, this must be my first musical memory: feeling uncomfortable when the music stops!

Describe your best musical memory to date.

This is both a musical and cinematographic memory: the scene where Denis Lavant is dancing to the song “Modern Love” by David Bowie, in Leos Carax’ Mauvais Sang. He’s listening to the song on the radio, and all of the sudden he starts running like a madman in the street, half dancing half moving randomly and hitting the air with his fists. I discovered this movie when I was a teenager and this scene struck me deeply. The song so perfectly fits the situation that it can take over the character’s mind and body. Anybody who likes music lives just to feel moments like these.

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

I always thought I was immune to stage fright. I see my fellow musicians getting more and more nervous before getting on stage while I always stay calm and focused. Well, it was true until the first time I played on a festival stage, with thousands of people staring at me. That was hell of a test (and hell of a pleasure too)!

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Artistic progression is a tricky thing. On the one hand, it leads you to become more confident and proud of yourself. The more you practice, the more you learn new ways to express the feelings you have in mind, the more you feel ready to complexify your compositions. But on the other hand, you must be careful not to lose the spontaneity that drove you in the first place.

How do you define success?

I’m not a huge fan of the word “success”. Sometimes you just want to express a feeling, coming straight from your guts, and people happen to identify with it, no matter how many likes or listeners on streaming platforms. That’s the most precious thing in a musician’s life, and we’ve all experienced it at least once. The moment you start considering your music in terms of numbers or success, I feel, that’s where you begin to lose yourself. Sometimes even “small” bands happen to have this kind of thoughts, and it makes me very sad.

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

The more I hang around in the musical scene, the more I witness disrespectful behaviors that I wish we had wiped out long ago. There’s still a lot of sexism, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia around us. Every day you learn that some band you like has acquaintances with fascism, every day women you like are abused during a show or a festival. I’m sick of it. The field of heavy music still has a lot of things to work on.

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

When I look back at my life I realize all the music I’ve created is quite luminous, despite all the blast beats and the heavy tones. For example Goatfather’s latest album Monster Truck is full of hope and desire for freedom. In the future, I’d like to try making something really dark for once! Expressing nothing but despair, absurdity and the fear of death. I’m not sure I’d be able to do this, but it’s worth getting a shot.

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

Art reminds us that beauty exists and is priceless. In the everyday life we’re all stuck in boring routines and deceptive activities, and it makes me very sad when I think of all the people that will never have the chance to experience anything else in their lives — because of poverty, war, depression or any other shit that can happen. Let’s face it: 90% of life sucks. At least art and music can help us fill the rest with joy and previously unsuspected emotions.

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

Revolution!

www.facebook.com/goatfatherstoner
https://www.instagram.com/goatfather_stoner/
www.goatfather.bandcamp.com
www.argonautarecords.com

Goatfather, Monster Truck (2021)

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Goatfather Premiere “Convoy” Video; New Album Monster Truck Out Now

Posted in Bootleg Theater on October 15th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

goatfather

With their collective tongue duly in cheek, French heavy rockers Goatfather released their second album, Monster Truck, in September through Argonauta Records. What’s in a name? Plenty. And here’s the thing: if you find yourself wondering — as I did, I admit — how seriously you need to take a group of grown-ass men who’ve made the conscious decision to call their band Goatfather, consider that both of the major stylistic traditions in which they’re working, sludge and stoner rock, have a history of silly bandnames. Consider Weedeater and Bongzilla, or Truckfighters and Orange Goblin, let alone Goatsnake or any number of others. Goatfather are by no means the first on this particular ground. Plus, The Godfather.

As with so much else in life, it all makes much more sense once you experience the music. Monster Truck, which ports a vision of ’70s truckerism emphasized in the video premiering below for opening track “Convoy” into a metaphor for personal freedom, a lifestyle outside the sedentary structures of our age, ensues with righteously thickened grooves. “Convoy” gallops through its verses and hook at the outset and “Punish the Punisher” isn’t far behind, but the second track and the subsequent “Blood of My Brother”GOATFATHER Monster Truck bring the more aggressive, sludgier side of Goatfather to the forefront as well as the vocals shift from cleaner burl to a harsher, throatier shout. “Monster Truck” itself also works within this duality, but pushes outward as well, touching instrumentally on a languidness that will surface again at the album’s finish in “Shelter.”

And there’s plenty of asskicking still to be done before they get there, with “Don’t Give Up,” “Mile After Mile” and “In Your Face” — the latter of which boasts a lyrical statement of intention well worth seeking out on Bandcamp (linked through the player below) — and Goatfather do not veer from their purpose. “Mile After Mile” ties back in directly to the trucker theme, and does so as the shortest cut on Monster Truck at 3:43, with a raw take on heavy rock and roll that’s actively working to dispense with bullshit, pretense, and anything else that might be keeping it from getting its point across. It and “In Your Face” are both a little more nestled-in when it comes to tempo, and that works well setting up a flow into the nodder “Shelter” — there’s a hidden acoustic reprise as well — which neatly conveys the rugged individualistic theme, summarizes the punch of the whole record and goes out on a last hook invoking the desert. If you’d ask more, you’ve missed the point.

Sam Peckinpah is known for various depictions of violence. Straw DogsThe Wild Bunch. I’ve never seen Convoy, the film from whence Goatfather constructed their video for the song of the same name, but I can’t help but be reminded of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 classic Riding With Death and, of course, of C.W. McCall as well, and I think that’s well in like with the vibe the French foursome are going for.

By all means, enjoy:

Goatfather, “Convoy” video premiere

Goatfather on “Convoy”:

Stonerheadz!

Here’s a video for “Convoy”, a song we’re so proud of that we even made it the opener of Goatfather’s latest release, “Monster Truck”!

As you’re about to see, this video is a bit unconventional. It’s made of footage from Sam Peckinpah’s 1978 road movie “Convoy” (fun fact: it’s also the title of the song! amazing!), starring a bunch of wild truckers defying authority and the police to gain their freedom. We’ve been inspired by this movie and a few others in the same genre while writing and composing the album, hope you’ll like it!

Of course we could’ve made some real shooting, with our ugly faces playing music in some random ugly place… but hey, do you guys really wanna see that? Instead, you shall enjoy Peckinpah’s ferocious images, cause this is the kind of feeling we want to share in our music: impressions of speed, filth and freedom.

Join the ride!

Monster Truck Tracklisting:
01. Convoy
02. Punish The Punisher
03. Blood Of My Brother
04. Monster Truck
05. Don’t Give Up
06. Mile After Mile
07. In Your Face
08. Shelter

All music and lyrics by Goatfather, 2021.
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Warmaudio studio (Décines, France) by Mickaël Kassapian.
2021, Argonauta Records for vinyl and CD versions.

Goatfather is:
Drums : Raph “Grizzly” J.
Bass : Quentin “Greunt” J.
Lead Guitar : Pierre “Menhir” B.
Rhythm Guitar/Vocals : Yann “Olaf” S.

Goatfather, Monster Truck (2021)

Goatfather on Facebook

Goatfather on Bandcamp

Argonauta Records website

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Goatfather Sign to Argonauta Records; Monster Truck out in 2021

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 15th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

It brings a sense of normalcy to my day when news comes through about Argonauta Records signing a band. Really, it’s good to know that amid all the pervasive chaos that seems to unfold every single exhausting day, Gero is out there snagging this or that act for release sometime in the not-too-distant-yet-still-entirely-unknowable future. In this case, it’s French burl-rockers Goatfather, whose 2017 single “Black Goat” you can hear below and who made their debut in 2016 with a record that somehow they decided it was a good idea to call Hipster Fister. Well then. If you need me, I’ll be giving the benefit of the doubt that all such sexual aggression is taking place in a loving and consensual context.

The new full-length has the more innocuous title of Monster Truck, and as the parent of a toddler who spends a goodly portion of his day thinking about such things, I know damn well somebody who is going to be excited about whatever video might accompany the release. Fingers crossed anyhow.

Release is tagged for “early 2021,” as per the PR wire:

goatfather

French Heavy Stoner Rock Overlords GOATFATHER Sign Worldwide Deal with Argonauta Records!

New Album, “Monster Truck”, Coming in Early 2021!

French heavy stoner rock overlords, GOATFATHER, have announced their signing with Argonauta Records, who will release the band’s sophomore album in early 2021!

With their acclaimed debut album, “Hipster Fister”, GOATFATHER quickly gained high praise from both fans and critics alike, and burst into the heavy rock scene with shows in support of acts such as STONED JESUS, MARS RED SKY or PLANET OF ZEUS to name just a few. Their filthy blend of high-voltage, heavy and powerful stoner rock takes you on a wild ride, and GOATFATHER’s new album will show no signs of slowing down on that trip! Fasten your seatbelts, as the “Monster Truck” will be rollin‘ as LP, CD and Digital formats in early 2021, says the band about their upcoming collaboration with Argonauta Records:

“Stonerheadz!

As Bruce Willis once said, to be the best you have to work with the best. So we’re very proud to announce our collaboration with Argonauta Records and All Noir! We know that Gero, Mona and all the Argonauta family are real music lovers, who like it heavy, fuzzy and groovy. Seems we were made to get along!

Now let’s kick some asses! Goatfather’s 2nd album “Monster Truck” will be released in 2021 in LP, CD and digital. So brace yourself and see you all in the pit (hopefully)!“

Label owner, Gero Lucisano, comments: “I’ve got the chance to be in touch with Raphaël, band’s drummer, a few months ago, he sent me some links and some band details I immediately found intriguing. After exchanging few messages I immediately got the band would have been ready for a collaboration with a label. They not only have a top notch sounding album, they also have that kind of attitude that I dig when it comes to understand that from now on we will work as a team. So do not expect GOATFATHER being just a band with a massive wall of groovy songs, yet also a bunch of guys with attitude and the need to shout their strength to the whole world. I’m excited to start now to work with them!”

Goatfather is:
Drums : Raph “Grizzly” J.
Bass : Quentin “Greunt” J.
Lead Guitar : Pierre “Menhir” B.
Rhythm Guitar/Vocals : Yann “Olaf” S.

www.facebook.com/goatfatherstoner
www.goatfather.bandcamp.com
www.argonautarecords.com

Goatfather, “Black Goat”

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