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: Mike DiTullio from Harvest of Ash

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

I currently play drums in Harvest of Ash out of Salt Lake City. I started the band with our guitarist/vocalist shortly after I moved to SLC in 2018. We released a record last year that was recorded by Andy Patterson and have another record written. We’re looking for a new bassist and second guitarist to record this material soon.

Over the past 20 years I moved around the country quite a bit, mainly for work, but also in pursuit of a music community that I could connect with outside of the NYC/NJ area, where I’m from. Right after college I got a bit more serious about playing music (notably, perhaps for your readers), playing in an early incarnation of Maegashira in 2004 in NJ, before the band had a name. [Funny, because it was the drummer who ended up naming the band. -Ed.]).

As it is for many people, music has served as an escape and refuge throughout my life and something I’ve always pursued seriously. It’s also introduced me to some of my closest friends over the years. SLC has a powerful music community with a lot of interesting bands; a few heavier bands of note being The Otolith, Eagle Twin, Form of Rocket, Hemwick, Swarmer, I Hear Sirens, Iceburn, Hibernaut, NARC, RILE, Cult Leader. I feel privileged to see them play regularly.

Describe your first musical memory.

Listening to records on my parents’ record player at a very young age. “The Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale: Batman and Robin,” “Captain Kangaroo” and “Sesame Street: Born to Add.” I still own these three records. Years later I discovered that ‘Dan & Dale’ was a record made by members of the Sun Ra Arkestra and the Blues Project. Heavy stuff for a four year old.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Seeing Soundgarden for the first time in 2011. I had tickets in 1996 but the show was cancelled and then they broke up six months later (that’d be my worst musical memory). Matt Cameron is my biggest inspiration as a drummer. I was lucky enough to meet him back in 2001 and talk music for a few minutes and he’s the nicest dude.

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

I have a career working with rescue animals, and while I try to maintain the belief that people are inherently good, that belief is tested regularly.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I think most artists are in constant pursuit of a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. For me, artistic progression also encourages empathy, open-mindedness and is a way to connect with others genuinely.

How do you define success?

Trying something new. Going outside your comfort zone. Pursuing your interests. Creating something out of nothing simply to experience the process without being motivated by money or praise. Contributing something positive to the world.

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

All eight episodes of the Rings of Power.

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

I’ve been contributing some guitar riffs for Harvest of Ash’s newer material, but I’d like to put together more complete songs either for the band or a solo-project.

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

Simply put, art should evoke some type of emotion. Art should challenge us and bring people together at the same time.

I also like this quote by Jean-Michel Basquiat:

“Art is how we decorate space;
Music is how we decorate time.”

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

Hiking, paddle boarding, skating, camping, and kayaking in Utah this Summer.

https://facebook.com/harvestofash/
http://instagram.com/HarvestofAsh
https://harvestofash.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/harvestofash

https://www.facebook.com/horrorpaingoredeath
https://www.instagram.com/horrorpaingoredeath/
http://hpgd.bandcamp.com/
https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

Harvest of Ash, Ache and Impulse (2022)

Salt Lake City’s Harvest of Ash will release their debut album, Ache and Impulse, on Sept. 23 through Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. And contrary to the Roman numerology, “I – Prodrome,” which is premiering below, isn’t the opener. The eponymous “Harvest of Ash” leads off and earns its place by heralding the dirt-camouflaged complexity of the death-sludge rock that follows. But “Prodrome” is a beginning, launching a four-song suite that brings the as-stated-below central theme of Ache and Impulse forward using the suffering of migraines as a metaphor for toxic humanity.

No shortage of subject matter there, obviously. Ache and Impulse essentially begins again with “I – Prodrome,” which unfurls as the first of two seven-minute pieces before two 10-minute pieces, so clearly the intention is to draw the listener deeper into the atmosphere being created. And it’s that atmosphere that makes the placement of “Harvest of Ash” first make sense, since with its fading in feedback and standalone impression, it does crucial work in setting the mood and letting the audience know where they’re headed — down, down, down, then maybe a little up — throughout the rest of the 41-minute LP. On paper it looks like “Harvest of Ash” was tacked onto a concept record. In real life, the five-minute introduction of the gritty fuzz in Pepper Glass‘ guitar and the wrenching gurgle of his accompanying vocals, of the density and heft in Grahm Reynolds‘ bass and the sharpness of Mike DiTullio‘s snare cutting through to ground the forward motion and underscore the subtle dynamic of the material in terms of tempo. And just before the four-minute mark, Glass‘ guitar gives a little hint of shimmer through all that mud, and that’s crucial to understanding “I – Prodrome” and everything else that follows as well.

The word ‘prodrome’ means an early symptom or the beginning of onset of a disease or condition. It is getting the headache, in this case. Production by Andy F’ing Patterson, who is my write-in candidate for president in 2024, assures that when “I – Prodrome” crashes in after about a minute of its ambient guitar intro, the effect feels like it’s putting due pressure on your skull. Ache and Impulse runs contrary to genre in a few ways, whether the genre in question is death metal, doom, heavy rock, post-whathaveyou or sludge, and though in some ways it’s defined by the gutturalism of Glass‘ vocals, the accompanying sense of space in the material isn’t to be understated. “I – Prodrome” picks up this cue from the opener and expands on it, while the centerpiece “II – Aura” — referring to a sensory experience that might induce or worsen a migraine; sensitivity to light, sound, etc. — with a slog of drum thud and sparse guitar building its doomly presence over the first three minutes before the full roll takes hold, leading to an intense lead that’s clearly designed to convey pain or an unsettled feeling. But for the vocals, you might call it post-rock sped up, but its shimmer continues until the crunched-noise finish and is almost a manic answer back to the guitar in the second half of “Harvest of Ash.”

This leaves “III – Headache” and closer “IV – Postdrome,” which together represent more than half Ache and Impulse‘s runtime and which bring Harvest of Ash to places psychedelic, extreme and at very least thoughtful if not progressive, despite their arguments for their own primitivism. “III – Headache” touches on post-metal in its midsection with quick jabs-at-your-temples of feedback and resolves in a righteously thudding march into held-out distortion that leads directly into the guitar intro for “IV – Postdrome,” the longest song by three seconds, the only one to feature any kind of clean vocals — they arrive 17 seconds into the song like a plot twist in the last chapter of the story — and hold surprisingly graceful sway over that three-plus-minute procession into the ensuing lumber. Your symptoms may have abated, but it’s not quite over yet. A scathing passage of guitar at around six minutes in calls back to “II – Aura” in twisted fashion, layers to be consumed shortly by the sheer weight of what’s to come. This feels like the apex of the record, but the three-piece aren’t there yet, and the actual crescendo comes right before it’s over, a push and wash that builds as it goes until finally crashing out to silence, presumably sleep or even just the moment when you realize your head doesn’t hurt anymore and you try not to think about it too hard lest the headache hear your thoughts and return.

A debut that has this much nuance beneath its surface doesn’t happen every day, and in terms of potential, Harvest of Ash come across like they’re ready to pursue any and all avenues they’ve already laid forth. Whether it’s the most drowned-in-mud deathly stretch, an immersion in comedown atmospherics, or the might-just-take-off-and-fly guitar work, Ache and Impulse offers thrills for those who can handle it and are willing to dedicate attention to its thematic and sonic depth. I suppose if you want to just listen and think of it as being run through a compactor of rib-collapsing riffs, that’s probably fine too — I doubt you’d hear the band complain — but there’s no doubt that as you return to that experience again and again, the richness of their approach is there waiting, with hints dropped along the way for where they might be headed in the longer term: Down, down, down. Then maybe a little up.

Enjoy “I – Prodrome” on the player below, followed by more from the PR wire:

Salt Lake City’s HARVEST OF ASH is unleashing their debut full-length – Ache and Impulse. Metal maestro Andy Patterson (Sub Rosa, The Otolith) recorded the album. The band has signed to Philadelphia’s Horror Pain Gore Death Productions and the album is set for release on September 23.

Ache and Impulse builds from a migraine headache’s four stages. We become ensnared in the morals of broken people (prodrome and aura). These narrow standards stifle our instincts and gifts (headache). Yet, we can emerge from this mental fog and embrace who we truly are (postdrome).

Anchoring this journey is a meticulous blend of doom and post-metal, sludge, and hardcore. Colossal riffs, spacey interludes, and triumphant resolutions fill these tracks. Enthralling and devastating, HARVEST OF ASH pushes the boundaries while bringing the beatdown.

This eclectic sound is little surprise given the band’s origins. It is the culmination of members Grahm Reynolds (bass), Mike DiTullio (drums), and Pepper Glass (guitar and vocals) playing for decades in both East and West coast projects. After they found themselves in Utah, they found each other.

And the experience of creating a migraine-themed album? With a wry smile, they’ll tell you that it’s been one big headache.

Tracklist:
1. Harvest of Ash (5:27)
2. I – Prodrome (7:46)
3. II – Aura (7:22)
4. III – Headache (10:33)
5. IV – Postdrome (10:36)

HARVEST OF ASH is:
Grahm Reynolds – bass
Mike DiTullio – drums
Pepper Glass – guitar and vocals

Harvest of Ash on Facebook

Harvest of Ash on Instagram

Harvest of Ash on Bandcamp

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions on Facebook

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions on Instagram

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions on Bandcamp

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions website

There is a teaser clip below that you can watch for the forthcoming July 11 release, Salt and Rot, from Philadelphia post-sludge five-piece God Root, but truth be told, it’s a pretty light tease. Like you’re about halfway through the 55 seconds before it really starts to make noise and even then you don’t get much more than ambience. Entirely possible the dudes drone out across the whole record and that’s just how it goes, but somehow I’ve got my doubts after how it went down on their self-titled EP (discussed here) last year. Not to say they aren’t atmospheric, just that at some point they’re probably going to punch you in the face with volume.

However much of it they’re letting you hear beforehand, the album will be out digitally through an alliance with Horror Pain Gore Death, and the band have a limited number of self-made CDs to offer as well. Audio may be sparse, but there’s much info below, including preorder links and tour dates with Sunrot for August, all from the PR wire:

Philly sludge shamans GOD ROOT announce new album!

Philadelphia avant-garde sludge shamans GOD ROOT announce their second offering, Salt And Rot, due July 11th. Salt And Rot will be released digitally with Horror Pain Gore Death Productions and limited, hand screen-printed compact discs will be available through the band.

“We hope this record helps people escape”, bassist/vocalist Ross Bradley explains about the creation of Salt And Rot. “That’s what we wrote it for and we paid a lot of attention to how it moves from track to track and what kind of journey it takes a listener on. Thematically the record deals with the frailty of human life and of ego and the dogmas we’ve tried to build for ourselves. It’s about facing one’s mortality and letting go of what you can’t control, destroying those oppressive forces trying to control and manipulate you and becoming self-reliant outside of these systems”.

Recorded throughout 2017 with Neil Cote and Richard Bukowski at Groundwork Sound in Somerville, NJ, GOD ROOT spared no expense to create their own brand of primitive and tribalistic sludge, and the doomed cinematic soundscapes found on Salt and Rot. GOD ROOT also welcomed friends and family into the studio to participate in their “Let Go” project. “We put a call out to our friends and family to contribute something they wanted to “Let go” of. We recorded their voices/read their writings. Some of these were personal stories and some were phrases or names that meant something to them. We processed them into our track “From Hounds to Silent Skies” in a way that maintains their respective privacy. It was really harrowing and humbling to have these people we love be as vulnerable and open and honest as they were” Bradley explains.

GOD ROOT will team up with New Jersey power sludge band SUNROT to embark on a tour in support of Salt And Rot, which begins on August 3rd in Brooklyn, NY. The tour will take them extensively throughout the east coast and midwest and then return to them Philadelphia, PA on August 19th.

Pre-order for Salt And Rot is available now.

ALBUM DETAILS
Release date: July 11, 2017
Album title: Salt and Rot
Format: Compact disc, digital
Label: Compact disc self-released, digital through Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

Track Listing:
1. Reclamation
2. From Hounds to Silent Skies
3. The Peak is Our Threshold
4. Conscious Disease

Recording and mixing: Neil Cote and Richard Bukowski at Groundwork Sound in Somerville, NJ
Mastering: Mike Cervantes at The Foxboro
Artwork: Illustration and layouts by Fred Grabosky at FTG Illustrations, additional art provided by Mary-Rose Runk
Promotional Photographs: Colour burst and live photos by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging, all others by Raechel Welch at Raechel Welch Photography
Promotional Video by: God Root

PRE-ORDER
Physical Pre-order: https://godroot.bandcamp.com
Digital Pre-order: https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/salt-and-rot

GOD ROOT
Fred Grabosky- Drums/Vocals
Ross Bradley- Bass/Vocals
Joe Hughes- Guitar/Vocals
Keith Riecke- Guitar
Jordan Stiff- Guitar/Electronics

GOD ROOT live dates:
8/03 Brooklyn, NY
8/04 Providence, RI
8/05 Kingston, NY
8/06 Syracuse, NY
8/07 Ithaca, NY
8/08 Rochester, NY
8/09 Buffalo, NY
8/10 Cleveland, OH
8/11 Detroit, MI
8/12 Kalamazoo, MI
8/13 Milwaukee, WI
8/14 Chicago, IL
8/15 Indianapolis, IN
8/16 Lexington, KY
8/17 Pittsburgh, PA
8/18 Washington, DC
8/19 Philadelphia, PA
All dates with SUNROT

https://godroot.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/godrootband
https://www.instagram.com/godrootband

God Root, Salt and Rot teaser video