This Friday, Pittsburgh drone guitarist Emilio Rizzo, otherwise known as Fuzznaut, will release the new single “Sufferlove,” as the first outing from the project since 2022’s Apophenia (review here) full-length. And like that album, “Sufferlove” cries out into empty space with solo guitar and unmitigated breadth, creating and inhabiting an atmosphere that draws the listener further across the five-and-a-half-minute expanse. Cycles of ‘riff’ bleed in amid the ambient sprawl, and with a title that perhaps hints toward its expressive purpose, an emotional crux is conveyed along with the depth of tone and the weight that emerges in the second half of the piece.
That’s a contrast — tonally, between air and earth — which Rizzo readily identifies in his own work, and which is audible in the track itself. It comes through immediately in the meditative vibe at the outset of “Sufferlove,” which echoes out not too far removed from Lamp of the Universe before finding and exploring its own space as Fuzznaut makes it sound much easier to do than it actually is, and the harder, lower-noted distortion strum that arrives at 1:35 broadens the scope of the nonetheless hypnotic piece, which cycles through the back and forth again before a thoughtful bridge leads to the more open-sounding progression — the air — to finish, interpreting a classic structure from what in another context might’ve manifest as verse/chorus/verse with a clarity of intent in following a different path.
I’ve done a few premieres for Fuzznaut at this point. Both the video for “5184” that you can see below the entirety of Apophenia that’s also down there streaming made their debut here. As Rizzo perhaps looks to move forward from the 2022 LP and headed to another collection of one sort or another, “Sufferlove” brings quick assurance of progression in sound, and one would expect no less.
Whatever it may lead to, “Sufferlove” is out Friday as a standalone single, and its patience, resonance and groove live up to that challenge of representing Fuzznaut post-Apophenia.
Enjoy:
Emilio Rizzo on “Sufferlove”:
Meditation is the practice of death. A practice of immersion and dissociation. Similar to shoegazers staring at their pedals and shoes. Are they shy or fully immersed in their music that all they can do is stare at the ground? Present and absent. Sufferlove by guitarist Fuzznaut is the sonic performance of creating a state of non return. As intangible as that might be, the latest single brings mind bending tones that are further grounded in shoegaze. However, the guitarist continues to inject crushing down tuned riffs in between the flurry of pitch bending vibrato, and fuzzed out drones. At 5:33 seconds one cannot help to be engaged in the flurry of tones, and either be lifted or grounded. Either way it’s a trip to another sonic dimension.
Fuzznaut “Sufferlove” Single 2/2024 Digital Release Independent Time: 5:33
Mixed and MASTERED BY Fuzznaut at Leafy Brain Sounds 2023-2024. Artwork by Fuzznaut
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 16th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, solo drone guitarist Fuzznaut — né Emilo Rizzo — released his new album, Apophenia (review here), on Nov. 4. And you have to believe me when I say I know it seems like the world is full of drone projects. You’re not wrong. Between the fact that just about any phone on the market can double as a recording studio and that about a year and a half out of the last two years were spent in lockdown, yes, it is not uncommon to find the rigors and anxieties of our age translated into varying sorts of soundscapes, manipulated effects, and so on. But you saw the three words ‘solo drone guitarist’ in the first sentence above and your eyes immediately glazed over, you’re missing out.
Here’s why: the thing about Fuzznaut isn’t the novelty of the makeup of the ‘band.’. Because it’s not a novelty; drone projects abound, as noted. It’s the expression in the sounds themselves. Across Apophenia, and emphasized in the closing track “5184,” for which there’s a suitably atmospheric video premiering below, Rizzo ties his guitar not only to immersive and hypnotic progressions, but to a genuine and purposeful sounding setting of mood. He uses it to convey emotion — in this case, it’s homage born of admiration and tribute, and that certainly counts — and the song rings out with a construction that’s both easy to follow and deep-running enough to lose oneself within, if only for a couple minutes.
I’m reasonably sure the footage in the early part of the clip is of Pittsburgh, and if you take the visual subtlety that brings the viewer from floating around in the ether above the city into a venue before and during a show as a clue to the song itself also following something of a plotline, I think that’s probably the idea too.
The full stream of Apophenia, whether for meditative or deep-dive purposes, is at the bottom of this post. You’ll find the video for “5184” below, followed by some comment from Rizzo on its intent.
Please enjoy:
Fuzznaut, “5184” video premiere
5184 off the album Apophenia by Fuzznaut.
5184 the closing track of Apophenia. The main riff was written the day Eddie Van Halen died. It was a somber day in the guitar community and just felt the need to play and that just came out. During a part of the song, I tried to get some vibes as a nod to his tone. His influence is so profound that anyone who picks up a guitar, it would resonate. Overall, this album is about sitting with adversity, but not letting inside/outside negative forces devalue your struggle.
Apophenia written and recorded by Fuzznaut at Strega Sana Sounds March-July 2022 Mixed and Mastered by Erik Peabody at Viking Guitar Productions Artwork by Fuzznaut
Pittsburgh-based drone outfit Fuzznaut will release the 28-minute debut full-length, Apophenia, this Friday, Nov. 4. Following up 2019’s Form is Emptiness (review here) and the 2020 single “Haunting Mantra” (premiered here), the six-tracker is more definitively a first album in flow as well as runtime, which is still on the don’t-overstay-welcome end of short but for guitarist Emilio Rizzo, owner-operator and sole-proprietor of the project, it’s still plenty of time to lay out a course of expressive standalone riffing, marked throughout by changes in effects and maybe some layering, but almost exclusively centered around the chords and repetitions of the instrument itself.
With tracks on either side of five minutes — longest is “What You Seek, Seeks You” (5:45), shortest is closer “Seconds Between a Swing and a Hit” (4:13) — Apophenia evokes a meditative atmosphere quickly as the initial feedback of the leadoff title-track gives way to the first declining, established riff, not as slow or empty-space Americana as mid-period Earth, and obviously more sparse in arrangement since it’s just guitar, but definitely taking inspiration from the Dylan Carson oeuvre in tone and style, hinting in that regard even unto the David V. D’Andrea-style fonts and color scheme of the cover art, also by Rizzo. Clearly he knows what he’s going for.
Despite the fact that there’s just one instrument repeating parts, gradually building one progression on top of the one before it, a kind of natural movement through each piece, I don’t think it would be fair to call Apophenia — the title referring to the fine art of making connections where there aren’t any, which I think applies both to reading too much inflection into a text message and to modern obsession with conspiracy theories — minimalist, since wherever Rizzo goes, whether it’s the stark spiremaking of “Parasitic Oscillation” or the Black Mare/Ides of Gemini-style tension of “What You Seek, Seeks You,” which follows, the feeling of movement is always palpable. If we’re meditating, that doesn’t seem to mean the world has stopped.
That sense of motion isn’t quite a sweep until “Hawks Over Fifth” marries a backing synth-style drone to a guitar line that’s reminiscent of the Westminster chimes or whatever grandfather clock happens to be in your memory association, and settles into that up and down pattern smoothly, offsetting with a lead in the midsection that feels duly bright before working into more open strum declarations to finish on the way to “5184.” Whatever the reference — is it Van Halen? Black Sabbath? Dune? — the penultimate inclusion answers the landscape-making tendency of “Hawks Over Fifth” with a broader, chugging echo and a howling slow-lo in its second half, fading at the end having returned whence it came as though to reassure structure still exists.
“Seconds Between a Swing and a Hit” — a title that I immediately associate with baseball but could really be about any number of things, among them violence — is perhaps not as tense as the title might make one believe, but the rhythm of its component parts feels designed to drive toward the final interplay of solo and riff, which cuts off cold after swelling in volume but never going so far as to be a ‘grand finale,’ which would inevitably upset the careful balance Rizzo has worked hard to strike in this material. The meditative aspects of Fuzznaut‘s drone are prevalent in Apophenia, but the songs seem to reach out as well as within, and if the connection being imagined is between the listener and the songs themselves, I somehow doubt Rizzo would mind.
Never gonna be for everybody, but some will fall hard into it. Only one way to find out where you land, and that’s listening.
Full stream follows, with more from the PR wire after. Enjoy:
From the artist on Apophenia: I heard the word Apophenia from a true-crime podcast intro in 2020. It is defined as the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. The pandemic was at its peak there was isolation, and a dark uncertainty about everything. Apophenia to me resonated as the state of things at the time.
There are a lot of things in the world have a darkness and intensity to them that can be harnessed to create something that is grounding and affirming. This record is a vehicle of going through turbulent times, mourning, and using that pain into fuel to persevere. There are two specific songs that are tributes. The singer of Planes Mistaken for Stars died In 2021. They were a huge influence on me creatively, and there was always a riff inspired by them. I had wrote it way before Fuzznaut had been created, when I was learning guitar. Seconds Between a Swing and a Hit is a tribute and tonally trying to capture and honor some of that influence. 5184 the closing track of Apophenia. The main riff was written the day Eddie Van Halen died. It was a somber day in the guitar community and just felt the need to play and that just came out. During a part of the song I tried to get some vibes as a nod to his tone. His influence is so profound that anyone who picks up a guitar, it would resonate. Overall, this album is about sitting with adversity, but not letting inside/outside negative forces devalue your struggle.
Credits: Apophenia written and recorded by Fuzznaut at Strega Sana Sounds March-July 2022 Mixed and Mastered by Erik Peabody at Viking Guitar Productions Artwork by Fuzznaut
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 24th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
The connection to Tee Pee Records for trad-style vintage-minded heavy rocking Pittsburgh four-piece Sweat would seem to come via bassist Dan Hernandez, who also plays in Limousine Beach, whose self-titled debut (review here) was issued through the label earlier this year. Vocalist/organist Sue Pedrazzi at least was if she isn’t still (oddly enough I don’t know the personal details of this band I’ve never written about before and never actually spoken to) married to that band’s frontman David Wheeler, so there’s another link there too.
Accordingly, I saw the words ‘Pittsburgh’ and ‘Tee Pee‘ and expected something pretty retro sounding, and Sweat‘s first single “Jane” didn’t disappoint. It’s a raw rocker — the organ for sure helps — with a bit of boogie when it settles into the verse, and they’re in and done in a little over three minutes with no time misspent. Classic fuzz with a hint of something more fragile underpinning, they’re songwriters just the same. I don’t expect “Jane” to speak for the whole album that’s apparently coming next year, but the vibe is right on.
Track is streaming at the bottom of the post, and PR wire info follows:
Introducing SWEAT: Swiss/American Rock Sensations Sign to TEE PEE RECORDS | Stream Debut Single ‘JANE’ now!
The Pittsburgh-based quartet combine British prog rock, folk rock and ’70s schmaltz on debut album, due for release in 2023
Tee Pee Records – New York’s legendary underground rock label – is thrilled to announce the signing of Pittsburgh-based Swiss American quartet, Sweat, and with it, the release of their debut single ‘Jane’ and debut album in 2023.
After leaving her home in Basel with an ear and heart hungry for authentic vintage rock, it didn’t take long for vocalist/organist Sue Pedrazzi to settle into her new home alongside Steel City gemstones; Richard Stanley (Rich the Band), Dan Hernandez (Limousine Beach, Cruces) and Kayla Schureman (Century III).
Together, the foursome formed Sweat; a traditional band with fresh and energetic new ideas that set out a stall for fans of British prog rock sensibilities, fragile American folk and heaps of 70s schmaltz. Drawing influence from the likes of Deep Purple and The Moody Blues, the strutting beat of The Who, and the wailing highs and broken lows of Heart, their debut album is scheduled for release in early 2023 on Tee Pee Records.
In the meantime however, embark on a journey with Sweat and their debut single ‘Jane’ as they lovingly envelope all they borrow, and seek to become the music makers behind your new favourite records.
“‘Jane’ is just one of those songs that make Sweat, Sweat,’ explains Pedrazzi. “It’s driving, yet gentle. It is urgent, yet sweet. It is a rocker with depth. The song describes how it felt to learn to break free from self-pity and learn responsibility for my own mistakes and my own happiness.”
‘Jane’ was recorded in March 2022 at Casa in the Allegheny National Forest, PA with Nate Campisi (of Mr. Smalls Recording Studio) Pittsburgh, PA Mastered by Carl Saff www.saffmastering.com Cover photography by Twiz (IG @twiz_lizzy) Cover artwork by Sue Pedrazzi & Elizabeth Sanchez Logo by Jack Crossing www.jackcrossing.com (IG @studiojackcrossing)
SWEAT: Sue Pedrazzi (She/Her) – Lead Vocals, Organ Richard Stanley (He/Him) – Guitar, Vocals Dan Hernandez (He/Him) – Bass Kayla Schureman (She/Her) – Drums, Percussion Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 13th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Everybody has a role to play. Derrick Vella and Justin DeTore — who have enough pedigree between them that they hardly even need the other designations — are ‘Architect of Dreams’ and ‘The Bridge Between Two Worlds,’ respectively. Esteemed guests like Phil Swanson (Solemn Lament, ex-Hour of 13, etc.) and Leila Abdul-Rauf (Cardinal Wyrm, Vastum, etc.) join in as ‘The Forlorn’ and ‘The Siren’s Call,’ and they’re by no means the only ones. Figure out your own title if you like. For the purposes of this post at least, I dub myself ‘Exhausted of Spirit.’
Quite sure you don’t need a reminder from me as to the poised death-doom that was on offer with Dream Unending‘s debut, Tide Turns Eternal (review here), when it was released last year. Thus Song of Salvation, which is out Nov. 11 through 20 Buck Spin and Ván Records, is all the more something took forward to as the follow-up. The album info below — unceremoniously hoisted from the label’s Bandcamp — drops hints of a 16-minute closer, and that sounds like a win in terms of expanding on what they did last time, and the guest appearances will no doubt flesh out the already class aesthetic that the project established last time through. I didn’t know this was coming — see ‘Exhausted of Spirit’ above — but if you were ready to close the book on new records for 2022, consider “Secret Grief” below a call to hold off a bit longer.
As seen on the internet:
The 2021 Dream Unending debut album ‘Tide Turns Eternal’ was a marked shift in musical ambition for Derrick Vella (Tomb Mold) and Justin DeTore (Innumerable Forms, Sumerlands). While structured with a foot firmly in Death / Doom, a far loftier purpose and progressivism was its hallmark, as such distancing itself from others pursuing the style. Now returning only a year later with the stunning ‘Song of Salvation’, that exploratory zeal is given substantially greater allowance to soar and shine.
The 14 minute title track opener enters like a morning sunrise over a calm sea before ramping up into ethereal heaviness like the richly textured waves of a sudden ocean storm. The songs momentum never retreats into laborious repetition, always opening new doorways, ebbing and flowing like river water from its source.
Like solitarily gazing at the downtown lights of the city at night from the window of a darkened room, ’Secret Grief’ features the guest talents of vocalist Phil Swanson and Leila Abdul-Rauf on trumpet, further widening the breadth of musical talent involved and the sweep of “Song of Salvation’s” distinctive narrative.
The tranquil interlude of ‘Murmur Of Voices’ gives way to the evocative ‘Unrequited’ that begins with a lonely solo guitar before transitioning into a drifting daze of afternoon reverie and subconscious meditation.
Finally comes the album’s epic bookend,16 minute closer ‘Ecstatic Reign’. It features perhaps the album’s heaviest straight Doom moments along with the return of ‘Tide Turns Eternal’ featured guest voices McKenna Rae and Richard Poe. Tomb Mold drummer / throat Max Klebanoff also appears for a shattering back and forth vocal tradeoff with DeTore. The album’s cinematic vision and painstaking colorful detail are fully encompassed bringing this enthralling journey to its enduring peak.
Only a year on from ‘Tide Turns Eternal’ Dream Unending’s rapid evolution on the boundless panorama of ‘Song of Salvation’ is, crucially and intrinsically, a continued departure from limiting genre norms and an adept redefining of them.
Tracklisting: 1. Song Of Salvation 2. Secret Grief 3. Murmur Of Voices 4. Unrequited 5. Ecstatic Reign
Members: Derrick Vella – Architect of Dreams Justin DeTore – The Bridge Between Two Worlds
Piano and Synth contributions by David Vella
Featuring: Phil Swanson as The Forlorn Leila Abdul-Rauf as The Siren Call Max Klebanoff as Final Judgement McKenna Rae as The Implorer Richard Poe as The Dreamer
Drums captured at Solomon’s Temple by Arthur Rizk and J.K Allison Guitars captured at Boxcar Studio by Sean Pearson Mixed and Mastered by Arthur Rizk Cover Painting by Benjamin A. Vierling Layout by Chimère Noire
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 8th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Pittsburgh’s Emilio Rizzo, the lone figure operating under the banner of Fuzznaut and perhaps underserved by the decided-unartsiness of the name, will release the project’s full-length debut, Apophenia, on Nov. 4. Shades of Earth’s drone-minded ways crop up almost immediately in the opening title-track, and the spaces Rizzo creates operating with just a guitar at his disposal are vast in the spirit of that band’s Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method without necessarily adopting the Americana bent. At six songs and 28 minutes, the album — the title of which refers to someone’s tendency to draw connections between things that aren’t necessarily related — is manageable despite the dug-in nature of the tracks and the owning-its-own-ambience taking place on “Parasitic Oscillation” or the later volume swell of “5184,” which is Rizzo‘s stated tribute to Eddie Van Halen.
You can hear Fuzznaut setting a course on these tracks, and they are duly encompassing. “Hawks Over Fifth” blends post-rock stretch with harder strummed fuzz, and “Seconds Between a Swing and a Hit” howls at the conclusion in a way that is both pointed and anti-ceremonial. There’s a fair amount to dive into, as Rizzo dives pretty deep himself.
No audio yet, but the PR wire shows some love and you can hear Rizzo‘s “Haunting Mantra” single (premiered here) from 2020 at the bottom of the post. Not entirely representative, but not nothing:
Pittsburgh experimental and psychedelic doomgaze band Fuzznaut have announced “Apophenia”: a 26-minute expedition into sonic annihilation. With “Apophenia” Fuzznaut takes the listener on a journey of somber ambience, shimmering textures, and foreboding riffs.
Fuzznaut “Apophenia” will be available digitally on November 4th, 2022.
From the artist on Apophenia: I heard the word Apophenia from a true-crime podcast intro in 2020. It is defined as the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. The pandemic was at its peak there was isolation, and a dark uncertainty about everything. Apophenia to me resonated as the state of things at the time.
There are a lot of things in the world have a darkness and intensity to them that can be harnessed to create something that is grounding and affirming. This record is a vehicle of going through turbulent times, mourning, and using that pain into fuel to persevere. There are two specific songs that are tributes. The singer of Planes Mistaken for Stars died In 2021. They were a huge influence on me creatively, and there was always a riff inspired by them. I had wrote it way before Fuzznaut had been created, when I was learning guitar. Seconds Between a Swing and a Hit is a tribute and tonally trying to capture and honor some of that influence. 5184 the closing track of Apophenia. The main riff was written the day Eddie Van Halen died. It was a somber day in the guitar community and just felt the need to play and that just came out. During a part of the song I tried to get some vibes as a nod to his tone. His influence is so profound that anyone who picks up a guitar, it would resonate. Overall, this album is about sitting with adversity, but not letting inside/outside negative forces devalue your struggle.
Credits: Apophenia written and recorded by Fuzznaut at Strega Sana Sounds March-July 2022 Mixed and Mastered by Erik Peabody at Viking Guitar Productions Artwork by Fuzznaut
Posted in Questionnaire on September 7th, 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: Aqua D
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
Earl: I would define what we (Aqua D) do as creating an alternate reality. We want to be able to transport our listeners to a different time, different place, especially at our live events. Speaking solely for myself, I enjoy letting people put on the metaphorical “EARL O’ VISION” glasses and see the world as I do, which in my opinion is a darkly whimsical place. The whole reason I started this band was because I had been so sick and tired of performing other people’s music, and being forced to project other people’s version
of the truth.
Describe your first musical memory.
Earl the Pearl: My absolute first real memory of music would probably be seeing Lynyrd Skynyrd live, I would say I was about 3-4 years old.
Shay Shay: My First experience with music was hearing the Sanford and Son theme, Quincy Jones enthusiast ever since!
Zach Woodward: Sitting in my toddler seat in my Mom’s Mercury Villager hearing “Free Bird” in its entirety for the first time with the smell of Newport Menthol 100’s in the air.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Earl: Oh this one’s easy: I was 18 Years old and it was my first ever gig with a band. We were at this tiny little bar in Akron, Ohio, opening up for an Iron Maiden tribute act. There was absolutely no one in the crowd, literally playing to other band members. But for me, it was an eye opening experience, and I’ve been relishing in live music ever since.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Earl: This one’s tough, I don’t really want to dive into specifics, BUT there have been a few occasions at my day job where I’ve had to keep my mouth shut to “keep the peace”, and lord, anybody who’s worked with the general public knows it just gets tougher day by day.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Earl: What does it mean to progress as an “artist”? Progression is subjective, Keith Richards has been playing the same three chords for over 50 years now, some could say he’s progressed in his ability to spread his art to a wider audience. In this case, I would say, “que sera, sera”.
How do you define success?
Earl: In short, Success = not eating off the dollar menu, and still having enough money to pay the rent.
Bloated answer: To Be successful is to feel accomplished in any given subject. I may not be the world’s greatest mechanic, but I feel successful when I fix up a car.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Earl: Yikes, Have you seen The Rock’s remake of Jumanji?
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Earl; Simply put; more songs, I enjoy the process of songwriting, trying to find the perfect string of words whether they make sense or not, the wondrous feeling of noodling around on a riff and having the light bulb moment of “ oh hell yeah, this goes hard”.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Earl: Art has no defined function: in its essence, Art is the physically tangible manifestation of a feeling, which is an intangible thing. so i guess art’s only main function is to inspire a feeling in another person or people’s. Unless, of course You’re Frank Zappa.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Earl: I’m just patiently waiting for my spearmint plants to pop up.
Posted in Questionnaire on August 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: Trevor Richards of The Long Hunt
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
In terms of The Long Hunt, I define myself as a guitarist, songwriter, photographer, social media manager, recording engineer, graphic designer, booking agent, video editor, webmaster, roadie, and esteemed van operator. I came to all these various roles through a combination of trial and error, sheer force of will, and a reluctant sense of responsibility.
Describe your first musical memory.
Not really sure what my first musical memory would be, but if I had to guess, it probably had something to do with the neglected 1950s ‘Kay’ brand acoustic guitar that sat in the corner of the living room, behind the television stand, gathering dust. On extremely rare occasions, and I am talking rare, my Dad might pick it up and pluck a few notes. More often than not, it was something that would get knocked over while trying to hook up the VCR or the NES. I remember that I did like the smell of it, for what that’s worth. It was kind of that ‘old wood’ type of smell. As a teenager, it was the instrument that I learned to play on. Now I have it in a case in the closet. It still pretty much smells the same.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
I am going to limit my answer to just within the scope of The Long Hunt, and even more narrowly, within the scope of live shows. Even then, I’m not sure this memory is particularly the “best” or if it’s just one good memory that sticks out among a field of several good memories.
The memory du jour is our first show as a band, which occurred Saturday, April 1st, 2017 at Cattivo in Pittsburgh. The lineup was The Skull, Horehound, and Monolith Wielder. The Long Hunt opened things up. Being our first show, this particular gig would probably stick in the mind regardless. Bolstering that fact, the turnout that night was especially good and we brought out a lot of our friends.
Up to that point, I had taken a few years off from playing live music, and this was the first group where I was kind of the de facto band leader. At the very least, I was the one with the microphone (talking between songs, not singing, just to be clear).
I was totally wired with nerves, which was especially challenging given how subdued, slow and “clean” our songs were back in those days. Believe me when I say It was an extreme challenge to keep things calm and controlled. But we did. Finishing our short set without a hitch was a massive relief and a massive release. In addition, the crowd seemed to enjoy our music, which was reassuring. This was truly the first real feedback we got as a group. It was a nice reminder how rewarding playing live music can be.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
When I discovered that the beloved children’s book series of my youth, The Berenstein Bears, was in fact spelled The Berenstain Bears the entire time [I felt the same way when I found out those people were psycho christians – Ed.]. I am not saying it’s aliens, per se, but I think Cern and the Large Hadron Collider have something to do with it.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Usually towards a large pit in which to burn money. On the way to said pit is often a journey of self discovery and what I’ll call “artistic refinement”. Refinement in the sense that the more you do something, the better you tend to get at it. In addition, the longer you do something, the better chance you have in finding people who appreciate, and maybe even understand, what you are doing. Or at least trying to do, in some cases.
To me, artistic progression has, at the very least, a partial goal that is aimed at tearing down walls of pretense and allowing the exposure of one’s “true self” to be expressed to the world, through the vehicle of one’s preferred artistic medium. I am talking about making art that is pure. Art for art’s sake. Art that is an unfettered extension of one’s being, that also has that common thread that connects with others on some deeper and meaningful level. I am not saying this is an attainable goal, but it’s a goal nonetheless. Sometimes I’ll get glimpses of it on the way to that smoldering money pit.
How do you define success?
Being successful in music seems to have a lot to do with balance, and is a relative metric that will vary from person to person and band to band. There are always going to be positive and negative aspects to doing just about anything, and if, at the end of the day, the positive aspects outweigh the negative, then you can count that up as a net “success” of sorts. One person’s success is another’s failure, of course, though I think the healthiest outlook to have is to not measure yourself too much against what other people are doing. That’s not to say one shouldn’t have goals or that one should settle or remain stagnant.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Honestly, I think we all could have been just a little better off without witnessing many of the events over the last few years, things that still keep unfolding. That said, out of even the steamiest pile of shit often grows something new and beautiful. So there is that. We’ll see.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Putting together a book of some sort might be cool. Maybe a book of photography or something more of a visual sense. Specifically band related, a book of stills from our recently released animated short film “Threshold Wanderer” might be a nice thing to put out into the world.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
The most essential function of art is communication.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
