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: Travis X. Abbott of Ealdor Bealu, Sawtooth Monk, The Western Mystics & Obscured by the Sun

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

I am an artist, through and through. Ever since I was a child, I’ve just had this drive to create things. Originally, I think people thought I was going to grow up to be an illustrator or graphic designer because I was constantly drawing things. But by the time I was a teenager, I found that music was more of my thing and have pursued it ever since. Even now, I still feel similarities between the two, even though I haven’t really drawn anything since childhood. They’re both just avenues of creation. Basically, they both involve playing pretend with an idea, having some fun with it, and working at it until it becomes something that you’re happy you’ve spent some time on.

Describe your first musical memory.

My first musical memory was probably listening to Queen’s A Night at the Opera. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what it was, or how I even came to listen to it in the first place. I was probably six or seven years old… I’m not sure. But I remembered the band’s name and that sound. It was only years later that I figured out exactly what album it was, because when I heard the first few notes of “Death on Two Legs,” I immediately knew how the rest of the album going to go. And then it all clicked.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

If I had to choose just one, I think my favorite musical memory was playing with The Western Mystics at Treefort Music Fest (Boise, ID) in 2016. It was a total risk on everyone’s part. The band itself was more “free,” meaning that we had a few themes we would play, but would improvise most of the set, and all transitions were based off of certain cues that any particular band member would signal. We had two baritone guitars, keys, drums, some ambient vocals, and had only been a full band for just a few months. Nevertheless, Treefort had us slotted for one of the prime spots on opening night of the 2016 festival (which was right after the set of other band I am in, Ealdor Bealu, on the same stage).

The house was packed and the crowd was electric, and we somehow nailed all of the transitions. Not many bands take such risks, it seems, and I don’t blame them. It had the potential to be a trainwreck, but we trusted each other musically and let the music itself lead us. Every member of that band was musically gifted, so ultimately, I wasn’t too concerned, but was still blown away by our performance, the energy of the room, and the warm reception we received. It was kind of a spiritual experience, and it set the standard for what I want music to mean to me.

In a way, I knew that the music we were making together in that group wasn’t going to last long, as the band itself formed out of the desire to play music for music’s sake – nothing more or less. In a world where you’re often told that you have to keep figuring out ways to impress audiences, it was pure freedom to just go out and play our hearts out for no other reason than to enjoy the process. I often look back to that exact performance when I need to remind myself that music is supposed to be, at its core, a cathartic and joyful experience.

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

In reality, just about every time I read a well-written book this happens – which is often. Although I am an individual who has my own firm convictions, I am also a person who believes that adaptation is the key to survival, and I try to keep an open-mind to new experiences that shed light on things that I would not have previously considered. Sometimes this can be agonizing, which is why many people avoid such circumstances. In this sense, the last time that a truly firm belief of mine was challenged was just a few years ago when I had to go through the work to untie many of the self-destructive knots of my own mind – which is something I believe more people should be doing. My mind was running many self-destructive “programs” or “software,” so to speak, but of course, I didn’t realize it until I was tested. It took a lot of dismantling of my own self-perception in order to heal.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I’m not sure how to answer this question, as I feel that there’s not really a destination. Sure, I’d like to have more people listen to my music, to regularly release albums that people enjoy, to play shows in other countries, and even to make a living doing it all. But even then, it’s as simple as working to get better at my craft merely for the sake of getting better at my craft. If I can keep doing this, then I feel the music should speak for itself, and by doing so, I hope it inspires others to pursue what they have a drive to do as well.

How do you define success?

Success is just creating a life in which you can be at peace with yourself – to be able to find your center anywhere you go – even during times of great turmoil. At the end of the day, I just want to know that I made the best of the opportunities I was presented, and did the best that I could with what I had to work with. To me, adding anything more to this definition makes it much more unrealistic.

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

There are a few things… that I won’t elaborate on. But I do think that anytime someone you once looked up to is revealed to be a questionable person (to say the least), you wish that you hadn’t placed them on such a high pedestal to begin with. When you finally see such people for who they truly are, you definitely spend a great amount of time wishing you hadn’t seen what you did. You often wish that you could just ignore some of the things you’ve seen because life we be so much simpler if you could. But you can’t un-see things. Growing up can fuck you up. And don’t worship other human beings.

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

I want to create an actual story – like a comic book, novel or film. To me, that’s the ultimately piecing together of a puzzle. You can emulate this process with music at times, but it’s much more abstract. I’d love to just create an entire world of characters and settings and pour all of my thoughts and understanding into it.

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

I believe the most essential function of art is to hold a mirror up to society and challenge its perceptions. Art helps us understand others and makes conversations possible. It is a form of communication that provides perspective and allows us to look at the past, present and future simultaneously. In our society, we tend to be encouraged to view art as only being “entertainment,” which completely misses the mark in my mind. Art is much more than that. It allows us to actively shape our world without trying to force people to see things our way against their will. You can’t directly change someone’s perception by actively trying to change them, but you can plant seeds of change – which can be done most effectively through art. If you truly want to make the world a better place, then turn to art to discover the answers you seek. Each observer must find the answers for themselves in order for the message to be fully received. And through art, this is possible.

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

I’m looking forward to doing more hiking during the summer and hopefully playing more basketball at some point (although both activities seem to be destroying my knees). Other than that, I’m really looking forward to the new DUNE movie. I really love Frank Herbert’s original six books, but can’t stand David Lynch’s 1984 film (to the fans of this film, I am sorry), and am not that interested in any of the newer books that weren’t written by Frank.

https://www.facebook.com/sawtoothmonk
https://www.instagram.com/sawtooth_monk/
https://sawtoothmonk.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ealdorbealu/
https://ealdorbealu.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thewesternmystics/
http://thewesternmystics.bandcamp.com/

Sawtooth Monk, Peregrination (2021)

On my first listen through of The Western Mystics‘ new live release, The Last Western (Live at Treefort 2016), all I had to go by was the waveform. I didn’t know the names of the songs they played, or where one started and one stopped, and while I’ve since been able to garner that information, I think the other way has a certain appeal as well. Not knowing where one piece ends and the next begins, The Last Western flows as a single entirety, and I’ve no doubt that’s exactly how it was presented at Treefort Music Fest 2016 last month in the band’s native Boise, Idaho, lush and psychedelic in some places, showcasing encouraging depth of ambience in quiet stretches with vocals as much as keys and/or baritone guitars, and taking off on flights of classically-styled progressive rock. In short, this is a band capturing the process of finding their sound on stage, live, as it happened.

That’s a pretty bold move for a group who, to-date, hasn’t yet released a studio outing of any form, but neither is it The Western Mystics‘ first time putting out a “bootleg” where a demo might otherwise appear. Then working as the trio of drummer/vocalist Brent Joel and baritone guitarists Travis X. Abbott (rhythm) and Nik Kososik (lead; also of Sun Blood Stories), they made their debut last fall with Once upon a Time in the Cosmos (discussed here), establishing a space-and-Western thematic blend that continues however many months later into the Treefort performance, which also introduces keyboardist/vocalist Riley Anne Johnson. Her work here is not to be understated in refining the textures of this material. The richness keys bring alongside the depth of tone from Abbott and Kososik is evident throughout, whether that’s organ keeping up with the guitars in “Running from the Living,” the opening movement, or Rhodes-style note droplets bolstering the drones of the penultimate “Sea that has Become Known.”

At this point, I could tell you where exactly where each track starts and ends between “Running from the Living” and “Running from the Dying,” which closes with an apex of Magma-style progressive bounce, but I honestly think you’re better off like I was, making your way through the entirety of The Last Western (Live at Treefort 2016) without knowing and then hitting up The Western Mystics‘ Bandcamp to find the runtimes and how it all divides up as the band work their way closer to where they want to be sound-wise and stylistically through this material. It’s only been a few months since Once upon a Time in the Cosmos (on which “Running from the Living” also appeared), and that leads one to hope it won’t be much longer before a studio recording of one sort or another surfaces from The Western Mystics, who even on stage show themselves as being able to pull elements from various genres — prog rock, heavy psych, post-rock, drone, etc. — in order to service an individualized intent. I look forward, in other words, to nerding out over their debut. Whenever it might arrive.

Stream The Last Western (Live at Treefort 2016) in full below. You’ll find more info on the release beneath the player.

Please enjoy:

The Western Mystics on The Last Western:

As far as our plans go, we are constantly writing new material, especially due to our newest member, Riley Johnson, on the keys. We are going to play some out of town dates in Washington and Oregon this summer with other Treefort Alumni and hope to keep pushing out new material.

We as a band are definitely fans of improvisation and writing on the fly so we can guarantee our next batch of songs won’t be anything like the previous.

Recorded Live at Neurolux for Treefort Music Fest V on 03/23/2016

1. Running from the Living
2. See You In Space
3. The Scary Can Be A Psyche Place
4. Intramolecular Summit
5. Sea That Has Become Known
6. Running from the Dying

All songs written by Brent Joel, Riley Anne Johnson, Nik Kososik & Travis X. Abbott

Brent Joel – Drums, Vocals
Riley Anne Johnson – Keys, Vocals
Nik Kososik – Lead Baritone
Travis X. Abbott – Rhythm Baritone

Live mix by Eric Penney & Lawrence Van Bishop at Neurolux. Mastered by Travis X. Abbott. Special thanks to: Tyler Walker (lights & visual effects). Photo credit: Cameron Andreas.

The Western Mystics on Thee Facebooks

The Western Mystics on Bandcamp

Since I was about 10 years old, I’ve always been a sucker for a good bootleg. Boise, Idaho, newcomer three-piece The Western Mystics recently recorded their set at Neurolux on Nov. 11 — Spirit Caravan and Elder were also on the bill — and have issued the results of the audience-tracked outing as Once upon a Time in the Cosmos (Live at Neurolux). Downloads are available on the cheap via their Bandcamp.

It’s the instrumental band’s first release, marked out by the use of two baritone guitars instead of a guitar and bass, but it finds their sound noteworthy for its fluidity and wide open in terms of what they might bring to a studio offering. In short, I was into it, so it made sense to share. That’s basically the standard I work with around here.

Enjoy:

Here it is: Our LIVE Album “Once Upon a Time in the Cosmos (Live at Neurolux)” is now available for download on Bandcamp!

Recorded Live from the audience’s perspective with a Tascam DR-40 at Neurolux on 11/11/2015 (with Elder and Spirit Caravan)

Brent Joel – Drums
Nik Kososik – Baritone Guitar
Travis X. Abbott – Baritone Guitar

All songs written by The Western Mystics EXCEPT for “Brave New Wasteland” originally written as “Theta” by Brian Bays with ThankyouForthis. Live mix by Lawren Van B at Neurolux. Mastered by Justin Adam Mai.

Bio:
In December 2014, Brent Joel and Travis “T.X.” Abbott went on a journey through the cosmos and created 30 minutes minutes of music in one night of jamming, initially calling the duo “Dos Ojo Terceros” and playing a their first show just weeks later. A few months later, Brent and Travis invited Nik Kososik of Sun Blood Stories to join in on the chaos. Nik also brought with him the unconventional idea of playing two baritone guitars – as opposed to the more traditional guitar/bass/drum trio. In the following months, many witnesses of the group’s performances found the name “Dos Ojo Terceros” quite difficult to annunciate, thus inspiring the trio to change their name to “The Western Mystics” in October 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/thewesternmystics/
http://thewesternmystics.bandcamp.com/

The Western Mystics, Once upon a Time in the Cosmos (Live at Neurolux) (2015)