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: Liam Deak from Tumble

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

I’m a musician making the music I want to hear, with the hope that others can get as much joy out of the sounds I create as I can. I got my first acoustic guitar at the age of 12, which quickly set me on my path of writing and performing songs.

Describe your first musical memory.

Hearing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones… which isn’t to say it was the first song I ever heard or anything like that, but when I was just a kid and heard that song something really clicked in my head. That hook instantly got me and left me wanting more, and it was the first time I really heard all the instruments in a song working together to make it greater than the sum of its parts, ya know? It was a huge revelation, especially at that age.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

There are already so many, but here’s the first one that comes to mind. One summer a few years back, me and a group of friends were camping on this big farm property. We had an outdoor stage, a fire pit, pig roast, “party favours”, you know the deal… anyhow, it was this big beautiful time with lots of laughs, lots of food and jams around the fire. Once the sun went down, a few of us got up on that stage and cranked our amps under that huge star-filled sky and jammed until the sun nearly came back up and our gear was soaked wet from all the morning dew. It was a magical experience. The nearby neighbour didn’t seem to mind, until he pulled out his lawn tractor first thing in the morning to give us a little taste of our own medicine.

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

We once got asked to join this bill at a venue in town which was all groovy and we were all for it, but then a day or two before the show we were told we had to “pay to play” which was never mentioned beforehand, so we had to defer the offer. That’s a firmly held belief of ours, we sure as shit don’t pay to play!

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

To something far bigger than words can possibly explain.

How do you define success?

Is there such a thing as success, or is it only an idea? As soon as we strive to arrive at that destination which is success, we just want more and are bound to further conflict. If you love doing something with all that you’ve got, you’re not concerned with failure or success. You’re already there.

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

I once saw this homeless dude laying in the middle of the sidewalk whip out his little feller and take a piss in broad daylight just as a young mother was walking by with her kid in a stroller. Damn, dude… we’ve all pissed in public but did ya have to do it right there and then?

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

The first full-length Tumble LP.

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

To make us question ourselves and the world around us. To bring us together. To inspire us to create more art.

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

Travelling around Europe again. I love it out there, and there’s still so many places I haven’t been to yet. Toronto is great in the summer but the long winter’s can be pretty bitter, and I’m all about that hot weather!

https://www.facebook.com/tumbletheband
https://www.instagram.com/tumbletheband/
https://tumbletheband.bandcamp.com/
https://www.tumbleband.com/

Tumble, Live at the Baby G, Toronto, Dec. 17, 2022

Next month, Toronto heavy rock three-piece Tumble will issue their debut two-songer, Lady Cadaver. The trio don’t have any audio from the release up yet, but there’s a live video — recorded by someone called MTVisual Aggression in 4K so that it looks better than real life — you can see below. I was curious as to whether or not they might be talking about zombie Catelyn Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire, but the internet reminded me that was Lady Stoneheart. In any case, Lady Cadaver does have a sort of regality to it, like she’s nobility or some such, despite apparently being deceased. That’s a pretty sizable grain of salt to take with a release that’s basically called ‘dead woman’s body,’ but at least they classed it up? Maybe? Depends on the lyrics I guess, which I may or may not ever get to see.

Tumble worked with the esteemed Ian Blurton on the recording, which is automatic points in my book, and it’s set to arrive on May 5. I don’t know if you get  all the same emails I do, but if not, maybe hit up their Bandcamp (currently populated by a logo t-shirt) and give a follow if you’d like to keep tabs.

Meantime, this from the PR wire:

TUMBLE Announce Debut EP Lady Cadaver

TUMBLE, the psychedelic infused heavy rock outfit from Toronto, Canada, are gearing up to unleash their debut EP Lady Cadaver on May 5th, 2023. Bringing groovy riffs, high-energy rhythms and drum solos, TUMBLE’s new offering delivers a vintage rock ‘n’ roll vibe.

“Thrilled to unleash these two heavy hitters into the wild for all you hard rock lovers. I hope you play these songs LOUD, and enjoy listening to them as much as we enjoyed recording them. We’ve only just begun… turn on, tune in, and TUMBLE.” – (Liam Deak, Guitarist/Vocalist)

“’Lady Cadaver’”, explain TUMBLE, “is about the big bad trip… sometimes surreal but not always imaginary, while ‘The Plague’ is a psychedelic heavy rock instrumental for your hip shakin’, head banging pleasure.” The opener is a catchy track with wide spread appeal, combining rhythmic instrumentation with guitar licks and giving their percussionist the spotlight. An immersive experience is found in the instrumental track “The Plague”. Leaning into the heavier side of the band’s sound, this song dives into the otherworldly with alluring guitar leads and eerie sounds before building into a high-speed multi-textural frenzy.

About TUMBLE:
TUMBLE is a power trio inspired by the heavy bands of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Their retro hard rock/psychedelic sound is influenced by bands such as BUDGIE, BLUE CHEER, CACTUS, MC5, PENTAGRAM and THE GROUNDHOGS. TUMBLE formed in Toronto, ON, in early 2022. They started out cutting their teeth in the city’s open mic circuit, and quickly began gathering the attention of the local music scene. By the end of 2022, TUMBLE was opening for bands such as CROWN LANDS, ECSTATIC VISION, and WITCHROT. In January 2023, they caught the attention of legendary Canadian-rock musician/producer, Ian Blurton who agreed to spend a day recording with the band in his studio, ProGold. He managed to capture the band’s live energy, raw power, and ferocious attack in the studio, which resulted in Tumble’s debut EP Lady Cadaver, set to be self-released on May 5th, 2023.

Track Listing:
1. Lady Cadaver
2. The Plague

Credits:
Produced by Ian Blurton and TUMBLE.
Recorded/Mixed by Ian Blurton at ProGold.
Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.
Artwork by Leesa Westwood.

TUMBLE is:
Liam Deak – Guitar/Vocals
Tarun Dawar – Bass
Will Adams – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/tumbletheband
https://www.instagram.com/tumbletheband/
https://tumbletheband.bandcamp.com/
https://www.tumbleband.com/

Tumble, Live at the Baby G, Toronto, Dec. 17, 2022