“Warmth of a slo burning flame”: In Conversation with Chris Hale (Slo Burn)

By: Marc Gaffney & Chris Hale

Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to discuss feel. Feel is the word is the word that you heard, it’s got groove it’s got the real thing.The essence of any music, especially the man I was lucky enough to converse with, is the way you nod your head when you hear that first chord or that ethereal chorus that grabs you like a mother bear from the Revenant and keeps you in check while your auditory system finds an elite place to plateau.

The actual 2 and 4 on the floor is what I am talking about. Locking of guitars with a tight rhythm section, letting you air out after that nice head space of the burn down period, eloquent and decisive, keeping a collective mind and body, becoming one, hence the music is your Sherpa, driver of your emotional and being of substance.

It is the few that can harness the kinetic energy from exploding and slowly funneling itself through you like a 12 year old Scotch, like Robert Redford would dig on.Why Robert Redford, because the guitar player behind this Slo Burn is Chris Hale, one of the coolest mother fuckers to slap on a Gibson and let you dig in on the journey that he and his brothers collectively drive the train to eternal synthesis and yes, FEEL.

So please sit back and enjoy my chat, and you will be dammed, if you’re lucky.



Sludgelord: Thanks Chris for taking the time to speak with me.

Chris: Thank you

Sludgelord: So how did the Slo Burn get together happen?

Chris: John had invited us out to the desert to work on some original ideas he had for his solo record. He had an idea that it would be cool to have a track with some of the Slo Burn guys on it. So we went down and it was really fun, was great to be back in a room together and just hang out and make some music and that was it for a while. So we went out had some Magarita’s and some more fun and Damon laid down some bass on his record and we just started talking more and more that we should do this and then somebody threw out, 2017 is going to be 20 years so we said let’s start to do something then. So we got a booking agent involved and it just kind of happened.

Sludgelord: From being so young when the band started to now, do you feel as if you and the band are playing better?

Chris- It is night and day, I was a 19 year old kid, Brady was 18, Damon was 19, we all have had 20 plus years, just the couple of rehearsals we have had and at the first rehearsal, Brady and I just stopped and starting laughing as it was so much better than it ever was that we were just laughing. Holy shit, It is funny to hear, people saying Slo Burn was so great and for us, being the musicians playing it, I mean I guess it is like a child actor that gets to go back and watch a show they were in and it is so much better now, it feels right now, vision is easier made now then back to then.

Sludgelord: Your thoughts are a bit clearer now?

Chris- Yes, I mean the thought process now is easier to execute the process. When you are a kid, 19, 20 years old you would say that will do, now you know what you are doing and you can actually do it. Let’s make it better. I’ll be honest some of these songs I have not played in a long time, so when it came time to play them and re-learn them, I have a box of old Slo Burn videos, and I have to be honest, I was fucking embarrassed. I was saying I can’t watch this. I would say to Brady you were great and John has always been bad ass but watching myself, I was like “fuck, I can’t watch this”.

Sludgelord:  Good thing is when you can really understand and admit that. No falsifying in your head.

Chris: It would be terrible if you were watching back and were like, Dam I used to be so good. I wish I could play like that again.

Sludgelord: If I thought that way, I would say fuck it, time to buy an accordion.

Chris:  Yeah, I think like that, sorry guys this reunion isn’t happening anymore.

Sludgelord: Would you become a baseball pitcher?

Chris:  Yes.

Sludgelord: It is the 4 original guys, first show is Desertfest?

Chris:  Yes, so originally we were just going to do some shows in June.  We went into this, and we were not like, let’s get back and do a fucking world tour. Another record. We were all like, hey, we are all busy with other stuff. Damon and I have Brave Black Sea. The most important thing was, Slo Burn, we are not a pop band, we didn’t look at it as we are going to do a tour and be set for life. We are doing this because we wanted to do it. There are so many Slo Burn that never got a chance to see us play, maybe discovered the band, 5 or 10 years ago, so we are doing it for that. It was never about this is going to get us rich. Fuck that, it might help pay my gas bill. That’s about it.

But you know the goal was let’s do a few shows and see how it feels. If we are all having a blast then let’s talk more and see what else we can do, The response was kind of overwhelming for us and then we got offered to do Desertfest in April and we were like, fuck let’s do that. So now we are doing that in April and these other shows in June and then the Psycho Vegas in August came up and they wanted to do an exclusive thing with us as where it our only US show in 2017. You know, it felt right at the time and if we are going to do that then what better place to do than Vegas. If we were gonna do it in Mobile Alabama I don’t know how many people would want to come and see us. Nothing against Mobile but it is not a destination place. So we are gonna see, so far we are getting along great and it is sounding better than ever. Who knows what the future holds. I have a hard time imagining we are gonna do this and go, that was fun, see you guys.  I don’t see us getting fully back together as the main thing but I also don’t see us saying that was fun and never doing it again

Sludgelord: Psycho Vegas is so much fun.

Chris: I live in Vegas and I was sick during that time and I was so bummed because I couldn’t go. I had buddies showing up and playing and also my kids were sick so I didn’t even end up going. I am really  stoked to be playing this year.

Sludgelord: It is amazing the people that come. It solidifies why bands do it.

Chris: Right on, you know living in Vegas you know it is like Mariah Carey and fucking Elton John, and to have this stoner doom metal fest come and do so well that the immediately want to do one next year, it is awesome to see and hear that. You wanna be a part of it

Sludgelord:  So you have this going on, what are you playing now? I know you are a Les Paul guy but really there is never enough gear.

Chris:  I know. So I have been going back and forth thinking should I  use different gear for Slo Burn than I do with Brave Black Sea. Different sound, it is a one guitar band, a simplified heavy sound. I worked very hard and long for that sound that I said I might as well use it and tweak it. I am using a different guitar, I am using, what I was using, funny story, for Brave Black Sea I have 2 Marshall 4-12 cabs, one with Vintage 30’s and one with Greenbacks in it. Then one was powered by a 1978 Marshall JMP, and one with an Ampeg V2, 1976. I found this amp just sitting on the floor out here in Vegas. I always go to the same place and I was like, what is up with this and he said, it is one of the best sounding amps u will hear in your life that no one wants to buy because it looks like an old bass amp or something. So I wanted to try it out, took it to a practice and was fucking blown away. So I bought it and then the first Slo Burn rehearsal it blew up.

Sludgelord: Oh Fuck

Chris: Now for Slo Burn going with 2 JMP heads and 2 cabs.   Brave Black Sea I usually use old Les Pauls and in Slo Burn I am going with my SG. It is not much of a change but it is enough of a different feel and sound I guess. I get all my dirt sounds from pedals. Between different overdrives and fuzz pedals.



.

Sludgelord:  Are there certain pedals that u love?

Chris: Yea, as far as overdrive pedals, I love the Fulltone OCD pedal, it is just a fucking killer sound, it is very honest and you can get it to sound really heavy. I love the Earthquake Device pedals for fuzz and I sometimes use the V Vex Wooly Mammoth, it is a bass fuzz and it’s fucking pummeling. I usually put all those pedals through a G Vex which may or may not have had something to do with blowing up my Ampeg. I don’t know if you have ever played one but they are crazy, the super hard ons are super hard on your tubes, that’s for sure. Then I will use different delays and wah’s but the pedal board for Brave Black Sea is much bigger than for Slo Burn. When you have just a guitar and bass player, you can’t go off too much whereas Brave Black Sea you can go off a little more, psychedelic, just a different thing.

Sludgelord: Playing wise, do you play everyday?

Chris: Everyday. You know right after Slo Burn I got into Another band and we were together for like 3-4 years and then after that into another band for like 3-4 years and after that I had a bad taste in my mouth for the music industry and I took about year, year and a half off where I was like, fuck this and I felt a huge void in me so ever since then whether I was going to be in a band or not I was always going to play guitar.

To this day now, I have days where I will work on music, I have a studio in my house and somedays I will be in there for 6-7 hours and the next day could be 20 minutes. It has to be at least that 20 or 30 minutes, it is funny as my wife and I joke about it. I will be in a crappy mood and she will say to go in my studio and play guitar because you need to get yourself straight. If I don’t get some kind of playing out or a song that is in my head, if I don’t play then I feel different. I will be in an irritable mood and it is something I have to do.

With that being said, I don’t sit and practice scales for hours upon hours. I am not a shredder and it has never been my thing. If someone puts on a Dream Theater cd and says jam along with this, I can’t. I love to jam, I like to jam old blues, I always have to be playing. How about yourself, are u the same way?

Sludgelord: I find it is therapeutic.

Chris:  It is, that’s the word I was looking for.

Sludgelord: If I am a little bit off, even playing for 10 minutes, it helps put things in perspective, my hands still work and I can still play so it does help and things aren’t that bad after playing. I am not someone that would sit down and listen to Rising Force and let me match what Yngwie is doing. It is great guys can shred but that has never been my thing.

Chris:  Exactly, It has never been about a solo or lead work for me, it is about the vibe and journey of the song. Never my spot to shine or show all my years of practicing and I have never tried to play like that. If I really dedicated myself to that then maybe, but it has never been my thing.

Sludgelord:  Yea I am into the groove of the song, it has to fit or I’m not feeling it at all.

Chris:  Totally, you know I love to throw on a delay or something, it is really about changing up the sound or vibe of it. Never about, hold on here it is (making a solo sound).

Sludgelord:  Here it is, 2 minutes and 42 seconds

Chris:  Look how fast I can play this scale.

Sludgelord: That’s great, the whole wanker thing is a bit much for me.

Chris:  I remember there was this period as I was living out in Hollywood for a while after Slo Burn and I guess there was this time after Korn and all of that but every member of the band had to showcase their individual playing abilities. It was like watching the drummer play a 30 minute drum solo, bass player 30 minute solo, guitar player a solo or an effects solo. The songs weren’t there anymore. Nobody was writing songs.  Check out our abilities. I would much rather watch someone like Bill Ward or John Bonham, they are playing these beats and it is like the one fill comes along and holy fuck that was amazing. They don’t need to do a ton of stuff you know, they do what benefits the song.

Sludgelord: Right on. In terms of listening to music, do you like pretty much everything?

Chris:  Kind of, I guess. Mostly I am guilty of just listening to older stuff as it’s hard for me, a lot of the newer stuff that comes out now feels like people are writing strictly to be on the radio and I’m not going to be someone that hates on that. I get it, if people are making a career out of it by playing music then fuck man, do your thing. It is not something that I can get into. I am not gonna lie, I have some guilty pleasures. I am not going to buy a CD but if I hear it I will secretly get into it. I’m not gonna be yelling, turn this fucking shit off. I listen to a lot of old blues stuff you know Lightning Hopkins, Jr Kimbrough that type of stuff, Zeppelin, Sabbath, ZZ Top, I love that type of stuff and I still love bands like Fu Manchu, trying to think of newer stuff I listen too.

Whenever I am writing I don’t let myself listen to anything for fear of it creeping in, we have been writing a new Brave Black Sea album so I am in writing mode so I have not allowed myself to listen to anything that is around now. I guess it sounds boring that I don’t listen to anything, ha. But I do, I love The Black Keys, not so much their newer stuff but older. When it was just 2 dudes, bad ass. It reminded me of old desert bands. Like if someone would have told me that this record is from 2 guys from Palm Desert in 1992 I would have totally believed it. That kind of stuff and more recently, I like a lot of singer songwriter type of stuff. Like Rocky Bottalado, it’s very honest and cool.

Sludgelord: I find to not listen to all kinds of music you are doing yourself a disservice.

Chris: Totally, and on the other hand I will throw on old soul albums or Hank Williams. It is just good stuff. I feel in a weird sort of way that I will allow that sort of music to influence me. There is no way you are going to listen to a Slo Burn song or a Brave Black Sea song and say, he is ripping off Otis Redding. It is not gonna happen, when you put the vibe of that in and layer it with heavy drums and heavy guitars, it gives it this non-intentional thing.

Sludgelord: I love that, makes it sound great. I think that is the best stuff. It makes it easier for white people to find the one they can clap their hands to it.

Chris:  It is so try, I guess that is a good way to put it. (Both of us are laughing and have been laughing).

Sludgelord: When I write I want stuff like Joni Mitchell or CSNY. Stuff with feeling.

Chris: Totally, great harmonies and melodies and really dynamic. When I was younger I always thought 3 or 4 guys is all you need. Now I really respect bands with 9 guys. Keys and percussion. To make it all sound great is such a cool thing.

Sludgelord: I remember the first time I saw Chicago, I was like Holy Shit, it was so heavy. A great Rock n Roll band with horns.

Chris:  Definitely. It is almost sad when you see people shut it down because it is Chicago. If you give that shit a chance you will be blown away. Some people take my wife, not really into a lot of the radio acts, Linkin Park for example, we shared management and rehearsed next door, they were playing a show in Vegas and I told her, just see the difference between an arena show and in a small venue. She went and after she was blown away. The production and Chester’s voice were amazing. She wasn’t converted or will be buying the cd but it was a breath of fresh air to see something like that. It is cool to see full bands and then you see ZZ Top which is on the opposite end of the spectrum and it is just 3 older dudes up there and they just fucking kill it. You go from being blown away, saying we need a 7 piece band and horns and then 3 guys killing it, Billy Gibbons is like, fuck you, amazing.

Sludgelord: As soon as he breaks into “Just Got Paid”, you are like. Ok I guess we only need 3 dudes.

Chris:  One of my favorite riffs of all time. Billy Gibbons tone man, people would say its tons and tons of fuzz pedals, and then he comes out and it’s the cleanest tone but so heavy, in a different way and then the groove those guys get, fuck. It is unreal.

Sludgelord:  So you have Slo Burn being lit up again, after many years and it sounds better than ever. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time and speaking to me as it has been a true honor brother.

Chris:  This was amazing talking and thank you. As I said, who knows what will be in store for Slo Burn, but we are writing new songs and will be definitely playing 2 new ones at these shows so I can’t wait.

Sludgelord: So you better get on the treadmill in 2017.

Chris: Yes, I’m looking to forward to it.

What you have read folks was glittered with Class. Chris Hale, ladies and gentleman is a player’s player. He outs the song first and let’s his groove flag fly, ya heard.

Being able to converse with a player as such for a guy like me is pure pleasure. This was one of those times when the people you revere and in actuality hipper than you could ever imagine

The thing that gets lost on many neophytes of the rock is that without pioneers such as Mr. Hale, there would be no Psycho Vegas or Desertfest. For that I am thankful and really excited for what is to come from Slo Burn and their volume of goods to follow.

Remember, you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the winds blow

Eat a peach, Gaff the Rulah.

The End

Band info: facebook

DECADES APART: 5 Albums 5 Different Decades, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011

By: David Majury, Chris Bull, Joosep Nilk,

Marc Gaffney & Phil Weller

Decades Apart

The idea of Decades Apart is pretty simple. I’ll choose 5 different albums from 5 different decades and I’ll share a little information about them and hopefully you’ll check them out if you haven’t already.   Today is 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011.  Whilst some these albums may not all be considered classics, they’re certainly amazing records.  So be sure to check it out.    

Hawkwind - 'In Search of Space' (1971)

Growing up in the '80s I heard the name Hawkwind often enough but never took the time to listen to them. As far as I knew they weren't a metal band, more some kind of hippie jam band with keyboards, which was a major turn-off when I was obsessing over Celtic Frost, Prong and Voivod. They seemed so twee, almost laughable in the face of the epic speed and heaviness of 'To Mega Therion' or 'Dimension Hatross. Of course, once Soundgarden and Mudhoney came along it suddenly seemed alright to look backwards for inspiration, and when Monster Magnet released “Spine of God” and started mentioning Hawkwind in every interview I thought it might be time for a reassessment. I bought a double cassette compilation and dived in.

Trying to consume so much Hawkwind at once is sheer madness and the compilation leapt around in terms of chronology so I thought I'd work out where to start and go from there. A tuned-in workmate was so excited to be asked for Hawkwind recommendations that he gave me a vinyl copy of 'In Search of Space' along with some valuable advice for ideal listening conditions. To this day I still get the same feeling of foreboding when the opening strains of 'You Shouldn't Do That' seep out of the speakers. To have the confidence to open with a 15 minute epic speaks volumes of just how mind expanding Hawkwind truly are/were, and to this day no-one has really done anything that comes close. Ultra creepy, doom laden, tribal, kosmich and totally confusing at the same time. What's more, there's nothing of the peace and love of American west coast psych here at all. Hawkwind were raw, tough and incessant. I had to check the record label to see how long that song was, it felt like it was as likely to be three minutes as thirty. Totally transcendental. They didn't let up either with 'Master of the Universe ' rivalling Sabbath for pure power, and 'Adjust Me' setting an early template for noise rock twenty years before anyone was even thinking about it.

Like Sabbath, really nothing sounded the same at the time, or since, and I can't begin to imagine how alien this record must have sounded in '71. Hawkwind's legacy has been tainted by inconsistent line-ups and releases, along with a slew of tenth rate copyists posturing as psych-rock, but there's no doubt in my mind that if the band had finished after 'Hall of the Mountain Grill' they'd be revered in the same light as Sabbath, Zeppelin and all the other Titans of the era. This record still stands up like few others. This is your Captain speaking. Your Captain is dead

Van Halen – “Fair Warning” (1981)

In 1981 an album that in my opinion is the epitome of the Van Halen sound was released, “Fair Warning”. Sheer gravitas. For my money, each track holds its weight in groove, riffs, musicianship and straight up ass kicking swagger from David Lee Roth.

What in my humble opinion always gets lost in a lot of their albums and I feel especially on this body of work is how amazing the percussion is.  “Dirty Movies” is a lesson in full on boogie till the fucking cows come home, sleep in the barn and prance back out to the pasture to graze.

“So This is Love”, forget about it. How many T Tops had this song blitzing from their 8 track stereos, meanwhile, engines growled like a Rottweiler in heat. The key is the smoothness of the Ted Templeman production, the sonic sexiness of the virtuoso himself, Eddie Van Halen.  The tonality and growl of his axe is more potent than any espresso ever brewed. 

I remember my buddyJim Delosh playing this for me and Vaugh Fachette's dad blaring “Sinner's Swing”, before going fishing.  So if you are feeling sentimental, and have a 3 quarter t shirt In your drawer please put it on, get one foot out the door and become “Unchained”.

Soundgarden  - “Badmotorfinger” (1991)

Having recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary, Soundgarden helped unshackle the band of their grunge tag with ‘Badmotorfinger’. While draped in that archetypal grittiness which helped characterise the movement and genre bursting from their hometown of Seattle at the time, this album was representative of a band outgrowing their early sound, building on their blues laden, doomy template with an intrinsic experimentalism which they learnt to perfect on ‘Superunknown’.

Indeed, while it was that succeeding album that helped skyrocket the band, breaking them to the masses with massive singles in ‘Spoonman’, ‘Fell on Black Days’ and ‘Black Hole Sun’, its older brother has grown into something of an underrated, cult classic. The melancholy chaos of ‘Rusty Cage’ - lovingly covered by Johnny Cash some years later - and the 7/4 thump of ‘Outshined’ (a pre-cursor to ‘Spoonman’, which is also in 7/4) make a moody and impenetrably iconic introduction to a record which, while its style and feel may receive seismic shifts throughout, never lets up. Its diversity is its greatest gift, riffs leaping out at you from the dark when you least expect it, psychedelia then whisking you away from the punches. 

They showed with this album a sharp and intelligent level of song writing, from the genius lyrics of Chris Cornell (“I’m looking California/but feeling Minnesota” and “share a cigarette with negativity”) to Kim Thayil’s nasty, unconventional approach to guitar playing, it may not be an album hugely revered, but that is in no way a representation of its quality. There is a progressive mindset driving the record, their playfulness with less common time signatures and often obscure, unnerving note choices defining it as something of an ugly beast. But why should rock music be pretty?

‘Slaves And Bulldozers’, ‘New Damage’ and ‘Holy Water’ are packed to the rafters with titanic doom riffs which snarl and growl like an animalistic Tony Iommi. The short and savage punk of Ben Shepard’s ‘Face Pollution’ and the bastardised, brass-tinged classic rock of Matt Cameron’s ‘Drawing Flies’, keep you guessing, keep you on your toes.

Never short of surprises, it is an amalgamation of so much, all condensed and blended into one unholy racket. Like any true classic, it is a record that no other band could write.

Converge – “Jane Doe” (2001)

Released in 2001, Converge's breakthrough 4th album, 'Jane Doe' remains a landmark in extreme music and sounds as fresh and relevant today as it did 15 years ago. Played with such ferocious precision, thanks in part to the impetus of new members Ben Koller and Nate Newton, 'Jane Doe' is a bitter, angry, scathing statement of intent from the band.

From the opening arpeggio that dips into the inhuman blasts of 'Concubine', the album barely lets you catch a breath as Jacob Bannon screams at you, telling you the story of a ruined relationship. It's so powerful and full of emotion that you can almost hear the blood pouring from the man's broken heart seep into his vocal chords.

Various twists and turns permeate the albums intensity; 'Distance And Meaning', 'Hell To Pay', 'Homewrecker', 'The Broken Vow' and 'Heaven In Her Arms' provide some of the most memorable moments, while 'Phoenix In Flight' is near perfect in its composition and placement on the album, allowing you to digest what's just been thrown your way before 'Phoenix In Flames' and 'Thaw' that follow, absolutely annihilate your eardrums. As if that wasn't enough, the album's title track is an 11 minute emotional rollercoaster, making you worry for the welfare of the song's protagonist.

Elder – "Dead Roots Stirring"(2011)

As opposed to the debut that was more of a brawny smack to the gut (or the wall, whichever you prefer), Elder’s excellent sophomore was one for the thinking-man’ stoner books. As psychedelia-ladden as it was riff-driven in its approach, this Boston trio set themselves up to be true trailblazers in the genre. Showing respect for the long-form, each track in duration 8 minutes at the very least with two nearing the twelve-minute mark, they brought a world fully their own and spent time exploring it with quieter moments but not lacking any punch either. The sheer rawness acting contrast to the intricate layering, all the while showcasing their penchant for experimenting with songwriting formulas.

The album is equal parts a plunge into murky depths – like the epically ravaging conclusion that closes the opener – as it is opting for the less travelled overgrown route, with floating guitars going off on shimmering tangents like aptly-titled third track ’III’. With rusty riffs bringing its plodding hooks, bluesy and bog-ridden coincide with the album art, sill, alongside the opening notes of ’Gemini’, or the thick earthy toned pulse that opens the title-track, it’s De Salvo’s vocals breaking at just the right moment. Concurrently melodic and raspy in their intonation, they come through as if a guide lighting the way, though showing restraint enough to let the instruments tell the majority of the story.

"Dead Roots Stirring" gave strong hints of what was to come on yesteryear’s acclaimed Lore, again proving that there isn’t a band that does it quite like Elder.

"Kings of the Rock Jungle" In Conversation with Jason Landrian (Black Cobra)

By: Marc Gaffney

Photo by Raymond Ahner

It is not often when listening to a band that you discover you are virtually picked up by a tornado of assaulting riffage and bombastic kick drums and tom fills, ones that made the day seem that much better because there was an outlet that you had been searching for similar to Homer’s  Odyssey. I mean the vibe is driving you to simply rock the fuck out and let the inner monster that yearns for the 4 on the floor to get his fix of the R.O.C.K. You find yourself remembering why as a kid you bought tapes and blasted them on your Sony Walkman and felt in that time your whole being was transported in that wooden tennis racquet that was your Gibson Les Paul; or in this scene, a beautiful Monson Shifter guitar.

You would let the good in with a thunderous strum and the bad out with an air drum hit or high kick that uncannily notified your endorphins the beat was ramping up, the hammer has been dropped and you my friend are feeling the vibe that turned you into Dancing Rick from Starsky and Hutch.

Upon the first time I had heard this power duo my opinion of the drummer was, “Holy Fuck, I had been trampled underfoot by a double bass drum filled with dynamite and rail road thunder from a mountainous groove of ash burning percussion” and the singer/guitarist, I said, “If Charlie Hunter loved Motorhead and enjoyed pulverizing the soul of listeners then you have, people all around the world, my favorite caustic 2 piece, with fangs of venom so strong, the only antidote is to turn the fuckup and let your auditory system attempt to defend the swiftness like Rikki Tikki Tavi.

My friends and others of the ilk, I give you the kings of the rock jungle, Black Cobra.

Sit back and dig on my discussion with Jason Landrian regarding everything from the album, recording process, the history and the amazing tour they will be embarking on in September overseas with Yob.

Gaff: Thanks so much Jason and congrats on the album

Jason:  Oh thank you so much

Gaff: Can you discuss wood shedding these songs and the process of bringing them to the studio?

Jason: Sure man, we start writing riffs and that is how all of our albums have become. I mean it is one of those things where we map out ideas either on tape or hard drive these days. I mean we don’t sit down and say we need to write riffs today, I will come up with ideas and Raff is a pretty accomplished guitar player as well, I mean he played bass in Acid King. So he will come up with ideas as well, so we will both have these ideas to start with and then once we feel like the creative need to write, we will hash it out on the studio. That is how all of the records have started from the very beginning. I mean we record a ton of riffs and almost like make a mix CD and start listening back to it and we start picking and choosing, saying I like this idea and this one needs to develop some more and then we start to get a feel for which ones would start to work with each other.

We always put the music together first before we start doing the vocals or lyrics, that is how all of it starts and over time we piece together ideas and then go back to the studio and hash them out and see if they work together. We do a lot of trying to separate ourselves when we are listening to it from being the people who are writing it. Trying to judge if the songs are good and will work for us and once we feel that the song has a really good structure to it then we start adding rhythmic  placement or rearrange the riffs to fit the vocals better, shifts and moulds as we keep going and very last thing, add the lyrics and during the whole process we are talking about what are we trying to say with this, what are we into, what are we reading and watching and what is influencing and interesting to us that we want to write about.

Gaff: Are you ultra critical of yourself

Jason:  Absolutely, you know the saying, “You are your own worst critic” and I think that applies as I try to be pretty critical. I never listen to something and say we are “So Awesome” I think more like ok this works. You know it is tough trying to make that judgment call. I feel like Raff and I use each other, do you like this? We are the only 2 so is there is less filtering to go through but we are the ones that have to give it the stamp of approval. It is tough but rewarding in a way as when you put it out you know you really like it, it is rewarding. You can feel confident about this.

Gaff: Where was it recorded and by whom for people that do not know?

Jason: We recorded “Imperium Simulacra”, in Gainesville, FL at Black Bear with Jonathon Nunez who is the bassist of Torche. I am a huge fan of Torche and he recorded and if he didn’t record their records he had at least a hand in it. We have known Jonathon for a long time having toured with Torche over the years and as Raff and I grew up in Florida. So it was a no brainer.

We played a show in Miami when we were on tour with Shitstorm which is his grind core band. We kind of started talking about how we were writing these new tunes and if he would be interested in recording and he was totally on board. We are really happy with the recoding. It was awesome working with Jonathon because we have known him forever; it was like hanging out with your buddy.

Gaff: It takes a bit of the stress off not wanting to punch someone.

Jason: Ha, yeah right, but he lent a critical ear.

Gaff: Did he mix it also

Jason: He mixed it and we were there for the whole mixing process. Then it was mastered by John Golden who 

has done all of our records.

Gaff: Are you guys hands on in terms of the mix or do you rely on his ears or both?

Jason: We are both, when we get to the point of mixing, there is a lot of preliminary stuff that he needs to done so we leave him alone to get it done. We will come back at the end and he will have a song done and say, “What do you think?” It is a back and forth type of thing as we will listen to it back and then give him our notes and we like this or that or do not like this or that about it. We will go back and forth and work together on it. We did the same thing with Kurt Ballou on “Invernal”, it was the same process where he would do a mix and give it to us and ask “what do you think about this”? We would make notes and I thought that was a pretty good process because when we recorded “Chronomega”, with Billy Anderson, we were there are all day with him and to be honest, I think it is easier for the engineer to have that freedom to do it without the band hovering over him. I think, I like all the records and also it gives us a time to take a break of being so immersed in the songs for a minute and then you can go back to it. Also, give a break to your ears.

Gaff: You need that break for your ears because everything starts to sound the same. I personally have to get the fuck out or I go nuts.

Jason: Exactly

Gaff: You guys are utilizing the studio, the tracks are thick as you are a 2 piece, do you enjoy using the studio for adding a few things into the final mix?

Jason: To a degree, the one thing in our mind when writing and recording is, can we do this live? We treat every song as we will be playing it live, so we do not want to do too much studio trickery and be impossible to pull off live.

Gaff: So no “Pet Sounds”?

Jason: Sonically, as far as tones, there is probably, with the studio it is way easier to get tones because you can mic everything, you have the time to do it, obviously there are time constraints but you have more time to sit with your pre-amps and pedals and get it actually right and how you want it. You get the EQ from the board, so getting that is a lot different from a live setting where you have your amps and pedals and just go for it. As far as with trickery, we do not want to do anything that is outside of the scope of what we do live. We have a few solos here and there, nothing too crazy but it is stuff that we can do live. We can play those songs out.

Gaff: the tonality of the album is fucking insane my man.

Jason: Thank you man

Gaff: It was like a pack a Bison just destroying stuff then stopping to enjoy a cigar.

Jason: Jonathon man, he got some great tones and we are really happy with it and I think the drums sounds are amazing.

Gaff: Oh, under the album it said, “Raff is a fucking monster”.

Jason: Yeah, he really killed it.

Gaff:  If you don’t mind; talk to me about the gear you used to record.

Jason: I used for guitars, only a Les Paul. Well my Les Paul was stolen a few years ago and Raff has the same guitar and said use this until we can find something to replace it. I was using that guitar for like the whole year we toured and ended up using that guitar exclusively in the studio. I try to not go to crazy as I like the live tone, so I used my MXR Double shot; that is my main distortion pedal. I used a bunch of pedals, I took pictures of them, a few that Jonathon had, boutique style pedals and then I used a bunch of MXR stuff, their delay and bass octave pedal on some of the overdubs to get the heaviness of the tone, more for like solos and melodic lines with that. As far as amps we used Jonathon’s SVT head he uses with Torche, a Solid State Sunn, modded JCM 800, a Bogner Head, we always do a combination of guitar and bass amps, which is what we do live also. But, we can dial it in so much more in the studio. 

Gaff: You had that which is crushing in the studio, what is your live rig?

Jason: For the past couple of years I have been using a Hi Watt head for guitar, it is a custom 100, going through a Marshall JCM 1960 b cab, on top a Peavey that I have had for a while, has the Butcher series tolex, 85 Celestions  in it, for the bass head is a solid state Gallien Krueger running through a 6-10 Ampeg cab in which we had to replace the speakers as when we first started touring we were blowing speakers all the time, with bass amps they would want a different frequency, especially when we would play higher, so we ended up getting these speakers, a company in Marin just across the bay called Tone Tubby and the speakers were Eminence in it so we replaced with the Tone Tubby’s which are made of hemp so they are indestructible,

Gaff: So you are running 6 of those in the Ampeg?

Jason: Yup

Gaff: What was the onus of you all wanting to do a 2 piece, cuz I love it.

Jason: Raff and I have known each other for a long time and have always wanted to play music together and we were in a few bands together in Miami. When we started doing Black Cobra, we were writing these riffs and coming up with ideas and really Thrones for me, I had seen Jucifer a long time ago, when I heard Thrones, it is one guy, so we have at least 2 guys so we should be okay. That was the idea at least. Let’s do it with 2 people. With the tunings we were experimenting with I thought we could make it work as we’re covering the whole sound spectrum and then when we write, it is always present in our mind. I mean this is our 5^th album so I guess it is enthroned in our minds that we make sure we fill the whole sound spectrum, you know writing riffs with the beats that fill that whole thing up. That is something that Raff is really good at is utilizing his whole kit, using everything to fill it up and give a nice feel to the songs.

Gaff: But even with that, there is still some beautiful unused space that you can vocally float over rhythmically. Some 2 pieces for me are so Kinetic I don’t really know what the fuck is going on. With you all, it has such a great chug to the groove  and nothing gets lost. You know it is a 2 piece but it is so full, if you close your eyes and just listen to it with your earphones on, you would be like, “That bass player is fucking sick.” It is Charlie Hunter -esque.

Jason: Yeah, like I was saying, when we write vocals they are in a rhythmic way so we sort of listen and say where can we fit in vocals and as if it was another instrument. We do some instrumentals also so we really treat the vocals as an instrument because it is another thing to fill that whole spectrum of sound, another weapon in our arsenal; that whole spectrum. 

Gaff: You being a guitarist and singer, are you more comfortable just playing guitar or doing both?

Jason: I am way more comfortable just playing. I really don’t like being on a microphone at all. But I mean it is something we thought we needed, vocals in the band so I said fuck it you know initially, but now I have gotten way more comfortable on stage. Black Cobra to me is Raff and I, when we played live, that is way up front to. We are both parts of the band and I think it would be weird if I was up and he was back. We have had to play a few gigs with him in the back because of the set up, I feel weird, up front by myself.

Gaff: You have to see each other 2x2. That is the way, old jazz style. You see a lot of 2 pieces and the poor drummer is in the back with the popcorn machine. It is ridiculous and really way easier for you guys to vibe off each other.

Jason: Exactly man, we rehearse the same way as we do live. We want the same feel as the stage you know.

Gaff: Right on! So you have all that going on and tell me about the prep work being done for the Yob tour?

Jason: So we are prepping now. Putting together songs we want to play, plane tickets, thinking of what songs vibe well with Yob’s vibe and stuff like that. I feel like at the same time most of our songs vibe well with their songs. We did a previous tour with them and we have done this before so it is easier to make decisions. I am really looking forward to this tour; Yob is one of my favorite bands,

Gaff: What is going on before you split in September?

Jason: We do not have much lined up, really getting ready for the tour. The tour starts September 11^th in Tilburg, NL, so we will be hashing out in the studio rehearsing and maybe hashing out some new ideas and riffs. We have, I mean usually when we finish a record we have a lot of stuff we do not use so we might even go back and see what we didn’t use and maybe work off of that if we think there is something worthwhile.

Gaff: Do you enjoy going over to Europe?

Jason: Yeah, it has always been a little more welcoming to this kind of music or should I say attentive to this type of music. The audience, I mean there is a definitely an audience in America for this type, but I guess receptive is the word I am looking for. It is always great going over there, the fans are really cool and the venues are really cool. I mean you know just over the years we have found great places to rent our gear from places where we can get the same set up as we have in the states over there. It makes it really easy. It is cool being able to play your music for all these people in different countries. It is definitely a totally unique experience.

Gaff: That is great that you get out to tour with a band that u all love. Are you working on 2017?

Jason: Yea, probably we are looking at stuff for the end of the year. I mean we are trying to be as busy as we can be. Just getting out there and giving it our best and tour and do what we can to promote the record and bring it to everybody. 

Gaff: Last question, how much do you love your Monson guitar? I play one.

Jason:  I played a Les Paul for 15 years and then Raff’s for another so I literally got the Monson from Brent on the Bongzilla tour and played it that night. It felt so great. I didn’t really have time to mess with the tone or dial in anything on my amp. I literally just plugged it in my amp. I was playing with these lace pickups so when we had some time I could mess with it. Once I get my settings set it up it really started to shine for me. It is such a beautiful guitar, feels great and sounds great. It just took a few days as I had everything dialed up for my Les Paul. But I am definitely getting another one so I can have 2 as I travel with 2. I really want another Monson. 

Gaff: I got it and played it that night as he had the pickups that I wanted as I sent it off to him so I plugged in and holy fuck, here we go.

Jason: Yeah I adjusted to the Lace pickups, one day, awesome and it is by far my main guitar, I love it. Ordering the guitar from Monson really made me think about gear. With the Monson I can take some time to research and get what I want. When I was looking at a guitar, it was so awesome to get a guitar from someone. Actually, Nate from US Christmas had given me his card years ago because he plays Monson guitars so he was like you need to check this guy out. So I went on and checked out his website and saw that Mike Scheidt and Scott Kelly plays his guitars, Nate Hall, so he has people you know that tone is really important to him. I had wanted one for a while so I was planning on saving up and getting one down the road, but when my Les Paul got stolen I was trying to replace it and I was like I can get some antique guitar that I am going to take on the road and might get stolen again or get a new Les Paul that is not going to sound the same that is factory made. You know for me it was so cool to get something from an actual craftsman. It was amazing and I love the guitar and I am planning on getting another down the road, at least one more. The next day he asked if I wanted to be on the roster and it was so cool and I whole heartedly support what he is doing as it is such a great thing.

Gaff: Christmas came early

Jason: Yes

Gaff: By far the best guitar I have ever played in my life, so easy to play.

Jason: I have had the Monson for a few months and I really love it. Definitely need to give a shout out to Monson.

Gaff: Right on, for what you guys are doing I cannot thank you enough, it is so motivating listening and please keep it going.

Jason: Man, thank you and that means so much and we will go as long as we can.

The End

It is when speaking with someone such as Jason that you realize that he is fulfilling what he and his mate were put on the world to do, and that is to play music for the rest of us to digest, marinate in and wait for their brand of motor speedway boogie to collapse the cochlea of listeners from sea to shining sea.

The only way that the music can be topped is by knowing what a genuine cat I was conversing with. You at times can get the Rock Star answer or the cool and nebulous proclamation that when it goes to print  is lost like that mitten that did not really fit well and the aunt you thought was a fucking nightmare supposedly knit for you, only to find out, she took them from the Elks lost and found.

Jason is a true musician but much like his touring mate Mike Scheidt from YOB, an actual better person than a musician as the their heartfelt sentiments ring out in their honest and thoughtful answers and they are in it for the correct reasons, not from sifting through too many Hit Parader mags while smoking menthol cigs in the family roadster.

Believe me, musicians come in many moods, tones and head spaces, it is the ones that in a simple hello, you know that you are in fact dealing with the real deal and thus owe it to yourself the writer, to truly show that you are speaking with a true artist and a genuine mother fucker that has it embodied in his soul that the rock will always roll and thus he has made it for the listener that truly gets off on the music and needs it for the regularity of this fucked up world we dwell in.

Do yourself the biggest favor, grab their music and if you are in Europe, please check out the Black Cobra caravan and YOB locomotive rolling into your town.

Until next time, please remember that just because you have a bat doesn’t mean you know how to swing it.

Gaff

Band info: facebook || bandcamp