Graveyard interview

This interview is published in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I am posting the English text here so it could be useful both for the band and its fans outside Bulgaria.

The debut album of Graveyard from 2007 has sunk in the underground of the Swedish heavy rock but if you have come across on it you could hardly remain indifferent. Obviously, somebody from Nuclear Blast has heard the CD because Graveyard are coming this month with a second album under the wing of the leading metal label. For the path from their first steps to this moment, for the music at all and for the Swedish scene, the drummer Axel Sjöberg speaks for Rawk'n'Roll.

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RR: Hello, Axel! How are the final stages of the release of “Hisingen Blues” going?

AS: Hello! Quite well thank you, we're getting good feedback from all over.

RR: Hisingen is an island in Sweden which forms the Northern part of Göteborg but why “Hisingen Blues”, what does the title stand for?

AS: Rikard wrote the lyrics for the song while he was having a down period. Hisingen has a lot of rough areas with a melancholic atmosphere. And we thought that the song was a good representative for the album as a whole.

RR: The artwork is amazing; it brings memories of fantastic fairytales like Peter Pan. Who is the author and how the concept was born?

AS: Haha, thank you! We wanted a sort of lurking evil feel to it. It's the bass player from the excellent band Bombus from Gothenburg that did it from scratch. We took pictures against a green screen and then he built it in his computer. It was supposed to be a different press picture from the beginning but when we saw it we had to use it as the cover.

RR: Speaking of fairytales, what kind of books is everybody in Graveyard into?

AS: Oh, that's very different depending on who you ask. Myself I like Joseph Heller and Douglas Coupland, Joakim mostly reads comics, Rikard likes war history and Svala is into biographies and conspiracy literature.

RR: How did you decide to work with Don Alsterberg? He has produced artists like José Gonzales who is quite far from Graveyard’s sound.

AS: We worked with him on our first album and we were very satisfied. Don is amazing, both when it comes to sounds and input on the songwriting. I think it's not so much a matter of musical style rather than a mindset. If you've got the magic touch, you can work with many different types of music.


RR: Can you give us a few details on the album song wise? I mean the sound, the lyrics, the groove of the tracks in it, to tell a bit more of what is “Hisingen Blues” from your point of view.

AS: Well... I think it's a more worked through album. We had more time, had become better at playing and more tight because of all the touring. It's much more of an ALBUM than our first was. Lyrics deal with everything and nothing, inspired by daily life. Maybe they're mostly melancholic or pissed off. We write most of the music together in our rehearsal space where we jam a lot. In my point of view, Hisingen blues is a good album, haha.


RR: How did an underground heavy blues/psychedelic rock band sign a contract with a giant metal label like Nuclear Blast? Have you used some dark rituals, hehe?

AS: Haha, no I think it's a combination of a lot of things. Word of mouth - people have talked about us. A good persistent manager that made the connection. And NB will to expand a bit musically.

RR: How do you feel with the NB guys in terms of support?

AS: I have nothing but praise for them. They've been excellent.

RR: Don’t you fear they would need you to change your approach to music?

AS: Nope. They like us like we are. Actually the album was already finished before we made the deal, so they knew what they were buying if you could say so.


RR: The music from your first album brings the vibe of the glorious past of the rock and roll; it bears the heritage of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Janis Joplin and all that was magical and real in the late 60’s, early 70’s, yet it holds signature that is clearly you and can’t be mistaken. Which old bands are favorite to you, guys and how often do you listen to classic rock, compared to contemporary bands?

AS: That varies from week to week. Right now I listen a lot to Muddy Waters album Electric Mud. A new band I listen a lot to is Bombus. And today I feel like listening to Jerusalem and Black Keys.

RR: I see and hear parallels between your music and the records of other great Swedish bands today like Asteroid, Siena Root and Witchcraft, just to mention few. Is there any big rock movement in Sweden and how do you find the fact that there are so many rock bands there who have embraced the classic rock and the analog sound?

AS: I think there are always a good amount rock bands. It's just a matter of how much attention they are getting from time to time. In the case with Asteroid the bass player there is Joakim's little brother... But other than that I don't really know...

RR: Of the above bands, you have blood connection with Asteroid. Do you play together and do you know if they have split due to Elvis’ departure or Hexan is just a side project?

AS: No idea. But good drummers are hard to find.


RR: Since the Swedish rock scene is so strong in the last two decades, I guess there are many influential bands there from the 60’s and the 70’s. Could you point out some of them?

AS: November, Träd Gräs och Stenar, Råg i Ryggen, Kebnekajse, Charlie och Esdor, International Harvester and of course Hansson & Karlsson which made the song Tax Free which Jimi Hendrix did a cover of.

RR: The lyrics of some Graveyard songs remind of the occult themes from the early Black Sabbath. How much are you in this kind of theme?
AS: It depends on who wrote the lyrics. Different from day to day and from person to person.

RR: Is it possible for you now to live from playing in Graveyard or you have to work? And if so, what do you do for living?

AS: Myself I've worked with a lot different things from taking care of children with autism to being a sort of mason, building stone roads with small square stones. But now it looks like we'll be able to rely on Graveyard only.

RR: If you could choose, with which two other bands would you go on tour?

AS: Friends’ bands - Spiders, Bombus and Horisont. To support bigger bands - Black Keys, Black Sabbath, Neil Young... I don't know....

RR: As we all know, the light (and sometimes heavier) drugs have been going hand in hand with rock and roll from ages. What is your drug – weed, hash, tea, beer, whiskey?

AS: yes.

RR: With whom would you share one of the mentioned above?

AS: Anyone that is nice and interesting to talk to.



RR: And just to warn you – you are the fourth Swedish band I am making an interview. The previous three have split a few months after they talked to me, so if you feel worried from the “Bulgarian curse”, I will understand you, haha!

AS: Haha, no worries.

RR: Cheers, guys, wish you all best with the new album and I hope I will catch you on the road (I see you are playing in Vienna with Pentagram on 21st of April)!

AS: See you there then, thanks and goodbye!

Айляк, майна

„Човекът е човек тогава, когато е на път”. Колко често забравяш това, потънал в блатото на ежедневието? И на оправданието „е, сега ли да зарежа всичко и да хукна нанякъде? Ами работата? Отпуск по никое време. Ами, уговорките за уикенда? Ами мача по Канала?” Ами ако умреш в графика си? Същият този график, който макар и даващ сигурност, всъщност затваря душата, поривът, съвсем първичното любопитство, заложено дълбоко у нас, погребано от „задължения”, чуждо мнение и измислени норми. И въпреки значителната свобода с хлабавото работно време на хонорар в БНТ, успях и аз да се вкарам в очакване на следващата брънка от веригата на плановете и задачите.

Станах на 30. Реално, чудо голямо. Фактът, обаче, че се сбогувах с двойката отпред малко ме стъписа. Не толкова екзистенциалното клише „какво съм направил досега” успя да ми изкара няколко флашбека, колкото осъзнаването, че животът си тече и не искам да си го подарявам на графици, когато не ме задържат истински важните ангажименти на семейството или например тежък заем, ипотеки или сериозни здравословни проблеми. 30. Направи нещо, човече, движи се, не стой! И хукнах.

Започна се с обаждането на Ники Шахпазов и предложението да работя в Програмата. Първата крачка след 30-те – смяната на работата. Млад екип от приятни и хубави хора замени петте месеца на пъстър хаос в БНТ. Всъщност, вече ми липсват чудесните колеги, с които работих в телевизията, липсва ми почти по казармено безсмисленото тичане и безумни задължения, липсва ми динамиката ни, подобно на микроби в мудното тяло на болен динозавър, каквото представлява държавният мастодонт и трудещите се за тромавата машина работници, впримчени в мизерните огризки, отпускани като заплата. Не стоях там заради парите (макар че напуснах и заради тях), харесваше ми усещането да работя и то да работя с тези хора. Харесваше ми да наблюдавам макар и леко самодоволно, как различни индивидуалности се сблъскват, спречкват, прехвърчат искри, лее се истерия, изкуствено напрежение, хора си създават излишни нерви и грижи, в които сами са се научили да вярват и без които могат да живеят толкова по-добре. Такъв не мога да стана. Но ми липсва това изкуствено напрежение. Сега съм спокоен и работя в спокойна среда. То и не работя, още опипвам работата. Но ми е адски интересно и приятно.

Денят, в който съобщих, че напускам БНТ, Center с Николай Близнака свириха заедно със Soundprophet във Fans. Концертът се получи убийствено. Едно защото и двете банди са чудесни, а второ, защото тъкмо се отвинтваха винтилите на обуздаваната ми лудост, която само се оглеждаше за пробойни и изригна с вой. Прекрасна вечер, със страхотни приятели и отново осъмване в Миленка и Марто. Обичам ви, хора, обичам компанията ви и фактът, че съществувате там някъде и от време на време се потапям във вашия свят!

После празнуването на общия ни рожден ден със Сашко на Мала Църква – голямата му, удобна къща събра 15 души в снежната Рила. 15 души, които отново подивяха, все едно празнувахме не рожден ден, а Нова година. И всъщност, какво значение има какъв е поводът, когато просто сме заедно и това е най-големият празник? Колко изпушихме, изпихме и изядохме няма значение, разходките из могъщия лес лес по течението на Леви Искър късно през нощта, сакралното усещане за вечност и единство, музиката в режещия въздух и главите ни, падналият на тесния мост без парапети бор, напомнящ за силата на природата, за стихиите, пред които сме незначителни, острата форма на гората, хищно озъбена, гледана нагоре към върха, накъдето се съпротивлява на реката и някак примирено обърнала гръб в спокойна поза надолу по течението, ярките звезди, надничащи през тежките снежни клони, щипещият студ, който няма значение, защото знаем къде сме, къщата, сънят на пода, пътят наобратно. София.

И пак почивни дни. Мария. От година вече се чудя как така попаднах на човек като теб, готова винаги да приемеш номада, когато му писне от всичко и всички и как винаги леглото ти е оправено, а печката духа топличко, подготвяйки въздуха да посрещне тежкото ми дишане насън.

Слизам от автобуса, давам 3 лева на човек, който твърди, че не може да се прибере. Позната муфта. Но някакси ми се иска да вярвам, че този път беше честен. После прегръдка, хайде до вас да оставя раницата и здравей, Пловдив! Новият рок бар, по едно бързо, среща с колегите ти, непознати за мен, грейнали в младостта си лица, спокойствието да водя разговори с хора, които виждам за пръв път, весели, жизнени и позитивни, тези неща помагат за късането на нишката, която ме връзва с дните преди този. После „Пъзела”, Unhumanity тъкмо отпочват суровия си прочит по “Pleasure of Molestation” на Hypocrisy, виждам Чавдар от The Revenge Project и се радваме на срещата, следват бири в тълпата, пого, подскоци и е пречистващо и примитивно веселието и нямам нищо против. The Revenge Project излизат и се сещам как ги дебнех преди 6-7 години да свирят, жаден за хубав и смислен дет метъл и то произведен у нас. Бургас. “Unreal Is My Trip” ме подсеща за един концерт на бандата преди 6 години и как със Симо се надъхвахме два дни преди него, а кавърът на “Love Crimes” ме хвърля в 90-те, когато въртях “Wolfheart” на Moonspell до лудване, първият ми оригинален диск, усетих се, че още помня текста и пак пого и днес вече ме боли цялата дясна половина на торса, дано мине скоро. И след метълската веселба – No Sense. Не бях стъпвал в дискотека сигурно от втори курс. И отново твои чудесни приятели. А песните... без значение дали слушаме Depeche Mode, Snap, Nickelback или 50 Cent, фактът, че тази вечер е наша, ме кара да подскачам и да се клатя щастливо. Спокоен съм, душевно и ментално извадил всичко, което пречи, което спъва, поне тези два дни съм само дух и усмивка. Харесва ми всичко, което прелита като филм покрай мен, харесва ми да гледам хората, харесва ми да виждам как танцуваш усмихната, а тъмните вълни на косата ти галят лицето ти и се спускат ниско под раменете и очите ти блестят през кичурите, когато споделяме задължителната балада. Спокойно и весело ми е и не ми пука, когато изливам половината айрян от дюнерджийницата върху якето, спокойно ми е и когато се прибираме в пет сутринта, заспивам дълбоко, така, както не съм спал от много време.

Пловдив е чудесен и изобщо не се учудвам, че именно оттам тръгва думата „айляк”. Спокойствието, което цари през цялата топла и слънчева неделя в града, бавната ни разходка по Рахат Тепе, пловдивчани, с които се разминаваме, всичко е лежерно, никой не бърза по „задачи” и не ми се иска да хващам автобуса. И не го хващам. Човекът, който ме спира преди да си купя билет с предложението да ме метне с колата до София, че пътува и иска да си спести малко от парите за бензин идва точно навреме. Пламен се оказва много готин пич, който е учил и живял в Германия и пътуването за него е смисъл на живота. Посетил е толкова много държави, разказва ми за гмуркане в Червено море, за Занзибар, за Испания, за Италия. Аз споделям скромния си опит от концертния туризъм и не усещаме как изяждаме пътя до Окръжна Болница и се мятам на автобуса до вкъщи. Home

Не исках да напиша толкова последователен и скучен текст, други думи се подреждаха в главата ми на прибиране от работа. Но умората явно е сковала мозъка. А докато слушам Tom Waits и пия чай, ми се иска да си запаметя тези два дни, да си напомням усмивките и най-вече да кажа „Благодаря”, да призная, че успях да те опозная по-добре, Мария, да видя и усетя и твоя огън и да, радвам се, че сме приятели!

А утре към Банско.

Asteroid interview

This interview was taken at the beginning of 2010 and published in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll, coinciding with the release of the bands breathtaking second album (here is the review, though it is only in Bulgarian). Now Asteroid is on hiatus (I hope temporary) but I decided to place the interview in English, so it could be available both for the band and its fans outside Bulgaria.

Few years ago Asteroid released a great three song demo. Then they recorded and EP with four pieces which until this day is among the strongest space/stoner rock records. The split with their fellow-citizens Blowback blows heads off and their debut album is amazing. And a month after the release of their killer second album, the guitarist and singer Robin Hirse was so kind to talk with me about music. In common.

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Hi, guys! First of all, I’d like to share with you that you are the third band from Sweden I am making an interview with. Ironically, the first two bands have split some time after the interviews. So, are you sure you want to continue with this one, haha?

Why the hell not, haha? We don’t fear this curse of yours…

Well, if you are answering to this question, you obviously are not afraid of the “curse”. So, have you heard of Blind Dog and The Hurricanez (formerly known as Boogieman)?

No man, doesn’t ring a bell.

You are now at the very final stages before releasing your second album. What should we expect?

This album is much more back to our roots. More of the early sound and wibe… The production is lighter with a lot of space. But still with the same groove as always. Perhaps it’s a bit darker then our last record.

Tell us something about the writing and the recording of the new album. Where did you make it, any interesting stories around it?

The album was recorded in Elvis brother´s studio way out in the wood. We recorded there in the middle of winter, and in Sweden that means 20 below zero and lots of snow. But that’s really the best way to do it. No distractions! Just us, the music, our engineer Oscar and enough alcohol to kill a heard of elephants! As usual we write the songs either in our rehearsal by loosing ourselves in a jam, or at our flats. We try out different riffs and ideas to se what works, twist it around, break it into pieces, then put it back together again,


Would you share some thoughts of some of the songs we are going to hear next month?

All the songs on the new album are really interpretable. Lyrically we all have different opinions what the songs are about. If Johannes sing a song I know it means something else for him than what it would mean too me. The thread that brings them all together musically, if there such a thread would probably be that they compliment each other, almost like they were made to fit together. When one song brings you down low the next one comes along and points you in the right direction again.

What was the perception of Asteroid?

Bigger that Jesus!

Somewhere between the two albums you have changed a member of the band. How would you describe Elvis in few words?

The unknown son of John Bonham. He’s a great drummer and musician and has always been a close personal friend. Which is very important for us as a band, if you don’t like the people you play with it always shows in the music you make.

I guess you three have to work aside the music. What do you do for living?

Both Johannes and I work with rock n’ roll in different ways. I help rock bands in different ways. We have a “school” were the kids can learn how to play and find people to play with. I find a cheap rehearsals and places to play live. Help them with merchandise and thing they need for their band. Johannes is working as one of few Swedish rock music consultants, and is arranging and promotes rock shows. Elvis works at a printing press.

Now some years back – how the band was born? When and where did all start?

As for most bands it started after a jam session. We’d known each other for a while from other projects and one late night, after a really long evening in the pub, we found ourselves in a studio jamming like mad. This was back in the winter of 2003.


One should be deaf not to recognize the influence of the early 70s in your music. Which of the old bands are you listening to, just to mention some names? Is there a common favorite band or when it is about the old dogs you split in different camps (i.e. Black Sabbath vs. Hawkwind)?

Well we’re all fans of the classics like Sabbath, Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Atomic Rooster, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and so on. One common favorite would probably be Captain Beyond. But we’re not at all restricted to the 70s, there are plenty of new bands that we like; Big Elf, Mars Volta, The Black Keys, just to name a few. I don’t think we have split views on any bands really.

From some time now we can see the resurrection of the vinyl. What’s your position on this? Will we see an Asteroid LP?

We’re counting on it! But it’s up to our record label.

The first album is called Asteroid, the second one is Asteroid II. Will the third be named Asteroid III and after the fourth should we expect particular album titles?

I understand what you’re referring to, but the album is not actually called Asteroid II. That’s just a way of keeping track of the albums. If you look at out previous work neither the demo, the ep or the first two albums have names.

How often do you meet Doctor Smoke?

Dr. Lennart Smoke is our family physician.

A lot of bands have gone away during the years – big ones and small ones. Some remain just as a blurry shade of a glorious past, while a handful of others remain solid as monoliths. Speaking of this, AC/DC announced an eventual concert in Bulgaria next year. How do you feel about AC/DC?

Personally I think the soul of AC/DC died with Bon Scott, they lost they’re groove after that. I don’t really like bands that just keep going even when they don’t have anything fresh to bring to the table. And I know that Johannes is not a big fan at all.


You are musicians but also music fans – which bands have you seen live and which one impressed you most?

The last show we saw together was a Swedish band called Trummor & Orgel (Drums and Organ), an instrumental duo. That totally blew all our minds. We are also big fans of Johannes brothers band Graveyard, awesome live act.

Which ones would you like to see in future?

And we’re all looking forward to the Jethro Tull gig in 2010.

You have made a split album with Blowback. Do you still see each other, do you play together?

We see then almost every week because we share our rehearsal with them, but it’s been a long time since we shared a stage together. Neither them or us play very often in our home town.

Your first EP was a blast. It is one of my favorite stoner rock (if I can use the term) records for the last decade. And it is absolutely out of print now. Have you thought of re-release along with the demo?

Actually it’s been a plan ever since Elvis joined the band to do some sort of re-recording of the demo and the EP. We’re testing out old material to see what would work. But no dates have been set so far.

Any chances to see Asteroid go farther than Sweden, Austria and Germany?

Of course! We’re planning a tour the spring/summer which will hopefully take us to Poland, Czech, France.

If it depends on you – with which of the Swedish bands would you go on tour?

Well we had a blast on our tour with Graveyard and as long as the band is cool to hang out with and we like the vibe in their music we can pretty much see ourselves going with anyone. I think we could be a cool mix alongside Trummor & Orgel, that would be cool.


Since it is the beginning of the year now – which were the most impressive albums in 2009 for you?

Hm, tough question, what’s new. We usually listen to albums from early 70s you know. I know Johannes liked the now Mastodon album.

With whom would you guys share a joint?

That list would be far too long…

The photos are taken by Melody Rönnlund: www.melodypics.com and from the band's myspace profile.

Karma To Burn: Rich Mullins interview

This interview is posted in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I post it here in English so it could be available to wider audience and also for the band and its managers to use it as they find proper.

When Karma To Burn got back together two years ago, we almost shitted our pants brown. And when last year they released the amazing "Appalachian Incantations" we went insane because it apeared they hadn't moved an inch and they beat again our shit out with great riff punches. And now, in the eve of their fifth album and their upcoming big tour, we are talking to their bassist and the cofounder of Karma To Burn, the nice guy Rich Mullins.

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RR: Hi, Rich! Are you just waking up?

RM: Yes.

RR: How has been 2011 so far?

RM: So far so good. No horrible tragedy.

RR: Last year’s “Appalachian Incantation” was a massive statement for your comeback. How did you come up with this album? Was it written and recorded in a rush or it was all natural process?

RM: It was pretty natural. We started with… I think the third track we did was “Forty One” and that’s when we decided we should try to do another record. We just went form there. At the end I think we were little bit rushed because we wanted to do one song ‘cause we worked with Scott Reeder. We wanted to try to do one song out there that we just kind of put together with him and we didn’t have time to do it.

RR: Mentioning Scott Reeder, he has produced the album. And you have John Garcia singing in it. What is this strong Kyuss connection?

RM: I think it was during “The Sky Valley” tour. We’re from the opposite sides of the country. The guitarist for this band Hermano he was in this band called Black Cat Bone out of Kentucky. They were in the recording studio and at the same label as Kyuss when they were doing “Sky Valley”. And he had a copy of it. And when he heard us playing, he said: “Hey guys, you’ll probably like this” and he gave us a copy. And so we heard it, we thought it was cool and we did some shows with them in Ohio. This was a long time ago and at that time we became friends. We opened for the Queens Of The Stone Age on their first tour. So we’ve just known those bands forever. And then actually John came to live with me in West Virginia for a couple of months, right before they did “… And the Circus Leaves Town”.

RR: How is the album accepted by fans and the critics? And is it selling good?

RM: It went really well. Really well.

RR: What was the reason for the band split in 2002?

RM: Ah… I had a drug problem. Hah, kind of got out of the way of things. I tried to do a geographical change in my life. I thought it would help out but it didn’t really.

RR: While Karma was disbanded all of you joined various projects. Was that a good experience for you?

RM: It was good. We kept playing and trying some different things. And we all had to go, me and Rob, get ourselves clean. It gave us how to do that and get away from everything that we’ve been doing and allowed us to come back to this situation with a different perspective.

RR: How did you decide to reform Karma To Burn?

RM: Gosh! Will and I talked for the first time in 7 years and it came up right away. It was weird. It was like “Alright!”

RR: When you were back in 2009 you did a lot of touring. You played many shows in Europe which seems to be preferable scene for bands from the States. Why is that?


RM: It’s because the US doesn’t really rock anymore. The US is pretty bleak for anything that isn’t straight up commercial.

RR: But there are so many rock bands from the States!

RM: You can do okay. There are bands that are doing better here than there. We have toured with The Sword. The Sword does much better here in the US than in Europe.

RR: Well, The Sword toured with Metallica which, I think, helped them a lot.

RM: Yeah. That seems to help a little bit. But even before Metallica they were doing pretty much the same. Their first record did really well here. It’s weird – it’s hard to predict what happens in the States because you can’t get much of the media coverage if you don’t get on TV a little bit.

RR: When you returned in 2009, you played the Roadburn. And you did two shows for night.

RM: Yes, we played twice in the same day. We had to play an extra show because of that volcano we had a lot of band cancelled. It was really weird to find out that a volcano is keeping people from travelling. No one expects to hear anything like that. And there were bands that were coming over to play Roadburn and we were playing a lot, it was a part of the tour so we were going to be there for long anyhow. So we came before the volcano and we saw people that were trying to get boat tickets and they were going to travel from England to Los Angeles. It was pretty crazy. We saw people doing desperate things trying to get across the ocean.

RR: What was the highlight of the shows you did after reuniting? Which country?

RM: We got really lucky; I think we had a lot of them. We went to a lot of places we’ve never been before like Greece and Poland. I was shocked to see how the rock scene was in these places.

RR: I tried to come to Greece to see you but I couldn’t make it on time, so I hope I’ll catch you some day.

RM: We are trying to come out your way this summer. We are booking our tour now. It starts in the last week of May. And I know that we are going up in Finland for the first time. Then we will try to come down in Russia. And then we are straight in Greece. So, we’ll see.

RR: During the years you have played with such a great bands like Monster Magnet for example. Which ones were the coolest to tour with and who were your favorite ones?

RM: Motörhead! We have done like a hundred shows with them and I still watch their show every time because they are so good. Every song’s great.

RR: With which band you still haven’t played and you really wish to?

RM: There’s only one. We’ve played with them at the same festival but I don’t really count it. AC/DC.

RR: Isn’t it exhausting playing both in Karma To Burn and Year Long Disaster?

RM: Man, it’s exhausting just playing in Karma To Burn. We do so many shows, it’s crazy. I like playing music so to me it’s not exhausting. No matter what you do, if you’re doing it a lot so you become profession out of it, you are going to give it thousands and thousands of hours, so no. I wanna play music so I wanna do it as much as possible.

RR: What made you decide doing again songs with vocals?


RM: At the beginning it was just because we couldn’t get a vocalist that we could work with. We are not the easiest three guys to get along with. We have requirements for writing, for what we do in the song an sometimes it doesn’t leave a lot of room. And it’s really hard in a lot of instances for a voice to reflect this power that we can reflect. So it was really difficult. Recently we’ve got better in writing, so this record has some songs with vocals on ‘em.

RR: How did you meet Daniel Davies?

RM: I was buying booze for this party and he was buying booze at the same time and I started talking to him at the store, haha. We shared similar interests with the party at that time. We hang out that night and then it turned out that we shared similar drug interests. When you meet people like that, you usually hang up with them for a while. We were hanging up for a week when I found out that he can play guitar. When I heard him play I thought that this guy was good.

RR: How does it feel working with John Garcia? You are friends for so many years but how does it feel working with him? Because I can tell that “Two Times” is a personal favorite of mine.

RM: Ah, cool. Yeah, he’s just a natural. He steps up to the mike and it starts happening immediately. Sometimes it happens… we have experienced that with a lot of people trying to sing with us, you see some people whose vocals just don’t pick your song up and take it any place. And he instantly stepped on and took that song to a better place.

RR: Did he write the lyrics or they are yours?

RM: They are his lyrics, he writes his own. That’s part of the thing – we do the music, like the bass parts are mine and the guitar lines are Will’s. Well, basically music starts and ends with Will for Karma To Burn, to be honest. We all try to put our little expressions in there. When somebody is singing, he’s gotta bring his thoughts. If you’re doing it live, they have to go out and be able to express it every night.

RR: That sounds true. You have announced that you are working already on a new album. Which means that you are definitely here for good. Can you tell me more details on the record? What should we expect? Are you working again with John Garcia?

RM: The stuff that we did with John Garcia is gonna come out in his record, Garcia Vs. Garcia. We made a deal with him. He’s gonna give us, I don’t know exactly, but when we started working he wasn’t doing Kyuss Lives and now they are doing this thing and it’s gonna take them a lot of time. So I’m not sure exactly if we’re gonna get anything with him for our record.

RR: When should we expect it?

RM: Our record’s gonna come out at the end of May.

RR: Oh, it’s close!

RM: Yeah, we are recording it. We’re starting recording in a couple of weeks. We are going at the Dave Grohl studio which is just the greatest studio on the planet. It’s gonna be probably the biggest album we’ve ever done. Just the demos that we have, they’re giant. I am pretty excited about that. It’s the closest I’ve heard of somebody capturing our sound like live on a recording. We are going to be there for a month. Daniel’s gonna do a couple of songs with us. He’s gonna play guitar on some songs. Scott Kelly from Neurosis is gonna come down and do a song with us. And we’re always talking to Burton Bell and we are trying to get him to do a little bit stuff, so we’ll see if he’ll be able to get… It’s just heart getting people out of their schedules. It’s not just people show up for one day and then go. You’ve got to come and work with us for a week at least.

RR: Do you have any idea for the title of the album?


RM: We’re just going over things right now. If it was a rap album, we would just call it “Karmageddon”, hahaha.

RR: Are you still working with Napalm Records?

RM:.Yeah.

RR: How did you get in touch with them? It’s an Austrian company and you are from West Virginia.

RM: Who knows? Our agent Matthias is from Germany and has his own band called My Sleeping Karma. They originally started as a Karma To Burn tribute band. I’m just making that up, haha. He knew the guys at Napalm and asked them and their president just said “I’d love to have Karma To Burn”.

RR: Are you doing something besides the music or you can make a living of playing the bass?

RM: Right now I’m scratching a living of playing the bass. It’s rough because Los Angeles is an expensive city. When I was living in West Virginia it was much cheaper. But we got to record out here, so we are out here for right now. We are fortunately enough to do shows in US and we are okay in the US. Most bands in our genre can’t so we are fortunate enough so we can play here. The music industry is very much returning to, at least for the artists, I think, to where it all began which is the travelling musician. The guy who’s going from town to town and playing and making his existence that way. We just have to keep playing because that’s how we generate our income.

RR: In 2010 you released albums with both of your bands, so it definitely is a strong year for Rich Mullins. What do you expect from 2011?

RM: 2011 is going to be focused in just Karma To Burn.

RR: Since Karma To Burn is such a great riff machine, I am curious what music are you guys into? What bands inspire you most?

RM: We are all over the map, we listen to everything. Whatever we get our hands on, we try it. When we first started, we haven’t changed much since then. What happens after a while, after the first year we really became our own thing. When a song starts you know that it’s us. If you’ve listened to us you could probably be in the other room and somebody plays a new song and you get like: “Oh, that sounds like Karma To Burn” and then you come in and it would be us. Sometimes we go like: “You know, that song of Thin Lizzy with that crazy ending? We should do a song with a crazy ending.” This would be stuff like that. “You know that The Cure song?” or “You know that Joy Division song?” People don’t realize it but we covered one Joy Division song in our first record. And to be honest whenever we think of some of our… I think it’s probably one of the greatest bands of all time and we would imitate them in a metal kind of way in some instances.

RR: What was the last record you bought?

RM: Aaah! I just bought something. Oh, yeah, I bought “Freak-A-Zoid” by this band called Midnight Star. I also bought this band called Stillwater, they have a song called “Mind Bender”.

RR: What is Karma To Burn like while on tour? A rock and roll band with all the wild things surrounding it or a group of calm people?


RM: You think it wouldn’t be as crazy as… When we toured in the early 2000’s, it was pretty insane. It was pretty dangerous situation for everybody involved. These days it’s not nearly as much. We just try to focus on making sure that we are going to make it for the next show and we would be in the best shape so we could play well every night. But it’s still pretty weird group of guys, we are very bizarre people and we have strong personalities that are closed in a small area.

RR: Can you tell some of the craziest stories around you while on the road?

RM: People ask me about that and it’s really hard to convey the situations and emotions through your random sampling stories and what actually occurs in the evening and what is occurs on the next day but you can always point out practical joke nights and crazy situations. I never know what people want to know.

RR: What does this thing with numbers mean? Why did you decide to put numbers instead of names of the songs? Well, there are some songs with names but most of them are numbers.

RM: If one has a name, then we did vocals to it. If it’s instrumental, then we just number it.

RR: Who brought this idea?

RM: I have to say Will because he was doing that with his riffs before we started Karma To Burn. He was calling them: “This is going to be number one” because there was no singer. It just means sense to us. I have a background with math in engineering, so I like numbers. Sometimes rock is a little confused. Sometimes we’ll do two particular songs – “Thirty” and “Thirty Four” to cause the most confusion. When they are on the setlist I always have to wait to make sure I would start the right one.

RR: And which songs are your favorite songs playing live?

RM: I love playing “Twenty Eight” and “Twenty” because they are really filled with energy. Recently I really like playing “Forty One” a lot. “Forty Seven”, the opening of the new record, that song is just smash.

RR: Last year when you released albums with both of your bands, how did you decide which riffs and which melodies to put in Karma To Burn and which in Year Long Disaster?

RM: The Karma To Burn songs are written like the three of us are at a practice and we start playing.

RR: More like a jam session?

RM: Yeah. That’s how we write the Karma To Burn songs. Except for “Waiting on the Western World” – me, Will and Daniel we were living in the same house, then Will started playing that riff and then Daniel started singing so this song was written separately. Then Daniel brought it to practice and put it all together. And the Year Long record was written with the Karma To Burn contributions to it. We were having a sound check in Spain and a couple of things sounded cool, so I recorded them on my phone and then I e-mailed them to Daniel and he sang in these and we put it in the Year Long Disaster record. The Year Long record usually starts with little bass riffs I have. And that was even before Karma To Burn started to play, we had most of the “Black Magic” record already done.

RR: OK. And just to finish this interview, I would like to ask you about your favorite albums in 2010, which records impressed you most?

RM: By other bands? Aaah… Ah! I’m trying to recall what records I’ve listened to. Do you, guys, have Metalocalypse over there?

RR: Yeah.

RM: The cartoon. (laughs) Season three! (bursts in laughter) And the new Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I loved the last season. I liked the new Sword record. I listened to the new Monster Magnet record a little bit. Who else put out new records?

RR: And what other bands seeing live impressed you most during the last year?


RM: Torche. We saw also a couple of really good Monster Magnet shows when we toured with them. We see also great opening bands but I forget the names because they are so many. There are a lot of good bands out there. Like this one we played with in Gernany, I can’t remember their name (probably Rich speaks of Sungrazer). It’s hard to remember all of them and I am just waking up. Maybe in an hour I’ll be like “Yeah! Them! Oh, that record was really good last year!” Haha.

RR: You’re right. Okay, I’ll leave you now. I will send you the links to the interview when we post it online in two weeks.

RM: Cool, thanks. You know, you should change the questions, to pretend like you asked me something else. I can do a couple of answers for you like: “After hiding the body and wiping the scene from all the DNA, there was nothing left to do that night.” Okay, have a good day, man! Bye!

RR: Bye!

Clutch: Interview with Tim Sult

This interview was published a couple of weeks ago in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I am posting here the English version of the material, so it could reach more people and so it could be useful for the band too. We did it not exactly by the scheme "question-answer" but made it look more like an article in order to make it full-blooded text and as a way to express our love and respect to Clutch.

Clutch is one of the steadiest and hardest working bands in rock and roll ever. For 20 years on stage they have released 9 studio albums; one compilation with strong enough songs to be counted as a studio album too; two DVD’s, a few official live recordings; half a dozen official bootlegs; tens EP’s and singles; countless number of concerts; a side band with two and a half albums and a few more projects. And all of these are stamped with the mark Pure Rock Fury. Are we fans of Clutch? A lot more!
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Clutch is a name with which we come to attention and bristle up, waiting our eyeballs to rocket out of orbit in every tone, played by the quartet of Maryland. Clutch, subjectively or objectively, are the greatest and most authentic rock and roll band today. Clutch are four friends from the high school since 1990 and until now on they play, live and travel the world all the time, always together. Because the Music, dear friends, is the motor of these people, it springs out of them and fuels them, makes them breath and they never cease to create and play. That is why the fans of the band all over the world are the same – crazed melomans to whom the sincere, powerful rock and roll with bluesy groove acts as an adrenaline shot up the ass. And how does the band accepts this situation? “We're just happy to be in the position to play shows all over the world for fans of the band. It is amazing how many people around the world know the band, but we're not exactly huge or even close to being rock stars.”, answers the guitarist Tim Sult.

You must be blind or deaf to miss when Clutch are on tour. Because they play so intensively at so many places that the pulse of their music vibrates with the one of the Earth and there is no way to pass by your heart rhythm if in your chest there beats rock and roll. In November it finished the tour of the band as a special guest of Black Label Society in their Black Label Berzerkus Tour and supporting acts were Children Of Bodom and 2Cents. And although “I’ve never been much into Zakk Wylde’s music, the tour felt great and all the shows were fun. It's always good to play for people who have never heard of us. I believe we were accepted very well by the Black Label crowd. Hopefully, we made a few new fans.” When the tour was over, the band made some headline shows and instead the four of them to sit and rest during the Holidays, they went out to few special gigs, including New Year’s Eve. This is how you build up a name.

Let’s see. In 2009 there are released albums of Clutch, of their instrumental alter ego The Bakerton Group, of The Company Band – a project in which Neil Fallon sings with friends from a few other American rock bands. An during the whole year when they are not in the studio, the four are on the road where even a few times The Bakerton Group opened for Clutch as for the change of the bands they’ve just put out a microphone for Neil. 2010 finds them working hard on the re-releases of their previous three albums for which they have regained the rights from thei former label DRT Entertainment so they could put them out with their own new company Weathermaker Music. “Well we had our own label called River Road Records that sold online and at shows back in the 90's/00's but we decided it was time to hire somebody and get real distribution. At this point in our career, it just makes more sense for a band like us to put out our own stuff.”

And when they are not recording nor dealing the deeds of Weathermaker, Clutch jam all the time or are on the road. It appears that they are of the most active and busiest bands ever. Which leads to the thought that Neil, Tim, Dan and Jean-Paul are feeling best when they are working only that playing is not just a “working process” for them but also a pleasure and need to create. “Thanks for the compliments. I'm not sure what you mean by "working progress" but yes, being in Clutch and The Bakerton Group is a pleasure. Working on new music constantly is always important, I think.” And with the two active projects in hand it is easier to divide the various musical searches of the four guys. So, on the move they find out if a certain riff or melody fits more Clutch or The Bakerton Group. “The Bakerton Group originally started in the late 90's. Neil moved to Colorado so the rest of us wrote a few instrumental songs and started playing shows around the east coast for fun. As you know, Neil ended up joining The Bakerton Group on 2nd guitar about 10 years after the first Bakerton show.” In the second album of the instrumental project, “El Rojo”, along with our heroes, there stands the name of Per Wiberg, keyboard player for Opeth and Spiritual Beggars. The interesting in this case is that a musician from a European leading underground act plays with a common band from the American scene. It appears though that as usually happens in life, the things just happened by their own. “We met him when we toured Europe with his band, Spiritual Beggars. Yes I like Opeth. Per also has a side project with our drummer, JP, called King Hobo. Per has played keyboards for several Clutch shows in Europe as well as these past 5 U.S. New Years shows.”

The keyboard is an important part of the music of Clutch in their later records, mainly from “Blast Tyrant”, to “From Beale Street To Oblivion”. The Hammond in these records adds space in the band’s groove and brings associations with leading names of the scene from the 60’s and the 70’s. Thus, apart the totally obsessing rhythm, the fiery preaches, great riffs and rusty-muddy solos from the Gibson of Tim, we receive a new until that moment for Clutch epic sense of freedom. In two of these three albums on the keyboards is the friend of the band Mick Schauer who quits the line-up in 2008. And when “Strange Cousins From The West” comes out a year later and the band shares that its sound is more straight and direct, it is due to the fact that “Maybe it sounds more raw because there are no keyboards in the record.” The CD reminds more of albums like “Clutch” and “Elephant Riders”. But this doesn’t mean that Clutch are turning their back on the idea for keyboards in their music. “Yes, we plan to add keys as we see fit. Mick also played keys on the first Bakerton Group full length CD. We have also had Chris Brooks from Lionize play on a recent acoustic session. (we see him also on stage with Clutch in their last DVD “Live At The 9:30”) Of course, Per Wiberg plays with us when possible as well.”

With so many guest appearances with Clutch it is not surprising that other bands often invite band members to take part in their records too. While with Mastodon with whom they are connected with strong friendship and Tim claims to be a big fan, they change appearances in the live performances of the bands. Dozer invited Neil Fallon to sing a few lines in “Empire's End” and “Two Coins For Eyes” of “Beyond Colossal” which happened to be the last album of the Swedish. The connection of the bands again results of incidence. “Well, they were one of the bands on the tour that we did with Spiritual Beggars.” That’s it. Just Neil is a cool guy and when he finds time, he doesn’t mind to do a little help to his friends.

Besides his strong stage appearance where he shakes like obsessed of religious fanaticism preacher, his deep and inspiring voice, Neil Fallon is also expressed lyricist. Influenced by the revelations of Henry Rollins and his favorite author of music poetry Tom Waits, Neil recreates images drawn deep of the American subculture and he often interweaves blues themes and gospel proverbs with futuristic pictures and mysticism. For example in their last album the American president Abraham Lincoln is honored with a song dedicated to his assassination while his presence in the artwork is of a pagan god with four hands holding Nature symbols. While asked why they pay such an attention to his figure, Tim simply answers: “We just love that beard, man.” And he denies explaining who the strange cousins from the west are. The humor often presents in the band. But not when it comes to music. When they hit the road, the four of them often don’t stop touring for months. “We're pretty mellow on tour. We just chill and play the shows.”

Now, in the beginning of the year, Clutch are at home, they relax from their intensive schedule drinking beer and smoking weed, watching their families… or not exactly. ”It is now January and we are off until the end of the month when we start a 6 week U.S tour with Motörhead. We have been in the studio finishing up a few things for the Blast Tyrant double CD reissue.” Vacation, eh? Interesting, what happens with the acoustic songs they announced they intended to put out as a ЕР and then it appeared that they would keep them for other purposes. ”So far, we are going to have 4 of them on the Blast Tyrant Reissue.” Namely, on 29th of March.

We cannot keep from asking Tim for some of the bands that impressed him years ago. As favorite bands in the 80’s the guitarist points Circle Jerks and Minor Threat and for the early years of Clutch he says: “we’ve listened a lot Kyuss and Monster Magnet in the early day of Clutch” but he appears to be laconic on that matter. In an attempt to return to him the mean trick that Weathermaker Music played with the fans of the band, making us to point out only 5 favorite songs of Clutch to put them on the website of the label as a podcast and free download, we invite him to point out his five favorites. Tim, however, doesn’t hesitate at all: ”Ghost; Abraham Lincoln; White's Ferry; Release the Dub; Rapture of Riddley Walker”. Topically for the beginning of 2011, he shares also his favorite albums for 2010:

Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
The Budos Band - Budos Band III
Grinderman - Grinderman II
Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder
O'Death - Broken Hymns, Limbs, and Skin
OFF! - First 4 Ep's
The Sword - Warp Riders


And what should we expect from Clutch in 2011? ”Well we have a six with tour with Motörhead from January 29th to March 12th as I said. On some dates they will have a break and we will have headline gigs. In the spring we will put out the re-release of “Blast Tyrant” and we have a few European shows in June planned so far.” Profession Rock.

Kula Shaker: Interview with Alonza Bevan

This interview is published in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I put here its English version in order this way it to reach more people and also the band to use it however they want to.

In the nineties, during the era of the grunge, the brit-pop and growingly faceless songs at the music channels, it is almost unimaginable for a psychedelic rock band, deeply inspired of India, to conquer the charts. The music of Kula Shaker bears at the same time the fiery energy of the youth and the wisdom of the musical culture of past epochs; contemporary, yet reflecting the spirit of the music of the 60’s; wonderfully combining the vivid picturesque pageant of the soundtracks of “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” with the psychedelia of the later Beatles. And in 2010 it abandoned all this musical whirlwind to release one of the purest, tender and beautiful rock albums. Kula Shaker closer, presented by Alonza Bevan.
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RR: First of all – congratulations for “Pilgrims Progress” , though it’s been half an year since it came out! It is among the most beautiful albums ever released. Can you tell us shortly about the album, the label issue in 2008, the songs and the recording sessions?

AB: Well, the album grew out of circumstance we had just got out of some dodgy dealings with the dark side (moneymen, accountants and lawyers) which left the band in a rather poor financial position. We knew we had some good songs and so with some great help from our friends and local musicians we started recording Pilgrims Progress here in the countryside of southern Belgium.

RR: The first thing that is obvious while listening the CD is the fact that you have taken off the colorful garment that was so typical for your previous releases and “Pilgrims Progress” is a stripped down to naked melodies and pure emotions record. Was that transmission natural or you made it by purpose?

AB: The production idea for the album was to capture some of the magic and freedom of the song demos which so often gets lost in the recording process. I mentioned how circumstance created this record and it definitely affected the production choices. I finally got to use all the peculiar instruments lying around my studio, the organ from the local church got used and more than anything the medieval surroundings and forests gave their fairy tale magic.

RR: Is the song “Peter Pan R.I.P.” only about the end of the childhood, the end of the fairy-tale period of the life or it also treats the moving away of the band from the vivid explosion in the sound of its earlier records?

AB: I thought it was about the death of innocence in the 20th century but apparently not, you'll have to ask Crispian.

RR: I can tell that in “Winter’s Call” there is a load of Roger Waters-like drama, especially at the end of the song. Is it true or it’s just my mind and imagination?

AB: No it's not your imagination, It is a fully certified prog epic.

RR: The first two albums where echoing of the burst of the psychedelic rock and the hippie movement from the 60’s and the 70’s. “Pilgrims Progress” also bears the spirit of past decades but it seems as if it’s more opened to the folk rock and even rockabilly and evergreen era. Am I right?


AB: It wasn't something we really thought about, I've always loved the sound of the 60's folk revival, I guess this album offered the opportunity to draw on these influences.

RR: The album is very acoustic. Is that connected to the fact that the studio you have recorded it is in the woods, closer to the nature and closer to the roots? Because overall it is calm and beautiful with a peaceful aura, if I can say so.

AB: Absolutely, we thought we were going to make another rock'n'roll album but those bloody fairies and wood spirits had their way.

RR: What kind of music do you listen to and does it influence the songs of Kula Shaker?

AB: I've just been listening to The Cramps... I don't think they had much influence on the last album but as a rule most bands are shaped by their record collection.

RR: When you released “K” back in 1996 and it quickly gained popularity with singles like “Govinda” and “Hey, dude”, did you expect it or were you surprised? And do you think the success back then is due to the spirit of these years or it’s a complex of factors that brought Kula Shaker to the top?

AB: It seems strange looking back, at the time we thought that's what happens when you get signed by a major record company but we were one of the "lucky" ones. I think we were signed by accident because guitars were back in fashion. I don't think they banked on the Sanskrit Prayers or Vedic perspective which probably contributed to our commercial success.

RR: “Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts” is like an explosion of music, one of the most picturesque and splendid rock and roll albums. What have you listened back then and what have you taken while making the songs? :P

AB: I seem to remember lots of "Jesus Christ Super Star" being played, we felt we could do what we wanted and so we did. As usual we were under the influence of a lot of tea.

RR: What led to the split of the band in 1999?

AB: It stopped being fun.

RR: And what made you reform the band in 2004?


AB: We thought it might be fun again.

RR: “Strangefolk” was released without much of a media noise or advertisement, even though the fans were in furor. Why you did not pay that much of attention to the promotion of the CD?

AB: I guess we were a little apprehensive from our previous experience. We also wanted to work for ourselves at our own pace.

RR: The release of “Pilgrims Progress” also went aside of the wide attention and without much of a loud PR. Don’t you think that if you push a bit more the media it would lead to greater commercial success?

AB: Of course, it just costs a lot of money.

RR: It’s the same with the live appearances. I read everywhere that all of the concerts were really successful. Even so you seem not to care that much to provide us with live reports, videos and articles in the media. Is it by purpose or you just don’t want to pay that much of attention to this side of the business – it is obvious that fans love you anyways?

AB: I'm starting to feel guilty now.

RR: Talking on promotion, don’t you think about a live album or a DVD release?

AB: Why not?

RR: How did four guys who are aspired by the Eastern culture gather together in a band more than 15 years ago?


AB: Karmic destiny and the search for the Grail.

RR: Were you all vegetarians before Kula Shaker or this came with the band and its heritage?

AB: I became vegetarian at the age of 17, I think it came from youthful idealism and now meat eating seems very odd.

RR: Isn’t it controversial being a vegetarian and being in a rock band? And while skipping meat do you also restrain the alcohol and the drugs?

AB: I don't think it's controversial anymore, there are so many veggies, the world is changing. To answer the second part of your question, I became vegetarian for the health of animals not my own.

RR: While touring, is Kula Shaker a party band or a group of calm and devoted people?

AB: We are one of the most un rock'n'roll bands in the business... most of the time.

RR: What is your favorite tea?

AB: PG, nothing fancy just a good honest cuppa.

RR: While Crispian is dedicated to the film he works on, what is everybody else in th band doing? And are all the other guys okay with this situation?

AB: I've been working on the studio here in Belgium the film has allowed me to pick up on some old projects so I'm happy.

RR: What does the future of Kula Shaker hold? Crispian has mentioned that he would like to eventually keep the band involved in the soundtrack of the film.

AB: No plans but things are more exciting that way!

RR: At least Kula Shaker released a Christmas single in December, so it seems everything is alright! Wish you guys all the best and happiness from all our team!


AB: Yes it is! Sorry it took so long to get this back to you! I hope you have a good year too!!!

Lots of Love

Alonza

The photographs, used in this material, are taken from www.kulashaker.co.uk and www.facebook.com/kulashaker.

Interview with John Garcia

This interview is posted in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I am posting it also here, so the text could be available both in English and Bulgarian. And why we made an interview with John Garcia? Are you joking? Because we love him and we love Kyuss and they changed the way we listen to music.

RR: Good morning, John!

JG: Good morning, Ivo! How are you?

RR: I’m fine, thank you! I guess you are on your first coffee since it’s 9AM there.

JG: Haha! More like my second coffee really.

RR: OK, and I’m on my first beer now, here it is 7PM.

JG: Ah, good to you! Thanks for wanting to do this!

RR: Well, thanks to you for doing this, since the stoner rock or the desert rock is not that massive in Bulgaria as it is in the Western Europe or in the States, so it’s an honor for us here to have you!

JG: Okay, good deal!

RR: Yeah. And also Happy New Year and I wish you all the best!

JG: Same to you!

RR: How did you celebrate the New Year’s Eve?

JG: Sleeping. I took my wife out for dinner and we had some drinks and a couple of cocktails. We didn’t do too much really, we wanted to have a nice, quiet New Year’s and we really didn’t do anything. There are a lot of crazy people out here in the desert and people who are drinking and driving and stuff like that, so it’s safer for us just to stay home and celebrate here. My wife made it until midnight but I didn’t, I was sleeping. She woke me up 15 seconds after the New Year. So it was nice and quiet, thanks for asking!

RR: Sure. So, are you working currently on something, some music or you are still in holiday mood?

JG: I’m working, I’m working feverously to get Garcia Vs. Garcia off the ground.

RR: It’s been a while since your last update in the website.

JG: Yeah, I know. I’m working. As a matter of fact I worked on Christmas Eve, I worked on Christmas Day, I worked New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day on the record and I’m still working on it right now but it’s still the beginning stages of it. So, it’s gonna take about 6-7-8 months to finally get this thing done. I hope to have it all done by the beginning of winter of this year, so we’ll see what happens.

RR: I cross my fingers on that! And what about the Kyuss Lives! Tour? Do you feel excited about it already?

JG: I’m extremely excited about it. Especially because it’s all for the promotion of Garcia Vs. Garcia, that’s the entire reason I am doing Kyuss Lives! Thank God that Nick and Brant and Bruno obliged me and they’ve signed on to do this tour. It’s something that I look forward to express with Nick and Brant. Those two guys are… I mean, talking about integrity and rocknroll and good music that they make themselves. It’s a pleasure for me to play with those guys all over again and including Bruno Fevery. It’s something that I very much look forward to.

RR: And it is really amazing when you play live. I saw you last year when you played in Vienna during the Garcia Plays Kyuss tour and you played with Brant Bjork for a couple of songs and it was a real blast. The crowd went insane, it was amazing show. When you started this project – Garcia Plays Kyuss did you expect what followed and how does it feel up there on the stage seeing all these people going crazy in front of you on the songs you have made so many years ago?

JG: To revisit some of these songs and to celebrate my past, this was my plight along with letting people know that I’m still there on the musical map. Don’t count me out just yet. I’m not gone yet. I’m taking a break from veterinary medicine for a little while and it felt great to celebrate my past, it felt great to revisit these songs so many years after the records came out. So, it’s a great stepping stone for Garcia Vs. Garcia. It was great. It’s going to be even better because Brant and Nick are now involved in this. I look forward to the crowd response, I look forward to the opportunity to tour with Nick and Brant again after all these years. There’s gonna be some stories. I’m looking forward to having those times, to having these stories to tell. It should be good.

RR: Was it easy to talk Nick and Brant to do this?

JG: Well… I don’t know if it was easy or not. Once I played with Nick and Brant together in Hellfest in Clisson, France I realized I wanted to that again. I had to be strategic when it came to asking Nick and Brant. I wrote Brant a long letter asking him if he’d wanna do it again, not for just one show or two shows but for 21, 22, 23 shows. He came over to the house and we sat on the deck and we talked about it and I presented it to him again verbally. And thank God that he said “Yes”! He did say “Yes” and then I called Nick when I was over in my manager’s office in Nijmegen in Holland. I talked to him over the phone and I asked him and he luckily said “yes” as well. It’s very fortunate to have those guys signed on to do this and it’s even more fortunate to have Bruno Fevery, the guitar player, to stay on with me.

RR: We all know that Josh Homme was never into Kyuss reunion. Have you heard him when you decided to make Kyuss Lives! and do you know what is his opinion on this?

JG: (laughs) No, I don’t. Josh is a busy guy. He’s real, real busy. He’s busy with the Queens Of The Stone Age, he’s busy with Them Crooked Vultures, he’s got his hands in lot of pies, you know. And I don’t think he has time nor does he want to revisit Kyuss. With Josh is ever forward and never backward. But I love Josh and I don’t want to be there any shit talking about me and Josh because I think Josh is extremely talented, he’s a great songwriter, he’s a great singer and I love him dearly. It’s just one of those things when he doesn’t wanna be involved and I’m okay with that.

RR: And do you know if he has heard of this project?

JG: Yeah, he’s heard of it. Nick told him. I think he said that that was cool. I don’t know what else he wants or can say about it. I’m not gonna hold my breath, waiting for Josh to oblige me to play some Kyuss songs, especially when the only reason I am doing this is to help Garcia Vs Garcia. So, I think it would be kind of unfair from me to ask him and nor did I ask him. I haven’t asked him because I know that 99.99% of the times I would ask him, he would say “no”. So, I’m not gonna go back on that. I understand the reason why he doesn’t want to do it and I’m fine with him, he’s okay with it and I’m okay with it, it’s okay for both of us.

RR: Can I take you 15 years back and ask why did Kyuss break up?


JG: You know, I get this question a lot. When Josh and I sat down in a bar in Palm Desert, California and we decided to split, we knew that we were going to get this question a lot, so we decided and it’s true that it was just time. It was time to move on. A lot of good things came out of the demise of Kyuss. You know, Brant leaving and formed Fu Manchu and Brant Bjork and the Bros and Brant Bjork and then Nick Olivery and Alfredo and Josh. A lot of good things came out of the demise of Kyuss, so any time anybody asks me that, I just say “it was time”. It was the perfect timing for the disbanding of Kyuss and we all moved on.

RR: And after the disbanding you didn’t stop making music. You formed Slo Burn, then made Unida, then Hermano and you’ve sang in so many other artists’ albums, I think they are countless. Can you even recall all of them?

JG: Yeah, I can recall them all. That kind of makes sense for me to do it; it kind of makes sense for me to sing in other people’s stuff. And you know, that’s the key, Ivo, it’s… I would get my fix every now and then with bands like that. But always burning through me was me wanting to do this solo project which is Garcia Vs Garcia thing, so it’s time to get this monkey off my back with the blessing of my family, especially my wife. She gave me the thumbs up to give veterinary medicine a break and concentrate on music again and this is my way of reintroducing myself back into the musical community by doing Kyuss Lives! and Garcia Plays Kyuss and getting ready for the beginning of what’s about to happen and that’s Garcia Vs Garcia.

RR: I see. And what about Hermano? I have read that you were setting a new record. Is it going to happen?

JG: I think that Hermano will never die. I think Hermano is something that will constantly be in an idle position. So when everybody gets time between their already busy schedules to do another Hermano record, then we’ll do that. I definitely think that it’s in the cards for me to do another Hermano record at some point, so yes.

RR: You have announced that you will record an album with Kyuss Lives! Is this the line up you want to make the album with?

JG: Yes. Definitely! We decided that after weeks of rehearsal. I went to Brant and I went to Nick and we had a lunch in Hollywood and I told them my intentions and I asked them if they would oblige me doing another record. I don’t know what it’s gonna be called. It might be called Kyuss Lives!, I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s gonna be called but the plan is for now once everybody gets their time, ‘cause you know, Brant is working on his record, I’m working on my record and when that’s done, then Brant and I and Bruno and Nick will sit down and we’ll start writing the next record. So I’m excited about that too.

RR: Do you have any ideas about the songs and their sound?

JG: You mean the sound?

RR: Yeah, the sound of the studio record.

JG: Well… (laughs) It’s not gonna be a polka record, that’s for sure! It’s gonna be a heavy rock record. I mean, you’ve got the singer for Kyuss, the drummer for Kyuss, one of the main writers for Kyuss music, the bass player for Kyuss, so I wonder what it’s going to sound like. Probably Kyuss (laughs).

RR: I thought it. Last month I talked to Phil Caivano from Monster Magnet and he told me that Europe is very open for rock and roll and they play here very often. Is this the same reason you are playing often in Europe?

JG: To me, ever since I was in my early twenties, Europe has always treated every single one of my bands and projects with open arms. The European Union collectively, including Scandinavia and the United Kingdom has always invited me to dinner. They’ve always opened their doors and took me by the hand and say: “Hey, sit down, let’s have a meal.” And have always shown me really warm reception. I like to work and if there’s a want or a need or yearning for the type of music that I play in any country, I don’t care if it’s New Zealand or Australia, or Canada, or South America, or the EU, or Japan, I’m gonna try to go. You have to make a living out of this. You’ve got to love music and unfortunately, you’ve gotta make some money out of it. A lot of musicians are afraid to talk about money but you’ve got to make money, especially when you are a father, a husband and you wanna support for your family. There comes a time when you need to fucking man up and be a dad, be a husband and support your family. And you can’t be in a rock and roll band just for the love of fucking music because you have to make money out of it. And in my age, I’ll be 41 years old this year, it’s gotta make sense to go to countries that you know that gonna continue to work with you on a business level. And that’s extremely important for people to know as well – that you go where the business is good and you go where you’ve been before and you’re tap into that market. One market that I haven’t tapped in since the early 90’s is Australia. And I just booked an Australian tour for Kyuss Lives! And we’ll be down there for two and a half weeks. And then we are heading to New Zealand after that for three shows. So those unsaturated markets that I haven’t been to in ten plus years, it’s a great place to tap into after all these years, to go to and to be able to make a living. That’s important.

RR: And from the last year tour, can you recall where was the most inspiring and interesting show?


JG: Oh, it got to be the Hellfest in Clisson, France with Nick and Brant. That was the highlight of 2010 for me.

RR: And compared to the Kyuss days, what is the difference between now playing live and playing live back then in the 90’s?

JG: There is a big difference because Josh isn’t there. It’s a huge difference. That’s the big difference. And I’m a little bit older now, a little bit wiser, I’m appreciative of my past. Instead of shining my past which I used to do, I used to be: “Oh, fuck Kyuss, I don’t want anything to do with them or with my past” but now I’ve really come to terms where I’ve embraced my past and I am very lucky to have played with such great musicians in my life. The difference now from then is that I appreciate the music more; I appreciate what we were doing back then more. So that’s really the big difference, I hold it a lot more closely to my heart than I used to.

RR: And back then when you started making music first, when you were still kids, what made you wanting create music, what bands inspired you, what musicians, who were your favorite ones?

JG: I think that the biggest one was The Cult. Once I heard The Cult – Love, I wanted right then and there that I wanted to become a singer. That was really the main thing. The main band for me that really made me want to sing; that was a life changing moment in my life when I heard that record and that song “She Sells Sanctuary”. Of course later on I started listening more and more to The Cult, I changed high schools and Josh and Brant were going to that one high school and it was something they were into as well and we all just kind of got together and I was inspired by them. Those guys were my idols – Brant and Josh; I looked up to them because they were hungry, they wanted to do it. We all were just young kids, we just wanted to play in a rock and roll band and that’s basically what it was.

RR: Obviously Black Sabbath is an influence too because you have recorded that cover of “Into The Void”. I have seen an interview with you where you say you don’t like your singing on this one.

JG: Yeah, it’s true.

RR: I personally enjoy this one a lot but my favorite cover of this song is by Monster Magnet. Have you heard it?

JG: By Monster Magnet? No, I never heard it but I’m sure Dave Wyndorf does a much better job than I do on that song.

RR: It’s just more psychedelic, that’s the main difference. By the way, just yesterday I was listening to the Hermano albums and I was wondering is there any connection between the songs “My Boy” and “Adoption Boy” or it’s all in my head?


JG: Oh! You know, I haven’t listened to those tracks in a long, long time. I mean, lyrically there might be, I don’t know. That was a difficult time of my life when I was recording those songs. It’s something that I just can’t pull up in my head. It’s something that I have to go back and listen to and read the lyrics. It’s been so long since I haven’t sung those songs; it’s hard for me to pull them up in my head. Some people can do it, some singers can just tell you right about the similarities and the differences but I can’t. I’ve got to go back and listen to that shit. Sorry about that one.

RR: Do you still listen to new music, besides the music you are into? And if so, what albums in 2010 made you the greatest impression?

JG: (loudly, to his wife somewhere in the house) What records did we get in 2010, honey? Rufus Wainwright? You know, a lot of people think that I just sit down and listen to rock music all day long, he-he! It’s really not. The older I get, I find myself going backwards. Some of the new music that I’ve been listening to is really old music and revisiting these older songs. A lot of people think that when you are a rock and roll guy, listening to Maroon 5 is a guilty pleasure and to me it’s really not. I genuinely like Adam Levine’s voice and his vocal melody and Carmichael’s writing ability in that band. I’ve been listening to them. Also I’ve been revisiting Rufus Wainwright’s record “Poses” and that came out in 2003 I think it was (actually it’s 2001), I’ve been listening to that. And last night my wife and I were listening to a 1976 Boz Scaggs record called “Silk Degrees” and then we threw on Jimi Hendrix and after that we threw on Minute Work. A lot of people think that I listen to Karma To Burn and Monster Magnet all the time. And I listen to these bands a lot too but there’s some other stuff that I like listening to and I like going backwards sometimes.

RR: That’s what I heard from many other musicians and that’s what is going on with me too – going backwards, going to the roots, going to the old blues and folk. The new Robert Plant, if you have heard it, it’s all country and folk rock and gospel. When you grow older maybe that’s the thing you’re into. About the Kyuss Lives! tour, going back on this, what should we expect from this tour? What have you prepared?

JG: You can expect four guys getting up there and knocking your socks off really. The last thing that I wanna do and the last thing that Brant wants to do, the last thing that Bruno and Nick wanna do is suck. We don’t wanna go there and have a bad show. We wanna get up there and have fun and do what we know and what we know is these Kyuss songs. And we wanna get up there and have everybody enjoying the party and come down and have a good time and celebrate Kyuss. Celebrate the past. Because this is about as close as you’ll ever gonna get of seeing the real deal. I wouldn’t hold my breath for Josh to come up on stage at all, so again this might be as close as you’ll ever get seeing the real deal.

RR: But you have played with Josh, maybe it was 2005, with the Queens Of The Stone Age, I have seen a few videos in youtube, where you are making some Kyuss songs with Josh and the Queens.

JG: Yeah, that’s true and that was me and Josh and that was it, you know. What can I say? That was one show and one show only and it was with all the guys from the Queens.

RR: About this tour how did you choose the songs that you will perform? Or you still haven’t chosen them?

JG: We’ve already chosen. We’ve already chosen the majority of the songs. There are gonna be songs from “Blues” and “Sky Valley”, “Circus Leaves Town”, maybe a couple from “Wretch”. We’re gonna choose the heavy hitters, we’re gonna choose the ones that have proven that we know obviously how to play. We’ve got close to thirty songs to choose from to what we play, so hopefully each set, each night will be a different set.

RR: Last year in Vienna you did “Pilot The Dune” by Slo Burn. Are you going to go back to your other projects on this tour or it will be only Kyuss songs?


JG: Only Kyuss! No more “Pilot The Dune”, no more Slo Burn.

RR: Okay, John. Let me leave you now to enjoy your day. I hope to see you again in Vienna because I just booked my plane ticket for that show, so I’ll see you in Vienna.

JG: Alright! Well, thank you very much, I appreciate it. Have a beer for me!

RR: I will, next one is for you. Bye!

JG: Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Bye!

I would like to thank John Garcia for the patience for this interview and for sending me the picture with his wife Wendy in the vet clinic they work and the photo of him with Scott Reeder in Thunder-Underground studio in Palm Springs, CA. The other photos I took at the Garcia Plays Kyuss show in Vienna last June. Big Thank you goes also to Ram Lauwrier, the manager of John, who has been a great support.