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Mist

5/23/2014

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Following their breakthrough 2013 EP, Slovenian doom band Mist are headed out on a short run of European tour dates. I caught up with the band prior to the tour to get the latest from the Mist camp.

How did you get into doom?
Neza: I was listening to Candlemass many years ago already, but I didn't know it was called anything other than just ''metal''. Then I found out about more bands from my friends, went to Hammer Of Doom Festival and it bewitched me.

Ema: A few years back I started listening to Candlemass and got hooked right away, and of course I've loved Black Sabbath since forever. The real plunge into doom started when we formed the band Mist and Neža, who is a big doom fan, showed us some more bands like Saint Vitus, Pentagram, and others. It was love at first listen.

Who are some of your main influences?
Ema: We actually come from different musical backgrounds so there is a bit of everything. We didn't want to follow a certain genre, we just started making music and discovered ourselves in doom. Of course, we do find inspiration in music, I would say that the most influential bands are Candlemass, Pentagram and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats.

Nina, Neza, Mihaela: Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Pentagram, Blood Ceremony, Saint Vitus, Coven, Jex Thoth.

How did the band come together?
Nina: Me and my best friend Mihaela were talking about it and decided to give it a shot. We met Ema at Metelkova (a street in Ljubljana where metalheads hang out a lot), and then we found Neža via the internet.

Neza: The other Nina (our lead guitarist) joined about a year later. An acquaintance recommended us to contact her, since she had already played in a couple of bands before. She's not playing with us at the moment because she is focused on her family, but hopefully she's coming back soon.

What is the heavy metal scene like in Slovenia?
Neza: It's very small and everybody mostly knows each other. We're the only doom band at the moment and the first Slovenian ''traditional'' doom band. Other metal genres are more popular here; thrash, heavy, death, black. There are plenty of gigs with local bands in Slovenia but they tend to clash a lot. Not so many visitors show up as a consequence. Bigger, commercial tours like Thrashfest and Paganfest are much more successful and we also have an annual metal festival called MetalDays (formerly MetalCamp).

Have you had any problems with people dismissing Mist as a gimmick band due the all-female lineup?
Ema: Yes we have, but I believe we have proved with the release of our demo and our live performances that it's all about the music. We never dress provocatively or emphasize that we are an all girl band. It just happened and we are happy it turned out this way since we have become really good friends and love creating music together.

Neza: People are often positively surprised after they hear our demo or see us live. They come up to us and say they expected us to be ''worse''. I'm pretty sure it's because we're all girls.

When and where did you record your 2013 demo?
Ema: We recorded the demo in our rehearsal room with the help of Anze Cucek who recorded it and Benjamin Kic who also helped with the recording and did the mix.

Were you surprised by the international recognition that the demo received?
Ema: Yes, we were completely blown away! Our friend and promoter,Bojan Bidovc, sent out emails announcing the demo release and at the time we didn't think much of it. But the feedback was amazing and we are really grateful.

Do you have any plans to record a full-length album soon?
Ema: We hope we can release an album or at least an EP by the end of the year. We are working on the material and we hope to start preparing for the studio in the summer. We have gotten great feedback on the new songs which we are already playing live so we are excited to record them and show them to the world.

Who are some of your favorite current artists, doom or otherwise?
Nina: My favorite doom bands are Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Avatarium, Candlemass and Electric Wizard, yet I also like thrash like Teleport, Voivod and Anthrax.

Ema: Ever since we played with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats I have been in love with their music; I listen to them all the time. Apart from them, I have recently discovered Witchburn and love the energy in their music.

Neza: Pagan Altar, Jex Thoth, Enforcer, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Mount Salem, Blood Ceremony, Atlantean Kodex.

Mihaela: Death, Confessor, Candlemass, Pentagram, Jex Thoth, Slayer, Voivod, Obscura.

What’s one piece of gear that you couldn’t live without?
Neza: My bass guitar.

Ema: Definitely my Peavey Valveking 100 amp. I love the crunchy sound and I take it everywhere.

Nina: I couldn't live without a chocolate microphone, if I had one. Haha.

Mihaela: My drumsticks.

What are you looking forward to on your upcoming tour?
Nina: A lot of stage experience and travelling. Meeting other bands and supporting them.

Ema: Playing in the Netherlands and Belgium is a great opportunity to show our music to fellow doomers and feel the doom scene up there. We are also looking forward to having a great time and seeing Cauchemar play, since we are big fans of their work.

Neza: Meeting new people and old friends, getting a taste of the doom scene in other countries, playing with Cauchemar.

Do you have any crazy tour stories?
Nina: I tried to professionally open a bottle of sparkling wine for James Riviera (Helstar) in backstage, but there was too much pressure and it exploded. Just the cork, the bottle was fine.

Neza: Hanging out with Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats after our gig in Vienna was really cool. The details aren't to be made public, hehe.

Ema: Since this is our first (mini) tour I'm sure we will have quite a few such stories when we come back!




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Black Pussy

5/16/2014

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Hot on the heels of this week's tour announcements, Dustin Hill, the creative voice behind Portland stoner rockers Black Pussy, checks in to give us the story behind his band, updates on the new record and future plans.

How did the band come together?

Dustin Hill: After 6 years of revolving members, cosmic forces lead the current line up to come together and commit fully to the idea and art. Combined with eagerness to tour and the love of marijuana, we all have boarded the rocket ship with a no return home ticket.

Where did the band name come from?

DH: If Tarantino was forming a band, what would he name it?  Partial credit goes to The Rolling Stones for their song “Brown Sugar.” The song title was allegedly first dubbed “Black Pussy,” but, as rumor has it, their record label made them change it to something a little more accessible. The true inspiration for the name spawns from the simple fact that it is Rock and Roll in a sexy 70's style that isn't represented in today's music.

How would you describe your sound to the uninitiated?

DH: Farrah Fawcett, topless, riding shotgun in a '73 Mach 1 with Steve Mcqueen at the wheel in a haze of marijuana flying down a two lane blacktop.

How did you end up touring with Vista Chino and what did that mean for a young band?

DH: Last March Brant produced our upcoming new album, Less Info More Mojo, which began the relationship that landed us the support slot for Vista Chino's North American tour. It was an amazing experience that made us realize the value of a well paired bill.

Do you have any stories from that tour that you’d care to share?

DH: Road stories stay on the road, but Come to a show and say "Hi". We'd love to chat and create new stories along the journey. Providing you are not law enforcement…

Who (or what) are some of your main influences?

DH: High life, Weed, and Taquerias.

How is the new record coming along?

DH: Less Info More Mojo is fully completed, we're now looking for the right label family that wants to be part of this project.

How does the new record compare to your previous release, On Blonde?

DH: I think of recordings as artistic snapshots of that moment in time. Both On Blonde and Less Info More Mojo represent the sound and vision I strive for, but with Less Info More Mojo I had a band and that adds more personality and life versus me playing all the instruments. Plus Brant Bjork produced it, so you can feel his spirit in it as well.

How does the song writing process work for Black Pussy?

DH: I describe songwriting as meditation. I really more try to clear my mind and songs kinda just get beamed into me. Songs are like children, they are birthed, independent and come into being on their own;  I’m just responsible for raising them.

What kind of gear are you using these days, live and in-studio?

DH: Full vintage 60's and 70's SUNN live backline… any vintage gear with mojo.

What's next for Black Pussy?


DH: Embarking on a North American tour this summer with Gypsyhawk (5/17-6/12) and Mothership (6/13-7/20) with shows rolling in daily through August and September.


Editor's Notes: Thank you, Dustin, for taking time out of your schedule to give us the low down on the Black Pussy camp. For my Tri-State readers, be sure to mark your calendars for 6/5 (Mad Frog) and 6/19 (Southgate House) and catch this awesome retro band live. -JO
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Castle

5/12/2014

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San Francisco occult metal band Castle is set to release their third album, Under Siege, next week (5/20) on Prosthetic Records. The trio just wrapped up a European run and they are set to embark on a U.S. tour later this week. I recently caught up with guitarist Mat Davis to get the scoop on the tour and the new record, which I'll be reviewing here on The Blog of Doom later this week.


How is the tour going so far?

Mat Davis: The tour was fantastic – just wrapped up the last show a couple days ago.  We played Desertfest Berlin which was amazing and a slew of other shows with some killer bands and great crowds.  It was also a blast playing most of the new album live.

What’s the most underrated thing about touring Europe? Overrated?

MD: I don’t know about underrated and overrated but overall touring Europe is great.  There’s a built-in system, from renting vans and drivers, good promoters, bars with accommodations and not to mention very generous catering so it tends to be a little easier than touring in the States on that level.  Maybe one drawback is breakfast – it’s hard to find a nice hot breakfast in Europe!

Tell me a little bit about the new record, Under Siege. Where did you record and who did you work with? What kind of gear did you use on the album?

MD: We did most of the bed tracks in Oakland at Sharkbite Studios, where we recorded our last record Blacklands.  After about a week of working there we moved the sessions up to Portland and finished the overdubs and mixing at Everything Hz which is the studio our producer, Billy Anderson, has up there.  We keep the gear pretty straight forward – you know basically our live backline which right now is Marshall JCM 2000 which has been heavily modded and an Ampeg SVT. For some of the overdubs we got into some other amps – most notably some custom Hovercraft stuff – which sounds awesome.  I like a lot of the guitar sound to come from my guitar anyways – an old 72 Les Paul with p90’s – so it’s best to keep it simple to get that tone.  A lot of the solos were done using my back up guitar which is loaded with a Lace Nitro in the bridge pick up and a Lace Hemi in the neck pick up.

Do you generally enter the studio with finished songs or do you hash them out in the studio?

MD: Our songs are fully demoed before we go in to record.  For me to be able to accomplish that much guitar tracking in the studio in such a short amount of time there has to be a lot of preproduction which is how we look at the demos.  Mapping out the instrumentation and tracking – that kind of thing.

How does Under Siege compare to your previous albums, sonically and thematically?

MD: Sonically I’m really happy with it – it’s got great tone and has some crispness which we wanted this time… it’s a little more metallic sounding which suits the songs on the record.  As for the theme that was an ongoing things as we wrote the songs and put together the album and art concepts.  Basically we used the labyrinth myth and the concept of mazes, real and imagined to not only lend a visual but in a way with the arrangement of the songs. 

How have the early reactions to Under Siege been so far?

MD: So far they’ve been amazing.  We never know what to expect – you know I feel like we’re not rehashing anything from our last record or the record before that – it’s a new sound for us.  That’s what we try to do – move forward, so that also brings about an unknown when you factor in people’s reactions.  Especially if they have expectations of what your record should sound like but so far the record has been met with some real appreciation which is great. 

The Under Siege cover art is striking. How did that come into play?

MD: Denis also did the Blacklands cover and he was at the top of the wish list to design Under Siege.  We were lucky he was available and also very interested right from the initial conversation regarding the labyrinth concept that we wanted to work with visually.  He had been doing his own studies on the Greek myths and legends of the labyrinth so for him I think the piece was a culmination of a few years of research and to hear him talk about the symbology involved is a treat.  We hope to release something soon that will have some added features, like for instance Denis’s added comments and explanations on the artwork… maybe in a video or something.

What bands are you currently listening to? Who are some of your all-time favorites?

MD: I don’t listen to a lot of music while we’re writing and recording so it’s been awhile but over the last month on tour we had the opportunity to get into some bands that we were touring with.  Conan from the UK, who have a new record out that sounds great, and also The Graviators from Sweden were very cool.  Also enjoyed Kongh from Sweden and were blown away by Gonga when we played with them, another UK band.

Anything else that you’d like to add?

MD: See you on the road!


Castle Tour Dates:

5/15            Glendale, CA – The Complex
5/16            San Diego, CA – The Tower Bar
5/17            Las Vegas, NV – The Dive
5/18            Tempe, AZ – 51 West
5/19            Albuquerque, NM – Launch Pad
5/20            Dallas, TX – Three Links
5/21            Austin, TX – Beerland
5/22            Houston, TX – Mangos
5/25            Orlando, FL – Backbooth
5/26            Pembroke Pines, FL – Talent Farm
5/27            Jacksonville, FL – Atticus Bar
5/28            Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn
5/31            Brooklyn, NY – Acheron
6/1              Boston, MA – Great Scott
6/2              Burlington, VT – TBA
6/3              Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class
6/4              Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge
6/5              St. Louis, MO – Fubar
6/6              Lawrence, KS – Jackpot
6/8              Salt Lake City, UT – Lo Fi Cafe
6/10            San Francisco, CA – Knockout


Editor's Notes: Huge thanks to Mat for taking some time between tours to give me some fantastic answers. As I said, I'll be reviewing Under Siege later this week, but I urge you all to have a listen before then. It's a really fantastic record. -JO
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