Black Tusk are a band
that you want to know, correct that, NEED to know. From the humidity drenched back lots of
Savannah came this sludgy doomladen band packing enough power to decimate a
small country. During a recent tour stop
the band took the time to talk about their massive new record Set the Dial and
how they were able to ensnare the amazing Jack Endino to do their record.
An interview with Black Tusk.
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: You guys are originally from Savannah, GA, home of bands like Kylesa amongst others. Do you think people aren’t paying attention to that part of the country as far as producing great music?
Andrew Fidler: Not really, people are paying attention now, especially since that documentary Slow Southern Steel came out. I think the spotlight is going to get back on the south.
Jonathan Athon: I think it was played heavily for a while and now people are realizing that there are different bands there and not grouping it as a city sound.
Metal Exiles: You guys are from a diverse background so how was it developing from a punk oriented band to the doomy sludge you produce now?
Jonathan: We grew up as punk rockers listening to different things and it just came together. What you grow up listening to as a kid comes out again no matter what you try to do so why fight it, just embrace it.
Metal Exiles: So growing up in Savannah you turned the radio on like I did and heard the same old thing over and over?
Jonathan: And listening to your parents old records then you get into punk and metal and then we mashed it all together and this is what we came up with.
Metal Exiles: Set the Dial, to me, is your best album so far and it is a bit more accessible than taste the sin. Did you guys have a different outlook for this record than Taste The Sin?
Andrew: Taste the Sin was a little more metal and Set the Dial is a little more rock n roll.
Jonathan: You do not want to do the same album over and over, you need to change it up. I think Motorhead is the only band that can stick with the same feel with every album and not get played out. We can only try and get bigger and better, try new shit every time.
Metal Exiles: Set the Dial is still a very dark album. What demons were you exercising when you wrote this album?
Andrew: Whatever is in our brains pours out. The music is the outlet so whatever we have going on at the moment comes out in our music.
Metal Exiles: What inspired the lyrics?
James May: All that 2012 shit, end of the world. I thought we would play on that theme so every song is about how the world could end.
Metal Exiles: How do you want the world to end?
James: With me causing it.
Metal Exiles: What tuning do you guys drop into to create that thick sound?
Andrew: D standard, a drop C.
Jonathan: We aren’t even that low, it’s just very thick, just a wall of noise that is cohesive.
Andrew: Jonathan has a low end bass sound so I do not make my guitar that heavy, it would just be a wash. I have some mids and highs and he is all of the lows so when we blend that sound together it works perfectly.
Metal Exiles: Jack Endino produced this. What did this legend bring to the table?
Jonathan: He brought everything amazing to the record. He was our number one producer for taste The Sin but we did not get to use him because we did not have the budget but this time we just shot for the stars. We met him the first day we went to the studios for Set the Dial and we matched instantly.
Andrew: We did preproduction for this album so we sent Relapse a demo so they in turn sent it out to prospective producers. When Jack got his he called the label and said “send the band up here, I can make this record.” We got the phone call saying that “Jack Endino wants to do your record, are you cool with that?”
Metal Exiles: What were some of the better experiences in the studio with Jack?
Andrew: He was so accessible and easy to work with and open to all of our ideas.
Jonathan: It was great watching him get excited as he paced in front of the soundboard as if he was moshing in front of the console, it lit us up.
Andrew: For someone who doesn’t owe you shit to give you that kind of presence is amazing, it was the coolest thing with Jack.
Metal Exiles: For a public that supposedly does not buy music anymore, you guys go all out for your album covers. How did you first hook up with John Baizley?
Andrew: John is an old friend of ours.
Jonathan: He lived down the street from us and he told us that he was going to do our album covers; it was not a conversation at all. That is the way it has been so if it isn’t broke don’t fix it.
Metal Exiles: What is it about his art work that attracts people to it?
Jonathan: He is an insane individual, he does the same thing with his artwork that we do in our music. He gets to go crazy as it is his outlet; he embraces our feeling of music in the artwork so it acts as one cohesive deal.
Metal Exiles: Considering your music is dark and moody, what are your personal attitudes like?
Andrew: Like day to day? We are pretty laid back.
Metal Exiles: Where does this come from then?
Jonathan: It is everything we would like to say but we do not, it is everything that we do not act on so instead of hauling off on somebody I will take it to the practice space and let it go.
Metal Exiles: In The few years you have been together you have accomplished a lot. Did you see yourself in this position so quickly?
Andrew: When we started the band we said we are going to tour and that’s it and we have not stopped at all.
Metal Exiles: As I said earlier, people do not buy as much music anymore so do you see touring as the main way to support your musical livelihood?
Jonathan: The fact that people do not buy music as much anymore does not diminish their want to see the live show. We like recording but we did not get in this band to make records and sit at home, I joined this band to sit in a van and drive days on end to play in front of people and feed of off them. It actually works out because they see the live show and want to take a piece of it home with them and jam it. It’s going to turn their friends on to us and get them to come to the show as well.
Metal Exiles: That being said, everything you guys put out is on vinyl is this a Relapse thing or is that what you want?
Andrew: Before we were on Relapse we were on Hyper Realist which is essentially a vinyl only label so we were doing records with them and Relapse is all about the vinyl and we like to do cool packages with vinyl as well.
Jonathan: That’s how we started listening to music is on vinyl so why not do it?
Metal Exiles: There have been many doomladen bands since the 70’s but they have never really caught on with the exception of a few. Why do you think that is?
Jonathan: I have no idea, I love them. They are just not mainstream enough to where people can grasp it, it’s not their deal. It is not one of those things that rapidly catches on but these days a lot of people are getting it. They are embracing it now, 30 years to late but we are breaking them down one person at a time.
If you have yet to hear Black Tusk, what happened? What’s keeping you from decimating your ears with Set The dial?
Black Tusk Facebook Page
BUY SET THE DIAL!!!
An interview with Black Tusk.
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: You guys are originally from Savannah, GA, home of bands like Kylesa amongst others. Do you think people aren’t paying attention to that part of the country as far as producing great music?
Andrew Fidler: Not really, people are paying attention now, especially since that documentary Slow Southern Steel came out. I think the spotlight is going to get back on the south.
Jonathan Athon: I think it was played heavily for a while and now people are realizing that there are different bands there and not grouping it as a city sound.
Metal Exiles: You guys are from a diverse background so how was it developing from a punk oriented band to the doomy sludge you produce now?
Jonathan: We grew up as punk rockers listening to different things and it just came together. What you grow up listening to as a kid comes out again no matter what you try to do so why fight it, just embrace it.
Metal Exiles: So growing up in Savannah you turned the radio on like I did and heard the same old thing over and over?
Jonathan: And listening to your parents old records then you get into punk and metal and then we mashed it all together and this is what we came up with.
Metal Exiles: Set the Dial, to me, is your best album so far and it is a bit more accessible than taste the sin. Did you guys have a different outlook for this record than Taste The Sin?
Andrew: Taste the Sin was a little more metal and Set the Dial is a little more rock n roll.
Jonathan: You do not want to do the same album over and over, you need to change it up. I think Motorhead is the only band that can stick with the same feel with every album and not get played out. We can only try and get bigger and better, try new shit every time.
Metal Exiles: Set the Dial is still a very dark album. What demons were you exercising when you wrote this album?
Andrew: Whatever is in our brains pours out. The music is the outlet so whatever we have going on at the moment comes out in our music.
Metal Exiles: What inspired the lyrics?
James May: All that 2012 shit, end of the world. I thought we would play on that theme so every song is about how the world could end.
Metal Exiles: How do you want the world to end?
James: With me causing it.
Metal Exiles: What tuning do you guys drop into to create that thick sound?
Andrew: D standard, a drop C.
Jonathan: We aren’t even that low, it’s just very thick, just a wall of noise that is cohesive.
Andrew: Jonathan has a low end bass sound so I do not make my guitar that heavy, it would just be a wash. I have some mids and highs and he is all of the lows so when we blend that sound together it works perfectly.
Metal Exiles: Jack Endino produced this. What did this legend bring to the table?
Jonathan: He brought everything amazing to the record. He was our number one producer for taste The Sin but we did not get to use him because we did not have the budget but this time we just shot for the stars. We met him the first day we went to the studios for Set the Dial and we matched instantly.
Andrew: We did preproduction for this album so we sent Relapse a demo so they in turn sent it out to prospective producers. When Jack got his he called the label and said “send the band up here, I can make this record.” We got the phone call saying that “Jack Endino wants to do your record, are you cool with that?”
Metal Exiles: What were some of the better experiences in the studio with Jack?
Andrew: He was so accessible and easy to work with and open to all of our ideas.
Jonathan: It was great watching him get excited as he paced in front of the soundboard as if he was moshing in front of the console, it lit us up.
Andrew: For someone who doesn’t owe you shit to give you that kind of presence is amazing, it was the coolest thing with Jack.
Metal Exiles: For a public that supposedly does not buy music anymore, you guys go all out for your album covers. How did you first hook up with John Baizley?
Andrew: John is an old friend of ours.
Jonathan: He lived down the street from us and he told us that he was going to do our album covers; it was not a conversation at all. That is the way it has been so if it isn’t broke don’t fix it.
Metal Exiles: What is it about his art work that attracts people to it?
Jonathan: He is an insane individual, he does the same thing with his artwork that we do in our music. He gets to go crazy as it is his outlet; he embraces our feeling of music in the artwork so it acts as one cohesive deal.
Metal Exiles: Considering your music is dark and moody, what are your personal attitudes like?
Andrew: Like day to day? We are pretty laid back.
Metal Exiles: Where does this come from then?
Jonathan: It is everything we would like to say but we do not, it is everything that we do not act on so instead of hauling off on somebody I will take it to the practice space and let it go.
Metal Exiles: In The few years you have been together you have accomplished a lot. Did you see yourself in this position so quickly?
Andrew: When we started the band we said we are going to tour and that’s it and we have not stopped at all.
Metal Exiles: As I said earlier, people do not buy as much music anymore so do you see touring as the main way to support your musical livelihood?
Jonathan: The fact that people do not buy music as much anymore does not diminish their want to see the live show. We like recording but we did not get in this band to make records and sit at home, I joined this band to sit in a van and drive days on end to play in front of people and feed of off them. It actually works out because they see the live show and want to take a piece of it home with them and jam it. It’s going to turn their friends on to us and get them to come to the show as well.
Metal Exiles: That being said, everything you guys put out is on vinyl is this a Relapse thing or is that what you want?
Andrew: Before we were on Relapse we were on Hyper Realist which is essentially a vinyl only label so we were doing records with them and Relapse is all about the vinyl and we like to do cool packages with vinyl as well.
Jonathan: That’s how we started listening to music is on vinyl so why not do it?
Metal Exiles: There have been many doomladen bands since the 70’s but they have never really caught on with the exception of a few. Why do you think that is?
Jonathan: I have no idea, I love them. They are just not mainstream enough to where people can grasp it, it’s not their deal. It is not one of those things that rapidly catches on but these days a lot of people are getting it. They are embracing it now, 30 years to late but we are breaking them down one person at a time.
If you have yet to hear Black Tusk, what happened? What’s keeping you from decimating your ears with Set The dial?
Black Tusk Facebook Page
BUY SET THE DIAL!!!
