Nick: Tell me about the formation of Nebula. You and Ruben [Romano] were in Fu Manchu, right?
Eddie: Yeah, I started playing in Fu Manchu in 1993. Mark Abshire was playing bass and was going to start playing drums, but they needed a guitar player more than a drummer. Mark was actually the bassist for Nebula for a little bit. I played on No One Rides for Free, Dare Devil, and In Search of�
Nick: You`ve got a new line-up to the band, including a drummer. Who are the new guys, how`d you find `em, and was it difficult replacing Ruben after all these years of playing together?
Eddie: It`s me on guitar, vocals, keyboards, and percussion, Tom Davies plays bass and does vocals, and Rob Oswald plays drums, percussion, and the computer shit. Nebula found Tom Davies in England. Tom is good friends/mates with Orange Goblin, and guitar teched for them, Nebula, and Mudhoney back around 1999. He joined Nebula in 2003 . Rob Oswald joined us two years ago. Rob used to play drums with Karma To Burn, Mondo Generator, and Queens of the Stone Age for a bit. I met him through the band Year Long Disaster - Rob and I played live with Year Long Disaster for some shows. He actually fills in a lot for them and played the Europe tour for them a few months back. I feel like this is a new band, which it is, in reality. So unless you`ve seen us within the last year, you haven`t seen Nebula yet.
It`s way different than it was with Ruben. We`re still using the name Nebula because I write 99 percent of the music, so I can use it. It`s a good name and people know it. Live we are totally different band. We rock harder, play harder, everything is better, so it`s a new band line up. Tom`s been singing more. Rob brings a whole different look and feeling to the band. As for Ruben, we`re still friends and it was totally a mutual split. We figured we`d been playing together since 1993 with Fu Manchu and then 1997 through 2006 with Nebula. It was time to do our own things. Ruben started writing songs on Apollo, our last record together, so logically the next step for him was to start his own band.
Nick: A lot of people see that group as one of the first stoner rock bands. What was it like to achieve notoriety so quickly?
Eddie: That wasn�t until the end, with In Search of� in 1995. There were all sorts of little clubs in LA to play and out in the desert there were the generator parties and warehouses. That was 30 to 40 friends. Now people talk about it like it�s a legendary thing. I wasn�t in on it. At the time there was no such thing as desert rock or stoner rock; it was just rock. That went on for years, then in 1995 Kyuss got on a Metallica tour and went to Europe. Fu Manchu got invited soon after. Everyone would come up and talk really highly about Kyuss to us. They were just our California buddies we thought no one knew about. Monster Magnet were one of the first to break through. It wasn�t until 1997 or 1998 that I even heard the word �stoner rock.� It was around the same time Nebula�s Let it Burn came out. That�s a healthy coincidence.
Nick: So if it wasn�t �stoner rock,� what was it?
Eddie: It was more of a classic rock thing. Compared to the grunge thing, Dinosaur Jr., Nirvana, we were doing more of a classic rock thing. Kyuss starting tuning down a step. Fu Manchu tuned down and started playing with fuzz phases and wahs, stuff that hadn�t really been used since The Stooges. So it was really just rock with fuzz pedals.
Nick: So when did you split from Fu Manchu?
Eddie: Well that was in �95 or �96. I�d written a bunch of the songs on In Search of..., so we were three records and four years into it. We kind of fucked around in Southern California for a good five years. Mark started in �89, so by �95, �96 he thought it was time to move on. Me and Rubin were living together at the time. I was writing songs, so we figured we�d, you know, start a new band without this other guy. I don�t have anything against him, we were all buddies. At 25 years old we were all� well, we just did our own thing. I guess the label wanted to keep Fu Manchu around �cause the name was starting to do so well. It was cool with us, so he kept using it.
Nick: So you started Nebula.
Eddie: Yeah, and people were a little weird about it. They did the whole Ozzy thing - �This band is better than that band,� �No, this one is better,� but none of us had hard feelings. We went off and did our own thing. At that point we moved to Echo Park.
Nick: Echo Park?
Eddie: It�s part of LA, right next to everything. That�s the place to move; that�s where there are clubs. It used to be in Hollywood ten years ago. Echo Park is kind of an artist colony with clubs and record stores.
Nick: And so Nebula took off. Now, how did the whole stoner rock movement effect the band?
Eddie: I mean people really ran with - there�s even a website named after it [laughs]. It�s cool how it got picked up. Still, out of that original crew of bands, I don�t think any of us really said we were a stoner rock band. We�ve got nothing against it, but it�s just rock music with fuzz pedals. When we started playing Europe our manager said we should roll with it, that it was the �in� thing. Later on I�d go to shows and see the Stoner Rock Army coming down the street, you know? These people weren�t heavy metal, not quite punk, they were stoner rockers. I see where they�re coming from now.
Nick: And the desert thing?
Eddie: I heard about it, but we had nothing to do with it. We were from the city. It was really just Kyuss out there and in the studio. I guess it was just an inventive idea that people wrote about, making it more than it was. Now the desert is full of Republican golf courses and assholes; it�s not much. As far as �stoner rock� goes, we helped instigate it, so that part�s really cool. It�s really an extension of grunge, metal, garage, punk. I mean there are different factions. There are the people into High on Fire with tattoos that want to bang their heads with the devil horns in the air, there are the people who are more into doom, and then there�s the people into the �70s stuff. Nebula has always been more of a garage thing. Actually we play in my cabin now, which is like a garage, but I grew up playing in a garage. But stoner rock has come so far. There are bands we can�t take credit for like Electric Wizard, Gas Giant, Sleep, and countless others. Nebula has been more psychedelic and garage, like The Stooges. We�re high energy - there�s electricity flying around.
Nick: What music inspired you?
Eddie: When I was in my 20`s, there were the guys in Kyuss. I got really high on Monster Magnet. Actually our first tour was with them and they spurred us on. I mean anything with driving guitars and retro psychedelic stuff.
Nick: As Nebula progressed, you were on a bunch of labels, right?
Eddie: Yeah, we�ve been on a bunch. Tee Pee Records, we were actually the first band that they released in that vein. Let it Burn was our first record. We were on SubPop for a two. They actually released a couple Olivelawn albums - I was the drummer in that band before Fu Manchu. Then we had two on Liquor and Poker, and now we�re self-released. Well, we had something on Man�s Ruin as well. But this last record [Heavy Psych], we did it ourselves. Actually, we�ve been playing phone tag with a couple of labels about it. If you�re reading this and have a label, get in touch. So far we pressed 1,000 copies on our own and already doubled our money back. After all these years, we learned that self-release is way better. But if you want to do vinyl, you need that backing.
Nick: You just finished a tour for that - how did that go?
Eddie: It was a 27 date tour, but man there was this one show...
Nick: The Boston show. You�ve seen the thread on StonerRock.com. Yeah, what happened?
Eddie: Well, our van broke down and we rented one at the last minute. We ended up using Totimoshi�s equipment. There were 40 people there. For Boston on a Monday [ed: Sunday], that�s not too bad. I mean hey, we didn�t want to drive and play without our shit, but we did. At the end, this weasely punk says �Can I pay you tomorrow?� No, you can�t - what kind of promoter is that? It�s called a guarantee for a reason. But there are better things to talk about. Maybe I should start a thread on the forums. People love drama, think they�re fucking God�s left nut, say how good you are or aren�t, they suck. Hey if you don�t have something good to write then� But it�s cool that you see people posting from all over the place.
Nick: I recall a thread about Fu Manchu selling a commercial for a car commercial. Nebula has sold some stuff for video games, right?
Eddie: Yeah, we�ve licensed stuff to video games. We did Monster Garage too. We�ve had our share of little luck breaks that brought us a little money, but nothing big. With how popular the scene is, we should be in a better spot than we are.
Nick: So do you work outside of the band?
Eddie: This is the primary thing I do. Once in a while I deliver packages or paint. I have a friend who�s a plumber, so sometimes I�m a plumber�s assistant. I had job delivering pharmaceuticals once - if you can believe they hired me to do that! I�ve had random crap jobs here and there. Since �99 though, this has been the main thing.
Nick: I�ve heard a lot about dwindling turnouts over the years. What have you seen down in the trenches?
Eddie: It�s really different from city to city, and the country for that matter. In the US, I�d say it�s dwindled a little bit. But you know, one night we played Boston five years ago and 150 people showed up and last time there were 40. And Cleveland, this time there were 120, last time there were 80. Promoters say it�s �cause of the economy, this and that. There are a lot of factors. Music is so diversified too, I can see why some doom people wouldn�t necessarily come see Nebula, even though they should. In Europe it�s a little better. But as far as turnout go, I�d say it�s fairly consistent.
Nick: Have you had many problems related to promoters before?
Eddie: Not really. I�d say out of the hundreds of shows we�ve done, there were only four or five and this was the worst experience yet. I don�t want to say much else about it - you can read the thread and see him stick his foot in his mouth.
Nick: So tell me more about Europe. Why is it a little better?
Eddie: People in the Stoner Rock Army [laughs]. Guitar driven rock is really popular in England. A good thing about this music is that we get tour with great bands and people come out to shows. People like to see a live rock band there. As musicians, as bands, we�re all tight woven friends wherever we go. Some fans get that, but some places I feel like I have to carry a gun� [laughs] no, it�s not that bad, but I do have a sword. Things have been good overall most places.
Nick: As far as turnout goes, does any show with low number stick out?
Eddie: [laughs] We played the Rock �n� Roll Hall of Fame thing for four people at noon. We just played for the hell of it. We played a few shows out there - it wasn�t the only reason we were there, but we drove straight from the parking lot in LA to the lawn of the Rock Hall and played rock �n� roll the way it�s supposed to be played. That was two or three years ago.
Nick: So you�ve got a tour coming up with Monster Magnet. What�s it like to play with those guys after all of this time?
Eddie: I�ve lived next store to Ed [Mundell] from Monster Magnet for years. We hang and jam together. We�ve even talked about putting together a side project or something. It�s cool we get to support Pilgrim Fathers. The tour is five weeks all over Europe. It�s almost like the original stoner rock lineup. We�ve got ten years on us - we ain�t no spring chickens. But the molecules help preserve us.
Nick: Nebula has slowed down their releases in the last few years - why�s that?
Eddie: We try to do a year cycle and it wasn�t �till the last couple we that we slowed down. The cycle of a musician is about a year. You record a record, go on a tour, then come back and record again. We try to do two US tours a year, Europe at least once, and hit Australia, Brazil, or Japan whenever we can.
Nick: What�s your favorite part of that cycle?
Eddie: Touring. It�s the driving around, playing music and really rocking out. In the studio you can make cool music, but you don�t get that wild abandonment. Plus there�s the traveling you can make some money. It�s been great that people still come to clubs. We try to give things away for free or trade for molecules. We like to get along with people. It�s something we need and when you�re traveling so much you can really use them. A molecule is way better on a six hour drive than a burrito. It�s a big ol� swap meet of drugs and rock.
Nick: You mentioned Heavy Psych earlier. Do you have any other releases on the horizon?
Eddie: The John Peel Sessions. They were recorded in London at BBC Radio 1. It was basically the old radio station with the same rooms that Bowie, Zeppelin, and Small Faces used. We were in studio number four, this tiny little room with plaques on the wall. We were like �Holy shit! - I can�t believe these bands were in these rooms.� It�s been there since the beginning. It�s the room you use to record live onto the radio. John Peel gets it, then talks before it, then it goes from there. Our bass player [Tom Davies] is from England and taped it onto a cassette. John Peel announces us and says �It�s very classic rock and reminds me of bands at the beginning,� then it goes into a song. He�s a fan of ours and personally asked us to be on there. A lot of the older guys like us. Iggy Pop is a big fan, so are the guys in Blue Cheer. Actually, Dick Peterson smokes us out with hash every time we�re in Germany. There was a show, in Norway with Iggy Pop. After the show he was so excited. He said, �That was great. Just very heavy psych rock music. I reminds me of when I used to take a bunch of acid and stick my head in Ron�s amplifier.�
Nick: Hence the title of the new EP! I don�t think anything will top that story. Thanks for the interview. Do you want to add anything else?
Eddie: Nope. Thanks for the opportunity.
