John: Brainticket Records...
Rob: John...
John: Yeah...
Rob: It`s Rob...
John: Rob, how you doin` man?
Rob: Good! How`s it goin`
John: Right on, it`s goin good man...got some Angry Samoans jammin, gonna have to turn it down here...
Rob: hahaha...I got some Solitude jammin...
John: you got Solitude jammin?
Rob: yeah...
John: Kinda get in the mood for the uh, talk here?
Rob: Exactly, a little background mood music...
John: right on...
Rob: I am chugging coffee here...it`s early...
John: I am working on my second cup as we speak so we`ll kind of trudge through this together...
Rob: cool...hey How`s Solitude doing? You guys put out Adagio here...how do you pronounce that?
John: It`s ah-daz-eeo, we were foolish enough to name it the album that so we have to tell everyone how to pronounce it, because not everyone speaks Italian...It`s an Italian word used in music...it means uh...slow movement...
Rob: I should know that because I took music in school...
John: To be honest with you I didn`t know it either...I heard the word I should say...Robert actually came up with the title and told me what it meant, and uh- yeah... and since then, the album I have seen it used here and there so...it`s a real word we didn`t make it up!
Rob: hahaha....right on. So it took...what, two years between that and "Through the Darkest Hour" was that your full-length right before it?
John: Actually there was an album in between there that did not get much attention...It was an album called "Downfall" and it came out in late `97...we did that in between. Downfall was really not that great of a record in our eyes...
Rob: you don`t sound too proud of it...
John: ...actually not at all, in fact it`s a love hate relationship with that record. We take every album we do so seriously...it`s a very personal thing for us, our music and we don`t make a career out of this, we don`t make money out of it so the most important thing to us is to make good records...with "Downfall" we felt that the music was really really cool and it`s really different for us...but it suffers from the God awful production which is our fault and the engineer we chose, but we take half the blame for that but uh...it was just ruined and it`s one of these things where we listen to it and we are like, man- if only we had a good production on this it would be a really great album. The production is so awful we really can`t take it...
Rob: That`s a bummer...
John: It`s very, very depressing for us...we didn`t tour for the record of course "Pavement" had the same opinion about it when they heard it...they flipped out and thought it sounded like crap and they were right...they didn`t do a whole lot with it and a lot of people don`t know about that album for that reason...
Rob: I had no idea that it even existed...
John: Yeah, it`s out it`s still available...hopefully you can get it at the bargain price now...I think by now it`s a cut-out or something because it didn`t sell that many copies over here so uh...
Rob: "Adagio" came out over a year or so ago?
John: "Adagio" is actually two and a half years old now...
Rob: Really?
John: This album came out in the late summer of `98 over in Germany, and it came out almost a year later here in the states under Olympic...
Rob: huh...I got it a year ago...
John: The older we get in our career the longer it takes for us to put out albums...for no other reason other than...we`re just lazy bastards!
Rob: hahahaha....
John: We love making music, but it`s one of those things where we can`t really force it you know? It just kinda has to happen...whatever, we`ll just make music when we feel like it...unfortunately we haven`t done a record in three years which is a long time to wait...fans of the band and even for us...
Rob: Through the Darkest Hour is my favorite album...
John: Thank you- it`s my favorite too...I kept telling people that Adagio is my favorite...technically it`s our best album and the production is great, but I think that Through the Darkest Hour is my favorite...
Rob: The music on it is perfect, for me it`s a masterpiece of "Doom"...
John: Thanks man...
Rob: How do you feel the music has developed since then? I mean Adagio is similar stuff, but you can tell that it`s branching out here and there...
John: ...and when you hear Downfall a little question mark will probably pop up above your head...hahaha...Downfall goes off into some very unfamiliar territory for us so...putting that into perspective...from Darkest Hour we went off into different directions from that because we felt that we had done it, as far as just straight-up Doom, at least as we see it- as Doom goes...we have never been just a straight up super doom band like Vitus...and the same clich� applies to us as it does to just about every other band and that`s well, we don`t want to repeat ourselves so that was the case with Downfall...we tried to do very different things with that album...so with Adagio we made a very conscious effort to try to incorporate some very familiar sounding things from Solitude with some very solid songwriting...The approach of this album was to incorporate old ideas, throw in some slightly new direction and focus on writing what we think are just really good songs, and for the most part we were able to pull it off. The biggest progression was the production. The sound on Adagio is as close to the sound that I`ve been hearing in my head for a long time that we got, and I love the sound on darkest Hour but I think the sound of Adagio comes a lot closer to the sound I am looking for...It`s a lot more fuller of a production, it`s a lot more louder, heavier just a better more well rounded sound...
Rob: I can tell a lot of time went into the production for sure...
John: And the next album will be kind of taking Adagio starting point...we are going to pull back...somewhere between the sound of Darkest Hour and Adagio will be the sound of the next album...
Rob: How`s the Liquid Sound Company? You doing anything with that?
John: It`s actually very awesome man I`ve been keeping extremely busy and I`m recording the second record of The Liquid Sound Company first week in August...all the songs are done...Anybody that is familiar with the first album, it`s basically a carbon copy of the first album in terms of style wise it`s got kind of...it was done on purpose too...styles of songs off of the first album and wrote more in that same style for the second album but a lot better...we have a new Bass player...incredible player and he made a big difference to our sound...the new album will be ready to go and be out in late October...CD and Vinyl, lots of dark stuff on this record...
Rob: really? Still really psychedelic and stuff?
John: very, very psychedelic I made this album with the intention that you really should drop acid
Rob: hahahaha...
John: I`m serious!
Rob: That`s what the title of the band pretty much tells you huh?
John: exactly, and that was the intention of the first album and I wasn`t 100% successful at that, but it`s still a good tripping record...anybody that�s done acid knows...the way music sounds when you`re tripping...I`m making these records with the intentions that it`s best you listen to this while you`re tripping you know...I mean it should sound good when you are not tripping, you know it shouldn`t be a requirement, but, it`s absolutely meant I mean I have no problem admitting to that `cause I don`t think that LSD is a problematic drug...I think it`s a great drug...if it can be used with a little bit of respect, man it`s a great tool and it`s a great recreational tool too...and it`s a great accompaniment to music like the Liquid Sound Company...
Rob: Interesting... I kind of had an idea of that when you came through with Electric Wizard and Warhorse, that you uhh...not that you are a big acidhead but uh...
John: Oh! Oohh... but I am...hahaha...
Rob: hahahaha!
John: I just don`t trip on a weekly basis...Just on a quick side note though I`ve done some serious studying on the subject...I got a pretty good collection of books from the sixties all the way through the seventies and eighties...all on psychedelics...therapy...all kinds of acid in a psycho culture...the good the bad of it...
Rob: Have you heard of Salvia Divinorum?
John: Absolutely, I haven`t tried that yet...
Rob: I have...it takes a few times to hit you...you don`t want to do it all the time, but it sure leaves a lot of questions unanswered...
John: I`ve read a lot about it...I haven`t really tried it...I`m pretty green with my drugs, I`ve never done cocaine, I don`t smoke pot believe it or not...I should probably, but I don`t...I basically don`t do drugs...we`ll drop acid every four, five or six months you know...we`ll drop a hefty dose of acid...learn from it...listen to some music...have wild sex- whatever!...
Rob: How did Brainticket start?
John: It started because I was working a telemarketing job and I put a gun to my head and luckily the bullet wasn`t in the fucking chamber, and uh...after that I came to the realization that man...this is just bullshit...I can`t handle working a regular crap ass job...I definitely can`t put a suit and tie on for the man...
Rob: hear that man...
John: I just can`t do it, I`m not cut out for that...I can`t stand physical labor...you know? It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do when I grow up, I was about 29 years old...I`m 35 now so we started Brainticket back in `95...the idea for it came about because I realized that one of the only things I`m passionate about is music...the thing that really drives me in life...I`m going to have to make a living somehow or another through music, and working in a record store just doesn`t cut...So I was thinking how can I make money and do something I like to do...and one of my favorite things to do over the years is to turn people on to good music...I used to be a tape trader for many years...if fact that`s how I met my wife was that I gave her a tape with all these bands like Candlemass and Trouble...bands I was just trying to spread the word on...help people hear what I think is great music...so that`s the foundation of Brainticket...I just wanted to spread the word on good music and at the same time I wanted to make money at it, because- God Damn! I don`t want to do anything else" It`s very very difficult to make very much money, to be able to live off of running a record label...it`s damn hard...I`m not one of these guys that says well I`m just worried about breaking even it`s for the music...bullshit, what matters is that I can pay my bills and I can eat, and I can buy shit that I want to buy I can go buy albums...that matters as much as getting the music out there...all these guys that say- well I am just doing it only for the music, well that`s fine if you`re doing it only for a hobby...if you want to lose money or you got money to burn man...the reality is that some of us are just trying to make a living...and I am seriously pushing hard...I`m so serious about it that I pretty much just dove into it and said, just fuck everything else we are going to go for it... I don`t want to get the wrong impression and sound hypocritical you know because truly I am in it for the music, I really am...it`s all about spreading the word about the music...
Rob: I don`t think you are...it makes total sense you know? You gotta do something you enjoy and still kind of keep afloat and comfortable...if you are not comfortable living then what`s the point? you know?
John: Well, it`s one of these thing Rob- you know, If I could go work regular job and just did this on the side as a hobby, that would be one thing...I`d rather do it on a full scale assault...I feel the need to spread the word on music that kicks ass so much that I have to do it full time...it`s what I have to do, and it has to be done, and it has to be done on a full scale assault...and in order to do that I have to make enough to pay the bills...you gotta look at it from both angles. The artistic side and the business side...there has to be a happy medium...
Rob: what are some of your favorite bands in the "StonerRock/DoomRock" scene right now...
John: I hate to sound insane or pompous but truly the bands that are on my label, those are my favorite bands...it`s probably no coincidence...
Rob: ...that would make sense since you are putting it out! hahaha...
John: hahaha...it does, absolutely! And you know since I don`t have a whole lot of money to work with, I have to be pretty picky about what I am able to put out on the label and so it ends up happening is that I put out what I think that is the best...over the past few years my favorite bands have been: Oversoul, Las Cruces without a doubt...and I am gonna say you know obviously my own band I`m going to tell you that. I think that there are so many great bands out there right now...I don`t agree with anybody that is saying the scene is stale...the scene is dying...
Rob: I am so sick of hearing that...
John: there are so many bands out there...I think the Twin Earth album that came out not too long ago was awesome...um...I think that Earthride is a great band, I saw them live on that Wizard tour and thought that they were absolutely incredible, way better than the EP...the obvious...Spirit Caravan, the new album is just killer...
Rob: They were amazing at Emissions...They are great band...the guitar...what do you think of the guitar?
John: My criteria for an awesome guitarist is when you can hear that sound without putting your visual to it and say- hey- that`s sounds like Wino then...hehehe...I say you`ve made your mark! hahaha...
Rob: what musician had the single most impact on you?
John: The obvious, Tony Iommi...
Rob: Yeah, that`s what I figured, I had to ask though...
John: I pretty much worship Iommi I not intimidated by rock stars...I`ve met a lot of rock stars in my time, and whatever...I never get nervous...the only time I got nervous was when I was meeting Tony Iommi...I felt like a little freaking kid, like I was going to pass out...we went to this autograph signing thing and closer we got to the table where they were sitting...Black Sabbath...uh...I kid you not- I don`t have a problem with admitting I was shaking like a little girl...I started feeling week kneed...I actually gave him Adagio because we did a version of Heaven and Hell and I remember hearing him mentioning that Heaven and Hell was the best song he`d ever written and I thought wow, what an opportunity...I will give this to him...so like a little fuckin...35 year old kid up there going ...uhh...MR. Iommi??? To me he is still the king, I have liked everything he has done all through the years...all the post Sabbath years up through recent times...
Rob: Even Cross Purposes?
John: I thought Cross Purposes was a great record, as long as you don`t compare it to Master of Reality your fine...It`s a different band...it`s Sabbath...it`s not the Sabbath that you want...Imagine if it was named something else? In all farness just because it has the Sabbath name attached to it you are expecting something else...all the music he did with Tony Martin, except the Forbidden album...even I have to admit that album was terrible...that is the only Sabbath album I didn`t like, but in all fairness, except for a few songs here and there...pretty much strong, more commercially sounding heavy metal...
Rob: Plans for touring?
John: Well wait for the next record and see what happens...At the end of this month we are going to Germany to do the Bang Your Head Festival...in Stuttgart...outside of there...pretty big festival. We`ve been to Germany 3 times and every time that has been a good place to play...when we get back we will finishing the writing for the new album go into the studio....right after the SHoD fest...
