The band have just released their excellent debut album – Come And Chutney. It’s a heavy blast of Sludge/Stoner riffs with a wicked sense of humour running throughout the entire album. The album is already starting to win it’s fair share of plaudits from fans and critics alike.
I managed to catch up with the band recently where we discussed the making of the new album.
Hi guys. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today. Congratulations on your new album.
Things are good, thanks, how are you doing? Thanks very much, we’re chuffed to have put it together with everyone involved!
Can you give a brief history on how the band came together and where it is today.
Briefly, we met (mano a mano) and composed songs because we liked one another. Now, we play our songs to other people who may or may not like them or us.
Why did you call yourselves CTBKM. Awesome name by the way.
Cheers dude! We wanted something edgy and deep that would be easy to say and have mass appeal. Fortunately, absolutely everyone thinks it’s a great name and no one at all thinks it’s stupid, so it looks like we picked the right words.
How would you describe your music in your own words.
A gargantuan shart of psychedelic hot sauce and half-digested pieces of döner and Szechuan chicken. Seasoned with a slather of good French cheese on freshly baked bread.
We are here to talk about your excellent new album – Come & Chutney. What can people expect from the album.
8 songs, predominantly in 4/4 and C. We deviate a little here and there and thrown in some synth for good measure but it’s still full of Behringer worship. Probably more so than the EP one as we weren’t lucky enough to have an Ultrabass back then.
Why did you call the album Come & Chutney.
Because everyone’s invited.
The thing I like most about your album is how humorous the lyrics and song-titles are. Though still being undeniably heavy. Was that always the plan to include humour within your music.
Humour? We’re a serious metal band, mate. We write riffs and rock the fuck out and strike strong poses on stage that let all the ladies (and gentlemen) know we’re coming to dominate them with our songs about cool shit like relationships and adventures and fighting other men.
Was this an easy or hard album to write and record for.
It was the trickiest thing we’ve composed so far in our repertoire, which isn’t saying much. We had a go at writing things that we wouldn’t get bored listening to or playing and then chucked in a couple of filler tracks to make up time (try to guess which!). The recording was a pleasure as ever, working with Sam Thredder (Slabdragger) at The Cro’s Nest is always a laugh and you get a monster of a sound. And the mixing/mastering process was great; we recruited Pedro Teixeira to clean everything up and he really produced a sound way beyond what we’d been hoping for.
Riff Rock Records have released this album. How did this come about singing with that label and did you have any other offers to release the album.
The Ricks approached us first but Rubin wouldn’t let us use solid-state amps and James wanted to cede all the music rights to Eddie Murphy, so we had to turn both of them down. We’ve known Leigh of Riff Rock a while now and when he asked if we’d do an album with him we were delighted and couldn’t wait to work together since he’s a lovely chap.
Will you be performing gigs or festivals to promote the album.
We played the release show back in March, weren’t you there?
What is the song-writing dynamic within the band. Is it a group collective or down to individual(s).
Usually one of the string-pluckers will bring a riff or a few riffs along that we mess around with and fondle until it seems to straddle that fine line between shit and marketable. We’ll then add some drums to try and loosen the whole thing up and just run a turd-polishing feedback loop until the song’s finished.
What comes first. Lyrics or Music.
Music. We chuck a bunch of riffs and grooves together until it seems like a song then The Wailing Goblin throws some last-minute poetry on once it’s all been recorded.
Was this an easy or hard album to write and record for.
It was the trickiest thing we’ve composed so far in our repertoire, which isn’t saying much. We had a go at writing things that we wouldn’t get bored listening to or playing and then chucked in a couple of filler tracks to make up time (try to guess which!). The recording was a pleasure as ever, working with Sam Thredder (Slabdragger) at The Cro’s Nest is always a laugh and you get a monster of a sound. And the mixing/mastering process was great; we recruited Pedro Teixeira to clean everything up and he really produced a sound way beyond what we’d been hoping for.
Riff Rock Records have released this album. How did this come about singing with that label and did you have any other offers to release the album.
The Ricks approached us first but Rubin wouldn’t let us use solid-state amps and James wanted to cede all the music rights to Eddie Murphy, so we had to turn both of them down. We’ve known Leigh of Riff Rock a while now and when he asked if we’d do an album with him we were delighted and couldn’t wait to work together since he’s a lovely chap.
Will you be performing gigs or festivals to promote the album.
We played the release show back in March, weren’t you there?
What is the song-writing dynamic within the band. Is it a group collective or down to individual(s).
Usually one of the string-pluckers will bring a riff or a few riffs along that we mess around with and fondle until it seems to straddle that fine line between shit and marketable. We’ll then add some drums to try and loosen the whole thing up and just run a turd-polishing feedback loop until the song’s finished.
What comes first. Lyrics or Music.
Music. We chuck a bunch of riffs and grooves together until it seems like a song then The Wailing Goblin throws some last-minute poetry on once it’s all been recorded.
Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go do you have any words of wisdom to say to your fans.
Be excellent to each other, all the time.
Thanks to Lisa at Hold Tight PR for the promo. Thanks to CTBKM for doing this interview. Come & Chutney is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Riff Rock Records.
Links:
Facebook | BandCamp
Be excellent to each other, all the time.
Words
by Steve Howe and Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters
Links:
Facebook | BandCamp