Borderland
Fuzz Fiesta Spotlight Time again. So who do we have today. Well I'm
speaking to Pete Holmes from ace Heavy Metal/Doom/Stoner Metal band –
Blackwülf – who've been making a name for themselves recently with
their blend of brutal and hard hitting Doom/Stoner Metal riffs.
Albums
such as 2013's – Mind Traveler and their latest album – Oblivion
Cycle – have won praise within the Doom/Stoner Metal community with
fans and critics alike. I was asked to interview Blackwülf and Pete
has kindly agreed to the excellent and in-depth interview below. So
let's get started.
Hi
Pete. How are things with you today? Thanks for doing this interview.
Hi
Steve, thanks for having me today, glad to be here with Outlaws of
the Sun.
For
people not in the know, Can you tell people how the band got together
and where it is today.
Blackwülf
formed in 2012, essentially out of pure boredom. I wasn't playing in
any bands at the time after a long string of various bands and
previous projects, and got antsy for something to do. I began writing
a bunch of the tunes in my basement that eventually became parts of
our first LP, "Mind Traveler". Alex and Dave were in a band
together at that time and I pitched the band to them as a side
project, as we were longtime friends...drummer Dave and I have been
playing together in bands off and on since the late '80s.
Anyway,
we gave it a go, and Blackwülf was up and rolling. We were having a
good time at rehearsals, drinking and carrying on and all, the tunes
were sounding good, and Alex brought Scott in on bass. We never
looked back from then on out. I can distinctly remember us
consciously deciding that we were going to create music entirely for
our own satisfaction, stuff that was 100% honest and true for us, to
primarily record on vinyl, and to simply just try and make good
records. That was it. Fast forward to today, and we are now currently
promoting and touring our second LP "Oblivion Cycle" on
Ripple Music.
How
would you describe your music?
I
would describe our music as bluesy, riff-based classic heavy metal.
Like a big greasy plate of meat and potatoes smothered in a thick
fatty gravy, we are essentially an unapologetic guilty pleasure.
You’re
scheduled to play Borderland Fuzz Fiesta in February 2016. How did
you get involved in that festival?
We
got involved with Borderland through Wayne Ruddell of Fuzz Evil, who
is putting the festival together. I really look forward to meeting
him there; his band is cool and he is putting a tremendous amount of
creativity and energy into the present stoner rock scene. We're
signed to Ripple Music, one of the events sponsors, so the fit for us
there at the Fuzz Fiesta was natural.
What
can people expect from your set at Borderland Fuzz Fiesta?
People
can expect a Blackwülf set to be heavy, loud, and aggressive as
hell, but always fun. That is the bottom line...most people want to
come out, leave their troubles behind, and just rock the fuck out and
have a good time. We are here to assist with that. That's what we do.
Will
you be performing any warm-up gigs before the festival?
No
gig for us is really ever considered a "warm up"; the
people and the music always deserve more than that. No phoning it in.
We are generally shooting with live ammo all the time, even at
rehearsals. We'll be in Los Angeles at the Silverlake Lounge on
Friday February 26 on the way over to Tucson with the outstanding
Lords of Beacon House and a great band that I can't wait to check out
from San Diego, Red Wizard.
You've
just released your excellent new album – Oblivion Cycle – last
month. It's getting a great reception. Are you pleased with the
responses it's had so far. Fantastic record.
Thank
you very much, glad you dig the album. We have been very pleased with
the response that "Oblivion Cycle" has received so far. We
are always stoked when someone tells us that they picked it up and
are really into it; it's gratifying for us to be able to connect like
that, to find kindred metal spirits along the way and take them to
another place with the music. We recently got an encouraging email
from Geof O'Keefe from Pentagram and Bedemon letting us know that he
dug it...just so rad to hear from a guy like that we respect so much.
It's been encouraging that most of the reviews have been very
positive as well, with most writers and bloggers "getting"
the album. We had fun making it, and are glad people like it.
Can
you tell people what can they expect from the album.
An
English critic recently said that we had written "the soundtrack
to the Apocalypse". I think that's a fair description of some of
what's happening on "Oblivion Cycle". And while the album
is filled with sceptical lyrical rants against social corruption such
as the hypocritical aspects of organized religion, failed political
leaders, environmental disharmony, etc, "Oblivion Cycle" is
ultimately a fantasy. It's like an old science fiction film: pulpy
and imperfect, filled with dying planets, a few buxom space alien
chicks, a bunch of laser battles and some awkward dialog. Hopefully
at the end of it, you take a break for a beer and some chips and then
flip the album over and give it a spin it again.
Did
you do anything differently recording Oblivion Cycle compared to your
last record – Mind Traveler.
The
primary difference between our first album, "Mind Traveler"
and "Oblivion Cycle" is that we bright significantly more
intention to "Oblivion Cycle", approaching it more
holistically as an album versus a collection of songs. We were really
just finding ourselves on "Mind Traveler"; it came out
good, but he wanted to stretch a little more this next time out. Both
records were recorded in South San Francisco at Trakworx with Justin
Weiss, who is brilliant for us to work with; he's worked on some
Orchid stuff, a lot of SF area heavy metal. The process was basics
live tracked onto 2" analog tape, old school style, and then
overdubs done in Pro Tools. I do think more junk food and beer was
consumed in the making of "Oblivion Cycle" though. Always a
good sign.
You're
currently signed to Ripple Music who are releasing your album on
Vinyl. How did you hook up with the guys at Ripple as they are the
label to beat at the moment. Did you have offers from other labels to
release your album.
We
connected with Ripple the old fashioned way: we sent em our record.
Their office is in our backyard here in the East Bay, and so we
invited them out to a show or two. From right off, we connected with
Todd and Pope and their crew. Besides a deep love for heavy music,
Todd and I share a passion for fantasy art and comics. The fit was
perfect for us, and more than anything else, they were fans of the
band right off, believed in us, and supported what we were doing. I
am really just stoked to have those guys as friends as well as our
current label. Ripple really walks the walk, does what they say
they're going to do, and are super passionate about the music. Really
solid dudes
How
hard is it being a band in today's world? What are the most difficult
aspects in being in a band?
Things
haven't changed that much for us about being in a band these days; we
have been down these roads before, and have really always done it
simply for the music. Certainly not for the money...! And that can be
a challenge. While the Internet has dismantled the bloated old major
labels in rock and made it easier for bands to get their music out
there, everyone seems to be a lot tighter about paying artists these
days.
People
generally tend to expect music to be free. It can be a bummer dealing
with some promoters who expect you to play for nothing. Shit: it
costs bands money just to show up. It's not really that big a deal
until you really encounter the hypocrisy of it all when they walk
away with pile of dough for themselves and the bands get nothing.
It's not really about the cash either; it's just the bummer of the
ripoff and the lack of respect for the players and the music itself.
Same as it's always been.
Oh
well. Not everyone is like that of course, and the challenge then
becomes in finding the people that are righteous and fair to work
with, where everyone comes away feeling like the crowd did: stoked
and happy with a great night of live music.
What
inspired you to become a musician? Any particular album, band or
life-changing event that told you – Yeah, that's what I want to
do....
I
think the original MCA album of the Who's "Live at Leeds"
and the midnight movie "The Kids are Alright" really helped
to push me into being in a band. I started out playing in the late
1970s when punk rock was just hitting...that whole DIY ethic was out
there: the Ramones were saying "grab a guitar, anyone can do
it!" and simultaneously Pete Townshend was smashing guitars to
bits. As you can imagine, a zitty bored teenager in Phoenix like me
at that time was an easy target...
What
is the song-writing dynamic in the band? Is it a group collective or
down to one individual?
Our
writing process is pretty simple. I come up with the riffs and Alex
writes the lyrics. Dave will find a drum part and Scott throws down
the bass line. Dave and Scott are a killer rhythm section that are
double threats because they are song guys, team players who always
play for the best of the song itself. They listen. Alex creates the
vocal melodies and we all arrange as a group. It's usually really
painless as those guys are just good dudes with good ears.
OK…
if you had the chance to put on a festival, which bands would you put
on. It can be any bands from any era of music.
Support
would be Heaven and Hell era Black Sabbath, Dio era Rainbow, early
era King Crimson, Deep Purple (mark 3), Fastway, and Thin Lizzy. JS
Bach would do a harpsichord interlude with Randy Rhodes. Django
Rheinhardt would host an acoustic stage with JJ Cale and Muddy
Waters. Albert King would jam with Robin Trower. Richard Pryor would
be the MC. Day 2 would be more of a punk thing with The Sex Pistols,
Bad Brains, The Clash, The Jam, The Ramones, Black Flag, X,
Motörhead, and The Stooges. Free beer and no cover charge for ladies
in tube/tank tops and cut offs, all weekend long!
Before
you go, do you have anything to say to your fans?
Thanks
for your support! We are especially looking forward to seeing all of
our Tucson people come out for our set on Saturday February 27 at the
Borderlands Fuzz Fiesta because both Dave and I are actually from
Tucson originally. We spent a ton of time down there in the Old
Pueblo, hold it near and dear, and want to get some good rocking time
in while we are there with y'all this time through! \m/!
Words
by Steve Howe and Pete Holmes
Thanks
to Wayne Rudell for arranging this interview and for Pete Holmes for
taking the time out to talking to me.
Borderland Fuzz Festival Links
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Tickets
Early Bird Two Day Pass: BFFEarlybird.brownpapertickets.com
Dead Meadow Single Day: BFFDeadmeadow.brownpapertickets.com
Elder Single Day: BFFElder.brownpapertickets.com
