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All Access Exclusive - 10 Questions with Brann Dailor of Mastodon
October 12, 2021
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Bill and Brent came up with the name. Bill has a tattoo of Boba Fett (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)…Boba has a symbol on his shoulder pad of a “Bantha Skull”, which looks like a Wooly Mammoth. Brent kept asking him what it was…“is that a Mammoth? Is the cousin of the Mammoth a Matador?”, and someone said “Mastodon” and we knew that was the name of the band. We always knew we wanted a one-word band name, so it made perfect sense. It sounded big, heavy, beastly and hairy.
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From Left to Right: Bill Kelliher (guitar), Troy Sanders (bass/vocals),
Brann Dailor (drums/vocals), and Brent Hinds (guitar/vocals)
1) Where does this interview find the band right now?
I am at home as we’re gearing up to play Aftershock in Sacramento with the mighty Metallica. We’re also getting ready for our tour w/ Opeth in the States later this Fall. We’ve been practicing!
2) Let’s start at the beginning. I know the band has been around since 2000. Give us the scoop on where and how the band formed?
Mastodon are two halves – my friend Bill (guitar) and myself are both from Rochester NY. In the early 90’s we played in the band called Lethargy, which was like a technical death-metal band. It was the early 90’s, so things were weird, and we were part of that weirdness – kind of mixing a bunch of different genres. Some people called us Circus Metal. On the other side of the band you have Troy (bass) and Brent (guitar), they had a band called Four Hour Fogger, and they were also part of that 90’s weirdness. On Jan 1st, 2000, Bill and I moved to Atlanta, to start something new and to get away from shoveling snow. We met Troy and Brent fairly quickly at a Four Hour Frogger show with High On Fire. Within a week the four of us started to play together and put together the songs that became the “9 Song Demo.” With the aspiration to start get on the road, and to start playing shows anywhere/everywhere, that was the beginning of Mastodon. Listening to the stuff Bill and I had put together, mixed with the stuff Brent and Troy had…created this unique sound. So when something like that happens, we all wanted to chase it. It was exciting back then, because it was new and fresh – and it’s still exciting now. So, that’s exciting.
3) Who came up with the name Mastodon and what is the origin of the name?
Bill and Brent came up with the name. Bill has a tattoo of Boba Fett (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)…Boba has a symbol on his shoulder pad of a “Bantha Skull”, which looks like a Wooly Mammoth. Brent kept asking him what it was…“is that a Mammoth? Is the cousin of the Mammoth a Matador?”, and someone said “Mastodon” and we knew that was the name of the band. We always knew we wanted a one-word band name, so it made perfect sense. It sounded big, heavy, beastly and hairy.
4) What bands or artists have inspired you and you’d list as major influences from the start and even up until today?
Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Neurosis, The Melvins, & Alice In Chains are the big ones for us. Our musical tastes are all over the map – we also dig early Genesis, King Crimson, Metallica, & Death.
5) If you were to describe Mastodon’s music to someone who had never heard the band, what would you say?
I’d say we sound like Metallica, mixed with Rush.
6) Now let’s talk about the new single “Teardrinker” that has just been released. What’s the inspiration for this song?
“Teardrinker” is about guilt, grief, pain, and regret. You kind of go through your life – and you wish you could have done things differently, but you can’t go back and change them. There is this unfulfillable longing in the song, which seems to really connect with people. When we write, we always try to be honest from the beginning and if we at least have that, we’re good. It’s a tough song to listen to personally. It was hard to sing the song in the studio, and I imagine it will be hard to perform it live every night. It’s necessary to open up within the music and be honest and vulnerable no matter what the consequences are on the other side. This entire album is the most soul-bearing the band has ever been.
7) You also are releasing a new LP “Hushed And Grim coming on October 29th. What can you tell us about it?
We lost our manager and friend Nick John to pancreatic cancer a few years ago. It was such a shock as we thought he’d be with us forever. When it came to write the new album, we knew it would be about this loss. The riffs and music that was coming out was all influenced by this tremendous sense of sadness we all were feeling. When Nick was at home hospice, and we were visiting him to say our goodbyes, no one is yelling or screaming, but rather hushed and grim, and quiet. As much as the album is filled with these themes and feelings, the last lyrics on the last song offer the listener a moment of hope…everything that we had made together will stay, and his legacy will remain. We want to let people know that if you’ve even heard of this band, it’s because of this man Nick John. This is our way of honoring him and the work we’ve done together. We loved him very much, and deserves nothing less than a double album. It’s sad, because the person you most want to hear it – can’t. Hushed & Grim is for Nick.
8) Mastodon has had some solid success at Rock radio for many years. What’s your take on Rock Radio and do you have any choice Radio moments you can share?
Throughout the years I have listened to LOTS of rock radio – that’s how I discovered new bands and it kept me entertained when I was a kid, painting houses. There is always the opportunity to be introduced to a new band by a DJ. It’s a great thing. We’re happy to try to be part of that …to try to grow our band and sound, and to maybe gain a new fan. Rock radio definitely helps in that respect. Radio moments…we’ve done quite a few early morning interviews, which can be a little rough when you’re on the road, but kudos to the DJs who get up at 4am to go to work and be on fire on the air! Any chicken wing eating contest with radio winners is awesome. Go bowling? All about it. Super fun. Since I’m from the land of chicken wings, I love it.
9) There’s a definite difference between making a record and going out and playing it live in front of an audience. Many feel that the real work is making the record, and the fun part is playing it live. What’s your take on these processes?
You have to spend a lot of time (and work) to get everything exactly right – both in the studio and in preparation to perform them on stage. It is fun to just rip it and have a good time, but you want it to be perfect. In the studio, you want the song to be as cool and awesome as it can be…to be great, and to love it. But the more we do it, the better we get at it. Every recording is a chance to create something unique that will last. There’s a lot of pressure there. Live…there’s some pressure, but it should be more fun. If it’s your show, you’re playing for people that already like you. It’s a moment in time, and probably the most present I can be. It’s a wonderful moment.
10) Finally, what do you and other members of your band like to do for fun (hobbies etc.) when you’re not in “Rock Band” mode?
I like to draw and paint, especially clowns. I actually drew 101 clowns in 101 days during the pandemic. I’m also always playing the drums, and supporting my favorite teams like the Buffalo Bills, The Winnipeg Jets and Atlanta Braves. Brent likes to ride motorcycles. Bill is a handyman, so he’s always working on something. Troy likes to go swimming in the ocean. We all like to rock out too! It’s a wonderful life. Thank You!
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