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| At Devil Dirt
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Following At Devil Dirt's recent appearance on Chilean television, I contacted the band and Nestor, kindly agreed to speak to us. So, without further ado, he is my interview with At Devil Dirt. Enjoy!
Q)Hey Nestor, How are you? I appreciate you taking the time to talk
to talk to us, here at the Sludgelord. Where are you at the moment and what are you doing in terms of the
band? Have you have been touring this
summer?
N:
We are working on new songs and we're playing only in Chile at the moment. We
have received two invitations, one from Australia in a festival called
Doomnations in Melbourne, and another one from Germany. We are still a very
young band and we do not want to tour. We'd like to visit Europe, we think it's
easier to get there than the USA. For now, I think we will be here, we will
look for a label to support us , and then see the possibility of touring in
Europe, especially UK, Italy, Holland, Germany and Sweden
Q). Steve and I are big fans of your band, but for those people who are
not familiar with the music of At Devil Dirt, could you tell us a little about the
history of the band and some of the bands you've played with? Where you’re from?
When At Devil Dirt first formed? Current band members?
N:
The idea came in early 2010. Together with Francisco, we have played since 1990
in several bands in Chile. I always wanted to explore minimal and low sounds
with my guitar and harmonising with many voices. I cannot scream, it wouldn´t
sound natural. My voice is very thin, or so I think, so I double all voices in
studio to feel secure. Usually I'm a very insecure person
Q). Is At Devil Dirt full time project?
N:
Musically yes, but we have regular jobs and we need to work to live, we both
have families and children to feed. Music is our escape, but we take it
seriously.
Q) What made you start the band? Did you and Francisco know each
other before you formed the band?
N:
Yes, we have known each other since we were teenagers, we have always played
together and At Devil Dirt is like the natural process of our evolution as
musicians and as a search of an identity (as musicians), and we may not be
young guys with many concerns, but I think we still have things to discover and
things to say to anyone who wants to listen
Q) It is seemingly harder and harder to underground band these days,
bearing that in mind, what motivates you as musicians?
N:
Some people go to the stadium to watch soccer, others go to the casino to lose
money, we spend our money on what we love as children do. We have never made
money with music, and I feel sad as music has changed. Nobody seems to buy
records today; very few people seem to do so.
Q) Are you big fans of rock/metal, if so what are you listening too at
the moment? Any recommendations? We spoke recently and you mentioned Electric
Wizard are big in Chile, is that right? (Electric Wizard, if you’re reading,
they’d love for you to take a picture holding their CD)
N:
I listen to a lot of music from Beethoven to Cannibal Corpse. I listen to any
kind of music that tells me something or gets me. I respect many bands; even
the big ones because I know what it takes to become big. As for influences, I
think there are too many to name them all. Somehow, all music influences us, or
allows us to generate ideas and give our own sense.
Q) When you started At Devil Dirt, what were your hopes for the band?
N: Honestly, not
much, only to play live and record, everything else comes only with time, e.g.
recognition or respect.
Q) If someone was unfamiliar with your band, how would you describe your
sound and due you feel it has evolved?
Was that a natural progression?
N:
I think I leave the band label to our listeners. It is easier for many to sort,
store and say: Yes, that band is.... I think it is indisputable to possess certain
characteristics of Stoner, Sludge, Doom bands which are the most obvious. But
many people know that we go a little further, maybe we are a band of Stoner /
sludge / doom, but we have a different flavour. Perhaps the vocals, or by the
structures of our songs, I do not know. I like to think that we are a band of
Rotten Blues sometimes. On the other hand, I feel a small evolution from the
first album, but we are still the same band.
Q) Who would you say are your
influences/heroes both musically and artistically in terms of the bands sound? Was it always the intention to have a base
heavy sound similar to early Electric Wizard or Kyuss for example?
N:
Indeed, let me add more names: Sleep, OM, C.O.C, Paradise Lost, Cathedral,
Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Black Cobra, Helmet, QOTSA, Floor, The Black
Keys…. Mix that, and I think you have our sound.
Q) Why did you choose the name, At
Devil Dirt? What does it represent, if
anything?
N:
there is no good translation in Spanish for At Devil Dirt, but for me it's like
being in the middle and getting all the crap out of a consumer society. In our
case, look at the map, we are at the end of the world
Q) What gear to use in terms of guitars, amps and why? Also what tuning
do you use? I always wanted Washburn
like Dimebag and mostly recently I love telecasters.
N:
I have SG Gibson, SG Epiphone, I used only bass amp, (Fender Jazz bass, Sunn
and Hartke), I mix the three, and I used Electroharmonic pedals (Big Muff pi,
and Germanium 4), that´s all I have.
Q) What is the scene like in your
hometown? What are your thoughts? Where do you think At Devil Dirt fits within
that? Any bands we should be keeping an
eye out for?
N:
many bands, but here is more popular metal bands, they have a very solid scene
with a large audience. We try to play with similar bands. Some good bands that play are: Demonauta, Yajaira, Hielo Negro, El Gran
temor, Vulkeche, Mal de Testa, Acido, Icarus gasoline, Invitado de Piedra, and
I can go on, the list is really big.
Q) What are your views of blogs
such as the Sludgelord reviewing your records, as opposed to mainstream music
magazines? Has your music reached the mainstream mags, at home or around
the world?
N:
we are not even known by many people, if there is a underworld, we are further
down. About you guys, I love this kind of
contact with normal people who do blogs. Everything is real, and you can tell
me what you really think about us and you take the time to listen to our music
with interest
Q) I recently tried to buy your special vinyl package of Chapter II but
it has now sold out, which is awesome. This package seemed to be like a
collectors items? Is that deliberate and
does it surprise you when people buy your music and merch, given that Chapter II
sold out? Any plans to reprint your
vinyl?
N:
Yeah, that´s really cool and took us by surprise. Now we need to sell the CD to
finance the next album, is a pretty digi-pack edition, buy it!
I'm
glad you asked about reprint. In fact, we are preparing a very special edition
of 40 units of our two albums. Here in Chile there is a guy that recorded vinyl
in real time.
It
will be a truly handmade edition, and the sound is much higher than a factory
edition.
We are thinking of a
box with the two vinyls, CD copies, t-shirts. Only 20 copies are expensive
maybe, but these are only 20 units and that would be all, then we get ready for
another album. By the way, we have 80% ready for the new album (10 new songs), and
this time we would like to sign with some small independent label. We are not
interested in money, just someone to edit our music.
Q)
One
of the things I like most about your band is that you release your own stuff
and your DIY ethic? How do you support
the band financially?
N:
Yeah, it's pretty hard to keep that line of work, so we want a label to support
us, and in that way we continue to make music and try to get more people to
listen to us-
Q) I recently asked Black Cobra the same question, but do you find being
a two piece places any limitations on the band?
N:
There are advantages and disadvantages. First, you can work faster, ideas flow almost
instantly and there is less discussion, it is what it is. On the other hand,
there are restrictions as to further enrich your compositions, but that's what
keeps attention, just two guys, I like the format. Our music is simple and
direct, right now I like it that way.
Q) Correct me if I am wrong but you have been active since 2009 and 2
releases to your name so far, what have been some of your highlights so far? What
are your aspirations for the future?
N:
Together with Francisco, we have played in several bands since the late '90s,
and we started this project in late 2009, early 2010. We recorded the first
album in a week, with very little preparation. The second album, we recorded
and mixed in one month. Our expectations are simple, only people to listen and
enjoy it as much as we do. The feedback with all the world was great and we met
many wonderful people from all over the world like you.
Q) Do you have any interesting stories from your tours, favourite places
you’ve toured and bands you’ve toured with?
N:
oh, we have nothing good to tell yet, I hope we make it to Europe and are able
to tell you everything. I hope it is soon.
Q) What is your agenda or game plan in terms of what you want to write
for your Chapter II? Do you both contribute song ideas and do you feel it is
your best work so far? Why did you
decide to sign in English as opposed to your native tongue, Spanish?
N:
Ideas come and go to my head, and write. I have no concept. I do not want to
create a concept for what we do. I let things flow. So far it has been easy to
make music for the band. I hope I don´t go off my ideas.
I
do not know if my English is correct.
In
fact, I'm always very insecure about it. Do you understand what I sing? I mean,
not the words, but in general terms what the fuck is he singing. Maybe the
third album will be in Spanglish. Asà nadie entendera lo que canto, excepto yo.
Q) You also released an EP recently called In Atacama’s Landscape, which
you can download free and consists of songs from the Chapter II sessions, what
was the thinking behind that?
N:
They were only songs, from my point of view, it did not fit with the album's
sound. According to me, they were very happy, and I'm not very happy in life
generally.
Q) A televised stream of you
playing live was broadcast recently which was cool, could you tell me a little
about that experience? Was that
televised on mainstream TV?
N:
Well, we were not very comfortable there.
It's TV; there are many rules, the sound was not what we wanted, but it
helps to promote the band. Usually, when we play live, we sound much louder and
heavy.
Q) What are your thoughts about free legal downloads (I am referring to
bandcamp) and the difference between buying a physical copy?
N:
I prefer the physical copy. I buy many vinyls because I like collecting them
and for me, music is a ritual. I have a beer and listen to a vinyl. However, I
respect people who like to download music to listen to it in an iPod
Q) 2012 seems to have been a particularly busy year for you, releasing arguably
your best record. What are your plans for the rest of the year and 2013, any
chance you'd consider coming to the UK?
N:
I would love to be in UK with you and enjoy, I hope to get there soon. Is there
any agency that wants to take us? In 2013 we will release a new album which might
be called LENTO (Meaning: SLOW).
Q) Thanks for answering my questions, but one final question, you got
anything you like to say to your fans?
N:
People! Whoever wants to help us please write to us, we need a new label, a promoter and people who want to buy our crap.
Thank you to Nestor for answering my questions and thanks to you guys for reading. At Devil Dirt are featured on the new Dommantia Vol.1 compilation which you can purchase here. Check out the link below for information about the band. Support them, they truly are an independent band and your monies helps finance their records. Cheers Aaron
