Saturday 22 December 2012

Interview with TUBER

Tuber EP 12" Vinyl cover art

I first discovered the brilliant Greek Stoner Rock Band – Tuber – back in 2010 from the legendary blog – Sludge Swamp. I became an instant fan of their winning blend of Desert Rock/Stoner Rock/Post-Rock riffs. Tuber were a breath of fresh air in today's Stoner Rock Scene.

A lot of other blogs thought so as well and they are highly thought of in the Stoner Rock world. I featured them here a few times on the blog. Here is the last article I done on this great band.

Their stunning début EP – has been acclaimed from fans and Stoner Rock critics alike. It's a brilliant album you should all check out now.

Well I thought it was time to interview them on Sludgelord. So here we are folks with one of Greece's best Stoner Rock Bands. TUBER

Q1 – Hi Guys, Thanks for doing this. How are things with you Today. 

Hi Steve! Thanks for having us! A big thank you to your blog for it was really supportive to our band and played a huge role in getting our music out there!

Q2 – For people not in the know can you give them a brief history of the band and how it came about. 

Well, the band started long time ago when brothers Nick and Yannis where still students in Crete. And since they play so long together they have a unique bonding and chemistry which is the core of this band. I met them 3 years ago when they came to me asking to record a demo in my studio. They didn't have a bass player at the time so I offered to play the bass for the recording. I really liked the songs and the atmosphere of the music and we ended up producing our first EP.


Q3 – How would you describe your sound as I class it as you cover a lot of genres in your music.

Our sound is heavy, it's soft, it's really heavy and it's really soft! It's rock n roll and it's instrumental! We all come from different musical backgrounds and that reflects in our music. Everyone brings something different to the equation.

Q4 – Which bands and artists influence you directly as musicians. 

Our influences start from early rock era and go up to this day. Everyone has his own references which are brought to the band but I won't address specific artists because it's the deferential influences that shapes our music. And I think this reflects to the final result.

Q5 – Are you all full time musicians or do you have regular jobs to pay the bills. 

No, that's not possible at the given time. We all have day jobs.

Q6 – Are your family and friends supportive of your music. 

Yes, especially our girlfriends are our no 1 fans! At least now that we are in a fetal stage of development. When we'll evolve into the rock stardom kind of thing and all the groupies will be chasing our drummer, then we'll see (just kidding)


Q7 – What is the song-writing process in the band. Is it a group collective or is just down to one individual.

It always starts from the individual, with an idea, a guitar riff or a melody, and then it's introduced to the band and we'll start from there. If we like the way it sounds then we'll try to have a constant sonic variation going on, even if it's the same guitar riff from the beginning to end. In the nature of playing a series of notes on a guitar or a series of chords it’s that sense of regularity and at the same time a change and variation in the sonic aspect of the whole that brings that magical quality in music. 

It just makes it to mean new things to us and as a song goes onwards the emotional response is constantly going in unexpected places. After all music was always about people getting together, it's nice to play alone in your bedroom or such but when you interfere with other people is when the magic happens!

Q8 – Your Début EP came out in 2010 and it received much praise from fans and critics alike. Bet you were pleased with the responses you have received so far. 

More than pleased! We directly mailed our music to people from all around the world and we've read reviews through google translate in many many languages! It's a beautiful feeling and it's what keeps us going!


Q9 – You released your début EP on limited edition vinyl which has now sold out. How did that come about. Are there any more plans to produce any more vinyl copies. 

The orange ones, yes they are sold out. We still have copies of the black vinyl edition. We never intended to go there with this EP but we got an offer from Krauted Mind Records which was too good to turn down. I don't think we are going to produce any more copies, at least not now, cause we are focused 100% to recording our new record.

Q10 – Has BandCamp been a big help in getting your music across.

It has been the only help and the most important! It all started from there, bandcamp is an excellent service for new bands and artists! I can't praise enough on how good it is. Besides helping you to reach individuals around the globe it's also a tool for blogs like yours to explore and find new music. And here comes the best part, we put it on bandcamp you spread the word! That simple, with just a few clicks.

Q11 - What are your views of blogs such as Sludgelord featuring and reviewing your records, as opposed to mainstream music magazines? Has your music reached the mainstream mags, at home or around the world? 

As I said, blogs like Sludgelord is the new indie radio stations. That late night show you used to listen as a young boy, before the Internets, in order to find true music, not the one that mainstream radio fed you in the mouth all day! It's a new and huge underground community and like old indie and pirate stations it's in war with the big guys. As all pirate stations went down you see great blogs going down everyday. It's just sad. I don't know if our music reached the mainstream mags, I never read them.


Q12 – Is there a scene for a band like your own to perform in your home town on a regular basis. Or do you have to travel further afield to do regular gigs.

No, our home town is a small place in Nothern Greece called Serres and it doesn't have any local scene. You have to travel to bigger cities like Thessaloniki or our capital Athens to do proper gigs.

Q13 – Greece has some excellent Stoner Rock bands at the moment (Planet Of Zeus, 1000mods, Nightstalker) who seem to be getting more famous and recognition abroad. Is it hard performing your style of music to Greek audiences. Do you have to rely more on International Audiences to buy your merchandise

True. Greece has developed a strong stoner scene the past 15 years. Nightstalker was the first band who spread the stoner rock to Greek audience almost at the same time with Kyuss or Monster magnet so there is an audience that supports the local stoner scene and all the new bands that went down that path. Of course audience is relevant to the population so you need to expand in order to gain a broader audience. If you are in the instrumental genre your music is much more easily conceived to people around the world than having weird English accent and funny lyrics.


Q14 – What are your favorite bands around at the moment. Do you listen to modern day rock/metal or do you just listen to the classic era of Stoner/Sludge/Doom Metal.

We are fans of the classic and at the same time enthusiastic supporters of the new era. A lot of times you have to look back in order to take a step forward. Music, if not better, was definitely more true back then. It involved people getting together, it wasn't always perfect but it was true. Now you can do music with one person on the computer and an artist, grid edit it to death and polish it to flavor. 

You don't even need talent from either side. I don't want to sound like a dinosaur here, we all go back to Kyuss when we want to experience something true and original but you always have your eyes and ears open for anything new and refreshing! Speaking of which there is this new band from Greece called “This is Nowhere”, you may have heard of them but if you haven't check them out.

Q15 – What were your original intentions when you started the band and have they been met yet.

I would rather call it dreams and not intentions. And in this sense no, not yet. We would like to tour Europe and US, we hope to be able to do it soon! It's cool to have your music travel abroad through the internet but being able to do it in person and seeing how people respond to your music and get direct feedback from your gigs is a unique experience.

When we where recording our first EP it was more of a studio project. Our original goal was just to capture those 4 songs on tape so that we can go home at night, blast on the stereo system and enjoy it with our friends! This evolved to a band like experience and through the internet reached to a broader audience. The feedback from all these people around the world brings new intentions and visions to the band, it motivates you to go even further and reach for wider goals. But, and I am sure the guys agree with me, the original intention will always be to have fun!

Q16 - What are your future plans for the upcoming 12 months or so. Anything we should be excited about.

We are in the process of rehearsing and recording demos for the new album. We have a lot of new material which goes to different places and we will lock ourselves in my studio pretty soon!


Q17 – What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band?

The most rewarding is definitely the feedback you get from people that you share your music with and all the emotional trips you are having when you are involved in such a creating process. Been able to play music and be in a band is an incredible gift. The downsize of it is the long hours you have to commit yourself to, for rehearsals and all the routine that's involved. But nevertheless all the hard work pays off at the end.

Q18 - Finally, Do you have anything to say your fans

First of all a big big thank you for your support! Stay tuned, we will return with a new record in 2013 and we are really excited about it!

Well guys thanks for doing this interview. All the best from ourselves at Sludgelord. We are massive fans of your great band. Can't wait to hear more great music from yourselves.

Cool! Thank you!!

Well everyone I implore you to check out this brilliant band. You won't regret it. You can download their amazing debut EP - for free from BandCamp right now.

Check This Great Band Below:

Facbeook
BandCamp