Today on Sludgelord I am interviewing Chris Laramee from Instrumental Doom/Space/Stoner Metal Noise Warriors – Shooting Guns.
These crazy riff-slaying geniuses from Canada have made quite an impression here with us at Sludgelord. Their 2nd album – Brotherhood Of The Ram – is one of the year's best instrumental rock albums. It's fucking brilliant.
I said the following about the album:
“Well 5 mins is all you need to fall in love with the colossal riffs Shooting Guns have in store for you. Brotherhood Of The Ram should be called – Brotherhood Of The Riffs – as the album is full of them. The 6 songs on show Shooting Guns are one of the most inventive instrumental bands I have heard in 2013. The way they blend ambient-based soundscapes with heavy doom/stoner metal riffs is nothing but a work of genius at times.
Shooting Guns have excelled themselves here in every department. It’s brilliantly played and produced by everyone involved. This is an album you can listen to over and over again.
Awesome.”
Well Chris has kindly agreed an interview with me which I am very grateful for. So lets gets started.
Q1 – Hi Chris, How are things with you today. Thanks for doing this.
No worries! Thank you for digging our tunes!
Q2 – For people not in the know can you give a brief history on how the band came about.
Keith moved back from Vancouver a few years back and moved into a house with Jay and they installed a jamspace in the garage. Me and Jim came over and had some beers and we started jamming riffs out at loud volume. Steve brought his synth over next time and it's been a going concern since then.
Q3 – Where did the name – Shooting Guns – came from and what does it mean..
A late night bullshit session when we decided we needed to name it something. The reasons are clouded but it came about while listening to Sabbath's Sabotage. methinks.
Q4 – So you're about to release your excellent new album – Brotherhood Of The Ram. Where did that great name came from. Any specific meaning.
The name derives from a moral panic/ witch-hunt that happened north of here in a town called Martensville. That was the supposed name of the satanic cult that was responsible for indecent and immoral acts. Our friend Ben Hettinga (who also did the art on our last album) mentioned it to me while we were working one day and the name just stuck.
Q5 – Was it an easy or hard album to record for.
Easy. Very chill atmosphere and Chad Mason, who recorded it, is a pro and knows what he's doing.
Q6 – Is there anything you want to change about it or is it perfect the way it is.
Always you would do something different in hindsight but you just let it go and move on to the next thing.
Q7 – How would yourselves describe your sound. As I think it falls under a lot of different sounds. Psych Rock. Doom. Stoner.
Street Rock. Mono-brow Blooz. Cantina Rock. Gateway Knuckle Draggers Being Crushed Under The Weight Of Their Own Delusions And Going Deaf In The Process-Post Rock?
Q8 – Which bands and artists influenced you as musicians.
This could take up a few pages so I'll keep it brief. Hawkwind, Sabbath, Stooges, Spacemen 3/ Spectrum/ Spiritualized/, Elevator, Funkadelic, ZZ Top and on and on...
Q9 – What is the local scene like in your home town. Do you get regular gigs in your home town. Or do you have to travel further afield to perform regularly.
We could play more but choose not to make people too sick of us. Steve (keyboards) just moved a few thousand miles away so it'll require a bit more planning for gigs, here or out of town. Great local scene includes a shitload of top acts, Ones, Powder Blue, Rehashed, Untimely Demise, The Switching Yard, The Moas, Lavagoat, Adolyne among many others makes for a lot of noise complaints and deafened people wandering around drooling.
Q10 - What are your favourite bands you are currently listening to. Any bands that myself or our readers should check out.
Cough, Hawkeyes, Grief, DJ Pierre, The Heads, The Juan Maclean, Carlton Melton, Earth and The Icarus Line are all worth spending your hard earned jangle on.
Q11 - Do you all have regular jobs or is being a musician your main job.
Regular jobs for sure. Would be great to make a living from it but we're not ready to dilute ourselves and chase some hand-job industry fucks for spare change. Not yet anyway.
Q12 - What are your views of bands using websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to fund their new album releases. Some people and bands are for it. Some are not. Would you consider doing some thing like that yourselves.
We wouldn't. It may take longer to do shit but that's the way it goes. People can decide to buy our record if they want when it comes out. They don't owe us a god-damned thing.
Q13 – How much help have the Stoner/Doom Blogging Community been in getting your music across to the masses. I must admit I only discovered you guys when I contacted you on Facebook looking for reviews for your new album. But I have since discovered then you have had some great reviews from the community.
ESSENTIAL. Some writers and fans just seem to honestly really like us and want to share the good word around. It's been word of mouth and playing shows around Canada that have got the word out as well. We do what we do when we can without a lot of baggage attached and folks can take it or leave it without some hype being shoved down their throat. The Stoner/ Doom guys and gals we encounter seem to genuinely enjoy what we do and for that we are extremely fucking grateful!
Q14 – In 5 words or less describe the Shooting Guns live experience.
I CAN'T HEAR YOU.
Q15 – What equipment or setup do you use to get that vast loud sound. And are you that loud when performing live.
Fender Twin, Marshall heads, Orange Cabs, Acoustic Bass head, keyboard moniters that blow up with alarming regularity, Gretsch drums, sympathetic soundperson. Put all that together and your knee fluid will vibrate. And, yes.
Q16 – What is the songwriting process in the band? Is it a group collective or is just down to one individual?
Collective.
Q17 -It seems the Canadian Govt has brought in a stupid idea charging bar owners/promoters/venue owners more for International touring musicians and bands just to play in your great country. What are your views on this as it's receiving a lot of attention amongst the Sludge/Stoner Metal Scene.
It's fucked and another example of our shitty Conservative regime that currently runs the show. They fuck over they very people who vote them in all the time and the fuckers keep re-electing them. Idiots.
Q18 - What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band? Obviously, the reality of how expensive it is being in a band could be considered as a negative aspect
Most? Hanging out with my best friends. Least? Jim (drummer) snoring so loud it sound like the roof's gonna cave in. Still love him, though.
Q19 - If you could provide words to wisdom for people wanting to start a band – What would they be.
Have fun, for Christ's sakes!!! Don't disappear up your own ass because you get on a stage and someone yells "WHOOP". Time is finite.
Q20 - What pisses you off most in music. Or do you not let the bad things in music stop you from performing and writing songs.
Bad things happening is what makes great music. Shit to lemonade, my friend. Shitty music pisses me off the most. Cause it wastes my all-too PRECIOUS TIME, OF COURSE!!!!!
Q21 - Finally do you have anything to say to your fans.
Thanks in advance for making us all rich beyond our wildest dreams! Jim got his Maserati, Steve bought 8000 more records, Jay skated into space, Keith built his underground bunker and holds weekly Mah-Jong games that are outtasite, and I got my pizza slice business up and going! Keep the faith!
Really though, we just hope our noise makes yer nights a little brighter.
Well Chris, thanks for your time. Best of luck in the album. Hope to see you guys live in action one day. All the best with the future.
Thanks to Chris for doing this interview. If you haven't checked out Shooting Guns yet then you're seriously missing out.
Check The Band From Links Below
Official
BandCamp
