Today’s guest first came to my attention back in
June 2013 when I reviewed their excellent debut EP 'Gage'.
I had this to say back in June 2013 - “Believe
me folks when I say Geezer's debut EP is a work of genius. Stoner Rock of the
highest order with great psychedelic riffs to match. Check out the brilliant 7:37 minute epic -
Ancient Song. A song that will make you an instant fan of this great band. No
question.”
That's right folks – I am interviewing
Blues/Stoner Rock Specialists – GEEZER – who are set have their debut EP ‘Gage’
released on vinyl by the excellent STB Records label. STB Records are one of
the premier DIY labels delivering epic Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal releases on
Vinyl. They have released records by Dopethrone, Druglord, Traitors Return To
Earth, Spelljammer and Curse The Son amongst others. Now it's GEEZER's turn to
be given the STB Makeover.
I interviewed Pat Harrington from GEEZER last
year if you want to read how GEEZER came into being. This interview will be all
about what has been happening since then.
SL). Hi Pat. Thanks for doing this. How are
things with you today?
Pat: Awesome and busy as hell! Knee deep in doing
all I can to spread the word about our upcoming release. Thanks for the help, it’s
always great to sit back and have a chat with the mighty Sludgelord!
SL). So! A
lot of things have happened since we last spoke around 12 months ago. What have
been your personal highlights so far?
P: It’s been a tremendous year for those of us in
Geezertown! We’ve played some really cool shows; we’ve recorded a bunch of new
material and met some incredible people along the way! One of the things I’m
most proud of is that we’ve gotten to play with so many bands that I personally
love! We brought Wo Fat out to Brooklyn, we’re about to do our second show with
The Midnight Ghost Train, also gonna kick it again with King Buffalo, who are
an amazing band. We also played the Eye Of The Stoned Goat 3 & 4 which put
us on the bill with bands like Gozu, Order Of The Owl, Kings Destroy, Volume
IV, The Scimitar, Curse The Son and Foghound… all great bands, all great
people!
SL). We
are here to talk about one thing. ‘Gage’ STB Records Vinyl Edition. How di you hooked
up with STB Records.
P: I keyed in on STB right out of the gates with
their first release, Demonsmoke by Dopethrone. Right away, I knew they were the
kind of label I wanted to work with. I got to know Steve as he became a fan of
my podcast, Electric Beard Of Doom, and things just progressed naturally. We
developed a friendship pretty quickly so I was only a matter of time before we
decided to work together on this release.
SL). STB Records is becoming a well known force
with Vinyl Enthusiasts. Are you proud to be part of the STB Records Vinyl Family?
P: Proud beyond belief! I really believe in what
Steve is doing with STB. It truly is a DIY label in the old punk sense of the
word, which makes sense since Steve is an old hardcore guy. Turco (drums) and I
also cut our teeth on hardcore music, so there was an understood and shared set
of values that we all were able to relate to right off the bat. I’ve been a
working with STB for about a year now and it’s amazing to see how the label has
grown. Steve is a visionary and he has released some incredible records. I love
to just sit back and watch him work; it has been a truly inspiring experience.
Just look at the last two releases from STB, ‘Ancient Warlocks and Curse The
Sun’. Not only were they two of my favorite albums from last year, the vinyl
editions absolutely raised the bar as far as what I thought was possible to do
on this level. The only downside is, now we have to follow that! Thankfully,
Steve keeps the surprises coming…
SL). ‘Gage’ STB Vinyl Edition was announced in
August 2013. Why the delay with the Vinyl Release, because it has been a long
wait since the original announcement.
P: Originally we were supposed to release Gage
before Ancient Warlocks and Curse The Son, but just as we were about to start
mixing Tales Of Murder And Unkindness, the pipes burst in our studio during the
“Polar Vortex” of last winter. That set us back months. We had to first make
sure we didn’t lose the sessions, then all the recording gear had to dry out or
be replaced… it was a drag for sure, but it all worked out in the end.
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| 'Gage' Not So Standard Edition |
SL). It looks an incredible release from Steve
STB. Can you tell our readers what to expect from the Vinyl Release? The
Die-Hard edition looks amazing.
P: More of the same super-high quality that we’ve all come to expect
from STB! I only recently became aware of what Steve was doing with the Die
Hard and I’m blown away! We wanted to mix the old school blues vibe that Geezer
is rooted in with the psychedelic experience that the album has become; I think
we’ve achieved that. By the way, don’t get turned off by the Die Hard vinyl
being basic black, it’s actually 190gram vinyl that is only available in black
and it’s as thick as them 78 blues records from back in the day. It’s the
highest audio quality available on vinyl and since this album was mastered especially
for vinyl, we expect the audio experience to be just as exciting as the visual
experience! Fuckin old school…
SL). Did
you have much input to the overall design of the vinyl packages, or was that
left to Steve STB to decide upon?
P: This is where Steve really shines! He is a
bona fide vinyl junkie and he makes the kind of records that he would love to
buy as a collector. Some initial ideas got thrown around in the beginning, and
then once we got the new artwork from Alex, Steve just ran with it. I’m telling
ya man, dude is an artist when it comes to this shit.
SL). The new EP artwork is drawn by Alexander von
Wieding, is stunning. Nice work getting
him involved, he has created some stunning work for Karma To Burn and Wo Fat
recently. Were you a fan of his work before he designed your new cover and did
you have much input into the design yourself?
P: Such a fan of Alex’s artwork, as well as his
music project, Larman Clamor. I knew he was the man for this project from the
start. Not only because of the incredible work he’s done, but because he’s also
into the whole heavy blues thing. I knew he’d be able to capture what we were
going for and he fucking nailed it! We did kick around a few ideas in the
beginning, but he really took the ball and ran with it. It is always my philosophy
that whenever working with creative people to just get out of the way and let
them do what they do. If ya hire someone because you dig their work, then let
them do their work! There are so many people who have contributed to this album;
it really has been a tremendous group effort throughout.
SL). You
have also included a new 14 minute epic track ‘Tales of Murder and Unkindness’.
What is that track all about and why did you choose that track to include on
the reissue?
P: When we hooked up with STB, I knew right away
that I wanted this vinyl release to be special. Frankly, we also needed another
song to even out the sides. The song is actually more like a suite; it’s like
three or four different musical sections tied together. The main section was
actually written a long time ago, even before we recorded our first album. It
was born out of an improvised jam that Turco and I did while grooving on some
excellent pot brownies. It was different than anything else we were doing at
the time and I knew it would never fit into a traditional song structure, so it
was just put on the shelf until the right opportunity arose. By the time we
went into the studio to record the bonus track, we knew we were gonna do
something with that jam. While in the studio (thankfully with the tape
rolling), Freddy and Turco just started playing this other, completely new
tune, it was a total spontaneous moment! That became one of the other parts of
the song. I had an idea in my head how to bring it all together and thankfully
it worked. Ultimately the song represents everything we’ve been doing all
along, tying the old school blues vibe with the modern psychedelic, heavy
experience.
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| Live at Saint Vitus Bar (photo by Anjanette Photos) |
SL). Like
all STB Records releases, this S.O.B, is gonna sell out pretty quick and
possibly even bring crazier resale prices on certain websites. It's pretty cool
you have two brilliant labels releasing your music, with Ripple Music handling
the Digital and CD Versions too. How
important are each of the different formats to you as a band and what is your
preferred choice to listen and own music on?
P: Yeah this is where it gets real exciting. I
was happy enough to make the vinyl, sell a few hundred copies and be done with
it… then Ripple got involved. What that does is bring this whole thing to
another level. With Ripple putting it out on CD and releasing it for digital
download, it gives the album a staying power that wouldn’t be there with just
the vinyl release. Not to mention, Ripple has an infrastructure and
distribution network that will bring our music to a whole new audience. Having
both labels on our side, doing what they do best and working together to make
this the best experience for everyone involved, is a real honor. One of the
greatest things about this underground scene we have here is the fact that so
many people are in it because they love the music and that’s what’s most
important. There’s cooperation, not competition, and everyone benefits. The
partnership between STB Records and Ripple Music is the perfect example of
that. We’re just excited to be a part of it!
BTW – I listen to vinyl wherever and whenever
possible, but this is the world we live in and to get the music to as many
people as possible, one has to be open to using all available formats.
SL). Obviously
you have your debut album ‘Electrically Recorded Handmade Heavy Blues’ released
early last year as well. That was a great album as well, do you think that be
getting the Vinyl Treatment in the near future.
P: Thank you! It seems like ages ago, but it’s
only been a year since that CD was released on Blues Blvd. Records. I love that
album, it’s the cornerstone for everything we’ve done, but it also seems we’ve
already moved past it. We have retained the rights to release that on vinyl,
and I’m open to doing that at some point, but for right now, we’re just gonna
focus on what we’re doing today.
SL). You have made changes to ‘Gage’ via STB
Records. If you were given the chance to make changes to ‘Electrically Recorded
Handmade Heavy Blues’, what would it be and the reasons why?
P: Not sure really, I actually kinda like it as
it is. It’s a moment in time. It’s the sound of Geezer finding ourselves as a
band, I think it should stay that way.
SL). Are
you guys any closer in getting a tour to Europe sorted or is it still a long
way off yet?
P: The big hope is to get to Europe next spring
for the stoner festival season. This album is Geezer tossing our hat in the
ring, so to speak. This is also an example of how having Ripple Music on our
side is a big advantage. They have great European distribution and have a real
presence over there, so we hope that as the album spreads around, the Roadburn,
Desertfest, Freak Valley type-people take notice and extend an invite. A lofty
goal for sure, but fuck it man, why not go for the gold?!
 |
| Die Hard Edition |
SL). What is your musical set-up when playing
live or recording your music. Any hints and tips would you like to give to the
budding musicians out there?
P: Oddly enough we’re a small amp band. Seems
blashpemous in this part of the musical world, but when you have smaller amps,
you can crank em… really get the tubes burning… without blowing everyone’s heads
off. As a band we are actually pretty dynamic and having some headroom to move
around really brings out the subtleties of the music.
SL). Do you have a set routine to calm your nerves
before performing a gig or are you too professional for that?
P: Not really, I try to keep things mellow.
Some cool vibes, a pint and a puff or two usually does the trick.
SL). What is your verdict on the entire
crowd-funding scene? Are you a fan of this medium and would GEEZER ever go down
this route?
P: To each their own man. I think people can tell
when there’s an honest need from an artist and people seem to really dig
helping out. Fuck it man, it ain’t like we’re getting money from anywhere else!
If a fan wants to help you record an album or to help get you over to Europe
for a tour (wink, wink), then as long as no one takes advantage of other
peoples generosity, I think it’s all good.
SL). So what does the next 12 months have in
store for GEEZER? Any tours or such?
P: The vinyl release of Gage from STB Records on
Saturday, September 13th. Playing a couple shows that weekend,
including "Heavy Blues In Brooklyn" on Friday Sept. 12th;
which includes, Geezer, The Golden Grass and STB labelmates, King Buffalo. If
that isn’t good enough, the headliner is The Midnight Ghost Train! They are one
of my favorite bands and I’m so excited to have them on the bill! It’s all
brought to you by Electric Beard Of Doom and STB Records and is gonna be
massive!
We also just finished mixing 4 new songs for a
as-yet-unannounced split! Can't tell you anything more than that, except to say
that we are totally stoked on the new tunes, the band we're working with
totally fucking rocks and it will be released on one of the finest underground
labels out there! So keep an eye out!
We’ll probably lay low this winter to get some writing
and pre-production done for another full length, then as I said, the hope is to
hit Europe come spring!
SL). The last thing before you go, Do you have
anything else to say to your fans.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! To all the fans,
it’s only through your continued support, from all over the world that keeps us
going and keeps us growing! Also thanks to all the blogs, podcasts, internet
radio, labels and everyone else who contributes to keeping this underground
heavy scene alive and thriving! It’s been a lot of fun being a part of it the
last couple of years. Personally, I’ve met and become friends with some of the
finest people I’ve ever come across through the Doomiverse. That is what makes
it so special.
SL). Pat, thanks for doing this interview. Best
of luck with your STB Records vinyl release on Sept 13th 2014.
P: Thank you Oh Mighty Sludgelord! Thanks for all
you do!
Words by: Steve Howe
The 'Gage' vinyl will be on sale from 12pm EST 13/9/2014 over at STB Records here
