We
at Sludgelord HQ consider today's guest a true friend of the blog. He
has designed the awesome album cover for our very first Bandcamp
Download Compilation. He even turned the tables on me and interviewed
myself for the blog.
Now
it's my turn to interview this great artist for the second time as I
interviewed him back in November 2012. But what most people know
today's guest for is his music for which he has built up a dedicated
fan-base within the Sludge/Doom/Stoner/Post-Metal world.
We
have reviewed and featured almost all of his albums which have been
acclaimed within the Sludge/Doom/Stoner/Post-Metal scene for it's
rich diversity of sounds, textures, atmospherics and riffs. His
latest album – Everything In Waves – is perhaps his most personal
and heaviest work yet.
I
described the album as: “If you're already a fan of Judd's
music you can expect riffs that will last a lifetime. A stirring
collection of Doom, Sludge, Post-Metal and Stoner Metal riffs that
establishes Judd as one of the finest instrumentalists within the
Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene. It may sound similar to some of his
long-time fans but give it another listen and you will start to find
new ambient based sounds that Judd has never played before especially
on Redshift & Knowing, Colour & Theory, Emission Lines and
Memory Only Atoms.
If
you're a fan of Pelican, Russian Circles. Earth, Karma To Burn and
Neurosis then Judd is going to rock your world. He is a true original
and a highly talented artist in his own right.”
Ladies
and Gentleman – Judd Madden.
Q1
– Hi Judd. Thanks for doing this. How are things with you today.
Good to catch up with you once more.
Hi
Steve, no worries mate. We’ve become partners in doom it seems!
Q2
– Can you tell our readers a brief history of how you came involved
with music.
I’ve
listened to and loved playing music all my life. Grew up on the drums
and the piano, added guitar and bass at high school. My parents had
great taste in music, and my appetite for new genres and artists just
kept growing. I’ve been in many bands along the way, and I’m now
exploring music as a solo artist.
Q3
– How would you describe your music now since the last time that I
interviewed you.
Well
hopefully it’s getting better; stronger, clearer, and more
interesting. It still has a similar vibe - it’s still just me…
but I’d like to think I’m exploring new territory, pushing
myself. My music - for me - is quite solitary, like writing or
painting.
Q4
– We have to talk about your new album – Everything In Waves. WOW
– What a record that is. Possibly your best record yet. Was it a
hard or easy album to record.
Thanks
Steve. Was it hard? Hmm, interesting question. It came together quite
naturally, I’ve gone through this process a few times now, so
everything does kind of flow once I get started. Starting is fucking
hard; not being lazy, not playing computer games… coming up with
enough material, enough ideas. That part is really hard. Finding
motivation to sit down and track, the self-doubt about if you’re
just repeating yourself or imitating others… that’s a constant
battle in my head.
People
say I’ve released a lot in a short amount of time, but for me there
are huge periods of laziness and procrastination, punctuated by a
couple of months of intense activity whilst recording and mixing. The
percentage of my free time where I’m physically working on music is
small. There’s a lot of thinking and planning in the downtime I
guess.
Q5
– What influenced you when making the record as I feel it was your
most personal record to date.
Music
and life. Both are just so amazing. I’m 30 now, so maybe just
growing up and appreciating what I have. Buying a second-hand 12
string acoustic, this thing just writes songs by itself. Just wanting
to create something worthwhile, something to be remembered for…
fuck, I don’t know. Why do we do anything? Because we can.
Q6
– Has the response from fans and critics surprised you this time
round. As it's being acclaimed all over the place.
It’s
always overwhelming and amazing. It means a lot to me that people are
enjoying it. Getting a good review or an email from a fan is fucking
awesome. I mean, I’m not in it for money and I don’t play live,
so feedback is really important.
Q7
– Why did you call the album – Everything In Waves. Any
particular reasons behind it.
We
hear in waves, we see in waves. Emotions come and go in waves. It’s
about reality and our perception of the universe. The complexity of
reality, and of us… our technology and all our opportunities.
Q8
– When we talked last time you said you were putting a live band
together. How is that going. And have you played live within the last
18 months or so.
I
was planning on playing live. But it hasn’t happened yet. I’m
just waiting for the right people, and then I’d love to do a couple
of live shows. As I said earlier, I view my music more like writing a
book or painting… and I like that people can experience it in their
own time, in their own way. Taking it live will be a mammoth task,
but it could be really rewarding. I’m not sure if I could pull a
decent crowd here in Melbourne… so I guess the answer is “one
day”!
Q9
– What is the full range of instruments that you play. And are you
self taught.
Quite
good: Drums.
Good:
Guitar, Bass.
Average:
Piano, Organ, Didgeridoo.
Bad:
Cello, Harmonica, Clarinet.
I
learnt drums, bass and piano. The rest are self-taught.
Q10
– Have you received any media attention in Australia for your music
since we last spoken. Or is more on a global scale.
It’s
more global definitely. There’s a decent doom scene here in
Australia, but it’s more centred around live gigs and the pub
scene. I’m going to be in Terrorizer (UK mag) soon, so that will be
massive!
Q11
– What influences you when writing your music. Do you have to be in
a particular mindset.
When
getting down ideas (recording a quick riff or something) you’ve
kinda gotta be in the mood, or have the riff in your head walking
home or whatever. Listening to other music helps. I find being away
for a weekend also helps, I’ll get home with a few ideas. I tend
not to worry too much about the sound, just be rough and get the idea
down. Or just jam on it for a while until something emerges. Have
fun. Recording
is a different mindset, more precise and concentrated. I’m
listening a lot more.
Q12
– Congratulations with your latest album being No 1 on almost every
BandCamp Chart, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, Sludge Metal, Sludge. Well
you name it your album is either No 1 or in the top 3. Has that
surprised how people have taken to this record compared to other
albums.
Cheers!
Each album gets a bit bigger, which is great. Certainly in the first
few weeks they do alright in the charts, when people are downloading
and donating. Usually they’ll drop off after a couple of weeks :)
Q13
– Has BandCamp and the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal Community still
been a big part in getting your music across to the masses.
It’s
the only part! Everything of mine is purely online, and blogs like
this along with Bandcamp and metal forums are crucial to finding an
audience. I’d be nowhere without you guys.
Q14
- 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.
Try
and keep it simple. I have a single room with a drumkit, two amps,
two electric guitars, two acoustic guitars, a bass, a cello, an
organ, a keyboard and a computer. An audio interface (M-Audio Fast
Track 8R) has 8 mics connected, which mostly stay on the drumkit. I
have two guitar pedals. All of this has been more or less exactly the
same for five years.
The
best piece of advice for gear I could give is: know your gear. Learn
how each knob changes the sound, how tightening your snare changes
the sound. Learn the sweet spot for that mic on your guitar amp
(hint: it’s probably not 1cm from the speaker). Learn which mic
sounds better on the floor tom. Know how much headroom you need when
you DI your bass. Etc etc. The WORST thing you can do is to
constantly keep changing your gear. Most of my drum mics were $40
each. So what? It gets me 90% there. I often record guitar through a
cheap bass amp, with the EQ tweaked a bit. It works for me.
As
for mixing and recording: just play around. Do some research. Keep
things simple. It’s all experience. There are plenty of amazing
resources available :)
Q15
– If you could give any advice to someone wanting to start a band.
What would it be.
Just
make sure you’re having fun. Everyone sucks to begin with. Be sure
to have jam sessions, keep things free initially. If you’re with
other people, try and let them be heard… Be a generous musician,
not a show-off. Share your inspiration and favourite bands.
Q16
– What are your thoughts of the entire crowd-funding scene. It
seems to have it's defenders and people think it's a waste of time.
Would yourself ever participate in a crowd-funding project.
Hey,
if it works for them, I’m all for it. Devin Townsend just launched
a huge project through kickstarter this year, if it means more
quality music, then great! I don’t really need funding, as I pretty
much have everything I need. Unless it was for vinyl production or
something, where people pre-pay before anything is actually produced.
Hmm. It’s all certainly interesting, another way to avoid the big
mean record labels. Anything that puts the power back in the hands of
the artist is fine by me.
Q17
– So what does the next 12 months have in store for Judd Madden.
More
procrastination leading to more music :) I’m thinking of
re-exploring some of my earlier themes, as a more experienced
musician, pushing them even further. I want to reach more extremes
within doom / post-metal. I feel I’ve only begun this journey, and
I can do so much better.
Q18
– The last thing before you go, Do you have anything else to say to
your fans.
Keep
enjoying music, keep loving life.
Thanks to Judd for doing this interview. If you haven't checked out Judd's awesome collection of great albums then do yourself a favour and headover to BandCamp now. Be prepared to be blown away.
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Judd Madden from Links Below
Written by Steve Howe
