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| Fister 2012 |
Well I have been spoiling you with more interviews and I am psyched to bring you another, this time with doom trio, Fister. 2012 has been a busy year for Fister what with the release of two acclaimed EPs, Violence and The Infernal Paramount.
In addition they have shared the stage with the mighty YOB and rising doom crew Norska, whom we have featured on this blog before. If you don't know who they are, you're reading the wrong blog. Haha. Anyway Kenny kindly agreed to talk to us and I know you guys have a lot of time for this great band. So enjoy!
Hey Kenny,
How are you? I appreciate you taking the time to talk to talk to us, here at
the Sludgelord.
KS: Hey
You
SL: Where
are you guys at the moment?
KS:
We’re in St. Louis, Missouri. Right in the middle of the United States. This is
where we all live. We have great rivers here, but it’s starting to get a little
too cold to fully enjoy them right now.
SL: For those
people who are not familiar with your music, could you tell us a little about
the history of the band?
KS:
We're a rippin' power trio. We play mostly originals, but we've been known to
butcher a cover or two.
SL: When did
Fister first form?
KS:
2009.
SL: Is Fister
full time project?
KS: I
think that it fits in all of our lives just fine. We all put a good amount of
time into the band, but it's not like we're all meeting up 40 hours a week to
write songs or anything crazy like that.
SL: What are
you doing in terms of the band at the present? You have been touring this
summer right?
KS:
Right now we are writing our second full length. We're calling it Gemini. So
far we have about 30 minutes of music written. We're pretty happy with how things
are going so far. We did a small tour this summer, and we have a small handful
of shows we are going to play before the end of the year. But for the most part
we are writing devil music.
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| The Infernal Paramount |
SL: What made
you start the band? Did you all know each other before you formed?
KS:
I've known Marcus (Newstead) for a long time. We briefly played together in
another band. We were roommates when we first started writing Fister songs. We
didn't take it too seriously at first, but it quickly became a priority project.
We contacted Kirk (Gatterer) about playing drums for us and shortly thereafter
started playing rock and roll shows.
SL: It is
seemingly harder and harder to make money as a band, bearing that in mind, what
motivates you as musicians?
KS:
Power and pussy. POWERFUL PUSSIES. Seriously, we just really enjoy making mean
heavy music and having excuses to buy gear.
SL: Are you
big fans of rock/metal, if so what are you listening too at the moment? Any
recommendations?
KS:
Metal rules my soul. As of late we've been jamming the new records by Norska,
Evoken, Haarp, Pallbearer, Deathspell Omega, Inverloch, Conan, Himalayan, The
Lion's Daughter… I don't know. We listen to lots of stuff. I love Megadeth,
Rush, Darkthrone, and ZZ Top. Music rules.
SL: When you
started Fister, what were your hopes for the band?
KS:
When we first started we didn't expect much at all. We didn't really take it
very seriously. That's changed. It's definitely become a big priority in all of
our lives.
SL: If
someone was unfamiliar with your band, how would you describe your sound? Has
it evolved?
KS:
Doom. If they don't know what that is (and they often don't when I'm asked) I
just tell them it's really loud and slow with lots of screaming. That usually
garners a frown. Then I shred a bass solo in their face and their ass falls off
their stupid body. That being said, I definitely think our music has evolved.
It's a lot smarter, darker, and meaner all around. Our earlier stuff didn't
have a lot of direction. We just pretty much sounded like some dudes that
wanted to play stuff that sounded like Sleep and Electric Wizard. Probably
because that's what we were doing for the most part. Now I think we have found
our sound. I don't think we really sound too much like this or that now. I
think we sound like Fister now and I couldn't be happier with the results.
SL: Who would
you say are your influences both musically and artistically in terms of the band’s
sound?
KS: All
of it. Mainly Judas Priest. SAD WINGS OF DESTINY!
SL: Why did
you choose the name, Fister? What does it represent, if anything?
KS: We
didn't take it seriously, like it was "HAHA silly Fister with their silly
loud doom songs". I think with the later stuff we have released, and
especially with the new stuff we are writing it has become less funny and more
"OH FUCK! FISTER! This hurts like Jesus shoved his arm up my ass, ripped
out my soul, and spiked it into Hell."
SL: What is
the scene like in your hometown? Any bands we should be keeping an eye out for?
KS: The
scene is great here. Tons of great bands. As far as the loud stuff goes, I'd
say keep an ear out for The Lion's Daughter, Everything Went Black, Anodes,
Overdoser, Blackfast, Sine Nomine, Ashes and Iron, Tyranny Enthroned, Bastard,
Jack Buck, Thorlock, The Gorge, Quaere Verum. These are just the bands doing
stuff that I can think of off the top of my head.
SL: 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?
KS: I
think it's great. That's how we figured out that people gave a shit about what
we were doing in the first place. To be honest, we owe a lot of our existence
to blogs. Namely The Sludge Swamp (which is now defunct) Because of them a
whole lot of people got Bronsonic and bought a shitload of merch within a week.
We didn't even know they reviewed the record at first. I think that was our
first hint that we were actually doing something right and we started to take
things a little more seriously. The writers like us, so people listen. People
seem to like what we are doing and they wouldn't have found us if it weren't
for that.
SL: I
recently bought The Infernal Paramount Vinyl and Violence cassette, which are
both awesome. Your merch are almost like a collector’s items? Is that
deliberate and does it surprise you when people buy your music and merch,
because most of it sells out?
SL: One of
the things I like most about your band is that you release your own stuff and
your DIY ethic? Can you tell us about Pissfork Anticulture, because you’ve also
released cassettes by Conan?
KS:
Thank you. That honestly means a lot. Pissfork Anticulture is more of a
collective of musicians and artists than a label. Everything that has the
Pissfork stamp has been an important project to both me, and everyone else
involved. I think I approached Conan about releasing Horseback Battlehammer on
cassette mainly to expose more people in the US to a band that I love that was
already making serious waves in Europe. We've done a small handful of releases
that varied in size and budget.
SL: Do you
have a fascination with Charles Bronson (I am referring to your Bronsonic
record)?
KS: We
recorded Bronsonic (and our side of the split we did with The Lion's Daughter)
all in one day from front to back. Looking back, I'm surprised we got anything
accomplished. The amount of drug and alcohol consumption in the writing
process, and in the studio was just unbelievable. The newer stuff is a lot more
focused. In fact, the main reason we named a song Deaf Wish since Bronsonic
came out was because we felt like it was a mistake to not think of it sooner.
If we had, I'm sure one of the tracks would have been called Deaf Wish. I'm
pretty sure the blatant Bronson worship of Fister is over. Obviously, Charles
Bronson is one of the baddest motherfuckers to ever live, but it's time to move
on and let the man rest in peace.
SL: You have
been active since 2009 and had 7 releases to your name so far, what have been
some of your highlights so far? What are your aspirations for the future?
KS:
Honestly, I'm happy with everything we've done so far. Out of the 7 releases we
only have one true full length. We've done splits, eps, singles, demos, and all
of that good stuff. I think it's time we put out another album already. We move
pretty quickly for a doom band I think. Right now our main focus is to finish
writing, record, and release Gemini. After that we will be hitting the road
again for sure. We're planning on doing a lot more touring in 2013.
SL: Do you
have any interesting stories from your tours, favourite places you’ve toured
and bands you’ve toured with?
KS:
We've only done the one tour. (A blaze in the midwestern sky). We've played out
of town a handful of other times as well. Most recently we played the Mutants
of The Monster Fest in Little Rock with some killer bands (Red Shield, Sons Of
Tonatiuh, Crankbait, Deadbird, Black Pussy, Rwake, Pallbearer, Hull, etc…) Also
there were some bad ass bands in the towns we played with on the tour (Ashen,
Blue Ox, Myrrh, Tank Destroyer, Artillery Breath, Failed, Hedorrah, and
Discerned) We recently played with Yob and Norska in St. Louis. I don't think I
need to explain how awesome that was.
SL: What is
your agenda or game plan in terms of what you want to write for your releases?
KS: I
think we've only recently discovered what Fister needs us to do to keep this death
machine satisfied. That is to kill. Expect murder. This new record is going to
be a monster. You just wait. We're really excited about this one.
SL: What are
your thoughts about free legal downloads (I am referring to bandcamp) and the
difference between buying a physical copy? Is your hope that people will dig
the free download enough that they’ll buy your record, the problem therein is
that much of your stuff sells out. Do donations contribute to the release of
vinyl’s, cassettes etc and is it frustrating that people may sell your records
for higher prices, bearing in mind that much of your stuff are limited
releases?
SL: 2012
seems to have been a particularly busy year for you, releasing Infernal
Paramount and Violence and touring, What are your plans for the rest of the
year and 2013, any chance you'd consider coming to the UK?
KS: Yes. We've been quite busy. We aren't
going to be playing too many shows the rest of the year. 2013 we'll be back
with a bang. A lot more touring, a new full length. Hopefully (fingers crossed)
a split with our buddies in Liverpool. I'd say there is an excellent chance
you'll see us in the UK. It's just a matter of when we can make that happen. We
definitely plan on doing a European tour as soon as possible. I guess I should
get a passport, huh?
SL: Thanks
for answering my questions, but one final question, you got anything you like
to say to your fans?
KS:
Thanks for all your money, suckers. We live in diamond encrusted mansions and
ride platinum jet skis over to snort coke with Lars Ulrich every day now. Keep
the cash-flow coming.
All jokes aside, I
just smoked a blunt with my buddy Adam and don't know how to conduct myself
professionally all the time. Please don't sue us Lars. We're broke. JESUS IS
MOTHERFUCKING LORD.
Thanks to Kenny for taking the time to talk to us. Another great interview from one of my favourite underground bands. Please show your support and donate some cash when you download their music, which incidently can be downloaded free. Repress of Violence and The Infernal Paramount coming soon, so look out for them.
