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Nether Regions (c) James Rexwood
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Well, we have a lot to thanks Doommantia for, it is an understatement to say that they have turned us all onto some great records over the years and this year hasn't been any different. Indeed, it was during one of my numerous visits to the blog, I stumbled upon Nether Regions.
If I remember correctly the review hinted at comparisons to High on Fire, which we all know, is no bad thing. The rest as they say is history, I contacted the band, we reviewed their killer debut record (which you can read it here) and what's more I was delighted that the band agreed to talk to me.
The band and particularly Joe, the bassist / front man, is a genuinely cool and down to earth guy. It always surprises me the effort bands put into answering my seemingly formulaic answers and Joe was no different. So a massive thanks to Joe and Dave at EarSplit for agreeing to take part in the interview. So without further ado, here is what Joe had to say when I presented him with 20 Questions. Enjoy! (Before you get started show your support to ED and Doommantia by purchasing the stellar compilation here)
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| Joe Wickstrom (c) Bill Hefferman |
Hey Joe, How are you? I appreciate you taking the time to talk to
talk to us
J
Hi Aaron, we really appreciate your interest in the band and are glad you
asked.
Q) Where are you at the moment and what are you doing in terms of the
band? Have you have been touring/writing
this summer?
J)
At the moment we are hiding out in rainy and cold Portland, Oregon. We are
spending most of our time writing material for the follow up to our debut album
Into the Breach. We have been laying low as far as live performances go this
year but that will change a lot once we release the next album.
Q). You’re another amazing discovery this year (thanks Doommantia); your
latest record is great. For those people
who are not familiar with the music of Nether Regions, could you tell us a
little about the history of the band and some of the bands you've played with?
Where you’re from? When Nether Regions first formed? Current band members?
J)
Why thank you, we are glad you like the record. As far as our history goes,
Guitarist Todd Pidcock and I formed the band in mid-2009 right here in Portland.
At that time I had taken a few years off to teach and travel after the
dissolution of my former band Ditchliquor in 2006. I had the opportunity to
fill in on bass for a minute with Black Elk and spent 6 months as the bass
player of Subarachnoid Space which kept me active in the community. Over that
period of time I wrote some songs and decided I wanted to form another band. We
have had a few line-up changes since then. We had existed over the last two
years with fill in drummers for live shows but we finally have a permanent
drummer by the name of Wade Murf.
Q). Is Nether Regions a full time project?
J)
As far as musical projects go it is indeed the primary project of everybody in
the band. Of course we all have day gigs so we can eat as well as supplement
all the band stuff.
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| Colin Stout (c) Bill Hefferman |
Q) What made you start the band? Did you all know each other before
you formed the band?
J)
Todd and I started the band because life without music is miserable. I met him
through our original drummer Shawn Davis whom I played with in Ditchliquor as
well. Shawn lived with Todd and we used to rehearse in their basement. When the
time came to form Nether Regions, Shawn suggested we have Todd play guitar.
Since I knew Todd as a bass player I was uncertain he had the chops to pull off
guitar duties. I asked Shawn if he was good enough and he replies “no, but he
will be”. I trusted him and sure enough, Todd got really good really fast. He
is fucking creepy like that with anything he tries to do.
Our
primary lead guitarist, Colin Stout and I met at a music school we both taught
at. When our original guitarist (and former student of ours) Kyle Bates left
for school, it was a very simple solution to invite Colin to join.
Our
Drummer Wade is the most recent addition to the band. We have had the worst
time finding a permanent drummer to join. It is like some real Spinal Tap shit
around here. One day his ex-girlfriend came up and told me she had a friend who
was the best drummer she had ever heard that had just moved back to Portland
and was looking to jam. I was dubious due to the fact that I have heard that
“best drummer” shit before but she was dead on. I can say he is the most
versatile, intelligent, and brutal drummer I have ever played with.
Q) It is seemingly harder and harder to make ends meet as a band, bearing
that in mind, what motivates you as musicians?
J)
Well, I can’t speak for the other guys but I am primarily motivated by the
cathartic nature of playing heavy music. I have played many different styles
and always return to the heaviest stuff I can play. I feel that writing
physically demanding and dark material and playing it as hard as I can is very
therapeutic. I suspect that lots of guys playing metal feel this way. I have
noticed that is fairly common to read about musicians that play independent pop
are the ones that frequently end up on the police blotter. It is disturbing how
many guys get busted for being women beaters, violent drunks, and general assholes
in that whole “Indy Rock’ Community as opposed to heavy rock guys that leave
that shit on the stage and quietly move through their lives being nice. Music
for me is an appropriate channel to exorcise the inevitable demons that
inherently come with being a human walking around on this planet.
Q) Are you big fans of rock/metal, if so what are you listening to at the
moment? Any recommendations?
J)
I am indeed a big fan of rock and metal. The truth is that I haven’t been
listening to a whole lot right now as I fear it will subconsciously infiltrate
my imagination while I am writing this record. I can definitely offer a
recommendation though the new record by Godspeed You! Black Emperor Entitled Allelujah! Don't Bend!
Ascend! Is nothing short of amazing. Also there is a new LP on Seventh Rule
Records by a Portland band called Atriarch which is really interesting. In
fact, there are a lot of good bands releasing stuff out of Portland that I like
a lot. The truth is, I have never considered myself an arbiter of what is good
or “cool” music. I find guys that do that a bit egocentric. I do know what I
like though.
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| Joe & Todd (c) Bill Hefferman |
Q) When you started Nether Regions, what were your hopes for the band?
J)
At first I merely wanted to record some songs and do some local show. As we go
forward the hopes and goals evolve. We released the debut record and did some
limited touring. Now our plan is to shop for a deal with some international
distribution, release an album, and tour more extensively.
Q) If someone was unfamiliar with your band, how would you describe your
sound and do you feel it has evolved?
J)
Shit, this is one of those difficult questions to answer. To the uninitiated we
would certainly be considered a metal band. What we try to do is incorporate
everything thing we like that we have ever heard as well as throwing a few
Non-Metal ideas into the cauldron. We really try to focus on writing good
songs. As a complete Beatles freak, I love a good song with hooks. I believe
that though hooks in heavy music may be very different than other kinds of
rock, they do exist and are important. There are a lot of bands that get by on
tone or aggression and we go for that as well but if those things are wrapped
in an intelligently considered piece of music it is all the better.
Regarding
the evolution of our sound, I do believe we have evolved. Many of the riffs and
movements on the first record go all the way back to my teenage years. One song
in particular, Alpha/Omega consists almost entirely of stuff I have had laying
around forever but never used. I whipped out a lot of that kind of thing as
well as wrote some new stuff.
With
the new record, it is much more collaborative. Colin is bringing lots of stuff
to the table and Wade is not simply our drummer, he is a guitarist and very
versed in music theory. Hell, he tunes his toms at minor thirds. Todd is the
creator of atmosphere and is getting more creative as he spends more time
playing with six strings as opposed to four.
Q) Who would you say are your
influences/heroes both musically and artistically in terms of the bands sound?
J)
I like this question. The influences are literally anything I have ever heard
that I liked. That would mean everything from The Beatles to Shostakovich to
Sonic Youth to Ulver to Slayer. Just as important are the artists whose
approach and attitude I admire. I love Neil Young because he really does not
give a damn what anyone thinks. I also admire Leonard Cohen for his attention
to song craft not to mention that he put on the best show I have ever seen at
76 years of age.
But
to answer the question in a manner appropriate to the music we make, there is
this; I really love European thrash along the lines of Coroner, Celtic Frost,
and Kreator. I also am a fiend for dissonant independent rock such as Sonic Youth,
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Explosions in the Sky. I grew up on Maiden and
Priest and to round it all out with early exposure to Black Sabbath, Led
Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Blue Oyster Cult in my brother’s room with black
lights. Put all that in a blender and you are getting close.
Q) Sorry I have to ask, why did
you choose the name, Nether Regions? I’m
assuming you’re referring to the abode of Satan and the forces or evil, as
opposed to a euphemism in reference to genitals? Does that reference bother you?
J)
Well, I love double meanings. The truth is that our original drummer Shawn
blurted it out and we all said “that’s it”. I immediately made a joke about how
it means Hell but it also refers to the private area of a human and if someone
does not keep up on their personal hygiene then it could mean both. I have read
some reviews where writers make a juvenile joke about it but I truly don’t give
a shit. I have been told on a number of occasions that it is the best band name
ever.
Q) I’m assuming all musician like to talk about gear, so with that in
mind what gear do you use in terms of guitars, amps and why? Also what tuning
do you use?
J)
We do indeed like our gear but are not nearly as obsessed with it as some of
our friends. I will begin with my rig. I have several basses but my primary is
a 1971 Univox Precisely. It is one of the lawsuit basses and it is a gem. For
my amp I have a 1980 Ampeg SVT through a 1985 ampeg 8x10 cab. I run my signal
through a Roland Space Echo pedal that I rarely use.
Todd
is running either his Les Paul or SG through a Sunn Model T and a 4x12. He has
a vast pedal board. Colin is running his SG or Stratocaster through a 100w
Baron head and a boutique 4x12.
Lastly,
Wade has a huge kit and plays the shit out of every piece. It is a Yamaha of
some variety and has two 22 inch bass drums and 1 tom for every inch between 14
and 18 inches. He could write a whole article on his kit alone.
As
far as our tuning goes we use a C# standard tuning and on some of the songs we
will drop the low string to B. On the new record we have some songs in a weird
tuning which we are keeping to ourselves for the time being.
Q) What is the scene like in your
hometown? What are your thoughts? Where do you think Nether Regions fit within
that? Any bands we should be keeping an
eye out for?
J)
Portland is one of the best heavy music scenes in the world right now. We have
about ten world class heavy bands that sound nothing alike. There really is no
“Portland Sound” which is a testament to the creativity as well the
geographical isolation of our city. It certainly isn’t the only city with
diverse heavy music community but it is the exception to the rule.
As
far as where we fit in, I am unsure how to address that question. We have the
good fortune to be on great bills with both local and national acts and for
that we are sincerely grateful.
There
are a number of bands garnering national and international attention which I am
sure you have heard such as YOB and Red Fang but that is merely an inkling of
the depth of the scene we have here. As I mentioned earlier, Atriarch is a good
band that has an interesting approach. Some other bands of note would be
Rabbits, Witch Mountain, Wizard Rifle, Norska, and Lord Dying. All are good
bands that sound nothing alike.
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| Wade Murf (c) Bill Hefferman |
Q) 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?
J)
Personally, I think it’s very cool to have reviews all over the world. I am
even happier that the vast majority of them have exceeded my expectations in
their positivity. Occasionally I will see one that seems maybe a bit lazy in
that they clearly listen to one song and then make comparisons to some other
band. Overall, we are very pleased to have our name out there. We have yet to
do a whole lot of touring and the reviews and interviews are what we have to
get our name around.
We
haven’t really been covered much by the mainstream media here or in Europe.
Perhaps that will come with the next release. We shall see.
Q) One
of the things I like most about your
band is that you release your own stuff and your DIY ethic? How do you support the band financially and
can you tell us about the label you set up?
J)
The truth is that we employ a DIY approach because it is all we have to work
with at this time. I must say that it is extremely rewarding to conceive the
idea, write the songs, fund the recording, pick the artists, pay for the
pressing, and hire the PR firm once the record is released.
We
have been lucky enough for the band to mostly pay for itself. We just take all
the money we make from shows and merchandise and put it aside for whatever we
need to do.
As
far as Abnormal Gait Record goes, we do not in fact own it. It is owned by a
couple of guys that are good trusted friends in North Carolina. I met them
while I was tour managing another band. I slipped them a copy of our CD and
oddly enough they were looking for a record to put out as their first release so
it worked out perfectly. We released the
CD version and they did the vinyl. We have been through a few pressings of the
CD and will do more as needed.
Q) Correct me if I am wrong but you have been active since 2009 and you
have released 1 record to date, what have been some of your highlights so far? What
are your aspirations for the future? I have heard you’re writing or have
completed new material?
J)
That is correct; our first show was in summer 2009. We recorded Into the Breach
in August of 2010. We have had a lot of fun and played some fairly massive
shows mainly here in Portland as well as a couple in Seattle. As I mentioned
previously, we have been lucky enough to play with some cool bands. Among the
short list would be Pentagram, Black Cobra, Fu Manchu, Kylesa, and Weedeater.
We also do a free show in Portland every winter and put together a massive
bill. These shows draw 500 people at minimum and are a good time for all of the
bands as well as the heavy music fans in Portland.
Q) Do you have any interesting stories from your tours, favourite places
you’ve toured and bands you’ve toured with?
J)
Well, the majority of my touring history predates Nether Regions and I do have
some really crazy stories from those days but thus far we have only toured a
little. We did do a West Coast US tour with our friends Lord Dying in the summer
of 2011 that was a really good time. We were really surprised by the turnout
and enthusiasm of the people in Sacramento California. We also did a few dates
as main support to Black Elk in spring 2012 and those shows were pretty much
sold out and crazy as fuck. We intend to head out in 2013 so the hope is that I
will have a much more entertaining answer to this question one year from now.
Q) Lets talk about Into the Breach, what are your thoughts about the
album looking back and were you pleased with the response? How did you come to work with EarSplit
PR?
J)
Into the Breach was a fun record to make. I just listened to it for the first
time in a while yesterday and I still like the songs. What is interesting is
that some of that material is really old, lots of riffs I had been sitting on
that I finally got to use. I am certainly not 100% happy with it but
considering we tracked it in 2 ½ days and mixed it in 12 hours, I think it
turned out well all things considered.
When
the time came to release the vinyl, we carefully considered our options for
which PR firm we wanted to go with. Several of my friends in bands around the
country were very enthusiastic in their endorsement of Earsplit. We sent Dave a
copy of the record and he was into it so we just went for it. I have to say
that it was the best money this band has ever spent. He is a really funny and
cool guy and works his ass off for his bands. We intend to continue working with
him as long as he will have us.
Q) What is your approach to writing material for the band? Does everyone contribute ideas? Is Into the Breach representative of what we
can expect from new material
J)
We are definitely evolving in terms of our creative process. I personally
composed about 90% of Into the Breach. Of course each member took the songs and
crafted their own parts as well as contributed to the arrangements. As of late
we have become a much more collaborative unit. Colin is bringing lots of stuff
which we devour, deconstruct, and rebuild again. The new record will sound like
Nether Regions but a more evolved version. Our chemistry is becoming fairly
effortless and I think it shows in the compositions as well as the live
presentation. With this next record we want to be more diverse, heavier,
faster, slower, and just plain fucking weirder. The first record was our
statement of intent as it were. We want this to be the record that Into the
Breach hinted at, if that makes any sense.
Q) What are your thoughts about free legal downloads (I am referring to
bandcamp) and the difference between buying a physical copy? Is it pleasing
when people buy your records?
J)
Well, I would always prefer that people buy a physical copy because of the care
that went into the art and layout but I am not complaining about digital sales
one bit. The fact is that the best thing a person could do for us and
themselves is to pick up a copy of the vinyl. It sounds so much more full and
the art and layout is exactly what we wanted it to be. We have sold a lot of
digital copies in Europe, specifically Eastern Europe and Russia. Since we
really have no distribution other than the copies we sell at shows and through
the mail, digital sales have been a lifesaver in regard to getting the music to
as many people as we can.
Q). What are your plans for the rest of the year and 2013, any chance
you'd consider coming to the UK?
J)
We are going into the studio to record a few tracks in late November with
Producer/Engineer Brandon Eggleston. We are considering using that recording to
shop to some labels. We like the idea of having better distribution and have
decided to see if anyone has any interest. We also feel that if we release the
next one on a good label we will have better opportunities with tours. If nobody bites then we will return to the
studio in the spring to finish the album and release it ourselves by summer.
Then we will likely hit the road over here in the US for a few weeks here and
there. Of course we will be trying to get involved with some package tours to
better expose ourselves to a wider audience.
To
answer your question, fuck yes we would come to the UK at the merest
provocation. We definitely have our sights set on Europe and are seeking the
proper opportunity to come over. I have these occasional house guests at my
place here in Portland called Orange Goblin and would love to take them upon
their offer to visit them at their homes in London.
Q) Thanks for answering my questions, but one final question, you got
anything you like to say to your fans?
J)
Absolutely, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to check us out. We have
plans to tour a lot more in the coming years and hope you will come out if we
come to your town, we will do everything within our power to make you glad you
did.
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| Nether Regions (c) James Rexwood |
I have to say another massive thank you to Joe for being such a cool dude and for his cander in answering my questions. For more info on the band check out the links below. You can purchase Into The Breach here, whether it be DD, CD or Vinyl. Thanks for reading.
