Today on Sludgelord I am
interviewing Sludge/Post-Metal Sonic Warriors – Granted Earth.
The hugely talented band I
originally featured back in August 2011.
I described this hugely
talented trio as - “So if you're into ISIS, PELICAN, and OPETH then
you will absolutely dig these guys. As they really are the perfect
blend of those bands and then some.”
They have released two
excellent albums so far
Both showing what a hugely
talented unit Granted Earth are. Well Jon, Becky and Mallory have
kindly agreed an interview with me.
Well maybe not Becky as she has
just given birth to a baby girl. So congrats to both Jon and Becky on
their new arrival. So maybe it will be Jon and
Mallory. Or just Mallory. Let's see and find out who I am talking
too.
Q1 – Hi there. Thanks for
doing this. How are things with you all today? - Congrats to Becky
and Jon on their new baby daughter.
Jon - Hi Steve. Thanks for having us and thank
you for the warm welcome. Becky and I are more than stoked with our
new baby girl. She is amazing!
Q2 – Can you give our
readers a brief history of how the band came about.
Mallory - Becky and Jon were previously in a heavy rock
band together in Monterey called Mnemonic Device. We all met
through friends and jamming together. A new project sparked and
just took over from there.
Q3 – How would you
describe your music. Sludge/Post-Metal or just good old Heavy Metal.
Jon - We listen to a lot of
different stuff. It’s all in those categories but at the end of the
day, it’s all GEarth Rock to us.
Q4 – It's been a while
since I have heard from Granted Earth. But your new single – Beside
Yourself – is an excellent song. Will this track be on the new
album you’re currently recording now.
Mallory - “Beside Yourself” was
a special release on its own done in collaboration with our engineer
Aaron Rauber at Franklin Street Studios here in Monterey. It was
mostly a live recording with a few overdubs, and was sort of a “test
run” for the studio’s new recording console. We think it was a
pretty a successful test. The production quality is on a whole new
level compared to the previous releases. The same is true for the new
record that we are currently tracking – the production sounds
natural and huge and we haven’t even started any post-production
yet. “Beside Yourself” might be featured as a bonus track on a
digital version of the new record.
Q5 – What can we expect on
the new album. Heard you guys have gone heavier than you have ever
before.
Mallory - More heavy riffage, more
thickness and GEarth, more bounce, more psyched-out foreboding guitar
solos, more tension and release and more of Jon’s savagery vocally
behind the kit. Pretty much more of the goods.
Jon - The vocals are powerful,
the drums and bass kick some heavy flows, and you can expect a great
deal of catchy riffs to come punch you square in the noggin.
-Jon
Q6 – Where did the name –
Granted Earth – come from. Any special meaning behind it.
Mallory - The meaning is a lot like
how it sounds. This life on earth and our connection with earth,
music, and the cosmos is a gift – don’t take it for granted
Q7 – Your début release –
Thermal Tide – was purely instrumental. And then on the 2nd album
you decided to have Jon as vocalist. Was that a hard decision to
make. Were you anxious making that leap to a band with vocals.
Jon - We didn't think about it
too much. We just kept writing and liked how it came across. We saw
that it could be done without adding a fourth member if I could teach
myself to perform like that live. It was a pretty easy decision
after that
Q8 – Do you all have
regular jobs or is being a musician your main job.
Jon - We all have regular day jobs. It helps
Q9 – What is your
favourite song you have recorded so far. Or is that a hard question
to ask.
Mallory - "A Day in Eternity”
has been my favorite since we started playing it, however “The
Transit”, the album title track, is quickly becoming my new
favorite even though I thought it was going to be the least strong
track on the record.
Q10 – How big of a help
has BandCamp in getting your music across to the masses.
Mallory - BandCamp is a great tool
for artists – props to the people over there for making such a
great interface that really benefits the artist. The addition of the
merch store has also been great for us and does make it easy for us
to ship our work to our friends overseas. But there’s nothing like
getting out and playing live to reach people.
Q11 – Has the
Sludge/Stoner/Doom Metal community been a big help in getting your
music across to the masses. Have you received any mainstream
attention yet.
Jon - This community has shown us a whole lot of love
and acceptance from many parts of the world. Most definitely!
We never went for a mainstream sound. It would be surprising if we
ever did get that kind of attention.
Q12 – In 5 words or less
describe the live Granted Earth experience.
Jon - “What’s this band’s name again?”
Q13 – 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.
Jon - We had some friends use Kickstarter and it
worked out for them. It’s not for every band though.
Q14 – How easy is it
for you to get regular gigs or do you perform only when everyone is
available to play.
Jon - We reside in a small town so we limit our
performances locally. San Francisco and other larger cities are a
couple of hours away. We travel there as much as we can, but mostly
when the opportunity feels right.
Q15 – Have you performed
with any famous bands or musicians. If so, who have been your
favourite to play with.
Jon - We have played with a lot of rad bands and
talented people. Maybe not all so well-known yet. But we're stoked to
have played with them all. Hopefully we will get a chance to play some larger shows with bigger known acts someday soon.
Q16 – What are your
favourite bands you are currently listening to. Any bands that myself
or ur readers should check out.
Jon - Before The Eyewall, Rolling Through The
Universe, and pretty stoked on the new Queens Of The Stone Age album.
The new Helms Alee and Russian Circles too.
Q17 – If you could provide
words to wisdom for people wanting to start a band – What would
they be.
Mallory - Be prepared to give up
all your free time and paychecks for the extraneous crap that being
in a band involves, aside from practice and gigging. Take all the
shows you can and be true to yourself, because if the music doesn’t
drive your soul at its deepest level, you can burn out quickly.
Q18 – What are the
advantages and disadvantages of being in a band. Financial aspect
being a part of band could be a major disadvantage.
Jon - You don't have to have money to play. You just
have to find a way to make it happen for yourself. There’s always
something about being in a band that sucks. In that case, you have to
try and make it suck less.
Q19 – This is more of a
question for Jon and Becky – Is it a hard dynamic to contend with
having your partner being in the same band as. Does it cause any
extra stress at times.
Jon - The good always outweighs the bad. We stress
but then we compromise and hold it together. As long as we share the
same direction in sound it goes pretty smoothly.
Q20 – Finally do you have
anything to say to your fans.
Jon - Thanks for your attention and support. Go out
and support your local music scenes however you can. Check out our
new LP coming up!
Mallory - Don’t be a stranger, we
love hearing from you!
Thanks to Jon and Mallory from Granted Earth for doing this excellent interview. If you haven't checked out these superb rockers then do yourself a favour and check em out now!!!
Check Granted Earth from the links below:
