By: Aaron Pickford & Doug Sherman
Undoubtedly one of the best bands on the scene today,
Gozu have been at the forefront of
the stoner scene since their inception in 2009, achieving deserved critical acclaim
for arguably one of the best releases during Small
Stones Recordings 20 year existence. That record was “Locust
Season”.
3 years later would mark the release “The Fury A
Patient Man”, and whilst it retained the core sound of the band, the
outright heaviness and crush of “Locust Season” was a little more
reigned in. For me, Gozu are like a
little nugget of gold, yet to fully realise their potential, however this month
that changed with the release of their third full length. Indeed as the name
suggests, a “Revival” is at hand and Gozu
released a watershed record in their career that will hopefully propel them
into the big leagues.
Armed with their most solid line-up, the eight
tracks that make up Gozu’s new studio
album “Revival”, sees them return to their heavier sound, matched with
the bands best performance to date and today we unleash the fury of a patient
man, as we talk with lead guitarist and co founder of the band. So let’s get
Amped & Doomed with Doug Sherman, as we talk personal heroes,
his love of jazz, the formation of Gozu
and influential UK
Sludgelord) Can you give us a brief history of
your playing career?
Doug) I come from a musical family. My uncle was a
jazz sax player in Boston
Sludgelord) Can you remember who or what inspired you to pick up
the guitar? Are there any bands, guitarists, bassists currently on the scene that
continue to inspire you and push you to try new things?
Doug) Starting out I was
obsessed with Alvin Lee, BB King, Buddy
Guy, Son House and Angus Young, later on I was way into
songwriters- Kate Bush-Bowie-Sandy
Denny-John Renborn-Soul
masters James Brown-Gil Scott Heron-Bobby
Byrd- Outside players and singers: Michael
Hedges, Sonny Sharrock, John Zorn,
Diamanda Galas, Mike Patton, Bill
Frisell, John Scofield, Pat Metheny.
For contemporary guitarists
I really love Ben Sharp aka Cloudkicker, Tosin
Abasi, Mick Barr…these
guys are superior players pushing the limits of guitar playing. Truly inspiring.
Sludgelord)
Whilst we’re on the subject of
inspiration or heroes for example, do
you have 5 records that stand out as favourites and what influence did they
have upon you and what is it about those record that particularly resonate
amongst others?
Doug) Tough one:
1)
Michael Hedges -“Aerial Boundaries” FUCKING GAME CHANGER- This man changed the
way acoustic guitar was looked at and played. Percussive, loud, classical counter
parts, thinking outside the box with incredible tone and perfect time. Truly
spectacular.
2)
Miles Davis – “Kind of blue” To me this was the first Miles album I was introduced to and it made
sense. It’s a very tangible album for anyone looking to dive into jazz.
3)
Faith No More – “Angel Dust” Coming off the popularity of “The Real thing”…My
personal hero Mike Patton pushed FNM into a new stratosphere dropping one of
the most influential metal albums of the 90s.
4)
John Zorn – “Naked City” This was a genre bending album with Eye Yamatsuke on Vox that pretty much
influenced lots of grindcore bands and musicians in the 90s.
5)
Talk Talk – “Laughing Stock” This was also a game changer album and so ahead
of its time, and without it there would be no Radiohead
or Portishead. Coming off a 80s pop hit, Talk Talk went back in the studio and dropped
this beautiful, ethereal album with organic instruments. To this day I listen once a week. I would go on record saying one of the best
albums ever made.
Sludgelord) Can remember your first electric
guitar, bass?
Doug) I had a Zebra Stripped Grand Prix. It rules.
Sludgelord) What guitars are you using today
and how did you gravitate towards the guitar you currently use?
Doug) Neil Boshart
signature BC Rich Mockingbird fucking
go to guitar. 1984 Peavey Mantis
which I use in the “Nature Boy” video.
Bareknuckle Painkiller pick
ups, its still taking me time to feel out how it sits on my body (I play high
on my chest) but I love this guitar. Aria Pro 2 1975 Lawsuit Gibsons. Both play better than any high end
Les Paul and both cost 300 bucks
each. Gibson
pickups and new tuners. They
Rip. Reverend Sensei - Love this guitar
and an independently owned company. Fender Strat 1995 American. My prize possession: 1956 Les Paul Jr. My dads…it’s awesome and a 75 Hagstrom Swede
Sludgelord) What do you like about the guitars
you currently use and has there been any specific modifications to it?
Doug) I’m
going through a growth spurt of buying guitars, amps and pedals….I have
some high end guitars and I love cheap knock offs love love love and its like
the land of misfits toys and I want to
play them all.
We are working with Zombie
Dust Pickups from England
Because I buy cheaper guitars I change the hardware and
the pickups. The Peavey Mantis was a
bitch because it was never played and needed to be updated to 2016.
I would never buy a guitar because of its name…if I
like the look and the neck is fast. I’m gunning for it. Buying a guitar strictly on a name basis is
not where I’m at. I love funky looking
guitars…I love the look of Eastwood
guitars a lot. I’ll be getting my hands
on one of them soon.
Sludgelord) What amps and pedals do you
currently use? Do you use a combination of
amps, or a full half stack? Talk us through your set up both in the studio and
in the live environment?
Doug) For Heads:
I use a vintage Peavey
VTM 120 and Vintage Peavey Butcher that
was modded out by Brad over at Nerd knuckle
Effects. I run it all through an Orange
4x12 and 2x12 along with a
Sunn Beta lead 2x12
Pedals- Boss Tuner-Boss Hm-2-Fulltone
OCD-Russian Big Muff-Trinity distortion-Black
Tone Arts Quantum Mystic-Fulltone Carbon Copy-Nerd Knuckle Benefuzz-Dunlop Wah-Radial
big shot a/b-Voodoo power brick,
Mooer flange.
Those tiny Mooer
and Trinity pedals rule and save
space on your board.
I use a Holeyboard from Chemistry
Design Werks
We are also endorsed by Toaster
Cables in Sweden
Sludgelord) What one pedal could not live
without and why?
Doug) I would need 2. My OCD
and Wah.
Sludgelord) What are your amp/ pedal settings?
Doug) I usually have the pre
on 12:00 so it’s not fully distorted and so my pedals can drive the head.
Pedal tone sculpting is a
lifelong nightmare. It’s endless and I change my settings weekly. The only one I won’t change is the Boss HM2: Level 12:00 Color Mix: pinned, pined,
1:00….if you like the new Nails
album…that’s pretty much the tone.
Sludgelord)
What tunings do you use and why, and as a result is there a specific brand /
gauge of string you prefer ?
Doug) Gozu
– Drop C- I use a hybrid set now 9s on the bottom 10s on the top.
Sludgelord) Do you have any advice for up and coming guitars players, bands?
Sludgelord) Do you have any advice for up and coming guitars players, bands?
Doug) Practice with a metronome. Write songs.
Have fun.
Sludgelord) Do feel
there are deeply help misconceptions about being in a band?
Doug) Naw
they’re actually all true…lol.
Sludgelord) Moving on a little then, what can you tell us about any of your current
projects, tours, cds, etc you’re currently promoting, completed and anything
else band related we should know about?
Doug) We are very excited for the new Gozu Album “Revival” which is out now
on Ripple. It’s without a doubt our heaviest, focused
and catchiest album. We play Psycho Las Vegas
in August, go to Europe end of Sept. …and have
a bunch of US runs here and there. We
are working with Aaron Gray from Grayskull
Booking who’s been a huge help in taking us up a notch.
Sludgelord) What springs to mind when you think about the completion of your
new/current record and how is the mood in the camp at present?
Doug) It’s been a year
since we recorded it with Dean Baltulonis (Primitive
Weapons, Sick of it all)
and went through label transition. So we
are dying for everyone to hear it and enjoy it as much as we do.
Sludgelord) What are your favourite songs to play live and is
there anything from your catalogue that you wouldn’t play and why?
Doug) I like playing all of them to be quite honest.
Well we have a 20min song on Fury… we would never play. Lol
Sludgelord) Who are some your favourite bands you have toured with and what has been
your proudest moment and/or performance of your playing career?
Doug) Proudest moment is playing Roadburn and Desertfest 2 years ago. We are very close to Lo Pan so playing and touring with those dudes has been a blast.
Doug) Proudest moment is playing Roadburn and Desertfest 2 years ago. We are very close to Lo Pan so playing and touring with those dudes has been a blast.
Sludgelord) What can fans look forward to from Gozu
over the next 12 months? How is your
schedule shaping up?
Doug) Busy and hopefully more busy. Vegas in August, Europe in fall, US touring,
writing a new album and we just signed with European touring company Heavy Psych Sounds and would love to sign to a US touring company to
complete the circle.
Sludgelord) Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon us?
Doug) “If life gives you potatoes… Make latkes!”
-Unknown
-Unknown
End of Transmission
