interview with The Sun Through a Telescope
What´s the name of your band? The Sun Through a Telescope
What made you call the band "The Sun Through a Telescope"? It's actually a portion of a much longer song title that just came to me one day. I'm not sure what it means but I like it.
How was the band formed? I'd been thinking about doing a solo/recording project for some time. The self-titled Jesu album and Sunn O)))'s "Black One" album got my creative juices flowing.
Can you tell about your band? It's my own amalgamation of several different styles of music, set within the metal idiom.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? I'm the only member! I was born, raised and currently live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I play everything - drums, guitars, bass, vocals, synths, samples, etc etc
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? My only ambitions when I started were to see if I could actually pull off releasing music that I had done by myself.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Long songs. Heavy but not. Very repetitive. Patience is a virtue.
Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write everything!
Who has the best since of humor in the band? Weirdly enough, it isn't me!
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? What's good is not having to rely on anyone else to get the music together. What's bad is not having another set of ears to bounce ideas off of. I feel drone/doom is the best way to describe TSTAT with black metal, ambient and post-rock being the other common sounds.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? I love heavy music and I love ambient music. I feel they compliment each other very well - much better than most people think. My songs aren't usually about anything in particular. I hate writing lyrics and I'm not very good at it. I tend to go with the first thing that comes to mind, whether it makes sense or not.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? Almost always my own material (although I am releasing a series of covers this year).
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? I have one full-length album called I DIE SMILING, 2 EPS - ORANGE and GREEN/BLACK and one single called SUMMER DARKYARD
Do you have any clips on YouTube?
Yes. A video for a song called MR. YAWNING INFINITY CHASM/SUPERINFINITY which was created by PHIL OSBORNE
and another video for a song called YOU CAN'T KILL ME which was created by DAVE HALL
How old are you?/What got you started in music? I'm 37 years old. I started playing music when I was 13 or 14. My then-newfound love of heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax) was what got me fired up to start learning how to play the drums.
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? I believe I was 15 or 16 years old. I played "Purple Haze" during my high school talent show. I felt 10 feet tall.
What year was the band started? I started this project in 2007.
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? Ohhhh, that's a tough one! My favourite concerts would be Melvins during their 2x4 tour in 2000, Slayer in 2004 (Lombardo had just returned, Reign in Blood from start to finish for the encore), Khanate in 2005, Isis in Montreal 2010 with Cave-In (last Isis show ever!) and Failure in 1993 (opening for Tool)
What are the plans for the rest of the year? I plan on releasing an EP of mellower songs at some point this year. I'm also posting one cover song for each month of the year on my bandcamp page (January is there already!). I'm going to hopefully start making some headway on the next full-length as well (some of it is written) but probably won't think about releasing it until 2015.
What are your goals with your music? I just want the music to be constantly interesting and constantly evolving.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? I never really made that decision! I have a full-time job and a family. I make time for music when I can.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? I take inspiration wherever I can find it. There are as many amazing new bands as there are old bands.
What are your sources of inspiration? Too many to name! The Melvins are always a major source of inspiration, not just in the music they create but the way they manage themselves. The same goes for Justin Broadrick. For I DIE SMILING (my most recent release), the following bands were a major source of inspiration (as far as the songwriting was concerned): MASERATI, MELVINS, CLIFF BURTON, THOU, FALL OF EFRAFRA, TODAY IS THE DAY, JESU, SKINNY PUPPY, KHANATE, MORDANT MUSIC, GROUPER
What's the first step when making a new song? It usually starts with messing around on the guitar. The best riffs are usually the product of absent-minded noodling. Once I have a few good parts locked in, I'll put together a rough demo and start adding other elements (drones, vocals, etc).
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? Downloading pirated music is about the easiest thing you can do. By that token, I think it's best to have both options available. If someone wants to grab your music for free, they will. On the other hand, if someone wants to support your music by paying for it, they will. They either will or they won't, there's really nothing you can do about it. Ultimately, I'm just happy if people are checking my stuff out.
What would be your dreams for the band? Exposure on a much high level would be great. It'd be cool to play live someday as well.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I like a lot of heavy stuff and a lot of weird stuff. I also like mainstream stuff. Old stuff, new stuff. Most music is terrible or just boring. Metal, in particular, is mostly garbage. Boring garbage. Some of my favourite bands are Skinny Puppy, Melvins, Killing Joke, Richard D James (Aphex Twin, AFX, etc etc), Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Nomeansno, Jesu, Squarepusher, Slayer, Syd Barrett and the first 2 Tears for Fears albums.
What do you hold most dear? My family!
What would be your greatest fears for the future? The fall of civilization.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? Forgetting everything!
Have you been in any other bands? A synth/punk band called DAIQUIRI, a dance/punk/pop band called STREET MEAT, an old school thrash/crossover band called WORLD WAR 4 and a grind/doom band called LAUDERDALE
What do you work with outside of the band and the music?
I work at a hospital, ordering and managing frozen food.
What would you do if there was no music? Be constantly sad, bored and inanimate.
How important are your fans? Do I have fans? If so, they are very important!
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? Nothing too crazy. Played my stuff on their radio show is about the most memorable.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? There's 2 that I'm working on right now that will come out later this year. One is called Shimmerling and the other is called Soft Death.
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? Probably the Melvins.
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? It's much more fun and rewarding than making a living from a regular job!
Do you have any webpages?
My bandcamp page: http://tstat.bandcamp.com
and my website: http://www.tstat.org
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? What you're doing isn't nearly as important as you think it is.
Would you like to add anything else? Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to spread the word about my music! The best support I've gotten has been from the online music-blog community.
How do you view the musicindurty of today? It seems almost non-existent to me. The idea of sending a package to a label in hopes of getting signed seems so ridiculous. What's the point? Do as much as you can by yourself.
What advice would you like to give other bands? None, but I'll take any and all advice that other bands are willing to share with me!
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? I've found your fellow bandmates to always be the biggest obstacles in keeping a band together and operating smoothly.
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? It can be a lot of fun, especially if you manage to pull in a good crowd. There's nothing more fun than playing a packed club full of enthusiastic people. On the other hand, playing an empty club can be a little disheartening. Also, lots of club owners and sound engineers are fucking assholes.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Walls of guitared reverb screaming backwards through ambient shrapnel for about 6 to 12 minutes at a time.
What is your favorite crappy instrument? My Pacifica Fender-Strat knock off.
