What have been your
musical epiphany moments?
I'd have to say Porcupine Tree. The level of musicianship in
that band is just incredible, they're on my bucket list of bands to see live
for sure if they ever get back together. - Myles
I'd say Korn, just because they were so different than other
bands at the time. -Fred
Seeing Tool live for the first time, or any time. - Curt
When I was about 8 years old, the first time I ever hear
Ozzy's Crazy Train was my first, and possibly my biggest musical epiphany. I
was just sitting alone, listening to my parents' radio when it came on, and
that guitar riff entered my ears and absolutely blew me away. From then on, I
realized what music was capable of doing for people and that's when I really
knew I wanted to be a musician. -Steve
Talk to us about the
song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics?
How does it all fall into place?
It really changes song by song, sometimes one of us will
have a full song written out, sometimes we'll piece together riffs we've got.
Usually by the time a song has finished we've all made some kind of change or
addition to it. – Myles
I usually listen to the riff that the guys wrote and then
come up with an interesting drum beat to follow. Then I will work on the drum
fills. -Fred
For me, personally, I always start with music, and that's
what inspires me to write lyrics. It can take me years sometimes to get a
musical idea to the point where I feel I've actually written a song, and
sometimes it literally can take ten minutes. This being said, writing a song
with a great band alongside of me is even better, everybody has an input and
every song we write, we all write. -Steve
Who has influenced
you the most?
As far as rhythm guitar goes, I typically write more groove
oriented riffs. I take a lot from bands like Clutch and Down. As for soloing I
try and channel my inner Angus. – Myles
Too many.... John Bonham, Vinnie Paul V.I.P, Danny Carey...
the list goes on. - Fred
Since beginning this band with Myles, I have definitely been
taking on more the role of a singer and less as a guitar player, since he now
blows me out of the water with his solos, I've been really working at exactly
that. The singers that I've really been idolizing, are also some of my very
favourite songwriters as well. I would have to say that my biggest influence
with singing and songwriting would have to be Chris Cornell, especially when it
came to Soundgarden. I'd also have to mention Freddy Mercury, Maynard James
Keenan and Ed Kowalczyk. -Steve
Where do you look for
continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Steve and I saw Clutch live a couple months ago and that
really lit a fire under me to try writing something simple and stripped back,
but still heavy as hell. – Myles
I try to not get too wrapped up in "what's
popular" because I don't want that to be what influences me, I want it to
be from within, not outward. That being said, I'm constantly discovering new
bands and new music that my old favorites are still putting out there. Of
course, any kind of life experiences can be a great motivational tool. -Steve
We're all a product
of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in
the music? Where'd the band name come from?
I'll let Curt tell this story since he came up with it -
Myles
It was probably the hardest decision we've had to agree on
so far. We all had pages and pages of ideas. I was reading a fantasy novel when
the phrase under the Mountain came up (several times). And speaking of being a
product of our environment, Nanaimo, B.C. is
located at the base of Mt.
Benson. We all live under
the Mountain. - Curt
Growing up on Vancouver Island
has definitely given meaning to "island time" for me and it's
definitely given me a laid back approach to writing music. It's also definitely
given me an appreciation to some "loving life and the place I live"
kind of Skynyrd type music. -Steve
You have one chance,
what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Oh man, I think it'd be awesome to write a soundtrack for
like a badass gritty western movie... Something with Clint Eastwood in his
prime. I'd be so down with that! That's an awesome question, haha. – Myles
I think it would be really cool to write the soundtrack to a
Wayne's world
kind of movie! Just write a bunch of fun rock n roll songs.... Not unlike a lot
of Under the Mountain stuff! -Steve
You now write for a
music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word
essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
You're really making me think with this one... My first
thought would be Lateralus for obvious reasons but I don't know nearly enough
about music to do it justice and would probably end up getting torn to shreds
for it. I think I'd pick Oblivion from Mastodon. It's one of my top favourite
songs and after all these years still gives me goosebumps once in a while. -
Myles
I always like to talk about how people have rules and
regulations to music, like there's some improper way to writing. But as long as
music gives you some sort of feeling and vibes, then you're doing it right, you
know? I realize that's not what you asked, but there are so many songs out
there that just give such a mood and feeling, whether it's the lyrics or just strictly
the music, and I could talk for hours about that. I'm thinking of a lot of
Chris Cornell and Soundgarden songs with this and I just can't pick just one.
-Steve
Come on, share with
us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
There's a couple I probably shouldn't say, my mom's probably
going to read this and I'd like to be able to look her in the eye next time I
see her, haha... I think one of the first times I really felt rock n roll was
on our first tour. I jumped off the stage in the middle of my solo for
"Crawl" from our first album and had a chick pour a shot in my mouth
while I was in the crowd. Another good one was... I think new years? A couple
years ago we were playing and for some reason I was chewing gum, which I never
do on stage, and totally unrehearsed, I'd never even attempted this before, I
spat my gum up in the air and caught it in my mouth while I was playing. I just
remember looking at my buddy Jon, who drums in a couple bands back home, and he
was going THAT WAS AMAZING! - Myles
I have played a handful of shows of which I have absolutely
no recollection of doing so. Auto pilot is on point. - Curt
Well, there's only been indecent exposure at one of our
shows, at least that I've witnessed, which is a little disappointing to me,
haha. One girl flashed us at a show a few years back, but that was pretty
awesome! But my favorite thing to see on stage is fans singing our music while
we're playing live. That to me means that we've actually affected people's
lives, people really want to listen to us to the point that they know the
lyrics!! That's been happening more and more, and outside of our hometown too!
So every time I see that happening, I feel like a f*cking rock star! -Steve
Tell us about playing
live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
We've got a really high energy show, we love goofing around
on stage. Between Steve and I pushing each other around or messing with each
others pedals, or me flipping off Fred, we just always have a great time. Every
time we play a show in Nanaimo by the end of the set we usually can't move
around on the stage cause we'll have people from the crowd jump up there with
us and sing the last couple songs. We love those guys! - Myles
It's my happy place. I was nervous my first time on stage
with a band in high-school, but the hundreds of cheering schoolmates sealed the
deal for me. - Curt
Myles nailed it on the head there. We just love to have fun
and get people amped up!! -Steve
What makes a great
song?
I'd say a great song speaks to you when you're in a
particular mood. Not every song is great for every moment, but every song
should be great for the right moment. - Myles
When it gives you a skingasm. – Curt
I definitely find there are many things for different songs
and for different reasons. Before how I was mentioning how some songs take ten
minutes to write and some take years, well some really need that extra time to
put more thought into and some only take ten minutes because they have no real
substance to them, they're just fun in a nutshell, really. But finding the
right chord progressions, right melody, right lyrics, rhythm, attitude,
instruments... The list goes on, and it sounds complicated, but sometimes you
just feel it and it clicks, and you just know what the song needs. It's like
they live and breathe and you need to feed it what it needs. -Steve
Tell us about the
first song you ever wrote?
The first song we wrote as a band was called One More Line,
it's all about wanting to bring back real music. – Myles
I'm not sure if One More Line was written before or after
the song I wrote called Digging a Hole. But that song sounds like a song about
death and depression... It's just about digging a hole -Steve
What piece of your
music are particularly proud of?
Personally I kinda feel like Ash and Dust is my baby on this
album. We've all made our contributions but it started out as my song and I
really put a lot of thought into it. – Myles
I'm definitely most proud of Relapse as more of a personal
song. From the beginning of writing it to the final touches of recording, I
feel like I really put my heart into it. Our producer, Tony, got me to sing it
after a long day of recording and I was all drunk. He got me to go for a walk
and get really pissed off to get the right vibe for it... I think he was right,
and I love the final product. -Steve
Who today, writes
great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
I feel like I keep going back to them, but fuckin Clutch
man... Those guys just consistently throw out these amazing albums! We actually
got to meet Neil and JP after their show at the Commodore Ballroom. Super
awesome guys. HEY NEIL IF YOU'RE READING THIS, LISTEN TO OUR DAMN ALBUM
ALREADY! – Myles
Well, unfortunately, I can't just default back to
Soundgarden/Cornell on this one. I've been getting into quite a few different
bands lately though and I usually want to give it a while before I say too much
good about anyone, but Graveyard has been blowing me away lately, they're a
super awesome band writing some kickass music! -Steve
Vinyl, CD, or
digital? What's your format of choice?
For local, smaller bands I buy cd's because I like having
them, for big bands gimme digital. I don't have a good enough ear to tell
quality changes and it's just so convenient. – Myles
Lately it's been digital. I feel like a hypocrite, because I
feel like Spotify is kind of shitty with how much they pay the artists. At the
same time, it's introduced me to a lot of amazing music and it really gets us
out there to the listener's ear, which is really what we're after. But I have
to say, there's something to be said about throwing on some vinyl with a glass
of whiskey and just enjoying the hell out of it! -Steve
The only thing other than gear that I collect is vinyl.
Great way to support bands too. – Curt
Whiskey or beer? And
defend your choice
Yes – Myles
I don't drink... - Fred
My body tells me I can't drink beer no more and I hate it
every day for it. But thank-f*cking-god there's whiskey! If I had to give up a
nice neat glass of bourbon or scotch, I think I'd just off myself right then
and there. -Steve
We, at the Ripple
Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when
we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
I'm from Nanaimo,
and you gotta check out Fascinating Rhythm! – Myles
Nanaimo,
BC. Definitely Fascinating Rhythm
and Sound Heritage. -Steve
What's next for the
band?
Tour! We haven't decided where yet but we've got big talks
in the works with our label, Risqué Disque and we'll let all y'all know as soon
as we've made some decisions!! – Myles
Money and fame!!! Just kidding...Another tour would be
awesome. -Fred
Myles said it, we gotta hit the road man! And maybe even the
air!!! -Steve
Any final comments or
thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC! If you're reading this, you like music.
Go to shows, get off your ass. Buy merch, buy music don't just stream it. Doing
this is expensive and every little bit helps. Thanks for the interview Todd,
it's been fun! – Myles
Exactly what Myles said. - Fred
Stay tuned for more Under the Mountain, we're just getting
started!! -Steve
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