Pianist.
Student. Sausage lover. Aspiring audio engineer? This edition of Fistful of Questions goes to
Eric Mayer the driving force behind the exquisite doom-sludge project known as
The Hands Resist Him.
What is your full name?
Eric Mayer
Do you have any aliases?
Nope.
What bands are you actively involved in?
The Hands Resist Him
What was the name of the first band you were in?
GUiLT
What was the first instrument that you played?
Piano
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?
The reason I started making music was because of the song
Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. There was an old online encyclopedia that I had
on my family's first macintosh computer, and in the encyclopedia it had a
section for music, and there I found the song moonlight sonata. It became my
favorite song and made me want to learn how to play it on the piano. Which
started me with music.
What inspired the name The Hands Resist Him?
The origins of the name The Hands Resist Him came from when
I was attending the School Of the Art Institute of Chicago. I was in an art
history class and we were shown the painting by Bill Stoneham. I thought it was
very intriguing so then I went home and did more research. I then found that
there was a supposed curse with the painting, which of course is intriguing.
What I loved most about the painting though was the name. It meant a lot to me,
and it provoked many emotions in me. During that point in my life I was going
through a lot of changes, they were all for the better, but it was extremely
difficult for me to get adjusted to them. I was fighting with my old self to
become a better person.
What was your inspiration for making Stone Hands?
The making of Stone Hands was a long and arduous process. I
have been making my own music my entire life and I have always just done it for
me, but now that I am putting it out publicly.
I became almost hypersensitive and over critical. With the EP, Taker I felt
that I just wanted to get a lot off of my chest and by doing that I kinda
rushed the process. With Stone Hands I wanted to take my time and really think
everything through. This was a double edged sword, because though I am very
happy with how the album came out I tend to be very impatient and I always want
to move onto the next thing. But It was a good challenge for myself to slow
down and just focus on one thing. The name Stone Hands origins is actually a
joke. When my fellow bandmate, Alex
Mcgady and I were starting the album, we were just chatting and somehow we got
to the subject of baseball and little league. He said that he was garbage at
it, and that his dad used to call him stone hands because he could never catch
the ball. So obviously I had to go with that name. It is a double whammy. On the one hand it's a really cool name and
on the other hand it’s making fun of my good friend so it was perfect.
What can we expect from you musically going forward?
I am currently working on a split with my guitar player Alex
McGady’s band Grip. We are all great friends and we always help each other out,
but we have never worked together. We both came out with our debut full lengths
this summer so we thought we should take a step back and do something fun for
our next release.
What are you majoring in at Columbia?
Audio Engineering.
At the risk of sounding like an idiot may I ask what exactly
an audio engineer does?
They record, mix and master music. Basically, the guy in the studio that controls
the mixing board.
Does Columbia
have a thriving metal scene?
Sadly, no. There are
very few metal bands at Columbia.
It is very over saturated with clout chasing soundcloud rappers. But if you
look closely there are some amazing artists and musicians there.
Which comes first when you are writing a song… the title or
the lyrics?
In all actuality, neither. I usually just make the music and
get everything done besides vocals, and just name them numbers, then I go back
and write lyrics and then the name.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band
would it be and why?
Amenra, they are by far my favorite band. Everything that
they do I find amazing. I also find that there are a lot of similarities
between our styles both sonically and visually, so it would be an easy
adjustment.
Have you ever heard a song and immediately wished you had
written it? If so, what was the song and
artist?
I do that just about everyday.
Any Amenra song
Ablaze-Yob
Aufbruch-Der Weg Einer Freiheit
Dweller on the Threshold-Forn
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Amenra
Yob
Forn
Leviathan
Lurker Of Chalice
Mizmor
Do you have any non-metal/hard rock musical inspirations?
Beethoven
Samuel Barber
Cream
Pink Floyd
Ebo Taylor
John Entwistle
Stan Getz
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Teebs
Connan Mockison
Chick Corea
You’re driving cross-country and you can only listen to one
album. What album would you choose?
Pink Floyd- Echoes live at pompeii
What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without bathing?
4 days.
Telepathy or Telekinesis?
Telekinesis.
The year is 2012.
Where are you at and what are you listening to?
In my room, Pink Floyd- Echoes
You are stuck on a deserted island and you have to choose
your guitarist or drummer to join you.
Which one will it be and why?
My Guitar Player. I
have known him longer and we have been making music together for a while so it
would just feel right.
Favorite book?
The Stranger, Albert Camus
Favorite movie?
Chinatown
Favorite album?
Pink Floyd- Echoes Live at pompeii
Favorite meal?
Sausages
Special thanks to Eric for taking the time to answer my
queries. Be sure to check out his latest
release Stone Hands. But only if you
want to hear some of the most well-executed, searing doom-sludge sounds that you
are likely to hear. Otherwise, feel free
to completely ignore it.
~El Pedo Caliente (aka Uncle Jameson from the Fistful of
DOOM show)
Ps- Be sure to check out the Fistful of DOOM show airing on
Fuzz Heavy Radio every Sunday at 6 p.m. c.s.t./ 7 p.m. e.s.t.
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