Old One Interview

Old One from Kentucky have recorded what must be one of the albums of 2009.I know its still early in the year but this album has a permanent place in my top 10 for 2009.Pulsating slabs of bombastic psychedelic doom to roll around on the floor too while being on one mind - bending acid trip is what i think of when i hear this band.This is not some hippie shit though,this is some serious doom of the highest order.Folks who mixed their tastes in Electric Wizard with Classic Horror movie soundtracks will get a lot out of this release.This deserves to be on a label of quality,Rise Above,Southern Lord and the like better take note.Here is a interview i did with Brandon and Mike from the band - Enjoy then add the band on here and more important,buy the album - it kills !!!

1.How long have you guys been playing music together and when did the first concept for Old One come into being ?

Brandon: We have been playing together off and on for about eight years in some form or another. Old One came into being around February 2007 due to dissatisfaction with our previous band and became legit in April 2007.

2.There has been a Doom explosion of bands in the last couple of years and the internet has helped a lot of people get their music out there.What is your opinion of the tag "Myspace Band" ? I know a lot of websites don't want to deal with any band with that tag.

Brandon: I don’t really know much about it. I refuse to get involved with myspace and am more than a little ignorant about most of the new Doom bands. However, I do think that myspace is responsible for a lot of new bands, both good and bad.

Mike: I’ve never heard of that tag until now, but I think MySpace makes things too easy. We broke down and got one, because it seems that more and more bands, labels, promoters, venues, etcetera are communicating solely through MySpace. As far as the doom explosion goes, I don’t think it’s an entirely good thing. In the past three or four years I’ve seen a major rise in quantity and a serious dip in quality. The internet has rather a lot to do with it.

3.Talk about influences,i hear a few when i listened to your CD.Electric Wizard is one but what is your main musical inspirations ?

Brandon: Actually, for me, I have been more influenced as of late by movies and stories and such. The doom bands I enjoy most, aside from Electric Wizard, are Warhorse and 5ive but I really don’t hear a lot of any of those groups in our sound. We are both inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and I think that the moods of his stories tend to be more of an inspiration both lyrically and musically than other doom music is. Influences tend to be very random and eclectic. Godzilla is my main influence in everything, I would like to mention. Classic Japanese Godzilla!

Mike: Well... There’s Black Sabbath, but that’s a given for any doom band. I got bored with drawing off newer stuff, so I started looking backward. Elias Hulk, some 80s Jandek, old film soundtracks, and Godzilla’s mighty roar.

4.What are the lyrics about ?

Brandon: Stuff we find cool. It’s pretty assorted and encompasses a wide array of topics.

Mike: Let’s see. Howard Lovecraft’s “Ex Oblivione” and “Dreams in the Witch House” went into the lyrics for the album we just did. A general, extended bad mood led to some of the lyrics. That’s about it by my reckoning.

5.The album cover is something that has me thinking,i know i have seen it before somewhere but cant figured it out.

Mike: The photo on the cover came from a movie called The Blood on Satan’s Claw. It’s a hard-to-find favorite of ours and the photo is rarer still, because it came from a shot that wasn’t used in the film.

6.What kind of sale figures are you hoping for with the CD ?

Mike: We’re hoping to make enough money to live very comfortably with enough surplus to purchase our own planet. A nice big one in a remote galaxy. We hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I’m expecting absolutely horrid sales, because that seems to be the standard these days. I’ll be happy just to have sales figures at all.

Brandon: As Mike said, I’ll be very happy with any positive sales figures, though I am expecting enough for a new car and gun.

7.Tell us about the company Eldritch Enterprises and how and why did that come together ?

Mike: Eldritch Enterprises is an extremely small label that deals in used and homemade media. It basically came together because we needed it to. Jack-in-Irons and Terakon 3 have released stuff through it as well.

8.The organ sound on the CD is real creepy horror movie stuff.A lot more bands are using old organ sounds these days which i love. Is it something you will continue to use or was it just a experiment ?

Brandon: We do plan on continuing the use of the haunting Casio CTK-451. It is an integral part of our sound, just as much as the bass or drums or lyrics.

Mike: I thought the organ turned out really well, and to confirm what he said, it is a permanent fixture. It helps thicken things up and induce the necessary trance.

9.Live shows - have you some lined up and if so when and where ?

Brandon: As of now, we have no live shows planned but we are certainly open to some within easy commuting distance.

Mike: Nothing is scheduled at the moment, but I’ve always got my eyes open. I’d like to play Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and Indiana. We wanted to play SHoD 10 this year, but we got turned down. We’ll play house parties, festivals, clubs, you name it. Ask us and we’ll try our damnest to work it out.

10.Would you like a bigger label to put the CD out and if so is there any you would love to be involved with ?

Brandon: We have discussed the pros and cons of such an opportunity and we are always open to offers and possibilities. I don’t have any label preferences but I would want a high degree of autonomy.

Mike: Any other label would be a bigger label than E.E. If say Rise Above Records or Southern Lord wanted to take on the album at this point, we’d likely make a aquaintance, but we’re not counting on any offers. Oppressive Sound System Releases may be releasing a split EP for us this year.

11.There seems to be more Doom down your part of the USA than anywhere else.Can you think of any reason for this ?

Brandon: I had no idea of this. There are a few bands near us that we might compare ourselves to but I always thought of us as being isolated from most Doom locales. However, I can only theorize that perhaps the loneliness and desolation of our mountain home has become a breeding ground for the doomed.

Mike: You said “down” so I assume you’re talking about the South. I can only think of one other doom band from Kentucky, but Georgia is bustling right now. They’ve got several, if I’m not mistaken. In regard to the reasons, I just don’t know.

12.What is your plans for 2009 and what is the bands main goals in Doom?

Brandon: We have a split EP in the works with Black Pyramid. We would also like to get some more shows under our belt and work on some other E.E. projects.

Mike: Shows, shows, split EP, more shows, spam, eggs, sausage, and spam.

13.Thanks for the interview and can you just tell people where and how to buy a copy.I think most Doomheads out there are going to really dig it.

Mike: Thank you for the interview. The album is for sale right now at www. oldonemusic. com under “merchandise.”

Brandon: Thank you for your interest and support. We hope you enjoy our album. Praise Godzilla.
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Thanks,
Mike