Thee Big Black

enos — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:03:02 +0000

Sheerness is know for a few things, mainly ship related, so it’s interesting to note that the sort of riff-laden instrumental heavy rock more frequently associated with dusty desert highways is making a home for itself on this stretch of Kentish coastline in the form of Sons Of Alpha Centauri. As well as their own debut album SOAC have work with some impressive collaborators, including members of Karma To Burn and Kyuss, an impressive seal of approval by anyone’s standards. Touring with Karma To Burn later this year, SOAC shows promise to be a much more multimedia affair than most, we caught up with founding member Nick Hannon to find out more . . .

Thee Big Black: SOAC are described as “. . . a group of musicians and contemporary artists” who draw inspiration from their surroundings, sounds like an interesting concept, can you tell us a little more?

Well, when we started out we decided that we wanted to make music that couldn’t directly be linked tojust one thing or handful of things per se. If you commit yourself to one ideology then it becomes difficult to evolve as you’ve restricted yourself, so we set the influences and inspiration to a very wide remit. Members of the band all have different backgrounds and skill sets and rather fall into a set pattern of what we were going to do. We wanted a very loose approach so that we could pick out consistencies and develop them further. It became apparent through the members that each had their own ideas and talents to bring to the table and that the approach in this sense was to consider ourselves as both musicians and artists.

TBB: It says on your press release “The project (SOAC) is self-reinforced and sustained working in liaison with multiple artists to contribute ideas, projections and theories.” Can you elaborate on that?

NH: Yeah, sure. The music of the band is the driving momentum of the project and what everyone works towards and through this as artists ourselves we have made a commitment to create a certain aura unique to SOAC. This is invigorated by the music and reinforced by the visuals whether through photography, graphic design or videography. Anyone who has worked with us doesn’t just do some artwork and fall of the map, they become a part it and as such are integrated into the syndicate.

TBB: Who would you say, musically and artistically, are the biggest influence on what you do?

NH: Any artists with integrity who have managed to define themselves as they wanted to be interpreted without having to question who they are, what they are about or why they are doing something. If the music and the artwork are consistent and projected well that is in itself a testament to the strength and resolution of the artist.

TBB: There are a lot of instrumental bands around who often say that they never actually set out to be purely instrumental but through various circumstances found that they preferred that sound. Is that the case with SOAC or did you always set out to be an instrumental act?

NH: I did, Marlon didn’t! There definitely seems to be more instrumental bands now then when we first started in 2001 and it’s great that it’s being recognised within multiple genres. Personally, I didn’t feel like I wanted to preach to people via singing in English or be restricted by words and verses. I hope that instrumental music is perceived as universal and as engaging as vocals and provokes a universal understanding where words are largely irrelevant but the feeling is still construed.

TBB: A few years ago you worked with Australian artist Seldon Hunt, can you tell us more about that project?

NH: Yeah we worked with Seldon on a series of projects from 2005 – 2006. We were looking to start consolidating our sound and begin the construction of a website, logo and respective artwork to house the initial umbrella of ideas and we were just like ‘Hey how about Seldon Hunt?’ so we mailed him and he seemed really cool with what we were doing. My favorites are the set of 6 suns that he did for us – that took so much hard work to get them right but they are amazing. He did I think, two t-shirts, the artwork sleeve for the debut and the suns logos. He also did two covers for our side project ‘P.E.A.R.L’ when we were working with Godspeed! You Black Emperor’ back in 2006. Top guy.

TBB: The members of SOAC are pretty active as artists in their own right, do you want to tell us about that?

NH: No worries. Marlon does a lot of graphic design and photography which has fed into things such as the debut album and the Yawning Sons album artwork. Blake does a lot of ambient music which gets released under ‘Ambient Visions’ and are often the interludes and intros to SOAC shows. All of our promos are hand made by myself with different artwork. We all bring a different flavor to the band and keep things unique, consistent and self sustained by the members of the band.

TBB: Your latest release, Last Days Of Summer, was a collaboration with Treasure Cat who include Will Mecum of Karma To Burn among their ranks. That’s a pretty impressive collaborator, how did that come about?

NH: We called him up! It was pretty direct but once Will had been informed of what we were about and had a copy of the debut he was right on board. He came over to the UK and we wrote and recorded 3 songs in 7 days and drank a lot!

TBB: You guys seem to be all about collaborations. Testimony to that is the Yawning Sons album which is a joint effort between SOAC and Yawning Man do you want to tell us about that?

NH: Well… we didn’t want to just thrust out a second album without having diversified and experimented more as a band first before committing to the second SOAC record. The Treasure Cat collaboration enabled us to grow as musicians without having to worry about if everything was perfect for the second album. Yawning Sons built on this principle but instead moving out of our comfort zone and into some really ambient passages mixing with what Yawning Man are all about. It was like taking our sound and setting it free, narrated in coordination with someone else. It was not a direct extension of SOAC as a band but was a feeling that we were still growing and that this process was accelerating. We learnt so much from people like Scott Reeder and Mario Lalli which without the collaboration process meant that we wouldn’t have that understanding of new approaches and ideas. Yawning Man, Treasure Cat and Karma to Burn are all instrumental acts – they know and understand the principles on which we built our first record and wanted to expand on that with us through something that had not really been done before. We are exceptionally proud of those records.

TBB: An obvious comparison would be The Desert Sessions, is that fair?

NH: I guess so. We knew that comparison would become inevitable especially given some of the people on board. We unified the release through a UK perspective with images of the sea, sunsets from Sheerness and inverted the ‘Desert’ concept into the ‘sea’. The whole album was written less than 20 meters from the sea which was weird for the desert guys! It was nice to append a new ideology of the ‘desert sessions’ to Yawning Sons but make it UK based with the guys from the desert acting as a lens to focus our new ideas.

TBB: Have you got any more collaborations in the pipe-line?

NH: Quite possibly after the release of the second SOAC album yes. There are lots of ideas currently being thrown about.

TBB: Given the chance, who would you like to work with and why?

NH: Can I include people who are dead? If not, then Black Sabbath and Tangerine Dream. I guess because they are two acts which are still about, still making music and have influenced entire genres. I think that there is so much to learn from the old masters and I’d love to be in a position to learn from them directly.

TBB: The more traditional music industry seems to be in quite bad health at the moment. Your collaborative, DIY rooted, approach seems, to me at least, like an approach that more bands should adopt if they want to remain active, the whole strength in numbers idea comes in to play here. What are your thoughts on this?

NH: It’s a double edged sword isn’t it? Exposure is above and beyond what it was ten years ago but quality control has gone out the window – normally you would only ever hear of a band if they were any good. I would say that communication with likeminded artists is key and looking outside of your local community / area as soon as possible is vital – if that leads to collaborations or touring with likeminded bands then so much the better.

Is there a chance that we’ll see more bands and artists adopting a collaborative attitude or do you think that there will be a rise in a more “every man for himself” approach to self promotion in order to be heard above the white noise of Myspace and other online promotion?

Hmmm. . . maybe. The collaborative approach certainly worked with us for instrumental music. It could be a more evolved and dramatic approach to the traditional split album. The Treasure Cat album was actually both of these with three collaborative tracks and four tracks from each band – that could be a template for a new approach definitely. It is a good way to get your name out there but should not be the only vehicle used to release your music.

The whole process for us has been a consolidation of sound and ideas to feed into the second SOAC album which as a result of these collabs will be above and beyond anything that we would have produced if we had started writing that straight away after the debut. Split releases were popular back on the Mans Ruin label and if you get two great bands doing one then they can be great but they should be followed or should be a successor to a really good album written just by that band.

Any “every man for himself” mentality would be self destructive. Any band that are self absorbed usually end up cut off – there is difference to me between being private and professional to being protectionist and essentially arrogant. People like that end up repelling others who could have potentially helped them.

TBB: Downloading and file sharing is the hot-topic at the moment. Many people are saying that it is destroying music; others see it as a natural and necessary evolution. However you want to look at it downloading is an issue that all musicians have to deal with these days. Where do you stand on this and how do you intend to tackle the problem?

There are some benefits to owning the physical copy like artwork, better sound quality etc and these are the benefits and they should all expanded upon. I have no problem with people downloading music whether legally or illegally if they listen to the album and / or they are into the band. The more exposure the better and I think that everyone should be able to access music irrespective of if they can afford it or not. However, to supplement the people who do want a copy I think that these people should be rewarded with more than just the physical CD.

If bands are going to release something physically then it should be of a standard that far exceeds what would have been acceptable 10 years ago. If obvious benefits to owning a physical copy are made then people will grab it but still so few bother to put in the additional effort required. Top labels like Hydrahead, Mans Ruin and Relapse all understand this and that is why their releases are sought after – their look and feel is incredible, the content is amazing and the artwork is exclusive. An integrated approach from bands to fulfill these as a minimum should be standard practice.

TBB: Do you think it would have been much harder to get a project like SOAC off the ground in the days before the internet became so ubiquitous?

NH: Definitely. It’s perfect for bands, labels and promoters and that’s why I have no problem with downloading because the door swings both ways. You won’t find me on Facebook though – fuck that shit. Some people cultivate their digital egos too much on social networking. It’s like email is now old school and going out for a pint is too much effort. Get off Facebook.

TBB: Obviously we can’t ignore the more “traditional” forms of promotion like touring. What can we expect from a SOAC live show?

NH: We are really investing in this at the moment. We are doing our first show in the summer with full spectrum visuals and accompanying videos. We also have a machine that projects the numbers of the tracks so that people

know which track we are playing. We have always used laser and light shows to complement the instrumental music at our shows and turn it into a full spectrum sensory experience of sound and sight.

TBB: So, what’s next for SOAC?

NH: We are on tour with Karma to Burn in April / May with the biggest show being at the Highbury Garage in London on the 26^th April. I would strongly recommend anyone to come to that if they love instrumental hard riff rock or want to check out what we’re all about. We are also hoping to put out a split 7” vinyl with Karma to Burn around this time too so stayed tuned as it will contain new material from the bands and will be an indication of where each are going on their new albums. It will be limited edition deluxe release.

We are currently rehearsing and preparing to record the first batch of tracks for the second album which is going to be the summation of everything that we have honed so far and will be very much developed with the mentality of a new decade and a new approach while developing on everything we have done so far and the next natural progression from the debut.

TBB: Are there any bands or artists that you would like to recommend?

NH: Check out the bands mentioned in this article I guess. SOAC, Yawning Sons, Yawning Man, Treasure Cat, Karma to Burn, Scott Reeder, Mario Lalli & Fatso Jetson. Besides that, the Funeral Doom and Black Doom bands out of Scandinavia like Shape of Despair, Ahab and Unholy are well worth checking out if you want to go lower and slower.

TBB: And finally is there anything else you would like to tell us about?

NH: Yeah sure, SOAC are a mellow bunch of guys and are open minded to new ideas. If you would like to work with us or might want to put out a vinyl / CD of some description or have any feedback / abuse then mail us at sonsofalphacentauri@yahoo.com.

www.myspace.com/sonsofalphacentauri

www.myspace.com/yawningsons

Space chimps and heavy, heavy music. That’ll be March at TBB

enos — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:13:05 +0000

Issue four of Thee Big Black sees the first appearance of Enos The Chimp, our new monthly comic. Each issue will include another 5 pages of the ongoing saga of the United States most highly trained space chimp.
We also have an exclusive interview with Pombagira, an interview with Cloudkicker, more from The Inevitable Nose and much more. As always issue four of Thee Big Black is free to download, just follow this link to download your free copy.

On Saturday 20th March we have Enos’ musical persona performing for us (incidentally Enos will also be playing with the fantastic White Hills and Pontiak at The Engine Room on Saturday March 6th) at the first of our new bi-monthly club nights at The Engine Room in Brighton. As well as live music you can also hear guest DJ Neil Kingsbury of Blackstorm and Fall Of Efrarfa playing the best in doom, stoner, metal and grunge. All this for the princely sum of five quid!!!!

As if that’s not enough we also have the mighty Pombagira with support from Funeral Hag and Greg(o)rian at The Engine Room on Saturday 13th March, again for the bargain price of £5, this is going to be a seriously heavy night!!!

As always make sure you check out our brand spanking new forum, and keep an eye on our blog for updates. You can also keep up to date with everything that is going on via Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. And don’t forget that we are always looking for contributors, so if you think that you would like to get involved please get in touch.

Thee Big Black Issue 4 Now available!

theinevitablenose — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:32:56 +0000

Here it is, issue number four of Thee Big Black!

In this issue with have an exclusive interview with the no doubt soon to be legendary Pombagira, taking time out from work on their third album to talk to us voaclist/guitarist Pete fills us in with all things Pombagira. We also have these guys on a show at The Engine Room in Brighton on the 13th of March with Funeral Hag and Greg(o)rian, that’s a show no self respecting doom fan will want to miss.

There’s an interview with the ever intriguing Ben Sharp of Cloudkicker, if you’re not familiar with this man’s work then this interview will no doubt whet your appetite for more. The Inevitable Nose also continues his Fans Into Fanatics article and fills you in on some developments in digital music formats.

As well as all the usual reviews, interviews and other articles Enos The Chimp makes his first appearance in our new monthly comic!!

Download issue 4 of Thee Big Black here.

March also sees the first of our bi-monthly club nights at The Engine Room on the 20th where as well as live music from Enos we have DJs, including Neil Kingsbury from Blackstorm/Fall Of Efrafa playing the best in doom, stoner, grunge, metal and more into the wee hours!!

Brian Blessed pays to play black metal and the blues with Banksy!!

enos — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:49:28 +0000

Here’s a selection of some of the best threads on our newly upgraded forum that we think you might be interested in. Our forum is free to join and open to all, just follow this or any of the other links . . . .

Suggest a Band, recommend the best bands you’ve discovered and check out the bands others think you should know about.

Bad Album Artwork, some of the worst, or best depending on your point of view, album covers of all time!!!

Metal To The Masses – South East. a contentious subject. Brighton’s pay to play battle of the bands, have your say

The Blues Thread, the original ‘devil’s music’. And let’s face it, this is where it all starts.

Exit Through The Gift Shop, the Banksy film, arguably the best street artist there is now has a movie out.

Black Metal Revelations, one for the Kvltists, some of the best black metal around.

Ye Olde Film Thread, because silent movies and old cartoons are creepy as hell!!

Thee Brian Blessed, because this man is just plain awesome. You know it, we know, and this is why!!!

Forum upgrade

enos — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:34:26 +0000

After a couple of days working away we now have a brand spanking new forum and we think you’ll agree that it’s a big improvement on the old one!!

If you had a profile on our old forum you will already be set up and ready to go on our new board, however, passwords weren’t transferred over for security reasons, all you have to do is hit ‘forgot password’ and you will be sent a new one, log in with that and you will find all your messages and posts intact.

So, click here to check out the new TBB forum!!!

Issue 3 out now, it comes with free MP3s

enos — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:47:45 +0000

Here it is, issue three of Thee Big Black, a virtual Pandora’s box of an issue. We have an exclusive interview with Sons Of Alpha Centauri talking about their latest release, Last Days of Summer, which see’s them working with Tresure Cat (Will Mecum of Karma To Burn
’s side project) and Yawning Sons, their collaboration with Yawning Man.
We have a live review of Baroness’ London show in January, so if you missed them you can read all about just how great they were. There’s also more from The Inevitable Nose about building and maintaining an online fan base, an article about the Trifids’ showdown with the English middle classes and much more besides.

On top of all of this we wangled a couple of MP3s from two of Brighton’s top bands that are included free with the download. You’ll get a copy of Missing Star by Stone Circle, taken from their new album Myth and Funeral Hag’s down-tuned riff-a-thon Scorched Planet which is taken from their debut EP.

As always Thee Big Black is free to download, just follow this link to get your free copy

February also sees another great line-up at The Prince Albert in Brighton for our next TBB night. Wednesday the 10th of February will seeDopefight, Trippin Violet and DKH take to the stage from 8pm for a night of heavy stoner metal, all for the bargain price of three quid!

Also, here’s a bit of an early heads up for March. On the Saturday the 13th of March we are putting on the fantastic Pombagira with support in the shape of Funeral Hag and Greg(o)rian at The Engine Room in Brighton and Saturday the 20th of March see’s the first of our bi-monthly club nights at The Engine Room, with live music from our very own Enos
and guest DJ Neil Kingsbury of Blackstorm / Fall Of Efrafa this night promises to be great. Keep an eye on our blog for more details.

We are always looking for people to get involved and contribute to Thee Big Black, if you would like to get involved make sure you sign up to our forum and as always you can contact us through our our Myspace profile.

Until next time

TTFN

Dopefight + Trippin Violet + DKH – 10/02/10

enos — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:41:22 +0000

Thee Big Black is proud to present . . .

Dopefight
+
Trippin Violet
+
DKH

At The Prince Albert, Brighton – Wednesday the 10th February 2010.

Doors at 8pm – £3 entry

18+ only

Thee Big Black at The Northern Lights

enos — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:05:11 +0000

Thee Big Black will be running a night at The Northern Lights, Brighton on the 29th of January 2010 from 9pm and it’s FREE ENTRY!!!

The plan for the night at The Northern Lights is to promote the ‘zine and ideas behind TBB. We’ll be playing all the music you would expect from us plus there will be physical copies of the ‘zine for people to take.

The Northern Lights is the perfect venue for these meet ups, a relaxed Scandinavian bar in the heart of Brighton, tucked out of sight of the stag dos and hen parties. On top of that the food is fantastic, you can order a reindeer steak if the mood takes you!!

Our First Show Of The Decade . . . .

enos — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:03:53 +0000

Thee Big Black is proud to present our first gig of 2010 . . . .

Enos
+
Funeral Hag
+
Uncle Debauchery

Live at The Prince Albert, Brighton on Wednesday the 13th January.

Entry just £3, doors open at 8pm. Over 18s only

Thee Big Black Issue 2

enos — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:16:09 +0000

New year, new decade and a brand spanking new issue of Thee Big Black, We’ve battled the seasonal onslaught of religious holidays, blizzards, Facebook campaigns and computer meltdowns to bring the latest exciting installment of TBB!!

We have live reviews of Sunn 0))) and Alice In Chains, advice for bands on managing their online fan base, tales of the apocalypse, Victorian villainy and much more. As always TBB is free to download as a muti-page PDF file but now you can also read a selection of our articles online at theebigblack.com.

Go here to download Thee Big Black issue 2.

We are always looking for contributors so if you want to tell us about something or get involved please get in touch via our Myspace or visit our forum and get involved there.

January also see the first of our 2010 event. Wednesday 13th at The Prince Albert in Brighton will play host to the first TBB gig of the year with Enos, Funeral Hag and Uncle Debauchery playing live. Doors open at 8pm with entry just £3.

On Friday 29th we will be DJing at The Northern Lights in Brighton. The DJs will be starting at 9pm and entry is free all night.