Dead Rhetoric: What are your views on the heavy metal scene in general- who would you say are some of your favorite bands and models to look at for inspiration and consistency, either in terms of their discography, live shows, or overall audio/visual presentation?
Spahr: Each of us has our own musical leanings and preferences, and these vary widely. My list of favorite bands is constantly changing (as I’m sure most peoples are), but things that all of the best ones do successfully are to come across as authentic, make me feel like a song is larger than just the music, and that an album is more than just an unrelated collection of songs. These are the things I appreciate when listening to music, and what I strive for when creating music as well.
Shealy: My favorite bands/musicians are the ones who keep looking for something new to say creatively. Metallica has always tried to do that, with varying degrees of success. Iron Maiden has shown us what a band with creative energy and a ferocious live spirit can do over a 40-year career.
The pursuit of consistency can be a dangerous path to follow, because homogeny is only a step away. I would much rather a band push the limits of what they can do as musicians and artists, rather than stick to a formula. I love it when musicians take risks, which explains why I like a lot of progressive artists (Zappa, Yes, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree). Goldenhall definitely isn’t a progressive band, but the best elements of progressive music can find a home in any good metal tune. Metal is at its best when ideas come together, and I think bands and artists who foster that kind of community have the best success.
Dead Rhetoric: Being a lover of fantasy themes and Tolkien – what are some of the band’s preferred movies, books, television shows, and games in the field? Will the band continue to delve into these topics lyrically or can you also see possibly using real life experiences for the lyrics from time to time?
Shealy: That was an important point of discussion for the band early on. As we have worked towards finding our identity as a band, I think we’re finding it unlikely that everything we write will be based in fantasy material. Only two of the four songs on the EP carry overt Lord of the Rings references, the others are generic sea-fairing fantasies. Having said that, we take inspiration from everywhere, so it’s quite likely we’ll continue using those kinds of sources.
I’m an old PC gamer, so games like Wizardry 6: Bane of the Cosmic Forge, Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1 and 2, they all took up tons of time in my young life. Add to that an unhealthy amount of Elder Scrolls games (Morrowind especially), plus the Dragon Age games, the Witcher series, the Mass Effect trilogy… No chance we’re avoiding fantasy lyrics!
I’m sure real life will creep into the lyrics eventually, but it’d have to be done in a way that’s interesting. Real life lyrics can get lazy very quickly. Songs like “Deep Sea” have some of that in there anyway, but it’s subversive enough that it can apply to the story or the listener. I always like lyrics that work on multiple levels, so I try to do that as much as possible. I’m not especially good at it, but it’s the goal. And, it never hurts to tell a good story.
Dead Rhetoric: Has work begun on new songs for the future – and if so are you going to continue to develop different nuances to your established style, as long as it fits the overall themes that Goldenhall wishes to attain?
Spahr: Work has begun on the next set of songs, though it is very early on and what currently exists is only in the form of a handful of riffs and progressions. We’ve got big ideas and aspirations for the first full-length album and I anticipate the scope to be fairly large, but exactly what form that may take is still unknown. We have begun discussing different directions we might be able to take the first full-length. There are a few aspects of songwriting and arrangement that I’d like to experiment with enhancing, so we’ll see what works and what doesn’t.
Dead Rhetoric: Even though you haven’t played out live yet with this band, what are your hopes for Goldenhall when delivering this material live versus the recording studio? And what have been some of your favorite shows that you’ve witnessed in your lifetime, and what made them special?
Shealy: Actually, we did a show last year! We had a great turn-out, folks were singing along and head banging right there with us. We also proved that we can perform this stuff live. Critically, we figured out how to reduce all the layers down to 5 guys and a backing orchestra track. The idea of backing tracks really bothered me at first. But, our reality is that we don’t have a keyboard player who can cover that aspect of the music live, and it’s far too critical to the music to omit it. Our rule is simple; we put the orchestral elements in the backing tracks, and nothing else. Vocals are entirely live. Bands like Queen, Alice in Chains, Yes, etc, pull off their songs live, where the recordings depend heavily on layered vocals. We’re very lucky that most of us in the band are pretty good singers, so we can usually get 2 or 3 parts of a given harmony.
Ultimately, the live show is about energy. It’s about community and feeling the good vibes of the people around you. The best show I ever saw was Pantera in 2001, down in Atlanta on their last tour. Mid-way through the show, Phil and Dime brought out a cart with red solo cups of beer, and started throwing them into the crowd. They did that for like 10 minutes! Sure, no one actually drank that beer, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that the band cared about the fans, and fans gave it right back by singing along, head banging, and showing some love. The same was true when I saw Slipknot open for Machine Head and Coal Chamber in September 1999. Their first record had only been out a couple of months, and nobody down south knew who they were. By the end of their set, the crowd had ripped the HVAC ducting down from the ceiling of that club. It was absolutely nuts.
That’s what makes a live show special; crowds that make noise and move with you, sing along and let you know when it’s good. It bothers me to see people standing with their arms crossed, motionless. If the music is that bad, then go home, dude! I want to see people head-banging like it’s 1984.
Dead Rhetoric: What types of short term and long term goals does the band establish for itself with Goldenhall? And how do you handle the balance between making a living and personal lives versus band activities – as it can’t be easy to keep things going on all fronts consistently?
Shealy: We’re really focused on networking with other bands in the region, and trying to get in front of people to share our music with them. Long term? I’d love to tour with Sabaton. I hear they do alright with a baritone singer. I think it’s the norm for most musicians today to have to keep a day job to support their musical expressions. Of course it’s challenging, but our families support us and we keep it all in check pretty well.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you define success at this point in your lives?
Shealy: I think we’re all far enough into life at this point that we’re able to take certain measures of success more seriously than others. I like what Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers said during his induction speech for Metallica to the Rock Hall of Fame, that “the worst tragedy that could ever happen to anyone is that when they die, they never sang the song that was inside of them.” We may never reach Nightwish or Sabaton levels of success, but that’s no reason not to be creative. We have many songs left to sing, and if we get to sing them, we’ll have been a success. Hopefully folks will join us for the ride and sing along.