Alright, first question. See how we’re getting ready to tour together for the first time, and knowing that touring is both incredibly fun but also grueling… Do you guys like each other as people? Do you get along on the road, or are we likely to get some black eyes and juicy gossip when you hate on each other? Does it matter if band members like each other as people?
Tony: Eric, Cayce and I have been touring in various configurations together since the late 90’s, so I think we have figured out the formula for maximizing the good and enduring the bad together. That goes for Bruce and I as well. We, too, have covered a lot of road together and there has never been an issue. That being said, we do all have the tendency to lurk on the dark side of things. We all generally have low expectations of humans, even the ones we choose to spend time with, so I always prepare for the worst. I would suggest bringing some anti-inflammatory meds and a few ice packs for the kidneys.
We remember the first time you described Bloodiest to us as being somehow like a classical ensemble, but metal. That descriptor seems to have followed the band through to today. What impact has classical music had on you, and does it inform what you are trying to accomplish with Bloodiest?
Tony: I don’t think of this project as a classical ensemble, even if we are inspired by classical music. At this point, we are a heavy rock band trying to push our personal boundaries musically. I look to Bartok for inspiration as much as Obituary. Ultimately, we are looking for freedom to do what comes naturally to us, stay relevant and hopefully evolve creatively.
A question specifically for Bruce. This isn’t the first time we’ve toured together. You played sax with Minsk on our very first European tour in 2009. Being our first time there, I have a lot of great memories of that tour. What are some things that stick out in your memory from that trip?
Bruce: Bison Grass Vodka, sleeping on our driver Mojo while he was driving, Roadburn, and the shows in Portugal.
The Minsk camp has a contingency of dudes that are very passionate about their love of milkshakes. What are your feelings about milkshakes, and do you feel there is a potential for milkshake-related violence to erupt on this upcoming tour together?
Bruce: If the milkshakes have booze in them, we will most likely get down with this.
What’s next for Bloodiest once you get back from this trip? Working on new material? More touring? Asylum life?
Bruce: Hoping to hit the west coast before year’s out, and working out a schedule to do a Bloodiest/Califone collaborative recording. Very excited about that.
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BLOODIEST Interviews MINSK
Photo: Milton Stille
Like us, you’ve been through a shit ton of members (13 to our 14). How you feel about that?
Ha. At least it’s not 14…like some other band. Like you guys, we’ve been doing this for a long time. The number of years as a band is still higher than number of members, so that’s good! I will say that it still feels like every member change that’s happened was ultimately for the best. Once that stops being the case, we’ll hang it up. Every time someone new has come into the group, they took it somewhere it couldn’t have dreamed of going before. Every single time.
Who’s your favorite?
Zac has the best hair. Aaron gives the best hugs. Chris is the smart one, and the oldest. Kevin is handsome, and definitely the best drummer in the band, but no one likes Kevin… so there’s that.
How do you deal with postpartum depression?
Preemptive vasectomy. And long walks on the beach. And more fucking. And kittens.
Photo: Milton Stille
With the tracks, or against?
Across the street, or down the road? You guys are far darker than I realized going into this. Are you asking for advice? We’ll let you know at the end of tour. Don’t screw this up before then.
If against….. how you going to spend the tons of tour cash you guys roll in?
We’ve got many extravagant plans for the piles of cash. We may get crazy and pay off the debts we racked up paying for these t-shirts we’re lugging around night to night. Maybe we’ll go buck wild and pay off the van maintenance, too. The possibilities are endless! If we’re lucky, we’ll even pay down our credit cards enough to buy planes tickets for the August European tour with Kowloon Walled City. How’s that for an unsolicited plug?
Photo: Heidi Goldman
MINSK/BLOODIEST Tour Dates:
6/14 New York, NY Saint Vitus 6/15 Philadelphia, PA The Barbary 6/16 Baltimore, MD The Depot 6/17 Asheville, NC The Mothlight 6/18 Johnson City, TN Hideaway 6/19 Covington, KY Backstage Cafe
Meghan MacRae grew up in Vancouver, Canada, but spent many years living in the remote woods. Living in the shadow of grizzly bears, cougars and the other predators of the wilderness taught her about the dark side of nature, and taught her to accept her place in nature's order as their prey. She is co-founder of CVLT Nation.
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