BEHEMOTH
TOMORROW: CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER BLOOD BATH
Speaking of rock behemoths, Kylesa swings through Austin this week for SXSW hot on the heels of their new record, the unbelievable Static Tensions, and we scored an interview with co-guitarist and co-vocalist Laura Pleasants for an exclusive Cannibal Cheerleader interview. Check it:
CC: What is Kylesa all about? Describe your sound to the uninitiated. What are some of the themes of your music?
LP: We play heavy music rooted in punk, metal and psychedelic rock. Generally we write about personal life experiences.
CC: What went into the making of Static Tensions? Did the songs come quick or slow? What was the recording process like?
LP: Phillip and I wrote everything with Carl behind the drum kit. The three of us got together after our brief European tour last year (Feb. 2008) and buckled down to write the songs. “Said and Done” was written before we went to Europe but everything else was done afterwords. Eric, our other drummer, came up periodically to jam and work on some ideas. We did a tour in May and played some of the songs live to get comfortable with them and work out some of the kinks. We started recording in July 2008. Some songs came rather quickly and others took time to materialize and grow.
Recording this time was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had in the studio. Everyone was prepared and more relaxed. The line up was stronger than what we’ve worked with in the past and everyone, for the most part, was on point. Phillip’s producing skills have immensely improved and we had some nicer equipment in the studio to work with. Before going in there, Phillip, Carl, Jay and Steve (of the Jam Room) got together to brainstorm the recording of the drums. The drums were a big concern for us because you couldn’t really hear the two drums that well on the last record. They came up with a good plan and with a little bit a trial and error, i think they nailed the sound. I also had more time in the studio to work on my guitar parts. I’ve never had much time in the past to experiment much so I was extremely pleased to have some time to dedicate to guitar overdubs and solos / atmospheric stuff.
CC: Where do you draw inspiration from? Who are some of your favorite artists both past and present?
CC: Great metal music seems to be in resurgence, especially in the South in the areas around Savannah and Atlanta. What is it about this area that makes bands create such thought-provoking and inventive metal music?
LP: It’s an interesting question, but a hard one to answer. Heavy music has been relevant in the South for a long time but it’s just now getting more attention. There’s something that’s very oppressive and smothering about Savannah. It’s beautiful and great yet depressing in many ways. Additionally, I think the general lower cost of living allows for people / bands to get together and spend more time on music and less time at work. It’s a big reason why Kylesa has been able to do what we do for so long.
CC: What’s it like being a woman in a hardcore metal band? No doubt you rock just as hard if not harder than everyone else, but have you encountered any difficulty on the road? Any episodes of scene misogyny?
LP: There are sometimes episodes and comments like “You play really well for a girl” and that type of thing. The best part about those comments is that they think they’re paying you a compliment! A lot of the more mainstream metal acts with women members are marketed with an overtly sexual image. I guess there’s a lot of media pressure to be that because sex sells and these labels and magazines are selling mainly to young men / teenage boys. I think that’s a horrible way to portray women in music. It’s like you have to be some big titted heavily made up, scantily clad chick, or you can be “one of the guys”. There’s not much middle ground. I feel like I don’t fit in either category. I think the metal scene still has a ways to go in that sense. I don’t think about gender when I play and I want to be considered a guitar player and a song writer. And I can hang with the guys but it’s nice to be able to be a girl, too. But overall, I am treated with respect among the scenes we play.
CC: Where do you think the music industry is going and how is the business model changing? Kylesa have been releasing vinyl and 7″ for years, do you think that wax is making a comeback and that it will soon be the new standard? How does the business side of Kylesa run?
LP: I’m not really gonna go into the business side of things but if we were strickly business minded, we’d have a lot more money and popularity than we do now! We have always been a vinyl band because vinyl means a lot to us as music fans. I love records. I think there are fans of vinyl and that keeps vinyl alive but the whole model is changing. Soon everything will be exchanged digitally but it’s hard to say how the $ will exchange hands. The thing about the digital age is that there is very little soul or tangibility to it all.
CC: What is it for a band to ‘make it’ in today’s music world? Have Kylesa made it?
CC: What are your feelings on Static Tensions? From what we’ve heard so far it’s shaping up to be some of your best work, do you think this album will increase your profile? What are your goals for this release?
CC: How do you feel about SXSW? What do you like about Austin and the Texas metal scene? And speaking of festivals, what’s it like to be on the earth-shattering bill for Scion Fest?
Categories: blood bath, cannibal cheerleader, kylesa, laura pleasants
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