Melvins interview from reviewstation.com
Sometimes sitting and looking bored during sound-check can pay off. It can lead to getting to interview one of the few worthwhile bands around the music world today, The Melvins. On this night, it served a double duty as Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis is also the bassist for Tomahawk, who were headlining the show. So if you wonder why I’m asking Tomahawk based questions, you now have your reason. Thanks to Dale and Buzz for throwing in their two cents and making this off the cuff interview a lot of fun.
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Samuel: Well, to start, we can talk about the tour. You played large arenas when you went out with Tool…
Kevin: Yeah.
Samuel: And you’re selling out all the clubs you guys are playing on this tour, is it a preference of playing clubs or something else?
Kevin: Yeah, I would say I do, simply because as someone who has been to a lot of shows, I find it more fun to watch the shows in a club. It generally sounds better, you can see better.
Samuel: I know this tour is a showcase for Ipecac, so there are some definite differences in styles from band to band, like Dälek is more hip-hop…
Kevin: Yeah, they’re like an experimental, noisy…like Jello Biafra heard them and was like ‘It sounded like a guy rapping to Throbbing Gristle,’ I thought was a really good description. We like them a lot, they’re really great.
Samuel: How has it been being out here? Tomahawk is a bit different than the Melvins, who I’ve always thought of a minimalist rock group, very straight ahead Tomahawk is a lighter rock, in the heavier rock context.
Kevin: Yeah, it’s definitely different.
Samuel: Has everyone who comes out seemed to enjoy seeing such a variety of acts?
Kevin: Yeah. I think there are some people who are there for a specific band, I’m sure there are, but generally speaking, everyone seems pretty open to the whole thing. Me, as a music fan, I like to see a lot of variety, I wouldn’t want to see 3 bands who were all doing the same thing, personally.
Samuel: Alright, with the Melvins, I was wondering how songwriting is done. You all take an active role in the vocals and the music is driven by all three instruments equally, how do you handle the music writing? Is more jamming or someone in with ideas?
Kevin: The vast majority of them, Buzz has the parts. Sometimes they’re worked out completely, sometimes there are different parts and he brings them in and we all work on them together. He doesn’t dictate and tell Dale and I what to play or anything. Sometimes he’ll have an idea he wants me try. Generally speaking, on most of the songs, Buzz will have some riffs and we’ll work on it from there and get the whole thing together. I’ve brought some stuff in I wanted to try as well. They’re both really open-minded about everything. There was never a bass player before me who could play with a slide and I do, so I throw in some slide on some of the older songs and they let me put my own spin on things.
Samuel: See, I don’t remember seeing them without you, how long have you been in the group?
Kevin: Five years.
Samuel: Alright, that’s about when I first saw the Melvins for the first time.
Kevin: Mark, the previous bass player, was with them about 5 years as well.
Samuel: Oh man, so the times is coming…
Kevin: Yep, the math says I’m about done.
Samuel: The Melvins have always been a popular band in the indie culture, always been on upper echelon indie labels or major labels. What made you guys decide to go with Ipecac, which really JUST started when you guys started releasing records with them? Was it more having the freedom?
Kevin: (to Buzz) How did we end up on Ipecac? Did you know Greg, because I already knew him?
Buzz: No, I didn’t know it. I knew Mike.
Kevin: Ah yes, Mr. Patton. Yeah, Buzz knew Patton. He invited us to do it.
Buzz: It was with Fantomas.
Kevin: Yeah, Buzz had just began playing with Fantomas.
Buzz: Fantomas was looking for a record label.
Kevin: Yeah, Fantomas didn’t have a label, so they just made one. As long as Fantomas was on it, they asked us to do it. It’s totally a great deal. We know everyone. Greg, Mike’s partner, I knew him. I had met him from my previous band, The Cows. It’s been a really good situation for us, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Samuel: When most people talk about inspiration for songs, they throw out names of old bands, do you find any sort of inspiration in any new bands that are out there? Anyone you find inspiring?
Kevin: Well, the one we always seem to mention and agree on is The Latin Playboys. It’s a couple guys from Los Lobos and a couple of other guys. It’s the original, creative, interesting music that’s being made right now that we’ve heard. As far as mainstream stuff, there really isn’t much that appeals to us.
Buzz: Not much…but that’s nothing new.
Samuel: Does the lack of decent music being made today drive you more to make your own?
Kevin: No, I think we would still be doing if there was great music around to inspire us.
Buzz: There really wasn’t much great music a long time ago either.
Kevin: Right. It seems like it’s a stereotype that has become true. Throughout the history of music, what is the most popular is the least interesting thing that is going on in that period. But, we’d be doing this if we loved radio. It wouldn’t make us less inspired. If anything, it makes me feel ashamed for the other people, how can they do what they’re doing when we’re out there. How can they openly suck like that (laughs).
Buzz: Where do they get off?
Kevin: Yeah, where do they get off insulting music while we’re doing our best. To me, it seems so many bands are lazy and I don’t feel a lot of love for music coming out of those people. I don’t know what that is all about. Music has been really important in all three of our lives, we love what we’re doing.
Buzz: And we love overdoing what we do.
Kevin: And god will we’ll do it as long as we can.
Samuel: See, what you’re saying is right. Doing this, we get like 12 CDs a week and 9 of them are the same band, just a different name. There is nothing creative or inspiring. It’s like a product.
Kevin: I agree.
Dale: When the labels see a band is doing good in a certain genre, they’ll go out and try to reproduce a billion bands that sounds like that. They jump on the bandwagon of what sells good. Now Garage Rock is selling.
Kevin: I think a lot of people get into music for the wrong reasons. I’m guessing, but why are there so many bands that sound the same, seems like they’re trying to get on a gravy train. They can’t all be doing it because they love that kind of music. It’s hard to believe there are that many people.
Buzz: It doesn’t seem like they love music at all.
Kevin: Yeah, it doesn’t seem like they love music at all. We make the music we make because it’s important to us. We derive pleasure from it.
Samuel: Well, more specific to you (Kevin) Tomahawk just release Mit Gas, and a new Melvins album just came out a few months ago right?
Kevin: It was a reissue with some extra stuff.
Samuel: Oh, okay.
Kevin: We’re doing a book right now that’s going to come out…what, next year?
Buzz: Yeah.
Kevin: A big book with a bunch of art and writing and all kinds of stuff. And we’re working on an album with Jello Biafra. It’s about half recorded. It’s coming out really good, we’re excited about it. We’ve always got new songs cooking.
Samuel: Wow, is Jello producing it?
Kevin: He’s singing. He came up with songs and Buzz came up with some songs and we’ve been working on it together. It’s been a really good experience. We recorded the basics on half of it. We were already excited about it, but then we heard it and were like ‘Wow! This is even better than we thought it was going to be!’
Dale: It’s coming out great, we’re really excited about it.
Samuel: So, is it going to be an Alternative Tentacles release?
Dale: Yeah.
Kevin: Hopefully we’ll tour it. We want to and Jello wants to.
Buzz: Jello is a weird guy.
Kevin: Yeah, he’s an interesting fellow. He’s really musical, which was a surprise to me. He must have had way more to do with those Dead Kennedys songs that we realized, because he’s got a lot of song ideas.
Dale: He doesn’t pay an instrument, he sings the music into a tape recorder.
Kevin: He’ll sing us the song. He’ll say ‘I’ve got this idea for a melody’ and he’ll sing it to us and we’ll work on it.
Dale: Even when we were working on stuff, he’ll go ‘Wait, I got an idea.’ And he’ll sing it to us.
Kevin: He’s really got a good ear, he’s great.
Dale: And he’s a big music fan, he’s got so many records.
Samuel: It’s interesting hearing this, because with Mojo Nixon, he’s said how he was a real perfectionist.
Kevin: He’s very enthusiastic. He loves music, it’s important to him. Which is great, it was a pleasure working with him.
Samuel: You have Tomahawk you do as well, Buzz does Fantomas, you are all sort of intertwined in a family of sorts with these other bands, like you see shows where the bill will be three bands all with the same members.
Kevin: It’s nice working with people you get along with.
Samuel: Does it help having a group like this? Most places rarely have one worthwhile band, let alone 3 to 5. Does it help come up with new ideas.
Kevin: Yeah, we’re all able to explore different music. I guess I’m not really sure what you’re driving at.
Samuel: Well, most people have a community where there isn’t much to draw from, but it seems in this group of musicians, you have a deeper pool to find ideas from, more avenues of creativity.
Kevin: Yeah, well, when these guys started the Melvins, a long time ago, before I was involved, they had to start their own fire and create their own place. It was true with The Cows too.
Samuel: Alright, with Tomahawk, I know in the beginning, it was more trading tapes and sharing ideas from different areas, now that you’ve toured together and spent time as a unit, did the creation process change at all?
Kevin: It was basically the same thing. All the songs are ideas Duane comes up with, then Patton will come up with the vocals and they do some arranging. John and I basically do what they ask us to do. I don’t have anything to do with the writing. Some of it was things we played live, I’d add little things here or there, but the songs were basically done by time they got to me.
Samuel: With all the members of Tomahawk being spread out, how difficult is it to get together and record the records?
Kevin: Yeah, we’re spread out all over the country. Basically, everyone flies in and we have two days of rehearsal and then go in. This one went a little better because we had a year to play together, we had some songs we played on the road, but, yeah, it’s definitely a last minute kind of thing. Same with Fantomas.
Samuel: Is it hard to not get burnt out playing so many different bands and always being on the road or recording?
Kevin: I feel lucky to be doing what I’m doing. I’m glad that someone will let me play.
Dale: Plus we’re all on the road at the same time, so it’s not like being on the road for a year straight.
Kevin: Before this, I did a year and a half solid. I’m happy to be playing, I’m not going to bitch about it.
Dale: We’ve been trying to talk Patton into doing a tour with us for quite a while.
Samuel: Yeah, I know the shows all the bands did together before would all be in California.
Dale: Yeah, those were one off shows. It’s worked out really well doing this tour. We were talking to Mike about it last night and saying when a good idea this was and we should do it more.
Kevin: We should do it again. It’s really nice for us, because it’s a loaded deck, you get to play to a packed house every night. And I think the crowds love it because you get to see all these pretty intense bands all playing together. It’s a pretty special occasion.
Dale: Yeah, we just figured out we could do Fantomas, Melvins and Tomahawk and only have to bring one extra guy.
Kevin: Yeah, so much overlap.
Samuel: And what’s amazing is that every band sounds so different. Even with Patton on the vocals of two, they sound so different.
Kevin: Yeah, they’re very different. I think it’s great.
Buzz: It’s not like buying a record on Epitaph.
Dale: Yeah, where you have to sound like Bad Religion.
Buzz: Or Fat Wreck Chords. Gee, I wonder what a band on Fat is going to sound like.
(laughs)
Samuel: I wish I could say I disagreed with that.
Buzz: Why do you wish?
Kevin: He wishes it didn’t suck. That’s what we like about Ipecac, it all doesn’t have to sound the same. Buzz convinced them to do a record with the Lucky Stars, who are straight country. Even our audience liked them.
Dale: They’re a good band, it’s hard not to like them. Kevin: People want to be entertained and hear good music. We were even talking about having Trevor (Dunn), who plays bass with Fantomas, who has a jazz trio in New York, into coming out on tour with us. It’s totally different music. Audiences are usually really open to these things.
Samuel: Well, speaking from what I’ve seen, I’ve seen the Melvins about a half dozen times now and it seems like the audiences you guys pull are people who are into music, not just looking for something popular to latch onto. You have a more open-minded fan base.
Kevin: Hopefully. It sure seems that way. They’re patient at least. We toured with Folk Implosion, you know, how different could that be?
Dale: That was fun. The people who thought that it was weird were people in the news who mentioned in upcoming shows, ‘How weird is this…’
Kevin: Yeah, if more writers were like you and more interested in diversity, that’d be great. But most of them don’t care. You seem like someone who actually likes music. Most writers, I don’t think they give a shit about music, they’re just trying to get some kind of glory from it.
Dale: Some of them are just assigned to things they’re not really interested in.
Kevin: I’ve done interviews where I know the people have no idea about the stuff I play.
Dale: I can tell that right away, because first off, they want to know how long the band’s been together and when we started. You’d think, that even though you were assigned to the story, you might look on the internet to get such information.
Samuel: Yeah, I totally see what you’re saying. I always feel stupid walking into interviews with bands I don’t really know and being like “Oh, you’re on tour now.” I’d rather shoot myself than sell someone short by not knowing what they’re doing.
Kevin: Like, I did a Tomahawk interview where they asked me ‘Oh, are the Melvins still playing.’ Do you know what you’re doing?
Dale: Kevin got called for an interview while we were on the tour, what did she ask you about?
Kevin: I could tell right away that she knew nothing about the band and didn’t care. It was on the phone for the radio. She goes ‘Tell me about this new album.’ And I said ‘What new album?’ because I didn’t know which band she meant. So, she said ‘Oh, I don’t know the title,’ so I asked her ‘What does the cover look like?’…’Oh well, uhhh, I don’t have the cover.’ I said, ‘Is it round and has a whole in the middle of it?’ She said ‘yes,’ and I go ‘Oh, someone sent you my wife by mistake.’ And she hung up on me right there.
Dale: That was the end of the interview.
Kevin: It was like ‘Hello? Hello?’ She never did call back. I tried calling her back and she didn’t answer.
Dale: I wonder if she got mad or embarrassed.
Samuel: Was she live on air when it happened?
Kevin: I don’t know, I hope. I’ve had interviewers get really mad at me because they didn’t know what was going on. They get embarrassed and defensive.
Samuel: It is now time for the new Reviewstation.com poll question, you seem to have a sense of humor, so I feel safe asking it. Who is the superior being, the ninja or the pirate?
Kevin: Well…
Dale: I’d got with the pirate.
Kevin: I will go with the pirate too, I admire their sadistic tendencies.
Dale: We’re like pirates on tour.
Kevin: I’ve read some things about pirates, like tying people up and jacking off in their face.
Dale: Really?
Kevin: Yeah, Pirates are tough motherfuckers. If it came to a fight, I don’t know…(To Dälek and Still of Dälek) pirate or ninja?
Dälek: Ninja.
Still: Ninja.
Kevin: There you go. But I think a pirate would fight dirty.
Dale: And pirates have guns.
Kevin: Yeah, a pirate would just pull out a gun and blow off their fucking heads.
Dale: Plus we like the Pirates of the Carribean ride. We like pirates.
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