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Interviews  Southern
Gun Culture
by Chris
Barnes
 Southern
Gun Culture combine unadulterated Sabbath-like heaviness with heroin-groove,
free form improv, numbing drone with a slight Southern flair. Hard as
hell to describe, but they are a helluva listen if you are into heavy
music not afraid of taking chances. Southern Gun Culture speaks to Hellride.
Hellride Music: Why don't you tell us a bit about the band?
Southern Gun Culture came together as a result of a classified ad, correct?
What had you guys been doing before and how does Southern Gun Culture
differ?
Southern
Gun Culture:
We did get together through a classified add. Trent and Southern Gun Culture
had already been playing in bands for 3 years when the guitarist at the
time in our previous project, Hrossa, decided he wanted to do something
else. Two weeks later we met Danny.
We all had similar interests in music. Danny listed bands in his add like
Black Sabbath and Clutch and that was exactly what we were looking for.
It was happening right from the start, a good musical connection.
Hrossa had a more nu-metal sound than anything else and Trent and Southern
Gun Culture wanted badly to do something with more groove and be heavier.
Danny was living in Corpus,TX and decided to move to Austin to pursue
music. His previous band there was Mad Taxi. They played math rock and
were pretty heavy but had trouble staying together.
We definitely have the making of a band that will stay together through
thick and thin. We've been together two years now and are ready to hit
the road. We all agree that it's the best project we've been involved
with. We're gonna keep hitting it hard.
Hellride Music: Describe for us,
if you will, the Southern Gun Culture sound. Not the usual bio sound description
that always says "Heavy as fuck!"..I mean, that would be a an
adequate description but I'm looking for something real coming from your
young hearts and souls.
Southern
Gun Culture:
I think the music has a retro 70's sound to it along with heavy rocking
riffs. It's a cool combination of influences like Fireball Ministry, Atomic
Bitch Wax, Black Sabbath, COC, Clutch, and Southern Gun Culture has a
folk background if you can believe it that brings in the melodic vocals.
On the next album there will be a lot more double and triple vocal tracks.
Hellride Music: Cool. Let's get
down to the nitty-gritty, as they say. How many fist fights have the band
members had since the inception of SGC?If you had to start SGC again,
would you?
Southern
Gun Culture:
The band has never had a fight at all. We get along great. We've had our
ups and downs. We're always hanging out, going to dinner, etc. Trent and
Danny are video game junkies. That's about it except, the other night
Super Heavy Goat Ass got into a brawl because this guy would not stop
horsing around. We share our jam room with those guys.
Hellride Music: Room 65 is your
first release. What I like about Room 65 is that most of it seems like
a heavy jam session... It sounds like the majority of the album was recorded
live, was it? If not, I'm going to feel like an a-hole. If it was a live
recording, how many tracks contained at least a little bit of improv done
at the time of the recording?
Southern
Gun Culture:
We did record live, but all of the music was rehearsed except for the
drum solo in "Somethin'". The guy recording us almost stopped
the tape until he saw Southern Gun Culture and Danny rocking out to Trent's
solo. It turned out great for improv! The jams were songs written when
we first started out so we put them on the album.
Hellride Music: OK, well I only
fell like half an a-hole. When SGC plays live, do you guys stick to the
songs as they are or do you go off into jam territory and mess around
a bit? In other words, is any song played twice the same way?
Southern
Gun Culture:
All of our songs are written out. Sounds boring I know, but we have a
great live shows that never stop between songs. Trent wishes that we jammed
more. That's how he started out in Lubbock TX, in a band called Monkey
Wrench Cafe. We like to rehearse a lot so everything gets worked on a
lot.
Hellride Music: Where is Room 65
anyway?
Southern
Gun Culture:
Our jam room in Austin TX
Hellride
Music: One more trash question, do jealousies develop as
Danny and Trent pine for Amber's attention? Or vice versa?
Southern
Gun Culture:
Danny just got married to his girlfriend of 3 years and Trent and Amber
are married so there has never been jealousies to deal with.
Hellride Music: I think you guys
are playing the Stoner Hands of Doom IV fest, correct? How do you feel
about playing what most people consider to be the first and best "stoner/doom"
fest?
Southern
Gun Culture:
We are real excited to be playing the SHOD fest. We are driving up with
Super Heavy Goat Ass. We're gonna put on a good show. Trent is playing
with SHGA also. Friday will be a good night with all the Texas bands rocking
out. See you there hopefully.
Hellride Music: Tell me a bit about
the music scene in Austin. I remember at one time, that place was like
a rock n' roll mecca...
Southern
Gun Culture:
Austin is definitely rocking. I think it is getting better than it has
been in a while. Lot's of rock bands coming through. We play at Emos a
lot with great line ups all the time. People here really party!
Hellride Music: Any plans for a
follow up to Room 65 in the near future?
Southern
Gun Culture:
We plan on having our new album out by next summer. We are doing pre-production
right now. It's gonna be more of the way we sound now. Room 65 is a year
old already.
Hellride Music: OK, that's it! Any
words of wisdom, plugs or shout outs?
Southern
Gun Culture:
Thanks for the interview! Hopefully we will talk to you soon.
 Read
the Hellride Music review of Room
65
Purchase
Room
65 at the Hellride
Music Super Store
Listen
to a Real Audio sample
of Broken Wing
Visit
the Southern Gun Culture website at www.mp3.com/Southern_Gun_Culture
Copyright 2002 HellrideMusic.com
Interview by Chris
Barnes 9/11/02
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