Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Monobrow Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Right now we are finishing up the inserts that will be included with the vinyl release and trying to organize some shows in and around our region (Ontario and Quebec) for the summer and fall.

2.In May you have a new album coming out, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
I think this is the most focused album of ours.  It is a bit of a concept album so we really tried to make sure the entire album flows together really well.  Overall this is probably our darkest/angriest sounding record both in composition and production.  The main difference when compared to our previous albums is the addition of lyrics.   While we remain an instrumental band we had Ryan Kjrr, a friend of ours, come up with a story to go along with the music.  Those that are familiar with our previous recordings may also notice the the synthesizers play a more prominent role than in the past.  The album really acts as a soundtrack to the story Ryan came up with.  It's the first time we try anything like this so it will be interesting to hear people's reactions and thoughts.  Overall we are extremely happy with how everything turned out, from the music, production, artwork and of course the lyrics.

3.So far all of the music has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals in the future?
We have been doing this since 2009 and have established ourselves as an instrumental band.  I can't see us ever adding a vocalist to the mix but that's not to say that we would not be open to maybe adding vocals to a track or two a future release.  If we feel that a song can use vocals then we would certainly be open to it, after all vocals are just another instrument.

4.I know that the bands name means 'knitted brows' in Russian, how does this time fit in with the musical style you play?
It really doesn't other than maybe it shows that we don't take ourselves too seriously.  And in the past people have commented that they can hear our sense of humour in our songs, although this album may not be as humorous as some of the previous records. 

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We've had our share of good shows and bad shows.  It seems the more the audience is into it the better we play and come out feeling really good about our performance.  One of the most fun shows we've played was in our hometown of Ottawa in 2012 as part of the All That is Heavy festival that was headlined by Blood Ceremony and Iron Man.  Great crowd, great bands and everything went really smoothly.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We don't consider ourselves a touring band.  Our personal lives and work commitments don't really allow for any extended touring.  We will try and support the new release with shows within a few hours drive from Ottawa and if all goes well we may head out to the east coast of Canada to play in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  We'll see what happens.  In general we rely on the internet to spread our music and attract new listeners.  Blogs and sites such as yours are essential for us as is YouTube, Facebook, Instagram etc.

7.The new album is coming out on 'Trill Or Be Trilled Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
There isn't much to tell.  It's our own label that we are using to release Monobrow records.  We've discussed potentially adding other bands and turning it into a collaborative effort to support each other and increase our network but it's still very early right now and we'll see where it takes us.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and doom metal?
People that take the time to get into our music generally like it.  We get lots of positive feedback and album reviews indicate that people do like what they hear.  We struggle a little bit because we are instrumental and I think we're likely losing a large percentage of the metal/doom/stoner audience because of that.  It's unfortunate because we really feel the music speaks for itself and if people would give it more of a chance they may find that they really do like it and won't miss the vocal element.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We're already working on new material and hopefully we can get back to the studio and have another album out in the next 24 months.  We're talking among ourselves as to whether or not we want to write a "sequel" to The Nacarat or if we should move on to a whole new idea or even not do the concept album thing again.  So far the new material sounds like the logical next step after The Nacarat.  The key for us is to keep writing and being creative, we really don't like repetition (i think our songs and albums showcase that) and we like to keep things fresh and moving.  It''s a big part of why we have been able to get to where we are.  4 LPs and an EP in the span of about 8 years is decent catalog of songs.  We would have never thought as an non-touring instrumental band from Ottawa we would be where we are today.  Musically we keep evolving if you listen to our first record and then listen to this latest one I think you would hear a significant difference.  We have definitely grown and we have a lot more attention to detail without losing the energy of our younger selves.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
So many to name.  We are all huge music nerds and listen to all styles of music.  I think the obvious influences can be heard in our music like Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Pentagram and any of Wino's bands, Funkadelic.  But on a more subtle level there are tons of bands and artists that influence and inspire us. 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Similar to our musical tastes, our non musical interests are varied.  Movies, books, basketball, tennis, beer, food, beer, food, beer, food.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for taking the time to check us out and for sharing our work.  We hope that those who hear it enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it!

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