. . .
The shakycam in this video is my fault. (I need to get a tripod for my Flip cam.) I also don’t know how to shut up while interviewees talk. But if you fortify yourself with Dramamine, you can hear Mike Scheidt talk about guitars, the next YOB record, and what makes him tick. The location is the restaurant inside the Sheraton in Pomona (hence the dishes clattering in the background); I talked to Scheidt at Scion Rock Fest. As anyone who’s met him can attest, talking with Mike Scheidt is an experience. His eyes see through you. But they are also kind eyes. You can practically feel me shielding myself with the camera from the intensity of his gaze.
Speaking of YOB’s new album Atma, you can hear a song from it here. It’s bitchin’. I love its swing, a welcome change from doom metal’s usual absence of rhythm. I also love the tang of Scheidt’s voice. It’s a trip to hear such a keening sound come from such a large man.
Atma comes out August 16 on Profound Lore. YOB are touring with Dark Castle soon. Holy shit. See dates below.
. . .
YOB/DARK CASTLE – US TOUR
7/01 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon w/Samothrace, Aranya
7/02 – Portland, OR @ Branx w/Wizard Rifle, Sloths
7/03 – Boise, ID @ Redroom
7/04 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas w/Eagle Twin
7/05 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
7/06 – Lincoln, NE @ Duffy’s Tavern
7/07 – Dubuque, IA @ Off Minor
7/08 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/Indian
7/09 – Columbus, OH @ Ruby Tuesday w/Deadsea
7/10 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
7/12 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
7/13 – Providence, RI @ Machines With Magnets
7/14 – Montreal, QC @ TBA
7/15 – Toronto, ON @ The Courthouse w/Sons of Otis
7/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
7/17 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
7/19 – Charlotte @ TBA
7/20 – Savannah @ TBA
7/21 – Jacksonville, FL @ 8B Warehouse
7/22 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
7/23 – Tampa, FL @ Orpheum
7/24 – Panama City FL @ C Level
7/25 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7/26 – Nashville, TN @ Little Hamilton w/Loss
7/27 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe w/Crowlord
7/29 – New Orleans @ One Eyed Jacks
7/30 – Houston, TX @ The Mink
7/31 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s w/The Roller
8/01- San Antonio, TX @ Korova Basement
8/03 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Rogue Bar w/Rituals
8/04 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
8/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo w/Ancestors, Of the Horizon
8/06 – Berkeley, CA @ Gilman St
8/07 – San Francisco, CA @ TBA
8/08 – Arcata, CA @ The Alibi
. . .
They’ve added a 7-18 In Raleigh, NC. Ooooh, I can’t wait!
I like this approach. I can see magazines like Decibel going this way where they video tape interviews and post them. It’s easier to get a true sense of the artist instead of just reading the interview while on the throne. Can’t wait for the new YOB!
I believe 7/18 has been confirmed for Raleigh, NC. I’ll be there screamin’!
Ha. I didn’t even check to see that Chris already posted that. COFFEE.
So bummed a Boston date wasn’t secured for this tour.
I’ve only completely taken in two Yob records (Catharsis and Cessation) and I can honestly say they are both life changers. Yet, this is the first time I’ve even seen this guy. He’s awesome! Thanks for bringing that to us, Cosmo.
So where did you get the opening riff for the video? Sounds like I a song I need to check out. Good interview; Mike seems like a solid guy.
I think the credits say its Vastum.
I’d have to say that the two albums inbetween those two are the best they have, so hopefully your life will be changed twice more through the glories of YOB.
mmhh, hmmm, yeah…ok…mmhhmm…right I know yeah
Best doom band around, period. for the next ten minutes at least.
funny he says his doom influence comes from country music. i was listening to their 2000 demo the other day and it sounds quite a bit like sleep. Not now though.
Awesome. One of the best doom bands out there. Thanks for throwing in the guitar nerdery! Makes sense that a Fender scale-length would lend some snap and clarity when you’re so heavily down-tuned. I like Gibsons quite a bit, but the lower string tension is slightly annoying.
Also: he who braids his silken locks is clearly comfortable with his masculinity. Mike’s cosmic metal-hippie vibe makes a lot of sense once he explains his outlook on life. And of all these dudes you see in interviews, when he talks about the new album, phrases that could sound like hyperbole from a lesser band will almost certainly be dead accurate. No doubt the new one will be exactly how he describes, which sounds incredible. Can’t wait!
Will be getting a YOB burger at Kuma’s before their show in a couple of weeks!
Cosmo, do you know who produced/recorded/mixed the record?
Jeff Olsen at Dogwood Studios in Eugene, OR:
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=157501
Cosmo, the issue isn’t that you’re reacting verbally to what he’s saying, it’s that your camera’s microphone is picking up your voice louder than Mike’s. And there’s a fair amount of background noise, as well. The first IO TV installment had the same issue.
I love that you guys are doing this and you definitely ask interesting questions, but it would help to mic your interviewees better.
That is good constructive advice, and I’ll try to keep that in mind.
The low-tech interviews I’ve done so far (Wormrot, YOB) have been with a Flip cam I keep in my pocket. The YOB interview was planned immediately before the interview took place, as I ran into Scheidt and he agreed to do an interview on the spot. That spot happened to be a hotel restaurant.
I actually don’t mind the strange interview environment and lo-fi, gonzo aspect. I find that more compelling than the typical sterile, squirming-under-the-lights video interview. And part of why my voice is loud is because I’m holding the Flip cam close to my person (it has no zoom). If I held it out away from me towards my interviewee (like a gun), my interviewee might get distracted or nervous.
An easy solution is not to talk while my interviewees are talking!
I am not sure about carrying around a mic and doing it “properly”. I like the flexibility about carrying around a tiny video camera and capturing situations spontaneously.
Yeah, I think the spontaneous vibe is perfect for these kind of interviews. The slight jitter to the camerawork was barely noticeable, and the audio quality was definitely good enough. Great interview, great band!
cool, looking forward to the new one. when great cessation came out i was absolutely not in the mood for endless slow heavy riffing and completely ignored it. then about half a year later i gave it a spin and loved it. my favorite is still ‘carbon’ though… hope to catch them on tour.
Mike used to sell me CDs at a record store in Eugene, OR. I remember he talked me into buying a Merrimack CD. I remember one time when I was trying to impress him by telling him I was friends with the guys in Rwake and he told me this bizarre, epic story about that band and a thunderstorm. Anyway, Yob is unstoppable. I wish more bands would take note of Mike’s voice and consider the power of melody in vocals.
I’m impressed that you are friends with the guys in Rwake. Superb band. I wouldn’t mind hearing about Rwake (or was it Yob?) in a thunderstorm…
Also. I tried Merrimack’s Grey Rigorism and was pretty bored/disappointed. Which CD did Mike talk you into, and was it a good investment? I’d like to give those guys another chance because they seemed to have a lot going for them.
The Merrimack album was “Of Entropy and Life Denial.” I thought it was pretty good. It has some characteristically French Black Metal weirdness but more straight forward than a lot of their peers. I certainly feel it’s stronger than Grey Rigorism.
I’ve lived in Arkansas most of my life and the older metal folks here have been pretty incestuous band wise. Guys in Rwake and Deadbird alone have about a billion roles in different bands. All of those guys are super nice and super amazing. Mike told me about this time Rwake was supposed to play a show with YOB in Eugene, I think. The bands kept waiting and waiting for Rwake to show up and they couldn’t get a hold of anyone in the band. Eventually, the bands played and while YOB was tearing down, Mike gets a phone call from C.T. in Rwake. Mike described the sound over the phone as pretty hellish with lots of noise and yelling in the background. C.T. says something like, “We’re almost there, brother! It’s storming all around us and we’re drivin’ like hell. We’re plowing through devils and demons to get there and we’re gonna play some fuckin metal!” I can’t remember the exact telling as Mike told me but it’s around those lines. Anyway, I can’t remember if Rwake ever played or not. I think the story is a lot better if you could hear C.T.’s voice in your head while imaging this phone call. Super thick, gentlemanly Southern drawl, every vowel stretched to three, every consonant hammered into place. Anyway, Rwake dudes are great. A few months ago, I was getting a cup of coffee from Stumptown in Portland, OR. The guy behind the counter was wearing a Dark Castle shirt and I complimented him on it. He said, “The band I play bass in is about to go on tour with them!” I asked what band he was in….YOB of course. Super guy.
Yob are the best recording band in the world at the moment in my opinion. Let’s hope the continue to be so on the new album. The new track sounds amazing, but it certainly has a different vibe to it. Praying they make it over the UK!
Awesome interview. Yob is the shit and I realy enjoyed the fact that Mike put a lot of effort into answering the “Life” question.
Listening to YOB makes me feel like I’m caught in a snow storm at the foot of some mystical mountain of madness, watching a wizard battling ice giants. On weed.
Nice interview, Cosmo. Scheidt seems almost the opposite of intimidating in it to me though. He even comes off a bit nervous, touching and rubbing his face and arns *a lot* and bashfully averting his eyes. Am I crazy?
I dunno. Really looking forward to the new record.
I think you’re a little hard on yourself, Cosmo. I didn’t notice all the technical stuff you allude to. Who gives a shit anyway, tis the music that matters. Nice snapshot in time from an ever evolving person/band. Their new record seems to be full of new approaches to their music/style. Thanks.
cosmo, love your dedication to metal and this site. feel’n it throughout your comments, questions and choices of topics. the idea of letting your subject do the talking without hearing you ask questions is tidy, or to use a more metal/human/scheidt idea, surrender.
follow your instincts.
I find your tastes and insights fascinating. your subjects are plenty compelling in minimal form. d.i.y. is orange magic greater than black? this is your poetry. your metal. raw. aggressive. with ugliness. keep going. be chris poland ending a song/phrase with refrain or without the sameness quality that is abundant. metal tape trading was/is raw, passionate, d.i.y. i.o. t.v. #2 reeks of charm. i’ve never even heard a yob song. that’s going to change. now. thanks for provoking.
Thanks for posting this Cosmo.
Yeah, the interview is ok and all but what about that new track? The vocals are amazing and those riffs…..
OMG, nice Dr. Octagon reference.
Yeah, the interview is ok and all but what about that new track? The vocals are amazing and those riffs…..
Great interview, seems like a really interesting guy driven to create. (No worries about the technical shit, you can hear him talk, who cares about anything else?)
That new song is also melting face.
I cannot wait to have my mind ripped open by Yob and Dark Castle on this tour, having never seen either live yet.
Scheidt looks just goddamn like David Foster Wallace to me. Put a bandanna on that man.