Information
Author: Mourning
Translation: Dope Fiend
Line Up
Josh Sandulak - Vocals
Devin "Darty" Purdy - Guitars
Richard Hepp - Bass
Brett Whittingham - Drums
Chron Goblin come from the cold Canada (Calgary), a band that, from this country, appears to have only the birthplace, as the sound has a lot of "desert" in itself. I had the pleasure of writing of both works published so far, the self-titled EP and the full "One Million From The Top", which you will find the reviews in the site, we just have to know them better.
Welcome guys, we can say that the year has gone has been very positive for Chron Goblin?
2011 and 2012 so far have been a great time for Chron Goblin. We have recorded and released our first full length album, played a ton of shows, and are working on writing a new album and shooting a music video. We also had the opportunity to open up for The Devin Townsend Project (from Strapping Young Lad) which was quite an honor. Chron Goblin also managed to arrange two consignment deals out of Sweden, which was the first time our music was available to the European market. Things have been going strong, and we expect to keep this momentum going in 2012!
We start talking about who are Chron Goblin, how the band was born and why this name?
The band actually met in University in 2004, but it wasn’t until 2009 did we decide to form a band together. Our mutual love for music, beers, and good times had something to do with it too! We’ve known each other for so long we are basically brothers. The name started off as a joke when Darty and his work crew were called a bunch of "Chron Goblins" while enjoying the sweet taste of Mary Jane. The name was hilarious and very recognizable, so we stuck with it!
In the EP struck me above all the sincere "attitude" with which you faced the music, what were the motives or the impulses that are directed you toward this type of sound?
The first song we ever written "Walk With Me" was basically a mix of my two greatest influences of all time: Black Sabbath and Kyuss. There is lot or raw energy and power in the EP. We recorded the EP with a great friend of ours in his basement with very primitive recording methods which gives it that live feel. I think we spent less than five hundred dollars on recording the entire EP.
"One Million From The Top " not only confirmed the impression I just mentioned, but has also made it clear that you have not the desire to follow a common "modus operandi" that produces good records, but often puts the fun into the background. I just received a big festive load inside the songs, is this what you wanted?
"One Million From The Top" is a fantastic album for us as it really represents the variety of influences and styles that we all enjoy which gives us our own unique sound. It really is a blend of rock 'n' roll, punk, stoner rock and heavy metal in one fantastic mix.
The platter has, in my opinion, two pieces counterpart: " Make You Mine" with that punk attitude and "Sewer Suicidal Bomber", atmospherically speaking particularly severe. How do you give life to the songs? What are the issues that you love facing and who is the author of the lyrics? Reading them, I found a lot of insight and ideas on religion, but manage to make it fit in nicely way with the most "hard" parts of the album, which makes them even more interesting.
Our lead singer Josh writes our lyrics, but he is there for the whole song writing process so he really gets a flavor of where the song was born. We as individuals take a lot of things from the music we listen to and we constantly play a game of tug-of-war during the writing process. This is what gives us our diverse sound. Some of our songs are Josh’s real life stories and some are our beliefs on society. And a lot are in between.
On YouTube I had the opportunity to watch a couple of your live performances, have you ever thought to shoot an official video of one of the songs of "One Million From The Top"? In that case, what song would you choose and why?
We are actually in the middle of some funding grant processes and hope to shoot a music video for the title track "One Million From The Top" within three months. This song represents the variety of influences in our songs, and is a good representation of the band.
Another point in favor of your work is the frequent incursion of references to the rock'n'roll of fifties and sixties, how much and what you love of the beginning of this period?
We are all big fans of early blues, both the Delta American Blues, and European Invasion. I think this influence is very prevalent in songs such as "Come Undone" as the song starts off with a very eerie 50’s style swing guitar lick. There wouldn’t be a hard rock/heavy metal scene as we know it today without the influences of early rock 'n' roll and blues.
How was it brought forth the idea of the photo in the skateboarding runway with the "alcoholic landscape" on the side?
Our music has always appealed to the skateboarding scene, as they both share that raw aggression and power. The photo was actually taken in the back yard of our jam space, and it is our ramp as the majority of the band skateboards. We really wanted the photo to represent who we are, and nothing did this better than show a photo of our beloved ramp just outside our jamspace... and we love beer.
Do you have any "nerd" passion (and I know no-one who does not...)? Videogames, porn, comics, B-movie, other?
I think we are all a bit of nerds in our own way... but I prefer to look at is as passion more than obsession. Josh takes amazing photographs and edits/creates videos, Richard coaches amateur ice hockey, Brett is a amazing downhill skier, and Devin lives by the term "skate or die". We all have our own passions outside of music, but it is this same passion that makes us so dedicated to Chron Goblin and our music.
How is Canadian music scene? Have you relations of friendship and esteem with other bands? There are some that you would like advice so that we can learn more about?
The Canadian music scene has many talented bands, however our low population and large landscape makes it quite difficult to tour affectively. For example we are driving four thousand km in one weekend during February to play in three different cities. It certainly is different than Europe and the US when it comes to touring. However the long cold winters keep us indoors, allowing us to progress with our music and continue to write new albums.
What are the pros and cons of the music world? What you really don't like and what do you think is missing from the past?
I think a major pro is the accessibility. People can just go online and listen to thirty different bands in a morning. Conversely, we are fascinated by the fact that, in general, music has become way easier to find but the sales trends suggests (younger) people are listening to synthetic music like dub-step and dj’s, and actually put in less effort to find a music that they really listen to, not just have it in the background when they are working out or driving.
In a period when the digitalisation and mp3 seem to have become the way to go, fortunately many bands continue to self-producing their music using physical media such as in your case. We must will surrender to a series of bland 0101010101 or do you think we can always count on a hardcore ready to keep alive the form of "touch" and "browse" and of course to listen to?
Absolutely. Music is one of the true great art forms in the world and is a continually evolving form. Commercial music was destined to become a realization as bands like the Beatles proved that huge success could come from producing music. Unfortunately, it developed into the warped version we have today. Music was made to sound good, and it was made accessible universally by companies. That was the way it should’ve stayed. Now music companies have their hands in the actually writing process far too much. And there influence can be heard.
Speaking of live field, how was your first performance in front of an audience?
Our first performance was at our bassists house party in front of about fifty people, right after he joined. It was a pretty tight space and was very intimate. But we rocked out hard and everyone got really into it. Someone put a hole in the wall.
There will be chance to see you play in Europe?
Chron Goblin would love the opportunity to play Europe. It is definitely one of our eighteen-month goals as the hard rock and heavy metal scene is strong in Europe. We would love the opportunity to play a festival such as Desert Fest in 2013.
What do they want to do the "grow up" Chron Goblin? Dreams and wishes to realize?
As a band we want to continue to grow as musicians and carry on writing and recording more albums. We would also love the opportunity to play Europe and the rest of the world.
The five disks that you can not totally give up?
Black Sabbath – "Master Of Reality"
Queens Of The Stone Age – "Queens Of The Stone Age"
Constellations – "August Burns Red"
Propaghandi – "Less Talk, More Rock"
Weezer – "Blue Album"
