Thursday, November 29, 2018

ONE STEP BEYOND THE GRINDER INTERVIEW

1. Thanks for your time. Tell us about your band and what you do for your band. 

My name is Matt and I'm bassist, guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter etc for One Step Beyond. We hail from Adelaide, Australia and we play a unique and eclectic take on extreme metal.

2. When did you decide you wanted to be in a band? 

In my late teens. I was in love with music from early childhood, but at around 17 or so the band life started to look pretty appealing. I saw some friends play some pretty decent stuff together and thought if they could do it then I could too.

3. What is different about being a musician than you imagined? 

Oh man so many things. The climate has changed so much. The potential for music sales are absolutely negligible compared to when we started. It seems constant touring is the only way to pay the rent as an artist these days and we don't currently tour.....

4. What gear do you use and why? 

Engl for guitar amp and ampeg for bass for the most part. Great products. I still use a 20 year old Ibanez soundgear for bass, thin necks, fast action, versatile instruments. My guitar is a Musicman Stingray from the mid 80's. Pale wood grain finish. Very un metal guitar but I've corrupted it with some EMG  pick ups.

5. What music do you listen to that would surprise people? 

Man I'm 100% a music lover. I don't segregate genres. I'm as comfortable with Autopsy or Suffocation as I am with James Brown. I love so much of 80's and 90's hip hop, Detroit techno, everything from Lee Perry to Sisters of Mercy. The last five albums I've purchased were by Sigh, Night Flight Orchestra, Miles Davis, Recloose and Worship. I try to find things to like in as much music as possible.

6. How do we find your music and merch to buy? 

onestepbeyond1.bandcamp.com is direct from us, or message via facebook. Otherwise you can cop from Amazon, Aural, Spotify, Tidal and all the usual suspects.

7. How did you get a record deal?

We just ship out previews of our album to labels that we think might be able to do something positive with us and choose the best offer we receive in return.

8. What bands do people compare your music to? 

Different parts get compared to different bands. Sometimes Macabre, sometimes Primus, sometimes Bloodduster, Iron Maiden, Suicidal Tendencies. The list could go on and on. We try to have every song have it's own identity more-so than most extreme metal bands, so the list of comparisons would be very long.

9. Are you pro Spotify / streaming services ? Or do you think it hurts sales? 

Both yes. Unquestionably it hurts sales, there's countless statistics out there proving it. Cd sales have dropped dramatically. Vinyl has increased in popularity in comparison to a decade ago, but it's still a marginal amount overall. So many kids these days don't even have a means to play a Cd or record. They're no longer integral parts of households and I don't think that will change. The music industry has tried hard to commodify digital distribution, but it's missed the boat well and truly. 

On the plus side, streaming services get your music to a different listener and that can only be a good thing.


10. What’s the ultimate goal for the band? 

To continue exorcising our demons through music and hopefully connect with an increasing number of like minded folk.

11. Will we see you tour? 

Hopefully. To fly to America or Europe from Australia is expensive. If someone helps us then yes you will see us. We absolutely love visiting America and hopefully we can do it as a band soon.

12. Who would you love to tour with? 

Napalm Death. One of the hardest working bands in the business and one of my personal favourites for many many years.
13. What is your favorite song of yours and why? 

Well it's like the favourite child analogy right? I like things about them all. Maybe the song 'Good world gone bad' on The Music of Chance. I think it's such a unique song. Really unusual in good ways. Also 'Isolde', the closing track from In the Shadow of the Beast. There's some real drama in that song. 

14. Why should people take the time to listen to your band over the thousands of other bands? 

We do things that other bands don't. We blend styles and genres in uncommon ways. We don't pro tools our albums to bits, there's still some honest playing on them where possible. On a personal level we try to be respectful dudes. We understand that time holds the ultimate value and are genuinely chuffed that people would spend any of it listening to our indulgences.

15. What are your favorite music websites labels podcast etc? 

My most regularly visited would be The Quietus, Last rites, Angry metal guy, No clean singing, Rap reviews.com, Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, Pop Matters, Invisible Oranges, Teeth of the Divine,  Decibel and more. For labels, there's plenty out there stringing quality releases together, but for this last year or two it's more bands than labels that have appealed to me. For podcasts, I only really listen to ones pertaining to Liverpool FC, cult cinema and beer/brewing these days.

16. Is imagery important to you? Do you judge albums by the cover? 

Occasionally. I love a great album cover and it can often be the difference for me being happy with a digital copy or buying a physical copy of an album. I don't so much judge albums by their covers, but I do let covers create expectations for me. If the music inside doesn't reflect those expectations then I'm flexible enough to adjust my expectations and take the music on its own merits.
I'm not so much into band imagery, I like honesty more than a manufactured image, bands that just dress in their day to day clothes feel more honest to me. That said, some bands make up some great imagery, I think Ghost have some great costumes for example. The vocalist from Portal looked brilliant with that mad box on his head. I liked the Mgla anonymity thing too. 

17. If you could choose a cover song your band mates would hate what would it be? 

Something by Infectious grooves. It would give me an excuse to abuse my Wah pedal and our vocalist Justin is not too keen on Wah.

18. Is the record or live show more important? 

Record definitely for us. For metal in general I think. Most styles of metal are about rehearsal and replication. The songs don't change. Live shows are essentially louder, messier versions of the album tracks. Nothing new happens. I love the energy of live shows, but recordings are for life.

19. Name 3 people dead or alive you would want to play your music for. 

Tough question! I'd set my sights high and have them be people who created things that were hugely influential for me, but I could never presume they'd want to hear my music, so I'd feel like I was imposing on them. Hah. Couldn't do it! 

20. Lemmy Ozzy Dio and Rob Halford in a cage match who wins?
With all still alive?

 Lemmy definitely. Could imagine he'd be tougher, dirtier, meaner than the rest. All knees and knuckles. They wouldn't stand a chance.






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