By BRUCE DENNILL
Scottish band Gutterblood recently released their self-titled debut album. The album was mastered by John McBain (Monster Magnet, Queens of the Stone Age) was has been featured on the influential YouTube channels of Rob Hammer and the legendary Mr Doom.
This link to our website describes what we are all about; much better than we can in this email:
What is your first and most important goal as musicians – to tell a story (literally via lyrics or metaphorically via music); to inspire an emotion; to lift a mood; to get people moving? Perhaps it’s something else, or a mixture of these?
Our hatred of greed, corruption and inequality is perfectly illustrated by many of the guests who contributed to the album. We also like to think that there is a message of self-empowerment and optimism in the lyrics. Our belief is that the spirit of DIY should be celebrated and promoted, so we were not afraid to draw on inspiration from many different genres of music and wider society at large.
Does your style reflect that of the artists you love or respect most?
We have wide-ranging influences loosely within the ‘rock’ genre; wee bits and pieces that have subconsciously slipped through the cracks when we wrote the music. But everything from Pink Floyd to Fugazi to Kyuss to Ministry to Slayer…
In writing music, and if so, what sort of mix is involved in terms of discipline and inspiration?
Discipline is difficult and sometimes overrated when writing songs, but when we play live we definitely need to be more focused or it will sound terrible. I guess that everyone in the band is inspired one way or another. Either by ideas or just plain energy. It really depends on the day. Sometimes we are all on it, and other times maybe just one of us is inspired.
On what basis do you choose the music you record or perform? Is it practical (a good fit for your voice or other instrument) or something more profound)?
I think it boils down to whether we all enjoy it as a band. And the hope is that if we enjoy it, then others will too. But the most important thing is definitely that we enjoy it first.
Name an artist or band who is, in your view, criminally underrated, and explain what it is about them or their sound that excites you?
There are far too many to choose from. Too many bands in the past or present will not get the recognition they deserve, but sometimes that is down to many different circumstances.
How do you keep up or improve your skill levels? Is it all about practice, or are there other factors that help you to get better at and understand more about your craft?
I suppose it’s really about practice; maybe about pushing yourself to play something that you are not instantly comfortable with. And maybe that ‘something’ works well for the band as a whole. Practice for our type of music is often about the physical exercise, which allows you to improve and not have your hands seize up because you haven’t played for ages. I’m not sure that constant practice makes a song tighter, but it makes the individuals better. It can often be about the collective vibe of the band and whether they kind of connect in the live situation.
What is your new/most recent release? What is the story behind it – the genesis of the song, the people involved, the muse behind its creation?
The recording for our self-titled album started as a simple live demo just before the pandemic began, but it quickly grew arms and legs. Happily, it served as a focus for us during the darkest days of lockdown. We wrote this album as a kind of concept, a story and a statement of intent. We are not sure how to describe it – but we are proud of it! Again, our hatred of greed, corruption and inequality is perfectly illustrated by many of our guests who contributed to the album. We also like to think that there is a message of self-empowerment and optimism.
