BACK IN AMERICA
A
s highly-esteemed ambassadors of the stoner rock genre , Monster Magnet have successfully carved out a tasty little niche in the music world . They may not be everyone ’ s trip , but the Jersey boys have been consistently plying their tried-and-true , ’ 60s-inspired psychedelic burn-out rock for almost three decades . However , the band hasn ’ t toured much in the U . S . for most of its career , and that ’ s why it ’ s understandable that Monster Magnet mastermind / vocalist Dave Wyndorf is absolutely giddy about the band ’ s upcoming North American tour , which makes a stop at the Bottom Lounge on Oct . 2 .
On their 10th album , Mindfucker , the band – including guitarists Phil Caivano and Garrett Sweeny , drummer Bob Pantella , and bassist Chris Kosnik – sound
By Kelley Simms
Monster Magnet
as tight as ever . Wyndorf recently discussed the latest album , the upcoming tour , and why the band is more successful in Europe .
Mosh : Why do you think Monster Magnet is more popular in Europe than America ? Dave Wyndorf : I don ’ t know , I wish I knew . I got a couple of guesses . One thing , the kind of music I do , which is full ahead rock , it ’ s not modern metal , and it ’ s definitely not pop , it ’ s full-ahead rock with psychedelic tinges . That stuff is not exactly the " next big thing " in the United States . But in Europe , their minds are open to a lot of different stuff , and it ’ s a bigger live [ music ] culture in general than in the States . They just go out more , and they dig it more . I got a relationship with them that goes back to the first days of Monster Magnet . My first tour was in Europe , so maybe they remember us that way ? We do the States - the States are cool , here and there - but it ’ s a different United States now than it was 15-20 years ago live [ music ] -wise that I can see .
Mosh : How do you put a new tour together ? DW : The usual way to do it is you get a booking agent , and the booking agent goes to all the local promoters and [ says ], ‘ I got some Monster Magnet for you , you want it ?’ And it ’ s either yes or no , and if they want it , ‘ OK how much you want to pay ?’ And that ’ s where it gets bad . That ’ s why I keep going back to Europe because I can afford to play Europe . The States is hard . It ’ s hard to make money here unless you ’ re , like , a pop star or some dedicated metal band . It ’ s hard to find a niche - ask any band . But [ the promoters ] came back with something that was OK . I think the less we play here , the more the demand will be . In the old days when you got paid for your music , you could off-set [ the cost of ] tours that didn ’ t pay that much because you would sell more music from touring . But that ’ s not the case now . Music is , basically , really really cheap now . It ’ s cheap to buy , so the artist doesn ’ t really make that much money off the music . I go to places where people are interested in music and the legacy of the band .
Mosh : Are you excited about another tour ? How do you and the band usually prepare ? DW : I ’ m totally psyched . I ’ d rather be on tour than not be on tour . Basically , I just can ’ t wait . Then the ignition starts , and you work up the band . We ’ re on tour quite often , but we had the summer off . In June , we played Europe , so we had the rest of the time off , and I was just counting the days . I
worked on some new material by myself , and then the guys and I got together last week and rehearsed . That ’ s how you prepare . You just get psyched up , make sure everybody ’ s tight . Make sure everybody ’ s on their game . So , let the show begin .
Mosh : What ’ s the band ' s chemistry like these days ? DW : Really good . Everybody knows each other ’ s strengths ; everybody plays off of each other ’ s strengths . It ’ s a real band , which is what I really like . It ’ s a unit in that respect if I should want to explain this . But there probably are people who don ’ t understand how bands work anymore . There ’ s a certain energy that you get when it ’ s organically created . There ’ s this tension that happens when all the people get together and are playing to each other . That doesn ’ t happen when you play backing tapes like a lot of bands will do now . It ’ s old school ; it ’ s organic . My guys do it better than almost anybody I ’ ve ever seen . It just propels itself . It ’ s pretty magical . I love to watch it happen . Everyone ’ s pretty much on the same page as far as the music goes , and we all have the same sense of humor and the same urge to make things as dynamic as possible . So they ’ ve got it down . There ’ s a trick to doing it right . Know when to lay off and know when to go full-bore .
Mosh : How many new songs from the new album will make the current setlist and how do those songs resonate with audiences in Europe ? DW : We do probably four songs off the record , which is a lot for a new record to do on tour . They went over totally great in Europe . We didn ’ t miss a beat . I pushed
Continued Continued on on page page 41 49
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