Death metallers Obituary have been around for almost 30
solid years since their formation way back when. Over the course of their
musical career they have released various albums, toured relentlessly, and just
doesn't seem to want to stop doing what they do. Frontman John Tardy who is 1
of 3 original members hence Terry Butler who is the bassist and new comer to
the band as of 2010, had caught up with me to discuss his life on the road,
upcoming touring schedule, and says that their upcoming ninth album will see
the light of day sometime next year.
1. How amazing do you think 2012 has been for you as a band
so far?
John: It's been great
actually we had a real fun year got to play a lot of shows and festivals
playing with Slayer and Lamb Of God, all kinds of stuff. Just keeping busy and
having a lot of fun. It seems every year it keeps getting bigger and better so
we just have fun with it.
2. What's new in the recording of your music?
John: We were suppose to have an album done already but
hadn't gotten around to finishing it up so we haven't had the time to finish it
up. We did have the time off but we got busy doing other things spending time
with family and friends out finishing on the boats and stuff like that, so we
never got around to it. But we do have one we just need to put things together
and record it. Since we will be out on tour this September and possibly
November and then Europe in December this year is shot to getting it done. So
we'll get it done it in time for the summer of next year.
3. If you could have a headbanging contest between you and
the other guys who would win?
John: Wow that's a crazy question I definitely wouldn't want
to go up against Corspegrinder (George Fisher vocalist of Cannibal Corpse) I'd
probably pick someone like Tom Araya of Slayer so maybe go against him and then
him and I can go drinking after tossing it around a few times.
4. You are about to start a fantastic headline US Tour with
Broken Hope, Decrepit Birth, Jungle Rot and Encrust. If you could think of one
thing you would like to accomplish the most through that tour what would that
be?!
John: Obviously make it home in once piece. But we're really
excited. I'm always getting fan email from fans asking when are we going to
tour at home. So it makes the shows get bigger and more exciting and I'm
looking forward to all of the good shows closer to home for sure.
5. What have you done to prepare yourselves for the tour?
John: We came up with this crazy idea to play songs off our
earlier records. So we got our first three albums so Don (brother/drummer) so
we worked on it and then we looked at each other and re-learn all of these
songs again. The one's we had played before it had been a while. So we picked 6
songs off each of these albums covering most of the material. So it was
challenging but we're getting tight and will be cool so it's going to be fun.
6. How easy is it to keep the motivation going on a daily
basis for Obituary?
John: It can definitely be challenging but you look to your
other members to get yourself pumped up and motivated. We don't sit there on
stools it's extreme music so it takes that motivation to get yourself going and
look to the other guys for that energy. I do always get emails from fans and
those positive emails do keep you going too and we're all looking forward to
this tour. It takes a little bit of time but I guess the closer the time comes
it makes you have to get out there and just do it.
7. What are you looking forward to about working with Broken
Hope, Decrepit Birth, Jungle Rot and Encrust on your tour?
John: I always tell people about this job is getting to meet
big bands and other bands we always run into them befriending them. A lot of
them I haven't even toured with them but bands like Jungle Riot and Broken Hope
we have known for a long time so seeing them get back together is cool. So
anytime the bands get together for the first day you're friends for a long time
so that's always good.
8. Once the tour in the USA is over what do you have planned
afterwards?
John: We're doing this tour in September and then in
November may be going to Central America and then in December going to Europe
so we're busy for the rest of the year. Then afterwards going back and
finishing up this album.
9. Is there any song that when you play it live on stage
makes your adrenaline levels kick in and make you want to go hyper?
John: There's usually a lot of them but when you start the
night off with that first song you know what reactions you want from the
audience. whether it' d be fast or slow. It seems we always end the night with
the song "Slow We Rot" when that song kicks in it gets the biggest
and most violent so that's always good.
10. When it comes to performing each and every night does
the time stand still or does it fly by when performing?
John: We've always liked to look at it like we work about 23
hours a day and that 1 hour is spent performing on stage. So a lot of the
time's everything you do flying, traveling, being bored, whatever it may be you
go through that winds up being the hardest part but once you hit that stage and
play for the fans we don't have to worry about anything we just play for the
fans and that's how we look at it.
11. What is one special effect that you would want to use or
see during your shows?
John: Well if we could have a bunch of naked girls on stage
that would be cool but it doesn't quite fit into what we do. (Laughs) Ideally
for us we don't always get to bring the production of what we would like to do.
But the things I would like to do would be to have better lightening, some
effects to dress things up a bit. It just gets kind of tough so a lot of the
backdrops we even have we can't even use at times. Like bands like Slipknot the
show's that they have are big and great so if we could have one like there's
being so big each and every night that would be awesome.
12. What about stage props what items would you want to use?
John: Ya know dry ice
and flames are hard to beat! (Laughs)
13. What has been the biggest banner that you have used
during any of your tours?
John: I think some of the biggest one's we've used for the
festivals are probably 30 by 20 in size there huge around 50lbs I try carrying
them around but they take up so much space and have to be in their own suit
cases. You only get to use them during like two festivals and they just hang
around afterwards but we do it.
14. Have you ever thought about playing a prank or joke on
the audience for example since you're a metal band you come out on stage with
acoustic guitars and then break them and just return to yourselves that's a
creative but funny idea.
John: That would be quite funny right there. Come out with
some acoustic Obituary come out with acoustic guitars, bongos, tambourines,
would be funny. I could definitely see the kid's faces they would definitely be
thrown a loop for that one.
15. To hear your songs played on radio, music videos on the
internet and TV - how amazing does that make you feel?
John: It's always
weird especially for me being a singer. We don't have the huge budgets to do
the types of videos we'd like to so we just pick a concept and do it as best as
we can. But it does get weird looking at yourself and at the old stuff you have
done. Like if you walked into your parent's house with some old friends and saw
a picture of yourself when you were in the 8th grade and you wonder what was I
thinking or why was I wearing that back then? But in the end you're stuck with
what you did so that's how it goes.
16. If you could tell people who haven’t heard your music
before why they should check you out right now - what would you say?!
John: A live show. For us live is far better than any album
we have ever done. You get it more and there's probably a ton of people out
there who would listen to our record and not get it. But the ones who do see us
live understand it than the other way around. So for me it's one of those
things, I want to change if some people were walking around and were dragged
into a bar and saw us play they'd likely enjoy it more.
17. You guys have been around for almost 30 years do you
ever sit back and actually think back as to "wow" I'm actually doing
this. What run's through your mind?
John: It kinda of does we're all still pretty young at heart
so we don't do stuff people typically our age would be doing. We could go and
not do a album for like 5 or 7 years. So one album it was 7 years between them
so I was doing interviews and ran into some people and how much of an influence
our music was, like Slipknot, Pantera, Lamb of God, it wasn't until then that
we got back together and it fell through it was nice to hear so we've been
moving forward from then on.
18. You guys have toured a lot over the years but where
hasn't Obituary set foot in?
John: We were talking with the guys of Lamb Of God who were
just playing in India so that would be a cool place to go too. We get lots of
offers to go to Indonesia and haven't been. There's so many places even in the
U.S. that we haven't been too. But we've been fortunate to go to the places we
have been. It's a great thing to be able to do and visit places and meet
people. Like this last time we had 3 days off in Amsterdam which has a good
friend of ours living there so we got to stay there see his family and how he
lived his everyday life. It's a cool insight whether than using the airports
and what not it's very cool.
19. Anything else you'd like to add or say to the fans?
John: Well mostly this tour is the biggest thing on our
plate for right now. We just have a lot of shows coming up so we're just looking
forward to getting back out there and having fun with what we do.
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