Zozobra interview

Nothing much, I'm in Boston. We're practicing and getting ready for the tour.

Yep.

Yeah, I think they just...I know they're scheduled to finally join the tour when it reaches D.C. or something, which is insane, because they were supposed to be on the whole thing and couldn't get work permits or whatever.

Yeah, definitely. I've always loved Godflesh and obviously Jesu now. I'm attracted to the more, almost like, industrial sounding type of stuff. With a groove to things where things kind of circle around a beat or a bassline or something. So that's definitely an influence of mine, for sure.

No, I'm not too familiar with a lot of that stuff. I'm still getting to know - I kind of caught on a little late. I found Godflesh because of Jesu, you know? I'm still kind of working my way back and digging around, finding new stuff that's sort of similar to that.

Basically, the idea of doing a record of my own songs has been something that I've been wanting to do for a long time now. But I've been so busy with Cave In and touring all the time, I've never had the opportunity to set aside time to write and record. So when we got back from our last tour, which I think was in Japan, as soon as I got home I called my buddy Andrew and booked time with him. I did that so I would have no choice but to actually see this idea through. Things just happened fast like that because I wanted to do it. I didn't want to procrastinate or drag anything out too long. Just got home, got a bunch of songs together, sort of tuned a few up that I had kicking around for a while, and I went and did it.

No, it was my intention to record the record on my own dime and kind of start sending it around to different people to see if anyone would be interested in releasing it. My obvious first choice would've been Hydra Head, and it just worked out that one day Mark was inquiring about whether or not I had new demos he could hear, so I passed those off to him and they kind of just said, "well, we'd love to put it out." So that was that. Like I said, they were my first choice, so it just worked out really well, man. I feel really fortunate. It's been real great so far.

Um, I think the band itself...I'm happy with the way everything is going. Even now, being in Boston and actually hearing it as a band for the first time, you know, being in a room with people playing guitar. It's pretty exciting and I definitely think that I want to do at least another record. More than anything, this is just sort of a test to see if I had the ability or the interest to branch out and just kind of start doing my own thing, musically. Which I'm definitely full-on dedicated about now. So if another Zozobra record doesn't come out in another year or so, something else will.

Definitely.

Well, I guess I'd have to just, not to be too obvious, but attribute a lot of that to playing in both Cave In and Old Man Gloom. I mean, especially Cave In really just sort of formed my whole outlook on music, whether it be writing songs, recording, or playing live - whatever. It's just always been about sort of no cutting corners at all. It's got to be full on or nothing kind of a deal. Originally I was going to do this recorded at home type deal, and I was like, "what am I thinking?" If you're going to do something, do it right. Make it sound big and make it sound good. That's just sort of my mentality behind it. But definitely Cave In and Old Man Gloom.

Yeah.

No, I mean, it's kind of inescapable, you know? Had I never played in either of those bands, I'm sure nobody would even think of it, but it's unavoidable. A few of the songs were intended to be possible Cave In songs, so yeah, that's kind of an unavoidable comparison and I definitely don't deny it. I think for me, this is still new, and writing songs on my own is still kind of fresh and I'm still figuring it out. I definitely have a tendency to fall back on old habits and stay true to a form that I've stayed true to for years and years in my previous bands. Hopefully as I sort of grow into my own personality here with the music, it will start to stand out a little more and be much more of a different entity than my other bands.

Yeah, definitely. I think in the past years, I haven't really been listening to enough heavy music. I haven't been influenced by a lot of heavy, metal-type bands. So I feel kind of bad, almost, because it's where my heart lies. I've always felt more comfortable playing heavier music and writing heavier songs. So, I'm definitely trying to learn more towards that stuff and refine that sort of side of me, other than trying to write catchy songs or a song that follows a specific format.

Yeah, and it's tough, because there are very few new bands that come out that I get really excited about.

Oh, man. I mean, now that I've sort of set myself on this path and getting more interested, I'm finding all kinds of stuff that went over my head when I was younger. Like all the Harvey Milk stuff.

I just missed it, for whatever reason.

Yeah, and I hear that shit now and I'm like, "you've got to be fucking kidding me, man!" They were devastating and they have no rhythm or rhyme to their songwriting. It's killer. I love it.

Yeah. Absolutely. Those guys are incredible musicians. I can take an Oxbow record and just listen to the bass for the whole thing, and it's a good listen, you know?

Oh, shit, are you going to talk to Eugene?

He's a real personality, you know? Definitely a one of a kind. [laughing]

Um...yeah, I don't know. It's weird. I'm kind of on the fence about it. As nice as it would be to always have people to play with all the time and practice with and write songs with, it's tough right now. It almost doesn't make sense. Just, as it is, I live in Los Angeles and Santos lives in New York, so it's hard enough for the two of us to get together, let alone other people. I think for now, it'll probably just stay him and I, and in the future if it becomes more convenient for he and I to get together, then we're definitely going to want to recruit some permanent members.

No, not at all. It's not like a trick where I want to be writing all the guitar parts or whatever. It's not about that. It's just at this point of time it's more of a convenience.

Yeah, exactly.

Right on, that sounds fun.

Oh, I couldn't even answer that question. I've heard some different literal translations. That would be pretty interesting if that's what it meant in Portugese. I think the literal Spanish translation is, "being in a ship that is lost at sea," and then I've heard also that the translation of it signifies a sick or deathly feeling.

Popozao? [laughing]

No shit. [laughing]

[laughing] I would think that you and I should get together and have a drink, and maybe have a little bit of a talk, man.

I mean, as long as we're talking about people living in the core of the Earth, I could go on and on about that.

Hah, yeah. It's not just lizard puppeteers down there, either. You'd be surprised.

Well, we'll have to get together and talk about that.

Is that true?

That's questionable, man. I think that depends on who you ask. But let me ask him. Hey, is it true that you want to meet Chevy Chase?

Santos: Yeah.

Why? Isn't he just a fucking...shitty...asshole...washed-up comedian?

With illegitimate children?

Santos: [mumbling]

You're being interviewed, man!

Santos: Ohhhhh.

He's gotta get his interview pants on. I think I just woke up him from a nap.

He just looked at me like I'm fucking crazy and went back to sleep.

No, I don't think he's got it in him right now.

[laughing] You know that Myspace is just about meeting women anyways. He's just trying to tap into the whole huge female Chevy Chase fanbase.

He's cornering the market, man.

[laughing] Oh man. That's a terrible question to ask me, man.

You know what I'd do? I'd probably let the car drop on the Octave Museum, only because I know moments later it would be lifted off by Stephen and smashed over the head of Thor because that motherfucker has a line, and when you cross it, you'd better look out.

Did I do that okay?

Make me choose between my friends...

Yeah, I heard it's bullshit, actually. Yeah, man. Adam just went today to the comic store to get it, and the girl told him not to even bother because apparently he got shot in the back of the neck but survived it.

That's exactly what I told him three days ago when he was fucking on the verge of tears. I was like, "dude, do you honestly think they're going to do away with Captain America?"

[laughing] Yeah.

No, I may have, but I don't recall it.

Yeah, that tends to happen with arcade games.

[laughing] Like, embedded in all the small children's subconscious.

They can go buy any and all Hydra Head releases, because those guys owe me a lot of money. Support Hydra Head.

No, I think this was pretty thorough, man. Thank you.