|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Vaste Burai
The Path Less Traveled |
|||
|
By DJ Ivie |
|||
“The record label has been great to us - we have complete artistic freedom,” frontman and guitarist Cody Lollar smiles. “Yeah, we could shit in a toilet as long as it’s 25 minutes long!” Kevin Blalock (drums) laughs. Luckily, the band has chosen to spare us a soundtrack to their most intimate of moments. The self-titled album, which has an average track length of six minutes, was recorded by Drew Emory at the infamous MyPlasticStudios in the east Texas town of Prichett - a place that doesn’t even have a population sign. “It’s where we did our (earlier) demo EP,” Lollar says. “It’s really laid back there. Drew brews his own beer, and Ruthie (his wife) makes the best pizza!” Signing to a small label will also give them distribution they may not have otherwise had. The only drawback is Vaste Burai will have to go DIY and pay their way while on the road with Ft. Worth’s Four Days to Burn. “They are lazy,” Blalock jokes about his tour mates. “But we love them.” In fact, Lollar cites FDTB as an influence along with Baroness and Church of Misery. The joint venture, which will take them up the east coast and back across to Chicago, was booked almost entirely on the much loved/hated Myspace. “The whole stoner/doom scene is more accepting,” Lollar says of organizing the tour. “We are stoked to be doing a few basement and house shows.” No doubt, their roadie and friend from the start, Super Ed will have his work cut out for him. It’s not anything he can’t handle, though. He has been known to pack four, full-stack guitar amps and drums into a truck that’s parked across a highway - before the band can finish a drink. Sitting at The Memphis Bar in their hometown, these unlikely regular patrons are preparing for a normal Saturday night - hitting what few music venues there are to see friends like Johnny Pecker & The Beaver Bustin’ Pickle Weasels. Although Vaste Burai is very visible in this tight-knit community, they have a hard time fitting the mold around here. This has played a huge part in them becoming a two-piece. “We don’t have to deal with an asshole singer, asshole bass player or asshole guitar player,” Blalock points out. “We are not verse/chorus/verse, and not many people want to do that.” “There are not a lot musicians to choose from,” Lollar matter-of-factly says. As evidenced by their recent record deal, this has not stopped them from branching out. “It’s easier for us to get shows in Ft. Worth,” Lollar admits. Blalock adds that people in bigger cities are more likely to “get” them. “I hope they don’t get us in New York,” Lollar shakes his head at his drummer. “God, I hope they don’t get us!” |
|||
|
|||
Website by
© Harder Beat Magazine All Rights Reserved