Q&A: Mastodon

Mastodon are (left to right): Brett Hinds, Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders and Bill Kelliher (Credit: Cindy Frey)

Mastodon bassist/singer Troy Sanders is walking over shards of glass behind the venerable Houston venue Fitzgerald’s, surrounded by two dumpsters and exhaust from his prog-metal band’s bus.

Last night, he was sitting in Soundgarden’s dressing room. Mastodon had just played a Dallas theatre gig with the grunge stars.

“A band that’s blown me away for the last 20 years, shooting the s--- until everyone’s bus call,” Sanders says. “‘Wow, I’m friends with Soundgarden.’ There’s been a lot of great little moments like that.”

Like Björk telling Mastodon she’s a fan when they bumped into her at a London hotel. Or James Hetfield imploring the Atlanta quartet to “keep flying the flag” after they opened a Metallica stadium show.

Mastodon’s lineup includes guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher. Their fifth studio album, “The Hunter,” finds them achieving a rare heavy-rock coup: becoming more tuneful without ditching their gonzo essence.

Troy, the first single from “The Hunter,” “Curl of the Burl” is about an interesting subject: chainsaw-toting meth heads who scour woods looking for sought-after tree knots to cut out and sell to feed their habit. Where did the band come across that real-life inspiration?
Brann was watching a documentary on folks who live that circle of insanity, and he thought, “Wow.” And we have a lot of woods themes and references throughout the record and we’re fans of the forest. So anyway, Brann just thought it was a very sad and horrific lifestyle these people live, but he felt it would be potentially good subject matter and lyrical content.

Another track from “The Hunter,” “Stargasm,” is about having sex in outer space. What’s an album you’ve knocked boots to a few times?
“Magnified” by the band Failure. Any classic country: John Prine, Porter Wagoner. Besides the reality behind things like “Curl of the Burl,” we tried to lighten it up a little on this record.

“The Hunter” song “Blasteroid” got its name from an arcade game at Atlanta’s Doppler Studios, where Mastodon recorded the album. What’s a video game you can really jam on?
We’ve got to go with the classic “Galaga.” The sit-down, restaurant-style “Galaga.”

What do you think of Metallica’s collaboration album with Lou Reed, “Lulu”?
I haven’t heard any of that yet, but I’m a Metallica fan and very excited about hearing what they’re doing with Lou. Brann talked to Lars a few days ago and he said they were super-super busy doing press for that.

What kind of stuff does one talk about when one “shoots the s---” with Soundgarden?
Hold on, man. [A male voice in the background can be heard asking Sanders a question, to which Sanders, replies, “Um, I don’t think so. Thanks, man.”] I just had a fan ask me if I’m going to need any cocaine later. “I’m good!” I was just trying to hold onto my coffee while I signed his guitar with a Sharpie. I’m sorry, what were we talking about?

Soundgarden.
Oh, right. We were just talking about when we were in Seattle about five or six years ago working on the “Leviathan” record. [Soundgarden bassist] Ben Shepard took us to a little bar he owned and locked the door, and we just stayed in there and got silly all night. So we were just talking about that and about shows. And New Orleans. We’re both playing there tomorrow for the Voodoo Fest.

Mastodon is signing copies of “The Hunter” later today. Growing up, did you collect autographs?
Yeah, absolutely. Anytime I would meet an athlete, that was a big deal. I remember meeting Peter Rose. He was a badass. And I met Rowdy Roddy Piper at the grocery store.  Now I still collect [autographs]. At the end of the Slayer tour we had this poster with all the dates across Europe and Australia, I got [Slayer] to sign that. And then, I’ve got a Ramones record that was signed. George Jones is my favorite country artist of all time, and I’ve got his record signed and framed. I’ve got “Through Silver in Blood” signed by Neurosis because that record changed my world.

Your band played Letterman the other night. Do you get more or less nervous for a TV appearance than for a big concert gig?
Those late-night talk shows are the most nerve-wracking our band has ever encountered. There’s a small audience and they’re very far removed, and you kind of just walk out there and hit the go button, and there’s nine or eight cameras all around you and you’ve got one shot to make it right, and then it’s broadcast to millions of people. They’re a unique opportunity, that’s for sure, but it’s an uncomfortable situation. It’s brutal.

Mike Elizondo, known for his work with hip-hop artists such as Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, produced “The Hunter.” How could you tell he would be a good fit?
When we first started sharing our demos with Mike, he embraced our heavy songs as much as he embraced our slower rock songs just as much as our psychedelic parts. We bonded on a personal level right away, as well as on musical tastes. He flew into Atlanta and bought us tacos. Basically if anybody buys us tacos, they’re in.