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Sunday, 26 August 2012

20 Questions w/ Sons Of Tonatiuh

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Sons Of Tonatiuh 2012 (Tim, Dan, Mike)

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Hey Sludge hounds, yes, it is that time again! 20 Questions...time. This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Dan Caycedo, guitarist and front man with ace Atlanta, Georgia band, Sons Of Tonatiuh.

I reviewed their exceptional sophomore record last month here, however I have been a fan of Dan's music since before his tenure with this band . For those of you that didn't know, Dan was also the driving force of the band Leechmilk. Check them out too. Anyway I digress, Parade of Sorrow is a fantastic record and I am more than fortunate that Dan took the time to speak with us. So here in full, is my 20 Questions with Dan from Sons Of Tonatiuh. Hope you enjoy!

Hey guys,
how are you?I'm thrilled and extremely
grateful you agreed to talk to us, here at The Sludgelord Blog.

Doing swell
thank you.

Where are
you guys at the moment and what are you doing, in terms of the band at the
present?You preparing to tour?

We are all
over the place! Been busy trying to get our Northeast tour under wraps. We
leave in a couple of days. Also been setting up a West coast tour for October.
Trying to maintain our brand new website (www.sonsoftonatiuh.com). Working on brand new material. Etc…

You’re a
band that came to my attention, following the release of your excellent S/T
debut album in 2010 and also from your association with the band Leechmilk, who
released one full length album, 2 demos and a split with Sofa King Killer.(Correct me if I’m wrong?)

You are
correct sir.

For those
folks who are not familiar with your band, could you tell us a little a bit
about the history of the band?Where
you’re from, when Sons Of Tonatiuh first formed? Current band members etc?

The idea for
Sons came about back in 2006. I had been trying to find a drummer and bass for
a couple of years off and on in the meantime promoting other shows that I liked
here in Atlanta. In 2008 I came across a drummer through a mutual friend that
had a guitar rig (which turns out was the same rig my old guitar player had
from Leechmilk days) that I ended up buying from him. I found Mike, bassman,
on line by chance. He was essentially the 1st bass player I tried
out. Lucky me. After a year and a half with Jake, our first drummer, we hired
on Tim Genius. He brought a whole new dynamic and so it took off from there.
That was 2010 right before we recorded our first album. 7 tours later… here we
are.

What is
the metal scene like in your home town?

It’s decent.
It has been developing since the early 00’s.

Are you
fans of metal?If so who are you
listening to at the moment?

Yes, I grew
up a metal head. Mike grew up listening to crust punk and Tim grew up in the DC
area listening and seeing a lot of Fugazi and other DC hardcore bands. At the
moment though we probably all have big contrast in music tastes as compared to
our youthful experiences. Even-though we’re in a doom/sludge band you’d be
surprised to what we listen to. I like a lot of old bluesy, flamenco and
Dixieland type stuff these days. Once in a while I’ll crack open a Neurosis
album but for the most part I’m listening to more chill stuff. I’ve also been
collecting a lot of classic rock stuff on vinyl. Mike and Tim are pretty much
in the same boat with Tim more into really underground stuff that I don’t even
know about. Which doesn’t say much. I find out about new music every day.

What made
you start the band?

Probably my
desire to stay involved with playing music. I’ve been playing music since my
teens so it’s almost a habit I can’t seem to break.

Is SOT a
full time project?

Yes

Where did
the name SOT come from?What was the
inspiration behind it?In Aztec
Mythology Tonatiuh was the sun god, is that right?

Tonatiuh is
the name of one of the many Aztec gods. Specifically it is a sun god that they
used to worship and make sacrifices to. I’ve always been fond of ancient
religions, so when I came across this godhead, it pretty much sold me on the
idea of a band name.

Your
artwork is amazing on Parade of Sorrow, were you involved in the creation of
it?What does it represent?

We threw
around many ideas for the album cover and went through 2 different artists
before settling on someone that could make it really happen. We gave Chris
Parry, the artist, some direction in the idea for the album cover but he really
went with his own intuition and made it his. It’s basically a reflection on the
despair that we have as a human race when all is lost.

When you
started SOT what were your hopes and aspirations for the band?

Travel!

For the
uninitiated, how would you describe the sound of SOT? Has it evolved?

We’re trying
to evolve as a band and steer away from our doom/crust/sludge sound to
elaborate more on a song structure that is unique in our own way. Not sure how
to describe this since you haven’t heard the material we are currently writing
but it’s a leap in a new direction entirely.

What do
think of labels such a doom and or sludge/doom metal in reference to your
sound?Is it a help or a hindrance?Do you agree with it?

Not sure.
Labels are necessary as means of communication to others. You can’t just call
it music without explaining what kind of music is involved. I think we have
elements of doom, sludge, crust, punk, metal, dirge, grunge, among others so
its probably easiest to just call us a doom/sludge band for what its worth. Or
maybe just say we’re Black Sabbath Jr. Haha…

Are you
full time musicians?

Nope, we all
have day jobs.

What are
your views of blogs such as the Sludgelord reviewing your records, as opposed
to mainstream music magazine?Is there a
difference?

There aren’t
too many mainstream mags left that cover this kind of music, so it’s pretty
much a necessity for metal blogs to cover music since the majority of people
get their info from the internet.

What's it
like being in an underground metal band? Is it a struggle?

You have no
idea. Struggling is an understatement.

Who are
your influences musically and artistically? Do these influences affect the way
you write for SOT?

Musically I
would have to say Neurosis, Eyehategod, Floor, Melvins, Ohlm, Electric Wizard,
Johnny Cash, Sonic Youth, Coffins, etc…And yes, they influence my ideas about
music but I would never write music based solely on any one artist’s
perspective.

Does it
surprise you that people buy your music and merch?

Very much
so! Haha…

Why should
fans part with their money and buy your record?Do you feel Parade of Sorrow has been well received?

Nobody
should buy our album based on what I say. If they like what they hear then it’s
up to them to decide. I’m not a business man by any means. Nor do I preach to
people about what they should or shouldn’t do. However, I’d probably make more
money if I did!

What are
your views of people who download music for free? Is it a help or a hindrance
to your band?Are you in favour of the
digital era or do you prefer CDS or vinyl?

I’m a big
fan of vinyl, hence why we released our first 2 albums via vinyl. This is the
first band I’ve ever been in where I’ve had vinyl done of music I’ve recorded.
Downloading music is what people do regardless of it being free or not. I’ve
downloaded music for free myself but I’m not in favour of people
downloading/pirating independent music as much since most of these
bands/musicians are struggling to survive.

During
your short career so far with SOT, what are some of your highlights so far?
What are your aspirations for the future? How do you measure success?

Highlight
would be opening for EHG, playing a few festivals, releasing 2 albums without
breaking up! We hope to travel more next year as in go to Europe, Japan,
Australia, Canada, etc…Success is measured by the length of the reefer in your
mouth. Really, I have no idea. Success to me is just surviving and being able
quit my day job some day.

Do you
have any interesting stories from your tours?Who have been your favourite bands to tour with? Favourite place to
tour?

For stories
you should go to our Tumblr page (www.sonsoftonatiuh.tumblr.com) to read all our tour diaries. There are too many
stories for me to tell here.Our
favourite bands to tour with so far would have to be Accept Death, Fistula,
Black Pussy, and Man Will Destroy Himself among others.

How does
the process of writing work within the band?Does everyone contribute ideas etc?

Yes,
everyone contributes. Whether they like it or not! In the beginning we fight
and bicker about every riff and drum fill, but in the end we’re closer to where
we want to be musically.

Any chance
you're doing UK dates this year?What
are you plans for the remainder of 2012?

No Europe
this year. Working on a West coast tour for October. Possibly Europe next year.
You got a hook up for us??

A big big
thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, one final question, have
you got anything you like to say to your fans?

Thank you to everyone
who comes out to our shows and buys our music! We’re happy someone likes what
we do. And thank you for the opportunity to do this interview.

Cheers!

DanI must say a massive thank you again to Dan for talking the time to answer my questions and thanks to you guys for reading. There will be more 20 questions next week. BandcampFacebookHydro-Phonic Records

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

To those bands issuing their sophomore record and so on and would like to be considered for a review or stream on the blog. Get in touch using the same address above

We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks