Interview with Greg Anderson for Italian fanzine, Gardenia

1999 HAS FINISHED; HOW HAS IT GONE FOR GOATSNAKE? I THINK IT WAS A GREAT YEAR FOR GOATSNAKE.

Well, it was a interesting year for sure. we got to go to Europe and play , and we had a killer time. Met some great people. We also made some changes and now have a new bass player. So we spent the latter half of 99 breaking in Stuart (the new bass player)..and really set ourselves up for 2000!

CAN YOU TELL ME SOMETHING MORE ON THE NEW GOATSNAKE PROJECT: "DOG DAYS" & THE SPLIT FOR HYDRAHEAD?

"Dog Days" is coming out on my label; SouthernLord, its a 5 song EP of new songs we wanted to get out as a preview to our upcoming second album. The split on Hydrahead is 2 songs ..that are a bit heavier than our previous recordings. And it features a St. Vitus song. We tried very hard to not look to wimpy next to BurningWitch...So that is why those songs sound a bit different for Goatsnake!

WHY DID GUY PINHAS LEAVE THE BAND AND CAN YOU TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT STUART, THE NEW BASSIST?

Guy Pinhas left the band due to personal differences. Our new bass player is an old friend of mine from Seattle, Stuart Dahlquist...he also played with Burning Witch. He very suitably fills the low end department for the Snake!

WHAT ABOUT YOUR OTHER PROJECT: SUNN & THORR' S HAMMER?

SUNN 0))) is a project that Stuart, myself and Steve O' Malley (who is also part of SouthernLord) started about 2 years ago. It is pure subharmonic drone/riff ambience. No drums. We just emerged from the studio with a recording that I'm proud to say is the heaviest music I've ever played on!! It will be released on Rise Above (Europe), and Hydrahead (states) this summer. Thorrs Hammer was Steve O'Malley and I's very first collaboration. We formed the band with the mutual interest in making sick, brutal sounds. The band is on a terminal hiatus at the moment.

WHAT IS RUNHILDE DOING NOW?

Runhild, moved back to Norway about 4 years back, and is in school. She will one day win the Nobel Peace prize...mark these words!!

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO FOUND YOUR PERSONAL LABEL?

I've always wanted to expose others to my personal pollution...and turn them on...This is the ultimate way to do it. We were also sick of weak stoner rock and false hippie doom...And knew the stuff we would release needed to be heard.

WHAT'S THE NEXT PROJECT AND FORTHCOMING RELEASES ON SOUTHERN LORD?

Our next release is the Goatsnake EP "Dog Days", after that we are planning on releasing a record by a great ROCK N' ROLL band called the WANT.

IT IS SIMPLE TO WRITE SUCH HEAVY MUSIC HAVING A MELODIC SINGER LIKE PETE?

Well, we write the music and then Pete will come in over the top with the melodies..We all love this combo..as the ultra-heavy groove is contrasted nicely with his killer melodic voice.

(ABOUT PETE) DO YOU KNOW IF THE NEW EARTHLINGS ALBUM IS READY?

I'm not sure...sorry.

DO YOU FEEL BETTER IN THE DOOM SCENE OR IN THE STONER SCENE?

Neither...we are a ROCK N'ROLL BAND period.

WHAT'S YOUR PAST MUSIC EXPERIENCE (WHICH TYPE OF MUSIC DID YOU SOUND WITH ENGINE KID?)

Engine Kid was difficult to classify. We were influenced by the Melvins a lot...but we were fairly melodic...and influenced by bands like Slint, Bastro, Codeine..etc.. Heavy , dynamic, sometimes jazzy.

WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU'LL TOUR EUROPE AND WILL THERE BE ANY ITALIAN DATES?

We hope to travel to Europe when our second album comes out! We'd love to go to Italy!! Can't wait to meet some Italian women!!!

WHY DO GOATSNAKE HAVE SUCH BAD COVERS FOR SUCH GREAT ISSUES (CD "1" AND 7'' "MAN OF LIGHT)?

Shit man...WE LOVE those covers. They are humorous, and ironic. We didn''t want a typical cover. I think we got that.

DO YOU LIKE THE CONTRAST OF UNUSUAL SOUND IN YOUR HEAVY MUSIC, BECAUSE IN "THE INNOCENT" THERE IS A HARMONICA; THERE ARE EVEN VIOLINS IN ANOTHER SONG (NOW I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAME) AND IN THE FREE COVER OF "HEARTBRAKER" THERE WILL BE AN ORGAN?

Well we think its important to have that contrast and dynamics..It makes it interesting...Really if you look at some of the band that influence us: Skynyrd, Sabbath, Zeppelin..they all used various instruments to make their masterpieces...we look at it with the same theory!

DO YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING TO ALL THE ITALIAN GOATSNAKE FANS?

Can't wait to come play for you!!! Lock up your daughters!!