Cause and effects with Cymbals Eat Guitars
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New York-based Cymbals Eat Guitars had a hit on their hands last year with the release of Why There Are Mountains – a nine-track sonic assault that garnered praise far and wide and landed on several critics’ best lists. It was released early in 2009, then re-released late in the year after the band was signed to Sister’s Den Records. The collection is filled with urgent pop swells and dives courtesy of singer/guitarist Joseph D’Agostino. WTDP? was able to track down Joseph and keyboardist Brian Hamilton recently for a little Q&A session. The boys chimed in from Italy, a stop on the current European tour, to talk about their music, their gear and Brian’s pedal company!
With the new year comes new features at What’s That Dude Play?, and one of the most requested additions we’ve heard from gear heads around the world was the need for video. You asked, we answered. We just uploaded the a handful of videos to our new You Tube channel. The video was shot at the NAMM show this past weekend and include demos of the Pigtronix Philosopher King, the Red Witch Medusa Chorus/Tremolo re-issue, the latest Suhr pedals and a walk-thru of Burriss Amps’ 18-watt Dirty Red head. We will be added more videos as we get them done. Footage from shows, our own demos, you name it! Find it all 
Guitarist Steve Mazur has been with Canada’s Our Lady Peace since near the completion of 2002’s Gravity album when he was tapped to replace founding member Mike Turner. The band has been a mainstay on popular radio since its 1994 debut Naveed, which spawned the hit single ‘Starseed’. Not long after Mazur joined the band, OLP found itself at odds with its record label, its producer and itself. Their next record – 2006’s Healthy In Paranoid Times – was nearly the band’s undoing. WTDP? had a chance to talk with Mazur recently about the his stint with the group, his favorite gear and the band’s love for their new album Burn Burn.
Guitarist Marc Copely is no stranger to the road. Out this summer as the complementary axe man on Billy Squier’s All Night Long tour, Copely has shared the stage with the likes of U2 and opened in support of bands like Coldplay and Our Lady Peace among others. This summer, Copely released his second solo album, a rootsy slice of Americana and blues called Harp & Plow. WTDP? had the chance to catch up with Copely – a self-professed pedal hound – before he hit the stage with Billy in Houston last weekend to talk about his gear obsession, the new solo effort and his plans after the road.
Where to good bands go when they die? Hopefully, the Meat Puppets won’t have to answer that question… again. The heralded post-punk stalwarts have seen some tough times via the assorted demons of bassist Cris Kirkwood. The band, apart for years, reformed and released a new album in 2007, Rise To Your Knees. That collection was met with some praise, but not like that of 2009’s Sewn Together, which boldly announces the return of the Puppets in all their rocka-psyche-twangy glory. WTDP? had a chance to talk with Cris’ brother, frontman/guitarist Curt Kirkwood, about the current album, his gear de jour and the state of today’s music from a fan’s perspective.
He is surrounded on stage by a trio of hard rocking veterans called Snake, Away and Blacky on a night in/night out basis, blasting vintage metal with a progressive bent. He took up the mantle for a fallen mentor and Canadian guitar god named Piggy. His name… is Dan. With his first ever trip to Europe winding down, Voivod guitarist Dan Mongrain took time out prior to the group’s date in Oslo to talk one-on-one with WTDP? about the band’s current tour, their most recent album Infini, plans for the future and some of his very un-metal guitar heroes.
Our own Holly Wright climbed aboard the Tantric tour bus last week prior to their Houston-area gig to talk with the group about their latest effort Mind Control. Mind Control, released last month on Silent Majority Group, is a 12-track album packed with aggressive guitar riffs and signature Tantric melodies. Vocalist Hugo Ferreira, guitarist Joe Pessia, bassist Erik Leonhardt, violinist Marcus Ratzenboeck and drummer Ritchie Monica share what it’s like to be ripped off on the road, to work with Brett Hestla, to write new Tantric material and their favorite tunes off the new album. Listen to the spirited, unedited conversation below…
And you thought I’d forgotten!? Well… maybe, but nonetheless here is the long-overdue WTDP? Radio Podcast #2. In this mind-rockin’ episode, I run down some of my most anticipate new records of the summer – and there are quite a few! I also have a clip of an interview I did with Adam Tanbouz of He Is Legend and wrap it all up with a very special one-on-one, in-studio chat with Galactic Cowboys frontman Ben Huggins. Ben and I talk about the trio of Texas dates coming later this month for the boys – the first time they’ve toured in over a decade! The whole thing kicks off with new music from Living Colour. Vernon Reid is just too good! Dig in!
North Carolina’s He Is Legend has a history of alienating its fan base through changes in direction between records, and they’re about to do it again. Next month, the group releases ‘It Hates You’, its first album on their new label, Tragic Hero. The new record is a great rock album, chock full of aggressive guitar riffs and, perhaps more interestingly, melodic, soulful vocals – a welcome change from the army of screamo bands now populating the hard rock scene. WTDP? has a chance to talk with guitarist Adam Tanbouz about the new record, the songwriting process and his ‘lame’ gear.
From the ashes of Texas power trio Tellus arises Galea – the brainchild of Tellus husband and wife team Chris and Mary Howell. The pair, along with the drumming and production assistance of former Galactic Cowboy Alan Doss, just release their new CD – Theo’s Drive-In – on their own Coffee Monster Music label. The 14-track disc is chalk full of great, straight-ahead rockers fueled by Chris’ howling guitars and Mary’s full, yet haunting vocal delivery. WTDP? had a chance to talk with Chris about making the new record, husband/wife songwriting dynamic and his geekiness over gear.
Bay Area modern rockers Dredg return to the airwaves this summer with their first new album since 2005’s ‘Catch Without Arms’. Next month, the four-piece will release ‘The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion’ – an 18-track, hook-filled gem that drew part of its inspiration from a Salman Rushdie essay. The band is currently on the road previewing tracks from the new record as well as playing fan favorites from its previous CDs. WTDP? caught up with vocalist/guitarist Gavin Hayes and guitarist Mark Engles and asked the duo about making the new record, the gear involved and their overall songwriting process. Check out the interview after the jump!