Andrew Grant (The Vomit Arsonist/DHIM/Danvers State Recordings)
1. What are your top five albums that were released in 2017? (In order 1-5)
- Gnaw - Cutting Pieces
- Primitive Man - Caustic
- Trepaneringsritualen - Kainskult
- Shock Frontier - Tumult
- Dean Hurley - Anthology Resource Vol. 1: ??
2. What band did you discover in 2017 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
Chelsea Wolfe. I'd heard all about her, but I never bothered to listen to her music until recently. It was a rainy, cold, miserable day and I was looking for something to listen to that matched that atmosphere. I'm mad at myself for not listening sooner, especially knowing how many times I've missed seeing her live.
3. How will you remember 2017? (In terms of music)
I released one CD and a tape of my own work, and a few tapes for other projects. I played one show on my own, and three or four as a member of other groups. I was far less productive this year than I've been in years past, outwardly, but I've spent a lot of time retooling things, fine tuning whatever skills I may have, experimenting with different setups and instruments.. It's been a studio year.
4. What can we look forward to from you in 2018?
A collaboration with THEOLOGIAN, The Icy Bleakness of Things, which will be released on cassette in early spring. The Further cassette will see the light of day early in the year. Possibly a new full length, although that could take the entire year just to write. I'm hoping to do a short tour somewhere in the US toward the end of the year, although I'd prefer to hit finally hit Europe.
5. What records are you looking forward to most in 2018?
Whatever Richard D. James releases, KINTAAN's self-titled debut, new Gnaw Their Tongues... and probably a ton of hip hop that I can't think of right now.
6. For most, 2017 will be remembered as a year of political and social conflict. How does that cultural atmosphere influence your own music or artistic life?
I find the world to be more disgusting and reprehensible than I ever have before. That's what the political and social climate of this year has done for me. It's made me more negative, more cynical, more bitter, and it's completely removed any small glimmer of hope I may have had. This has all been very beneficial in when it comes to writing bleak music; instead of using how badly I feel about myself as my main influence, I've expanded outward into feeling completely disgusted with the human condition and using that. As long as the world keeps going to shit, I'll have no shortage of music to write.
