3-Way Interview: Mastodon, Gojira, Kvelertak

New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Roadrunner Records) Rick Florino of ArtistDirect recently hooked up a four-way phone call with Bill Kelliher of Mastodon , Joe Duplantier of Gojira , and Erlend Hjelvik of Kvelertak to discuss a wide variety of subjects, including the bands' upcoming tour; their earliest concert experiences; and much more! This is only part one of a three-part feature, so look out for more very soon!

Bill describes how some joint shows in Australia sparked the idea for the North American tour: "We did a lot of the [Soundwave] side shows together. Back then, I thought, 'What a powerful package this would be to take over to the United States! This would be a no-brainer concert ticket sell-out!' It's three powerful bands who are slightly different in their own ways. We're also three international bands as well. We've got France, Norway, and the U.S. all wrapped up into one bill. It's really unique and cool, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Erlend recalls his first metal show: "I think the first metal show I went to was Satyricon , but I come from a small village and there were never any shows. That's the first one I traveled out of town to go to when I was 17 years old. I was too eager. I remember I got super drunk, and I got kicked out after two songs. It was kind of a bummer."

Joe talks about the importance of stage presentation, and how DIY can be the best way to go: "If you're willing to work with your own hands on the production, you can make something happen. For example, I built this head we had on stage with a couple of guys from the crew. We spent a week working on this ourselves because we couldn't afford to have one built by someone else."
Read the whole thing: https://bit.ly/1gDLJBG

The Mastodon / Gojira / Kvelertak tour begins April 28 - find a show near you !