What isn't talked about as much is the stoic determination required to survive touring for most of the year with nothing more than a van and a trailer and an appetite for playing extreme metal music. Falgoust's path to success? If you are having a bad day or even a bad week on the road buckle down and soldier on to the next venue. Things are bound to look up at some point, correct?
Goatwhore's dedication to craft and years of touring that would break most bands appear to have paid off. The band's full-length Carving Out The Eyes of God broke the Billboard 200 chart in its first week and is getting the best write-ups of the band's career. Falgoust checked in from a stop in Minneapolis with to chat with About.com about the new album; where guitarist Sammy Duet gets all of his riffs; how Goatwhore survives their gypsy-like travel schedule and how it's possible to play a show when you are suffering from bronchitis and walking pneumonia.
Justin M. Norton: Can you tell me more about making Carving Out The Eyes of God?
Ben Falgoust: The experience and professionalism were there more this time than in the past, particularly with our newer members Zack (Simmons, drums) and Nathan ( Bergeron, bass). The writing process was pretty much the same. Sammy has a bunch of tapes of riffs. He’s recorded them fast and stockpiled them. We go through the riffs and pick things out to create a song. Sometimes we tear it apart again or come up with new parts. There were some parts recorded on a computer and sent to Rutan (producer Erik Rutan) so when we entered the studio he was familiar with the direction and where we were headed with the songs.
You mentioned Sammy having a tape of riffs – he seems like an unbelievable riff machine. Is he working on these on the road or in his down time?
If he’s sitting at home or in venue, if he comes up with something he’ll try to tape it or write it down so he doesn’t forget it. If he doesn’t jot it down it will become a fly-by. He just has a knack for it.
When it comes time we sift through riffs and place them. We might tear it apart or put it together. It’s not like we go to his tapes, pick out three riffs and, boom, there’s an album. I call what we do “fishing for a riff.” We put in his tape, press play, and we look for cool ones and try to pull them together.
Does the band consider Sammy’s riffs the backbone of your music?
Definitely. It’s the beginning structure of a Goatwhore song. It starts there. He works well with Zack and they feed off each other. Sammy can bring him a riff and he can have an instant drum riff. It starts there and then ever member gets a piece until it’s solid.
With so much of your life spent on the road how are you able to do this comfortably?
The road isn’t for everybody. You see that with new bands. They start and then you see on Blabbermouth that three members quit on tour. It’s understandable. It’s a thing you grow into and learn to deal with. There’s a lot of anxiety because you never know what the outcome will be or when the next tour is going to happen. There’s always a question. I try to fill my time between tours so I don’t have this built up anxiety about what’s going to happen. Then once you have a new record out you need to get on the road and push it.
What is the hardest part – trying to get a decent night’s sleep, getting sick on the road, trying to find a good meal? What are the challenges for a band that is on the road for the better part of the year?
When you get sick on the road, you have to play. It’s miserable, but you have to fight through it. Because if you don’t play the show you don’t get paid and you don’t sell any merchandise and it starts cutting into your budget. You can be as sick as hell but you’re fighting to make sure things keep moving. There are times when it gets really bad and you have to cancel a show.
Also, being in a van with six people you have six different heads and sets of emotions. You need to learn to keep your mouth shut sometimes. It helps to keep everything cool and collected. It’s a given with six people in the van and eight-hour drives that there will be arguments. You can’t get away from each other much – so you learn to master all these different elements.
To me, it’s become a way of life. You are sitting on a bench seat and you can’t get a full, solid sleep. When I get home and I get in my bed my back is killing me, the actual comfortable bed is hurting my back. So I go outside to the van and sleep outside for a few nights and then sync back into bed. Then, when I go back on the road it’s the same. Sammy says that when he gets home he can’t sleep at night for weeks because his body is so used to the idling and movement of the van.
Can you think of a show you played where you were so sick you were amazed you got through it?
It was between The Eclipse of Ages Into Black and A Funeral Dirge For The Rotting Sun. We were finishing a few dates and then heading home. We were in Detroit and the snow was piled up to my waist. Before I went on stage I was sitting backstage with the shivers because I was so cold. I sounded like a cat because my throat was just raw. After I played I went and lay down. We were supposed to have one more show, which we did cancel. It was pretty bad. When I was doing it I thought I have to be crazy to be in this position and perform. It was like people were putting bleach in my chest and I was trying to breathe. I got home and had bronchitis, walking pneumonia and something else all at once.
