Celestiial Interview is up 2/24/2010
http://bindrunerecordings.com/
1. "Where Life Springs Eternal" is your 2nd full release working with Bindrune. Your relationship seems strong with this label?
I do have a strong relationship with Bindrune. They aren't a label that will just release albums and then shut the door on everything else. Any band that has worked with Bindrune knows that. Their mission statement reflects their artists, and we stand behind Bindrune. Marty Rytkonen is a long-time friend of mine. I believe in his intentions with Bindrune and his passion for the underground as well as everything he has done over the years to support it. My other band, Obsequiae, is also due to release our debut on Bindrune next year.
2. With "Where Life Springs Eternal", I hear a lot of elements of DUSK (USA). Were they an influence at all? Especially with the nature intros and outros?
No, Dusk was not an influence on Celestiial. They were an incredible band (one of Wisconsin's most underrated next to Morbid Saint and Accidental Suicide) but I think that is an odd comparison honestly beyond the nature sounds you mentioned. To my ears, the music of Dusk was founded upon the bottom-end groove between the droning, chugging guitars and the percussive interplay. That drummer was such a melodic and powerful player. He articulated every nuance of the playing and milked it for all its worth. Again, a killer band. But Celestiial has little to nothing in common with a band like Dusk. If I understand the point of your question correctly, I'll mention here that the natural aspects in my compositions come from nature itself and my surroundings. They are a reaction to experiences with/within nature, not a reaction to another artist. I think that would be incredibly cheap.
3. Tanner, this seems to no longer be a solo project. Are Mr Walton (Bass) and Mr Glenn (Drums) full time members now?
It hasn't been a solo endeavor for some time, actually. Tim Glenn has been a member of Celestiial since 2006 immediately following the release of "Desolate North". Jason more recently offered his talents at the close of 2008. I don't know what exactly would define "full-time" either. We all are involved in our respective bands outside of Celestiial. But I'm pleased with the balance we've created and hope to continue working and developing together with this line-up.
4. Celestiial, in the most humble of words, is what Doom music is to me. Where did the ideas of ultra-slow and very organic sounds of "Where Life Springs Eternal" come from?
As I said earlier, Celestiial is a response to experience. "Where Life Springs Eternal" focuses on themes of slow development and growth as well as Spring which the title implies. With a recording like this, you can hear silence just as much as breath in the instruments over the static pulse. The repetition of ice-melt, the thawing of soil, the early signs of life and the first storms that drive the isolation of winter away from us are the musical themes that we wished to achieve on this recording. "Where Life Springs Eternal" isn't "riffy". The music just exists and belongs almost in the same manner as the sounds of Spring on the album.
5. Will Celestiial ever perform live or is it something that you cannot see happening?
I think it's inevitable. But it isn't a priority right now. Having played in several bands, I know the preparation and patience it takes to deliver something convincing in a live setting. Celestiial is unique because it has never been revealed in that light. But we do actively rehearse and the "live" sound in our rehearsal space is incredible. It ultimately comes down to what opportunity might present worthwhile.
6. Tanner, how are the guitar tones created for Celestiial? What kind of drop-tuning is done as the guitars are so low and molasses like? They're just simply achingly beautiful.
Thank you for those words. I fear I'm going to say too much about the technical end of this or come across as something I'm not. I am a listener and enthusiast first and foremost. I don't think there is anything less interesting than people who obsess over their instruments and gear. But I do acknowledge the question just as much as I recognize that I did, in truth, spend a fair amount of time creating a unique sound that can be identified as Celestiial.
The guitars are actually tuned to E flat standard. So they aren't dropped to any extreme at all. For the heavier low-end, I primarily play chords in fourths to give that brooding dirge. With the right amp settings, it can sound almost heavier than something down-tuned because it's tighter and crisper than the low end on looser strings when you downtune to A or something ridiculously low. Even older bands like Timeghoul utilized that technique with a standard tuning to create a sound that appeared abysmally lower than it actually was. I also use Mesa Cabinets with a lot of watts pushing that dirge.
I've read in various reviews the mentioning of "keyboards". I don't use synthesized instruments of any sort beyond loop pedals. I never have. The higher melodic parts are a lightly distorted guitar that are harmonized and caked in reverb to create a more distant patch of sonic space. The most distinguishable aspect with the guitars that I can mention is that nothing on "Where Life Springs Eternal" was played without using a volume swell. The actual "strike" of every chord is completely absent. The impact from striking the strings occurred at no volume and then it was swelled in with volume. As a result, you hear waves of distortion without any discernable beginning. So it sounds less like a guitar and more like a distorted pulse. This replicates a breath and that was important for the theme of "Where Life Springs Eternal". It was performed as though the pulse of this music was in fact living, breathing and not removed from its influence.
7. Is there a running theme behind "Where Life Springs Eternal"?
"Where Life Springs Eternal" was entirely improvised. So it's a little different to explain what the intentions were beforehand, what the intentions were during the recording and our impressions with the final result. I did address the focus and themes earlier.
The title is specific to place, season and something that is without beginning or end. And it was chosen because of an experience I had as a child growing up in the country outside Scandia, MN. There was nothing around our house except tall pines and fields. And I couldn't honestly say if this recollection was from a dream or an actual memory. I suppose in the end all we have are blurry memories from our early life. But I do remember my mother gardening outside and I was left alone in the front of the house. It was so cold but the sun just seemed to burn through my clothes and it kept me warm. I don't remember how this came to happen but there was a moment I can recall in the same day where I was just staring at the sun and the clouds breaking around it. I felt something I simply cannot describe. And, as a boy, it was particularly profound. It existed without time or purpose. But it was the feeling of something beyond taking me and giving me this feeling of security and strength through the warmth of the sun. This is the place where life springs eternal for me or even, perhaps, the moment. I'm sure that sounds a little bizarre. But I don't think it's unusual to have experiences like that, especially as a child. This has been something that has stuck with me my entire life. And it does capture the obscure beauty and allure of nature in everything it offers.
8. I thought I read somewhere that you signed with Glass Throat Recording for next full-length? Are you going to be working with Chet's label (of Black owl/ Ruhr Hunter fame).
No, I'm not sure how that rumor came to be? Chet and Rachel are amazing artists. But we've never discussed any releases on Glass Throat.
9. I was very curious as to the reason for the vinyl-only release of split you did with Blood of the Black Owl. Many people had no way to listen to it as they do not have turn tables. Will there ever be a digital or CD release for these tracks?
Chet, Marty and I all felt that we wanted to release something special and exclusive to vinyl. And you really can't make anything better than 180 gram black wax mastered by an audio wizard like Mell Dettmer.
10. The album was recorded by Andrew of the band Fog. They are mysterious force in their own right. How did the recording session come about and are you pleased with the outcome?
Tim Glenn is the drummer for Fog as well as Celestiial (and countless others). That is the immediate connection but Andrew has become a great friend the past couple years. The guy is just so talented, insightful, collected and sincere. He’s one of those people whose own inspires you by his presence. He knew exactly what I was looking for and he knows a lot about recording and executing experimental and ambient music. And he knows his way around a studio. I'm extremely pleased with how he captured the sound.
11. Tanner, you seem to like to stay low profile with no official site for Celestiial and let the music do all the real talking. Will there ever be a proper site for Celestiial?
The music should speak for itself, yes. It is out of my respect for this band's intentions to honor the natural world it celebrates. That means removing it from modernity as I see fit. That might sound a little arrogant, but I can't bring myself to find a need for an official website or anything like that. There were times when I stumbled upon reviews or whatnot mentioning "keyboards" or "synths" in the music, etc. I debated setting straight the misinformed. But what's the purpose? Who ultimately cares? I've even seen two online journalists criticize me for being reclusive with this band for the sake of creating mystique. It's bullshit but I guess if you don't want to play their game, you're asking for those kinds of reactions. I'd like to point out that answering interviews isn't "low profile". Playing in live bands where I can be approached isn't "low profile". An artist should stand behind his art. And I do that. There is no need for anything else.
12. Where do you see Celestiial's future releases going or do you not ever go that far with the future of this project?
We're currently rehearsing material for the next album "The Sylvan Breath". A majority of the material was written over the past two years since the split with Blood of the Black Owl. An album like "Where Life Springs Eternal" was a recording that needed to happen. But it wasn't structured prior to recording it. And that gives it a unique charm. However, the works composed for "The Sylvan Breath" are composed and rehearsed. The melodic tones of the distorted guitar will be prominent as opposed to past works where the overtones of harmonized swells took precedence. Most notably, all of the material is quite fast. Both with the guitars and the drums. I think the sound we are moving toward is everything I hoped this band could become. And I truly mean that. If all goes as planned, we will begin recording this summer.
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