Post Avant Metal Magicians A Novelist. Interview is up
BOTH MEMBERS ANSWERED
Vocalist/guitarist/etc Ben Nugent. The second set of answers is from the drummer Alex Babineaux
vocalist/guitarist/etc Ben Nugent Answers
1. Tell us a bit about avant left of center prog death doom sound.
That’s quite a description. I just write the music I want to hear. I like a lot of different types of music. With A Novelist, our attitude is any color we like when we want it. I think that attitude it is reflective in our music.
2. This is your 2nd proper album both portraits and folie are DIY. Are you not interested in label support?
I think that we’ve been doing this on our own for so long that we don’t even think about that sort of thing. Our main goal is to put out records that we want to hear and on our own terms. What would be the benefits of us being signed to an indie or major label? I could see it would be good for getting more exposure or better distribution, but you hear about bands getting used and going into debt. We are not opposed to it but we are very cautious about those sorts of things.
3. What's the extreme music scene like in Lafayette LA. Are there bands we should know about? We all know about New Orleans..
I don’t live in Lafayette anymore, but I still have friends that live/play the area.
Check out these bands.
4. Is there a theme behind Folie?
Folie is French for madness. The album is a fictionalized account of the last couple years of someone’s life who is very close to me.
5. Studio vs Live how does the bands sound differ?
Our main goal is putting out quality albums. I can’t tell you how many bands I have known that played shows but never recorded their music and are ultimately forgotten because there is no record. We have not had a live lineup for quite some time, but I like to think about studio performance and live performance as being two separate mediums. The studio performance is where you try to get everything neat and perfect. The live performance is where you do the stuff you couldn’t do on the album.
6. I hear elements of Borknagar, Code, Arcturus and Solefald. What bands truly have inspired A Novelist?
I am familiar with Arcturus but not the other bands. There are truly far too many great bands to list. I grew up listening to a lot of blues, jazz, classic rock, Motown, soul, etc. In my teens, I was really starting to get into metal and within a small window of time I heard The Mars Volta, Necrophagist, Charlie Parker, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Cacophony and it changed how I thought about music going forward.
7. How has digital world like Bandcamp, Soundcloud and YouTube. Change the way extreme music is promoted and presented to the world?
I think it has just made it more accessible.
8. If you could collab with an artist who would it be and why?
That’s tricky. There are so many great artists out there, but I would love to work with Christian Scott, Kurt Ballou, or Thom Yorke or somebody like that. Those guys always put out something fresh and work with great original music.
9. The artwork of Folie is very different. How does it play into the sound and theme?
The album art is indicative of the more base inclinations of man. The album cover was actually made years before the album. I chose this as the artwork because of the parallel discussion that is occurring on the album and in the art.
10 . What bands or books are currently impressing you?
The Armed, Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Julian Lage, Bosse-de-nage, Chelsea Wolfe, Le Butcherettes, Christian Scott. I do a lot of reading currently but very little for pleasure.
11. In 4 words describe your sound?
This is our home.
12. Do the members have other musical projects outside of A Novelist?
Yes, Alex and I both play in a black metal band called, Nethermost Majesty, with Eric Clark. I currently have a piano/vocal album that I am working on, a jazz thing, and another experimental thing. Alex is working on a project called Good Hunter.
13. Where did the band name come from and does it still hold up?
I had always liked the idea of each album being like a film or a novel. I like the idea of the album and lyrics being written in third person omniscient.
14. Thank you any closing thoughts here.....
Thank you for taking interest in our art and giving us the opportunity to speak with you about it. Be good to the people around you.
Alex's Answers
1. Tell us a bit about avant left of center prog death doom sound.
Man, I don't think I've ever heard us called all of those things at once before. I think it's just a result of making an amalgamation of all the things you already like for no reason other than the fact that you enjoy them. We never really set out to play X genre. It just happens that way.
2. This is your 2nd proper album both portraits and folie are DIY. Are you not interested in label support?
We're definitely not opposed to something like that, but Ben and I have been working together on this project for a long time and we just have a certain way of doing things. That's not to say we aren't willing to learn a thing or two. We're always open to learn and work with others, but I think it's more something we would welcome should it come to us rather than something we actively seek.
3. What's the extreme music scene like in Layfette LA. Are there bands we should know about? We all know about New Orleans..
Defer to Ben's answer.
4. Is there a theme behind Folie?Defer to Ben's answer
5. Studio vs Live how does the bands sound differ?
Well live performances are not something we can pull off at the moment without other musicians as well as some scheduling and logistical issues to work out, but if/when that time comes, I think you could expect a slight amount of variation from a live performance. Nothing major like a free form Jazz show or anything, but some of the drum parts were written in a static manner with the intention to allow for a slight bit of improv in a live setting. We like the idea of music as a living thing.
6. I hear elements of Borknagar, Code, Arcturus and Solefald. What bands truly have inspired A Novelist?
I'm not familiar with Code or Solefald so I guess I'm going to have to check those out, but it is really cool to be compared to Borknagar and Arcturus. I'm a big fan of both, but I can't really say if either had any direct influence on us. One thing I could point out though is that I think ICS Vortex has some extremely expressive vocals which I don't think is something you often hear in extreme metal. Ben to me has incredibly expressive cleans, so I think that's our major point of similarity.
7. How has digital world like Bandcamp, Soundcloud and YouTube. Change the way extreme music is promoted and presented to the world?
Well I can't speak much to how things have changed since we've only existed as artists in the digital era, but accessibility is for sure the key word here. The biggest challenge that comes with this though is that with increased accessibility also comes increased noise. It's easy to be visible, but it's difficult to be noticed.
8. If you could collab with an artist who would it be and why?That’s an awesome question. I'd like to start by saying all the artists Ben selected would be a lot of fun, particularly Christian Scott. For some of the ideas we play around with that are unreleased, I think it'd be fun to get Cedric Bixler-Zavala on a track. For my own selfish purposes though, I'd love to work with Hansi Kürsch
9. The artwork of Folie is very different. How does it play into the sound and theme?
Defer to Ben's answer
10 . What bands or books are currently impressing you?
This question calls to mind how little time I've had to read since getting out of school and starting to work full time which is a bit upsetting. Currently I've been listening to a lot of Inferi, Stortregn, Rope Sect, Trautonist, Dödsrit, Heretoir, Slugdge, and Howling Sycamore. When I'm not looking for new music I'm pretty much constantly jamming Alcest, Lantlos, or Blind Guardian.
11. In 4 words describe your sound?
Expression first genre second
12. Do the members have other musical projects outside of A Novelist?
As Ben stated we both work in a black metal band together with our friend Eric. Good Hunter is another project I'm working on that focuses largely on post-black and blackgaze sounds but with some leeway. As the name suggests it's primarily steeped in Bloodborne/Dark Souls lore, but we try not to handle it in a tongue in cheek "vg metal" sort of way. We hope to have something released under that name within the next year or so.
13. Where did the band name come from and does it still hold up?Defer to Ben's answer14. Thank you any closing thoughts here.....As I said before, it's easy to be visible, but incredibly difficult to be noticed. You've clearly noticed us and taken the time to give us a chance and spread our work to others, and for that we're really appreciative. It never gets old for us when we see new people follow the Facebook or purchase music or whatever sort of interactions we may see online from listeners. This music is primarily a passion project for ourselves, so anyone who takes time to pay it any mind has our gratitude.
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