Its all about the 'Sonics' as Slug said to me after witnessing Space Witch live for the first time, and I dare say I have to agree with him as this 4 piece from Stoke deliver an aural assault of mind altering instrumental Psychedelic Doom, and although with no 'official' release available as yet, I caught up with their guitarist Daz for a few words, so fans of 5ive, The Heads & Earthless, read on and discover the curse of the Space Witch.
Hello Daz, how goes it my friend? Lets get the interview off to a start by telling us why, how and when Space Witch came together and your current members to date?
Hia Lee, I'm sound mate hope you are too. Space Witch were formed in July 2007 in grim Stoke on Trent. I'd been seriously ill and during that time I'd been writing some basic stoner/doom riffage to occupy my mind whilst I recovered. It was definitely born out of the grim situation I found myself in at that time. Eventually I got to the point where I wanted to start a new project using the material I'd written. A couple of close friends of mine Rob (Bass) and Sara (Guitar) backed me up and got involved in the project, helped me get it off the ground, and move it to a rehearsal environment. We were however, lacking a drummer and from my experience they were pretty hard to come by in Stoke , especially those interested in the material we were using. We had a stroke of good luck though, Rob and Sara had recently been to a party where Al (Rise to Thunder) did a stint on drums. Sara said he was dead good and had an unorthodox style. She recommended that we approached him, which we did and he agreed.
We starting jamming as a 4 piece thrashing out stoner doom like tones. It was quite easy to get going because we'd all known each other for such a long time and we'd supported each others past/current projects. After about a month or so Rob had to pull out because he was busy with his jazz fusion prog band Normal Wisdom and he had 3 kids to look after. We carried on jamming as a 3 piece without a bass player. In September 2007 Sara started University and she had to drop out also. Myself and Al carried on jamming as a 2 piece for a while until we had something more solid, something we could introduce to a new bass player.
A good mate of ours Doog started to help us out jamming with us on the bass. He's actually an amazing drummer, but can naturally apply himself to any instrument (you should hear this guy on a saxophone). In that sense he's very similar to Al, namely, he can play more than one instrument. We continued jamming as a 3 piece, the material got more solid and the sound of the band massively improved with Doog's bass work. We were all quite settled in the line up and jamming with each other was working out well. We approached Doog and asked him if he wanted to take up the position of bass on a permanent basis, which he agreed too.
In November 2007 Al introduced the idea of getting Pete (Rise to Thunder) in on the moog (an old school analog synth). We all agreed that the sound of the band was missing something and there seemed quite a lot of space in our music. In addition, we were all happy to conduct the experiment and see what happened, would it work? In late December 2007 we eventually got Pete down to jam with us and it turned into quite an eye opener. The sound of this old school synth worked really well with our material, it filled the missing space and was absolutely cosmic! We were all happy Pete decided to continue the experiment and join us on a permanent basis.
Since then the line up has remained static and for the last 9 months we've been jamming on a regular basis. In May 2008, we did our first gig supporting Rise to Thunder at the Glebe, Stoke with a 3 song 30 minute-ish set.
The current line up as of August 2008 is:
Daz – guitar and fx
Pete (Rise to Thunder) – moog and fx
Doog (Normal Wisdom) – bass
Al (Rise to Thunder and Normal Wisdom) - drums
Hawkwind meets Sabbath meets The Heads are the obvious comparisons that spring to mind when hearing Space Witch for the first time and although you are far from being clones of the aforementioned bands, how would you describe the sonic grooves of your music?
I guess the Hawkwind comparison is a direct result of the experiment and at that time we had no idea how it would sound, we weren't even sure it would work. We all grew up on Sabbath (the ozzy era) and they are a big influence to us, that 70's stoner/doom sound we really appreciate. Saying that though everyone in Space Witch listens to a wide variety of music and genres. We are influenced by many things like prog, dub, all eras of psychedelic rock music and extreme guitar music to name just a few for the sake of the interview. These things are extremely useful when we are jamming as it gives you a broad spectrum of resources to draw on. When we started this project we didn't set out to sound like a particular band or a particular combination of bands, its simply grown organically, developed through regular jamming and one experiment. Its a by product of the experience.
We do have many moments of the psychedelic variety. These moments can be mellow, trippy, noise-ish or heavy putting it simply. I think we get the best results when the moog is free styling, leading to a crushing, insane, cosmic or SCI-FI sound. Space Witch can almost be split into two halves although in practice its very much a collective. On one side you've got the witch, the down tuned stoner doom riffage. On the other side you've got the space, psychedelic and mellow themes. The combination of the two sum Space Witch up very well.
Your songs have a real flow about them which is backed up by some serious mind altering psychedelic and tripped out jam moments, so what is a typical Space Witch rehearsal like? And are your full songs born out of jams from these sessions?
It wasn't until we started to prepare for the live environment that we realised the songs flowed so well. Up until that point the songs had been jammed and developed individually with no consideration for the other songs. We did have a clear vision that we wanted to play a continuous set live though. I think the reason they work so well together is down to a number of reasons. Firstly, the original riffage was written with the same theme in mind. Secondly, the experiment opened up many doors and once we'd got our heads round the new addition it gave us the opportunity to develop recurring themes. Finally, the rest of the guys are absolutely great when it comes to jamming, everything just happens, they know what to do and they just do it.
A typical Space Witch rehearsal consists of:
1. Setting up, Al taking the piss and generally having a laugh.
2. We get stoned. This is the important part we just don't play loose without it.
3. If we're preparing for a show we jam through the set agreeing position of songs before hand. Otherwise we write new material. The writing process usually starts with someone in the band free styling an idea and off we go, usually the first take is the best. We've played some really odd stuff, stuff that'll never get heard.
4. Go back to 2 and repeat until we've all had enough.
5. Retire to Doog's flat and chill out, talk about the jam, what worked what didn't.
All the songs have been born out of the jam sessions and the experiment. Its the way we prefer to work rather than someone coming in with a completed song and teaching it. We like the writing process to progress naturally and organically, it has to have that laid back feel to it.
As all your music is instrumental, how do you come up with the song titles such as ‘Battle Hag’ and ‘Cosmic Cauldron’? Do they have any underlying story, theme or meaning behind them?
From the out set we were an instrumental band, however, saying that it wasn't until we jammed with the moog that the instrumental direction started to work in my opinion. If the right vocalist came along I'm sure we'd try it to see if it worked, but it would have to bring something extra to the party and it would have to be on the experimental side of things. A standard approach just wouldn't work with our sound, it would have to be applied like another instrument.
The song titles still have that fun element in them. We don't take the song titles that seriously and generally we are taking the piss when we come out with a these titles. One thing is for sure though the title has to be related to space, witches or both and the title has to fit the overall mood of the song. We have our own ideas what the titles mean, but its really up to the listener to decide their own meaning. Al came out with the title 'Cosmic Cauldron' and I distinctly remember everyone laughing and agreeing to it.
Can you give us a run down of the equipment you use?
Doog: 4 string washburn bass guitar, Ohm transistor bass amplifier, 800 watt Peavey bass cab 4 ohms.
Pete: Moog Rogue synth, 100 watt 4 channel White PA amplifier, Peavey bass cab, Effects – Boss digital delay, Boss pitch shifter delay, MXR, Korg tuner.
Daz: Gibson SG standard guitar, 60 watt Laney Klipp / 120 watt White W100 (Matamp GT120) both valve, 300 watt JCM 800 bass series cab, Effects – Frontline anolog delay, Dunlop octave fuzz, Dunlop cry baby, Boss chromatic tuner, Blackstar HT DIST-X (valve based).
Al: 4 piece drum kit – premier snare, bass drum, 1 x tom, 1 x floor tom (tuned low), Single bass pedal because he's only got one wooden leg! 3 cymbals – 1 x ride, 2 x crashes (no hi-hats he says they just get in the way), Various blister remedies!
And why did you decide to implement a Moog played by Pete, to me it gives a whole new dimension to your sound but what extra do you think it brings to Space Witch?
At the time we introduced the moog the sound of the band was distinctly lacking something. There was a lot of space in the material that the moog fills with moments of psychedelic, trippy-ish, cosmic and SCI-FI influenced sounds. The moog has brought that element of it never being quite the same! Operating it is an art not a science and you never quite know what your going to get out of it. The addition of effects such as delays and pitch shifters really compliment the sound of the analog synth. But sometimes you get nothing, other times you get an average synth sound, but most of the time its absolutely cosmic. Although we didn't plan it the moog is taking the position of the lead instrument very much like a vocalist would, but saying that every instrument has its opportunity to take the lead making it an interesting experience for all involved.
Speaking of Pete and along with your drummer Al who also play in heavy instrumentalists Rise To Thunder as bassist and guitarist respectively. Firstly, how are they enjoying their time in Space Witch and secondly at times your music can tread a similar path, how would you say the 2 bands differ and that ideas for songs avoid getting filtered down to Rise To Thunder and/or vice versa?
Everyone in Space Witch is getting an opportunity to play a different instrument than they would normally play or are known for, from that perspective we are thoroughly enjoying it. Sometimes it can be frustrating as things don't always come out as you intend them to especially when pushing the boundaries of your abilities. We are all enjoying the jamming, giging and recording elements of the journey. To date the experience has been a good one, which has been reinforced by the fact that we've all been involved in projects together past and present.
We do share moments of heaviness, mellowness, madness and slowing things right down with Rise to Thunder, but that's where the similarities end. If we felt that the bands were being diluted we'd simply wouldn't be doing Space Witch. Rise are guitar centric, can be a lot faster and slower at times and have more complicated guitar pieces. Space Witch are more electronics based, slightly more down tuned and focus on keeping things as simple as possible.
Both Pete and Al have very different roles in Space Witch than they do in RTT. Al contributes from a rhythmical perspective only and does not contribute to the riffage side of things. He'll tell us if he thinks something is good, but that's where it finishes. The riffage is only written by myself and Doog. Pete on the other hand contributes purely on an ad-hoc basis. Sometimes he'll start off a jam with a freestyle piece other times he compliments an existing sound or theme. Basically, the way we contribute and the roles the guys have means nothing gets filtered down between the bands.
At the moment you only have a couple of tracks available on your Myspazz page for our listening pleasure, so do you have any plans to unleash an official demo or even better, have any labels shown any interest in releasing anything by you?
We're currently in the process of recording our first official demo in CDR format. We've decided to record it ourselves at Star Track studios (Stoke) using Doog's and Al's equipment and experience. We don't have a title or any art work for it yet as we're focusing purely on recording 4 songs at the moment. We plan to record the core on a borrowed Tascam 8 track recorder (thanks Andy Robbins) and then port it to Al's studio at the bat cave for additional tracks, editing and mixing. The 2 tracks currently on our myspazz page are taken from a test we conducted whilst trying out the Tascam. Although we'll be doing a lot of tweaking here and there we are happy with the live sound its captured. In fact the tracks available are pretty much been put out as is with some minor eq added on whole piece. I'd expect the demo to be released later on this year.
We've been approached a few times by labels off the back of our myspazz page, but we don't consider them as serious (scams). We weren't ready to record anything anyway at that time. It would be cool to release something on a label, but it isn't essential to what we are currently doing because we like what we are doing, we're into it if ya like. If something does come along that we consider as an opportunity we'd do it, otherwise we'd be just as happy to carry on releasing stuff ourselves.
And how many tracks do you have written and/or recorded at the moment?
We have 4 tracks that we are currently gigging and recording, there still evolving and aren't set in stone. We don't have anything officially recorded, but that will change very soon. In addition, we've got 4 other tracks that are at a jamming stage, once we've finished recording we'll be jumping on to the back of these and seeing where we can take them. The newer material is proving to be very different, but have that Space Witch feel to them.
Although to get the real impact of Space Witch, they have to be witnessed live which I’ve been lucky enough to catch once, so have you had many opportunities to play live? And what has the response/feedback been like?
Since May 2008 we've had the opportunity to play live 3 times. We did our first gig supporting RTT at the Glebe Stoke and since then we've played at the Band Stand Stoke with The Sontaran Experiment/They are Cowards and The Go! Club Birmingham with Blind Pilot. Its been an experience for us, one which we've enjoyed and learnt from. The feedback has been very positive and we're really happy to receive it good or bad. We've been surprised by peoples comments especially from respected musicians contributing to the music scene in Stoke.
And what do you think a typical Space Witch gig is like? What can people expect from you in a live environment?
A 30 to 40 minute continuous set with moments of heaviness, mellowness and psychedelics with that relaxed Space Witch feel. To enhance the overall experience just add your drug of choice. You'll see Doog's rock star poses, he does a mint Pete Townsend.
Your also going to be playing along side Lazarus Blackstar in August for a free gig in support of the release of their new EP, firstly, how did you manage to get on this bill and surely this must be a night your really looking forward to as hopefully you’ll pick up 1 or 2 new fans along the way?
Yeah, this is a gig we are really looking forward too. Lazarus Blackstar are an awesome band and its a pleasure to support them and Future Noise. I'm not sure what we did to deserve getting on the bill, but as I understand Slug came to see us at the Birmingham show and he really liked it. He apparently sent a number of text messages one of which went to Dave at Future Noise who responded saying we'd better get them on at Manchester. Dave got in touch and asked us to play. I'm not sure about picking up new fans, we'll be happy if people just enjoy our set!
Are there any other gigs you have in the pipeline?
We're supporting Humanfly on their tour on the 27th of August at Harry's Bar Stoke and we're headlining the Glebe Stoke on the 24th of October with support from InfraSound and LAMO (one other band to be confirmed, hopefully a Future Noise band).
And what about your future plans? Anything you can mention?
As I've said we've got an official demo coming out, maybe it'll be released on the 24th October? Not sure yet, but it would be nice! Once we've recorded the demo we'll be working on new material, which we already have 4 jam pieces in the pipeline. We are also considering bringing in more instruments maybe using a sampler, but its early days yet. Al and Doog have mentioned doing a short tour in the UK, which we're all up for. It'd be good to get out on the road.
Thanks Daz for taking the time to answer my questions and as usual please use this space for any final words...
Thanks Lee, and thanks to Slug, Dave, Andy, Rob and Sara. If you want to check us out visit www.myspace.com/spacewitch666. Leave us a comment if you want. Try make it down to one of our shows and watch this space for the demo release.
Interview conducted by Lee via email during August 2008