Mental Interrogation with This Weary Hour

Who? Eamonn and Seán of This Weary Hour

Myspace: www.myspace.com/thiswearyhour

How long have you been playing together?
Eamonn: The band started over a year ago, but a full line-up hasn’t been secured until fairly recently.

How did you meet?
Eamonn: Seán and I are from a small town, so we always knew each other in some respect.

What kind of gear do you use?
Seán: I play an Aria (have to check the model). I find it has a deep, round sound ideal for the music I play. With regards to amplification I am currently using one of the Vox Valvetronix models which I can get some great tone out of, however the various effects built into the amp seem somewhat of a gimmick so I'm planning to move onto something more old-school. I feel a lot more comfortable controlling my sound using my feet. At the moment I use a BOSS DS-1 pedal, which to be honest I find isn't great by itself, but I recently acquired a RAT which when used in conjunction with the BOSS can bring fuller, thicker crunch or fuzz (or whatever you are into) to the overall tone. Nice and brutal is what I aim for in terms of distortion.

Eamonn: This is my first band, so I’m a little behind in the gear aspect of things. Until recently, I basically borrowed what I needed from friends. I did pick-up a lovely Shure SM58 vocal mic last weekend and I’m very happy with it so far. The rest of the lads are busy acquiring various gadgets and guitars, and it’s all pretty expensive, so I guess I’m lucky in that respect.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band?
Seán: I think that music in general has inspired me to be in a band. It was after TWH was conceived that we discovered our common influences. Mastodon's Leviathan probably had the most crucial effect on both myself and Eamonn. It has totally transformed how we observe and write music.

Eamonn: I have to agree with Seán there. It was through Leviathan that we found how similar our beliefs about music were. From there we introduced each other to loads of bands and musicians we wouldn’t have been exposed to normally, and eventually we started thinking that it’d be great if we could write stuff of our own. I think that we initially focused on doom because there’s a lot of freedom there and it’s a very honest form of music.

What was the last album you bought?
Seán: Sick of it All - Scratch the Surface.

Eamonn: I actually picked-up a few LPs the last time I went music shopping. I think it went something like: Moss – Sub Templum, Esoteric – The Maniacal Vale, Jex Thoth’s self titled debut, NIN –The Slip, and Grand Magus – Iron Will. So yeah, a nice helping of doom - or doom inspired – stuff.

What do you think of downloading music?
Seán: As with most musical controversies, there are positives and negatives. For fans of actual physical releases, like me, the whole thing has totally forced designers to push the boundaries of artwork, packaging etc. so we are getting far more intriguing record sleeves and CD cases these days. I think fans of independent labels and smaller bands enjoy this artwork and are more willing to pay for the product.

Eamonn: For me it’s quite simple: I love buying CDs. I love buying records. I think people are really missing-out when they don’t have the whole package, not to mention the drop in bit-rate and all that. I have been guilty of downloading music, but mostly because it’s an incredibly easy way to preview a band I’ve never heard before. I always end-up buying the stuff I like eventually.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence?
Seán: My strongest musical influence is and always will be Rory Gallagher. He has explored so much ground within his music, both lyric-wise and genre-wise. I will always think of his songs as the purest and most honest anyone can be exposed to. He never played the same song twice and he was all about feeling. That's real music and I'm all for it. He's greatly missed.

Eamonn: The first real band I saw live was My Dying Bride. I might have been young and impressionable, but the emotion that (front-man) Aaron Stainthorpe showed in his performance has had a lasting effect. I’ve encountered plenty of other amazing performers since, but Aaron originally set the standard for me.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why?
Seán: This is quite a difficult question because most of the bands I would have really liked to have been a part of have broken up. If anyone is familiar with the hardcore punk group Minor Threat they will have heard the name, Ian McKaye, vocalist and founder of Discord Records. I would love to have been in his shoes for a day back at the beginning of the American hardcore scene. If not McKaye, then any member of Electric Wizard! A jam with the Wizard would be an honour.

Eamonn: This would probably change for me every month, but right now I’d say anyone in Neurosis. I’d imagine performing live with those guys would be a wonderfully intense experience.

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
Seán: If I wasn't in TWH I see myself spending more time as a solo musician. I would have various guises to facilitate my interest in the other genres of music which I would play.

Eamonn: I’m a Fine Art student, which is proving to be very time-consuming, so I definitely wouldn’t be idle. But then, it was while working on stuff for TWH that I re-discovered my interest in art ...so I’m a little unsure when I think about it.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment?
Seán: As a fan of both European and American heavy music, for me, there seems to be a bit more quality metal coming from the States lately. When I first heard Mastodon a few years ago I began to realise this. From there I discovered bands like Converge and Neurosis, and through them, found a wealth of other groups, each new one completely different to the last. However, I think it’s noticeable in TWH that we take influence from these bands as well as our European heroes like My Dying Bride, Electric Wizard and Cathedral, to name the most prominent.

Eamonn: Right now I’m looking to labels, rather than geography for good music. Rise Above, Profound Lore, etc, have been putting out some great releases over the last while. I also think Ireland has a great underground metal scene that is oft over-looked internationally. This is starting to change though, and I hope it continues.

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet?
Seán: Sweet.

Eamonn: I would never give up an entire kind of food! You can’t make me! (MI - Ah my plan has been foiled!)

What’s your favourite movie?
Seán: If I had to choose a favourite it would be Donnie Darko.

Eamonn: A tie between “4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days”, “Mulholland Dr.”, “Apocalypse Now” and “Aliens”. Special mention to Star Wars, of course! ...I like too many films!
What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)?
Seán: Buddy Guy. Blues will always be my favourite form of music.

Eamonn: My friend, James from Altar of Plagues, recently started a 2-piece noisecore side-project, called Snails, which I recently witnessed causing havoc in a local pub. In terms of big names, the Graspop festival would be the latest event I’ve been to.

What do you have lined up next?
Seán: We hope to begin playing shows very soon.
Right now, we are in the process of finishing new material, which should be released before the end of the year. I think the upcoming songs will be somewhat of a departure from what we did on 'The Shadow of Time'. Not only have our inspirations changed but we have been joined by three new members, each with a variety of styles that will definitely have an impact on our music.

Eamonn: Yeah, the demo was a bit of a shot in the dark for us. I’d never been in a band before, and Seán was relatively new to this sort of music, so we were kind-of sticking to tried-and-true patterns and basically playing it safe. Considering the circumstances, I’m quite proud of it and the response has been great. I’m highly critical of it too, though. I want us to go much further with the new stuff. Now that we’ve had some time to soak in everything and have a clearer idea of the direction we’d like to follow, I believe that we can just let loose and write material that feels natural to us. We’re definitely going to revisit and expand on some of the areas we’ve already flirted with, but I know we have the potential to go way beyond that as well. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

Why should people check out your band?
Seán: Behind all the dark and heavy aspects to our material, I think this band is about making honest and original music, qualities that is more and more lacking with metal bands today.

Eamonn: As Seán said, honesty is important to us. In the long run, we hope our material will be meaningful and somewhat cathartic. We try to take influences from everywhere. We’ve had an encouraging start, and we’ll definitely be striving to make the most of it in the future.