As we creep slowly towards the end of 2017, it’s great to still be throwing new bands at you lovely boys and girls (or whatever – we’re open-minded here at Moshville Times). Please welcome today’s Band of the Day, Shadow of Everest…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We all live, work and play music in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
How did you meet?
I met Shaun some years ago when I was playing in Little King Hunter. He ended up joining that band and when that project faded we started Shadow of Everest. I met Matt through a musician wanted ad on Kijiji (online ad service) and we met Andrew the same way.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Shadow of Everest has been a band since mid-2014. Andrew joined in May of 2017 so this membership has only been together about six months.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
I never get sick of talking about my band or music in general. The name is really a metaphor for challenge and about taking on something bigger than yourself. We like to challenge ourselves musically on some level and we also like a little darkness. The shadow cast by the biggest mountain in the world seemed fitting.
What are your influences?
We have lots and lots of influences. Musically we’ve been inspired by the likes of Mastodon, Tool, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Primus, Machine Head, Karnivool and many others. For lyrical content I just kind of observe the world around me. Tell stories. Sometimes they’re true and sometimes they’re completely made up.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
I think we are unique in two ways. While we tend to gravitate toward heavier, riff-oriented stuff we’ll write and play anything that satisfies a groove. A good example of that is “Holding On” from our EP. Not a heavy, hard-hitting song by any means but there’s a flow to it and it just feels good to play. The second thing that I think makes us unique in today’s world of music is we don’t use a lot of studio magic when we record. When you hear us live it’s not very far removed from what we put down in the studio.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Not at the moment. I just like to be poetic. It is fun to write about anything supernatural though; myths and legends and fables. You get a lot more freedom when you’re writing about anything that isn’t real.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
I like to refer to our live show as “authentic”. Like I said, when you see us live you get the record to the best of our ability. Shaun is a really high-energy performer so you should come see us just to watch him. We actually weren’t able to perform for almost a year due to my throat surgery but I’ve made a full recovery and we’ll be going out like Hell in the next few months.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
That question comes up a lot but I really don’t see or do anything wild at shows. Unless maybe my threshold for wild is somehow skewed. It’s pretty wild when you’re finished playing and someone asks to buy a CD!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
I mainly use two guitars: both Gibsons. A “Traditional” reissue of the 50s-style Les Paul and an Explorer of the same type. I play a Hughes & Kettner Switchblade through a Mesa 2×12 loaded with v30s. I catch shit from some gear monkeys for pairing the H&K with a Mesa cab but when I bought it I couldn’t get a 2×12 by H&K. Anything bigger is honestly just too much for the small venues in our home province. My effects are pretty basic. Dunlop CryBaby Wah and a EHX POG2 for some weirdness. Any other delay/chorus/flanger or dirt is straight out of the Switchblade. That may change though.
What are your plans for 2018?
We just played our last two shows of the year and we’ll be hunkering down to finish some new material. We plan to get a new single recorded early in 2018. We’re really excited about that.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
I would love to tour with either Mastodon or Tool. There’s a band from Fredericton NB whom I really like called Tactus. I would totally have them open for us. Great progressive metal band. Check those guys out for sure.
Shadow of Everest: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | bandcamp | reverbnation | youtube | spotify
