Hail the Sun Guitarist ‘Craving Potatoes’ Ahead Of Tonight’s Boise Gig With Between the Buried and Me
“Fun fact: there’s a direct correlation between CEOs and narcissism. It’s no surprise that those who achieve the highest positions of power are also those most comfortable forcing their beliefs on others, through manipulation and worse, in ways they’d never allow to affect their own families.”
-Hail the Sun’s Shane Gann
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There’s only one place to get a heaping helping of contemporary prog-rock and prog-metal tonight in Boise, and that’s at the Knitting Factory, where Chico, California’s Hail the Sun will open for Raleigh, North Carolina’s Between the Buried and me. The former band are gonna be surging with adrenaline ahead of Friday’s release of their new album, cut. turn. fade. back., on Equal Vision and Rude Records.
The Bad Penny had the distinct honor of catching up with Hail the Sun founding guitarist and backing vocalist Shane Gann last week ahead of the show. During the conversation, Gann revealed his special connections to Boise; talked about his charitable efforts; gave us a preview of tonight’s widely anticipated gig; and also shed light on his side project Murals, a progressive post-hardcore band whose debut, self-titled EP drops Nov. 14 on Equal Vision.
Psyched to finally see you play live. For starters, how is your involvement with helping the Anxiety & Depression Association of America going? Sounds like a very noble deed.
A previous side project of mine, Sufferer, which centers around a day in the life of an individual with anxiety and depression, annually donates a portion of all revenue to the ADAA. As for Hail the Sun, while there’s not a specific donation aspect to cut. turn. fade. back., all of us in HTS are always looking for opportunities to support organizations which are facing real struggles head-first. In the past, we’ve fundraised to provide relief from those affected by Texas floods, California fires and more. In fact, our recently-released music video for “Insensitive Tempo” ends with a call to action and information for those suffering from domestic abuse.
Speaking of which, congrats on cut. turn. fade. back. What vision did you have for the record going into the making of it? In what ways did the end result match that vision and deviate from it? What aspects of the record make you the most proud?
Thank you for the accolades! The biggest change in the vision, I think, is that c.t.f.b. allowed us to remain in the driver’s seat throughout the record-making process. On previous records, we’ve selected engineers/producers that we knew could help us achieve something greater than we could create alone, and we’ve let them utilize their talents to guide the creation from the get-go. On the new album, we sort of flipped the script, utilizing a team that gave us the impetus to design more of the final vision before adding their input, which allowed us to trust ourselves & our own creativity from start to finish.
Johnny Kosich and Pete Adams (aka Beach Noise [producing/engineering]) and Zakk Cervini (mixing/mastering) were still paramount in attaining the “larger than life final” result, and their efforts ensured the final masters landed in true top-tier territory. But we do have to acknowledge the sense of ownership we had throughout, which resulted in a greater sense of pride in the record.
How do the words cut, turn, fade and back represent the cycle of life exactly?
Great question! First of all, these four words are actually the final lyrics heard on the album, at the very end of the last song, “War Crimes.” Throughout our album-naming discussions, we caught upon the applicability of the phrase, and found it to be fairly ubiquitous within the themes of the record, especially when discussing subjects or behaviors that can be cyclical in nature.
Songs which center around sensitive topics like addiction, abusive relationships, manipulative behavior, political atrocities, and more all share a commonality: We have to make conscious efforts to “cut” particular parts of the pattern and “turn” away from the behaviors which are not worth supporting further, only to be faced with the inevitability that these intentional shifts often “fade” and we regularly find ourselves “back” at the top of the cycle.
It sounds like military atrocities and humanitarian atrocities led you guys to reflect more on the meaning and value of life. Which specific atrocities led you to that soul, spiritual and/or existential searching, and what are your stances on those atrocities?
“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” I’ve personally been shaken to my core over the situation in Gaza, just as I was shaken to learn of the Holocaust, the Trail of Tears, the Tigray massacre, etc. Ten years ago, we were preaching “love is love” and claiming that all people deserve to live their authentic truths, and now the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction that our own government’s official websites are riddled with misinformation supporting single-minded belief systems rooted in nationalistic pride dressed up as religious sanctity. It’s a control grab!
Fun fact: there’s a direct correlation between CEOs and narcissism. It’s no surprise that those who achieve the highest positions of power are also those most comfortable forcing their beliefs on others, through manipulation and worse, in ways they’d never allow to affect their own families. Our president is a literal convicted felon. Netanyahu is a war criminal as defined by international law. In an era which takes accountability so seriously, it’s disgusting that these sorts of men are still glorified and trusted; it only perpetuates violence, abuse, and greed. These self-serving sociopaths are not the leaders we deserve!
Our music has always asked our audience to practice critical thought, not blind trust. We prefer to use our voice even more powerfully these days, since so many others are preaching practices which continue to impede humanity’s growth.
We might have to bring you back for a conversation for The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series. You’ve said it doesn’t matter how fans interpret the meaning you guys intended for the songs on the record to have. What were those intentions?
What we really mean by that is: If you happen to find meaning in our music which isn’t directly in line with our inherent creative inspiration, we still want you to feel your meaning is valid. For example, we have a song on the new record called “Relapse is a Love Affair,” which centers around [lead vocalist/drummer/percussionist] Donovan [Melero]’s relationship with his own recovery and addiction.
The song is absolutely interpretable in a literal sense, and will hopefully help those struggling with addiction. But a strong lyric, like “I hate to love the way it hurts,” is relatable on so many levels, not just addiction. Through another lens, the song could potentially help someone get over an unrequited love, or an estranged relationship with anything with which they’re currently involved. So, if you find meaning apart from ours, great! Music can mean whatever you need it to.
It’s unfair and just plain stupid to ask parents which of their children they love the most. But how would you compare and contrast HTS and Murals? What freedoms and limitations do Murals provide that HTS does not?
I love this question, and thank you for asking! To me, my role as a “parent” to Hail the Sun and Murals boils down to finding ways to strengthen and accentuate what is special about each “child.” Hail the Sun is a wild child, very emotionally charged and energetic, but with a sense of depth & curiosity. So, when composing for HTS, I try to utilize natural energy, unexplored chords/scales/motifs, and dynamic contrast. This might emerge as a set of interesting guitar harmonies, an unconventional bass line, maybe a rhythm based in Morse code. It’s experimental and fun, all rooted in palpable emotional energy.
Murals, on the other hand, is an out-of-wedlock newborn with a whole different genetic makeup, the type of kid who won’t stop painting on the walls and trying to break into off-limits territory. When composing for Murals, I’m exploring the trust freedoms of my art, finding ways to avoid genre conventions and simply make music which has never existed. Neither project has firm boundaries, but Murals even less so, due to its youthful sense of still discovering itself.
What are your memories of playing Boise, what do you like most about the city and do you have any activities planned for while you’re here?
I actually got my first tattoo in Boise, back in 2012 on our very first national tour. My brother also attended Boise State, so I have a soft spot for the city overall. But my brother will also be the first to recall that our earliest shows in town were thinly attended, and often frigid, haha. We were a DIY band for a long time, and Boise was always a challenging market to cultivate, but the people of Boise have always stood out as extremely genuine and wholeheartedly supportive.
I remember one time, we stayed with a friend in town, and I had the flu and spent the night vomiting and sweating out my fever. But Janelle cooked for us all and was so extremely hospitable that even a hellish night like that turned into a fond memory. Our most recent experiences have been even more rewarding; we’ve been fortunate to play The Knitting Factory and other fantastic venues in town, which have been well-attended, with great stages and crews. We can’t wait to keep coming through Boise! I’m craving potatoes just writing this.
How are you preparing yourself to maintain two bands concurrently? What types of self-care do you practice routinely?
I like to start the day slow, with a warm drink and a couple hours of easing into the day mindfully, maybe reading or just listening to music before the day fills up with demands. Then it’s just a balancing act through the day, maintaining a sense of productivity, offset with fun activities like watching shows/movies, going out to eat or see a show, video games.
The back-and-forth helps me maintain a sense of enjoyment throughout the day; when I’ve been in play-mode for too long, I feel an innate inspiration to spend the next portion of my day being more productive, and vice versa. It’s the “all work and no play” mantra that helps me justify the downtime, and the “memento mori” mindset that pulls me back into work mode. On the road, the balance is even more crucial, and my days off are extra-sacred. I typically spend them in some degree of isolation, recalibrating and setting myself up for the next sprint.
Hail the Sun are handling direct support duties for Between the Buried and Me, with Delta Sleep opening, at Knitting Factory Boise this evening. Doors are at 7 p.m., and the show starts an hour later. Go here for tickets, which cost $50 excluding surcharges and fees.
Photo credit: Alex Bemis
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