Illinois Entertainer March 2017 | Page 4

March 2017 • Volume 43 , Number 05 • www . illinoisentertainer . com

COVER STORY : MASTODON

That which doesn ’ t kill you will only make you stronger , goes the old maxim . But in the case of sludge-heavy prog-metal quartet Mastodon , mortality can occasionally offer a surprising new strength , as well . The band has been rolling with the punches , finding solace in the studio , creating the fable of their Emperor of Sand . “ The four of us have been living these experiences deeply over the past two years ,” bassist Troy Sanders told Tom Lanham . “ And that ’ s what we were writing . When we showed up to band practice , we let that current of emotion flow through our fingers and into the instruments , and through the amps and onto the recording tape . That ’ s how we build songs .”

HELLO MY NAME IS ... ANN

Heart vocalist Ann Wilson is taking some time apart from her sister Nancy to pursue solo projects , like her latest EP . On her current tour , she ’ s billed as Ann Wilson of Heart ! Why the exclamation mark ? “ Because it ’ s exciting !,” she enthuses . “ It ’ s to show that it ‘ s in the moment , it ’ s fun , it ’ s right now – it isn ’ t some dreary old thing . It ’ s got energy behind it , it ’ s got oxygen around it , it ’ s an ' up ' thing . And I just put the ‘ of Heart ’ thing on for my concerts so people would actually know it ’ s me !” Tom Lanham talked to the Hall of Famer .

THE SKULL

Initially , the premise of The Skull ’ s formation was to go out and play tunes from the first two Trouble albums , Trouble ( 1984 ) and The Skull ( 1985 ). However , now that The Skull has garnered its own fan base , the former members of Trouble have become more focused on creating their own original material , with a new record tentatively scheduled to commence following the band ’ s hometown appearance at Reggie ’ s on March 24 . Kelley Simms talked to vocalist Eric Wagner .

Page 22 : Mastodon

File

Double Door moves and more .

Cinema Scopes

Spring movie preview .

Media

Len Kasper and Cubs baseball are back , with hardware .

Sweet Home

Blues Diva .

Spins

Ryan Adams , Colin Hay , Def Leppard and more .

Calendar

Over 1200 shows and 2000 bands in March .

Caught In A Mosh

UFO on it ' s way to St . Charles .

Classifieds

You dumped your boyfriend ' s vocalist , now you ' re looking for another .

Studiophile

What ' s going on at Bennet Road , Million Yen studios .

Gear

St . Vincent ' s fire .

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