ION INDIE MAGAZINE September 2014, Volume 4 | Page 43

Reverend Meantooth: For this band, I say all of them. I know it’s lame, but I feel like each of
the songs from this record are truly organic and completely honest. Something I haven’t had
in other bands.
Dr. X: Have each member describe their inspirations/influences, goddamn it!
Reverend Meantooth: We have a pretty wild variety of musical influences. We both love all the
LO-FI stuff, LEFT LANE CRUISER, BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES, SCOTT H. BIRAM, BOB
LOG lll, etc., but we like a lot of other stuff too. Our band vehicle iPod has everything from
LAMB OF GOD, HANK lll, PRINCE, WU-TANG CLAN, P-FUNK, CITIZEN COPE and
SUBLIME—to THE ALLMAN BROTHERS, IGGY POP and TORI AMOS.
Dr. X: Give me a brief goddamn biography on each member.
Reverend Meantooth: Mitch played in MEANTOOTH GRIN with me before this, and in several
other bands, mostly Metal. His brother and dad both play in Polka bands and his family is very
involved in that side of music. I come from a huge Blues background, and from the time I was
little, it was a huge influence on me, I got to play a whole bunch of Blues with some great guys
down in TN and MS a few years ago. Changed my outlook on music up here completely.
Dr. X: If given the chance to share the goddamn stage with one group, who would that
be?
Reverend Meantooth: CLUTCH.
Dr. X: Are you “all goddamn in” or do y'all have goddamn day jobs?
Reverend Meantooth: This is all I do. I have no other job so I am "all in" I guess. Mitch has a
day job, but I would say he is "all in" as well. He takes off for gigs quite a bit, depending on the
time of year. He doesn't have a problem playing a couple weeks straight if he has to.
Dr. X: Are you looking to keep on tour? Are you trying to sign with a goddamn major
label or remain Independent?
Reverend Meantooth: Touring is a must for any original band I think, if you don't, it’s a little like
being a dentist and never working on teeth to me. The word "tour" gets used way too often
and to me, a tour is not 2-3 days on the road. To me it’s a couple weeks at least or when you
have more than 12-15 shows a month. For this band, more and more dates in the right markets
is what we are hoping to achieve, and as far as a label goes...we have no interest in big label
dreams at this point. Without taking the steps to build your brand properly, no label will want
you anyway.