In a recent interview with Loudwire, Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor was asked about the original lineup of the band.
Mastodon has been around since 1999 and has continued their career with the same lineup ever since. When asked about the secret of continuing with original members, he shared some of the band’s rules:
“Well, first and foremost, on the tour bus, you gotta know when it’s time to go to bed. So that’s the first rule of thumb. When you see that look in someone’s eyes at three in the morning, you say, I’m gonna go to my bunk and close the curtain. That’s pretty much all it takes. Once you see the curtain closed and snapped shut, no one bothers you. Even if they’re in the midst of an insane, drunken stupor, there’s something subconsciously way deep inside that knows that flap is shut, and I will not open the flap. So that’s part of it.”
The drummer mentioned the time the band members first met and how they instantly clicked with one another:
“The other part of it is, since the beginning, when we first met, we definitely had an epiphany. The four of us, when we all met and played together for the first week or so, we had just this outpouring of imagination, and, I don’t know, it just clicked. You can equate it to falling in love, and I think that all musicians would agree that when you meet someone or you meet a group of people that you can really artistically play together with, and you really have this sense of discovery together, you can’t wait to play with that person and see what is next. That kind of keeps it coming back for more.”
25 Years Of The Same Lineup
Since 2000, the lineup has stayed the same, featuring Dailor on drums, Brent Hinds on lead guitar, Bill Kelliher on rhythm guitar, and Troy Sanders on bass. Every member also contributes to vocals.
In another interview, the drummer opened up about spending 25 years with the same crew and how it affected not just the band but his personal life too:
“It’s been 25 years and along the way you’ve sort of sunk every single emotional aspect of your life together with these people — what might turn out to be the biggest relationships in our lives.”
He also touched on where the future will take the band:
“It’s interesting for us to see where we can take it next, you know. Try to surprise ourselves with something cool, but also always sounds like Mastodon.”
In other news, Mastodon is on tour with Lamb Of God under the name ‘Ashes of Leviathan.’ The two bands will be playing their hit albums, ‘Ashes of the Wake’ and ‘Leviathan’ in full to celebrate the 20th anniversary of both albums.