Baroness

Savannahs Baroness are about to embark on a run of shows in Australia courtesy of the Soundwave festival and Bass player Summer Welch has been kind enough to stop by and talk about the new record.

Could you please state your name, role in the band and favourite movie in the Indiana Jones trilogy?

My name is Summer Welch. I play bass guitar in Baroness

Starting out in 2003 in Savannah Georgia, what was the scene like when you first starting playing shows?

 I remember that 2002/ 2003 was a good year for shows in Savannah. I saw a lot of bands that really opened my eyes to the more underground hardcore punk and metal scene. Bands like Majority Rule, Tragedy, Page 99, Meatjack, and Guynna Punchline were touring a lot then and were a really positive influence on me musically.

Blue Record has been receiving excellent reviews across the board and entered the Billboard top 200 at 117. When you were writing the tracks for the new cd did you expect such impact to be felt?

I dont think so. Our only expectation was that we do our best. None of us had any idea how it would be received.

If you were to describe Baroness to a relative new comer to your music, how would you summarize your core values in a sentence?

We are four life long friends doing what we love and are truly passionate about.

The artwork for Blue Record is, as expected phenomenal. What themes does record deal with and how does it tie in with the lyrics and the concept as a whole?

There are many themes. Most deal with events in our lives that we have experienced and shared. The good and the bad. The artwork is meant to be a visual representation of our music.

On the final page of the booklet in Blue record is an excerpt taken from a German Swiss born poet named Herman Hesse. How does this considering dark paragraph come together with the album?

 I believe John was reading Hesse during some period of the writing process and he shared this quote with us and we all agreed it was fitting and spoke to us all in different ways.

Electing Grammy award nominated producer John Congleton was an interesting choice to record with. What variables do you factor in when it comes to choosing someone to record with?

We wanted to take a different approach to recording this time around. We wanted to work with someone that had a background in something other than metal and heavy music. We felt that in doing this it would bring some fresh ideas to the table and force us to work harder on what we were creating. We wanted to work with someone that wanted to work with us. John met all of these criteria and proved to be a wonderful individual full of energy and fresh ideas.

If you could tour with any band, active or not, who would you choose?

I believe i would enjoy touring with Enslaved.

With the impending Soundwave tour in our fine country, how keen are you to hit our shores and do you have any side shows you need to inform your fans about?

We are all very excited about touring in Australia. It will be the first time for us all. We will also be playing playing two shows with Isis in Sydney, and Melbourne that are not part of the Soundwave Festival.

What is your touring schedule like after these dates and what do you have planned for the rest of 2010?

We will be going to Japan for a few shows with Isis after the Soundwave festival. Upon our return to the states we have a full US tour lined up with Mastodon and then we will head back to Europe for some festivals this Summer.

Last record you bought?

I cant remember. I think it was Roky Erickson.

Last show you attended that really impacted on the way you viewed music?

Boris

Best touring experience?

They are all good in some way.

Worst Touring Experience?

There is always a lesson to be learned.

Final words, thanks or inspiring parting words?

Thank you