Interviews : Baroness (John Baizley) – 5/11/2010

On Sunday, 21st of November – Metallica will be playing the final show of their extensive 2 year World Magnetic tour at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. For USA sludge legends Baroness, the worthy support act, it will be their 22nd Australian date this year. After tearing up a high-octane series of shows as part of the Soundwave Festival earlier this year, Baroness are in the middle of their second run through the country – supporting Metallica and playing intimate headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney. I had a chat to vocalist/guitarist John Baizley to talk all things Baroness.

Not only has Baizley been at the forefront of Baroness since it’s inception in 2003, he is also a keen visual artist and has done design work for albums and t-shirts for some of the most promising bands in metal. His art style is unique and instantly recognizable and his list of album artwork credentials includes the likes of Kylesa, Black Tusk, Torche, Pig Destroyer, Kverletak, Skeletonwitch and of course – Baroness.

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Metal Obsession: First up, I’d like to congratulate you on one of the best performances I have ever seen at Soundwave earlier this year, it’s fair to say that you guys put a little bit of energy into playing.

John Baizley: [Laughs] Yeah we tend to get into it a little bit, which show were you at?

MO: Melbourne, great show.

JB: Melbourne…where was that one held again?

MO: At the showgrounds, in a big fuck-off shed.

JB: Yes! I loved that show. That was definitely my favourite show on the Soundwave dates, there was a really crazy sound in that shed and it felt massive – I loved it.

MO: I was a fan, nothing more metal than a bunch of metal bands playing in a big metal shed! Have you been going just as crazy at the Metallica shows? The in-the-round setup must take a bit to get used to!

JB: Absolutely. Playing on the Metallica stage is different to anything we’re used to doing. It’s a little intimidating, but we’re not the kind of band that shies away from figuring it out and still put a lot of energy into playing.

MO:I suppose the sideshows will give you a chance to play a full set and on a normal stage, I’m just keen I get to see you three times in one year!

JB: Wow are we worth that much money? Yeah I’m really looking forward to it. That Melbourne show will definitely be the last one we headline in Australia before our new record, and also one of the last shows we play [before our new record.] Lamb of God are in the same position as us, I think because we have that knowledge that these are going to be our last shows for a while, we are going to really make them count and go crazy.

MO: Which do you prefer? Playing with the biggest band in metal in a sold out stadium must feel alright, but then the intimate sideshows are full of fans that have come for 100% Baroness.

JB: It’s an absolute honour to be supporting Metallica, so given the circumstances it’s a very tough question to ask. Normally I would say the headline shows, everyone likes to headline. The great thing about this tour though is the fact that we don’t have to pick and choose, we get to do both.

MO: On to your smashing album covers mate, is there a metal band that you aren’t designing for these days?

JB: [Laughs] Yeah I think there’s still one or two! I’ve had a lot of crazy requests this year from some really great bands.

MO: The Kverletak cover looks ace!

JB: Great story behind that one actually, it’s the first time I have ever asked a band if I could do their cover. I was on tour in Europe and a mutual friend between the band and I gave me their demo and told me I’d dig it. It completely blew me away, so the first thing I did when I got off the tour was ring the band and say ‘I really want to do your album cover!’ I feel really fortunate to have been a part of that project because I think it’s a really great record. The fact that it’s their first release is pretty fucking stunning.

MO: Wow that’s great! They’re the best new band I’ve heard in a long time. I can imagine it would be a satisfying thing seeing so many of your designs on record store shelves?

JB: It’s not so much satisfying seeing them on a shelf as seeing them in a record collection at someone’s house. It’s been a really awesome ride doing all the artwork, unfortunately I haven’t been able to do too much recently because we’ve been touring so solidly – but after this tour we’ll basically take a year off to write a new record, during which I will be making as much artwork as possible.

MO: Can we expect another colour to feature in the name of your next album title? I’m keen for the ‘Pink LP’.

JB:[Laughs] We’ll see!

MO: Where can you see yourself heading in the next few years musically?

JB: We don’t have any plans when we write music, if it’s good we keep it and if it’s bad we toss it. Nobody has any clear-cut ideas as to what we are going to do with the next record, but I have 4 hours of music personally and the others have been working hard ever since we finished Blue Record. When we actually sit down and write together, we are going to have a tonne of stuff – I don’t have a clue which direction it’s going to go in – only that it won’t be Blue Record part 2, it will be something completely fresh.

MO: I loved the Horse called Golgotha video, I suppose that was another way to express yourself artistically?

JB: I’ve been really fortunate artistically, this album gave me the platform to write so much music and do so much art – seeing that video come to life was just awesome. I can get really crazy when I don’t have something to do, I’m a workaholic so this year has been great for me.

MO: Baroness, Mastodon, Kylsesa and Neurosis on the same bill – could you ever see it happening?

JB: That’d be great! I’d love to do that. I think anyone with half a brain would see that show.

MO: Roughly, how many interviews do you think have you done this year?

Way too many to count!

JB: What’s the stangest interview question you have been asked?

I’m not sure – I think I’ve been asked just about everything. People tend to ask what we do backstage, and what sort of crazy stuff we’re into. We’re usually hesitant to answer those questions because everybody is into crazy shit and it’s usually private. If anyone wants to really know what we’re like, they’re going to have to come hang out with us.

MO:You guys tend to give people that opportunity!

JB: Yeah absolutely, we don’t fly in for a show and then get a helicopter out – we love to hang out with everyone before and after the show. We love that kind of stuff. If you are at one of our shows, please come up and say hi – we love meeting our fans.

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You can catch Baroness live on the following dates:

Supporting Metallica:

Wednesday 10th Nov @ Acer Arena, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
Thursday 11th Nov @ Acer Arena, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
Saturday 13th Nov @ Acer Arena, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
Monday 15th Nov @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday 16th Nov @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide (SOLD OUT)
Thursday 18th Nov @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
Saturday 20th Nov @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
Sunday 21st Nov @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
Headline Shows:

Friday 12th November @ Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Tickets from www.annandalehotel.com

Friday 19 November @ The Espy, Melbourne
Tickets from www.ticketek.com.au 132 849, www.oztix.com.au & Oztix outlets