Interviews: Dust Prophet

We have had the opportunity to interview the Stoner Metal/Doom Metal band Dust Prophet from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or come out just like that?

It was a culmination of ideas we had kicking around for what we wanted the band's image to look like. We had a rough idea for the pieces of art that would make up the general style of the band. We eventually decided on Dust Prophet after incorporating some apocalyptic themes into the lyrics, and really liked that vibe.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I think all three of us have always enjoyed fuzzy riff-driven, heavy music. Stuff that's organic and groove-focused but also has a core element based on songwriting and catchy hooks. Stoner metal tends to click all those boxes for us.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Sarah (Wappler, bass & keyboards) and I had played in a band together previously. It was more industrial rock, and when that band broke up we both knew we wanted to keep working together. Sarah was the one who really pushed forward with the stoner/doom metal concept and was writing a lot of riffs. So it was a great starting point for us. Tyler is friends with one of my best friends, Robert Dwyer (who played lead guitar on our first single, The High Capital). Bob introduced us to Tyler, and very quickly we knew he was the perfect drummer for Dust Prophet.

4. Each band member favourite band?

I'm not sure any of us could name just 1 specific band or artist, since all three of us have multiple different artists and influences. I can say some of our all-time favorites who have inspired us are artists like Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Clutch, Rush, Tool, Ministry, Hendrix...the list goes on and on really.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Inspiration comes from so many different elements. Sarah writes a rton of the riffs we use in our songs. She's one of the primary songwriters as far as the music goes. Many times she will bring in a couple of riffs and we jam on them as a band, and from there the song will go off in a natural direction, one way or the other. When it comes to lyrics, I write all of those. I take a lot of inspiration from literature, especially the gothic and novella formats. All of our lyrics are inspired by some piece of literature. The High Capital is inspired by Paradise Lost; Hourglass by Dracula; Bury Me Before Noon by classic Eastern European folklore about the dead coming back to life. I've even been inspired by the Old Testament and it's "Wrath of God" undertones

6. Where was your last gig?

Our most recent gig was at the 19th annual Boston tattoo Convention, which was a blast! I love playing non-traditional venues. We had a great time checking out all the tattoo artists from all over the northeast. They had a burlesque show, a Freak Show and a Miss Boston Tattoo pageant. We also had a gig opening for Tempest, who were on tour from Texas as well as the Maryland Doom Festival.

7. Where would you like to act?

Oh anyplace really. As an artist I love being exposed to new professionals and being able to soak in their strengths. I love being challenged and forcing myself to do things I'm not comfortable with. I want to also push myself to grow as a musician, as a lyricist and as an artist in general.

8. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Ha! If i ever figure it out i'll let you know! I still get really nervous before going on stage, and I've been playing live for over 25 years. I used to get so nervous that I would throw up before almost every gig. Thankfully I don't do that anymore but I still get very jittery. But I actually think that's a good thing. Because when you're nervous, that means you care. Whenever I've been about to perform something in public and I don't care about it at all, I'm not nervous. Because I don't have any emotional investment in it. So being nervous, in my opinion, is a good thing. It means you care. It means you're ready to go.

9. What bands have inspired you the most?

For me personally, it's Pink Floyd, Ministry, Rush, Tool, Frank Zappa, Clutch, Metallica (everything pre-Black album), Fear Factory, Opeth, Bjork, anything with Mike Patton, and KMFDM.

10. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

One time a fan asked me to spit in their mouth. I politely declined. It makes me gag just thinking about it.

11. What do you think of your fans?

I think they're incredible! They're literally the only reason we get to do what we do. We owe them everything and I never, ever want to take that for granted.

12. What do you think of our site?

I love it! Very creative, very distinct. When done properly sites can really reflect the personality and creative insight of the people who run them, and that's what Breathing the Core does.

13. Something to add?

If people could check out our socials we'd be very happy! Our Bandcamp is dustprophet.bandcamp.com , from there you can link to our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.