Interviews: Big Muff Brigade

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Stoner Rock band Big Muff Brigade from  Spain. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

We know the average stoner-rock listener and the love he/she has for certain standards (the Big Muff stuff and everything related to the fuzz pedals, for example). Many names were proposed wanting to "respect" those standards and, although there were many doubts (for a few minutes, we called ourselves Fuzzlovers), Big Muff Brigade won and a year later we are convinced that it was the right decision.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

It’s a style that we’ve always liked and that allows us to add different styles. We like to think that the album we’re going to publish is a range of different styles within stoner (doom, blues, metal, punk,...) and it will allow us to not focus on a specific sound or style.

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

Aitor, Joseba, and Mikel were part of the stoner-rock band Chivo. Joseba and David were part of the stoner-rock band Chaman. Mikel and Manu met 6 years ago when Mikel was working in a recording studio and Manu went to record with his ex-band. Fate made the five members leave our bands at the same time and the power of Tony Iommi did the rest.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Metallica (Joseba and Mikel), Alice In Chains (Aitor), Motörhead (David), and Deep Purple (Manu).

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Normally we’re inspired by a guitar riff or a specific intention to create a certain type of song. The process of composing our songs begins with a guitar riff and from that riff, we develop the song, but lately, we’re opening our minds a little bit and developing the songs from a voice for a chorus, a drum pattern,... and the result is incredible.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last gig was on September 21st at the Ceferino in Barcelona with our dear friends Vidus and Caudi Pedro. A short but intense concert which we enjoyed a lot with the crowd and from which we left wanting to come back to Barcelona with the new album published.

7. Where would you like to act?

Aside from the impossible dream of supporting Kyuss on their reunion tour around the world, we would love to play at the big festivals in our scene (SonicBlast, DesertFest, Resurrection Fest,...). There is a festival in the Swiss Alps called Palp Festival that we would also love to play just to be able to travel there. As far as venues are concerned, our idea is to prepare a European tour in the future and be able to take our new album to as many countries as possible.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

As far as individual musicians are concerned, Joseba would love for John Garcia (Kyuss, Hermano,...) and Manu John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures,...) to collaborate on a song. As for touring, David would love to do it with the Norwegians Kvelertak. Finally, in the field of musical production, Aitor would like to work with Nick Raskulinecz (Alice In Chains, Mastodon,...) and Mikel with Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys,...).

9. Whom not?

It pains us deeply to say that we’ll never work with a band from our scene again, thereby recognizing that in our scene there are also bands that take advantage of other bands and disrespect them. We won't say the name of the band so as not to advertise them.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Luckily none of us have suffered from stage fright. Maybe we even have the opposite, as soon as we don't go on stage for a while, we have a panic attack. If we could give some advice to anyone who is starting out in this crazy world called Music and is suffering from it, it is that rock is imperfection and that any failure is allowed if it has a minimum of passion behind it. Face your fears because it is something worth enjoying.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

In the process of making the songs that make up our next album, we’ve drawn on many influences. When it comes to the intention that we’ve looked at with them, we’ve been inspired by 1000Mods and Truckfighters in terms of trying to get people in the crowd to sing out our lyrics and melodies. When it comes to the sound (drums, basses, guitars,...) and the intention to make songs of different styles, we’ve been greatly inspired by Queens Of The Stone Age and their masterpiece “Songs For The Deaf”.

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

Very strange things have happened to the five members of the band and, thanks to Tony Iommi, most of them are very funny. There are some that cannot be disclosed (maybe one day we’ll write a book), but that can be told, our favorite is when Aitor and Joseba played with Chivo at La Comedia in Paris and a Chilean fan began to draw a picture inspired by the band's music while they were playing the concert. Paint that they took from Paris and that is now in our rehearsal room. 

13. What do you think of your fans?

Unbeatable. Both our local fans and the fans we've recruited into our away brigade are incredible. We went to play 800 km from our house and they sang the melody of a song that wasn’t even published, only knowing it through a live video on YouTube.

14. What do you think of our site?

We think you do a great job bringing new bands to potential listeners. You have discovered great bands for us and we hope that the same thing happens to many people with our band. We take this opportunity to thank you for this interview since it has been one of those fun interviews to answer.

15. Something to add?

Thank you for the interview and for your work sharing our music and all the bands you have worked with. If anyone wants to be aware of our upcoming dates, just have to follow us on different social networks (Instagram, Facebook, ...) or on streaming platforms (Spotify, Bandcamp, ...).