I recently had the chance to talk with the guys from Denver, CO based blackened/sludge metal band, Primitive Man. We talked Maryland Deathfest, favorite concert experiences, upcoming music and more. Primitive Man released their ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is’ EP on February 17th via Relapse Records, and we highly recommend checking it out now.
–
Q – You guys are currently out on tour with Celeste, how has it been treating you so far?
John – It’s been good, man. Celeste are an awesome band, they’re very professional and awesome dudes. It’s been wonderful.
Ethan – They’re really fun to be around, very cool.
Q – I recently saw you guys perform back at this year’s Maryland Deathfest in May. I personally enjoyed your set, but how do you guys feel about it looking back?
Ethan – It was good, man, we had the time of our life. We were really fortunate to be able to play the fest, and it was a dream come true. The whole weekend was cool, we played and then stayed for the whole thing. It was just a really awesome time.
TNF – I remember you saying on stage how it was something you guys have wanted to do for a long time…..
Ethan – Yeah man (laughs), we’ve all wanted to play that fest for a long time.
Q – Had any of you ever attended it before?
Ethan – No, it was our first time there. We’ve wanted too but we live out in Colorado, it’s a long travel and an expensive trip. So us playing enabled us to have an excuse to go out there and do it.
John – We’ve all wanted to go for a long time.
Q – Were there any other bands you guys checked out that particularly impressed?
Ethan – Knelt Rote, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Neurosis too, but that’s to be expected. Adversarial, Thantifaxath, Winter was good. Napalm Death is always good.
John – Demoncy, Knelt Rote, Demilich, Serpentine Path were super good. Let’s see, who else …. Thantifaxath, caught a little bit of Agoraphobic Nosebleed.
Isidro – I saw Suffocation, who are always good.
Q – You guys released the ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is’ EP earlier this year, how has the overall reception been so far?
Ethan – It’s seemed pretty good, people have been picking up the record from us on tour. It’s been pretty cool, it seems.
Q – I believe is read in another interview that you do have plans to make another full length…?
Ethan – Yeah. We’re going to finish all of this touring, go home, write for the new record, and then we have a little tour planned for the beginning of the year and such. After which, we don’t really have any plans to tour until we have writing and recorded the new full length.
Q – I heard you’ll be taking quite a bit of time off after this tour cycle…?
Ethan – Yeah man, we definitely plan on it, but just from touring. We’re not going to stop writing and doing shit, we’ve just been touring a lot and pretty consistently , we just feel it’s time to take a break and write a new record.
Q – You released a music video for the song ‘Bag Man’ off the EP, what was the initial idea behind it?
Ethan – It’s pretty up to interpretation. It’s people smothered with the flag and playing with automatic weapons, in an erotic fashion…I’m sure people can draw their own conclusions from it,
Isidro – It’s very open-ended. It’s a piece where people will see what they want to see in it, We got the images, and people can put their own story that they want to it.
Ethan – I mean, it’s supposed to be militant impressive.
Isidro – We got that question out in Europe, asking if we were some kind of super-nationalist something or rather. I think it’s just the shit we saw growing up in America, and it’s weapons, religion, sex and such. I mean, by no means do we speak down on that stuff, because we’re a product of it, but it is a product of the world.
Q – What’s the best concert you’ve ever attended that you did not play?
Ethan – That’s just a really tough question …. It’s hard to choose, I’ve been to a lot of really good shows.
Isidro – Mine was Isis’ last tour that came through Denver. It’s probably my favorite I’ve seen over the last ten years. I ended up taking like a weed pill before watching them play, it was badass (laughs).
John – I saw George Clinton one time at an amphitheater with a river right next to it, and i was tripping mushrooms hard….and it was pretty magical. It’s one of my favorites ever. It was dope. (whole band laughs)
Ethan – Last year we played Southwest Terror Fest one day, and we stayed for the next day which we didn’t play, and Sunn O))) played. I had like this weed patch, like a nicotine patch but with weed in it…..and that was pretty tight to watch them. It was pretty dark and fucked up. It was the second time I’d seen them, it was pretty intense. Also pretty much any time we’ve seen Neurosis.
John – Yeah, the first time I’d seen Neurosis it was both of our first times, and I just remember leaving there like, ‘Man, you better start living your life better, because that is the pinnacle!”. (laughs)
Isidro – That’s the first band I ever saw live, back in 1997. And it was pretty impressive, it changed my life as far as wanting to play that style.
Q – What are some of your favorite music releases from the past year?
John – The new Swallowed material, it’s one of the coolest and darkest records I’ve heard in a long time.
Ethan – Yeah man, that was like my first pick. I’m having a hard time thinking of what’s come out in the last year, just cause my mind is so flooded with records.
John – J ‘Blue Dream And The Lean 2’, nothing but bangers on that.
Ethan – Yeah (laughs), Project Pat, Mr. Don’t Play , it’s real good.
Isidro – I really liked that Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult album.
Ethan – Dude, that’s from 2011…
Isidro – Is it really? It’s new to me, and that shit’s amazing.
TNF – You check out the new Triptykon from last year?
Ethan – Yeah, and that was sick as fuck too. I really liked that one. What else came out…..
John – That Coffin Birth EP came out…
Q – Alright, so the plan is once this tour cycle is finished to take a break, write and record the new album…?
John – Yeah man, that’s the plan. Looking forward to some time off of touring, writing that second full length. It’s been about two years, i think now is the time to do it. I mean we’ve put out a ton of material, splits and all that. But now it’s time to focus on us for a minute.
Isidro – We’ve also grown as a band, the more time we spend really honing in on our sound, the better the next record is going to be.
Q – Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, any last words you’d like to add?
Ethan – Thanks for the interview.
Isidro – Keep it slow and low.
John – Shout out to all of our weed people.
Ethan (laughs) Shouts to all of our people on this side of the ocean, and the other. Keep it going.
Isidro – If you want Primitive Man to come play in your town, holler at your boy.
Ethan – You can just call my boy Ray, 646-620-7338. (whole band laughs). He’s booking shows, we need that cash, don’t wanna hear no problems. CASH. (laughs)
Isidro – There you have it.
—
Primitive Man is:
Johnathon Campos – Bass
Ethan Lee McCarthy – Guitar/Vocals
Isidro “Spy” Soto – Drums
http://primitivemandoom.bandcamp.com/
