Cosmiclava where the lava flows

Life can be full of bad surprises and tragic moments, and this time it happens after my good friend Thorsten Quenders had done this interview with Gideon Smith. In the night from the sixth to the seventh of June drummer Boo of the Dixie Damned died very tragic while he was asleep. It isn't really necesarry to say that this was a terrible shock for the whole band and everything they've planned for this year is very uncertain. If you don't know this band, then I give you the advice to get a copy of their full-length "Southern Gentlman". They don't come up with the usual heavy southern doom style.Read the review inside this webzine and you know, what I'm talking about. And enjoy reading this detailed and high informative interview with Gideon Smith. Thanks to Thorsten for the questions!

Please tell us about the history of GS&TDD. I mean when did you start and who`s who in the band at the moment?

The band came together around 1999, at that time I had three guys who had been in the band Animal Bag. Keith Innman, Otis and Boo Creepy. We made that first ep on Game Two, which was a little more metallic and jam oriented. Keith and Otis couldn't tour or play shows due to personal commitments at that time, so Boo and I built the new line up out of other musical partners in crime: Jose Carlos on bass, Brad Fury on guitar and Mike Kelleher on guitars, then  we made the "Southern Gentlemen" cd and that is the line up that is now, the one at shows and future tours. Its alot more raw and groove heavy, three big guitars, swampy slide and great rhythm section!

Is there something like a NC Scene? Where do the heavy bands like you and Karma To Burn play or are you more east-coast-oriented?

Yeah there are some great bands from the south in general, like the punk legends Antiseen, the sludge kings Sour Vein (originally from Wilmington,NC), Weedeater, Throttlerod, Buzzoven, others. I have seen Karma to Burn, I think their first stuff is excellent I havent heard the other records, but did see them live- it was great, powerful stuff..but I believe Karma are from Virginia, not Carolina. I think Weedeater puts on great live shows, Dave Collins is one of my all time favroite bassists, he's the man..also I credit Buzzoven years ago for starting the whole movement of bands that sound like that, those guys were the pioneers of that and put on some great shows years ago. In Charlotte, I like Black Lagoon, Jennifer Strip, Dead Kings, bands like that. But all across the southern parts of the States you have great bands out of Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana and across to Texas. But also it's interesting you have bands like Five Horse from Ohio and Halfway To Gone from up North, who has southern influenced flavor to their sounds, its great. I enjoy alot of them, if not all!

I know the Roadburn reports, so it`s obvious that you have a lot of different influences in your music, but is there a different kind of influence for your southern swamp blues style, especially in this part of the USA. On the one side the Heavyness of the East-Coast and on the other side a big heavy influence of the South?

Yeah, I think it comes from listening to alot of REAL OLD country and bluegrass in addition to 70's rock. Also the blues based music from New Orleans, Mississippii, Carolina and out of Memphis Tennessee. Rock and roll was basically created in the south to my knowledge, and if you reach back and listen to the old stuff as well as the big southern rock of the seventies, you can get alot of good influence. Also, bands from England that brought it back to the USA. Chicago blues..stuff like that.

To my mind, you cannot describe the sound of the GS&TDD as typical Southern influenced Heavyrock. That is correct, but I think there`s more. For me it`s the long awaited fusion between these new heavy southern influenced sounds like Alabama Thunder Pussy, Five Horse Johnson, Karma To Burn, Halfway To Gone , Backdraft and the east-coast Heavy Scene and especially the spirit of the godfathers of all like Johnny Cash, Elvis, H. Williams.

Well thanks man, I appreciate your insight and interest! Yeah I love all those bands. Most of them I know personally, but all of those bands are great, kind people who have their own awesome music and vibe and I love em all. Thats part of what makes the recent uprise in southern influenced rock so cool is that the scene is filled with musicians who was really great, kind personally when you meet them, then their music kicks ass and it kinda connects everybody in one big family tree almost! Especially the Smallstone bands, we're all wayward children of Scott Hamilton!!! hahaa..Children of 70's rock, Sabbath, Skynyrd and Hank Senior. Grown up on psychedelics and beer and fried foods!..But hey, I am happy you can see our sound is slightly different from most..I think it's cause I listened to alot of old Cash, Hank Sr., BB King, Elvis, Doors and Cult and stuff like that. I wanted to bring the outlaw country, blues and hard rock jams together because I could play that more naturally than the doom style or punk influenced music. Also, its about being song oriented as well as guitar riff oriented: bands like Five Horse, HalfWay, ATP and especially the mighty Raging Slab have stand out songs that you can remember and jam over and over again. Songs last forever man!

Will the European, especially the German fans see you on stage soon and do you play normally a lot of gigs?

Well, I probably shouldn't talk about it yet..but we are looking at plans for a European tour in early fall, most likely November! I am so excited!!!!! Me and the gand are working with the same guy who deals with our friends Five Horse, HTG, Raging Slab and Leadfoot..and it looks like we're gonna get to roll on over and do a month or so of shows in early fall. It's been one of my life long goals to tour Europe and I am beyond thrilled that we're gonna go! Smallstone has done a killer job of promoting my cd and our music in Europe and we have gotten some wonderful press and interest, it means so much to be that people in Germany and other countries have enjoyed the cd! I can't wait to get over there and kick ass all over with live shows and get to meet everybody. Walter and Roadburn, Klaus and Cosmic Lava and Henk Mol in Vain Productions, Psychedelic zine, as well as my pal Big Luciano in Italy, Cargo UK and Bertus have all done so much for us to promote our music in Europe, its been great. We cannot wait to get over there and rock out big time and have fun, meet everybody!! So yeah, we're all bouncing off the walls at the chance to go.

Is there meanwhile a chance to release the early Sun Studio Recordings, this „lonely rock and roll outlaw cowboy record“, through Small Stone Records, which you mentioned in the Roadburn report?

Man, its not going to come out anytime soon..its real raw and not very slick sounding..which is just what I wanted..but anyway we'll see I think it will come out soon maybe on vinyl..I'll probably have to release it myself, cause its raw and sloppy like an old record, not really big time like our electric stuff..But I'm happy people wanna hear and it and means alot to me, cause the music is so painful and heavy personally..its' not happy stuff, its really dark and filled with personal heartbreak..which is what happened at the time so I can't apologize for it.

What do you do in "normal“ life or which part plays the band and music in your daily life?

Right now I just hang out..I am broke as hell and don't have a regular job..I'm just a total rock misfit..every day is another challenge to make ends meet..but I'm always having fun and living large.

Is there any connection between the MD and the bands from the South. Do you play concerts together? I love Sixty Watt Shaman and their Bluesy-Southern-Fuzz Style and Wino and all the Hellhound-stuff.

The Baltimore bands are cool! I like Sixty Watt..Rev.Jim is the coolest..Also I liked Iron Boss, they're rockin..that guy is like Jim Dandy's son..But no, I haven't done any shows with those bands yet, but I hope to and look forward to do so. Yeah, Wino is one of my heroes, he's got this feel that is just unbelievable..We all know each other like most bands and cross paths over the years. At one time I learned alot from Sour Vein, Antiseen..Those guys helped me out alot before I had this band going..we all kinda did time in each other's circles and then it's back to our own again..