Vice v8n1 Band Piece: Shrinebuilder

Sonic Titans From Beyond

Shrinebuilder Think Supergroup Is A Dirty Word

Supergroup. The word alone is enough to make you shudder. I got a little pukey just typing it out right there. Bouncy castle size egos, nonsensical concepts and consistently awful records are all that has ever come from the meeting of supposedly great musical minds. Velvet Revolver, Audioslave, Zwan, A Perfect Circle, Fantomas. Do we need to hammer this point home any further? Ok, The Travelling Wilburys.

One look at the Shrinebulder lineup though and the rule didn’t seem to matter so much anymore. Between them the four members of this band have served in Sleep, OM, Neurosis, The Melvins, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan and The Hidden Hand. Oh, and Saint Vitus. In case you are not familiar with these names then you are reading the wrong magazine. Yep, between them Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Al Cisneros, Scott Kelly and Dale Crover have had a hand in a bunch of records that make up a large portion of what most people who like slow, heavy music have listened to over the last quarter of a century.

It was obvious from the outset that this wasn’t exactly going to be Humble Pie but the five tracks that make up Shrinebuilder’s self-titled debut album are so untouchably brilliant that they blew even the expectations of those with sky high hopes to eensy weensy teeny weeny smithereens. It’s basically a masterpiece. Put this magazine down and go and buy it now.

Seeing as all four of the guys in Shrinebuilder play in lots of other bands and live in different cities it was always going to be a chore getting them all together for an interview but we were lucky enough to get Scott Kelly on a the phone for a few minutes so we were happier than pigs in shit anyway. Turns out Scott is a man of few words but they are all good ones so heed them.

Vice: Hello Scott, so how did what basically amounts to every teenage stoner rock fans wank fantasy doom band come together?
Scott Kelly (guitars): Well, originally it was something that Al and Wino had talked about. I think they had actually been talking about it for a long time and I’ve known Al for years so he just asked me if I wanted to play guitar on the record. It wasn’t like I was going to say no to being in a band with Wino.

What’s it like waking up and thinking: “Holy crap, I’m in a band with Wino!” ?
Well, we’d kind of moved in similar circles for a long time but we’d never actually met so it was strange to finally meet him but it was great making the record if that is what you mean. We did it very fast in very few takes and there was a real energy in the room that you can hear on the record. It was something I’ve never quite experienced before and I’ve made quite a few records.

How do you feel about people describing Shrinebuilder as a supergroup?
We don’t use that word.

Circle Jams

Shinebuilder’s self-titled debut album is available on Neurot Recordings right now.

www.myspace.com/shrinebuildergroup