What’re your highlights of the year so far?
Marshall Kilpatric (composer, lyricist, arranger, performer - drums/bass/guitars/keyboards/vocals, recording engineer, producer)
This year has been full of them, but especially completing this collection of songs and getting it released, out of my hands and into the world. Two of the songs were written around the same time as the first album, two were written last year (2024), and one is obviously a cover. But getting them all to this point is by far the biggest overall highlight, as it has been a lot of work and it is great to see the fruition of those efforts.
• What are your goals for the rest of the year?
MK
To spread the word of this EP, hopefully allowing it to reach as many new listeners as possible that are not already aware of The Behaviour. And once it “drops” (Nov. 21st), to begin focusing on what is in store next year, which will include expanding into multimedia territory and presenting the music and vision of The Behaviour in an entirely new way.
• Which new bands/artists are you into right now?
MK
Some of these include new releases by existing artists: Swans, Shiner, Nine Inch Nails, Sisters, Spotlights, Chelsea Wolfe, Heilung, Dax Riggs, Queens of the Stone Age, David Gilmour, Death Cult, David Eugene Edwards, Wisp, Deftones. Waiting for a new Failure album.
• What was the band or artist that got you into music or inspired you to be a musician?
MK
My very first memories as a child when being exposed to music included a lot of rock, blues, and jazz, thanks to my family. This is especially true of my father, as he was a musician/guitarist, and his bands used to rehearse in our basement where music was prevalent from the day I was born onward. I think him, along with Pink Floyd, Mountain (Corky Laing), Deep Purple (Ian Paice), Cream (Ginger Baker), Hendrix (Mitch Mitchell), ZZ Top, Van Halen (Alex), Black Sabbath (Bill Ward), Led Zeppelin, Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, Yes/King Crimson (Bill Bruford), Dixie Dregs, Gene Krupa, Billy Cobham, Buddy Rich. So many others in this vein were all very influential to my desire to play music, as these were the records I learned to play drums to starting at age 4.
• AI has become a bone of contention among creators. What’s your view of it?
MK
Very good question. I think it has enormous potential to be utilized as a tool to help assist in creativity. I already use it, specifically to conjure up imagery and aesthetics. That said, for music, I am very cautious about it. I think it is crucial for the need of more oversight, especially when it comes to where it mines data from. The thought that it is pulling from existing creative works by artists who worked hard to make their art/music is alarming to me, and I do not agree with that. I also see no use for it to completely create “original” music, if one is to even call it that. I think it is cheating, misleading, and insincere to hear something AI has created and someone claim it is their own original work. Perhaps human artists may have to eventually intentionally leave mistakes in their works to differentiate between what is real and what isn’t. We will see.
• What was your wildest show so far, and why?
MK
I have to go back to a previous performance from when I was playing drums in Black Light Burns, as it by far stands out the most. We were playing a festival, I think it was in Ohio, with maybe Chris Cornell & Deftones, among others. We went on sometime late afternoon, and it had been really hot that day. We were about halfway through our set, and our amps started to fry in the heat. As the crew frantically tried to fix the issues, we were left standing there in front of about 12,000 people who were equally agitated by the oppressive sun. All of a sudden it started to “rain” - as the stage, with us on it, was pelted with any and everything the audience could find to throw - frisbees, bottles, clumps of sod & mud, you name it. Wes (Borland) began taunting the crowd for more, and thus began a game of “can you hit the target”. At some point, we got power back to the guitar amps, and guitarist Nick Annis and I started an improv jam of sorts until everything came back on and we could continue. Thankfully, the crowd was more than pleased and got back into the show with us, and we finished with a very enthusiastic response and set. It was insane and unhinged there for a bit. The entire thing was captured on video and some of it was included in the tour documentary “Anvil Pants”. You may be able to find it on YouTube.
• How does “Pedestals” differ from “A Sin Dance” in terms of tone and influence?
MK
There were a lot of things I did different for this recording in terms of the production than on the first album. That said, I did strive to keep it as organic, natural, warm, raw, pure, and authentic as possible in tone, vibe, and sound as on the first. There is no autotune, quantizing, programming, or AI utilized at all. If I can’t perform it, I shouldn’t be recording it. Even the keyboard sounds - Mellotron, synth bass, piano, etc, were all played. I did record drums with an electronic kit this time around for a variety of reasons, but even with that, everything was played and performed “organically”. This was probably the biggest difference from the first album, and any other I’ve ever recorded for that matter. For these drum sounds, between Eric Graves, Paul Malinowski, and myself, we aimed to make them sound as real as possible. Though nothing can replace or sound better than pushing air with the energy of fully punching, kicking, and hitting a real kit. This was more of an experiment to see how well it would turn out, and while it not be perfect, I do think it did fine in that department. I recorded using the same guitars as on the first, my go-to being an older Epiphone Sheraton II that has a great tone, and I stand by the quality and sound holding up to any more expensive Gibson models. I also put a lot of effort into making the vocal melodies and harmonies work, to be effective without overdoing it. I did want to expand in many different directions from what I did on the first album, by going more melodic and heavier simultaneously, and utilizing different musical elements such as the keyboards/synthesizers and different guitar pedals. On both recordings, I focused heavily on the melodies and harmonies with guitars and vocals a lot, but on this one I wanted to add more technicality to the playing, especially in the rhythmic patterns. It is still a very dense, layered, and textured recording that listeners may have to hear several times to fully grasp what is all in there, which is very intentional. So much of what you hear in popular music today is the same, somewhat homogenized, and I want the opposite of that.
As far as influence, that remains mostly the same as the first album. I want to engage the listener to hear something unique and different with every listen. In that, perhaps one may hear subtle nods to Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, and Pink Floyd, especially, which was also true on the first album. I like a lot of noisier artists as well, which I think has bled out on both, such as Killing Joke, Slint, Einsturzende Neubauten, Merzbow, My Bloody Valentine. It’s about finding that delicate balance of beauty and chaos, melody and dissonance. Push it to the edge of what is catchy and listenable, while putting something in there that begs the listener to ask, “What is that?”
• What inspired the lyrical themes behind the record?
MK
I always find inspiration in things I see or experience around me, and/or my attempt to creatively express what I am feeling or sensing internally about my own self and how I interpret things. I’ve always been a fan of artists who let their art and music do the explaining for them, without having to give away their meaning. I utilize abstract metaphors, allegory, euphemism, symbolism, veiled references, allusion, hyperbole, and universal themes to never be too specific. I strive for everything being said to be open for interpretation, so that any listener may find something personal for his or her own self to resonate and/or connect with. For me, it’s meant to be authentic, introspective, emotional, and a process for discovery. Sometimes I don’t even know what they’re about until after they’ve been written, and I take a step back to look at the complete picture that’s just been painted. Then, it starts to take on more meaning and I can interpret what my subconscious mind is saying.
That all being said, pedestals are things upon which we place something or someone we revere, or rather can be used to reference a situation in which someone or something is greatly or uncritically admired. It also is cautionary, meaning be mindful of what you choose to hold in such high regard, as all things in life are temporary. Each of the songs on this EP reflect that in its own way. There are themes of loss - loss of control, loss of life, and facing the unknown on this finite plane of existence. There are themes of reverence, devotion, love, & longing - finding yourself mirrored in someone you completely love and are obsessed by. Strength in the face of adversity, especially in today’s very charged & divisive social, economic, and political climate. Caution of the power and energy one can possess, being aware of how what you do affects more than just yourself. And also coming to terms with the consequences of one’s decisions and actions, gaining perspectives about where you’ve been, how you came to be where you are at, and where you want to go.
• What’s the story behind the artwork for “Pedestals”?
MK
It is essentially a visual interpretation of all of the themes found on the record. There is something from every lyrical element in there. I have always been a fan of great album artwork, and I certainly see the significance of having great conceptual art enhance what one hears in the music. As with the recording, it has many layers, and hopefully one can find something new in there every time they look. Also, as with the lyrics, I try not to be too literal or give any explanations away; I want the person holding it in their hands to see something that speaks to them rather than me explaining what exactly it means to me.
• Where is the furthest across the globe you’ve played so far?
MK
I toured Europe, Britain, and Scandinavia while I was playing drums in Kylesa, touring as support for Clutch. Hopefully, that changes in the near future…