On July 21, 2014, a new song titled "The Clarity" was released via Adult Swim Singles. and Scott Kelly (Neurosis, Blood And Time) on guitars, Al Cisneros … AC: It just took time really. We're the UK's only print publication devoted to bass guitar. Support tQ's work by becoming a subscriber and enjoy the benefits of bonus essays, podcasts and exclusively-commissioned new music. “I’m leaving them on. Read the choicest cuts from the Quietus archive: reviews, features and opinion, Towering Inferno: High On Fire's Matt Pike On Icke's Purple Reign, Sonic Titan: An Interview With Al Cisneros Of Sleep & Om, Energy Capture: Byetone's Favourite Albums, The Quietus Self-Indulgent Reissues, Comps & Mixes Of The Year List: 20 to one, Of Cakes & Men: Sleaford Mods Interviewed, A Kind Of Magic: Wardruna Teach Us To Laugh At Ourselves Again, More Than You Were Told: An Interview With SPAZA, Joyful Noise: An Interview With Pharaoh Overlord. So this is just the way the songs and the music we envisioned sounds. JJ Koczan. But, as you go on the path through life and you do it long enough, outside influence becomes absolutely meaningless, it actually becomes and obstruction. He joined in April 2008. AC: [laughs] Well, it was a joke really, that was my name in the band; It was an over appreciation of the second title of ‘War Pigs’ on Paranoid, ‘Luke’s Wall’, and so I was just amazed, like "Why is everybody only calling it ‘War Pigs’? It’s just two guys making all that racket, right? If it's actually people smoking and finding riffs through research, then that should in some way always reflect [ Black Sabbath guitarist Tony] Iommi’s early treatise… but in a lot of "stoner rock," people take one pipe hit and get all paranoid. That first 4001 is long gone. Will you keep the pickguard covers on, or throw them out? OM was a trailblazer, considering all the guitar-less rock bands around now. I mean, first of all, the reissue sounds the way we wanted it to. BrooklynVegan recently conducted an interview with SLEEP singer/bassist Al Cisneros in regard to the group's decision to reunite and their future plans. '” Cisneros says of the group’s early obsession. Do you always rest your picking-hand thumb on the neck? If you love what we do, you can help tQ to continue bringing you the best in cultural criticism and new music by joining one of our subscription tiers. BrooklynVegan recently conducted an interview with SLEEP singer/bassist Al Cisneros in regard to the group's decision to reunite and their future plans. Roughly six months after the dissolution of Sleep according to multiple sources (Including Pike), Matt Pike would form High on Fire. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The space makes what he plays that much better.”, The balance comes from knowing when not to play, as is the case with drumming too, “There’s usually two rhythms within a time signature - the bassist can define either. It’s also called ‘Luke’s Wall’!" As a wholly independent publication, we rely entirely on our ad bookings to keep The Quietus going. The final 4003 AC model has all the specifications on it that I suggested, from the two High Gain pickups, the thumb rest access to the top of the neck, and the push-pull on the treble on the right pickup. Shop for Vinyl, CDs and more from Al Cisneros at the Discogs Marketplace. AC: Yeah, and that’s essential – I think it’s essential for people to take time out if they need it. Yeah, definitely – and whilst we’re on that point, sort of, one of the things that OM records remind me of more and more are classical Indian ragas, improvised dedications to times of day and the seasons. When he holds, it’s heavy as fuck. AC: Love of music! It’s been demanding, but then all music should be demanding or it’s probably bad music, ha ha! “Thanks. Total sentry. If you were a metalhead in the 1990s but you were too fond of slow, stoner grooves to enjoy caffeinated headbangers like Metallica, you might well have been a fan of Sleep, the amazing band from California who released a clutch of all-time classic albums. Al Cisneros. In 1995, the future members of … Bath Flabba Holt, he has an anchor-like groove. Or have I miss understood it entirely? "I remember a 4003 got stolen from the venue in San Jose, where we started. By 2005 Cisneros was also active in a duo (occasionally a trio) called OM, in which the bass supplanted the guitarist’s role with massive, progressive panache. Having just listened to the new album (another WONDERFUL release!! How much has the gradual change in OM’s sound coincided with the changes in your own musical influences? Look at Geezer Butler, how he used to play up there back in 1970, ‘71. Their current album Advaitic Songs is out now via Drag City. Like I was mentioning in regards to OM playing with Emil and how fun it is, it’s the same with Sleep, it’s a really good time musically now and I’m looking forward to practicing bass right after we finish this interview; we’re having such a good time right now. You want to have a blank space so that you’re actually attentive to what is new and creative in it – you don’t want to inherit other music if it has no meaning at a certain point in your life. As well as the unparalleled joy of keeping the publication alive, you'll receive benefits including exclusive editorial, podcasts, and specially-commissioned music by some of our favourite artists. If we do it right, we put the drums into keys and melodies. -- Oregon Music News interview with Al Cisneros Welcome to the second installment in my examination of bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros, he of the stoner metal legends Sleep as well more esoteric leaning projects such as Om and Shrinebuilders. Sonic Titan: An Interview With Al Cisneros Of Sleep & Om Dino Gollnick , July 16th, 2012 09:57 Dr Rock hooks up with Al Cisneros of Sleep and Om to find out what's going on in the world of transcendental stoner rock AC: Well, so I can clarify: when I first started playing music musical influence was obviously far more clear and direct – I mean, there were bass players in bands that made me want to learn bass; practice bass and try writing songs. But whatever man, it makes no sense! I use anecdotes that have inspired me throughout the themes of the OM songs – it’s my art, I’m a contributor to the collective sound of OM so of course it’s got to have that significance for me or you can’t play the music with passion and for me there’s a great deal of that expressed in the poetry or the verses or lyrics, whatever you’d choose to call it. When Choi left Asbestosdeath, Cisneros, Hakius, new member Justin Marler and Pike renamed themselves Sleep. Al Cisneros: Always. It’s a delectable bass, tricked out in green (of course) and boasting his signature spec. The Sleep bass man on his new signature Rickenbacker, roots and reggae . I mean, I never stopped hearing riffs and making up rhythms – eventually it just felt like the right time. Many candidates take unpaid leave and put their careers on a break, so they can deliver a custom written thesis by the deadline. They are the band of a generation: Scott “Wino” Weinrich (Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, etc.) That’s all you see around you and that’s all you participate in. For more information, see the page on Sleep. The first, Sleep’s Holy Mountain (1992), featured Al Cisneros on bass guitar and vocals and was a truly immense album, loaded with planet-sized riffage and soundscapes that extended far into sub- bass territory. For 73 years, the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron has flown air shows in front of millions of people around the world. As a band, that means we finally got closure, so we’re happy. The sparkle green one that I got after Holy Mountain but before Dopesmoker was sold, and I tried to buy it back but the guy wouldn’t sell it back to me. Those guys are at the mountain top. It was so cool to have a thumb rest, finally.”. Their sound is deeper and has more pressure than any metal band’s bass sound. Om - Interview With Al Cisneros by Marek Steven. The drums and bass are like the heart and lungs of the music, in a way.”, “My initial interest in Rick came from being a lifelong fan of Geddy Lee. December 11, 2009 . Die Hauptelemente von Om sind Bass, Schlagzeug und Gesang. Shrinebuilder was a doom metal supergroup that lasted from 2008 – 2011, featuring Scott Kelly (Neurosis, Tribes of Neurot, Corrections House, etc. The Gospel According To Luke: Al Cisneros Of Om Interviewed Toby Cook , September 29th, 2012 10:14 Ahead of Sunday's gig, Toby Cook speaks to the stoner rock legend about God, one's path in life and the future of Sleep Cisneros spielt mit literarischen Formen, was Cisneros selber auf ihren interkulturellen Hintergrund und den schwierigen materiellen … He is known for being a founding member of the stoner rock band Sleep, and for leaving a burgeoning career in music to become a monk in an Eastern Orthodox monastery.. Al Cisneros / s ɪ s ˈ n ɛr oʊ s / (born September 23, 1973) is an American musician. How challenging was it pulling in all the various instrumentation used on the new record? The record took its own schedule and we wanted to continue to let the work evolve without finalising it until ‘it’ itself was ready; our label was supportive of that and as artists that’s the ultimate goal: You want your finished work to render the emotions you felt during its creation. In November 2017 the band members posted a message in Morse code stating that they had almost finished recording material for a … We play a certain kind of music and then we go on with our lives; music is our lives and the life is our music – it’s kind of the same thing, there’s not some change of mind set to suddenly practice spiritual life when it comes to music, it’s constant all the time and music should be a reflection of that then. Al Cisneros: I don’t really feel one way or other about it. Given how much fun it’s been getting back out on the road with Sleep, is there ever a scenario where you could envisage there being new material? http://www.rickenbacker.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ricguitars/https://www.facebook.com/officialsleep/https://www.facebook.com/om.band/ It’s very humbling - a real honour.”. There’s way more rolling, curved elasticity in the sound, as opposed to a digital, square sound. On Sunday, Nov. 15, the supergroup Shrinebuilder played their first NYC show ever at Le Poisson Rouge. Read the reviews, join the forum, enter the music debate Subscribe for star interviews, essential gear reviews and killer tuition! Anyone really familiar with OM will know of the often rather intimidating level of spiritual thinking and references that surround and flow through not just their music but also the lives of its creators – when The Quietus caught up with Cisneros ahead of OM’s show at the Scala in London however we found a man anything but intimidating; we found a truly engaging, expressive individual. Me and Al went out and bought a Vol. I’m just happy to be here now. All rights reserved. There are few words more satisfying to the human soul and yet it’s a notoriously difficult thing to get right – unless of course your name is Al Cisneros and you’re one half of OM. Formed back in 2003 by the former rhythm section of Sleep, OM in essence continued to tread the path of meditative, monolithic riff odysseys that Sleep had started down with their magnum opus, Dopesmoker, yet since their 2005 debut record, the aptly titled Variations On A Theme, OM have gradually and fluidly expanded their sound to include an array of textures and instrumentation that has expanded their sound to unprecedented extremes without obstructing the tantric flow of Cisneros’ riffs and (current member) Emil Amos’ metronomic yet expressive drumming. I mean you could refer to it as training – people have a path of training or people have what some might call a spiritual life, they work on self improvement. The BBC artist page for Al Cisneros. So, yeah, I’m thankful that I did that. Initially the band formed as a power duo, but have been a trio since 2009. ), Al Cisneros (Sleep, Om, Asbestosdeath) and Dale Crover (Melvins, Altamont, Nirvana). “I tried using a pick in the first year I played, and it’s all right, but when the strings are hit towards the top of the neck they generate sound pressure. It was a salute to the first Dopesmoker bass I had custom-painted back in 1993. – they all seems to have, certainly in recent albums, heavy Judaeo-Christian reference points…. Advaitic Songs ist überwiegend ruhig, orientalisch, subtil und melodisch. There’s more of a push through the speaker cone. How key is improvisation with OM – is there an almost worshipful aspect to it? Now hear from the pilots & crew that were a part of this incredible history as they share their stories. I mean, you got tamburas, zithers, Sufi singers…. If it's actually people smoking and finding riffs through research, then that should in some way always reflect [ Black Sabbath guitarist Tony] Iommi’s early treatise… but in a lot of "stoner rock," people take one pipe hit and get all paranoid. It’s a full circle in my journey. It doesn’t matter where you play it if it doesn’t sound good, but the bass tone that speaks better to my ears is up there. One last thing Al, just before I let you go, I heard a funny story from Matt Pike the last time I interviewed him where he was talking about the early days of Sleep and he mentioned that for a period where you decided to call yourself ‘Luke’ – for about two years or something – what was that all about? BA1 1UA. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. I’ve always preferred that sound, and in OM I experiment with going through the board. The band’s name was derived from the Om song “Rays To The Sun/To The Shrinebuilder”.1 … Chris Hakius would briefly retire from playing music (Being inactive for two years with Sleep's inactivity and breakup) and taking up a job as a truck driver before reuniting with former Sl… Some day!’ So I made payments once a week, with my paper route earnings, at Starving Musician in Santa Clara, on my first Rickenbacker. I have two totally different setups in both bands, it drives the techs crazy.”, Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. I also use the last four or five millimetres of pickguard too, I’m actually very used to doing that. And that’s the way it should be – like we began the interview talking about the OM album and how we didn’t have a schedule and we let the songs evolve; we knew when they were ready, but we absolutely had patience, and waited, and that’s the same with Sleep – things come out better when you that. And what does influence you these days – is there still room in your life for the likes of KISS? Interview: Al Cisneros Here's a recent interview with Al Cisneros (Om, Sleep) that i just came across thanks to themelvins.net forums. The bass tone on Rush records completely floored me. The bass is like a melodic drum when it’s in the pocket. There was another one, a 4003 with a pickguard that had been modified; that one is on a lot of tracks on Holy Mountain. AC: Well I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘worshipful’ but it’s not separate from the path, the life path I mean. To find out more, click here. Keep me updated!’ Over the past year there was more and more communication from them, and about six months ago Marc sent me a text saying ‘They’re gonna do it’. Al Cisneros: I don’t really feel one way or other about it. (Bass Guitar) 03 September 2019, The Sleep bass man on his new signature Rickenbacker, roots and reggae. There was a problem. In 2014, Al Cisneros announced in an interview that the band was working on a new record. Interview with Al Cisneros(Om) Author Message; Nemo Vicious Admin Posts: 34 Join date: 2010-01-30 Location: Macedonia : Subject: Interview with Al Cisneros(Om) Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:49 am: Sonic_Titan: For Al - what have you been doing for the past seven years, and why did you feel it was good now to get back to playing music? So beautiful.”, “Aston Barrett - his timing, phrasing, tone and overall approach to the groove. Find the best clips, watch programmes, catch up on the news, and read the latest Al Cisneros interviews. Metal Skull: Interview with Al Cisneros of Shrinebuilder: The Science Of Anger. 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