Interview with Georgian Skull

 GEORGIAN SKULL

Interviewed by: Fonda

Band members:
Al "the Yeti" Bones: Vocals/Lead Guitar
Steve "Beard" Dugal: Guitar
Sash Wilczynski: Bass
Ace Piva: Drums

This heavy blood-sucking band hails from Windsor, London, Hamilton and Toronto Canada. They are known UG band and making waves in other UG scene across the world. They have shared the stage with bands like Entombed, Crowbar, The Mighty Nimbus and Pro-Pain! And I am glad their frontman/L. guitarist gave me the chance to interview him. So here it is!

1. Hellish greetings to Georgian Skull! Still married to the road?! Touring every State there?
Al Bones: yeah man, we were for sure. Now its business time again, and getting down to it. I mean we are still playing lots, playing with Goatwhore, doing a tour with Brand New Sin, and working on some other stuff, doing our new record etc...But we're all busy with other things as well, writing and shit like that. The summer's tour was a big deal and took a lot out of us ‘cause we had a van full of band mates and a roadie. It was tough, and now I need my time apart so that I can focus on myself and my life. During the tour I was going through a real rough time and everyone knew it, but we didn't allow that to phase us whatsoever. I wasn't the only one, when it came down to it, we all had our problems, and we dealt with them like family, and got the job done. Now that we have a bit of time off, we are just getting our lives straightened out again, so that we can function like a machine come time touring again. Which will be quite soon I'd imagine.

2. Well, I just hope that it will not be the end for Georgian Skull.. =( So, from MISTER BONES evolving to GEORGIAN SKULL, did the theme of your music also change as well?
AL Bones: Indeed. The music evolved actually before the name change. We were tired of doing the Stoner "Rock" basic jams that got us to where we needed to be at that time. It helped pave the way for what we do now definitely, but experience is what I attribute our evolution to the most. After the Crowbar and Entombed tour, I came back from those dates so packed full of knowledge and experience, and most of all riffs and ideas...I knew we couldn't stay Stoner Rock for much longer. We needed to get heavier and heavier and heavier. We grew up listening to this stuff, but it was only till I was partying and playing with these guys each night that I realized if we don't get serious about our craft we'll never lift off. We needed a spark. And we got one in Ace Piva our drummer, he came in, and we found it real easy to write with him cause he was more about complimenting what we were writing, and when he didn't know how, he would ask, and we would give him ideas, and he ran with them and at the end of each day we had a new song ready to be demoed. And they were and are absolutely crushing.

3. Indeed, your music went to a different heavy level, and it’s great! I like what you said “We’ve killed off the body, to preserve the skull”. If you guys die, do you want your skulls to be preserve?
Al Bones: That is the coolest question I've been asked. YES! of course, I would donate my body to science, with the condition that they preserve my skull. Guaranteed them fuckers haven't seen anything like me before. But in all seriousness I would want to be buried next to my long time girlfriend. Maybe have my skull mounted on my tombstone? That would be cool....



4. Hehe, I am glad you like that question. Your skull mounted on your tombstone? Your tombstone will stand out from the rest. Speaking about it, what made G.S. stand out from the crowd?
AL Bones: Well everyone else in Canada is doing Screamo, emo bullshit...And I'M TELLING YOU, those kids out there that all wear the vans shoes, and side part your hair in true gay fashion, wear the absolute tightest pair of your little kid sister's jeans, and oh yea can't forget the vintage Iron Maiden shirt that was RE-PRODUCED yesterday from Hot Topics, dudes I hope you all stand in a field with a metal rod and get electrocuted cause you all are a bunch of fakes and you're androids. Lemmings, and your music will die tomorrow. When that happens, you will all seek to hold onto something else. None of these people are leaders and none of them are cool. I can’t talk to people like that, they drive me crazy, they are arrogant and think that their Alexisonfire and whatever other bands out there are the most amazing thing since sliced bread, and none of em know what real music is about. They all need to get a little Dimebag in their hearts. So back to my answer, yea what makes us stand out of the crowd is that we are weed smokin Sabbath heads that are bringing back the heavy doom into our metal culture here in Canada. Between emo and Death Metal (which we love) there is GEORGIAN SKULL who will crush your balls with one line of feedback and have your brain leak out your skull with one loud fuckin riff. Nah in all honesty, we are here, people just have to deal with it, we've played with screamo bands, we've played with big death metal bands too, and you know what, we blew them all outta the water. Our sound is heavy, groove and doom, and southern. And nobody does that here.

5. I agree, kids watch too much of that emo-pop-punk mainstream bands or whatever you call that shit! Hey, What do you usually do before performing? Have sex, drink, or something??
Al Bones: Usually lately our tradition has been to go find a bar down the street from the venue and get away from everyone and get smashed on Steve's credit card. About $300 worth or so, and then we go back to the venue, get on stage turn our amps on, and pummel a crowd that came to be destroyed. I'll sleep sometimes lately, I've found that good rest will help my performance and even a run around the neighborhood wherever the venue is, earlier that day. Shit like that helps man, one gets the blood flowing you can do superhuman things on stage and the other relaxes you and get you thinking clearly. The drinking definitely puts a stumble in your rumble but if you aunt able to control it, it will control you, and then the problems start.
6. Yeah, I am a vocalist as well, drinking way above the limit before the gig can make you lose control on stage. Steve’s credit card?? Glad he doesn’t mind! You guys have other bands or side bands?
Al Bones: yea I got THE MIGHTY NIMBUS based outta Minnesota U.S.A. Heaviest thing alive, and Ace plays in a back up band for the Steel town Sirens burlesque troop, when we ain’t on tour.



7. G.S. toured with other great bands, how about bands you still want to share on stage?
Al Bones: There are too many to list but if you really needed a few here are some that would make us gitty: if we opened for Sabbath. BLS is also a band we'd want to do something with soon, and Clutch.

8. I do wish also that you will get a chance to perform with those bands, that will be a killer show to watch! Any bad feud that you guys started beating each other?
Al Bones: yea me and Steve our rhthym guitar player, we feud all the time. Then we make up. We're like brothers yah know. We all feud a lot in our band but it’s all good. Never cause we hate each other, only cause we want what's best for this band. We feud with other bands too. Shit man, I'd shit bricks if we were in another band and Georgian Skull guys were feuding with us. Damn, I'm one person you don't want hating you. That's for damn sure.

9. You sound like a walking time bomb, hehe. They say YOU CANT PLEASE EVERYBODY, what can you say to those sickos who hates your music?
Al Bones: if they don't get it, they don't get it. Sooner of later they will.

10. That’s a pretty good answer. How about if one of you guys became a politician, what is the law that you want to pass to the Senate?
Al Bones: Weed Smoking should be as accessible as alcohol. You don't kill people when you're high and driving, you kill em, when your drunk slammed and speeding with no intention to slow down.

11. Then, I am one of those people who will vote for you! Horns up! Any plans dropping by in Asian countries?
Al Bones: Would love to go to Japan and play there. They used to own the PRIDE Fighting organization, a few years ago we almost had a song on there, but some douchebag from the Windsor University who was the editor at the time never sent our shit in the way he promised. I hope you're reading this yah dork.

12. Hmm..let me send a hate mail to that guy! What a rip-off. So what is Georgian Skull future plans?
Al Bones: Approach the labels in a methodical fashion, we'll figure out what we need to do after that, but we're working on our best product yet, and we want to release it on a bigger label, if not, a reputable indie label will work as well. People have this misconception of the music industry, they think you NEED to be on a major label to make things work on a bigger scale, most successful artists in our music today, are lucky that they are on a bigger label but they are not making a shitload of cash the way they used to. So really as long as we keep touring and have a great support group behind us with management, booking and a label that gives a shit about us, we'll do fine. better then fine, we'll see ourselves where we need to be.

13. Yeah, fuck big music labels! I guess that would be all, thanx for the time in answering this. Last messages for our Nbzine readers and Georgian Skull listeners in the world? Keep on banging the UG scene!
Al Bones: yea, watch out for us, cause we're coming. And be sure to look out for our new album next year (2008) Mother Armageddon of the Healing Apocalypse. It’s gonna blow yo mind. Guaranteed!!! Thanks a lot.

DISCOGRAPHY:
These Albums were released under the bands old name: "Mister Bones"
The Extra Heavy - 2002
Hell in Montreal (live Cd) - 2005
Monster Burn and The Power Seekers - 2006 -
Under the Georgian Skull:
Smell the Strap - 2007
Coming Soon:
Elements of Horror - Late 2007

LINKS:
http://www.myspace.com/georgianskull

Strictly Heavy Management
www.strictlyheavymanagement.com
Theresa Aldao, Principal Manager
Strictlyheavy@aol.com

Mike Doyle Radio Publicity
mikepublicityshm@hotmail.com

TNT Booking
David
www.myspace.com/tntbooking
david@tntbooking.com