Ben Weinman - The Dillinger Escape Plan (15/01/2014)
Ben Weinman’s technical proficiency and relentless energy on a guitar often defies comprehension. Spending the last decade at the helm of The Dillinger Escape Plan has seen the man survive the last fifteen years of relentless tours involving shows globally recognizable as some of the most unhinged and utterly manic on earth (stage invasion, fire breathing, public defecation, et al).
As the only remaining original member of TDEP, the inexplicably talented fellow was nice enough to chat to The 59th Sound about the band’s impending Soundwave tour, their latest release, One Of Us Is The Killer, and how a decade-and-a-half of performing live has done nothing to diminish the trail blazing math-metaller’s willingness to bring a mammoth amount of energy to every live gig.
“It’s actually gotten crazier! It really has, we’ve gotten more conditioned and more used to it. It’s got to the point where you do something for so long and for so many years it becomes second nature, like part of your DNA. That’s just made it more crazy.”
“The things that differ most about our shows are the environments. We’re doing our thing, then the club or the crowd… something happens you can’t predict and it changes everything. I guess if (Vocalist) Greg (Puciato) was going to breathe fire he’d have to have something ready to do it. Obviously, that’s kind of planned, but not so far in advance. You don’t want to become a gimmick! We’re not like Rammstein, or something like that (laughs). We just like to continue to throw different things in there.”
On the topic of gigs, Ben is happy to give his perspective on how the world of heavier live music has changed since his band’s inception. When queried about TDEP’s infamous label as ‘violent’ at live show, the man is contemplatively dismissive.
“When we first started we were all college kids, and back in the 90’s typically metal bands and heavy bands looked like metal bands. They had long hair, wore black, etc. Punk bands looked like punk bands, indie rock looked like indie rock, y’know? You never saw a cross over, there wasn’t a Black Flag shirt at a Slayer concert. Here we were, these college kids. I think one of us was a manager at J. Crew… I’d just wear a V-neck sweater and khakis at school, and then go play a show. People were blown away that we had this energy playing this crazy, progressive, violent kind of music, but we didn’t look the part.”
“That’s what it was really about; we weren’t violent people, this was just cathartic energy we were using. We had this ability to use this band as a way to vent off the week, just uninhibited and free expression for that half hour we go to play a show somewhere.”
Jump forward a decade, and those cathartic kids in khakis have long since established a genre entirely their own. Relentless and sporadic time signature changes, visceral and unapologetic forays in to crossbreeds of metal, hardcore, punk and jazz, and a cavalcade of savagely flawless riffs across five exceptional albums have set the standard since just after the Nintendo 64 was released. That’s. Fucking. Ages.
With such masterfully contorted musical trickery at work, it’s curious how Ben approaches the intricacies of composing a TDEP song, and whether or not outdoing himself in a studio can be troublesome when it comes time to play certain songs live.
“A lot of it comes naturally, I think. There’s definitely times during the writing process when we sit back and listen to what we’re doing. Sometimes because we’ve been listening to the ideas push along they wind up sounding second nature to us. We end up pushing them further just to stimulate ourselves while not realizing that they’re probably already sound pretty complex to most people (laughs).”
“It’s not an intention. We never want to push something being clever over emotion and energy. Sometimes something will seem interesting in theory, but when we play it, it doesn’t have that right feel. There’s definitely things we’ve written and I’ve been “Okay, this is definitely something we’re not going to play live”. But by the time you record it, you’re ready to play it live, we’re all “We’ve got to play this live”. There’s very few times on any of our records that there are songs we wouldn’t be able to translate live. But then it always changes, we always end up playing them anyway!”
Regularly successive line up changes throughout TDEP’s history has left Ben as the only remaining original member of the band. A circumstance which he explains is mostly irrelevant when it comes to maintaining their unique sound across new material. That said, there was certainly a new approach to the bands blistering 2013 release One Of Us Is The Killer.
“I think being the core song writer from day one helps keep that kind of… ethic, or how you write; the things that we do to make it Dillinger. But then having new members – particularly drummers – brings something different with every record that has a new drummer. Historically, I’ve pretty much recorded all the guitars on the records anyway. Plus (bassist) Liam (Wilson) and Greg have been in the band for many, many years now anyway, so it’s not so difficult to stay true to our sound, so to speak.”
“I think the real challenge is introducing new things without abandoning our sound. (One Of Us Is The Killer) is definitely the first record where every song was written specifically for this record. In the past we’d write some songs, then I’d go in to my computer and find things like electronics, or a song I’d considered using for a side project, then ask “What do you think would compliment the rest of the record?” A lot of the songs you would think are a departure from the Dillinger sound in the past, were things I’d written earlier not specifically for Dillinger. Things I’d done on a piano, or whatever. But with this record because everything was written for it, that’s maybe why it’s a little more cohesive.”
With Soundwave on a fast approaching horizon, Ben explains how One Of Us Is The Killer fares with old material on a set list, and how the band is feeling about visiting Australia again this summer.
“Definitely everything on this record seems to be more quickly adaptable for the live show. The first songs we started playing from this record immediately felt as good as ones we’d been playing for years and years. I think they are definitely more geared toward the live scenario. Songs that work live immediately? That was something that was really cool.”
“Playing shows is just another day in the office for us. The people or the venue is what changes the show for us. So getting to do that in a place like Australia it reminds us every time we come that this is really… a cool job (laughs). Playing in a place so geographically different to where we’re from, and so far away, but still culturally comfortable. I mean, the people are great, the reception’s great. It’s just an awesome place to play.”
“We’ve tried to maintain the attitude from the beginning when we were playing in front of maybe three people, that when on that stage we are the awesomest band in the world. I say that with as much humility as possible. We know we’re not the best band in the world! We know it’s very subjective to taste, and we’re really an acquired taste. Most people consider us just noise, but when we’re on that stage we have to know that we have done everything in our power to be, at that moment, the best band that’s on any stage anywhere that’s playing right now.”
Few who have seen The Dillinger Escape Plan live would argue. With an attitude to match the band’s energy, there’s no doubt Ben and his band mates are not to be missed at Soundwave 2014.
Todd Gingell
SOUNDWAVE 2014
Saturday, 22nd February
RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane
Sunday, 23rd February
Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
Friday, 28th February
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Saturday, 1st March
Bonython Park, Adelaide
Monday, 3rd March
Claremont Showgrounds, Perth
As the only remaining original member of TDEP, the inexplicably talented fellow was nice enough to chat to The 59th Sound about the band’s impending Soundwave tour, their latest release, One Of Us Is The Killer, and how a decade-and-a-half of performing live has done nothing to diminish the trail blazing math-metaller’s willingness to bring a mammoth amount of energy to every live gig.
“It’s actually gotten crazier! It really has, we’ve gotten more conditioned and more used to it. It’s got to the point where you do something for so long and for so many years it becomes second nature, like part of your DNA. That’s just made it more crazy.”
“The things that differ most about our shows are the environments. We’re doing our thing, then the club or the crowd… something happens you can’t predict and it changes everything. I guess if (Vocalist) Greg (Puciato) was going to breathe fire he’d have to have something ready to do it. Obviously, that’s kind of planned, but not so far in advance. You don’t want to become a gimmick! We’re not like Rammstein, or something like that (laughs). We just like to continue to throw different things in there.”
On the topic of gigs, Ben is happy to give his perspective on how the world of heavier live music has changed since his band’s inception. When queried about TDEP’s infamous label as ‘violent’ at live show, the man is contemplatively dismissive.
“When we first started we were all college kids, and back in the 90’s typically metal bands and heavy bands looked like metal bands. They had long hair, wore black, etc. Punk bands looked like punk bands, indie rock looked like indie rock, y’know? You never saw a cross over, there wasn’t a Black Flag shirt at a Slayer concert. Here we were, these college kids. I think one of us was a manager at J. Crew… I’d just wear a V-neck sweater and khakis at school, and then go play a show. People were blown away that we had this energy playing this crazy, progressive, violent kind of music, but we didn’t look the part.”
“That’s what it was really about; we weren’t violent people, this was just cathartic energy we were using. We had this ability to use this band as a way to vent off the week, just uninhibited and free expression for that half hour we go to play a show somewhere.”
Jump forward a decade, and those cathartic kids in khakis have long since established a genre entirely their own. Relentless and sporadic time signature changes, visceral and unapologetic forays in to crossbreeds of metal, hardcore, punk and jazz, and a cavalcade of savagely flawless riffs across five exceptional albums have set the standard since just after the Nintendo 64 was released. That’s. Fucking. Ages.
With such masterfully contorted musical trickery at work, it’s curious how Ben approaches the intricacies of composing a TDEP song, and whether or not outdoing himself in a studio can be troublesome when it comes time to play certain songs live.
“A lot of it comes naturally, I think. There’s definitely times during the writing process when we sit back and listen to what we’re doing. Sometimes because we’ve been listening to the ideas push along they wind up sounding second nature to us. We end up pushing them further just to stimulate ourselves while not realizing that they’re probably already sound pretty complex to most people (laughs).”
“It’s not an intention. We never want to push something being clever over emotion and energy. Sometimes something will seem interesting in theory, but when we play it, it doesn’t have that right feel. There’s definitely things we’ve written and I’ve been “Okay, this is definitely something we’re not going to play live”. But by the time you record it, you’re ready to play it live, we’re all “We’ve got to play this live”. There’s very few times on any of our records that there are songs we wouldn’t be able to translate live. But then it always changes, we always end up playing them anyway!”
Regularly successive line up changes throughout TDEP’s history has left Ben as the only remaining original member of the band. A circumstance which he explains is mostly irrelevant when it comes to maintaining their unique sound across new material. That said, there was certainly a new approach to the bands blistering 2013 release One Of Us Is The Killer.
“I think being the core song writer from day one helps keep that kind of… ethic, or how you write; the things that we do to make it Dillinger. But then having new members – particularly drummers – brings something different with every record that has a new drummer. Historically, I’ve pretty much recorded all the guitars on the records anyway. Plus (bassist) Liam (Wilson) and Greg have been in the band for many, many years now anyway, so it’s not so difficult to stay true to our sound, so to speak.”
“I think the real challenge is introducing new things without abandoning our sound. (One Of Us Is The Killer) is definitely the first record where every song was written specifically for this record. In the past we’d write some songs, then I’d go in to my computer and find things like electronics, or a song I’d considered using for a side project, then ask “What do you think would compliment the rest of the record?” A lot of the songs you would think are a departure from the Dillinger sound in the past, were things I’d written earlier not specifically for Dillinger. Things I’d done on a piano, or whatever. But with this record because everything was written for it, that’s maybe why it’s a little more cohesive.”
With Soundwave on a fast approaching horizon, Ben explains how One Of Us Is The Killer fares with old material on a set list, and how the band is feeling about visiting Australia again this summer.
“Definitely everything on this record seems to be more quickly adaptable for the live show. The first songs we started playing from this record immediately felt as good as ones we’d been playing for years and years. I think they are definitely more geared toward the live scenario. Songs that work live immediately? That was something that was really cool.”
“Playing shows is just another day in the office for us. The people or the venue is what changes the show for us. So getting to do that in a place like Australia it reminds us every time we come that this is really… a cool job (laughs). Playing in a place so geographically different to where we’re from, and so far away, but still culturally comfortable. I mean, the people are great, the reception’s great. It’s just an awesome place to play.”
“We’ve tried to maintain the attitude from the beginning when we were playing in front of maybe three people, that when on that stage we are the awesomest band in the world. I say that with as much humility as possible. We know we’re not the best band in the world! We know it’s very subjective to taste, and we’re really an acquired taste. Most people consider us just noise, but when we’re on that stage we have to know that we have done everything in our power to be, at that moment, the best band that’s on any stage anywhere that’s playing right now.”
Few who have seen The Dillinger Escape Plan live would argue. With an attitude to match the band’s energy, there’s no doubt Ben and his band mates are not to be missed at Soundwave 2014.
Todd Gingell
SOUNDWAVE 2014
Saturday, 22nd February
RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane
Sunday, 23rd February
Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney
Friday, 28th February
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Saturday, 1st March
Bonython Park, Adelaide
Monday, 3rd March
Claremont Showgrounds, Perth