On the Monday before I had the chance to talk with Ben Falgoust, lead vocalist of Goatwhore, I received an email about an interview with Erik Rutan as well. I had been actively pursuing them both for a little bit, and with my luck, I had to find a way to schedule them both on the same day while not messing up stuff I had scheduled, AND working around their schedules. By Tuesday at noon I was still unsure what was going on with the Goatwhore interview, as they were making their way down from Canada to continue their tour with 3 Inches of Blood. Finally, when I had just walked into the doctor’s office for my rectal exam (not really), my phone went off. Ben texted me to give him some time, so things worked out great. After my Rutan interview I was able to chill for a bit then go meet him at the venue before the bands started playing. Check it out!
(((o))): Dude you look tired. Do you ever not drive?
Ben: Yeah, it was a long night last night. We left Winnipeg [MB, Canada] then headed straight here. We had to cross the border too. After that I slept from a bout 7 to 12 then took over the wheel. Our merch guy and I switch off. James [Harvey, Bass] will step in every now and then if we’re exhausted.
(((o))): You guys are always on the road. Do you ever take breaks, holidays?
Ben: Yeah we take breaks man.
(((o))): I think the last time I didn’t see your name on a tour flyer was when you guys were in the studio. So how’s the tour going so far?
Ben: Really good. 3 Inches of Blood is an amazing band. We both offer different elements in extreme music and it’s been great.
(((o))): Any standout shows so far?
Ben: Awe dude, the last four shows in Canada were out of control man. They were just totally…WOW man. Calgary and Edmonton, they were really intense. One dude dove off the stage in Edmington two times, and kicked Sammy’s [Duet, Guitars] guitar right in the middle of a solo. He was just playing and I heard it get all sloppy and I looked over, it was crazy.
[Ben had been standing the whole time so far, so I offered him a seat](((o))): You want to sit down or something man?
Ben: Naa, I’m good. I’ve been sitting down in a van all day.
(((o))): Yeah, but that’s not the same!
Ben: Oh it is trust me.
(((o))): You’re not much of a sleeper then?
Ben: Oh I am. Driving alone is harder than driving with people man. It’s a mental thing, it just wears you out.
(((o))): I’ve done it plenty; I know what you’re saying. You ever like wake up in a truck stop and see truck lights driving by you and start screaming?
Ben: (laughs) I’ve done something like that. I was parked at a truck stop actually, and I fell asleep in the front seat on the steering wheel. I woke up and I thought we were drifting off, so I started stepping on the brake. Then I realized we were in park. (laughs) One time I woke up early in the morning, but the sky looked like the sun was just setting, and was all “Holy shit we’re supposed to be at the venue in two hours!” As I started driving, I noticed the sun getting higher and coming up, and I realized it was six in the morning. (laughs)
(((o))): So, are you guys doing another tour after this? You’re headed to Puerto Rico?
Ben: Well not right away. At the end of this tour we have a few days off, then on the 19th [of May] we play in Mexico City with Sodom. And then in early June we play Puerto Rico.
(((o))): Dude, that Mexico City show will be crazy. You ever been there?
Ben: No. I’ve heard it fucking insane though.
(((o))): The crowd response should be great down there.
Ben: (laughs) I hope, I hope we don’t get booed out!
(((o))): No way man, they don’t get a lot of bands down there from the US, so they go crazy for that shit down there. I was talking to Erik earlier and he said to tell you hello. He was on his was to Kansas City.
Ben: Oh cool man. They’re doing the Fear Factory tour, right?
(((o))): Yeah I think it’s a pretty cool package tour.
Ben: Yeah, they do a lot of different tours nowadays, a lot of variances.
(((o))): You kind of have to now don’t you? You guys tour with other metal bands, but you mix it up too don’t you?
Ben: Well yeah, before this tour we were out for two weeks with The Casualties. So it was a fairly diverse tour. To me it all just seems like one element of music, I grew up on all types. But within the scene, everyone wants it split up. But with The Casualties, they’re more of an extreme punk band, not that poppy bullshit; they’re the more traditional punk element.
[Soundcheck started with the openers at this point, so we had to head outside. We got a little sidetracked when we went out. My wife was there, and she proceeded to make fun of my mustache for a while]
Ben: But anyway, the Casualties thing. Even when we toured with them, the punk kids that would come out, some of them liked metal and were totally into it and then some shows they just weren’t. It’s a weird thing because punk kids in “this area” can crossover into metal, and punk kids from “this area” won’t.
(((o))): Does that every happen over in Europe?
Ben: You know we’re kind of odd over there. You’d think that we have elements that a lot of people would like. But I think that we mix so many elements that it kind of confuses the structure, in a sense.
(((o))): I guess it doesn’t make that much sense to me. But a lot of bands that aren’t big over here (US) are big over in Europe and vice versa.
Ben: Thrash is big over there, it always has been really.
(((o))): Yeah Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction all have albums out.
Ben: Yeah the Teutonic Four right?
[We forgot Tankard. We couldn’t figure out who the fourth band was. My apologies.](((o))): They put of a covers record, each band did one band (2 each of Iron Maiden & Motorhead)
Ben: I actually just saw Kreator and Accept. They played in the US, in New Orleans. Swallow the Sun was on the bill too I think.
(((o))): So how’s the new album coming along?
Ben: Well we did South by South West [SXSW, an American media/music convention/showcase] and played on a boat. It was crazy. There were a thousand people in line, and only 120 could get on. So we played our set on this boat that went down and back on the river. It was cool man. Free food, free booze. Great time.
(((o))): The only person I think I’ve heard of playing on a boat was Neil Diamond.
Ben: (laughs) Yeah. So as soon as we got back from that we pretty much knew what we were going to play on this tour. So we started throwing ideas around and we have two rough songs done. And then we started practicing again and got back to this.
(((o))): You guys going to do a Judas Priest cover?!
Ben: No not yet.
(((o))): I’m waiting for it to happen!
Ben: You know we really do need to do something like that. We’re all big Priest fans…We did that Motorhead cover [for Decible magazine on a flexi disc] and we did a Celtic Frost cover [appeared on the Japanese version of 2003’s “Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun”], but we need to have something to pull out after a good show, you know.
(((o))): Which Celtic [Frost] song was it?
Ben: ‘Into The Crypts of Rays’.
(((o))): You should have done something off of “ColdLake”. (laughs)
Ben: ‘Cherry Orchards’ or something like that. You know I don’t like that record but I did purchase it when I was a kid, and I do know the songs on it.
(((o))): You still have it? That thing catches pretty big money on eBay.
Ben: No. I had it on tape so it’s probably not worth a shit now.
(((o))): I don’t know man, tapes are coming back.
Ben: Are they really? Because I have a lot of old metal tapes. I don’t even have a cassette player anymore, it broke. You know what so funny is, that even in the terms of sound quality, vinyl still sounds awesome compared to CD. And tapes were really the lesser version of it.
(((o))): So how many miles do you think you guys have put in over the years?
Ben: Oh I was just talking to some one about this. The trailer we have, I said I literally need to put a NASA sticker on it. It’s been to the moon and back probably a few times.
(((o))): Are you serious?
Ben: Yeah, the trailer itself has over 700,000 miles. We’ve had three vans, maybe even four vans, since I bought the trailer in 2005. It’s the same one, but it’s getting to its point. The road wears on it when you travel in the snow, and it starts to rust after just a month in that weather.
(((o))): Just have James fix it, he’s got a degree!
Ben: James is an engineer. [An interview video posted last year made James out to be a “shit Dr.” He is in fact not a shit Dr. He is an engineer that helps treat chemical/chemical waste spills, to clean the ground and keep it safe. Be sure to thank him when you see him. And buy him a beer.] But we’ve kept it in pretty good condition, working on it a lot. There was a hole I had to fix in it one time though. We were leaving Montreal, and there was something in the road. I heard it hit underneath, and then I heard this dragging behind me. So I pulled over and this big piece of steel, like an inch thick, had just blew through the wood in the bottom of our trailer. We got pretty lucky because it hit the one spot where nothing was sitting.
(((o))): So you live right in New Orleans or on the outskirts?
Ben: I live on the outside of town, yeah.
(((o))): So what’s your favorite New Orleans dish?
Ben: Awe shit man. There’s so many to pick from. Alright; Char grilled Oysters.
(((o))): What the fuck?
Ben: Dude, I’ll tell you right now, you ever have char grilled oysters; you won’t want to have anything else. Everyone that comes to town, we bring them to this place called Dragos and it’s their specialty. I remember one time we went there, and a guy we were with said he didn’t want anything off the main menu. He just asked the waitress for, like, six dozen. They’re amazing. They just take the oyster in the shell, and they put this butter and garlic sauce in them, and then put them on the grill. The flames just char it and it’s cooked in the shell. It’s really fucking good. That, and a Bloody Mary, bam! Just hits the spot.
(((o))): Ok, I have one more question. If you had to be a biscuit, what kind would you be?
Ben: A biscuit?
(((o))): Yeah, I know, it’s a weird question.
Ben: Well I don’t know how many kinds of biscuits there are. I think what they call a “biscuit” in Europe we call a “cookie”. But I don’t really know. I’ve had a bunch of different kinds over there but I don’t know what kind I’d be though.
(((o))): Ok, I’ll just write down that you want to be a biscuit like the one the Pillsbury Doughboy makes! (laughs)
Ben: How about a buttermilk biscuit from Popeye’s. That’s my answer. (laughs)
(((o))): Hey man thanks for the talk.
Ben: Yeah man anytime.
(((o))): You guys ever stroll by this area just give me a call.
Ben: Oh for sure man.
The rest of our talk and random talk throughout the night was just general bullshiting and laughing through the night. The Goatwhore guys are all a bunch of dudes that like to have a good time and play music. They really are great people to hang out with.
I’d like to thank Ben and the rest of the guys for putting up with my random questions and harassment throughout the night. They took it in stride and dished it right back like true gentlemen. Be sure to catch them on their US tour with 3 Inches of Blood. You can find dates on their website.
I’d also like to thank Liz at Earsplit PR for helping me set this up on such short notice, again. She goes above and beyond to help us out all the time, and it’s appreciated.
And I’d like to thank my wife for helping with the interview as well. She threw some questions out there too.
- Ryan Stephenson and Ech(((o)))es and Dust
