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The Sun Through a Telescope-Summer
Darkyard
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Black September - The Forbidden Gates...
Blood Ceremony - Living with the Ancients
Death Strike - Fuckin’ Death
Entrench - Inevitable Decay
Hammers of Misfortune - 17th Street (Greg)
Hammers of Misfortune - 17th Street (Peter)
Exmortis-Resurrection...Book of the Dead EP
House of Atreus - Demo I
Maledicere - Leave Only What is Fit to Burn
Necrovorous - Funeral for the Sane
Screaming Shadows - Night Keeper
Vallenfyre - A Fragile King
Vyrion - Vyrion
Astral Doors - Jerusalem
Sebastian Bach - Kicking & Screaming
Bahrrecht - Nuit de Neige
Brymir - Breathe Fire to the Sun
Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer...
Jötnar - Jötnar EP
Megadeth - Th1rt3en
Metalian - Rock Solid
Saltatio Mortis - Sturm Aufs Paradies
Satan's Host - For the Love of Satan
Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination
Vektor - Outer Isolation (Chris)
Vektor - Outer Isolation (Garett)
Burzum - From the Depths of Darkness
Krisiun - The Great Execution
Metsatöll - Ulg
Morta Skuld - Through the Eyes of Death
Orchid - Capricorn
OZ - Burning Leather
Root - Heritage of Satan
Sincera - Cursed and Proud
The Sun Through a Telescope-Summer
Darkyard
Venom - Fallen Angels
Witch Mountain - South of Salem
Black September - The Forbidden Gates...
Blood Ceremony - Living with the Ancients
Death Strike - Fuckin’ Death
Entrench - Inevitable Decay
Hammers of Misfortune - 17th Street (Greg)
Hammers of Misfortune - 17th Street (Peter)
INTERVIEWS
CONCERT REPORT
MEDIA
Aranya
July 23, 2010
ARANYA offer something different than what other Heavy Metal bands do. What they bring to the table is completely unlike anything I have heard before. I mean, sure, other Metal bands have incorporated non-traditional instruments like the didgeridoo and viola into their music before, but not in the way that ARANYA has.
They are not cut from the same mold as other female fronted Metal bands either. Where most Metal bands with female singers try to make the vocals stand apart from the music, ARANYA makes the vocals a part of the music. The difference is staggering and makes them work on a level that few bands can ever hope to achieve.
I stood outside The Know in rainy Portland, Oregon on May 21st, 2010 at ARANYA's tour fundraiser with vocalist/guitarist/violinist Uta Plotkin, guitarist/vocalist Tyler Kellog and bass guitarist Mae Streight to talk with them about ARANYA, their music, their history and where they are going. The interview was as follows…
Phil: First off, give us a brief history of the band so far.
Uta: I started this band about a year and a half ago, I was looking for members, started out with just some people sitting in for awhile. I'd been in a band with Tyler before and so I eventually asked him if he wanted to play guitar, he brought Joe along.
Tyler: Joe and I had played in a couple of bands previously.
Uta: And we got our first bass player on Craigslist. He didn't work out so well - we had some philosophical differences and then we parted ways and hooked up with Mae after playing as a three piece for awhile.
Mae: A friend of a friend thing - Uta's co-worker's friend is a good friend of mine, used to book me in my solo stuff. They asked me if I'd play the bass, so I was like "I don't really play the bass, but I'll try." I'd never played bass before, but Tyler is a pretty darn good teacher.
Tyler: And she had the right mentality about the whole thing, so we knew that personality was a good match.
Uta: Yeah, yeah - no philosophical differences. [laughter]
Phil: Speaking of philosophical ideas, what is the basic idea behind ARANYA?
Uta: I'm not sure if there's one basic idea. But initially, I wanted to have a group that really dug down and pulled out those primal sources of energy in all of us. I wanted people to be able to access something that they normally don't get to in a modern, civilized society.
Tyler: Sort of a divination and shamanism is something that we heavily embrace, I would say.
Uta: Yeah, and just being true to your animal self. [laughter]
Phil: And that feeds into the live performance.
Uta: Yeah, it's definitely more obvious in the live performance than on the recordings, although you get some of that in the recordings.
Tyler: Ritual is a big part of the whole experience, too; that it's more than just standing there listening to music - we want the audience to be part of the show, as well. We want everyone to feel like we're gathering together for a cohesive experience.
Uta: Yeah, it's a group thing. And it's an ever evolving process - the longer we do this, the more we keep developing and working on it and… so it hasn't reached its pinnacle yet. We still feel like we're just getting started after a year of playing. [laughs]
Tyler: The ideas have been coming faster than we can get them out.
Phil: Describe the sound of your music for our readers.
Tyler: The general tag that we apply to ourselves is Tribal Metal.
Uta: Which was one of the philosophical differences with the last bass player. [laughter] He thought that was offensive.
Phil: Because Varg would be angry. [laughter]
Uta: Right, which was kind of the big laughing point. [laughter]
Tyler: Kind of ironic, but Tribal Metal is really just the basis of what we're going for - it's an introduction that anyone who hears that term will get an idea of what it is that we sound like and then when they actually hear what we sound like, they'll probably say "Oh, that's not exactly what I imagined, but I see how it fits." We're heavily influenced by Metal and Punk Rock, but also a lot of World Music, specifically Balkan, Indonesian, Native American, Middle Eastern and even Latin American music all play into what we do.
Phil: How do you write songs as a group?
Tyler: That would be a divination process. [laughs]
Uta: About half the songs I bring to the table, mostly finished, and then the whole band fleshes them out together. And the other half of the songs Tyler will bring to the table, mostly finished, and we all flesh it out together. And there's been a few that have been even more collaborative than that.
Tyler: I think it's getting to be an even more democratic process as we progress; everyone's becoming more involved.
Phil: You have your first tour coming up - what are your expectations and furthermore, what are your apprehensions about it? [laughter]
Mae: Hopefully we won't get in debt. [laughter]
Tyler: Mechanical failure - we're hoping that doesn't happen.
Uta: Yeah, a little apprehensive about the turnout since nobody has heard of us yet, but it's going to be a lot of fun and we had Nate C from Nanotear booking us, so he set us up so it's not going to be too bad - I think it's going to be a pretty awesome first tour.
Mae: It is. As far as things I think we're looking for, I mean, just gelling more as a band, getting that whole rhythm down and getting new fans. Exposing people to our music.
Uta: And just experiencing being on the road together because another big basis for this band is forming a tribe and a family that we can all be a part of.
Tyler: And that's not just the band, but the band as well as the fans - we're all part of the same tribe.
Phil: And for the band being stuck in the same van together for ten days, that'll put it to the test.
Uta: Yeah. [laughs] And I'm looking forward to it. I love my band mates.
Tyler: We're going to learn just how much we all smell. [laughter]
Mae: As far as being stuck in a van for ten days with any group of people, like I can really see us being able to get along really well. We all are pretty connected in a way that I don't see a lot of super BS problems coming up from that. This is one of the few projects that I've been a part of where it really seemed like there wasn't a lot of one person's ego getting in the way - it really is a collaborative effort and I have a feeling that it's probably going to carry over in living together in a van, too. [laughs] Or I'm hoping.
Uta: That was one of my top priorities in getting this group together, was to have it feel like a tribe.
Tyler: We have lots of mind melding activities planned as band for on the road; ways to get to know eachother even better.
Uta: Audio books, scar stories.
Tyler: Automatic writing. [laughter]
Phil: And since you mentioned mind melding, probably "Star Trek". [laughter]
Tyler: Perhaps.
Phil: Thank you for the pity laugh. [laughter]
Uta: Actually, you might be surprised on how much that fits in. [laughter]
Tyler: Deep down, we are quite nerdy.
Uta: You don't have to dig that deep. Just look at any of Joe's tattoos. [laughter]
Phil: Just one last thing; you're playing the Doom In June festival down in Las Vegas - what specifically are you hoping to get out of that?
Mae: To rock people's faces.
Tyler: Can't wait to hear all those other bands and be sharing a stage with those bands - it will be a real honor.
Uta: I'm looking to get more connected with the scene and seeing who else is out there.
Tyler: What everybody's doing.
Phil: Okay, is there anything else you'd like to add?
Uta: It's going to be great.
Tyler: Very excited. Thank you for this opportunity.
Uta: Thanks for the interview!
After their return home from their maiden voyage into the countryside, Uta had this to say about ARANYA's tour experience…
"Our first tour was a real success. A lot of people were surprised by what they heard and expressed as much afterward. We made a lot of great connections, met some friendly and some not so friendly bands and heard some new music we really liked, especially OF THE HORIZON, EMBERS, BUG GIRL and SALVADOR (also from Portland but who we'd never met). We faced some tough crowds in Boise and San Diego and some enthusiastic ones in San Francisco and Salt Lake City. Our sigil, in the form of stickers and graffiti is now in clubs and gas station bathrooms across five states. Our one day off was in Vegas where we fixed up our gear and the van and eventually made it to the strip where Joe and Mae won almost a hundred bucks! Anyone who's worked on the road knows how grueling it can be and being stuck in a small space with three other people for ten days tested all of our civility but in the end we were sad to be done. Now we're looking forward to recording our second album, making a music video and planning our next tour!"
They are not cut from the same mold as other female fronted Metal bands either. Where most Metal bands with female singers try to make the vocals stand apart from the music, ARANYA makes the vocals a part of the music. The difference is staggering and makes them work on a level that few bands can ever hope to achieve.
I stood outside The Know in rainy Portland, Oregon on May 21st, 2010 at ARANYA's tour fundraiser with vocalist/guitarist/violinist Uta Plotkin, guitarist/vocalist Tyler Kellog and bass guitarist Mae Streight to talk with them about ARANYA, their music, their history and where they are going. The interview was as follows…
Phil: First off, give us a brief history of the band so far.
Uta: I started this band about a year and a half ago, I was looking for members, started out with just some people sitting in for awhile. I'd been in a band with Tyler before and so I eventually asked him if he wanted to play guitar, he brought Joe along.
Tyler: Joe and I had played in a couple of bands previously.
Uta: And we got our first bass player on Craigslist. He didn't work out so well - we had some philosophical differences and then we parted ways and hooked up with Mae after playing as a three piece for awhile.
Mae: A friend of a friend thing - Uta's co-worker's friend is a good friend of mine, used to book me in my solo stuff. They asked me if I'd play the bass, so I was like "I don't really play the bass, but I'll try." I'd never played bass before, but Tyler is a pretty darn good teacher.
Tyler: And she had the right mentality about the whole thing, so we knew that personality was a good match.
Uta: Yeah, yeah - no philosophical differences. [laughter]
Phil: Speaking of philosophical ideas, what is the basic idea behind ARANYA?
Uta: I'm not sure if there's one basic idea. But initially, I wanted to have a group that really dug down and pulled out those primal sources of energy in all of us. I wanted people to be able to access something that they normally don't get to in a modern, civilized society.
Tyler: Sort of a divination and shamanism is something that we heavily embrace, I would say.
Uta: Yeah, and just being true to your animal self. [laughter]
Phil: And that feeds into the live performance.
Uta: Yeah, it's definitely more obvious in the live performance than on the recordings, although you get some of that in the recordings.
Tyler: Ritual is a big part of the whole experience, too; that it's more than just standing there listening to music - we want the audience to be part of the show, as well. We want everyone to feel like we're gathering together for a cohesive experience.
Uta: Yeah, it's a group thing. And it's an ever evolving process - the longer we do this, the more we keep developing and working on it and… so it hasn't reached its pinnacle yet. We still feel like we're just getting started after a year of playing. [laughs]
Tyler: The ideas have been coming faster than we can get them out.
Phil: Describe the sound of your music for our readers.
Tyler: The general tag that we apply to ourselves is Tribal Metal.
Uta: Which was one of the philosophical differences with the last bass player. [laughter] He thought that was offensive.
Phil: Because Varg would be angry. [laughter]
Uta: Right, which was kind of the big laughing point. [laughter]
Tyler: Kind of ironic, but Tribal Metal is really just the basis of what we're going for - it's an introduction that anyone who hears that term will get an idea of what it is that we sound like and then when they actually hear what we sound like, they'll probably say "Oh, that's not exactly what I imagined, but I see how it fits." We're heavily influenced by Metal and Punk Rock, but also a lot of World Music, specifically Balkan, Indonesian, Native American, Middle Eastern and even Latin American music all play into what we do.
Phil: How do you write songs as a group?
Tyler: That would be a divination process. [laughs]
Uta: About half the songs I bring to the table, mostly finished, and then the whole band fleshes them out together. And the other half of the songs Tyler will bring to the table, mostly finished, and we all flesh it out together. And there's been a few that have been even more collaborative than that.
Tyler: I think it's getting to be an even more democratic process as we progress; everyone's becoming more involved.
Phil: You have your first tour coming up - what are your expectations and furthermore, what are your apprehensions about it? [laughter]
Mae: Hopefully we won't get in debt. [laughter]
Tyler: Mechanical failure - we're hoping that doesn't happen.
Uta: Yeah, a little apprehensive about the turnout since nobody has heard of us yet, but it's going to be a lot of fun and we had Nate C from Nanotear booking us, so he set us up so it's not going to be too bad - I think it's going to be a pretty awesome first tour.
Mae: It is. As far as things I think we're looking for, I mean, just gelling more as a band, getting that whole rhythm down and getting new fans. Exposing people to our music.
Uta: And just experiencing being on the road together because another big basis for this band is forming a tribe and a family that we can all be a part of.
Tyler: And that's not just the band, but the band as well as the fans - we're all part of the same tribe.
Phil: And for the band being stuck in the same van together for ten days, that'll put it to the test.
Uta: Yeah. [laughs] And I'm looking forward to it. I love my band mates.
Tyler: We're going to learn just how much we all smell. [laughter]
Mae: As far as being stuck in a van for ten days with any group of people, like I can really see us being able to get along really well. We all are pretty connected in a way that I don't see a lot of super BS problems coming up from that. This is one of the few projects that I've been a part of where it really seemed like there wasn't a lot of one person's ego getting in the way - it really is a collaborative effort and I have a feeling that it's probably going to carry over in living together in a van, too. [laughs] Or I'm hoping.
Uta: That was one of my top priorities in getting this group together, was to have it feel like a tribe.
Tyler: We have lots of mind melding activities planned as band for on the road; ways to get to know eachother even better.
Uta: Audio books, scar stories.
Tyler: Automatic writing. [laughter]
Phil: And since you mentioned mind melding, probably "Star Trek". [laughter]
Tyler: Perhaps.
Phil: Thank you for the pity laugh. [laughter]
Uta: Actually, you might be surprised on how much that fits in. [laughter]
Tyler: Deep down, we are quite nerdy.
Uta: You don't have to dig that deep. Just look at any of Joe's tattoos. [laughter]
Phil: Just one last thing; you're playing the Doom In June festival down in Las Vegas - what specifically are you hoping to get out of that?
Mae: To rock people's faces.
Tyler: Can't wait to hear all those other bands and be sharing a stage with those bands - it will be a real honor.
Uta: I'm looking to get more connected with the scene and seeing who else is out there.
Tyler: What everybody's doing.
Phil: Okay, is there anything else you'd like to add?
Uta: It's going to be great.
Tyler: Very excited. Thank you for this opportunity.
Uta: Thanks for the interview!
After their return home from their maiden voyage into the countryside, Uta had this to say about ARANYA's tour experience…
"Our first tour was a real success. A lot of people were surprised by what they heard and expressed as much afterward. We made a lot of great connections, met some friendly and some not so friendly bands and heard some new music we really liked, especially OF THE HORIZON, EMBERS, BUG GIRL and SALVADOR (also from Portland but who we'd never met). We faced some tough crowds in Boise and San Diego and some enthusiastic ones in San Francisco and Salt Lake City. Our sigil, in the form of stickers and graffiti is now in clubs and gas station bathrooms across five states. Our one day off was in Vegas where we fixed up our gear and the van and eventually made it to the strip where Joe and Mae won almost a hundred bucks! Anyone who's worked on the road knows how grueling it can be and being stuck in a small space with three other people for ten days tested all of our civility but in the end we were sad to be done. Now we're looking forward to recording our second album, making a music video and planning our next tour!"
Release Date: December 03, 2009
Label: Band Self Released
Label: Band Self Released
TRACK LISTING
ARANYA
VIOLENT BIRTH
LINKS
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Please put the artist name in the subject line for prompt attention.
Please put the artist name in the subject line for prompt attention.
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I. The Cauldron of Life Spits Forth
Unrelenting Forces
II. The Same Stupid Fucking Shit
Keeps Happening Over and Over
Again
III. Chaos Weakens the 5
Interpretive Tools/Dead Meat
IV. The Cleaving of Comets
Conjoined
V. Stil Myne Fracld Powbu
VI. Travesty of Perception
Total playing time: 31:18
Unrelenting Forces
II. The Same Stupid Fucking Shit
Keeps Happening Over and Over
Again
III. Chaos Weakens the 5
Interpretive Tools/Dead Meat
IV. The Cleaving of Comets
Conjoined
V. Stil Myne Fracld Powbu
VI. Travesty of Perception
Total playing time: 31:18
Writer: Philip A. Wickstrand
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(Click on Photo to Enlarge)
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Uta
Uta Plotkin: Vocals, Viola & Guitar
Tyler Kellogg: Guitar, Vocals &
Didgeridoo
Mae Streight: Bass & Vocals
Joe Harris: Percussion
Tyler Kellogg: Guitar, Vocals &
Didgeridoo
Mae Streight: Bass & Vocals
Joe Harris: Percussion
"Innovative" and "original" are two of the most overused and least comprehended terms in Metal journalism today. When bands that don't have a single original or innovative idea in their entire playbook and the people giving them coverage still use these terms to describe them, readers quickly quit paying attention. What happens when a band that truly are innovative and original gets publicity? The hacks have quite efficiently destroyed any value that the most accurately descriptive words would have.
Therefore, I will not use words like "innovative" and "original" to describe Portland, Oregon's ARANYA, though accurate they may be.
Therefore, I will not use words like "innovative" and "original" to describe Portland, Oregon's ARANYA, though accurate they may be.
Tyler
Mae
Joe
Uta
(Click on Photos to Enlarge)
PHOTOS BY PHIL A. WICKSTRAND
Joe
Mae
Tyler