MASTODON Guitarist: 'We're Only Ten Years Old Now So I Think The Sky's The Limit With Ideas'

Joe Matera of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Bill Kelliher of Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Is there a lot of pressure on the band with album number five to outdo its predecessor, both commercially and creatively?

Kelliher: For me, I think it is all over if you don't top your last record. To have a healthy band and be a healthy artist, as you really need to keep out doing yourself on every record otherwise. You don't want to plateau, so you have to keep interesting ideas coming. And so far we've done that. It seems that with every record we've done, even as far back as "Remission" [2002], when that record came out people were saying, "How are they going to top that?" Looking back now that record was good, but that was when MASTODON was just a baby and growing. We're only ten years old now so I think the sky's the limit with ideas. I think we still have a lot of good ideas in us and a lot of fire under our asses. We have a lot good things going for us so we definitely want to keep the band alive and keep charging forward. I mean, I'm almost 40 years old so I don't feel like starting all over again with a new band and starting from scratch. You know, it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: The group recently has just scored the music for a new upcoming movie called "Jonah Hex". How did that go?

Kelliher: It was great. After touring and touring, we had September of 2009 off, where I had all my wisdom teeth pulled out, which itself took a week and then we went straight to Los Angeles and spent a week there coming up with ideas. We watched the film in segments and wrote stuff there and ad-libbed some stuff. But we gave them more than enough material to use. So after we worked in the studio doing that, we then came home, Troy [Sanders] got married and other things had to be taken care of, and then went back on tour. When we are back home again in March, we may be a couple more small snippets for us to fill in and that's about it. It'll be done.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: The music industry is a tough business. What are some of the most important lessons you've learned since having gone pro on an international scale?

Kelliher: It is good to always be friends with your front-of-house guy. Don't ever piss him off! Or your monitor guy, too. Don't throw stuff at your monitor guy as he can push the stop button real quick and you can feedback in your in-ear pretty quick, if you know what I mean. Generally, be nice to everyone on your way up because on your way down they're going to be there and will remember what you dick you were.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: MASTODON has toured the world over and done countless tours with many other bands, many of whom are your heroes. Who are the heroes that you still would like to meet?

Kelliher: There are so many still I haven't met yet, I'd like to really meet Jimmy Page some day. But I've met some many of my idols so far, like Dave Grohl who is such a great guy and we've actually jammed together a little bit. Also, King Buzzo [Buzz Osborne] from the MELVINS is another of my heroes and I loved jamming with him. it would be great to write some music with him some day.

Read the entire interview from Ultimate-Guitar.com.