MASTODON's BILL KELLIHER On Replacing BRENT HINDS: 'It's Not Gonna Be An Easy Task'

In a new interview with Radical Metal, MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher spoke about how he and his bandmates are going about their search for a replacement for their longtime axeman Brent Hinds. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we haven't really decided how we're gonna go about that yet. We're just sort of taking it easy. No update. Nothing that I can really share with you at this moment."

Referencing the fact that MASTODON hired YouTuber and session musician Ben Eller to perform with the band on March 9 at "Tool Live In The Sand" festival in the Dominican Republic, Bill said: "We had Ben Eller, who's a great friend, and he filled in for this show. And we've got the COHEED [AND CAMBRIA] tour coming up. So, we'll figure it out. We've got a lot of requests and stuff like that. But it's really hard shoes to fill, obviously. Nobody plays like Brent. He's a very, extremely unique player. So it's not gonna be an easy task. We're all hopeful and we're gonna figure it out. So that's really all I have to say about it."

Regarding how MASTODON hooked up with Eller, Bill said: "I saw him playing some MASTODON stuff [in a YouTube video] and then I was, like, 'That's close, but it's not quite right.' So I started writing to him. And we became good friends just through that, 'cause he's, like, 'Oh, man, show me how to play it right so I can put it up on my YouTube.' … He's giving instructions to other people how to play stuff. So I was, like, 'You're not quite playing it right.' … I mean, he's 99 percent there. He's a great fucking player. He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met."

Since 2000, Hinds had served as lead guitarist and vocalist for MASTODON, alongside bassist/singer Troy Sanders, drummer Brann Dailor, and Kelliher.

MASTODON's lineup had remained the same for 25 years, recording eight studio albums, beginning with 2002's "Remission" until the band's latest LP, 2021's "Hushed And Grim".

Eller is a guitarist and bass player from Tennessee who has gained popularity for his awesome chops on his guitar lesson series "This Is Why You Suck At Guitar".

When MASTODON announced Brent's departure from the band on March 7, they wrote in a statement: "Friends and Fans, After 25 monumental years together, MASTODON and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways.

"We're deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we've shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.

"We are still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of MASTODON. As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact. We look forward to seeing you on the road."

MASTODON has had nine Billboard 200-charting albums and has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times. The band won a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy for "Sultan's Curse" in 2018.

MASTODON's latest album, "Hushed And Grim", was a double LP recorded at the band's Atlanta studio, West End Sound.

In December, MASTODON and COHEED AND CAMBRIA announced "The Infinite Arc" tour with special guests PERIPHERY. Produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, the 20-city trek kicks off on May 10 in Salem, Virginia, spanning the East Coast and Midwest before wrapping up in Waukee, Iowa on June 8.

In a separate interview with Guitar World magazine, Kelliher stated about what he and his bandmates are looking for in a replacement for Hinds: "Someone who is easy to get along with, and who really has a desire to play — and can play well. Obviously, you gotta be somebody who we all get along with and can stand the true test of time. Like, living together in a little tour bus on the road for fucking days and months at a time, it's got to be someone who can do all that. And that's another variable. Like, 'Oh, this person is a great guitar player. Why don't you hire them?' It's like, 'Well, they gotta stand the test of time.' We've got to be able to sit down and have a beer with them, go out to dinner with them, you know, feel them out, and make sure they're MASTODON material. Like, can they hang, for sure, but it's got to be someone who has a unique style, and is very serious about it."

Kelliher went on to say that he doesn't know if Eller will be a permanent addition to the band.

"We do have some more shows coming up," he said. "We have a tour with COHEED AND CAMBRIA coming up in May, which, you know, we're still going to fulfil that. We're going to finish up our new record.

"I'm not sure what our future is with Ben or if we'll try a couple of other people out. Not really sure yet; it's too early to say."

Kelliher previously told Guitar World about Hinds's exit: "What can you say about the legacy of MASTODON's first 25 years with Brent? It's been a fun, wild fucking ride, that's for sure. We achieved a lot of things that I never in a million years would have imagined. There's been Grammys, touring with our heroes, like IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD and TOOL. I cherish all of that.

"Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart, and they get interested in other things," he explained. "We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams."

Touching upon the musical and personal chemistry between MASTODON's longtime members, Bill said: "You know, it's amazing that we made it 25 years with the four of us. I mean, it's like being married to three other dudes, traveling the world, trying to stay the course, and having everybody agree. That we managed to do it this long, I feel like that's a feat in itself. You could never replace any of us because we [are the] the sum of four parts. That doesn't mean there's not someone else out there that has stuff to offer in a new direction. I think I'll just leave it there, you know? It was a hard decision we all had to make. It's just… it was just time."