NEUROSIS' SCOTT KELLY Discusses SHRINEBUILDER Project

Brooklyn Vegan recently conducted an interview with Scott Kelly (NEUROSIS, NEUROT, SHRINEBUILDER). A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Brooklyn Vegan: Where are you exactly in the process as far as SHRINEBUILDER (the project that features in its ranks Wino [ST. VITUS, THE HIDDEN HAND], Scott Kelly, Al Cisneros [OM, SLEEP], and Dale Crover [MELVINS]),is concerned? I know you provided recent updates on your blog, but since then, how's it coming along?

Scott: We are basically in the same spot we were... Not finished mixing yet, artwork's not done yet, but getting closer on both. Wino ended up doing an extra day of guitar in Baltimore about ten days after he did the initial recording and Dale's done a little bit of percussion overdubs and we've been kinda dialing in each song a little at a time. Its actually really close to a final mix. Al is recording the new OM album in Chicago, so when he gets done he'll be in there with those guys. I'd expect to have it all mixed probably within a couple weeks... it's really close.

Brooklyn Vegan: Obviously, you and Wino fulfill similar roles in each of your respective bands... lately anyway. Obviously, Al was/is a vocalist/bassist and Dale is a vocalist in addition to his work behind the kit. How did SHRINEBUILDER sort of fit together... did you each fall into roles similar to your own or kind of take on different challenges within the confines of this lineup?

Scott: Riff-wise, it was very collaborative. One thing that we knew from the onset was that we weren't going to have any shortage of riffs between me, Al and Wino. I mean, there are like endless amounts of shit there that part was easy. We had some riffs that were brought in individually, maybe with a sequence around them, and then there were other things that were brought in as "here's an idea". In addition to that, I think that was a few days back in September when we took the next step and the three of us sat in a room together [Scott with Al and Wino]. But it all flowed really well and that part of it... really the whole thing flowed well. Vocally, it broke into basically me and Wino doing the bulk of the vocals, but Al is doing some pretty significant parts and Dale is doing some shadowing of the vocals. It's definitely very collaborative... when you listen to it you hear parts where you may be able to pick the origin, but then the other person's layers are in there as well and it all came together really pretty easily in that way. It was a remarkably painless project. It just flowed... The chemistry between everybody is really good, and the natural roles within a band in order for a band to work... the stuff that's outside of the music, those all filled in easily as well. Dale's got a really good ear and he's pretty adept behind the soundboard so he assumed the assistant producer/engineer role when he was done with his drums.

Brooklyn Vegan: I know in the past you guys have hinted that SHRINEBUILDER will also make some live appearances as well. Has any of that been fleshed out at all?

Scott: Yeah, we're just trying to figure out when. That's the most difficult thing about this project... just figuring out when to do shit because we've all got projects that are the number one. I have confidence that we'll figure it out... we're kind of talking tentatively about some stuff right now, but we will see. There will definitely be some live gigs... I know I have a partial jam laid out, and so does Wino... so there is gonna be new material as well.

Brooklyn Vegan: So I know that you guys are working on new NEUROSIS material... That said where are we in the process of that? Any kind of idea when that will surface?

Scott: Nah. We've got skeletons, but they've yet to take shape. We've got a lot of riffs laid out... sequences of riffs... but writing a NEUROSIS record takes a long time. We get these rough ideas and then kind of meditate on it for a while, see how it feels and take it to the next step and the next step. We're getting to a point where we are ready to give it our full attention, but there's a bunch of material laying there. Hopefully by the end of the year... I would say nine months is a short version of how long it could take. Sometimes the shit just goes. You can't call it.

Brooklyn Vegan: I assume you guys feel comfortable with Steve Albini on the boards and would try and use him again...

Scott: I do. I suppose there is always a chance that would make it so that we had to do something else, but Albini is definitely our guy. It's a place we are really comfortable with entirely. His home... where he records, we've spent a lot of hours in that place and that's really important for NEUROSIS is that feeling. In order to really really do it, we need to control the environment which has a lot to do with our performance as well. Just a second... my baby just woke up from her nap.

Read the entire interview from Brooklyn Vegan.