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Thine Eyes Bleed - John Araya

13/12/06 || Global Domination

Thine Eyes Bleed This interview was provided by ex-staffer JD Provorse. We thank him for taking the time to do it and help GD out with some top notch interviews even after leaving the staff. We like that as interviews is something we can’t have too much of. In case you don’t know about this band, John Araya is the lesser known brother of Suzuki Araya, the drummer of Slayer. Over to JD:

Thine Eyes Bleed hails from London, Ontario in Canada. Their debut album, “In the Wake of Separation”, is available from The End Records. Yours truly did a review of that record a while back. It wasn’t my best work, so don’t bother to read it, just take my word for it that it’s a kick-ass album and you should check it out. Yes, I know the Audio Autopsy crew took a look at it a while before I did and didn’t care for it, but fuck those guys, what do they know anyway? I’m way more awesome than them. Anywho, bassist Johnny Araya took some time away from his strict regimen of head-banging, nap-taking and pot-smoking to answer a few rambling and barely coherent questions.

GD: So you guys are out on the Unholy Alliance tour’s trek through Europe as I write this. This tour has got to be about the biggest thing that’s happened for Thine Eyes Bleed so far. How’s the entire experience been for you? Being the new kids on the block, so to speak, have the fans been good to you? Are you getting a lot of positive reaction? Is it noticeably better on one side of the ocean than the other?

John Araya: So far the experience has been incredible. The U.S. leg of the tour got us some cool reviews and some positive feedback, but the response out here in Europe and the U.K. has been incredible, especially in the U.K. The fans have been totally awesome. They’re really into their metal over here.

Between the two legs of that tour, you’ve been on the road with Mastodon, Children of Bodom, In Flames, Lamb of God, and of course Slayer. Who were you the most jazzed about touring with and getting to see play every night? Who have been the best guys to hang out with? Has anyone made a total dick of themselves, or is it pretty much hugs and puppies across the board?

Hahaha, hugs and puppies! Well, I have to say that Mastodon were incredible. It was great to watch those guys every night. We all pretty much hung out together, all the bands; no egos or assholes. Well, with the exception of Brent [Hinds, of Mastodon – JDP] and myself, there were no other assholes. Smoochies and kittens all ‘round.

Okay, let’s address the pink elephant in the room for just a moment, and then we’ll let it go: the whole world by now knows that you’re the brother of Tom from Slayer. That’s got to have both its ups and downs for you and the band as a whole. Does it ever get old being singled out as Tom’s brother? Has it been good for at least getting people to take that first chance with the band? A lot of people have suggested there was some nepotism involved in TEB getting the Unholy Alliance tour, does that piss you off?

This subject doesn’t piss me off. The ignorance of people does at times, though. That’s why I hate most people. It’s just old news, man, and it’s been run to the ground. I’ve heard it so many times that I don’t understand the question anymore. Maybe nepotism made it possible for us to get our foot in the door but the label put a bid in on the tour, just like every other band that were being considered for the opening slot. It has its ups and downs, you know? I love my brother and thats how I see him, as my brother. People like to prejudge me but I have learned not to care what others think or say. It’s something that’s taken a while to achieve.

You’re originally from L.A., and not the original bass player for TEB. How did you get involved with TEB? Have you permanently relocated for the band, or do you still make your home in L.A.?

Morgan Russell, who produced the album, is a mutual friend of ours. He asked me to come up and help work on the recording process: getting guitar tones, taking part in mass consumptions of weed and shit like that. Just after mixing, the original bassist decided to quit. I was familiar with the songs and we’re good friends, all of us, so it kind of felt natural to join. Now I kinda-sorta live in Canada, maybe; nine months out of the year, anyway. I have no home, nothing to call my own. I’m considering the east coast for my new digs, we’ll see.

Some guys TEB has had some other lineup changes over the last year. Guitarist Derek Ward left the band prior to the North American Unholy Alliance tour leg, and his replacement Ryan Tunn left before the European leg. Care to elaborate on the details of these situations? Was Ryan always just a temporary fill-in, a guy ya’ll knew just helping you out for a while until you could find something more permanent? Is James Reid here to stay?

Yeah, that whole Derek “Dick Wad” Ward thing started out fine. Then he just turned into this drunken idiot. We didn’t see it, being side-tracked by his guitar playing. He quit once while on the Soulfly tour, but we gave him a second chance. When he quit the second time around, we didn’t care anymore. We all sat down at Denny’s and decided “fuck this idiot”. Ryan Tunn we found through our good friends in Latefallen. He’s a great guitar player and learned the songs in two weeks. We thought he was in it for the long haul but when we returned home from the U.S. leg of the Unholy Alliance, he decided that he wanted to become a plumber’s apprentice with his uncle. That was that. As for James Reid, the guy shreds and knows what he wants to do, and that’s tour and record and play metal. He’s a great guy, a solid guitarist and musician. We are very lucky to have him.

TEB is signed to The End Records. How has that relationship been for you? Do they give you good support? The End’s roster is a very eclectic assortment of bands who all seem to have one thing in common: they all are doing something a bit more progressive, less straightforward. Are you proud to be a part of that group, or is it just another part of the business of being a band? Who else on the label do you really dig?

Well, I was taught that if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.

What’s on the horizon for TEB? When can we expect a new album? Got anymore new touring plans in the works?

We’ve got some writing to do, maybe another U.K./Europe run in March 2007. As for a new album, I can’t really say when, hopefully sooner than later.

What does your endorsement deal with ESP amount to? Are they hooking you up with all manner of free gear, or is it not quite as cool as aspiring endorsee’s might think it is?

ESP Guitars couldn’t have been any nicer to us. They told us to get a list together of what guitars we wanted, so we did and they sent them to us. Free. I still can’t believe it. Thank you, Allen and Sylvia!

I’m particularly fond of Canadian metal in general and think that Canada is consistently producing some of the world’s best metal. Do you have any Canadian favorites, or maybe know of some up-and-coming bands that we might not have heard of but really should?

Martyr is amazing; Ion Dissonance, Beneath the Remains, The End. Excruciating Thoughts and Nothing Left for Tomorrow are a couple of local London bands I like to catch live when I can. Voi Vod, duh; Pissing Razors, Strapping Young Lad.

Okay, let’s try to lighten things up a bit from here on out and just have some fun. It’s no secret ya’ll are into the reefer and the beer. Who smokes the most pot in the band? Who drinks the most? Who’s the most fun while loaded? Who can’t hold their liquor for shit? Who’s the most likely to embarrass the shit out of himself and not remember it in the morning? Got any good stories to share along those lines?

Okay, let me try to get this right. We all smoke the reefer, a lot. Justin, Jeff and I do the most toking. We all drink on occasion but I’d have to say James can toss back a few quite well. We can hold our liquor pretty well. I’m the one that usually ends up acting the fool, which then leads to being the drunk asshole of the group. A good story? They all pretty much end the same way: walking into street signs, rolling around in glass, throwing empty (sometimes full) bottles of beer at people, pissing on oneself, instigating riots, et cetera. But it’s all done in good fun, no?

Guitarist Jeff Phillips was a technician for Kittie, then went on to play guitar with them for a while. Set the record straight for all the haters out there: how metal are these chicks?

How metal are the girls in Kittie? Dude, they live, breathe and eat metal. They have a passion for heavy music. Those girls have all my respect and love, and are more metal than a lot of metal heads I know.

Who’s a better bass player, you or Tom? Is there plenty of friendly sibling rivalry there, or is it utterly venomous? Are there other musicians in the family as well? Can we ever expect to see The Araya Family on tour? It would be like The Partridge family, only more Chilean and less nauseating.

A singer Hahaha, that’s funny! Well, being that I am normally guitar player, I’d have to say Tom is the better bassist. There is no sibling rivalry at all. We get along pretty damn good. Our older brother Cisco also plays guitar, very well too. My sister Marci played the accordion in junior high. I don’t know if there’ll ever be an Araya Family tour, but I’d like to get the three of us together and record some acoustic stuff, something that would make mom smile.

Tons and tons of old bands have been reuniting for a little trip down memory lane lately, some of them even putting out new material. What are the chances of you getting Bloodcum back together? There’s got to be at least half a dozen people out there who are just dying to hear you crank out “Harassment by Farm Animals” or “Good Hearted Man”. There’s good money in nostalgia trips, ya know!

I ain’t into money too much, you know? Of course you need money to survive and live in the world and I’ve made my fair share of cash when I worked as a guitar tech for other bands. But it’s always been in one pocket out the other, my earnings over the years. It is easier to give than to receive for sure. Bloodcum was fun when we did it years ago, kids thrashing out and getting wasted. I tried to keep the guys together but they got lazy with the writing process. Towards the
end, I was writing everything. Let the past be the past. I wish them well.

You guys toured with Six Feet Under for a while earlier this year. Chris Barnes doesn’t have the best of reputations when it comes to dealing with the fans. On a scale of one to cocksucker, how much of a prick is he, really?

Well, to be honest, I didn’t meet Mr. Barnes when we toured with Six Feet Under. We did hang out with Terry Butler and the rest of the band. They were the nicest guys, very helpful and supportive.

The public doesn’t know yet, but I have evidence that you’re quite a talented ukulele player (take my word for it, gentle reader, it’s fricken hilarious). Do you plan on incorporating that into TEB anytime soon, or maybe starting the world’s first ukulele-metal band?

Uh, no, hahaha! I like to pick up and fiddle around with all kinds of musical instruments. The sitar would be something I’d like to practice and learn to play.

What’s the absolute strangest experience you ever had hanging out with fans? Anybody ever ask you to nail their girlfriend while they watched or other such rockstar excess?

Usually when we hang out with fans, it’s because they smoke weed and want to burn with us. It’s pretty mellow, no crazy stories, just mad amounts of weed being smoked and a good laugh.

What would people be the most surprised to find on your iPod?

Adam and the Ants, Necrophagist, Lou Rawls, Napalm Death, Elton John, Kyuss, Beck, and more. It’s a mixed bag and my iPod is always on shuffle.

Read any good books lately? Seen any good movies lately? Played any good video games lately? Tell us all what you think is cool so we can run right out and check it out as well.

There is one book I read and that is “The Teaching of Buddah”. The last movie I went to see was “Jackass 2”. It made me ill for a few minutes, but it was pretty funny. The last game I was playing in London prior to leaving for tour was “Hitman: Blood Money” for XBox 360. It’s a pretty amazing game. The new My Chemical Romance album is pretty cool, go buy that. Not.

What’s the story on that badass cabin you guys have pictures of on your MySpace page? Is that TEB-Central?

Justin’s cousin James, who also plays bass for an awesome band called Angerkain, has family in a farming town about an hour outside of London. On their farm they have a log cabin. It belongs to Uncle Tom. No kidding there, it’s Uncle Tom’s cabin. We thought it would be nice to get out of the city and write, different environment and everything. It was great. I cracked my bong and had to toss it into the pond, though. Now at least I know where it’s at forever.

I’m clearly running out of good ideas for questions, so I think this would be a good place to call it quits. Thanks for taking the time to do this! I hope things continue to go well for you, and I look forward to seeing you on the road again! Take some time now for some closing thoughts, perhaps some words of wisdom, Jerry Springer style.

I have about as much wisdom as Germans have humor: none! Keep your mind focused and free of negative thoughts. Love the ones dear to you. Thank you, JD, for your time as well. I am certain that we will meet up again for a serious smoke session. Later tater!

Again, many thanks to Johnny. Be sure to check out Thine Eyes Bleed at www.thineeyesbleed.com or www.myspace.com/thineeyesbleed and tell them I sent you! See them live if you get the chance, too.

Interviews