May 12, 2017 EchoEyes
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Exclusive Interview with Dennis Mikula of Ghost Bath
by R.G.B. Robb—
After listening to, and becoming a huge fan of, the band Ghost Bath, I knew that I had to interview the mastermind behind the project: Dennis Mikula. During our conversation, Mikula spoke about his off-kilter approach to songwriting, where the latest album Starmourner fits into his increasing discography, and the upcoming tours and future of this progressively influenced black metal outfit.
When asked about the writing process for his music, Mikula surprised me by admitting that when he goes to record, he’s going in with a completely blank slate—at least in a musical sense. “I have everything, except for the music, in my head before I begin [writing]. So, I know the feel, I know the mood, I know the concepts, I know the imagery I want, the names of the record and the songs, all that kind of stuff. When I start writing, most of the time, I begin with a certain chord change, like a certain rhythm part. Then I record a scratch track, like a demo track, as I’m writing, and I’ll use that chord change, and just build from that to make the song. I don’t pick up a guitar and [think] ‘I like this riff’ well before I start writing. I like to completely visualize something in my head, and conceptualize it first, and then when I start writing it, I start writing and make full songs. I wrote Starmourner using the same method I did for every previous album and E.P. that I’ve done for Ghost Bath: just me alone, at a computer with my guitar, a demo version of [the software program] FruityLoops, and I just write an entire song in one session.” He does admit that though this process works incredibly well for him, there was a bit more time invested in his latest. “This one took a little longer because it’s 12 songs. I actually wrote 13 songs for it, but the 13th became a bonus track on the re-release of Moonlover, [called] ‘Ascension.’ I’m always looking at the next thing. Moonlover hadn’t been released or anything like that yet, and I already started working on the next record.”
He states that the reason why this 13th track was so easy to place as a bonus track on the prior album was because the last few years have been spent working on an epic musical expedition. “I’ve had the idea for Moonlover, Starmourner, and the next one in the trilogy since I began working on Moonlover. So, I kind of have the concepts in my head, and I’m always working, always doing something. If I’m sitting around, I feel like I’m wasting time.” Mikula is also keenly aware that in order to make the trilogy work, he can’t just rehash similar themes—musical or otherwise. “I wanted to create three distinct records, but all have them tie together in a way, so I’m using two different things to connect them, and set them apart at the same time. One is the basic human emotions that I’m exploring; the first being tragedy, and that was Moonlover, the second [is] ecstasy, which is Starmourner, the third will be doom. At the same time I’m loosely basing it on Dante’s Divine Comedy.” Though he states he has the complete ideas together for the third act of his musical, he has yet to begin the actual songwriting process.
Of course, any band worth their salt knows that next to writing and recording, touring is the most important delivery system to getting that music out to the masses. With an upcoming European tour this summer opening for Katatonia on select dates, Mikula explained what fans can expect, and the differences they will see between Ghost Bath as an opening act versus headlining. “It’s like three tours put together. The first dates we have an opening slot for Katatonia, and so it’s a shorter set. With our songs being so long, it’s kind of hard to do as much of a variety, unless we’re headlining. So I think we [will] mostly focus on Moonlover and Starmourner. But after that run, we have a lot of headlining dates. [For those] we play one song from Funeral, I do want to play more eventually, and then it’s pretty much half-and-half with Moonlover and Starmourner.” For fans in the United States who cannot make it out to Europe to catch them live, Mikula puts worried minds at ease. “Yesterday we announced a run [in the United States] with Decapitated, Thy Art Is Murder, and Fallujah. It’s pretty much going everywhere: west coast, east coast, and runs from August 21stthrough September 23rd, so a month-long tour of the states all over. It’s weird, we always end up touring with death metal [bands]. Last year we did [a tour of] Europe with Black Dahlia Murder, Dying Fetus, and Goatwhore.”
The next year is shaping up to be an incredibly busy one for Mikula and Ghost Bath. From touring the world, to completing the final album in the trilogy, there will not be much rest for the wicked. But with the quality of musical output that has already been firmly established, and the knowledge that there is most definitely more in store, I cannot wait to see where Ghost Bath takes all of us next.
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May 12, 2017 EchoEyes
Spread the love
Exclusive Interview with Dennis Mikula of Ghost Bath
by R.G.B. Robb—
After listening to, and becoming a huge fan of, the band Ghost Bath, I knew that I had to interview the mastermind behind the project: Dennis Mikula. During our conversation, Mikula spoke about his off-kilter approach to songwriting, where the latest album Starmourner fits into his increasing discography, and the upcoming tours and future of this progressively influenced black metal outfit.
When asked about the writing process for his music, Mikula surprised me by admitting that when he goes to record, he’s going in with a completely blank slate—at least in a musical sense. “I have everything, except for the music, in my head before I begin [writing]. So, I know the feel, I know the mood, I know the concepts, I know the imagery I want, the names of the record and the songs, all that kind of stuff. When I start writing, most of the time, I begin with a certain chord change, like a certain rhythm part. Then I record a scratch track, like a demo track, as I’m writing, and I’ll use that chord change, and just build from that to make the song. I don’t pick up a guitar and [think] ‘I like this riff’ well before I start writing. I like to completely visualize something in my head, and conceptualize it first, and then when I start writing it, I start writing and make full songs. I wrote Starmourner using the same method I did for every previous album and E.P. that I’ve done for Ghost Bath: just me alone, at a computer with my guitar, a demo version of [the software program] FruityLoops, and I just write an entire song in one session.” He does admit that though this process works incredibly well for him, there was a bit more time invested in his latest. “This one took a little longer because it’s 12 songs. I actually wrote 13 songs for it, but the 13th became a bonus track on the re-release of Moonlover, [called] ‘Ascension.’ I’m always looking at the next thing. Moonlover hadn’t been released or anything like that yet, and I already started working on the next record.”
He states that the reason why this 13th track was so easy to place as a bonus track on the prior album was because the last few years have been spent working on an epic musical expedition. “I’ve had the idea for Moonlover, Starmourner, and the next one in the trilogy since I began working on Moonlover. So, I kind of have the concepts in my head, and I’m always working, always doing something. If I’m sitting around, I feel like I’m wasting time.” Mikula is also keenly aware that in order to make the trilogy work, he can’t just rehash similar themes—musical or otherwise. “I wanted to create three distinct records, but all have them tie together in a way, so I’m using two different things to connect them, and set them apart at the same time. One is the basic human emotions that I’m exploring; the first being tragedy, and that was Moonlover, the second [is] ecstasy, which is Starmourner, the third will be doom. At the same time I’m loosely basing it on Dante’s Divine Comedy.” Though he states he has the complete ideas together for the third act of his musical, he has yet to begin the actual songwriting process.
Of course, any band worth their salt knows that next to writing and recording, touring is the most important delivery system to getting that music out to the masses. With an upcoming European tour this summer opening for Katatonia on select dates, Mikula explained what fans can expect, and the differences they will see between Ghost Bath as an opening act versus headlining. “It’s like three tours put together. The first dates we have an opening slot for Katatonia, and so it’s a shorter set. With our songs being so long, it’s kind of hard to do as much of a variety, unless we’re headlining. So I think we [will] mostly focus on Moonlover and Starmourner. But after that run, we have a lot of headlining dates. [For those] we play one song from Funeral, I do want to play more eventually, and then it’s pretty much half-and-half with Moonlover and Starmourner.” For fans in the United States who cannot make it out to Europe to catch them live, Mikula puts worried minds at ease. “Yesterday we announced a run [in the United States] with Decapitated, Thy Art Is Murder, and Fallujah. It’s pretty much going everywhere: west coast, east coast, and runs from August 21stthrough September 23rd, so a month-long tour of the states all over. It’s weird, we always end up touring with death metal [bands]. Last year we did [a tour of] Europe with Black Dahlia Murder, Dying Fetus, and Goatwhore.”
The next year is shaping up to be an incredibly busy one for Mikula and Ghost Bath. From touring the world, to completing the final album in the trilogy, there will not be much rest for the wicked. But with the quality of musical output that has already been firmly established, and the knowledge that there is most definitely more in store, I cannot wait to see where Ghost Bath takes all of us next.
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