Between The Buried And Me – Dan Briggs and Dustie Waring
Posted on September 11, 2009 at 2:06 pm by Rob
In 2007 Between the Buried and Me released the album Colors to critical acclaim. That album pushed the band to new levels. I sat down with Dan Briggs (bass) and Dustie Waring (guitar) on their tour with Protest The Hero, Killswitch Engage and In Flames to talk about their follow up album The Great Misdirect (due to be released late October). We talked about what direction the album is going in. Dustie also shared some information on his other project Glass Casket as well as Dan letting me know when to expect his album to be released with ORBS.
WayTooLoud!: What influenced you to start playing music?
Dan Briggs: I actually stared playing saxophone first!
Dustie Waring: I did not know that!
Dan: I started playing when I was in 4th grade. Partly because my mom was a music teacher. Also because Bill Clinton played the sax and I thought he was cool! I quickly ended up switching to guitar. My mom stared me on guitar actually. She went to school for music, she was defiantly a big factor in me getting into music. Shortly after that I was in my first bands, cover bands and what not!
Dustie: Kind of the same thing with me! My dad’s entire side of the family plays. My uncle was this long haired, metal-fusion shredder! My dad was an awesome bass player. I would watch them and want to play. Not long after that I started playing!
WTL!: You returned to Jamie King to produce The Great Misdirect. What does Jamie bring to the recording process?
Dan: Jamie brings a lot! He is defiantly one of the most knowledgeable people in the music field that we know.
Dustie: He knows so much. Whether it is what should we write in theory or what sounds better. What kind of pre-set to have on your amp for this particular riff!
Dan: He’s awesome! I think he also brings out the best in us as musicians in terms of our creativity. When you find that guy that you are comfortable with that you think is awesome I think it is important to stick with him! We have worked with some producers who are not really musical at all. They don’t actually play an instrument. They just kind of have an ear for what sounds good. Jamie is defiantly a musician’s producer. He knows his way around everything!
WTL!: What is the song writing process like? Do you go in with a specific vision for a song or album? Is it more of an organic song writing process?
Dan: It is defiantly very organic! We show up and we don’t really know anything about what the album is going to sound like. There might be a couple sections that some people will come in with and we start putting it together! We had not idea what this album was going to sound like. Either this record or Colors or Alaska! The albums just take a life of their own as we’re getting into it and putting stuff together.
WTL!: Are there any lyrical themes that you are following on this album?
Dan: The album is called The Great Misdirect that comes from the second song on the record “Obfuscation”, which we played tonight. It is about the different way the brain works and the way it perceives everything that is thrown at you. How you will never be able to comprehend everything! It is too much to understand, kind of like Tommy’s (Rogers, vocals) lyrics. (Laughs) That is a big theme I guess.
WTL!: Are there any other themes that are followed on the album?
Dustie: Some breakdown and clean stuff and whale sounds! (Laughs)
WTL!: Is the album art going to go along with any of those themes?
Dan: Misdirection is a big part of the album artwork as well! We kind of knew when we had that theme that we would be able to do something really neat with the art work and the packaging! Our friend Brandon (Proff), who did the artwork for Colors, just took the ball and ran with it. He had all these wild ideas and took them to the record label and said “just tell me what I can’t do. I want to go crazy.” It’s going to be awesome! It looks great right now!
WTL!: Tommy said early in the writing process for The Great Misdirect that he thinks it will outdo Colors. Do you think that has happened? And if so in what way?
Dan: They’re just different records. Colors was such a massive piece. It was a big jump from Alaska and everything before. Whit this one we took everything that we learned from Colors. I think it’s more mature and it’s pretty dark throughout!
Dustie: It is defiantly a darker record.
Dan: There isn’t a lot of hope on it!
WTL!: Your sound has evolved over time. In the beginning having more of a hardcore sound and progressing into more of a metal sound like you have today. How have the fans you have had since the beginning reacted to the newer music?
Dan: I think there are some kids who have stuck through all the years and all the changes. You aren’t going to be able to please everybody! That is not something we are concerned about when we are writing. We just go in and do what makes us happy. I think it’s great that there are people who have stuck around since the very beginning!
Dustie: We have never been a band that writes to please people. We just like to play music and we like jamming.
Dan: Very selfish! (Laughs)
WTL!: Do you think evolving as a band is important in regards to keeping fresh ideas coming and not getting complacent?
Dan: It is defiantly! I think some bands get too comfortable and find an idea that works. I think it would be very easy for us to find a BTBAM formula and just write albums! Maybe two albums a year if we wanted to. It is better to really take time and develop new sounds and new ideas! Become better players, I think every record we become better players. That is really important for us!
Dustie: We become forced to be better players. It just keeps getting harder to play with each record!
WTL!: Even with the evolution it still sounds like Between the Buried and Me on each album. Is that important to you?
Dan: I think just because it is the five of us writing it will always sound like Between the Buried and Me!
WTL!: Do you find that you’re eclectic style opens the door to tour with different bands?
Dan: This album isn’t even out yet so I can’t say it’s the first tour we’ve done for The Great Misdirect. On our Colors run we toured with everybody from Dream Theatre to Meshuggah to Children of Bodom, August Burns Red and Opeth. Colors defiantly opened up a lot of new doors for us! It allowed a lot of new people who hadn’t discovered our band a chance to hear us!
WTL!: How did ORBS take shape?
Dan: Me and my friend Ashley (Ellyllon – Abigail Williams, Cradle of Filth) started sending files back and forth. That turned into a couple of songs. I got a hold of my friend Adam (Fisher) from Fear Before. I asked him if he was interested singing over it. He loved it! We wrote our record in about 4 months and we’ve just been sitting on it ever sense. It’s an awesome thing to have on the side and a fun thing to do!
WTL!: How is the song writing process different for ORBS compared to Between The Buried And Me? I read that you shared the music with each other online similar to the way that The Postal Service wrote.
Dan: It was pretty much Ashley and I would write a lot on our own and throw ideas back and forth. I flew out to Arizona four or five times and did a lot on the spot. On the spot writing always kinda scared me. I felt that whenever it comes up in Between The Buried And Me it feels kinda forced. We always put together transitions on the spot or work things out on the spot. When you’re trying to write a section on the spot it’s always kind of forced! It worked pretty well with the ORBS stuff!
WTL!: Where did the title Asleep Next to Science come from?
Dan: It comes from the last song on the record. Hopefully it will all be out within this lifetime. It should be out within the next year!
WTL!: I have read that Glass Casket is working on a new album. Do you have any information on that?
Dustie: We defiantly are writing. We have a song and a half. As you can probably imagine it’s kind of difficult putting lots of effort into it! We’re usually so busy with Between the Buried and Me. Even when we’re not it’s difficult to get everybody together and say “Hey! We’ve been practicing and writing with this other band for six months. Do you guys want to get together and try to write another record?” It is going pretty well for the circumstances! I see us probably playing a few shows here and there! I’m guessing we will probably have a new record together within the next year or two!
WTL!: Is the song writing process different then it is with Between The Buried And Me?
Dustie: A lot different! It is usually me and Blake (Richardson, drums) sometimes I will just go by the practice space to pick up something and he’ll be there playing drums. We’ll sit down and just play death metal riffs for an hour or something like that. It usually turns into writing some songs. Once we get a bunch of parts we’ll have a band practice with the other members! They will contribute and throw in other pieces here and there. It’s actually really convenient because once we’re kind of maxed with ideas they will come in and it makes it a little easier. It is a lot easier then Between the Buried and Me because there is a lot less thought put into it! Not to discredit my other band but it is not nearly as technical or thought out!
WTL!: Both of you made Peta2.com’s list of World’s Sexiest Vegetarians for 2008 how does that make you feel?
(Laughs)
Dustie: Confused! I kind of wonder if they’ve ever actually seen me before.
Dan: It’s pretty silly! I remember the first year they put us on my friend Nichole was working at Peta. I thought she just put us on there as a joke. Then it keeps coming up every year. I think they just recycle the same list.
Dustie: I think they just kind of look for anybody who is vegetarian. Hey you’re in the public eye. Thanks for being vegetarian, you’re sexy! I’m not even a vegetarian. I eat that way most of the time. I am not strictly vegetarian so that is kind of funny too!
WTL!: There’s been stories of bands resorting to eating peanut butter and beef jerky for dinner on tour. Have food choices ever become slim for you on tour?
Dan: No not really. I’m trying to think of what the absolute hardest picking for us was. I think the hardest time was when we went to England for the first time. We were playing a ski lodge in the middle of nowhere! There was nothing! I think I ate bread and chips. It was horrible! Other then that though it is super easy! On these shows there is catering, there’s always something to eat. We got some rice and some chickpea stuff that should be good. It’s really not hard, anywhere in the States is easy. Just go to a store.
Dustie: I don’t think it’s hard for anybody to eat over here. If we’re in say Latvia or something. I’m sure it could be a pain in the ass to find something to eat.
WTL!: Who would you tour with if you had no rules?
Dan: One of mine would be Soundgarden!
Dustie: I wouldn’t really want to tour with Pantera because we’re not that type of band! I don’t think my liver could handle it! I would love them play. There are so many bands I love that are not together anymore.
Dan: I would have loved to tour with or scene Peter Gabrial era Genesis, old King Crimson!
Dustie: Oh I know! Faith No More! Even though they’re still together I would love to tour with Tool or A Perfect Circle, either or!
WTL!: Who would you like to tour with who’s both feasible, but not obvious?
Dustie: Nine Inch Nails
Dan: Muse even though it would be awkward probably. John Coltrane!
Dustie: Any sort of Mike Patton project. Whitney Houston!
Dan: She is making a comeback
WTL!: Where in the world would you like to tour?
Dan: Japan and Australia again would be nice!
Dustie: I would like to play a show in Bali on a surf board! (Laughs)
WTL!: Have you ever lied about your band name and what it means?
Dan: People haven’t asked us what Between the Buried and Me means or where it came from. It was that guys fault (points at guitarist Paul Waggoner)!
Dustie: It’s from a Counting Crows song!
Between the Buried and Me at Myspace
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