We spend a couple of minutes with Michael Harutyunyan of Horsehunter ahead of their support slot for Sleep on Saturday December 6 at The Corner and find out what’s new…
What’s going on in the world of Horsehunter?
Very exciting stuff. We’ll be doing a physical release of our debut album through a great US label, we’ve been writing a lot of new material (so much heavier) for some upcoming releases, and a lot of other stuff that we can’t really talk about yet.
What motivates you to make music?
This is difficult to answer — if we weren’t making music I wouldn’t bother with life. We’re all a bunch of losers who just want to play really fucking loud.
What have been the high and low points of your musical experiences so far?
High points: We all agree that playing with High On Fire was by far the greatest thing to happen to our band, that experience was surreal. This past year in general has been the most unbelievable year for us, we couldn’t have ever expected all of the international support slots, the Cherry Bar residency, playing at much bigger venues, and having such an incredible response to our debut album. Working with Tigran Fuzzmeister on the album was also a great and very memorable experience.
Low points:
Getting stupidly drunk and stoned before our first ever gig at Cherry Bar (in early 2013). That was the loosest set we’ve ever played, we were so out of tune and sloppy. That was the first proper show that people in the local doom scene actually came to check out too, so it’s funny to think that we made such a terrible first impression. We learned our lesson — no more than a pint before a show, and one SHARED two paper. Definitely no acid.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
Mainly a lot of Watchtower. Their upcoming record is just incredible. But to be honest I haven’t been listening to much music other than Whitehorse, Death Grips, Internal Rot, Sabbath and other classics. Dan’s been listening to heaps of death/grind/black metal — Immolation, Portal, Dismember, Repulsion, etc. Himi’s just listening to Bob Dylan as always with a bit of True Widow here and there, and Nick exclusively listens to ISIS.
If you were stranded on a desert island, which member of the band would get eaten first?
Probably Nick. He’s the biggest and most nutritious member of the band. Realistically I could also be eaten, Himi too, Dan is inedible though coz he’s too nihilistic and he’d probably taste bland.
Here’s an opportunity to bitch about something, whether music related or not. What really pisses you off?
People who buy their records at JB Hi-Fi or other big franchises. Don’t get me wrong, I have a good friend who manages a JB a bit far out of town and I’m cool with that, but I still strongly feel that if you’re going to bother stepping outside of your house to buy vinyl, buy it from an independent record store. If it weren’t for the personal touch and diverse music taste of the owners of places like The Missing Link, Heartland, and countless others, then we’ll see more stores like Ritual fade away (R.I.P.). I discovered everything from Electric Wizard, to Thou, to Tom Waits, to Chelsea Wolfe, heaps of bands from the local scene, and so many others that have shaped my understanding of music today, from having good conversations with guys like Nick and Christof from the Missing Link, and having them point me in the right direction. Jackson from Ritual was also a legend and introduced me to heaps of heavier and darker music. Support that shit or Cash Money records will win.
You’re putting together your perfect gig featuring Australian artists. Who would you get to play and where? Feel free to include acts/DJs/bands/venues that no longer exist.
Whitehorse, Watchtower, Internal Rot, Drowning Horse, Hydromedusa, Space Bong, Violent Gorge (are they Australian? The lead singer is a nut), Lubricated Goat, TTTDC, Willow Darling, Elbrus, Buffalo, Wicked City, Child, Frown, and uuuh let’s chuck in INXS for a laugh. Oh and The Dan Harris Explosion, inarguably the greatest band of all time. You’ve probably never heard of them. Cram it all into The Tote.
Horsehunter join Bonnie Mercer in support of Sleep on Saturday December 6 at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne. Tickets for that show are sold out, but Sleep’s second Melbourne show and the rest of the tour are on sale now through lifeisnoise.com.
