No stranger to dark places, and much more a fan of creepy-crawly, lurking malevolence than the jump-scares so typical within contemporary “horror,” Lord Randall couldn’t resist vocalist Suzi Uzi’s invitation to talk a walk down the Black Road. The Chicago stoner-doom troop have logged a multitude of shows and are enjoying much deserved attention being given to their eponymous debut EP, available now on cassette via DHU Records—with vinyl set for release on March 16—and on CD via BloodRock Records.
Come along, if you dare…
What were the circumstances around Black Road’s formation? Had you known each other for a while and just kind of “fell into” a band, or did you begin with a definite plan or goal in mind?
The band was formed in 2015 after months and months of jamming at Black Road headquarters. We brought together some of our best friends from high school, as well as a friend I had made making music online. Various obstacles with our members caused us to have lineup changes quite early on, but [guitarist] Tim [M.] and I knew it was our dream, and we wanted to share it with one another and keep it going no matter what.
Had you been in bands previously, or is this everyone’s first rodeo? It doesn’t sound like it…
Tim had been playing guitar since he was a kid, and he had done many solo shows. He and our original second guitarist Ed had a band called Midnight Fyre when they were younger. Our original drummer was another great friend from high school, who actually played guitar but was helping us out on drums. He had been in many metal bands prior to us forming Black Road. Our bassist [Casey Papp] had also been involved in some lighter musical projects, but not done a lot of gigging.
As for myself, I had never been in a real band before. This is definitely my first time singing in front of people, and I was a little nervous about my voice in the beginning. I have never had a problem getting up in front of people and performing, but I normally would not let them hear me sing if I could help it!
Younger bands are often the sum of their influences, most hoping to eventually bring something original to the table. What were your influences starting out? Two years in, do you feel you’re starting to find your groove, maybe move beyond them a little?
Our backgrounds were so varied, and we had an initial goal to just play whatever felt right—regardless of genre or expectations. We used to have a lot of funky, bluesy, and jazzy original songs. As time went on and my voice got stronger, Tim and I decided we wanted to bring forth his heavier riffs. In the beginning, I was unsure I had the strength to sing in the type of metal band he had hoped to create, so we started out with easier and more chill songs for my sake.
Doom and “occult” rock are big business now—at least in our small corner of the musical world. Does rock ‘n’ roll need Black Road?
I think the doom [and] occult rock genres have plenty of kickass bands surfacing and ones who have already made a name for themselves and brought the genre to light. I do not think that we are strictly an occult band by any means, even though we do touch on occult themes. I think rock ‘n’ roll needs more bands that aren’t looking to follow a mainstream formula. We are absolutely in that category, because we never have limitations in mind when writing songs, lyrics, or instrumentals.
Your first album came out in March 2017, Live & Lit. Did you feel your stuff was better represented onstage than in the studio? Or were you—like most truly independent bands—too damn broke for studio time?
In that time, we did many gigs and had been offered soundboard recordings from Livewire Lounge—a Chicago venue—on more than one occasion. We decided to release our entire set after much discussion with our band members. I also was excited to try my hand at mixing live audio, which was something I had never done before. Overall, I feel our recording two months later at the same venue sounds much better, both in the final mix and the performance itself. That recording can be found on our Bandcamp page and YouTube as well, “Witch of the Future.”
How do you feel the sound of the band has morphed over your nearly three years together?
Considering our lineup changes, I think the band’s sound has grown stronger and tighter than ever. Our band members are always chatting, almost every single day. We are always trying to plan practices and bond over hilarious memes, as well as discuss future goals we all share. I think our friendship has truly helped our sound as well. Being close to your band members and establishing more than a band relationship with them can be critical in your development, I have learned.
We are still groovy, but we are heavier and more intricate as far as song structure. We get a lot more input from the guys as we write new songs, and the fact that we all love similar styles of music and bands makes writing a lot of fun. I feel having fun also shows in your music, and especially your performances. I am really looking forward to what we will come out with in the future!
Lyrically, what gets you going? There’s a sense of old ‘70s horror in your lyrics, but at the same time, you’re pretty straightforward in your writing style. Nothing wrong with that. Hell, Black Sabbath weren’t writing Renaissance poetry, right?
When I first began writing lyrics, I feel they sounded a bit more like poetry. I felt a little too vulnerable talking about heartbreak and horrible things that had happened to me in the past. I eventually took a simpler approach to writing lyrics, as I had seen it was perfectly acceptable. Now that I reflect back on the simplicity, I think I will build from there and create more intricate vocal parts. At least I did think a lot about the vocabulary I used and tried to incorporate good synonyms and adjectives wherever I could. I hope that no matter which approach is evident in a song, the music will be front and center.
Chicago has always had a vibrant rock and metal scene, but many of the real quality bands have always slithered around the underground. Would you take a bit more recognition over the benefits of a close-knit, smaller community?
Chicago has bands like Bongripper blazing trails for stoner and doom bands. I think it is gaining popularity, but most of us will continue to just be underground. I would not mind a bit more recognition, but only to be able to play more out-of-state gigs and possibly get overseas at some point. I would prefer we had a small and close-knit community, however, so if that means we won’t get the recognition—it’s all good as long as it continues to be about the music. Whatever happens is wonderful, but at the end of the day, we just want to create and play music.
How is the new music shaping up?
We have many awesome songs in the works and a bunch of things not heard on the EP that we have been playing live for months. I think the new music is not a huge jump from what you heard on the EP, but more of an example of what we would do when allowed more runtime. I do hope some things will surprise people, and I also hope it is received as well as our debut effort.
Talk about the video shoot for “Bloody Mary”…
Our pal Don Corthier from Michigan offered an idea to me for a type of treatment. He planned out all the shots and even showed me images of possible locations beforehand. With the weekend set in stone, the band traveled to Michigan for a two-day filming excursion. His wife Liza helped to set the scene and make the shots look nice and foggy.
The slow-motion part was very strange! We had to record that in double-time, so it could be slowed down later. That was very hard, and we all struggled a little with it at first. Once we got it, we couldn’t stop laughing at how silly we felt and how I sounded like a chipmunk!
All in all, it was a ton of fun and great to have the whole band together—as well as our bassist’s girlfriend Meg, who is normally with us for most things and most gigs. She helped a lot behind the scenes, like she always does, so that was awesome as well. It was truly a team effort.
So, there’s an EP out now?
Our debut eponymous EP was released Oct. 6, 2017. That was the day the CDs were available [via] BloodRock Records, and we also released the digital download on Bandcamp. Shortly after, our cassette came out with DHU Records. It has been a long time coming, but we finally have word on a vinyl release date of March 16, 2018.
“Female-fronted” bands are a point of celebration and contention these days, but I mean, could you have seen Peter Frampton fronting The Runaways? Do you think we’ll ever get past the whole “pretty good for a girl” or “chick singer” mentality?
I think there is absolutely a need and a place for female-fronted bands. I know there are a ton of people who are not happy with using the term “female-fronted,” however, I do not think of it as a descriptor of a band’s competence. I am sure there are those who still use it to try to single out certain bands or as an attempt to signify some sort of expectations they have. I like when I see the term used, because sometimes, I just want to sing along to a girl vocalist. If a band is labeled as such, it makes it easier for me to find them and weed them out of the herd.
With this said, I don’t think we will ever escape the term, and I think we need to respect people equally regardless of gender. I have a feeling not everyone will be as progressive and change their way of thinking of labeling others, and that is no reason to stop. The “pretty good for a girl” mentality is not perpetuated by terms like “female-fronted” unless you allow it to offend you in such a way. Words do not have power unless you give them power. If you are using the term to put someone down or to categorize a band negatively, you’ll probably never change your tune—and I doubt I will be the one to change their minds!
Upcoming plans?
We have been discussing a live split with an unnamed band—details coming soon! Once those are finalized and we have a track list set, we can begin work on our full-length album! In the meantime, we have some big shows to announce for 2018 and more great stuff on the horizon!
