{"id":1481,"date":"2015-02-26T23:59:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T23:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/?p=1481"},"modified":"2024-04-13T00:00:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-13T00:00:13","slug":"yobs-not-so-dark-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/?p=1481","title":{"rendered":"Yob\u2019s not-so-dark alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The members of Yob make gloomy doom metal but their outlook on life, art and music is refreshingly down to earth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\u201cMy
\u201cMy metal sound is this<\/em> big.\u201dPHOTO BY JAMES REXROAD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Catch Yob on Wednesday, March 4, at the Press Club, 2030 P Street. Will Haven and Church are also on the bill. Cover is $15. More info at www.facebook.com\/quantumyob<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The act of making a living but also bucking musical trends<\/strong> has, until lately, proven to be a struggle for one of doom metal\u2019s great, relatively newer bands, Yob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the group formed in 1996, its members were all the about the music\u2014not mainstream success\u2014and that ethos carries on to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, the band\u2019s steadfast desire to play a darker style long relegated to more obscure groups has finally gained popularity. While bands like Black Sabbath, Pentagram, St. Vitus and Cathedral all played a vital role in the scene many years ago, those bands also eventually changed to meet more commercial appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor a band that does our style of music, there is a gross perception that we\u2019re bigger than we are. We\u2019re still a very DIY and punk band by nature,\u201d explained singer-guitarist Mike Scheidt during a recent phone interview. \u201cWe\u2019re in a position to make smart choices that are better for the long term when it comes to touring and releasing records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scheidt\u2019s Eugene-based trio, which is rounded out by a rhythm section comprising Aaron Rieseberg on bass and Travis Foster on drums, is now touring again with a new record under its belt. Clearing The Path To Ascend<\/em> was released on Neurot Recordings in September 2014. Its release has helped the band gain an even bigger fan base, Scheidt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe response has been overwhelming. \u2026 We\u2019ve seen many year-end lists with our name on it and heard lots of good words,\u201d said Scheidt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans who waited for Yob\u2019s latest album, a four-song full-length with songs clocking in between 11 and 19 minutes, should note that the three-year hiatus was intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not in the business of putting out music. There are lots of bands who suffer from putting out too many records,\u201d Scheidt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, he added, the band only tours three months a year to keep itself grounded in its members\u2019 family lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything is good these days. Our focus is on each other\u2019s health and friendship first and that makes the ups and downs much easier,\u201d Scheidt said. \u201cOur goal was and is to tour when we want and make the best music possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the uninitiated, Yob play a heavier brand of music that\u2019s steeped in slow, sludgy tempos, obnoxiously heavy riffs, and oft-repeating, droning lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, the band has released multiple records on several different labels; Scheidt says that was always their plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had some good times on Metal Blade Records, but we have had a better experience on the smaller Profound Lore and Neurot labels,\u201d Scheidt said. \u201cMetal Blade came to us and we turned \u2019em down the first time and then [label head] Brian Slagel went out of his way to get us on board.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pairing, he added, didn\u2019t turn out well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe ended up feeling like the bargain bin of his label. When we change labels now it\u2019s just because we like change and don\u2019t want to bind ourselves to four-album deals,\u201d Scheidt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the label, the band\u2019s enjoying bigger audiences lately\u2014in 2014 the group joined Pallbearer for a U.K. tour, for which they were able to easily fill 500-700 capacity venues. The band\u2019s consistently drawing larger numbers in the United States as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do well in quite a few places. \u2026 We\u2019re not suffering like we did on previous tours and touring is much better for us now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, he said, the album-touring schedule\u2014commercial success or not\u2014is about doing what they want, all while striking the ideal life\/work dynamic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a knee-jerk reaction against the norm and want to have a balance of real family life and the band,\u201d said Scheidt, who handles the band\u2019s business and management. \u201cI have three kids and I don\u2019t want to do this if it feels like punching a time clock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(SN&R)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The members of Yob make gloomy doom metal but their outlook on life, art and music is refreshingly down to earth Catch Yob on Wednesday, March 4, at the Press Club, 2030 P Street. Will Haven and Church are also on the bill. Cover is $15. More info at www.facebook.com\/quantumyob. The act of making a living […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1482,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1481\/revisions\/1482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}