Bill Kelliher, guitar player for the heavy metal monster, Mastodon, isn’t listening to much new music lately. He’s far too busy out on the road supporting the bands 4th album, Crack the Skye. We caught up with him just long enough to get the low-down on what its like being Bill, in a band that’s a beast.

With a concept album that roughly tells the story of a broken body, astral projections, Czarist Russia, Rasputin,  and an early 20th century Russian Orthodox sect called the Kylysty, you would expect one of its creators to be dark and serious. But Bill actually comes across as a genuinely easy going, nice guy. He is like the calm in the chaos that exists in every band.

When I asked Bill the age old question, studio or stage? He replied,”I get asked that a lot. In the studio you have time to think about what you are doing, and re-do what’s not working. Live its kind of hard to improvise”. Improv isn’t exactly the order of the day for a band that is destined to fill the arena rock void. Mastodon is a band that, on the surface, takes itself very seriously. You can’t compete in the heavy metal arena without a frown, and yet its only natural that there has to be a softer side.

Enter Star Wars. Like all Gen X kids, Bill was heavily influenced by the mega film series. He had all the original toys until his parents sold them without warning at a garage sell. Years later, when he started making a bit of money, he started collecting them again. Today he has an entire room dedicated to them in his house, a sleeve of tattoos including the IG-88 and he even named his son Harrison (which you must admit, gives the kid some cred from the go).

With all this in mind, a project involving astral projections isn’t too far a stretch. For those fans listening just to hear the wicked guitar sounds melt your ceribral cortex, they have included an instrumental version of all the songs. Its like your own personal karaoke version, for unique lyrical stylings, or schredding guitar solos. As for what’s on Bill’s ipod that might surprise his fans, Artic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and Metric.

Mastodon held the headliner spot in the Mojave Tent at Coachella last weekend. Playing Crack the Skye front to back was a big crowd pleaser, with the sound so loud it actually created wind from the speakers. The die hard fans ate it up. They had been waiting for a metal band to bring some integrity back to the genre. Turns out, that wait is over. You are now free to move about the starship.

Words by Barbie Brady, Photos by Fever Dragon