8 Foot Sativa Interview 22/09/2012

I caught up with Jack Hammer from 8 Foot Sativa just hours before their opening slot for Fear Factory.

How does it feel to be back in 8 Foot Sativa and what brought you guys back together as a band?

It feels fuckin’ good man. Guess I got the phone call got asked to come back and here I am. Loving it. It was a mutual thing.

What was it that brought you back specifically?

I had been sitting back pretty quite been just working away doing my usual thing. But I was always keen to get back into the industry. I did have a fiddle around with a couple of other bands and shit which was all good and that but it just wasn’t my thing. Obviously getting the call from 8 Foot Sativa again and being asked back I was like thought about it, not for long, just thought that’s fuckin me man I’m keen as to get back into it and yeah.

What have you been doing while you were away?

I have just been working hard gib fixing like I always have been I been doing it for over 15 years now I have started my own business so it makes it easier for being in the band cause now I have staff.

I saw in an interview you said you had some vocal training while u were away has that affected your trademark raw vocal style?

Since the album Hate Made Me I definitely grown and obviously that’s shown on Season For Assault. I was very young doing Hate Made Me and once I did move down to Christchurch I did seek some vocal training. Done that for a little while and she didn’t really seem to see any sort of issues with my breathing and that kind of thing and she said nah your doing alright and she asked about whether I smoke and I said yes and she said well you got to cut that out and well I’m still smoking and she’s like do you drink and I’m like yeah I drink a bit here and there sometimes more than I should but still do that she said the best thing for your vocals is maybe a shot of whiskey at the start and that relaxes your vocal cords and that so other than that there was no real issue. With the passing out kind of thing it could be nerves it could be a lot of things because I used to go so hard out I would start to see the fuzzes, starting to see the stars but I wasn’t finished my scream yet so I would just power on right through it cause I didn’t want to let any of my brother down. I had to keep going and obviously that’s what happened I fuckin’ passed out, but I’ve learnt to control that now when I start to see the fuzzes I fuckin’ stop.

What inspires you to write your lyrics?

Honestly just life in general man. You have shit times you have good times and that kind of thing I love to talk about. Obviously with the style of music that we play you can just sing about fuckin’ birds and the bees and that kind of shit. Obviously there’s been a few women in the past and that’s what used to concentrate some of my lyrics on but you know then people in general like if you meet a dick head you start writing about that dick head and you just blow it out of proportion I guess. People seem to love it.

I had read that you have done quite a bit of writing since you have been away will be seeing some of that material?

Definitely you’ll get to see it.

Have you guys got any new material and will we see any of that on tour?

Nothing is recorded at this stage but we are working on tracks at the moment. We are probably up to about five tracks that are almost there. We are working on the structures of all the songs. This album is the one that’s gonna hit people hard and its going to tell people were back. We are concentrating on the Season For Assault sort of sound. We gotta get this right and people are gonna love it

At this point Rigel Walshe from Dawn of Azazel enters the room.

Rigel as you are playing bass for this first show back for 8 Foot will this be an ongoing this or just a once off?

Rigel: Anything is possible

While we have you here what’s happening with Dawn of Azazel at the moment?

Rigel: We have a tour coming up a few shows to just suss at the moment but October / November we have a few coming and then working on the new album in new years. We are not really in a hurry taking a bit of a break and do it properly.

We also have Nik from Perditionist here and your second guitar in 8 Foot at the moment how does feel being put in that position?

Nik: Pretty good actually. Like a lot of people my age I’m 24 now ten years ago I was listening to Hate made me, Season and living for it and it’s pretty cool being in a band that I grew up listening too and I’m over the moon  and I’m in it for the long haul.

Thanks to the band for their time and can’t wait to see them again out on the road.