INTERVIEW: Diarrhea Planet - Bunbury 2016

Diarrhea Planet credit: Wrenne Evans

Diarrhea Planet - the Nashville shredders with the crazy moniker - is set to release their new album, Turn To Gold, next week via Infinity Cat Recordings/Dine Alone Records.  In anticipation, they are making their rounds on the festival circuit including a stop at the Bunbury Music Festival on Saturday, June 4. 

Their raging four-guitar attack is ready-made for rocking outdoor music festivals and the new album was mostly recorded live with engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton) to capture their wild live energy and the result is their most complex and mature album yet. 

Atlas and the Anchor spoke with guitarist Jordan Smith about the new album and the writing process, Bunbury and more.   

  

The new album opens with the build-up of marching drums and cloud-scraping guitars on the epic instrumental, “Hard Style 2” and takes off from there.  What inspired and/or influenced the new album?

“It’s hard to say. We are not really a band that listens to another band and then says, ‘hey, that’s the new sound we need to have on this record.’ We all listen to totally different stuff and I think more than anything we kind of let all of those individual influences, especially in playing and composition, sort of fall into place subconsciously. I was listening to a lot of David Bowie, the Eagles, Pink Floyd, the Wipers, Sisters of Mercy, and a bunch of other classic rock stuff throughout the year before we started really writing. I remember thinking, especially when I was listening to Bowie that we needed to start working on more complex material. I think that thought sort of stuck with me and the band as we went to work. I think you can definitely hear a more complex sound starting to form on this record. We are figuring out how things work and getting better.” – Jordan Smith

Your loud and energetic sound is perfect for outdoor fests and you are scheduled to play at several this summer including Bunbury.  What do like best about playing these big outdoor festivals?

“Personally, I just like being outdoors. Everything feels more relaxed and it sets a great tone for the set. It’s easy to focus when you feel good and you’re happy.” – JS

At Bunbury you’re scheduled to play right after jam band veterans Umphrey’s McGee, at the same time as Ice Cube and right before Deadmaus5.  That is a crazy-eclectic lineup!  What would your dream lineup be?

“Smashing Pumpkins, Jimi Hendrix, At the Drive In, the Ramones, Sturgill Simpson, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Slayer, Bucket Full of Teeth, and Stevie Ray Vaughan? I feel like that would be eclectic and fun as hell. Plus they are all brilliant performers so it wouldn’t get boring.” – JS

The rollicking, punk-infused first single from Turn To Gold, “Bob Dylan’s Grandma” sounds like a fun one to play.  What is your favorite song to play live and why?

“I don’t really have a single favorite. It tends to change based on the set we are playing. I like playing our fast songs a lot because I like seeing how hard we can push before the whole band falls apart. I love the moments when we are on the edge of losing it, everything is at full speed, cranked to 10 and we are just barely hanging on. I like those moments the most because it seems like every time we push we grow, and each time we hit that mark and scrape through to the next level I can feel things getting better. Moments like that remind you that nothing is as rewarding as personal growth.” – JS

Stream “Bob Dylan’s Grandma”, taken from Turn To Gold here: https://soundcloud.com/infinity-cat/bob-dylans-grandma-diarrhea-planet/s-SFPcx

For more info and tickets: https://www.facebook.com/DiarrheaPlanet/ & www.bunburyfestival.com