Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor spoke about the band’s longevity and how he and his other bandmates get on together after two decades of writing, recording, and performing together without a single change to their lineup.
Chatting with Banger TV's Sam Dunn, Dailor said "At any time, anybody in Mastodon is free to go; there's no shackles, obviously. But I couldn't imagine it without one of the other guys. We're just such close friends. When we get together, we just like hanging out with each other… It feels very cliché, but [we're like] brothers. If there's ever arguments or anything like that, it's dealt with like grownups do—we sit and talk about it. Or if there was something said late night, the next day it gets squashed. We say, 'Hey, do you really feel this way or was that the booze talking?’ And usually it's hugs and it's fine.’”
Separating business from brotherhood is complicated in any industry, but in show business, the landmines can be treacherous. Mastodon, however, have done something very smart in their business dealings, something young bands just getting started should take note of.
"One thing that I think really helps, and this is a business thing, but… We share equal publishing. And I think that really helps. I've heard… There’s some bands that famously didn't share publishing, and it really hurt them and it probably ended their careers. It's a shame, when you find out these stories about your favorite bands and they just couldn't make it work or get along, and it comes down to, unfortunately, a business decision…. [We’re] trying to look at it in the big picture, and trying to imagine a lengthy career and, say, this album maybe somebody didn't contribute as much as someone else, but maybe on the next album they will contribute more. You don't know [if that will happen], but you try to have the respect for your other players to say, 'I wrote this song but it's not gonna be a real Mastodon song unless [everyone gives something to it]
“And so it's about respect and about respecting each other's artistry. And also, we're just good friends and we crack each other up and we have 20-something years of inside jokes. I don't have any siblings, so those are my siblings. And even if Mastodon was to disband, I would never wanna see those relationships go away because I don't wanna lose the 20 years of reminiscing or the things that we've been through as a group. I've been all around the world a million times with those guys and had crazy experiences opening for all our favorite bands in the world. I mean, the stories are endless. So, I don't want that to go away."
I think I can safely speak for everyone when I concur with Brann: we never want Mastodon to go away. The band will be out on the road this summer and fall in support of Ghost. You can see all dates below.
8/26 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego [Tickets]
8/27 – Tucson, AZ – Tucson Convention Center Arena [Tickets]
8/30 – Austin, TX – Moody Center [Tickets]
8/31 – Corpus Christi, TX – American Bank Center Arena [Tickets]
9/2 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center's Propst Arena [Tickets]
9/3 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena [Tickets]
9/4 – Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena [Tickets]
9/6 – Tampa, FL – Yuengling Arena [Tickets]
9/8 – Danville, VA – Blue Ridge Rock Fest (no Mastodon) [Tickets]
9/9 – Trenton, NJ – CURE Insurance Arena [Tickets]
9/10 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena [Tickets]
9/12 – Providence, RI – Dunkin Donuts Center [Tickets]
9/13 – Bangor, ME – Cross Insurance Center [Tickets]
9/15 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre [Tickets]
9/16 – Laval, QC – Place Bell [Tickets]
9/17 – Toronto, ON – Coca Cola Coliseum [Tickets]
9/19 – Saginaw, MI – Dow Event Center [Tickets]
9/20 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre [Tickets]
9/21 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center Arena [Tickets]
9/23 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center (w/ Carcass, no Mastodon) [Tickets]
