Dumbsaint is a four-piece instrumental band from Sydney, Australia, combining cinematic music with original, synced, narrative film projections. They’ll be in town to play a show at Small Ballroom on Friday November 13 with THIS THAT festival openers, Majora. We chatted to Nick from the band ahead of their arrival.
NL: You guys worked with producer Dax Liniere. What has Dax brought to the band’s sound and what have you personally learnt from the experience of working with him?
NICK: Dax applied a great attention to detail over everything we did. Considering it’s such a dense, multi-layered record, he forced us to really consider what elements truly added to the composition and what was getting in the way. While he didn’t really have a say in the structures of the material, he acted as a strong performance and tonal editor, almost a 5th member you could say, which forced us out of our comfort zone and to attempt ideas that we felt were beyond our capabilities. I know that I’ll definitely be calling on that knowledge whenever we head back into a studio.
NL: You guys fund all your own production. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a self funded outfit?
NICK: The benefit is definitely complete control over your content and the speed of your trajectory. There isn’t anybody watching over your shoulder or forcing you to curb a wild idea, and this album was all about side-stepping the tropes or clichés that have become engrained in post-rock and post-metal. We really needed to take our time with this project to ensure complete satisfaction at every step of the process.
A disadvantage is just how expensive everything is. We decided upon a very high-end recording as well as deluxe vinyl packaging for the finished product. Considering we’ve self-funded our 60-minute film as well, it’s a lot of money up front just to get the project out the door and in a form that can be consumed by anyone curious to dive in.
NL: The visual and cinematic elements of Dumbsaint have really become your trademark. What inspired you to create something like this?
NICK: Most of us come from a film upbringing, be it through highschool or university. Merging both passions into something original really stuck out to us, despite how odd the concept may appear on paper. We essentially wanted to create an ‘installation’ where it was more than just a live show, or film screening – instead something where both elements interacted, creating a storytelling style that focussed ultimately on mood and tension. Having it all sync together is what we’re most proud of and that keeps us inspired; knowing that the visuals are just as important as the music.
NL: Are all members of the band involved in the filming of the visual elements?
NICK: We all have certain roles behind the scenes, be it on set or on the scripting and planning side. It takes quite a while for all location and actor schedules to line up and that requires a lot of patience and email refreshing. It feels like filming a scene is actually the smallest part of the filmmaking process for us, considering everything is DIY, which we all juggle amongst the 9-5 grind.
NL: We caught up with you at BIGSOUND this year. What did you take away from the conference?
NICK: It wasn’t the strongest performance for us. We had a few technical issues that got in the way of a seamless presentation and since then we’ve poured even more money back into it to ensure those silly things don’t happen again. Bigsound was a good wake-up call, especially for when we’re doing those quick sets with rushed stage change-overs. Hopefully it’s made us even more battled hardened. There’s always something that can go wrong and you can only learn how to deal with that by actually going through it.
NL: The AU Review called your sound “post-metal”. What does that mean?
NICK: I guess post-metal is an approach to heavy music that aims to go beyond the usual characteristics that encompass the genre. We try to throw a lot of curveballs at it, be it in our song structures, trajectory, instrument roles, even genre-splicing – whatever it takes to keep things interesting and hopefully memorable.
NL: You guys are heading to Newcastle to play show at Small Ballroom on Friday November 13 with local band Majora. Tell us about that gig and how you came to hook up with Majora.
NICK: We’re looking forward to heading back there as we were last in town with Twelve Foot Ninja back in 2013. We had a great show and met a lot of lovely people. This time we’ll be bringing the new album and film up with us to present for the first time.
Majora got in contact with us about playing some shows together and ended up joining us for our album launch in Sydney a few weeks ago. Dylan Mitrovich, who mixed and mastered their EP, used to be our main sound engineer for years until he left for overseas, so everyone is connected whether you know it or not.
NL: The technical aspects to your show are quite important to what the audience experience. Does that make touring and travelling with the band difficult and how do you move all your gear around?
NICK: We’re constantly refining that and only in the last week we’ve just purchased a new projector screen, in which to feature the films on stage with us. It’s a learning process that tests your patience and bank balance. We’ve usually flown around Australia with our gear, usually between 150-200kg worth depending on the type of show, but we’re slowly getting back into the joy of driving interstate when feasible, as it allows us to take even more of our toys. This is a nice safety net in ensuring everything sounds right, so we can just focus on playing.
NL: The show in Newcastle is on Friday the 13. What’s on you horror iPod playlist?
Usually anything that isn’t metal or heavy. The van is a peaceful place, so most likely some jazz, ambience or light electronic music.
WHAT: Dumbsaint
WHEN: Friday November 13
WHERE: The Small Ballroom
