Getting to Know…Die So Fluid | Interview

Grog, vocalist and bassist of the metal/rock/punk collective Die So Fluid provides The Musical Hype with some insightful answers on Interview #6.

Ah, the interviews keep on rolling in on The Musical Hype.  After a lengthy gap between interview #1 and #2, we are now on interview #6 in one of the newest columns on the site.  After a chewing the phat with Scant Regard, we shift gears to London/Los Angeles metal, rock, and punk collective Die So Fluid.  Die So Fluid, comprised of Grog (vocals and bass), Mr. Drew (guitars), and formerly, the late Al Fletcher (drums).  The band released its fifth album, One Bullet from Paradise in March 2018.  Grog was kind enough to answer some questions for The Musical Hype – pretty awesome, right?

Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype (BF): Let’s get this started off right. For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes you/your band distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Die So Fluid (Grog): Die So Fluid is the sound of three uniquely talented passionate musicians loving playing and further to that loving playing together, so you can’t help but be moved and swept up by the bond, the synchronicity, the immersion and the kickass-ness. Ironically, we recorded our recent album in three separate countries, US, UK, Italy, but the beauty is the magic ‘weavery’ still occurs so your socks will be coming off whether it’s in your living room or music venue…watch out for glass.

BF: Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did your band form and what were some of the goals or the visions you had as a band early on?

Grog: Drew (guitar) and I (vocals and bass) met through going to gigs and having mutual friends in London back when I was just finishing up at art school. He wrote for Melody Maker at the time and reviewed my first band Flinch. As we became closer a musical bond developed and we formed a band Feline which was signed to EMI, we led a hedonistic lifestyle jetting around and bathing in champagne, and naively thinking at that very young age that everything would fall into place without much effort if we were on a major record label. That was balls and despite some initially excellent achievements and fun times like being on MTV and such, when the ride started to slow down and the label gone, we had no choice but to completely reevaluate what we wanted. When I started I just totally believed I was supposed to be a famous rock star singer, but I didn’t think about it, I just did it. By now I thought I’d have probably gone off a cliff on a motorcycle or something. So, life gets much more interesting when you’re still around and you realize you can choose what you do with it. After some experimentation and inviting Al to join us on drums, Die So Fluid was born and it was all about doing exactly what we wanted to musically, making music we would listen to, and challenging ourselves as we grew. We were setting off on an individual path and we knew it would sometimes be tough, but also bring rewards for the soul. It has. we have had a passionate following who have stuck by us through 5 album cycles, albeit on an underground level, but the love is huge. I never ‘sucked anyone’s dick’ to further my career, literally or metaphorically, and I’m glad.

BF: Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Grog: We always said we wanted to have enough success to allow us to continue creating music comfortably and we would carry on as long as we loved what we were doing. Those things have been tested in recent years. We had an investor who became erratic with deadlines and eventually bailed and a manager who turned out to be a compulsive liar and then literally disappeared when confronted, we haven’t been able to find him. We are still reeling from the tragedy of losing Al our drummer, our third amigo, to sepsis in 2016. It makes you question everything. We thought it was going to be the three of us to the end.

The theme of our lyrics is often about negotiating life’s obstacles together, taking part, transforming the dark to light. I’m an eternal optimist but I have to say where we’re at now is hard. Truth. We’ve also watched the industry drastically change. It feels like it may be time for another evolution of some kind. We were stoked to have our talented friend Justin Bennett (Skinny Puppy, Thrill Kill Kult) contribute his drumming skills and also mix some tracks on the new album which does have a new and epic feel.

BF: Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Grog: Both Drew and I were really into Adam and the Ants when we were kids. The music and the style were so creative, fresh and exciting. I’ve always loved Led Zeppelin. I have older brothers whose rock records I listened to growing up along with what I liked from Top of the Pops. We’re big Deftones fans. The tone, the experimentation, the dynamics. There are more influences… Rush, Siouxsie and the Banshees, A Perfect Circle but none that are overwhelmingly apparent. I would say they inspire us to play with parameters of time, harmony and atmosphere.

BF: Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Grog: I wore a latex catsuit for one tour and sometimes it would split and you wouldn’t know where – latex near sharp metal things is dangerous combination. I had to keep gaff tape close at all times. One very memorable thing was when we headlined a festival at midnight in the forests of Finland. We finished our set and this guy was talking in Finnish to the crowd. We didn’t know what he was saying but it was basically ‘everybody get naked if you want an encore’. I saw a lot of boobies that night. Things got real pagan after that, they had goddess fire dancing. I loved it.

BF: Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

Grog: “Gang of One.” It’s very personal, beautiful and intense. I wrote it after I had a dangerous attack of pancreatitis. I survived it and was advised to give up alcohol which is what they think triggered it. This life is like a journey to our truth and as things are taken away from us we are given the opportunity to confront ourselves and learn who we are. As we let go of our crutches and our false stories we rediscover our strength.

BF: Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Grog: Sure. I also teach yoga, practice reiki, and roller skate.

BF: Closing this thing out, what is you/your band currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.   

Grog: We are promoting our latest album ‘One Bullet from Paradise’ You can find it everywhere but you can get a luscious cd album with amazing Dan Schaffer artwork from our Bandcamp page.  Tickets are on sale for a very special upcoming London show November 11th 2018!!! We are joined by Justin Bennett on drums, it’s gonna be awesome. Get them here.

BF: Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward.  

Grog: Thank you. Namaste!

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Photo Credits: Die So Fluid, Strataville