Brann Dailor talks about the legendary metal band’s rise, their musical evolution and why they love playing Australia.
“I’m calling from a state of confusion, of course,” Mastodon’s Brann Dailor jokes upon my asking where he is calling from. Greeting me with the smile of 10 happy men, Dailor is currently calling from his basement, or likely ‘man cave’ in his home in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sitting in front of a large ‘Dirty Dancing’ neon sign, Dailor embodies the offstage rock star persona just as much as he does onstage, which makes sense given that he has been doing this for nearly 25 years.
Mastodon Australia Tour 2024
- December 3 – Roundhouse, Sydney w/ Kerry King
- December 4 – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne w/ Kerry King
- December 6 – Good Things, Melbourne
- December 7 – Good Things, Sydney
- December 8 – Good Things, Brisbane
Explore Melbourne’s latest arts and stage news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
As I inform him, that’s almost as long as I have been alive. “Your parents probably consummated their relationship to celebrate the recording of our demo,” he quips.
Mastodon, comprised of Dailor on drums, bassist Troy Sanders, lead guitarist Brent Hinds, and rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher, has slowly risen to become one of the best metal bands to emerge from America.
Australians will soon be among the lucky fans who get to see them live at the Good Things Festival, headlined by Korn and Violent Femmes. From Dailor’s tone, they’re just as excited about it.
“I’ve been [to Australia] four times. You guys are great. We’ve done a bunch of festivals there: Soundwave, Big Day Out. It’s always a cool adventure to head on down there. The plane ride is also so long that you get to catch up on all the latest releases too. Plus, who’s going to say no to cuddling a koala bear?”
Since their last performance in Australia, the band has celebrated several milestones, including the 20th anniversary of their album Leviathan and the 15th anniversary of Crack The Skye.
Comprising two halves of a whole, Mastodon came about because of two bands merging into one. “Bill and I come from different bands in the ’90s. Then together we moved to Atlanta from upstate New York. We met a few bands, found good people, then we started Mastodon.”
From this point, their journey became very grassroots. “We got our own van, started playing people’s basement, printed their own T-shirts, slept on floors and lived off the kindness of strangers.”
Repeatedly playing the same clubs around the country, noticing that their crowds were beginning to swell. Word of mouth had worked. The band were subsequently signed to a record label and released their first demo. Eventually touring with bigger artists, it all began to snowball.
They released Leviathan in 2004, which elevated the band to a new level of success. In 2017, Leviathan was even ranked 46th on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. The success took the band by surprise; the idea for the album came to Dailor during a flight to London while he was reading Moby Dick.
“I was reading and I just thought, ‘Hey, I think this would be cool for storytelling’. I just thought it would be something to look at, something interesting and fun. But there was no guarantee that people were going to like it. We were a small band, going about our business excited to create music.”
Now on its 20th anniversary, Dailor looks back on the album with the fondest of memories. “I mean, from the day it came out it just kickstarted us to a higher gear. It ended up in video games and people got turned onto our music. We realised then the different ways young people were hearing music. They weren’t just walking into record stores anymore and hearing things.”
After nearly 25 years, Mastodon continues to captivate audiences. Their records sell rapidly, and their concerts draw large crowds. When I ask about the secret to their longevity, Dailor attributes it to a few key elements.
“We all enjoy playing music together. That’s the heartbeat of the band. We love hanging out and are constantly excited for what’s around the corner. That’s the best part of being creative, finding people you love to play with.
“Sure, you get into arguments. Making an album is a literal birthing process, arguments and growing pains. But you feel creatively fulfilled. And you make something special.”
Mastodon will be coming to Australia in December 2024. Get your tickets for Good Things Festival here and find out more about the Northcote Theatre side show here.
