It’s time to get to know zhOra! We asked frontman Colin Bolger 10 questions about his musical likes, tastes and guilty pleasures!
How would you describe your taste in music?
Our collective taste in music is that of a hungry cow grazing on grass. If it’s natural, has the colour green and is liked my cows then it’s for us. We listen to anything that moves us emotionally and physically. I guess that’s pretty common but we don’t see music as a product and therefore don’t listen to any of the plastic music. We like good earthy, raw, thorny music with a few budding roses here and there.
Who do you consider to be your favourite band and why?
I think we all agree that Mastodon are high up there on our collectives. They speak to us and we have grown up listening to them. As I type this I’m listening to Emperor of Sand and singing along to every lyric. As a musician and music lover you look for templates and patterns that work in the world of music. Mastodon work!
Who is the best live band you’ve ever seen?
Best live band I’ve ever seen is a tough one guy. I feel like a rat in a corner right now. The horror! Meshuggah earlier this year were phenomenal. We were all there and got our faces melted! The whole show is something we strive to create as a band. They really create a unique environment that sonically and visually assaults all the senses in all the right ways. We love to study bands and how they present their music in a live setting. Many patterns to collect and manipulate for our own shows.
What is the one song that you could listen to forever?
Sticking with the Mastodon theme I’m going to go with “The Last Baron“. Who can resist crooning along with Brent Hinds about setting the world ablaze? Not me anyway! I want to marry Brent and get matching mood rings and then spend a life flying through a space forest eating space burritos? A boy can dream.
What album, if any, was a turning point in your ‘musical life’ and why?
I’ve got to go with IOWA by Slipknot. My confused, misguided and irrationally angry teenage mind needed an outlet. Slipknot offered me that outlet and they still do to this day. They are the modern epitome of a group of people that said “Fuck you”and did things their way. On paper it was ludicrous and should have never worked but look at how that went.
In 3 words, what makes a good album or song?
VISION, HONESTY, DEDICATION.
A festival or a gig? Why?
They both have their charms. Club gigs are hot, filthy and sweaty and when it’s really good the atmosphere is truly electric. Festivals on the other hand are a completely different beast. The sound is never right, the perpetual drunkenness can be a factor and the travel and general shenanigans can be tiring but the reward and feeling of progression one feels to reach the festival circuit is truly unique and beautiful. I’ll go with festival because I like being perpetually drunk.
Who would be your 3 dream festival headliners?
Gojira, Mastodon, Tool in that order. That would be a weekend to tell the grandmother about.
Who are the best new band you’ve discovered lately that everyoneshould know about?
Let’s stay Irish on this one. Put these Irish bands far into your dirty earholes! Ten Ton Slug, Jenova, Ilenkus, Na Cruithne, Shardborne, Soothsayer. They are all likely new to you, have released new music lately and are top class.
What band or artist is your secret, or not so secret, guilty pleasure?
Cyndi Lauper all the way to the bank!
Check out Infernal Liturgy by ZhOra below;