Interview with Reed Reimer from the Metal Band Cthulhu Dreamt
By Mick Michaels
The
Cosmick View: Hello, Reed and
welcome to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten Pounder! Thanks for taking some time
to chat with us!
Reed Reimer: Hey Mick!
CV: Describe your
definition of the band’s sound and style and how does that definition
uniquely describe the music?
RR: So, yeah…Cthulhu Dreamt’s music is definitely
based in metal, but it doesn’t really fit into any one genre, and even then we
go outside metal and explore other styles. I guess I’d say it’s ‘melting pot
metal’ and I think that probably describes the sound pretty well.
CV: Today, everyone
talks about artist and audience connection. Is such a level of connection
actually achievable for an artist and if so, how have you made the connection
to your fans?
RR: I do think that this level of connection is
possible, though I think it probably becomes more difficult the bigger the
artist becomes. I think the more ‘in the studio’ or personal content the artist
releases, the easier it is to get to know them and feel like you’re there with
them and along for the ride. And if it’s possible, direct contact, whether
through social media interaction or at shows is a great way to make direct
connections.
CV: Is fan interaction
an important part of the band’s inner culture?
RR: Always. The project is so much more fun when you
know there are people out there who identify with what you’re doing, and taking
joy in that. So, when it’s possible, we love fostering relationships with
people who like and listen to what we’re making.
CV: Can a band truly
interact with its fans and still maintain a level of personal privacy without
crossing the line and giving up their “personal space” in your opinion?
RR: That’s a hard question to answer from a personal
perspective, because I’ve never had the opportunity to be so big as to have my privacy
breached. I would guess that it’s totally possible, especially if the artist in
question is very low drama.
CV: Is music, and its
value, viewed differently around the world in your opinion? If so, what
do you see as the biggest difference in such multiple views among various
cultures?
RR: I don’t have enough knowledge of other cultures
to give a good answer, though I can speak to the value of music overall, which
is very low. Obviously it’s meaningful to us who create it, and the people we
find who are touched by that creation. But, when there’s so much being produced
and released on a daily basis…one recent statistic I read says 24,000 songs are
uploaded every day, it’s very low value overall, and quite discouraging if you
enter the shouting match in an attempt to cut through the noise. The flip side
of this, is that we’re at a point in time where there are more people living
off their music than ever before, and the democratization and open set-up of
music distribution has helped that grow.
CV: Do you feel that a
band that has an international appeal, will tend to connect more so to American
audiences? Would they be more enticed or intrigued to see the band over
indigenous acts because of the foreign flavor?
Reed: I would hope that regardless of who the band is,
if they’re creating something that speaks to people, they’d be well regarded
wherever they’re playing, and that the audience, American or not, would
appreciate them for what they’re doing.
CV: Has
modern-day digital technology made everyone an artist on some level in your
opinion? Have the actual lines of what really is an artist been blurred?
RR: I think the distinction here is how you quantify
artist. If releasing something means you’re an artist, then yes, anyone with a
few bucks can release something and be an artist. After that, it’ll come down
to the quality of their production, and the audience they can reach. More
people are releasing more stuff, which is great. There are more opportunities
now than ever before to succeed, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.
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CV: How would you describe the difference between an artist who follows trends and one who sets them?
RR: The difference isn’t usually something one can quantify immediately. Over time, when you look back, you can draw lines how we got somewhere and where that trend started. As an example, after decades, Messhuggah has been credited with inventing/defining djent, but when they started playing that style, it was special enough to enough people that they were able to continue, and other bands were influenced and incorporated that into their sound.
CV: Has music overall
been splintered into too many sub-genres in an effort to appease fan tastes in
your opinion? And has such fan appeasements, in actuality, weakened music’s
impact as a whole by dividing audiences?
RR: That’s an interesting question, because it’s a
trend we’re passively swimming against. Cthulhu Dreamt didn’t set out to mix
genres and not easily fit into any one thing, we just wrote what spoke to us,
and helped us to tell our story. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that there are
so many sub-genres, what I DO think is bad, is the gatekeepers and others who
champion their sub-genre over others. Here’s the cool thing: they all have
something to offer and appreciate, AND they can all exist in the same
universe!!!
CV: What can fans
expect to see coming next from you?
RR: We’re releasing a couple singles before the
release of our upcoming EP Precursor, which should see the light of day early
2023. Immediately after that, we begin the full court press of the release of
the Cthulhu Dreamt TTRPG, a game, novel, soundtrack, and massively sprawling
chapter in the Cthulhu Dreamt world. Anyone interested in checking out some
early stuff should head over to our official site.
CV: Thanks again Reed for taking some time and talking.
It is greatly appreciated.
RR: Thanks for having us!
Check out Cthulhu Dreamt at:
Official: https://cthulhudreamt.com
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/cthulhu.dreamt
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CthulhuDreamt
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/CthulhuDreamt
Bandcamp: https://cthulhudreamt.bandcamp.com
https://ampl.ink/CthulhuDreamt
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