SPILL FEATURE: WHAT RHYMES WITH DOULA? – A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN KONESKY OF MISSOULA

WHAT RHYMES WITH DOULA?

A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN KONESKY OF MISSOULA

Missoula is an instrumental superstar project from drummer Brooks Wackerman (Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Religion) and guitarist John Konesky (Tenacious D). They have just released their debut album Death Doula, and it might not be what one expects from the duo. They are a supergroup of sorts, and with that comes a great deal of expectations by fans. Both artists, however, are not too concerned about the expectations, other than their own and to that end they have succeeded in producing a creative, original and brilliant album. After a number of technical glitches on my side, I had a chance to speak to John Konesky about their album, Death Doula, and the recording process.

The name of the album, Death Doula, is a mystery. The term, ‘death doula’, refers to trained professionals who guide people through the dying process. The album is instrumental, and quite lively, one has to question where the title for the album came from.

“The title came from Brooks. It was just a suggestion he had. I don’t know where it came from for him, but I think he just liked the term ‘death doula’, and the minute he said it to me, I was one hundred percent! I like how it works, and it rhymes with Missoula. It just has a weird connotation to it, so I was totally on board with it.”

Along with the wonderful title, comes an equally fascinating sleeve design. It has to be seen. Any description of it would not do it justice. “Nothing sums up Brooks’ sense of humour more than the cover of the album. That is like his odd sensibility. He just suggested it. It is his mother-in-law and her sister. It is the cemetery where his parents are buried, and we will do this Death Doula photo shoot. A very macabre sense of humour. Of all the photos from that shoot, we liked the ones where we are not the focus and it is about these two wonderful women who are completely on board with this ridiculous idea. And that is where it came from. The nucleus definitely came from Brooks”.

The band Missoula is a duo, and they came together during a rather interesting time in history.

“It just started with the two of us. Brooks had some ideas he had been sitting on, not knowing what to do with it. He had this cover band, named Rothchild, John Spiker and I and a couple of other guys played in. Around that time, he had some ideas, and he threw some stuff at me and said ‘do you want to do something with this?  I don’t know what to do with it.’ I didn’t have a lot going on at that time, so I layered guitar after guitar until my heart’s content,’ laughed Konesky. And we got really excited by it. This is cool. I don’t know if we could ever play this stuff, but that is how it started. Just two guys bouncing stuff off each other.”

DEATH DOULA ALBUM REVIEW

Thanks to technology the duo was never in the same room while the album was being created. “We have worked together with Tenacious D back in the day, but we never performed or wrote together in a room with Missoula. It was all bouncing back and forth. And you don’t have to do it at the same time, so he would send drums and maybe a guitar or synth idea, and that is enough for me to hear where he is at with ideas so I can build on it and start layering. It is actually a fun way to work. From start to finish the whole thing was recorded this way. Most of the stuff started with Brooks, then I would layer melody and guitar parts on top. And we would go back and forth three or four times until the song was done and we sent it off to the mixer.”

Most of the recording and creating took place during COVID when people were home and bands were simply not touring. “I think it was going to be an instrumental album from the beginning. I think it started and neither of us really knew what it was going to be. But I think Brooks’ intent from the very beginning was that it was going to be instrumental. And I think from the very first idea changed hands, we were both in that same universe. It was a record where we could go crazy and do whatever we wanted to do and have fun with it. And if there are ten guitar layers, so be it, we will figure it out later. And having fun with the process. We started this peak COVID, so there was a lot of down time at home, to really lend itself to that.”

“My favourite band is The Mahavishnu Orchestra, I loved those 1970s records. They were a huge influence on me and I just loved those records. I always wanted to do something loud, weird and instrumental.”

As for pressure or expectations, Konesky takes it all in his stride. “There isn’t really any pressure. I think from the very beginning of this we were just kind of making this thing for ourselves, and that elevates any pressure or worry about any expectations or anything like that. I am also at an age where I simply don’t care,” laughed Konesky. “I am just going to have fun and play the music I want to play. If there are people, but I don’t worry about that stuff.”

And with that, Missoula has created a completely original and entertaining album. It is different, featuring various sounds and the fact that it is instrumental sets it apart from most albums released this year. “I would like to think it is a cohesive album,” adds Konesky, and it is. And it is an album he hopes people will hear the duo’s own distinct personalities come through the music.

“I hope that people walk away thinking they have never heard anything quite like this. Maybe there are things they recognize, and I hope our personalities come through in the music. I hope that is evident to the listener. I only ever do things I think are fun to do and that inspire me as an artist.”

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Photo Credits: Laura Jane Price