Blatherskite

How do you choose a name for your art rock band? You go through the dictionary, of course. Guitarist Tim Lim and drummer Brendan Davie got as far as Blatherskite. It’s meaning, to talk shit, seemed an apt description for the tongue-twisting dreams of a pair of darkly rebellious outcasts with an excess of time, talent and intelligence. Besides that, they liked the irony. It’s a concept which has come to characterize much of what Blatherskite is about: exploring boundaries, examining incongruities and championing the ridiculous (they started a band, didn’t they?) Formed out of the ashes of The Cheese, one of the most obnoxious and talentless bands of the early nineties, Blatherskite contains the stranger half of the band which split over the choice between experimental art music and punk. Their main aim in those early years was to create music which was entirely original, free of any influences and pushing all boundaries. A summary description at the time would have been “a screaming, bloody mess…”
Fast forward fifteen years later, out of high school and into the pubs, three albums and a tour of New Zealand later, 2009 will see the long delayed release of Blatherskite’s fourth full length studio album, “Where the Wasteland Ends”. The sound represents a new and vastly matured kind of juxtaposition. Guitarist Tim Lim describes the new sound as “A dirty blend of industrial rock and metal, punctuated with tongue-in-cheek self depreciation, woven together with sinuously atmospheric passages and delivered with a gleeful intensity… to sum it up, OMFG, it RORX BALLZ LMAO, LOL,LOL, LOL:P”… (Tim has since been removed from quoting duties…)
Blatherskite, though exploring the heart of darkness within have always bordered on the carnivalesque without descending into parody, and this is what gives them their edge. Gaining lyrical inspiration from the everyday traumas of life, aiming to break through the numbness of a modern society, exploring mindscapes, and plain old visceral, unnamable rage, all projected through the lens of a world drawn out of the collective nightmares and visions of Tim Lim, visualized by dark and spooky artist Timothy Lamont.
Their evolution to this point has seen many stages, from circus rock to progressive metal, from member to member, to lower and lower tunings, to greater and greater guitar effects arrays. Extremes and juxtapositions have always characterized Blatherskite, and they now have the experience and the tools to convey a coherent message. The core lineup finalized, Blatherskite’s front man Nick Goryl writhes and seduces the audience from his pulpit, whilst guitarists Matt and Tim and rhythm section Luka (bass) and Louis (drums) alternatively hypnotize and pummel the audience. As Sylvia Massey (Engineer/Producer - Tool, System of a Down, Cog) has said of their music, “It’s freaking cool”.
The journey here was a long one, and Blatherskite’s life has been fraught with setbacks, chance encounters and determination, as just this snapshot of the past two years shows:
October 2007 saw the band back playing gigs for the first time in more than twelve months, showcasing the new material they had been writing in recluse. Sampler CD’s did the rounds at each of these shows, and Blatherskite were pleased to realize that despite their absence, their fan base has been maintained. After abandoning a plan to produce with Sylvia Massey (Engineer/Producer - Tool, System of a Down, Cog) in the US due to financial constraints, Blatherskite spent the Winter of ’08 recording at Studio von Hammer, with one of Sydney’s up and coming independent engineers Dave Hammer (Furcurve, As Venice Sinks) producing, paid for by Blatherskite.
The album, entitled Where the Wasteland Ends, backs up three previous studio albums Vathek (1995), Dribble (1996) and Three Worlds (2005). All three albums were supported by Sydney gigs, cementing Blatherskite within the local indie scene. Three Worlds was taken to New Zealand, when a string of shows was organized independently by the band for summer 05/06. The band had also been working with Sydney artist Tim Burden aka Timothy LaMont on the artwork for the album and a small 16 page comic book to accompany the album. Tim continues on with the band as their official artist. Dave Hammer’s studio work surpassed the expectations of all involved, creating a world class album on a shoe string budget, and things were looking promising for the boys.
In late 2008 after the album recording and mixing was completed, drummer and founding member Brendan Davie announced his intention to leave the band and start a family. This amicable but devastating departure was to push the schedule and release date of the band back indefinitely until a new drummer was found.
Dan Nahul (Sword Towards Self, Ironwood, Bleakwood) filled in for some gigs at this time, learning a set in record time and enabling the band to continue existing in some form, but his frenetic style of bla