Behind the Scenes at Wacken with Wytchhazel and Legendary Guitar Tech Woodsy

0:04 Hi, you have done to censure? Wow for you your. This is pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four C Y Radio, and I'm here with Soil. I'm calling from Witch chaseel nice and let's see who everybody else is. How come everybody's yeah Andrew from Witch Chazel. I'm Aaron from which Chasel and I'm Witch Chasel. It's guitar Tech Woodsy. You're the most important part, right absolutely. They said you're a legend. I want to hear. So you're at the Holy Ground vaking. What does that feel like? I like, have you I don't even know have you played vokin before?

0:55 No, so this is our first time. It feels like an immense privilege. I would say, yeah, definitely, it's yeah, it's just really nice to be here, and also just to be able to stay for the whole festival and see all these amazing bands. It's just the cherry on top really, So yeah, it's a real privilege. Okay, So who was your favorite set to see besides yourself? Oh, it's really difficult. So I felt like Judas priests were amazing. Not what was cool about priest because I see them a lot lately. At all the festivals I do. They played at least two songs they don't play at any other festival. I was like, holy shit, changes, this is great, Oh my god. And the Ripper they don't they haven't played that in forever. And the way it came on, I was like, holy shit, am I a teenager again, because that's the last time I heard them.

1:48 I saw them play Ripper at Sweden Rock Festial when I was eighteen, right, But they don't always play it. No, it's great, yeah, and victim of changes as like as my favorite live song man. As soon as I heard that first note, I'm like, you've gotta be fucking kiddy. Yeah, it was like, oh yeah, my favorite. I was like, I just stopped and froze. How about you? Yeah, So Bathory, Blood Fire Death, I think it is the highlights so far for me. Like, we're privileged to see those songs performed live, especially with the original bassist and although you know it's such a super group of members or Noir Mayhem guitarists there we're saying vocalist.

2:29 Yeah, it was a real privilege to see that. Yeah, that's a cool one. They were festival. I just did a couple of months ago too, and it was like, that's very cool to be able not only to be able to hear those songs, but they do the band righteous. Yeah, they do, you know, so proper rock and roll man, Like it's what we're all here for. And it shows, it shows the rock and roll in black metal and the roots and where it all came from. So yeah, I'm very happy with them, very happy. Yeah. So I saw Sat I know we played we played Keep It True with Saxon maybe four years ago, and I just thought they were on point. You know, the drums sound is specifically the bass drums. Fantastic, Nigel, he was on point.

3:14 Yeah, it's amazing. Like I was at the show, the one of the original shows where they brought Metallica as the opening band. Wow. So like to see them on the Holy Ground. I think I've even seen them at Download too, which is kind of cool, you know. So it's like it's cool to see those bands at these epic festivals. Absolutely, and bands that have inspired us individually as well. It's it's a real privilege, just Colin said, it's a privilege to be here listening to our heroes and like sharing the community with them. Absolutely, Okay, how about you. I want to really you're you're the legend, so I want to hear what you have to say.

4:00 The thing is, I'm a lot older than everybody else. So my actual era, of course was like late seventies eighties, so I was very very privileged of course to see like Wheels of Steels sapped and I was able to see Point of Entry tour actually and calling the original T shirt from that NASA in the late seventies eighties, So I mean, yeah, I know the two headline bands, but you know they they was just to see them again it's still letting it now after so long and still producing that quality. I just thought it was amazing. It's unbelievable. Like I remember seeing Saxon. I think it was at like the Troubadour in La you know, like a little club, and it's like it's just amazing because for people like you and me, you know, you didn't have everything. So basically it was like bands like Saxon and Priest and Made and that was it, you know, and they were the ones that have caused every genre that we having metal now, so absolutely they deserve to be on the whole.

5:05 Had these guys work and they're a lot younger. So when getting to that age and still doing it, I think he's absolutely amazing. Yeah, it gives you a hope, right, you know, like listen what they tell you. I don't know nowadays, but I know when I was a teenager, like get a real drub blah blah blah blah blah blah. But then you look at these bands that did not get a real job and they're playing the whole Way Ground, the biggest metal festival in the world. You know, So how did it happen? How did you get invited to Vaking? Well, I think I mean props to our booking agent because I think they they've booked lots of bands for Vaking Festival, and I think he's kind of been trying for the past few years. He felt like we were ready, and eventually this year happened for us. So yeah, it's just like it was a real big step up when we partnered with Dragon Productions. So yeah, and it feels like more and more of these things keep happening. But this feels like the top of the mountain really right, ways that keep happening, that keeps growing. So yeah, it's it's really nothing to do with us. It feels like it feels very much like our booking agent's just going, here's some opportunities for you.

6:25 So it's great though. I love hearing you giving props to the booking agent and that you have a good one. That's not always the case. No, So you know, a you're lucky, But more importantly it's a testimony of how good you are, because you're not going to get a good booking agent if you're ship. Yeah to be blunt, yeah probably yeah, yeah, No, it's good. I think. I think the people that you work with, they need to be fans of the band, I think essentially, And that's that's the privileged position we're in, is our record label and our booking age, and they're like actual fans of music. Yeah, fans of the band. It has to be that way. It's just like with what I do.

7:07 I won't interview bands if I don't like their music, Like, my job is to promote the band. How do you promote a band you don't like? You know, as simple as that. I've had a couple recently that, you know, good bands for another genre that publicists like, hey, you want to interview No, I'm not going to do them justice. You know, you got I think that's the thing even in metal when there's interviewers. There's some that interview metal bands that are even metal heads. But if you don't have the passion for metal, how are you going to relate to those people playing it? You know? Which how I want to know let's go way back.

7:48 What was that one moment in time that every one of you decided this is what you wanted to do play metal? Oh, that's a really good question. I think way back for us was when we saw I think for me specifically, when we saw young musicians playing classic music and like just kind of like it felt like, oh, these guys he almost gave us permission to like play like an old, older style traditional classic music. But it was like, oh, these guys are like our age. So that was it for me. And it was in Sweden. It was a muscle rock festival. That was a real big moment. When that was like before the band, I was like, we need to.

8:31 Do this nice sick for me. Yeah. So when I first heard be Quick or Be Dead by Maiden, it was the most evil thing I'd ever heard in my life. I was ten or eleven, and so yeah, from that point onwards, I didn't really think there. Was much else worth doing. Nice. Yeah, the coolest song, the coolest song when you're eleven. Those riffs Bruce Dickinson's voice in that song, he sounds evil. He sounds like a like like an evil cartoon character. So when you're eleven, it's like, yeah, man, that's what you want to do. Nice. Yeah, it's funny. Well as a teenager, well, originally I was a Paul Deiano fan, still am, but then when a number of the Beasts came out, I had the same feeling you're talking about. That's the most evil shit I ever heard.

9:21 Well, I'm glad you mentioned I made him, because again I made And I remember going on a road trip with my dad and my dad used to he used to make these mixtapes and one of the tracks on there. He actually didn't know that it was I'm Maiden at first, which it kind of you know, it sucks really but Genghis Khan, there's obviously no vocals. On it, but such a great song. Oh my goodness, I was. I was just taking aback by it and I tried to learn it on the drums that I think I was about ten or eleven as well, So yeah, it all stemmed from that moment for me, and then I started burning CDs of various heavy It was you guys as well that actually you introduced me to a lot of cool bands. So I remember calling we were playing Angel, which weren't we in U Clan in the rehearsal rooms University of lancash Shore, and yeah, it'll stand from there.

10:21 Just good discipleship of heavy metal. Really, Okay, we're going to dig deep now, pass it over and dig deep. Well. Basically the second concerts I ever saw I was luckily enough and privileged to see him three times, was thinly is it. And as soon as I heard the Scott Gorham and the twin leads, and I saw them with three different guitarists of course Gary Moore, and you know, I saw them with three different they just absolutely incredible sound. It was the first time i'd really heard that kind of twin lead. And then it went on, of course, as you're saying, with like Maiden and stuff that absolutely blew me apart. Run to the Hills tour and I saw about two or three tours of those back then. It was just incredible. But I think Lizzie with the Twin leads.

11:02 On that that's a pretty good which a lot of bands like that we grew up on that, you know, find Lizzie was the inspiration Metallica being one of them, you know. And I remember me, I was in seventh grade and my friend had the album We Sold Our Souls for Rock and Roll and that was it. Like I was actually into Kiss before that, but that brought to a whole other level and that led to Priest and that led to Maiden and led to Slayer and led to Metallica and Bathory and like all the way down the line.

11:42 Yeah. I think one other thing as well this year was seeing the guys I was into. You know, I was into Shanka quite a lot back then, and then suddenly the guys being us special guests on the British leg of the World tour this year. So that was brilliant to kind of see those guys every night and they became really good friends. Eric Cromwell and the whole punch, you know, Steve Mann and Everybody's great, really good. And so I want to hear your opinion of these guys because you deal with them all the time and you're behind the scenes, so I want to hear what. You have to say about these guys. I think the really good thing about Witch is Lit is each one of them brings something very very special to the band. You know, Colin can be quite particular about his sound and stuff like that. You know, we do a lot of work on guitars and all that kind of tech stuff, and he just brings so much fun to the band, you know what I mean, He holds things together. He's just it's just a great guy.

12:39 I'm fun guy to be around, and myself and Erin, yeah, Uran's like absolutely steady as of rock, really good friend with room together and everything. And I think that just really really good friends to the east kid ever. To work with. They are the easiest ban to way. That says a fucking lot because most bands are not, you know, and the friends part, I think that's ultra important. How can you be on tour bus or a van or anything else on the road and being with these people twenty four to seven if you're not friends, like it just won't work. And we know it.

13:21 When we're in the audience looking up, we can tell if you're friends. We can tell if you're having fun and we can tell if you're not. So I think that's the key to why you're at VAKIN right there. Tell everybody how they can check you guys out too that they're not here at Vodkin. Check out your live dates, check. Out you know, and connect with you on socials, but most importantly, buy your merch because if they don't buy your merch, they can't listen to my show. Yeah, so absolutely. Yeah. So we we have a website Witchhazel dot com wyth and that has all our socials link because I'm aware that some people you know, like to be on a certain platform, but we're kind of everywhere really, And then in terms of merchandise, we have a band camp and then we have like a merch store as well, so again it depends on whether you're looking for CDs and vinyl and we really appreciate all that sort of support.

14:14 And there is a fan club as well. If there's die hard fans looking to like support further, that's kind of like my Patreon essentially, so that really helps move things forward in a really practical supporting sort of way. But yeah, and then if people use bands in town, the app we're on there, so follow us on there and you can see all our tour dates. It's connected to Spotify if you're a Spotify user. So we try and kind of be everywhere as much as we can, but our main places are kind of Instagram. So yeah at Witch Hazel. Nice and so what else do you have coming out for the rest of the year that they should look out for while they're following you? Yeah, So we release an album last year, and so this year really has been kind of We had a tour two wee in Germany and a couple of other countries, and there's been a lot of festival shows, including this King of Festivals, and I think really it's a big focus is kind of like touring whilst kind of some most like songwriting and inspiration kind of falls on me.

15:20 So yeah, so there's no kind of concrete plans for a release, but I'm always songwriting. So yeah, I'm enjoying the festivals and the and the shows really at the. Moment, outside of you playing here, what's your favorite part of being at Varking. Oh, that's I mean, I really think it has to be these amazing bands for me, there you go. I mean, there's lots of really cool stuff going on. The food's pretty good as well. I said that too, because like I do, festivals all over the US, UK, Europe, US festivals. Have shit food. It's like going into fair and I had two of the best meals I ever had a festival in my life here at Vakin.

16:03 Yeah. Man, the artist catering is something else here. I heard about that. Oh nice, man, Like you're just sitting down and going I can have another steak? Can I have another steak? And you could have another steak as much steak as you want? Perfect man. Wow. Yeah, I think just being looked after. I think we've as a human race, we're gonna look after one another. And these guys do it really, really well. So yeah, catering well just essentially being organized, and. It's key for a band. Man. It takes a lot of the stress away. From exactly like you go to a festival it's not organized, doesn't have a ship together. That sucks for the band because loading and stressful, sound check and stressful, and then you don't know what the fuck's gonna go on wrong once you get on stage. So at least you have the confidence here that you can just chill and go up and do what you do best. That's right, how about you.

17:03 I think what we started off with, I think it's genuinely not like an expectation. It's a privilege and a pleasure to be invited here, and everything that they've done the organization is incredible. And I've been going watching Bunsin's late seventies, as we said, and this place is like a really, really really special place. And I don't think I've had so much fun and seen so many great bands together in three days like this. This will be remain with me forever. Really nice. And I'll even add to what you said, is this is the one place that's the example for the whole world that we can all fucking get along and love each other despite all the bullshit our politicians are dividing us on, despite any differences, no matter who you are, because we're one big community and family here at Vaking, and you're part of it.

17:55 Yeah. So thanks absolutely, thank you, Thank you for being on the Ventures of pipe Man. Thank you so much, Thanks very much, pleasure. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of plate Man on w for c u I Radio.