Pombagira
This month Thee Big Black is proud to be bringing the epic doom of Pombagira to The Engine Room in Brighton. With a sound that mixes the sonic density of Sunn 0))) with the slow ponderous riffing style of bands like Electric Wizard and drawing on occult influences, husband and wife duo Pete and Carolyn create music that is both immense in sound and meaning. Guitarist and vocalist Pete took some time out from working on Pombagira’s third album to talk to Thee Big Black about their plans for the future and what we can expect from their show.
Thee Big Black: You say on your site that the name Pombagira comes from the Quimbanda goddess of the same name, what’s the relevance of this?
P: Well the relevance derives from our interest in Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Brazilian religions. As an anthropologist I have always been interested in the daily interactions that people have with spirits and ancestors. Regarding them as repositories of knowledge the spirits, once accepted can guide as well as govern the conduct of their followers. Daily pressures and insecurities are partially allayed by obtaining dominion over these spirits. As a direct reflection of the daily insecurities people face their everyday life experiences become manifest through the spirits. Social realities congruent to Pombagira result in her being portrayed as a female devil reveling in the profanity of life. The quality of this portrayal is so emblematic I can’t actually imagine us being called anything else. Vibrant interactions between the world seen and unseen binds us to ask questions about our own perception.
TBB: I’ve noticed a few occult/mythology references, the titles of both Black Axis Abraxas and The Crooked Path being notable ones. Would you be happy to elaborate on this? Is this occult influence reflected in Pombagira’s music?
P: Of course, there’s no problem in discussing some of the details. Both Crooked Path and Black Axis Abraxas are references to my involvement as well as being a founding member of an occult organisation called the Dragon’s Column. The work that we did was based very much around the notion that all occult knowledge is property of the sorcerer to use at his or her discretion. The vividness of Vodou and my experiences in Haiti have certainly coloured the lyrical content of both releases. So I would say that all lyrics are a product of my own magical involvement and interaction with cultus sabbati members, the Typhonian OTO, and individual practitioners of the arte.
TBB: There is a trance like quality to your music, is this something that you set out to achieve from the outset or did it just come about naturally?
P: Our influences of course reflect what we have and continue to listen too. Since the age of ten when a hippy gave me an early Hawkwind record, I have always been interested in trying to explore ambient resonances that are embedded in many 60s and early 70s records. So I think it is perfectly natural for these elements to be present. It certainly isn’t contrived but comes from a desire to explore the recesses of our conscious minds.
TBB: There are obvious (if somewhat easy) comparisons between Pombagira and Sunn 0))), mainly in your rig, which is impressive to say the least. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
P: To be honest I didn’t know shit about equipment until I met Carolyn. I always used to run Marshall amps and that was it. Then Carolyn came into my life and started talking about Sunn amps. Although I had seen Sunn 0))) a few times by then, I didn’t really think about their back line. That soon changed, and when we first started the band she was the one telling me we needed to get Sunn amps. That was quite a long time ago now and since then I feel like I have learnt a lot about vintage amps, both American and British. This is reflected in the different types of amp we use. Tone being a very important aspect to our overall sound, I feel the quality of tone can only be enhanced by bringing into the mix different valves amp each of which complements the other. So in contrast to Sunn, we have Sunn amps sitting next to a Laney Klipp sitting next to a Simms-Watts etc. It’s a magnificent experience to be standing in front of them while letting the tone wash over you.
TBB: You’re far more ‘riffy’ than Sunn 0))), the closest comparison I can make would be Electric Wizard, although maybe a bit less Sabbath influenced than Electric Wizard. Is that a fair comparison and how else would you describe your sound to the uninitiated?
P: We do get the Electric Wizard comparison a lot, but I would think of us as being closer to Sleep than Wizard. In terms of description I would like to describe as an avalanche on the tonal senses of the corporeal body…not bad if I say so myself haha!
TBB: I noticed that you are now officially a two piece, and that on your Myspace you say “. . .we’ve tried bass players and it has been a frustrating experience. . .”, I guessing that sonically it could be difficult to ‘make space’, would I be right in thinking that? Also how has officially becoming a two piece changed how you approach what you do?
P: Well people said after we became a two piece that we didn’t need a bass player. Perhaps they were just being nice. Of course not having a bass player means I can’t play solos live, but one day we may ask another guitarist to come in and play some shows, but I don’t think we will ever have anyone else in full time. Coming back to tone our sound is clearer and in some ways cleaner than it was and we like that in our sound. Our new material has changed somewhat now that we are a two piece simply because I am writing with just two people in mind. Quiet sections need to be more considered and again our compensation for not having a bass player has taken the songs to another plain.
TBB: Earlier I mentioned your first album, The Crooked Path, which was released as a double album and your latest album, Black Axis Abraxas. Can you tell us a bit about what people can expect from them?
P: The progression from Crooked Path to Black Axis Abraxas is quite severe. I came from a total crust punk background so playing other d-beat took time to get used too. Crooked Path reflects that transition. Its super slow and super raw, I love that album but it’s not really where we are at now. With Black Axis Abraxas was mostly a homage to Sleep. With Black Axis Abraxas we really went down the road of exploring the trance like state that can be brought on by writing long and intricate riffs. In that way we definitely went down a more psych orientated route. It really works to my mind, some people though don’t get the long song thing we do, but for us it’s the space that we are able to create with that which takes it to the next level of concept driven progressive music.
TBB: If you don’t mind I’d like to get a bit techy for a moment. Pombagira’s sound is about as dense as it gets, how do you go about capturing that in the studio?
P: It’s funny you should ask me this question now because we are in the recording studio mixing down our 3rd album, Baron Citadel. In fact it is a lot easier as a two piece. For the newest recording we ran four amps at once using an amp selector pedal. We did two bass, and ran two of the Sunn Mode Ts, after playing along with Carolyn in the same room we then re-amped the Laney Klipp and Simms-Watts 100, meaning I didn’t have to play. After this I put down solo tracks and then did vocals, which on the new recording were doubled up. Sounds incredible!!!! The trick with regards to controlling bass frequencies is to avoid the usual metal trick of scooping the mid out and emphasising the low and high frequency. Instead we bring out the mid which really calls forth the character of the guitar. At the end of the day it’s all about letting each instrument breath in the mix. Easier said than done, but well worth waiting while our sound engineer, master and guru, Lol, works his magic.
TBB: I believe you have a new release due out in 2010, can you tell us about that?
P: Yes we do, we actually have a number of scheduled releases for this year, first up will be our split 12″ with Jucifer. The song that will be used for this split is called Dawn of the Black Sun and was recorded at Tad’s studio WitchApe in Seattle. After this we have the 3rd album entitled Baron Citadel, this will be out in the fall. We also have two other split 12″s coming out with Wounded Kings and Coffins from Japan so busy, busy, busy.
TBB: We have Pombagira playing at one of our nights in Brighton on the 13th of March, what can people expect from a Pombagira live show?
P – What can people expect? A vibrant assault on their senses, as well as a journey through the caverns of the dark arte.
TBB: I understand that you should be hitting the road for a European tour in April, is that right?
P: Yes, it’s still a bit up in the air but it looks hopeful. We will be on tour with Jucifer (US), Grayceon (US) and Darsombra (US) from April 23rd to May 23rd.
TBB: So a busy time for Pombagira, have you got any plans beyond the new release and the tour?
P: Yeah it is, which makes a pleasant change because it has been incredibly quiet over the course of the last year. We are in talks with agents and bands with respect to doing some other tours but I am not really in a position to mention them yet because it’s early days.
TBB: And finally, are there any other bands that you think our readers should be checking out?
P: Well there are so many bands but there are a few that need special attention.
Our exceptional friends and brothers Lesbian in Seattle. Just the most inventive and talented musicians and dear, dear friends.
Second would have to be another Seattle band Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, this is Tad’s new band. Simply incredible work and I hope everyone will check them out.
In terms of UK bands there is only one band that are truly brilliant and again dear friends The Wounded Kings. They play a style of doom that no one here in the UK has come close too. They really evoke the presence of the moor and the grimness that encompasses the soul when the fog descends.
