TERA MELOS

“Say this out loud. Pan-tera smell-ohs. Now tera- mell-ohs. This my friends, is how you pronounce the name of Tera Melos, a contemporary whatever- you- want -to -call -it band from California. I could attempt to describe Tera Melos’ sound…but I won’t. I’ll just provide this link and you can go see for yourself. I will however, describe the elements that comprise their sound…that I hear. There’s jazz, post punk, thrash, ambient, and hardcore. It’s all experimental. Want to hear one of the most original covers ever done of The Pixies or Beach Boys? Check out their album released last year, Idioms. Here you go. Give what you want. But, keep in mind that Nathan Latona,(bass, effects) John Clardy(drums), and Nick Reinhart work hard at trying to make a living from music. Just keep it in mind.

Nick Reinhart is co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of Tera Melos. He is also ½ of Bygones, another post-experimental band that will most likely blow your mind, also. In a couple of emails one night, I tried digging to the bottom of the Tera Melos meaning mystery (epic failure), learned one of my favorite songs by the band was a total fluke and not even remembered (yypical music version of one man’s trash being another one’s treasure), and that Nick Reinhart believes that music is far more valuable than a hamburger. Despite it being just a fucking sound wave.

So I googled Pantera Smelos and I just couldn’t make a connection…besides Pantera obviously, any chance you’d let me in on the secret? Or is it just one of those random inside jokes that wouldn’t make sense to an outsider so you just leave people guessing for entertainment purposes?

NR: People often mispronounce our band’s name. I suppose that’s partially our own fault. I guess in a way it’s sort of cool because similar to the music we play, our name can be interpreted in many ways- what it means, and how to say it. However,  it’s an ultimate bummer to hear the words “tay-ruh may-los.”  It sends shivers down our spines. So pantera smelos is sort of a guide as to how to say our name correctly- pan-tera smell-ohs. tera melos.  It’s not that hard.

So its meaning is…?
NR: If someone were to light up a cigarette, take a drag and then make it disappear into thin air, that’d be pretty cool right? It would arouse your senses and get your brain juices flowing. But if the mysterious man were to show you that he had a fake rubber slip-on thumb and that he just crammed the cigarette inside it, that’d be sort of a let down. I love learning magic tricks, but it’s the same reaction every single time- that’s the trick?? A fake thumb? Ok… not to suggest that the meaning of Tera Melos is anywhere as cool as making a camel light disappear, but it’s a lot cooler to maintain a little bit of magic and mystery.

Your blog about Myspace/Twitter had me rolling…you mentioned spam as a reason. You couldn’t block it?  I had to get a Twitter for The Silver Tongue, and don’t really use it except for music updates…it is easier to cut the bull if you don’t have anyone annoying following…like me. Which is why I probably only have 7…haha.

NR: The world of social networking is getting very saturated. I logged onto our Facebook page just a couple of weeks ago for the first time. It was extremely confusing. It’s definitely a good thing to have all these outlets to connect with people, but it just seemed a lot easier a few years ago when everything was centralized through Myspace. Then people had to fuck that up- narcissistic maniacs begging for friends, “bands”, “thanks 4 the add” comments, etc. It’s hard to complain about something that is free and very user friendly, but at some point when something like that becomes a commodity and a universal tool for the world there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes along with it, and as i said, it just got fucked up. Whatever, it’s our own faults for placing so much stock in it. Twitter is a good idea.  I just hate the name and have no interest in what joey jo jo junior shabadoo had for lunch. Wow, you’re eating a hot dog right now?? Who gives a shit.

How did you get signed with Sargent House?

NR: We started a correspondence with Cathy Pellow, (label owner), a few years ago. We just had some simple questions about a side of the music world that we weren’t familiar with. She offered friendly advice and we became buds. At some point we realized that we needed a manager, and she saw that she could help us to a further extent. The idea of having a manager was always very silly to us. It wasn’t until we started exploring the darker side of being in a band that we knew how much someone like her could help us. And that’s not to suggest she is a part of the dark side, on the contrary- she helps guide us through the dark side. It’s like in Dante’s Inferno- Virgil the Poet helps Dante navigate through hell- “watch out for this/don’t do that/this person is evil” etc. She’s not just an awesome manager, she’s an amazing friend and basically functions as another member of the band.

What made you decide on music as a career? Did you have other bands before Tera Melos?

NR: I think something that solidified our paths as musicians was that our brains were consumed with music. It wasn’t a contrived plan to be in a band. I started playing guitar when I was 11, and the thought of being in a band and doing this sort of stuff didn’t cross my mind for quite some time. It was really just a fascination with music. I tried to go to college- tried to study and pay attention in class, but my thoughts were always consumed with music. I think I was around 22-23 when I realized that this is what I want to be doing with my life, and I’ll forgo money, relationships, security and whatever else comes along with a more ordinary life to make this happen. All of us have been in previous bands, mostly punk bands.

Your partnership with Zach Hill…(Bygones) how did that come along? Did you see Hella live one night and just approach him? I remember reading that you were into Hella at one point.

NR: A mutual friend introduced us. I’d seen Zach play many times before I’d met him. I’ve always felt corny approaching people in bands. One time when I was like 15, I saw Chino Moreno from the Deftones at a skatepark in the suburbs. I had him sign my skateboard. I could never understand why I did that. Granted I was young and that’s just the sort of thing you do when you’re young, but it seemed so bizarre to me. So I think that scarred my adult self. Having said that, Zach is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and had I approached him 8 years ago after a Hella show, I guarantee he would of been extremely nice and perhaps we would have started playing music a long time ago. And yes, Hella is one of my favorite bands.

Say you happen to make it “big” (whatever you consider it as) one day…will you be the one giving those autographs?

NR: I mean people ask us for autographs now and we’re always happy to give them. There’s nothing wrong with it. Just because I can’t find a reason for it, doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t got a good one.

I also read how Frank Black is an influence, because he uses his vocals as an instrument, a concept I think often gets overlooked by most vocalists. They don’t get that sometimes just straightforward singing isn’t enough and gets boring. What do you think about Cedric of The Mars Volta? He is one of my favorites because of his vocal experimentation, also Beth Gibbons of Portishead is another great example. Have you found any other artists that do this?

NR: I think The Mars Volta are a great example of a band that exists in the mainstream and keeps it real. They have had an insane output of music over the last few years and it’s hard to keep up. I think it’s super impressive as to how Cedric is able to write creative vocals over the bizarre/progressive material he has to work with. Not too familiar with Portishead, though I’ve been told to check them out. Deerhoof, Flaming Lips, Lindsey Buckinham, The Beach Boys and Underworld are all bands with unique approaches to vocals. There are about 1,000 other bands I can’t think of right now. Creed is an example of a band that has shit for vocals.

No need to mention them… haha. …so in fear of being redundant…What are you listening to currently?

NR: My current listens- the new Deftones record, The Bears, Underworld, Ministry and Big Audio Dynamite to name a few.

Did you continue with vocal experimentation on the new album with Tera Melos?

NR: Yes. Vocals play a much greater role on this record than they have in the past.

Are the lyrics about anything in particular? Any place of inspiration? What type of lyricist are you, in other words.

NR:  I’m not sure. I’ve never thought of myself as a lyricist. I’m not the kind of person who walks around with a pad of paper constantly writing down ideas and poems and that kind of stuff. I don’t usually pay attention to lyrics when I’m listening to music. I may know every word to a song and at the same time never thought about the context or what they could be about. I’m usually more focused on the melody. The songs on our record are little stories that probably wouldn’t make any sense to anyone but myself.

Tell me about “the birth” (dunh dunh dunh) of Tera Melos.

NR: The punk band Nate and I were playing in broke up. I think I was 21 and he was 22. We were lost with what to do. So we said “fuck it” and started a new band. We had our friend Jeff come jam with us. Started writing some riffs. Looked for a drummer for awhile. Jeff met Vince in a jazz class in college. Vince had a Tool patch on his backpack and a Primus sticker on his car. Looked for a singer for awhile. Couldn’t find one. Booked a show. There ya have it.

One thing I LOVE about  the song on your debut “I Hate the 80s” is that it’s perfect for my study time. There’s literally a segment of the song for each emotion I feel as I try to write a paper. Really..it’s perfect for my A.D.D. mind and keeps me from having to switch songs and artists. Are you A.D.D.(self diagnosed) like this? Is this a reason to attest for how you can easily jump from style to style?

NR: I literally have no idea how that song goes or what it sounds like. I’m glad people have heard that recording and enjoy it, but for me personally, not speaking for anyone else in the band, when we recorded that, I don’t really consider that Tera Melos. I mean it is, but it’s not a fully realized version of the band. That was a demo of the first few songs we’d ever written as a band. It was meant to be given out to people that were interested in singing for the band. For me, it’s more of a transitional piece that bridges our old punk band and what we’d eventually become. We did sell it though on our first couple of west coast tours, but I think that was more of a “we need something for people to remember us by, so let’s burn some of these off, fuck it” kind of thing. Let’s put it this way, if in 20 years someone wants to reissue our entire catalog of music, it probably wouldn’t make sense to include that. It’s just not the same band to me. I don’t know…

Is there a date for the release of the record yet? Will it be released free like the last?

NR: We’re hoping for a mid-summer release. Haven’t quite figured it out yet. We won’t release it for free. That’d be cool, but it’s not really possible for us. It’s a lot harder to do that sort of thing when you’re a smaller band. The Idioms EP was free just because it didn’t cost much and was more of a fun little distraction to hold people over while we were working with our new drummer. I’d like to one day be able to give a record away for free. Not even all this “pay what you want” bullshit, I mean free. Music is just sound waves. Why should anyone pay for a sound wave? You pay for a cheeseburger, or a video game- it’s tangible. Not a fucking sound wave. Of course, I don’t actually mean that. Obviously humans get waaaay more from music than they do from a cheeseburger or a shitty video game. Think about it- you eat a burger and shit it out an hour later, and you play Grand Theft Auto for a few months, and then they come out with another game. Then you sell the one you just bought back to the store for 1/100th of what you payed for it. Music exists forever. It should be valued/sold for exponentially more than a burger or video game.

Do you prefer making money from touring versus making money from record sales? I’ve always wondered what a lot of artists prefer, because what if someone doesn’t like the demands of touring?  Where do you draw the line?

NR: Do we prefer one to the other? Making money in any way related to music is preferred. There is not a lot of money to be made through selling records. On tour, in some cases, you have guarantees that promoters agree to pay you based on how many people they suspect will come to the show. There are no guarantees that come with making a record. Some bands don’t like to tour much. We do. We have not drawn a line. We hope to tour as much as possible with the next record.

Is there a name for the new album?

NR: There [are] some ideas being tossed around. We don’t wanna spill the beans yet though.

What can you tell me about the new album’s direction? Do you continue on your “genreless” (can’t this be a genre?? Hehe) path?

NR: I don’t know how to describe the direction of the new record. I’ve never been good at being subjective with regard to our sound. We’re really curious as to where our record will land in the world of music. If we were a ska band, we’d know it. If we were a hardcore band, we’d know it. I just don’t know what we are. It’s some eye of the beholder type shit.

So in other words…you just play what you like and leave it to listeners to decide whatever the hell they come up with?

NR:  Yes

So you’ll be doing a European Tour…this is your first time right? Which countries are you most looking forward to spending some time in?

NR: We were supposed to go to Europe in April, but we had to cancel because there was no way we would have been able to finish our record in time. That and there were a few other concerns we had. We were going over by ourselves for the first time. We’ve heard stories of bands self-destructing over there because of things they could have avoided. We’re down for self-destruction, as it’s happened many times in this band and every other band that exists, but if we can avoid it we will. Hopefully we’ll finally make it to Europe shortly after the record comes out. I’m probably most excited for the UK. Pretty much every square inch of Europe is going to blow our minds.

Really? What kind of trouble can bands get into over there? I figured America would be way more dangerous to tour.

NR:  As i understand it, it’s the same stuff you’d run into here. The problem is that you’re in another country. You don’t speak the language. We can withstand tour obstacles, but under those circumstances it’s a lot harder. I don’t think it’s a question of safety/danger. I mean a knife works the same way in Europe as it does in America- if someone fucks with you, take that puppy out and slash them.

If you do a US Tour, any chance you’ll be in Georgia? And what do you think of Atlanta’s music scene by the way, if you’re at all familiar with it.

NR: We’ve always played rad shows in Georgia. One of my favorite shows ever was in Georgia. We’ll always come back. Our drummer John is always talking about Athens, so maybe we’ll try to play there as well.

Yeah the 40 watts Club is a pretty good venue there.  Ever done The Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta?

NR:  I don’t think so. We played an art gallery the last time we were there. Don’t remember the name.

Will you get a fourth guitarist again? Have there been any disadvantages since that change besides not being able to play songs from that particular album?

NR: Not sure. I think an auxiliary member would be great. Specifically in the live setting. I’m not sure about a permanent member, at this point at least. We are just finally getting into a nice groove after a period of losing a drummer and having to restructure ourselves. Bringing someone else into the writing process could have potential to cloud things up. But you never know.

Describe your typical approach to a song.

NR: I typically woodshed and amass riffs then loosely piece them together to make songs. Then we get together and expand the ideas. Sometimes they come together fast and other times they can take awhile to get them sounding right. Sometimes we say “this sounds like shit” and never play them again.

So I guess this would explain why my favorite song is one he doesn’t remember. What better endorsement can I give other than to say, Tera Melos is so good, their shittiest song is still one you’d like to hear. Believe it. Tera Melos has four albums as of right now which you can get from Sargent House. They’re in the process of wrapping up work for their newest album, so expect an update on this sometime this summer.

- Kristin Thomas, Indie Contributor