Fireside Chat

Black Mountain

Jagjaguwar, Vancouver, Canada

There's no saying where the swampy behemoth of psychedelic music will raise it's demon horns at any given time, but friendly Vancouver at the tail end of the nineties was as unlikely a place as any. But still it's where the various members of Black Mountain drifted together, forming a micro scene that also birthed the Pink Mountaintops and Sinoia Caves. In fact, Sinoia Cave's Jeremy Schmidt was the last piece to make the Black Mountain puzzle complete in 2003, adding swashes of analogue synthesizers and earthy organs to an already ecstatic mix. The homerecordings that got the signed to Jagjaguwar in 2005 already hinted at the things to come, fusing their love of disco beats, obscure heathen metal and psychedelic folk into an organic mixture. Subsequent tours and albums, and the absence from the gray and rainy days back home, have done a bit to add some lighthearted sunshine to the mix, but don't let that fool you into thinking they will give up the big riffs anytime soon. Tune into this Fireside Chat with Jeremy Schmidt for the lowdown on the band's history, his obsession with aging instruments and work as art director for the band.