Worship The 'Witch as they open for the Ghost at the Webster

photo by Magdalena Wolinski 

In today's social media saturated world, many bands think that just sitting on their asses and collecting "likes" on Facebook equals popularity, instead of going out there and winning fans the old fashioned way by touring. Luckily, there are some bands that still go out there and lay it all on the line to win over people night by night, venue by venue. Ohio-heshers Skeletonwitch are one such band.

They go out and win fans the tried and true way, by touring their asses off. They always seem to be on the road, and they'll play anywhere with anyone, whether it be on a big stage at Ozzfest, or at less glamorous places like our beloved Cherry Street Station in Wallingford. Their modus operandi might seem like a grind to some people, but for the band, they thrive in these situations. "We always say that the worst day on the road is better than a good day at work," said guitarist Scott Hedrick. "We are out there doing what we love to do, so if you look at it that way, it isn't so bad."

Still, it must take a little toll on the band, which also features lead singer Chance Garnette, his brother guitarist Nate Garnette, bassist Evan Linger and drummer Dustin Boltjes, to deliver such a high energy set each night. Once again, Hedrick, says they have found ways to deal with the stresses and weariness that can happen when on the road. Hedrick said that they do little things to keep themselves fresh. They might not party as much on some nights, and they watch the type of food that they eat, also. For them, it's knowing how to find a balance between the fun and the rational that keeps them going.

Speaking of fresh, the band recently just finished recording their new album, named "Serpents Unleashed", with Converge guitarist, and go-to-heavy-metal producer, Kurt Ballou at his Godcity studio in Salem, Massachusetts. This is the band's first time working with Ballou, even though they have tried to record with him in the past, but schedules couldn't be worked out, and they are very happy with the results. In fact, they were psyched to finally record with him, citing his work with such bands as Torche, High On Fire and Disfear, as one of the major reasons to get him to produce one of their records. "We wanted someone to capture our live energy. See I get it when people say we are known as a great live band and that's a double edged sword when it comes to recording. The cool thing about Kurt was that he was able to bottle lightning," said Hedrick.

Hedrick also said to expect a lot more of those old school guitar harmonies and melodies that are reminiscent of their "Beyond The Permafrost" record. You see he had more of a role in writing this one. Usually, Nate writes a majority of the songs, and Hedrick explains that Nate likes to sprinkle a little sugar with the heavy riffs, while he likes to dump a whole bucket of it on top of the music. "It's like he's the chef, and I'm the sous-chef," said Hedrick.

The new record is slated to be released by Prosthetic in October, but before that, the band has a short run of dates as the handpicked direct support for Ghost B.C., as that mysterious group of occultists does a string of dates on its way to playing Lollapalooza. Hedrick said they were pleasantly surprised by this development. "We were asked to do it by the band. We were on the road in Canada and I received a call asking us if we wanted to open for them. I spent a lot of money calling the United States to confirm this. I needed to know if our label had anything to do with this, but in fact, they were the last to know," said Hedrick. "So, of course, we said yes". So, if you're heading to the Webster next Saturday, be sure to get there early in order to catch them doing what they do best, which is tearing up the stage, and having a ball while they do it.

You see, they live for these moments. They are very happy with what they do. "We like to tour. We see how this band which was started by five assholes in Ohio and how it has grown through our hard work into something cool. It's quite a trip," said Hedrick.  

Ghost B.C.SkeletonwitchSaturday, July 27 2013The Webster Theater31 Webster StreetHartford, CT 061147:00 pm - All Ages - $20