For the first time in Greece, WAYFARER will visit Athens for a much anticipated live show! We will have the opportunity to enjoy some black metal like we are not used to here in Europe! WAYFARER brings on stage their home and the stories that define them. We had the chance to talk to Shane McCarthy, the soul of this band and learn about his thoughts about music and what to expect from them. Enjoy!
– Hello! Welcome to The Gallery web magazine! You‘ve been around for 13 years but it’s your first time in Greece. Tell us some things about your band. What’s the story behind WAYFARER?
Shane McCarthy: Thank you! We are very excited to finally play in Greece, a truly heavy metal place! Wayfarer has existed for some time now, and the long story short is we are metal of the American West, telling rhe story and building the feeling of the place we are from. There is a certain darkness and majesty here that begs to be played with fury and a broad scope, so that is what we aim to do.
– How would you describe your music? I would say it is Black/Folk Metal but it is nothing like we are used to…at least the European metalheads.
Shane McCarthy: We have always had trouble with describing the band – beyond what i have already said, it is metal, black metal, of the American West. You could draw comparisions to folk metal for sure, after all it is influenced by American folk, country and Americana, but certainly it does not sound like the European bands, because we put a lot of focus on making it sound like where it comes from, which is an insane place with a dark soul – the United States, and specifically the lens of the West.
– In the beginning, the band was formed by Shane McCarthy and Tanner Rezabek as an instrumental project. What changed the plans and now you are a normal-full band?
Shane McCarthy: This early period really just reflects the band being built – it was always intended to be a full band, and have vocals – but that is what we had to start. Tanner and myself started the band, and wrote music with the intent of finding the other members, which manifested as James and Isaac who are still in the band now, with Tanner having left and Joe Strong taking his place. It has been that way since 2012 (the full band I mean) so in a way this is really when it started, with the instrumental 2 piece era being more a means to an end.
– You are quite productive since the beginning! From your first album “Children Of The Iron Age” in 2014, you started releasing new material every 2 years or so. What’s the typical process behind the creation of an album regarding the music and the lyrics? What gives you inspiration?
Shane McCarthy: We certainly have made a lot of music, and I think a lot of it came from constantly wanting to push the band forward. When one record would be finished, new ideas and the next evolution of the band would already be taking shape, and we were compelled to flesh it out. Nowadays I think we have settled into that the band is, and where our sound lies – and we are more focused on fleshing that out to its fullest and exploring new dimensions of it, so we take a bit more time now. The album process always starts with a concept and direction, what the feel of the record will be and what story we want to tell. From there we flesh it out as a band and work on bringing that to life as fully and genuinely as possible. We draw inspiration from film, history, music, and existing in this strange world. It all ties together.
– One of the most interesting things about WAYFARER is the fact that you rely heavily on history for your themes. What are your favorite stories you have presented to your fans through your songs?
Shane McCarthy: There is certainly a large historical element to the band, but really instead of recounting historical events, we are typically most focused on trying to capturing a feeling of a place or an era, to paint a picture more based on what it represents than what it solely was. But there are certainly points of inspiration there- railroad expansion, the oil industry taking hold etc- one of the more pointed being “The Cattle Thief” on American Gothic which tells a view from the Johnson County war – a class war on US soil in late 19th century Wyoming based around the power held by the Stock Grower’s Association of the area.
– Your last album, “American Gothic” made a very good impression on Greek metalheads and went really good at our magazine’s contest for the best albums of 2023. The title reminds me of a rather controversial Grant Wood’s painting under the same name which, for some critics is satirical of rural life in America. Is it something you had in mind or does it mean something else to you?
Shane McCarthy: Glad to hear, and thanks for the kind words. As far as the title, we are obviously aware of the painting, and some parallels can be drawn – but the title was largely unrelated for us – just somewhat of a statement on what we hoped to encapsulate with the record. An abstraction of a Nation with a dark heart.
– Are there any new elements in “American Gothic”, comparing to your previous albums? What are the main differences in this new album comparing to the past?
Shane McCarthy: It is more so that certain elements get more focus, and are taken further down their own path. We very specifically drew more direct inspiration from American film and music this time around, eschewing any “spaghetti west” sound etc to focus on actual americana and folk, and i think that is more prevalent this time, interwoven with the metal aspects which are a bit more heavy and pointed this time around.
– As I mentioned before, this is your first time in Greece. How hard is for an American Metal band to tour in Europe? I guess the costs and the logistics must be really painful!
Shane McCarthy: It can be difficult, but largely we are lucky to have the opportunities to do so. We have our label Century Media in Europe, as well as our booking agents and road crew, the captain, and sometimes entirety of which is our friend Nikos who is in fact from Athens. So we are fortunate to have these opportunities, and thus jumped at the chance to play in Greece – which came from the promoter in Athens, Aris of TenOutOfTen who has been incredibly gracious in bringing the band to Greece.
– Are you familiar with the Greek metal scene or any Greek bands? I must say that AETHERIAN, your support band, is an amazing band and I believe is the perfect fit for your show.
Shane McCarthy: Yes! We are huge fans of Greek black Metal, with Rotting Christ being a band we have drawn influence from over the years. Other bands such as as Varathron etc as well – and Aetherian is a very good band that we look forward to sharing the stage with as well.
– What are the future plans for WAYFARER?
Shane McCarthy: Right now, we are focused on this European tour, which is already our second trip over this year, and third full tour on the record. After that we will take some time to regroup, but are looking at future live plans, as well as kicking around ideas for some music that may be outside of a full length album. Time will tell.
– So, what do the Greek audience should expect from you and your show in An Club, at the 4th of June 2024?
Shane McCarthy: We will be bringing all the energy of the record, and the spirit of the west, to the stage. We consider ourselves a live band above all else and are so ready to rip in Athens. American Gothic will love on the stage of An Club.
– Thank you very much for your time and I will definitely see you in a few days! You may close this interview as you like!
Shane McCarthy: Thank you for having us, and we will see you in Athens. This will be one to remember for us!
Interview: Kostas Boudoukos
Cover Artwork: Alexandros Soultatos
Design & Editing: Kostas Boudoukos
Date: May 9th, 2024
External Link: WAYFARER – Official Page
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