YAKUZA “The Art of Weird”
By Dr. Abner Mality
YAKUZA have been lurking around the metal scene for a very long time. A part of it and yet standing apart. Never easy to put in a box and unpredictable to the max. That goes for the Chicago band’s latest “Sutra”, which popped up like a jack in the box this year after 10 years of nothingness. It’s metal done with the free-flowing feel of jazz...that might be the best way to describe it.
Time to get the lowdown on “Sutra” and what YAKUZA has been up to. I talked to vocalist and sax demon Bruce Lamont, one of the busiest men in music, and also got some words from drummer James Staffel, guitarist Matt McClelland and latest recruit Jerome Marshall on bass. The interview is brief but as quirky as the band themselves...
WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings to YAKUZA and thanks for talking to us. The band is back in action after 10 years. What made now the best time for “Sutra”?
BRUCE LAMONT: Happy to chat with you. Now is always a good time! Better than never!
JIM STAFFEL: We never went away. And couple things got in the way Ha! Did you hear about this thing they called a pandemic. Yowza.
WC: Are the songs on “Sutra” of relatively recent vintage or have they been slowly accumulating during YAKUZA’s downtime?
BL: Jerome Marshall joined the band in 2018. That’s when I these songs started to really come to life.
WC: Was there ever a point in the last 10 years when you considered the band finished for good or was it always understood that you’d return at some point?
BL: We are not quitters. Ever. It was just a matter of time before we got back in the swing of things.
WC: Has there been any change in the way you approach songwriting or have your methods remained pretty constant over the years?
BL: It’s been pretty much the same. Riffs and Rhythms get it all goin to start. Then we build from there.
WC: Listening to the album...and YAKUZA in general…, one thing that stands out is how you create different emotions with your songs. So much of metal has songs that are only angry or only sad, which is very monolithic. But there’s a broad range of emotions on “Sutra”. How important is creating this to you?
BL: The human experience has a very broad range of emotions. And so do we.
JS: I don’t think we’ve ever consciously decided to focus on one emotion more than another. But to exclude any would seem a bit limiting.
WC: Another thing I note about “Sutra” is that it’s pretty compact. There are no really long epics and the album seems to fly by. Was this directness your goal from the first?
BL: Not intentionally, no.
JS: We got a couple that get close to 7 minutes and one close to 8 minutes . That not epic enough for ya?? :) (Considering a lot of bands I hear these days have 15 and even 20 minute songs, I’d call those mid-sized.--Dr. M)
WC: The band is known for its great and eclectic range of influences. What were some of the bands and creators you drew particular inspiration from on “Sutra”?
BL: We honestly don’t think of other bands or creators when we are creating. But you are talking about four hardcore music fans.
JS: How this affects our subconscious ...well, I don’t know. I don’t know much about the brain from a scientific perspective, I just play music. Prolly something rolling around in there ,though.
MATT MCCLELLAND:More now than ever, I have been listening to a lot of musicians from places where the music is more traditional...styles passed down from each passing generation .Very genuinely emotive. Folks like Nasrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mohammadrez Shajarian come to mind.
WC: One track that intrigues me is “Burn Before Reading”. The title describes an impossible action. What’s the meaning and inspiration behind this one?
BL: Jim came up with that title. a play on words….we like to play on words, you know?
WC: Is there any thought to what comes next for YAKUZA after “Sutra” or will you be just kind of “playing it by ear” as far as the future goes?
BL: First, we’ll play some shows then we’ll write some new music then we’ll record that music then we’ll play some shows then we’ll write some new music and then we record that music then we’ll play some shows then will write some new music etc. etc. etc.
WC: Are there any live activities planned for the band in 2023?
BL: We got the opportunity the other night to open for EYEHATEGOD, that’s always a good time. We are opening for YOB in June, and then playing a festival at Wake Brewing in July. We’ll see where the rest of year takes us.
WC: You have deep connections to Chicago. Is the musical scene there as vibrant as in years past? What does the Chicago music scene mean to you?
BL: We’re all from here or from around here, it’s in our blood. I’ve always said the Chicago music scene is the center of the universe. A ton of great creative people from all walks of musical life are Chicago natives. Being “Yakuza”, we’ve been very fortunate to be able to play with some of these folks.
WC: If you could have dinner with any three people from history, who would they be?
BL: Jim Staffel, Matt McClelland, Jerome Marshall
WC: Any last messages for the YAKUZA faithful? Thanks so much for your time!
BL: Read a book, eat your veggies, find something to love.
JS: Thanks a bunch
