Brann Dailor – HuffPost 5.28.14

Mike Ragogna: What advice do you have for new artists?

Brann Dailor: I wouldn’t know what to tell a new artist these days. The only thing that I know stays true is “Make sure that you like what you’re playing, because you might have to play it for a really long time.” Don’t get into the music business thinking you’re going to be rich and famous, because you probably won’t. Get into it because you love your friends and you found some people that you’re musically compatible with and you’re excited about the music that you’re playing and the art that you’re creating and have that be the sole purpose that drives you to do this. If it’s money and fame that’s few and far between. It’s more and more of a rarity, especially with rock and heavy music. So that’s my advice. Do it because you love it.

MR: And what about you? Were there moments where you thought, “This isn’t going to work,” and somebody said to you, “Buck up, buddy?” What was that person’s advice?

BD: No, I don’t feel like that ever happened to me. I was never under the impression that Iw as going to make it as a rocker, I just kind of kept on rocking. [laughs] There’s a naiveté involved there, an ignorance. With Mastodon I didn’t see it getting much further than the bar band stage, and I thought that was a pretty good spot, when we were touring with High On Fire, I thought, “This isn’t bad, I could do this. Come home with a couple grand and then when it’s time to get a real job I’ll get a real job.” But I liked the music, and we kept having hints, good reviews, and then things worked out. It’s been fun. Hopefully life is long, and hopefully I’ve got another forty years of hanging around, so what’s next?