Mike SOS: Why a reformation now?
Art: We need to play music, plain and simple.
Mike SOS: How did you spend your time away from Bloodlet?
Art: I became a carpenter out in Colorado, and started to remodel condos out there...
Mike SOS: What did you learn about yourself during the break?
Art: See #1...
Mike SOS: What did you miss most and least during your time away from Bloodlet about the band?
Art: It was nice to be able to live our own lives away from each other for a while, having lived together for about 5 1/2 years straight, but not making music just sucks...
Mike SOS: How was the making of the latest disc the same and/or different than previous studio experiences?
Art: Well, it was Johnnie's (drummer) first record with us, and working with Steve Albini was definitely a first. We also went for a more raw, direct sounding record, instead of the "everywhere all at once" kind of concept of our last record. It has pretty much been completely different from our previous recordings...I used the same bass on all the records, I guess...
Mike SOS: How do you feel about the state of heavy music these days?
Art: I don't think there's really that much good new stuff in the realm of heavy guitar music, but I do like heavy drum 'n' bass.
Mike SOS: What are you currently listening to these days?
Art: Cannibal Ox, Incubus, Massive Attack, Clutch, Queens of the Stone Age, Tenacious D, and lots of drum 'n' bass.
Mike SOS: What are you proudest of about Bloodlet?
Art: I'm really proud of the fact that our releases are consistently growing and changing and we're always drawing from so many different sources. I think that the records are a good representation of the evolution of the Bloodlet style, which in itself is an ever-changing entity.
Mike SOS: Where's the coolest place/show you've ever played?
Art: CBGB's is bar none the best. I have played there about ten times (I think) and have never had a show that was less than stellar.
Mike SOS: Any tour plans? Anywhere you'd like to play you never have?
Art: We're trying to do Europe in the fall, I'd really like to go to Japan, it seems like a good time...
Mike SOS: Do you see Bloodlet taking another break again soon or is it full throttle now?
Art: Because our style has changed again, it's sometimes hard to keep all of your fan base, so we're trying to get out on different kinds of tours, but that means sometimes turning down tours that don't fit the bill, which is to expose ourselves to different audiences, and expand the hive...
Mike SOS: What do you enjoy when you've got downtime?
Art: Spending time with my girlfriend and her daughter, spinning records, producing music of all kinds.
Mike SOS: What advice would you give aspiring bands?
Art: Devote yourself fully, and you can go wherever you want to go. Full devotion is almost impossible, though, and that is what makes this game so hard.
Mike SOS: Where do you see Bloodlet in 3 years?
Art: Probably somewhere very far from where we are now...
Mike SOS: If I wasn't a musician, I'd be....
Art: ...a music teacher.
Mike SOS: What's the motivation that keeps you making music?
Art: I feel like music is an ancient language that communicates to people
in ways that they don't understand fully, in ways that are cosmic.
I feel so privileged to have a talent that is, to me, part of something
so powerful, so central to our existence as life forms, that i can't even
imagine not doing it in some form or another.