{"id":3968,"date":"2011-12-17T17:25:46","date_gmt":"2011-12-17T06:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=3968"},"modified":"2011-12-17T17:25:46","modified_gmt":"2011-12-17T06:25:46","slug":"brian-dixon-of-cathedral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2011\/12\/brian-dixon-of-cathedral\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Dixon of Cathedral"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>“We haven\u2019t played in Australia for I don\u2019t know, thirteen years or so, apart from being a huge festival which is a great chance to come and visit your wonderful country and hopefully for our old fans to come and see us one last time.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be the very last shows, so Perth March 5th<\/sup> we finish is the very last Cathedral show EVER, a sad day.”<\/p>\n

From Bio: “To paraphrase Nick Drake, time has told us that Cathedral are a rare, rare find. Twenty years time, in fact, since \u2018In Memoriam\u2019 first made its crepuscular crawl towards the darker reaches of our consciousness, in which Cathedral have proved themselves to be so much more than the paragons of doom metal they originally resembled. Twenty years, in which they\u2019ve proved themselves to be a band who not only transcend metal, but all or any genre classifications one might attempt to restrict them within.”<\/p>\n

Cathedral are wrapping up a career spanning over 20 years, with just having played a farewell show in the UK, when they thought it was over, it wasn’t, as they are about to hit Australian shores in February for the Soundwave Festival.\u00a0 With nine studio albums and one final one on the way in 2012 as well as their newly released live album ‘Anniversary’ which saw the original line up come on board to play the bands first album in its entirety as well as a set from the 2010 line up.<\/p>\n

We spoke to Cathedral drummer Brian Dixon about the bands decision to call it a day, just why their last ever show will be in Australia and who he’s most excited to see at Soundwave, the answer may surprise you.<\/p>\n

You recently played your last ever show in the UK, how did that go?<\/strong>
\nThat was pretty amazing, it was last Saturday, we had about 2,000 in which is pretty good for us, it was a venue, the London Forum, it\u2019s an older venue.\u00a0 A lot of bigger bands play there, I mean we play there Saturday, like Whitesnake played there on Monday, so that\u2019s the kind of venue we\u2019re talking about.\u00a0 So we did pretty well there, and looking at some of the YouTube footage the fans were just absolutely crazy, mental, they were going for it and we had a really great time.\u00a0 Even though it was officially our last gig, it wasn\u2019t that much of an emotional night I think because we were probably slightly under rehearsed as ever with our current bass player living in Los Angeles, he only flew in the day before so we had a day to get the set together including three songs that we hadn\u2019t played together for a long time.\u00a0 Then we had some films and special lighting going on that we had to try and rehearse with in the sound check, so I think it was more nervous energy than emotion than anything else, but we had a great night and we did really well.\u00a0 A good one to go out on.<\/p>\n

Although, you are heading to Australia for the Soundwave festival, will these be your last ever shows?<\/strong>
\nThey are, they are the very last ever shows, I mean London should\u2019ve been but then of course once we organised that, in the eleventh hour we got this Australian offer for Soundwave so we thought, yeah, we need a vacation, no, we\u2019re really looking forward to it, we haven\u2019t played in Australia for I don\u2019t know, thirteen years or so, apart from being a huge festival which is a great chance to come and visit your wonderful country and hopefully for our old fans to come and see us one last time.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be the very last shows, so Perth March 5th<\/sup> we finish is the very last Cathedral show EVER, a sad day.<\/p>\n

What can the Aussie fans expect to hear set wise at the Soundwave shows?<\/strong>
\nWell I imagine we\u2019ll go out on a limb you know, it\u2019s our final chance to let rip you know, there will be a cross section of stuff.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure of how long a set we have, I\u2019m sure it\u2019s quite limited.\u00a0 There was talk of doing some sideshows along the way but I\u2019m not sure about those, but maybe they\u2019d be a longer set.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be doing stuff from the first album right through to the last one, it\u2019s just going to be a rocking show you know.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be going for it.\u00a0 Old men rocking!
\nThat\u2019s the way of the world these days isn\u2019t it?<\/strong>
\nAbsolutely ha ha, I always say to my friend, he says \u2018Are you coming to see such and such a band?\u2019 I say, No I only watch bands that are older than me and he says \u2018you\u2019ll be running out of bands soon\u2019 ha ha, there\u2019s nobody left.
\nThe Stones?<\/strong>
\nYeah I\u2019ll go and see The Stones.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to see Molly Hatchet tonight, does that count? Ha ha, I don\u2019t know there\u2019s probably only one member and he\u2019s probably about 80 ha ha.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019ll be the Cathedral reunion?
\nWhen\u2019s that, in about 20 years?<\/strong>
\n20 months, 20 minutes ha ha, no they\u2019re adamant, there will not be a reunion, allegedly, so they say\u2026<\/p>\n

So why the decision to finish up?\u00a0 Why now?<\/strong>
\nWell it wasn\u2019t the first time we discussed it.\u00a0 I think after \u2018The VIIth Coming\u2019 album we talked about it and then nothing happened there and we did \u2018The Garden\u2026\u2019 album which I\u2019m glad we did, because I don\u2019t think any of us were particularly fond of \u2018The VIIth Coming\u2019 album, so we\u2019re glad we didn\u2019t end on that one.\u00a0 So I guess everybody wants to end on a high and we were really pleased with \u2018The Garden\u2019 so at that point we were like, maybe this is the time, and it never happened but we took a very long break, around five years and did nothing, so then we did this new record and I think Lee and Gaz had been discussing it and they kind of announced it at the end of last year, they wanted to make it the last world tour, do as many shows as we could and then do this one final album to go out on.\u00a0 Which I thought was a bit strange, most people would do an album, do a tour to promote it and then finish you know, but this seems to be the other way around, I don\u2019t know why exactly.\u00a0 At least maybe now we can do an album where we don\u2019t have to think about playing it live because it never will be played live.<\/p>\n

That was my next question, why finish up touring and then release an album?\u00a0 What was the decision behind doing it this way, but you don\u2019t know?<\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t really know it was done in that way, I guess, I think it\u2019s the touring that\u2019s the problem.\u00a0 As a recording band maybe they\u2019d carry on and do an album, but I\u2019m not a writer so I don\u2019t really know.\u00a0 I can understand how stressful it must be, you know you do ten albums and they\u2019re long songs, they\u2019re quite intricate in writing so I mean Lee\u2019s head must be fit to burst sometimes trying to reinvent himself lyrically and Gaz of course, how many riffs can that man come up with?\u00a0 It seems like an endless amount but you know\u2026\u00a0 The travelling maybe, I know Gaz does not enjoy so that\u2019s probably his reason for not wanting to do it.\u00a0 Lee, is a new Dad, he\u2019s got a little daughter who is like nearly 1 and he wants to be there for her and I can understand why he doesn\u2019t really want to carry on.\u00a0 Myself, I\u2019m just an old road dog and I would carry on, I\u2019ll find something else to amuse myself I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 But you know, it\u2019s not over yet, we still have Australia.<\/p>\n

And what can we expect from the last album?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s called The Last Spire and I think it\u2019s going to be a lot heavier, slower, than the stuff we\u2019ve done over the last few years and I think production wise we\u2019re not going to bring in an outside producer, we\u2019re actually going to do it ourselves with the guys in the studio, so that may well be co-production as we don\u2019t really know what we\u2019re doing ha ha.\u00a0 But instead of doing it as a block booking, like a month, we\u2019re just going to record as an when we feel like it or have tome to or whatever, so it\u2019s going to be that sort of process.\u00a0 So we\u2019re going to start in April recording, it will come out next year, I think the artworks already done.\u00a0 It\u2019s all coming along, we\u2019ve got about seven songs that we sort of roughly demoed in rehearsal, we\u2019re going to work on like a longer more epic tune I guess in the vein of The Garden or something like that.\u00a0 I think it\u2019ll be varied, but I think it\u2019ll be raw.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I think.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>You recently released \u2018Anniversary\u2019, the bands first 1st<\/sup> ever live album?\u00a0 What was the idea behind the timing of this release when you were going to finish up as a band the year after?<\/strong>
\nHmm\u2026 good question. Well I guess there was never really any great time to record a live album or even if the band is a fan of live albums or if anybody is I\u2019m not quite sure.\u00a0 I mean for me, back in the 70\u2019s I would love live albums, I would go out and buy albums like \u2018KISS Alive\u2019, or \u2018If You Want Blood\u2019, I was always a big fan of live albums but they didn\u2019t seem to be that popular over the years so I don\u2019t know if it was maybe an option that we\u2019d thought about and I don\u2019t think our label had really talked about it.\u00a0 Then we had this anniversary show which was obviously pretty special to the band, it was actually set to be filmed as well, it was, but I think there was some mix up and we only had three cameras instead of five which wasn\u2019t enough and so that certainly won\u2019t be seeing light of day, but the last show that we did last week in London last week, that was actually filmed for DVD so I think that will see the light of day.\u00a0 In regards to the recording of Anniversary, as I say it was a special show, the whole of \u2018The Forest\u2019 and our set afterwards, so I think it was just the timing was right you know, I don\u2019t think there was ever an urge to make a live album before that.\u00a0 The DVD, I\u2019ve heard nothing about it, I don\u2019t know how it turned out you know, hopefully it\u2019s good, I\u2019ve seen clips on YouTube and the lights look great and we had some kind of videos playing and stuff, I actually couldn\u2019t see them.\u00a0 From where I was on stage we had these screens on either side of the stage, I couldn\u2019t see them but I think they were showing some kind of old horror movies but I couldn\u2019t see them so I don\u2019t know but the bits I\u2019ve seen on YouTube if it all comes together, it should be entertaining.<\/p>\n

Looking back over your career, do you have one defining moment that you can share with us?<\/strong>
\nInteresting…\u00a0 I think the beginning was pretty amazing, being thrown in at the deep end I was like straight in and straight on tour and then for a year it was non stop around the world including Japan and Australia, crazy things like I think that was a bit of a strange one.\u00a0 For me it\u2019s like a 70\u2019s rock guy it was pretty mad when we got to open up for Van Halen in Denmark, so that for me was an amazing memory shall we say, hanging out with Alex Van Halen, life doesn\u2019t get much better ha ha ha.<\/p>\n

After 16 years in the band, what will you specifically take away from the experience?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s been like the most important thing in my life, so I\u2019ll go away with memories of travelling the world, ever since a kid I guess my ambition to tour the world in a band, and I may not be retiring a millionaire, but I guess I\u2019ve been successful in doing that.\u00a0 I guess there aren\u2019t that many people in life that set out to do what they want to do and actually get to do it. Things change as you go along, once you\u2019ve recorded a record and you\u2019ve toured the world and you\u2019ve done it a few times it\u2019s not exactly what you thought it was going to be but at the end of the day I always look back and think when I was at school sitting in the classroom noodling on the back of a book drawing drum kits and things you know, knowing then what I wanted to do and after all these years, hey I did it.\u00a0 Hopefully I can keep playing, even after Cathedral finishes, I\u2019ll keep playing and I\u2019ve spoken to a few other bands, nothing is concrete yet, but you know hopefully I\u2019ll keep playing, it\u2019s been an amazing 16 years for me and I\u2019ve loved every minute of it.<\/p>\n

On the other side of that, is there something you would\u2019ve like to do or somewhere you would\u2019ve liked to go as a band that you were never able to?<\/strong>
\nWell I\u2019ve never been to Canada.\u00a0 Cathedral has played there before I was in them but Canada is the one place I\u2019ve never been to.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why particularly I want to go there, the thought of watching grizzly bears and those sorts of things, that sounds exciting, hanging out in mountains but I don\u2019t know if touring would\u2019ve involved that, but that\u2019s one of the countries I\u2019ve never been to.\u00a0 We were hoping to go to New Zealand when we were heading out to OZ but it ain\u2019t happening, so I guess we\u2019ve missed out on that one.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think we\u2019d actually get back to Australia, that show in London was billed as our last ever show and literally all the information had gone out and in the eleventh hour we got this offer to do Soundwave which was like well, we can\u2019t pass up on that one.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s a little vacation for us and a chance for our fans over there to see us one more time because it really is going to be the last.<\/p>\n

Have you heard of any die hard fans from over there that may come over to see the shows?<\/strong>
\nWhat from England TO Australia, um, no ha ha, maybe some people from Japan may come, we\u2019ve always been very popular in Japan and given that Japan is half way to Australia isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 I think so, but I\u2019ve not heard of anyone coming from the UK to Australia.\u00a0 I certainly hope nobody from Australia came over to England thinking that was going to be the last show.\u00a0 They won\u2019t be happy.\u00a0 No, it was a different thing entirely, I mean this last show last week it was special, it was a big headliner and Soundwave is going to be a different ball game entirely, I mean I don\u2019t know how long we have, I don\u2019t know anything about that really.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to check out a few bands though.
\nAre you excited to see anyone?<\/strong>
\nYeah, I\u2019ll go and check out the Black Label Society, we played with the in High Voltage festival last year, they\u2019re good guys and Steel Panther should be there for a laugh, I\u2019ve seen them before, very funny.\u00a0 They actually played here last night with Def Leppard and Motley Crue, I didn\u2019t go but my friend went and he said it was very funny, they are funny guys but let\u2019s hope people don\u2019t get us mistaken hey?\u00a0 Us and Steel Panther ha ha ha.\u00a0 It\u2019s the hair.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for you after Cathedral wraps up?<\/strong>
\nNo concrete plans as I said before, I\u2019ve spoken to a couple of bands about doing stuff but nothing concrete or nothing I can mention yet, but I am looking for something, I mean out of the three of us, I mean obviously Scott Carlson our bass player, he\u2019s in the States and doing his own thing that he does. Gaz, he\u2019s not a big traveller, he\u2019s always writing, maybe he\u2019ll do a solo album put out on Lee\u2019s label, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Lee, don\u2019t know whether he\u2019s going to concentrate on his label or being a Dad you know he writes for a few magazines and stuff so maybe he\u2019ll concentrate on that.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know whether he has any plans musically.\u00a0 But as I say I\u2019ll just try and find another band, a lot of people I know over the years, I just have to wait for another drummer to die so I can step in to his shoes ha ha ha well you know what bands are like, they\u2019re changing their line ups all the time, so hopefully something will come up that will keep me occupied until I can\u2019t function anymore.<\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> Coventry, England<\/p>\n

Band members:<\/strong> Lee Dorrian – Vocals, Garry Jennings – Guitar, Scott Carlson – Bass, Brian Dixon – Drums<\/p>\n

Latest release:<\/strong> Anniversary (2011, Metal Blade Records \/ Rise Above Records)<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.cathedralcoven.com<\/a><\/p>\n

You can catch Cathedral at the Soundwave Festival in 2012<\/strong>
\nSATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY \u2013 BRISBANE, RNA SHOWGROUNDS
\nSUNDAY 26 \u2013 FEBRUARY SYDNEY, SHOWGROUND
\nFRIDAY 2 \u2013 MARCH MELBOURNE, SHOWGROUNDS
\nSATURDAY 3 \u2013 MARCH ADELAIDE, BONYTHON PARK
\nMONDAY 5 \u2013 MARCH PERTH, CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS<\/p>\n

www.soundwavefestival.com
\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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