Interview with Gav from Scottish band Centrilia. January 2022.
– Greetings Gav. Welcome to Metal Health and thanks for being here. Congratulations on your new release ‘In the Blood’. A great song and performance. The production and mix is outstanding, and the video clip looks ace!
Gav (Vocals): Thanks for those kind words Greg. A lot of DIY effort went into making it as good as we could. We’ve had a great response so far.
What does good mental health mean to you?
G: To me good mental health is a sense of contentment and confidence in your emotions and abilities. Being able to cope with uncertainty and manage changing circumstances well. I suppose I’d characterise it mostly as an absence of doubt in your intrinsic worth or the value that you bring to the people you’re around or the activities and environments that you find yourself in.
– This is a question i would usually ask pre – pandemic, but either way, how is life for you off the road or when you’re not gigging? Especially after a tour or a big gig. Is it difficult to adjust back into life at home after time on the road? Or during a pandemic?! If so, how do you adjust/cope?
G: Generally speaking, we’re all pretty normal guys. We’ve got families, day jobs and the usual life stuff. There’s always a bit of a comedown after the build up to a significant gig or series of gigs; kinda like the post xmas blues. So we’d typically just focus on the normal stuff and plan for the next ones. But the Covid situation was a complete anomaly in that respect. It added an extra layer of uncertainty where nothing was “normal” and longer term planning went out the window. I suppose we were affected much like every other musician in that way. When everything shut down we were planning a tour then live shows were taken away and nobody knew if or when they would be coming back, so we found ourselves at bit of a loss. So we turned to writing but the initial stages of the pandemic enforced isolation from each other and couldn’t meet up and write in our practice space as we’d normally do. So we just had to find other solutions to keep the ball rolling, be patient and wait and see how things developed.
What motivates you? What keeps you going?
G: I’m motivated by creativity and connecting with others.
– Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this?
G: When I was in my early 30s I had my lowest point mentally. The scariest part was not noticing that it was taking hold. I’d always been pretty positive and un-phased by most things up to that point, but found myself in a deep dark hole, and I couldn’t see any light on the horizon. I couldn’t identify any particular causes – to outside eyes and even myself I wasn’t particularly hard done by, had a decent job, somewhere to live, a partner who loved and supported me – all the standard life stuff was in place, but internally I had an all encompassing melancholy and general lack of purpose/direction/motivation. Just a numbness about most things.
This was before I joined Centrilia, and after splitting with my previous band – a period of time where I had no creative outlet to speak of – reflecting back on that time this was been a major factor. I was just existing – doing the ‘stiff upper lip’ bit and soldiering on.
Eventually my physical health suffered and I reached breaking point where I cracked up emotionally. I was forced to confront the monkey on my back and be open up to my wife about how I just wasn’t okay. Around that time we’d just conceived our first kid which was no doubt subconsciously adding to the existential crisis too. We made a plan for me to take some time out, stop working and I was going to focus on the kid when he arrived. Then around the same time I got a new boss at my job. I had really open conversations with them about it all; they convinced me to give them 6 months and let them try different working arrangements and help me to sort out my work/life balance. They were unbelievably supportive and it was like a weight coming off, I’ll be forever grateful to them for the empathy they had for me. Their showing some belief in me allowed me to start believing in myself again. I found a new rhythm and some stability to hang on to and gradually clawed my way back into myself. I started reaching out to musicians to find a new band. Hooked up with our Guitarist Davy who I’d known for years and was starting a new project which eventually became Centrilia and the rest is history. The lessons I learned from that shitty experience was how to identify those thoughts & feelings when they occur – they still do from time to time. When they start creeping in again I know I need to externalise them and drag them into the light – communication is key.
I agree. Communication and connection are key. No human is an island. Isolation can be dangerous. What does making music mean to you? Why do you do it?
G: Making music is a primal urge for me – without it, it’s like I’m missing a limb. It acts like a form of meditation. A central point of focus where I can escape or process my thoughts. If you’re lucky at the end of the process you’ve birthed something meaningful and interesting to others. At the very least you’ve scratched your creative itch. The writing process is addictive. When everyone’s intuition starts to synchronise it’s unlike anything else and difficult to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it first hand.
When did you start making music? Was it like finding some buried treasure that you didn’t know you had, and how did making music fit in with the rest of your life?
G: Like most, I started in high school. A guy in my year had started a band playing covers and was looking for a singer. We were into the same bands, so I, full of piss and vinegar, thought “I can do that” and went down to a rehearsal to try out. First time on a mic – “Propaganda” by Sepultura haha. Music and the band quickly became the central focal point of my life – everything I did was music or band related. Eventually we progressed from covers to original songs – the songs were terrible. Eventually we developed taste and the songs became less terrible. You learn your craft by failing a lot I suppose.
The more failure the better, as long as we get up again, and grow. It means we are trying. I love your debut album ‘’In the name of nothing’ from 2019. Aside from the excellent sound production and musical performance, what stands out for me is the bands use of syncopation. What i mean is throughout the album there are some powerful ‘choppy’ sort of rythymic synchronised musical bits which punctuate the songs and cut through, demanding the listeners attention. Drums are big and solid, and right on it without overplaying. Guitars are tight, harmonious and intricate. Bass is strong and supportive, Vocals are in your face and expressive with a great tone.
G: Too kind. Thanks dude.
How important is it for the bass guitar and drums to be tight, and where do you see guitar and voice fitting in the groove?
G: For the style of music we play, yes tightness in the rhythm section is absolutely critical. Without that foundation everything just else falls apart. We tend to write in a way where each element has its own space to breathe and flourish where it needs to – but always in service of the song as a whole and aiming for as many hooks and grooves as we can. We are very guitar driven and usually that’s where the song will start from – a riff or a hook. Vocals are just another instrument in that in that mix. When it comes to words I see my job as interpreting the music – I translate the emotion of the music to add some meaning/context.
How was the recording process for your last record ‘In the blood’? Did you record it live, or record an instrument at a time etc?
G: We had planned on recording & releasing more music in 2021, but the disruption of Covid put a kibosh on that. So ‘In The Blood’ came about as a concerted effort to release at least one single before the end of the year. A kind of ‘up yours’ to Covid if you like. The recording was split out by instrument across a week and similar to the last album we did a lot of pre-production to iron out the structure beforehand, so when we went into the studio we were well prepared. We worked with our good friend Steven Jones again on this one, so we were on familiar ground. (Steven is a disgustingly talented guitarist and songwriter in his own right and plays with the excellent Scottish band Bleed From Within). We had tracked the album ‘In The Name Of Nothing’ with Steven but also asked him to mix this time round. His bandmate Scott, who’s always been very complimentary about us, was kind enough to lend himself to the track as a guest vocal – they were in the studio finishing off their own upcoming album around the same time we were in so it all worked out quite well.
So what are your plans? Some more touring or any dates you can mention? Is the live scene opening up there?
G: Things are so uncertain live wise we’re just going to be focusing on more studio time and writing the next releases.
Ok, last question. What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or finding life difficult at the moment?
G: My advice is: Don’t be afraid to show your vulnerability or admit when you’re overwhelmed. The world is chaotic, and the natural response to chaos is to get overwhelmed. But you can take steps to minimise the chaos. Just do the next ‘right’ thing – whatever that is. Whether that’s getting out of bed, making a meal, going for a walk. Speak to someone to externalise the emotions.
– Thanks Gav for taking the time to talk with us. Greg \Mh/.
Band music links: https://www.facebook.com/Centrilia/
Website: https://www.centrilia.com/
photo: Stephen Dewar Visuals
