Doomed Confessionary: Dylan Foley (Eight Foot Manchild)
I wasn’t able to do much interviews during this year because I just don’t have enough time beside my full-time job and other obligations. Oliver Anthony would say: “I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day, overtime hours for bullshit pay.”
So I came up with this idea of short “confessionary style” interview series towards the end of the year. Let’s go!
The first band that was so kind to answer my questions is self-proclaimed “doombrass” collective Eight Foot Manchild (USA), who just released their new EP »We’re Goin’ Out On A High Note« on December 1st, 2023.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are Eight Foot Manchild, based out of Medford, Massachusetts, USA. We play heavy music inspired by stoner-doom metal, funk, and a bit of prog rock. We have an electrified horn section – tuba, baritone sax, trombone – that play through effect pedals. We are all longtime friends who met each other through the HONK! Fest community – a global family of street brass bands. We are searching for a sonic crossroads somewhere between Budos Band, Electric Wizard, and King Crimson, with the movie-sampling aesthetic of Wu-Tang Clan.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
Just getting ourselves heard. Competing for any scrap of attention is a constant struggle. That’s why we’re so grateful to all the bloggers and journalists of the heavy music underground. We appreciate any help we can get in boosting our signal.
What can you be most proud of this year?
Being nominated Metal Artist Of The Year by the Boston Music Awards, alongside bands we greatly admire, like Converge, Gozu, and Revocation. We are looking forward to attending the ceremony, and hobnobbing with the upper crust, as it were.
What is your biggest regret?
Not starting this band sooner! We’re a bit on the older side for a new band. Thankfully, we’re all good friends who have played together for many years in other projects, so I like to think we’re bringing a lot of valuable experience along with us.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
We always look forward to playing our annual December show with our friends in Frostbite – a Christmas-themed metal band from Salem, Massachusetts. This year, it will be filmed for television, and we can’t wait to share the footage.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
How warm and welcoming everyone has been to us – a latecomer band with a horn section – in the world of metal. It’s been very inspiring and encouraging.
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
We’ll be playing locally in the Boston area around once a month, and we’re planning an east coast tour for the summer.
What are your plans for the next year as a band?
We’ll be continuing the pattern we’ve built over the past couple years – releasing songs once a month as singles, then compiling those singles into EPs digitally, then compiling two EPs at a time for physical media releases. Our first vinyl and CDs will be available next year, while we simultaneously roll out new material digitally.
What do you personally want the most?
The ultimate goal is for this band to be a self-sustaining enterprise. That’s all. No one is looking to get rich playing “doombrass” music. We’d just like to be able to operate in the black.
How can people best support you?
Right now, buy our music on Bandcamp, contact us for a T-shirt, come see us play live, follow us on our social media, or just tell a friend!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
None of this lasts, so be excellent to each other. Leave enough signs behind such that in the future, when the alien archaeologists dig us up, they’ll be able to confidently conclude: “These were some people who loved each other”.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well