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1. In one word, describe your sound.
Heavy-handed (the hyphen makes it one word, right?)

2. Tell me about the stuff in your photos: brands/models, etc. What do you use live – and what do you keep at home? Is there anything you’re not stoked on that you might be replacing soon? Anything that will always be a fixture in your rig?

What I got goin’ on here is a late ’70s 50w Marshall JMP, Peavey VTM 120, early ‘00s Gibson Les Paul Studio with a Railhammer in the bridge and Burstbucker in the neck, Reverend Roundhouse 290, which they no longer make, an old Mesa 4×12 and a Lone Wolf Plague Rat. I’ve used both heads live, but right now the VTM is my go-to because it’s just a tank and if I’m feeling lazy, it has enough gain on tap that I can leave overdrive pedals at home. If I do bring a pedal, it’s normally the Plague Rat, which is a modified boutique take on the venerable Proco Rat, with diode switching and some cool lo/hi cut features. I’ve been bored with the standard Tube Screamer-into-Marshall thing, so I started looking for something else to fill that spot and the Plague Rat does that in an awesome way. Sounds like pure chaos, which I dig. One piece that I’ll always play is my Reverend Roundhouse. I’ve had that guitar for close to 10 years, and it feels like a natural extension of me at this point. I traded it for an Ampeg V4 a few years back and instantly regretted it, but I was fortunately able to get it back. Reverend has been very kind to me and I’ve been endorsed by them for quite awhile now. I also have the Bob Balch signature at home; I’ve just been scared to play it out as to avoid any damage. Great company, great instruments. The Mesa may have to go soon. It’s treated me well, but Satellite Amplifiers make an amazing 4×12 that just about blows away anything else I’ve ever used.

3. Is this stuff you record with, or do you generally record with other gear? When you hit the studio: what’s your go-to equipment guitar-wise?

For recording, I tend to switch it up every time to varying degrees; I get bored easily. I will pretty much always use my Reverend and Les Paul because I’m familiar with them and they stay in our tuning really well. With amps, it’s always changing based on what new cabs or heads are around. For better or for worse, I love to experiment and with GRVR, I have the ability to fully explore any ideas that may come. For instance, one session had the VTM into a 2×12 and V4 into a 2×15. The next was VTM and Marshall into Mesa. I’ve been favoring fewer speakers in the studio as to not have a wall of sound with a 4×12.

4. If you had to point someone to a song of yours that showcased your sound/style the best, what would it be?

We have a new EP coming out titled VOL I, and I’m really happy with the guitars on that. But since that isn’t out yet, the track “Serpent Song” off our 3-way split with VYGR and At Our Heels is a good example. I always try to find the happy spot between heavy/gainy and clarity because we play in a really low tuning but will also do chordal stuff that can get lost in too much gain. “Serpent Song” shows both sides, vacillating from heavy down-picked rhythm to more “delicate” chords.

5. If money was no object, what is the one “holy grail” piece of gear you’d get?

If money was no object, I would buy a Dumble amp just to video myself pushing it off a balcony.

6. What’s the shittiest piece of gear you’ve bought?
I’ll just say, Monster cables always seem to break at the least opportune times.

7. Dream gig: What bands would you ask to play your all-time raddest show, and where would you play?

Hour of the Wolf / Earth / Black Sabbath / Mammoth Grinder at Soda Bar. Two of these bands (HOTW & MG) are semi-active, but they’re two of the best and most enjoyable bands to see live, so I had to add them. Earth and Sabbath should be obvious. Add them all together at the best music venue in San Diego and the night would be pure-as-the-fallen-snowblind magic. I’d like to add that GRVR wouldn’t play this show. We would want to kick back and enjoy.

8. What’s coming up for Griever?

We’re releasing the first of four EPs July 1st at the Soda Bar. It’s us experimenting with the changes in how music is released, bought, and listened to in the present day. With genres like EDM (or whatever) and hip-hop, it seems like the artists are releasing stuff so fast that it makes the punk/metal/hardcore/rock way of releasing full lengths every 1.5-2 years seem like fine art. So we’re going to go for quicker small bursts for awhile and see how it goes. VOL I has two originals and a cover, as they all will, and VOL II will be out by our West Coast tour, August 10-20. After all 4 are out, we’ll take the songs we like from the series along with new ones out on a proper LP. So get in on the ground floor at Soda Bar, Friday, 7/1.