Bongzilla: Four Twenty, Twenty Four Seven

For anyone passionate about music, bands and fans alike, the impact of the global Coronavirus pandemic wasn’t a positive thing – live music was an impossibility, those who worked in the scene were furloughed (or worse), bands were left unable to meet to practice, tour, or record. It was an interesting time to say the least for stoner metal veterans BONGZILLA to release their first full-length in sixteen years, unable to engage in all the ‘normal’ pursuits of a band who are supporting a release (touring, festivals etc.).

But, as bassist and vocalist Mike ‘Muleboy’ Makela explains, the band’s fifth album perhaps wouldn’t exist at all had it not been for the pandemic – a glimmer of a silver lining (or, perhaps more fittingly, a green one).

“We returned a bit ago, but the new record came out of COVID,” Muleboy says. “When Cooter [Brown, bass] was still in the band, we were getting ready and touring so much, getting ready for shows, we didn’t have time to write; we were always getting ready to go tour. So when COVID hit, we didn’t have to worry about practicing old songs – we just wrote a record.”

While other bands struggled, separated by distance or local lockdowns, Muleboy believes the changes COVID-19 forced on the band were beneficial to the writing process. “It actually made it easier as people weren’t working. It made it easier for us to get together. If you know your friends are being vigilant about wearing masks and washing hands around other people, it’s not a huge problem,” he says, though he acknowledges things weren’t smooth sailing and that the band were sensible, taking it seriously. “Every time you leave your house you’re taking a little bit of a risk. But we went and recorded and were around people we didn’t know, but we were always masked up and it went fine. It made things easier, wonderfully.”

Since the band’s last album, Amerijuanican, dropped in 2005, the stoner/doom/extreme metal scene has grown, well, like a weed. Is this something that BONGZILLA have been pleased to see happen during their hiatus? “I think it’s cool that everyone is getting into heavy, good music,” Muleboy says. “And it’s not bad that we get to do huge shows and festivals, and go around the world. It seemed to grow while I sat around in my house and smoked weed for 16 years.”

Having formed over a quarter of a century ago in 1995, do the band feel like they were early, influential figures for some of the newer bands to the scene, and that they left footsteps others have followed? “Oh yeah I think so – I’ve heard a couple of riffs here and there,” Muleboy chuckles. “I try not to listen that way. There are so many new good bands. Half this scene, we’re friends with; we play Roadburn or Desertfest and it’s like going to a class reunion of stoners. But I think we’ve been influential, but it’s not something I’d sit around and think about. As early as we were in this scene, there was a lot before us – BLACK SABBATH was way, way, way before us.”

As the scene has grown and expanded, it’s become somewhat of a running joke that a stoner band must have a pun or reference to marijuana in their band name – as one of the earliest ‘bong’ bands, do BONGZILLA feel like there are simply too many now, or do they see it as the more the merrier? Or it can even be relative to the merits music has on mind and marijuana has on health, much like the calming effects of a CBD flower. Perhaps cbd products like these are available at a reputable dispensary in Santa Rosa, such as the stiiizy dispensary santa rosa.

“This is how I feel about it, and I’m pretty strict,” Muleboy says “I will bring up BONGRIPPER and I’ll explain in a second. I think it’s cool as hell if you’re into it, but if you don’t smoke weed, don’t perpetrate to be… EYEHATEGOD aren’t walking around like they’re a ‘bong’ band, you know? BONGRIPPER – those kids don’t even smoke! I’ll give them hours of shit, the times we’ve played with them. I’ve told them to change it to ‘Heroinripper’, do what you need to do, but remove ‘bong’ from your name. And they’re like ‘aww but we love you man, c’mon!’” he chuckles. “I keep challenging them to a smoke off.”

“I think it’s cool as hell as long as you’re not ‘BOB DYLAN-ing’ it, you’re not acting like a hobo when you’re a rich kid from Hennepin, Minnesota. I’m not saying you have to smoke like we do; I’ve only met a couple of people in my life who smoke as much as me. But, be about it, don’t just use it. This shit’s been our lives for years – growing, selling, smoking.”

So, having returned after such a lengthy absence, many will be asking what’s ‘new’ with the band – has much changed in terms of their approach, sound, or their inspirations?

“I don’t think I’ll ever get away from BLACK SABBATH, LYNYRD SKYNYRD or BLUE CHEER, CAPTAIN BEYOND or the ALLMAN BROTHERS,” says Muleboy. “But in terms of what’s new, us three have been playing together forever, and I initially played bass before BONGZILLA ever started. And I guess another cool thing for me about COVID was that I got to sit around and play bass. For the first time in my life I felt like a professional musician when they were paying the stimulus cheques. And I didn’t work – I’ll never work if I don’t have to,” he laughs. “I just sat around playing bass, and we were practicing and playing so much, like eight hours of just jamming, and I think you can hear that on the record. It’s a lot freer than it’s ever been and at the same time it’s a lot tighter too.”

Though the band’s influences and core makeup haven’t changed, a few things have, and they have their sights set on some ambitious releases after Weedsconsin drops. “We started a record label, we’ve got a new record obviously. We’re aiming to do a split seven inch with us and another band every two months for two years – BORIS and us are going to be the first one – and release that on Gungeon Records. That’s the label we’ve just started, the one we’ve re-released [2001 album] Apogee on with new artwork, remastered,” Muleboy says. “We’ve got so much music about to come out. In one sense, COVID got us off our asses – we’re three songs into writing a new record. We feel like little kids because it’s exploded so much, being a three piece feel really new again, there’s a lot more room for people to go off.”

Something else that’s changed is the band’s relationship to substances (weed and a little bit of booze excluded). Asked if the band feel wiser as well as older, Muleboy is reflective. “You asked if I was wiser earlier. I think, if anything, we’re not all doing other stuff that we shouldn’t. If we keep BONGZILLA as just marijuana, it’s super successful. I was a fricking pin cushion for seven years, and everyone in the band has had trouble with hard substances. I think if we stay away from that shit, then the band is a lot better off. I don’t even drink, I’m a vegan – we’re not like we used to be. There’s a lot more time to get shit done!”

While the title of their new release, Weedsconsin, continues the band’s (and the genre’s) tradition of an essential devil’s lettuce based play on words, it also pays homage to the city where BONGZILLA were born and raised. Wisconsin doesn’t seem to get the same kind of international attention as other states like California or New York – did the band name the album in an effort to bring some more attention onto their home state?

“If we didn’t have the Packers nobody would know who we are!” laughs Muleboy. “We didn’t call the album Weedsconsin to try and hype up the state, it came more from adoring a place where you were born and raised. A lot of people not only don’t know much about Wisconsin, but on top of that we’re definitely considered ‘hicks’. Madison is a little different, it’s a college town, but most of the country thinks we’re all dairy farmers. Wisconsin is a very cool, easy place. Wonderfully I get to see the rest of the world a lot, up until recently.

“Weedsconsin comes from Madison always being a hotbed for weed – there’s a marijuana festival that’s been going on since 1974 called Harvest Fest. They do it in the fall when everybody’s harvesting their outdoor marijuana. There’s a city called Black Earth about 20 minutes away from where we live and it’s got some of the best dirt in the country. So people are growing outdoors, there’s been a great marijuana culture compared to other places. Dixie [Dave Collins] from WEEDEATER has always said in interviews that Madison has the strongest weed he’s ever smoked.”

While something of a meme now, even among the non-stoner crowd, April 20th (4/20) seems to be the most appropriate day for stoner metal album releases – with the mighty SLEEP dropping The Sciences by surprise back in 2018 on 4/20. With Weedsconsin set to be released on this notorious date, was this something that the band had decided, or is it a record label decision to catch that stoner hype?

“No, that was Heavy Psych Sounds,” Muleboy explains. “I smoke all day, every day. I was just talking to a friend about that, I’m usually smoking at 4:15 and still at 4:30, so there’s nothing special, for me at least. I don’t think I smoke any more on 4/20 – though this year I might because we’re releasing the record. It’s funny how much 4/20 gets thrown around with our name. First thing I do, before I go make coffee or anything, I’ll take a hit of weed. I think that’s why I get mad when I meet kids in bands like ‘Bong-whoever’ that don’t smoke.” Weed is definitely an ingrained part of life for BONGZILLA – it’s much more than a trend, a gag, or a fashion statement. “All three of us met over marijuana – Spanky [Jeff Schultz, guitar] tells a great story about smelling me across a bar. He looked around and he saw me and he said, ‘I saw your eyes man and I knew’, and within ten minutes of meeting we were outside smoking. Shortly after that we were making music together.”

While the pandemic has given BONGZILLA the time and space to reconnect and focus on writing Weedsconsin, and a kick up the proverbial to launch a record label and plan out their intensive schedule of split releases, the reality is that the best way to promote new music is to tour – and clarity around when and if that can happen safely is still hazy at best. “We’re talking about during a short US tour in September, but I don’t know. We’ve missed two already so it’s tough to get your hopes up and get disappointed,” Muleboy explains. There’s no dent in his unwavering and infectious positivity though, finding that weed-green lining once again: “If we can’t get out there, we’re just going to keep writing. Our motto is; smoke a lot of pot, write a little music.”

Weedsconsin is out now via Heavy Psych Sounds.

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