Does there need to be any introduction at this point? Fear Factory are pretty much a part of the Australian music circuit at this point having toured the country numerous times, most recently at last year’s final Soundwave Festival. The band return to Australia in June on the back of their latest album ‘Genexus’ so we catch up with Dino Cazares to talk touring and more.
Steve: So it was announced the other week that you will be heading back to Australia. You seem to be seasonal visitors, what can the fans expect in terms of the live show?
Dino: Yeah we have definitely been there a fair few times, [since] maybe early 1993 we’ve been going to Australia and obviously we want to showcase our new album “Genexus” so we’ll be playing songs off that and we’re going to be going to all the classic Fear Factory song ranging from the first one right up to our new album so there will be a great collection of Fear Factory songs.
Steve: Excellent I can’t wait to hear the the set!
Dino: Yeah me too!
Steve: So I guess it goes hand in hand, what are the best and worst parts about touring as a band or for yourself?
Dino: Well obviously the best parts is going out in front of the fans and playing the songs people love to hear and the traveling part is good and bad. The traveling part is great, all these countries and getting to experience new cultures, cuisines and beers but the bad part is being away for so long from family and friends.
Steve: Yeah sure I totally understand. So what are your thoughts on a larger festival like Soundwave or Big Day Out getting cancelled?
Dino: Well it’s unfortunate that happened. It’s unfortunate that a lot of bands didn’t get paid that did Soundwave last year, us being one of the victims of that but I have a feeling that something new is going to happen and a new promoter will be able to bring a big festival out to Australia.
Steve: Yeah we are definitely hoping for that also. So given that you guys have been around for so long, how do you guys come up with a setlist on a nightly basis?
Dino: Basically it’s hard to come up with one setlist so what we do is two or three setlists and rotate them and see which one is the best one.
Steve: Cool, also are there any songs that you don’t like to play anymore as a player yourself or do you leave it open to suggestion?
Dino: I definitely leave it open to suggestion, there’s not really any song I hate to play. We usually try to play everything we can, try it once or twice. We usually try it, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, you know what I mean?
Steve: Sure. So what are your thoughts on the passing of Lemmy and did he have any influence on you personally?
Dino: Well the Lemmy thing is very unfortunate that he passed away, he was definitely a rock icon, a rock legend. You look at Lemmy and he lived life the way he wanted to live, he influenced me into be who you are, don’t try to be something for someone. Just be who you are and what you are.
Steve: That’s awesome. I guess that’s a mantra we can all take.
Dino: Yeah for sure.
Steve: So what keep you excited in metal these days where you go, ‘Woah that’s amazing’, overall?
Dino: In terms of a guitar player it has to be Tosin Abasi from Animals As Leaders. That guy is in another stratosphere with his guitar playing, I don’t know how he does what he does but it’s definitely the next level.
Steve: Yeah I can’t disagree with you there. Are there any albums your looking forward to this year?
Dino: I think one of the big ones is Metallica, they’ve been hinting that they’re going to come out with a new album this year.
Steve: We shouldn’t hold our breath…
Dino: Yeah exactly.
Steve: So what was the last album you bought or downloaded?
Dino: The last album I bought was “Surgical Meth Machine”, It’ s Al Jorgensen of Ministry’s side project, it’s super fast so I pre-ordered it on ITunes and they’ve released a few tracks off that so I’ve been listening to that.
Steve: Awesome, by all accounts it’s an animal of an album.
Dino: Sure I can imagine!
Steve: So for any aspiring guitarist’s besides the obligatory ‘practice your craft’, are there any tips or tricks that help you play or at least got you started?
Dino: Well when I very first started in my early teens around the age of 17. I was like, ‘How do I get faster’ because all these bands like Slayer and Metallica were releasing all this fast stuff and I was like, ‘How do I keep up with that?’ I wanted to build up my muscles so what I did was buy wrist weights and I’d put them around my wrists and I’d wrap electrical tape around the joints of my fingers and that would make it harder to press down on the guitar and the wrist weights would help build up my wrist muscles. So I used to do that every day for an hour then I would take all this stuff off and see how fast I could go, I got faster and faster and you would build up your muscles and that is what I would do when I first started playing. Then once you build up your muscles, like you said practice and before I go on stage everyday, I rehearse for about half an hour before I go on stage to loosen up and obviously stretch your wrist muscles and forearm muscles and it prevents or prolongs you from getting carpal tunnel injuries.
Steve: So do you guys have any sort of strange or funny rituals before hitting the stage?
Dino: Number one thing, relieve yourself before you hit the stage. If you have to poop or pee, make sure you do all that before you hit the stage because you don’t want to get caught half way having to leave the stage to take a shit. I’m sure it’s happened to every musician at one point or another, it happened to me recently. I was in Portugal, I had food poisoning, I had diarrhea so I was playing the show with my butt cheeks clenched really tight!
Steve: [laughs] That paints all sorts of funny pictures.
Dino: Yeah [laughs], so you have to relive yourself.
Steve: Awesome good tip! I guess finally also given that this is your second home, do you have a message for the fans of Australia?
Dino: Yeah I just wanted to say we’re extremely excited to come out there and fuckin’ do this! To rock out in front of the fans, we love the culture and the people.
Steve: Great stuff. Well it’s been a real pleasure speaking with you today, I’ve really enjoyed it. Take care, send our best to the band and we’ll see you shortly.
Dino: Alright man thank you for the opportunity. Take care and we’ll see you soon!
FEAR FACTORY AUSTRALIAN ‘REGENERATOUR’ 2016:
Thursday, 2nd June – The Tivoli, Brisbane
Friday, 3rd June – Roundhouse, Sydney
Saturday, 4th June – Prince Of Wales, Melbourne
Tuesday, 7th June – HQ, Adelaide
Wednesday, 8th June – Metropolis, Fremantle
Tickets and tour details can be found at Destroy All Lines.
