Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher, ex-Kyuss vocalist John Garcia, and ex-Karma To Burn bassist Rich Mullins and drummer Nathan Limbaugh have a new project together that's clearly very far along. During a new episode o The Rockman Power Hour, host Jason Rockman kicked off a conversation with Garcia by bringing up the previously-unknown project.
"You and I have a friend in common – Bill Kelliher from Mastodon," said Rockman as transcribed by Metal Injection. "Bill and I have been… he's one of my best friends. We've been friends for probably a good 12, 13 years now. I got a call from him maybe about a year and a half ago and he said to me, he goes 'hey man, I'm gonna be working on this really rad project with a singer I think you like.'
"He told me that it was you and I was like 'what the fuck? You're working with John Garcia?' So I was lucky enough to hear what was going on in this project over the last year. I was in Atlanta at his house he played me some of this stuff."
Garcia confirmed that he does indeed have a new band with Kelliher, Mullins, and Limbaugh, noting that he's pretty stoked about the whole thing.
"I'm just super stoked to be involved with Bill, Rich, and Nathan from Karma To Burn. Rich and Nathan and I, we go way, way back. So when Rich said he was gonna be involved with the project with Bill from Mastodon, I was like, 'where do I sign?' I have to tell you, [Bill] is a badass. I have a mad amount of respect for Bill and his family, and his work ethic. He's just a professional.
Garcia continued: "I'm super stoked to be involved with him, and Rich, and Nathan. This was something that was completely and totally unexpected. The songs, I thought were really great and I said, you know 'fuck it. I've got to be involved in this.' Working with Bill and his team of engineers – I call them 'the wizards' – they're great."
On a potential release date, Garcia only offered: "Hopefully one of these days it'll see the light of day. We'll see how it all plays out, but we're just taking this step by step and day by day, and seeing how it all plays out. We're gonna be movin' and groovin', and hopefully rockin' and rollin'."
So stay tuned for what might be the best stoner rock album of… whatever year it comes out.
