“We’re constantly sending each other bands, pedals, amps and stuff to check out”: YouTuber Ben Eller on his friendship with Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher
Earlier this month, Brent Hinds left Mastodon in a move that shocked the band’s fans. While Bill Kelliher simply noted that the relationship between Hinds and the band had run its course, fans were more concerned with who would fill the huge void he left behind.
They didn’t have to wait long, at least for information on a temporary stand-in, as two days later YouTuber Ben Eller performed with the band at the Tool in the Sand festival in the Dominican Republic.
READ MORE: Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds leaves band after 25 years: “We wish him nothing but success and happiness”
Now, in a new interview with Guitar World, Eller has shed more light on how he landed the slot in the band – temporarily, at least – and on his friendship with Kelliher.
“Bill hit me up and asked if I would be good to learn a 17-song set quickly and sub on a gig, and I was happy to take on the challenge,” he explains.
“A couple of years ago [Kelliher] emailed to say how much he enjoyed my channel, and the Stuff Mastodon Does video I made. We’ve stayed in touch ever since. He’s as much of a gear nut and riff-chaser as I am; we’re constantly sending each other bands, pedals, amps and stuff to check out.”
Eller’s love of Mastodon has always been evident in his YouTube content. “I became a massive fan when I saw the video for March of the Fire Ants 20-something years ago. I started learning as much of their material as I could, just for fun. Some of my first YouTube videos were covers of their tunes. There were zero accurate tabs for Mastodon songs online; I was trying to help people learn their stuff the right way.”
Even 20-something years of learning and playing Mastodon material couldn’t fully prepare Eller for the job though, as he explains he still needed to contact the band to figure out who was responsible for playing each part due to the complex nature of the music. “If I wasn’t practicing the songs, I was listening to them nonstop. My process is to play along with the song, and if I make a mistake, I start over. By the time I make it all the way through the song, I’ve played it through a dozen times.
“I also looked at live videos of the band to help me figure out parts. And, of course, I was blowing Bill’s phone up! Given the density of their material, there were a lot of questions about who was playing what and all that. He was a big help.”
While neither Mastodon nor Eller have confirmed whether Eller will remain a permanent member of the band, it seems he would be up for the gig. “It would be an immense honour to tour with the band… we’ll have to wait and see,” he says. “This experience has meant the world to me. I’m so grateful to Troy Sanders, Brann Dailor, and Bill for trusting me to play the music, and to the fans for their positivity and kindness.”
View all of Mastodon’s upcoming tour dates via their official website.
The post “We’re constantly sending each other bands, pedals, amps and stuff to check out”: YouTuber Ben Eller on his friendship with Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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