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| Photo by Christy Borgman |
Earlier
this year, former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo was walking around New
York with avant-garde saxophonist/sometime collaborator John Zorn
when the two stopped by Christie's to
check out some artistic creations. Shortly after returning home from
the trip, Lombardo – a longtime fan of modern and abstract art –
was offered a unique opportunity to create his
own magic
on canvas.
Thanks
to a collaboration with the Los Angeles-based visual team SceneFour,
Lombardo recently unveiled Rhythm
Mysterium,
a fine art series comprised of 12 different pieces. After accepting
an invitation to be one of SceneFour's artist drummers, Lombardo was
photographed in the dark using an array of drumsticks and rhythmic
accessories that produce light, much like a painter utilizing brushes
and oils. The movements featured within the captured rhythms were
then studied and developed into abstract artwork. Lombardo selected
and named the dozen pieces featured in the collection, while each
numbered canvas in the series is signed by the man himself.
(Lombardo's in great company: Legendary Black Sabbath drummer Bill
Ward created his own art series, Absence
of Corners,
with SceneFour last year.)
 |
| Dave Lombardo signs "Mantis" (Courtesy of SceneFour) |
From
the moment he first sat down to do the session, Lombardo knew it
would be an unforgettable experience.
“Where
we photographed the pieces was very inspiring,” he says. “It was
in a kind of warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles, so it sounded really
good. It was just a big, cavernous room. I just went off, and they
started snapping pictures...At certain points, as I noticed the way
they were shooting the pictures and everything, I realized, 'Wow, I
could really make this picture look better if I give it my flair or
my style. When I’m on stage, I’ve noticed that I swing my arms a
little more. My movements are more exaggerated. I don't restrain
myself when I play; my arms are swinging all over the place. So in
this environment, instead of just doing a solo for myself, I gave it
that live performance feel. That's why I feel that these pictures
show a little more excitement, because of the way I approached the
drumming.”
Not
surprisingly, the art aficionado was thrilled with the imagery
created by the unique environment.
“I
was very surprised,” he recalls. “I really liked the tones and
the colors that were captured, and we were able to alter them, make
them a little lighter, darker or more prominent. I was impressed; I
was really liking the way you were able to see other
images within those
images. When I go to an art gallery, I'll sit and look at a piece for
several minutes and kind of absorb the colors and vibrations of the
piece and what the artist tried to create.”
While
each of Rhythm
Mysterium's 12
pieces offer something special to the viewer, “Mantis” and
“Broken Angel” appear to take on a vastly different persona than
the rest.
“I
really like abstract pieces,” Lombardo explains. “There are some
where you can actually see the drum set and make heads or tails of
what's going on, but there's also other pictures [where] you don't
know where the drums are, the sticks are or where everything else is.
I really like those. 'Mantis' especially had a different vibe that
was really interesting to me. When I look at art, I look at these
pictures and try to look deeper into them and try to find other
images within the actual image they're in. 'Mantis,' to me, looks
like a side view of a praying mantis! I don't know if anyone else
would ever see that, but I see
that, and that's what inspired me to title it that.”
 |
| "Mantis" by Dave Lombardo (Courtesy of SceneFour) |
As
for “Broken Angel,” it was clear to Lombardo that the piece
represented spiritual regret.
“To
me, that's an angel on his knees,” he offers. “It's like a bright
view of an angel on his knees with his face in his hands like, 'I
just fucked up!' That's why I titled that one 'Broken Angel.' These
images have other images within them. You can really let your
imagination go when you're looking at these.”
 |
| "Broken Angel" by Dave Lombardo (Courtesy of SceneFour) |
The
unveiling of Rhythm
Mysterium caps
off an especially active 2014 for the perpetually busy Lombardo. In
addition to his ongoing work with his band PHILM,
he reunited with Zorn and bassist Bill Laswell last March and May for
the first performances under
the Bladerunner moniker in
more than a decade.
“I
didn't expect it,” says the drummer of Zorn's invitation to perform
Bladerunner's shows in Australia, New York City and Chicago. “When
[Zorn] said, 'Let's get together,' I was just floored. It was like,
'Absolutely! Sure, I'll fly 14 hours to play 20 minutes on stage!'
When I flew to Australia and we did a gig, it was like 25 minutes. We
tore it up.”
Lombardo also found time in 2014 to return to Fantômas, an experimental supergroup featuring Faith No More's Mike Patton, Mr. Bungle's Trevor Dunn and The Melvins' Buzz Osborne. Earlier this month, Lombardo hit the stage at the Rockout Fest in Santiago, Chile for his first performance with the group in ages.
“Man,
it was like riding a bike,” he says. “We loved it; we had a great
time. It was a great week where we were able to bond again as a band,
and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was killer; it was great seeing
Buzz and Trevor, and of course Mike. He is so inspiring to me. I have
nothing bad to say about these guys; these guys are just great.”
Although
a great deal of Lombardo's recent musical exploits have been
experimental in nature, that's not to say that he's done with Metal.
Anyone who picked up Sepultura's blistering 2013 album The
Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be The Heart was
treated to a special appearance by the timekeeper on the
track “Obsessed.” Always
open to new experiences behind a drum kit, he jumped at the chance to
create something special with his old friends.
“I
was basically walking on the beach with my dog and my daughter,” he remembers. “I
text messaged Ross Robinson, who was the producer of their new
record. I said, 'Hey, man. How are you? I'm here with my dog. Can I
go by? I want to introduce my dog to your dog.' They're both kind of
the same; one's a Labrador and the other one's a Pointer. He said,
'Do you feel like playing drums?' That's how he answered; he didn't
answer me with, 'Hey, man. How are you?' It was like, 'Hey, wanna
play some drums?' I was like, 'Of course!' He said, 'Okay, come on
over.' I went upstairs, and there were all the Sepultura guys, and
they were setting up two drum sets face to face. That's when I met
[current Sepultura drummer] Eloy [Casagrande]. I had seen video footage of his performances, and I was definitely impressed. We
got together and started jamming, and we recorded that little section.
Man, it was good fun. It was spontaneous, and it was creative. I
thrive in that environment. I don't need no preparation; just put me
in a situation and let's see what happens.”
Lombardo's
longstanding relationship with the band will carry on well into 2015,
as both Sepultura and PHILM are set to perform as part of the
Motorcycle Rock Cruise in Brazil this February.
As for PHILM, Lombardo is looking forward to continuing his work with fellow bandmates Gerry Nestler (Civil Defiance) and Pancho Tomaselli (WAR/Tower Of Power).
“I
love these musicians I'm working with,” he shares. “Gerry and
Pancho are just phenomenal players; they're at my level. I don't
surround myself with musicians who can't keep up. These guys
definitely have what it takes to be on the big stages.”
 |
| PHILM. Photo by Alex Solca |
In addition
to plenty of recording and touring with PHILM (as well as a
Bladerunner performance at LA's Royce Hall on May 2),
Lombardo is planning to explore more soundtrack work in the months
ahead. Recently, he worked on Insidious:
Chapter 3 with
composer Joseph Bishara.
More
than three decades after launching his career, Dave Lombardo is
enjoying his most productive and satisfying time in the here and now.
From Rhythm
Mysterium to
his ongoing performances with PHILM and others, he stands as an
example of what one can do in the music business by maintaining a
healthy, optimistic spirit.
“With
my entire little circle of musicians and friends, I've weeded out a
lot of negativity,” he says. “There's just so much positivity
around, I don't know what to do with it!” (laughs)
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