Two for the Road is a series in which two artists touring together chat about playing shows, life backstage, and more. The latest installment of the series features Melvins drummer Dale Crover and Mr. Bungle drummer Dave Lombardo.
Mr. Bungle and Melvins are gearing up for their “Geek Show” tour, which kicks off May 10th in Pomona, California, and runs through a May 24th gig in Oakland, California. Ahead of the outing, the band’s respective drummers, Dale Crover and Dave Lombardo, engaged in a conversation for Consequence‘s “Two for the Road” series.
Crover has been a member of the Melvins since 1984, and briefly toured and recorded with Nirvana in the late ’80s and early ’90s. He also fronts his own long-running side project Altamont.
Lombardo, meanwhile, has a résumé that rivals any drummer in heavy music. As a founding member of Slayer, his double-bass playing influenced countless metal drummers to follow. Recent years have seen him performing with the Original Misfits, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament, and Dead Cross, among others. In Mr. Bungle, he was recruited along with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian to join the resurrected lineup that features original members Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn.
After exchanging pleasantries over Zoom, Crover and Lombardo reflected on the first time hearing each other’s music.
“I think the first time I heard your drumming was on [Slayer’s debut album] Show No Mercy,” Crover told Lombardo in the video above. “I’ve definitely been a fan of your drumming for a long time. I remember going on our first European tour, and it was right around the time that [Slayer’s fifth album] Seasons in the Abyss came out, and that was the record for me of that tour — I listened to it tons, and [recall] loving your drum fills.”
Lombardo admitted he was a little late to the game when it came to the Melvins. “I was in this thrash metal world, so I didn’t really venture out musically much in the early days. But the first time I ever saw a picture of you guys was on the back side of some sort of metal magazine pullout poster. I was on one side, you flip it over, the Melvins were on the other.”
He continued, “As time went on, I [joined] Fantômas [with Melvins’ Buzz Osborne and Mr. Bungle’s Mike Patton and Trevor Dunn], and then we started playing together … There was a tone that you guys captured [in the Melvins] that was so fucking heavy, so fucking monstrous … and it really blew me away.”
After geeking out a little about their drum setups, Crover and Lombardo discussed their influences, with Crover citing KISS’ Peter Criss, Judas Priest’s Les Binks, and Iron Maiden’s Clive Burr, and mentioning the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, in general. Lombardo pretty much said he had similar influences.
The pair went on to talk about the drumming tips they picked up from each other, their caffeine intake, and more.
Catch Mr. Bungle and Melvins, along with support act Spotlights, on the “Geek Show” tour. While most shows are sold-out, tickets can be found on StubHub, with tickets to select gigs still available via Ticketmaster. Mr. Bungle have also announced second leg of North American dates for the fall, with Battles as support.
Watch our full “Two for the Road” episode with Dale Crover and Dave Lombardo in the video above, and see the “Geek Show” tour dates below.
Trouble viewing in the video in the player above? Watch on YouTube.
Mr. Bungle and Melvins’ “Geek Show” Tour Dates:
05/10 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater
05/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium
05/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ Sick New World Festival *
05/14 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
05/16 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
05/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Event Center
05/19 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox
05/20 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox
05/21 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
05/23 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
05/24 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
* = festival, no Spotlights