Metal Inside(r) Home Quarantine is Metal Insider’s new column during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked artists five questions on what’s been keeping them busy ranging from their favorite movies, food they’ve been eating, music they’ve been listening to and more. We caught up with David Brenner of Gridfailure as he’s been spending this time making a ton of new music.
What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?
Making a ton of new music, I released one new album during the pandemic (Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery II, via Nefarious Industries), and I’m finishing records I’ve had partially in the works for years, collaborative albums with other artists, and even brand new material that’s directly quarantine/virus-related. My 1990s high school hardcore punk band has reunited and reformatted ourselves; working on new material and digging up old demos for new social media and players which we will post soon. I have also been making a lot of new videos for artists, recently including Kool Keith x Thetan, The Third Kind, Bangladeafy, and more, including new Gridfailure videos.
Besides that, we have been working a lot, as my wife and I run Earsplit PR from our home. Some hiking, a lot of riding my mountain bike on the backstreets and out by the lakes around here, drawing, working on the house and yard, getting into arguments with unmasked folks at the parks and stores. I have been signing tons of petitions for justice and progression, writing letters to senators and representatives, making donations to progressive causes, supporting the ongoing protests, and watching the news in fear of another four years of this administration.
Have you been listening to any music or have any playlists worth checking out?
Since I work in music all day, I am generally listening to artists we’re promoting through much of the day, besides that checking out a lot of new bands on Bandcamp, watching live sets on YouTube, and so on.
But at night I listen to music on my main stereo setups downstairs, disconnected from the internet; mostly vinyl and cassettes. Lots of hardcore, jazz, hip-hop, experimental, dark folk, singer/songwriter stuff. Mobb Deep, Tommy Guerrero, Kool Keith, and Turmoil vinyl. I’ve been watching a lot of artist’s livestreams on YouTube and Instagram, quarantine interviews on the Saint Vitus Bar Instagram, the Stock Xchange on Instagram every Wednesday where Raekwon and DJ Thoro swap/run their respective channels, and other livestream type performances.
A lot of people have been spending this time cooking including making their own bread, what food have you been prepping during this time?
I love cooking and am always making food, but yeah, without going out or getting takeout we have been cooking literally every single meal at home. I am basically vegetarian these days, minus a random fish or very occasional chicken dish, so I have been making tons of vegetable dishes. I regularly make a lot of Mexican and Southwestern food, lots of soups and stews, salsas and sauces and things with my immersion blender, stepped-up variations on simple things like mac & cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches. I did find yeast and will get more into breads in the coming months once I can stand to have the oven on again as we are in a heatwave again. I keep trying to make fresh pizza dough, but I still cannot spin or flatten dough to save my life.
In terms of entertainment, what movies, TV shows, books, or games have been keeping you busy?
I have been reading Lovecraft, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and just started the Faith No More book. We are getting Mary Trump’s book this week and my mother-in-law is giving us John Bolton’s book. TV is mostly news. Movies are all over the place; lots of cinema at night. I watch a ton of horror, suspense, drama, and explosive action movies but my wife needs lighthearted stuff and comedies so we have to switch it up; for every Will Ferrell movie I even it out with an Event Horizon, Halloween, or Outbreak.
What advice do you have for your fans in isolation during this time?
Be aware of what is going on in the world, as it is too pivotal a point in history to tune out. But also find plenty of time to be creative and let your mind free itself of the depression and angst. Get exercise. Call Mom. And wear a fucking mask so we can get back to some type of normalcy.
