EMQ’s with SPACE COKE
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQ’s interview, with USA Stoner/Doom Metal band, Space Coke. Huge thanks to guitarist/vocalist, and main man, Reno Gooch, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
I am Reno Gooch. I am guitar and vocals for Space Coke. We started around late 2008 in Columbia, South Carolina. During the pandemic, I moved to Savannah, Georgia. The band line up has changed around me a few times, but I have been the songwriter and leader from day one. I consider Space Coke to be an organic collective of freaks and co-conspirators. Everyone that has contributed over the years is a member so to speak.
How did you come up with your band name?
It is from a scene in Cheech and Chong’s “Next Movie”, where Chong returns from space with a vial of Space Coke. The scene perfectly presents the essence of the band. Search for “Cheech and Chong Space Coke” on YouTube and you’ll see.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Space Coke started in Columbia, South Carolina USA. There is a good scene there. Our bassist Jay Matheson owns a studio there that has been around for over 25 years, and is the heart of the heavy music scene in the area, and beyond. It’s called The Jam Room. Bands such as Baroness, Kylesa, Black Tusk, Coffin Torture, The Queers, Oi Polloi, Appalachian Terror Unit, Damad, and a thousand others have recorded many albums there. My current home base is Savannah, Georgia, which is where those first three started. The Jam Room is still home sonically. Jay is a legendary engineer and bassist.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our album “Lunacy” will be released January 2022 on Forbidden Place Records.
Who have been your greatest influences?
The Butthole Surfers, Black Sabbath’s “Volume 4”, Helios Creed (and Chrome), Hendrix, Psychic TV. Too many to list but those are the main ones as far as Space Coke’s musical direction.
What first got you into music?
I’ve always been obsessed with noises and sound. When I was a child, I used to sit and twist the knobs on my grandfather’s short wave radio, just to find weird sounds. Once I finally had an electric guitar and amp, I’d just make weird sounds with it and listen to it, more than actually play it. Eventually someone gave me a Sonic Youth tape and I realized I could do something in a band setting with that.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
That’s a tough one. I love working with other artists. If I could have it my way, every song I did would be a collaboration. Let me say Kikagaku Moyo. I am a huge fan.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Any of them! Festivals are my favorite venue. Mostly because I want to be as loud as possible and festivals have bigger sound systems!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
A fan sent us the ashes of a loved one (also a fan) which we smoked with some hash.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Slow down and pay attention. The sensory overload and knee jerk reactions we are experiencing is by design. The way out is mindfulness and contemplation. Go slowly into the world and you will be harder to deceive. Stop and smell the fuzz!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Rock stars never die. Sound and light waves are an eternal language, and those that speak it from the heart are immortal. I’d say Hendrix, but I feel he would be annoyed about it and want to return to the other side.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I absolutely love making noise and having people show enthusiasm for it. I dislike the stagnant, social-ladder bar based gatherings that I’m forced to enter into, in order to make that happen.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
That it’s run by businessmen and corporations. Money sickens everything. It’s painful to be forced to deal with that world in order to be able to be an artist and also live.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“The Last Laugh” by Helios Creed. Truly the album I’d love to have made myself. It’s hard to make the guitars and vocals that weird but still work that well. And I saw him do it just as perfectly live on the tour for that album.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
They all have a place. I actually have different recordings that I prefer for each. For example: Vinyl: Band of Gypsys, Cassette: The Butthole Surfers Double Live, CD: Heavy Temple Lupi Amoris, Download: Moon Duo Stars Are the Light.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
We did a gig where during the opener a guy walked around giving everyone mushrooms out of a big jar. By the time we started it was chaos in the best way. The whole place was on a crazy vibe. I still hear stories that are new to me from that gig occasionally.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Something that required a lot of isolation. Like tending a Victorian graveyard. Although that’s not really isolation, is it?
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Shiva, Durga, Ganesha, Kali and Sita
What’s next for the band?
Setting up roots in Savannah and seeing what weird trip we can take next, musically speaking. I have lots of plans, but have changed a lot due to the pandemic, so I need to re-evaluate! Focusing on releasing the album currently.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
www.spacecoke.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/space_coke_sav/
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Although I’ve never tried them, that’s entirely dependent on their moisture content. I’m gonna guess and say they’re biscuit cakes.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for talking to me! Keep it weird and love one another. Keep your eyes and ears out for Space Coke “Lunacy” We are quite proud of it!
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