Vocalist.Bassist.Road Warrior.Grand Theft Auto V enthusiast!?This edition of Fistful of Questions goes out to Mammoth Caravan frontman Brandon Ringo.
What is your full name?Brandon Lee Ringo
Do you have any aliases?Johnny Ringo
What bands are you actively involved with?Mammoth Caravan
What was the first instrument that you played?I learned bass a little bit in high school but couldn't learn what I wanted to learn so I got bored and gave up. It wasn't until May of 2020 that I officially decided to learn how to play music with full investment. My friend Brian of the band Boudain & The Holy Electric Sausage Kitchen helped me string up a crappy Fender knock off I had in my closet and I started learning Sabbath riffs and it felt powerful and cool.
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?For me, a critical first musical memory is the time my uncle was listening to the album Paranoid by Black Sabbath in his truck and it was mostly just noise to me at the time and then "Electric Funeral'' played and it caught my attention and scared the shit out of me. That simple pair of opening riffs made me feel incredible and awful and I ended up stealing the cd so I could listen to it more.
What was the name of the first band you were in?The Mitch Laing Band, a rock/punk band from Monroe, Louisiana. A lot of their songs are about comic characters and Naruto and that's the band that taught me how to be in a band and play on the road.
Tell me about the genesis of Mammoth Caravan.I lived in Louisiana and got a job offer in Little Rock in January of 2022 and came to visit and saw a death metal show was happening at the Whitewater Tavern. I met Robert that night and we kept in touch once I moved to LR and then on June 30 he asked me at a house show if I wanted to play sludge metal with him and I said yes.
On July 4 Robert asked if I wanted to join a group chat with a guy named Evan Swift who wanted to play guitar in a sludge band. We started a group chat, hung out at a show and then had practice. During that practice we wrote 2 songs and then decided to record them, those are the 2 songs that are on our 2022 Promo album. We wrote 3 more songs after that and had a 30 minute set locked in just in time for our first show August 22 with Telekinetic Yeti.
What inspired the name Mammoth Caravan?Robert presented the name in our group chat and included the logo that became our promo album cover and for me it was very difficult to not say yes. The name was inspired by the band Acid Mammoth and their album Caravan. My choices for band names were gonna be Ouidian Nazareth and Sludge Coffin.
How long did it take you to write and record Ice Cold Oblivion?Writing began on July 9, our first official practice. We got our first official show offer that day so we decided to record the songs and we turned them into our demo. Over the next few weeks Evan continued writing riffs and when we got back together we had 5 songs and a 30 minute set. Evan wrote one more song, Periglacial, in September and the album was ready. We rehearsed harder for the recording of the album than we did for any of our shows and when we went to Wolfman Studios in November, we recorded the album and had it mixed and mastered in two days and we called it ready.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?I would wanna be in Frozen Soul. They are still getting their foot in the door in a lot of places, but they have a huge label behind them and they sell crazy amounts of cool ass merch and also they play lots of cool tours and festivals and are getting a lot of awesome opportunities. I would love to experience the whirlwind life of being signed to a major label and getting to play super heavy music for a living.
Have you ever heard a song and immediately wished you had written it?If so... What was the song and artist?I wish I would have written the song Electric Funeral by the band Black Sabbath. It has the coolest, most menacing guitar riff I've ever heard and the lyrics and vocal style is completely horrifying.
Do you have any non-metal musical inspirations?One of my favorite bands of all time is Steely Dan, also one of my favorite karaoke songs ever is "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood.
What's a non-metal song that you'd like to do a cover of?I would wanna cover WWE theme songs.
What band have you played with that has really impressed you with their live show?
Malevich from Atlanta is a band we played with that I was completely blown away by their visceral performance. Also the thrash band Vermin Fate from Memphis has an insane live show!
Do you have a favorite venue to play at?HiTone Cafe in Memphis has become the Mammoth Caravan home away from home.
Do you have a pre-show ritual?Drink as much water as possible and make sure I piss before we go on. I use that time walking back from the bathroom to the stage to get my head in the right mindset.
What is your favorite thing about touring?Getting to make new friends and see places and bands I don't normally get to see.
What is your least favorite thing about touring?For me personally, there is nothing that I hate about being on the road. The adventure of it makes me feel so alive and fulfilled. I love getting to play heavy metal for and scream at strangers, there is no better feeling in the world.
Is there a city that you love to hit while on tour?Minneapolis, Minnesota is a bucket list city for us, also Tampa, Florida!
What's the weirdest experience you've had on the road?Playing inside an old bus station in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana. The whole room was made of bricks, it smelled kinda funny, the mic kept cutting out and our guitarists amp died twice, but it was still intensely fun!
I was in 8th grade in Louisiana and I listened to bands like Metallica, Black Sabbath, Linkin Park, Sevendust and Powerman 5000
What advice would you give young musicians that are just starting out in the music business?Always be kind. Kindness will get you everywhere in this business and being an asshole will get you nowhere.
What is an absolute band killer?Hard drugs, alcohol and giant egos.
Have you ever recorded a song that you really didn't like, but somebody else in the band really did?Yes I did in an old band and it was very awkward. It's one of those things where you just play the song to the best of your ability and pray it doesn't go on the setlist.
If you were to start your own music festival what would be the name of that festival and who would be the three headlining bands?Warrmageddon Fest: Electric Wizard, Monster Magnet and Godflesh
What's the longest time you've gone without bathing?6 days
What's one thing that most people don't know about you?My first concert was Celine Dion.
Is the Fistful of DOOM show in the top 10 of your favorite music podcasts?Absolutely! Fistful of DOOM rules!!!
Do unicorns sleep standing up?No, they sleep on their side.
Wyndrider - Wyndrider
Van Buren - Flameless Forge
Second Life - American Nightmare
You're driving cross-country and you can only listen to one album the whole time.What album will it be?Steely Dan - Aja
You are writing a book about your life thus far.What is the title of that book?ADHD as fuck: The Brandon Ringo Story
What is your favorite song by Taylor Swift?Wildest Dreams
Slipknot or Rammstein (if you had to choose)?Slipknot's music but Rammstein's live show
Doobies or Boobies (if you had to pick one)?Boobies without question.
Waffles or Pancakes (if you had to pick one)?Waffles but only cause I am obsessed with Waffle House
Star Wars or Star Trek (if you had to choose)?Star Wars, never seen Star Trek
Favorite band t-shirt you own?Megadeth Rust In Peace tour or Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean
Chicken fried steak with rice, white gravy, Lima beans, hot water cornbread and lemonade
Favorite book?The Watchmen by Alan Moore
Favorite movie?Fargo or Anchorman
Favorite album?Kill 'Em All by Metallica
Favorite video game?Grand Theft Auto V, I have beaten that game like 4 times all the way through and it never gets old.
Favorite Professional Wrestler?The Rock, but also Ultimate Warrior and Sabu
(Interviewere's note....Fuck Yes, Sabu!!!!)
Massive thank you to Brandon for taking the time to answer my questions.I appreciate you!As for the rest of you, you know what to do.Click on that link so generously provided below and wrap your ears around Ice Cold Oblivion by Mammoth Caravan.You will be greeted by some filthy, righteous and heavy tunes and you will not be disappointed!~El Pedo Caliente (aka Uncle Jameson from the Fistful of DOOM show)
https://mammothcaravan.bandcamp.com/album/ice-cold-oblivion
