MASTODON's BRANN DAILOR: METALLICA Made 'American Dream' Seem Possible For Newer Metal Bands

In a brand new interview with The Aquarian Weekly, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor was asked if he felt like it was “a miss” when his band was nominated for a “Best Metal Performance” Grammy for the song “High Road” but lost out to comedy duo TENACIOUS D.

“No, it’s a Grammy, what else?” he replied. “It’s not something I really think about that much, especially when we’re making the kind of music we’re doing.

“It’s cool to be nominated, because, I mean, metal never really was a part of that whole world. METALLICA got so big and it wasn’t a category but they couldn’t ignore it anymore, so they had to put it in there. Now it’s a staple but it’s not televised.”

He continued: “It’s cool to be invited. It’s cool to go and represent for heavy music and be the band that got picked to be there. It’s nice to show ‘we’re musicians, too.’ We’re some of the most exciting people writing and recording their own music and pushing limits of their musicianship just as far as the jazz guys out there. It’s cool to tell mom and dad, grandma and grandpa. It would be cool to get one just to show that this is still a possible thing. You can start out in a van and make songs with your friends, and you can play in VFW halls and basements and write all your own music, produce all your own albums, and you can win a Grammy! For us, you can get nominated for three Grammys, get invited to their show, and be a band that started off as the so-called ‘American Dream.’ It would be cool to show that’s possible.”

Dailor added: “METALLICA made it seem possible to me that you could be some kid, practice, jam out with your friends and you can achieve that much — you can touch people’s lives with your music if you just work really hard.”

MASTODON received its first Grammy nomination in 2006 for the single “Colony Of Birchmen”, from the band’s Reprise debut album, “Blood Mountain”. The second Grammy nomination was for “Curl Of The Burl”, the first single from MASTODON‘s 2011 CD, “The Hunter”. MASTODON‘s third Grammy-nominated song, “High Road”, was featured on last year’s “Once More ‘Round The Sun” album.