Lamp of the Universe & Datura interview with Craig Williamson
New Zealand based multi-instrumentalist Craig Williamson has released a lot of albums in the last decade. He has also been in a band called Datura and Arc of Ascent.
Lamp of the Universe has a brand new album out. What can you tell us about the recording of Transcendence?
Yes, psychedelic and spiritual is what I was going for with this album…maybe some say it’s on all of my albums…Transcendence was recorded over about 18 months, just on and off, in between what I’ve been doing with my band Arc of Ascent. Things had been proceeding pretty slow at times within the band, for one reason or another, and I had a fair bit of time to get things rolling with this album. The recording, as I always do, is done in my little home studio…all the writing is done there too. It takes a long time to record all the instruments yourself, but I’ve found that once I get on a roll things seem to happen allot faster, and I get a “sense” of where I need to go musically, what the songs need, and this time around I felt like it needed to be a bit more “song” based but still have something within the individual songs that flow together as a whole.
Did you have anything special in mind?
No nothing any different really from other albums, thinking back about it now maybe just a “feeling” I was going for, which I hadn’t quite got to on other albums…I had a couple of songs on the go around the time Arc of Ascent put out The Higher Key, and because we didn’t do anything to support that album gig-wise I had allot of time to write new music…so I just went from there.
Who were your major influences?
The first stuff I heard from the original “hippie” era and liked was when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old. The Doors, Floyd, Beatles, Hendrix…so this would have been in the early 80’s…the Beatles are still my absolute favourite of all time, maybe closely followed by Black Sabbath. But in the early 90’s I started really getting into the Psych and Prog stuff. So to start with it was bands like Gong, Yes, Hawkwind, Donovan, Grateful Dead etc then once Cranium Music started up more underground obscure bands and labels…so all that private press early 90’s scene was a big influence on me with Lamp of the Universe, so we’re talking stuff on labels like Delerium, Rockadelic, Xotic Mind, Acme, Akarma, See For Miles, PSF etc. There’s many albums I still like from my teenage years, American Beauty – The Grateful Dead, Close to the Edge – Yes, Waiting for the Sun – The Doors….way too many to list.
“It’s kind of like a journey, and when you get to the end you’ve arrived at complete transcendence”
Is there a concept behind your latest album?
The songs are set out in a way so it’s kind of like a journey, and when you get to the end you’ve arrived at complete transcendence….well hopefully…but I guess it’s more like you can take it as you want, actively be involved or just observe the journey, your choice, both are fine.
How about the cover artwork?
The artwork on this album was done by an amazing artist form the USA Paul Heussentamm, but everyone that’s been involved in other albums has been awesome too, Andrea Frostman, Franz Landl to name just two of them.
You originally started in a band called Datura?
Yea Datura, that wasn’t my first band, but it was the first one that people heard about that weren’t in New Zealand. That was a crazy time back then, 14-15 years ago now, I was starting to get into the heavy psych thing allot so got a band together to, well, nothing was really planned, so probably just play some gigs, write some songs, see how it goes, hopefully do some recording – ended up doing two fairly cool albums, second one under a bit of stress and bullshit which split the band up….so that led me to doing things on my own musically for ten years. But hey, you live and you learn right? I’m really proud of those albums actually, some fucken great music on those recordings.
What’s the story behind Datura?
Yea it is a bit different from Lamp of the Universe, not too different to the band I’ve got together now Arc of Ascent though, there are a few similarity’s there…..actually after Datura split up I really really felt like getting away from heavy rock music for awhile, burnt-out you might say, and so went for something else that I was getting into as well, the hippie-psych-folk-whatever thing, man I love that stuff.
What’s the scene in New Zealand?
Maybe not too many psych bands or artists in New Zealand these days, well, that I can think of…more the heavy stoner sludge thing that could be relevant here….so at the top of the list would be Beastwars from Wellington, very cool band, Meth Drinker which is real dirty sludgy doom also from Wellington, a few others, can’t think of any names at the moment though.
Datura’s albums were released on Cranium and Astral Projection and last year Krauted Mind released a vinyl edition. Is there a chance for reunion? You formed another similar project called Arc of Ascent with some of the past Datura members. Arc of Ascent released albums via Krauted Mind Records and Clostridium Records.
We’ve been lucky that those Datura records are still floating around, crazy really, but I’m really grateful for that, and that we still have fans all around the world…no we won’t be getting back together, that boat has sailed long long ago, some peoples priorities change as time goes on which is understandable and each member is doing “other” things. I’m the only one who’s still playing music actually. So Arc of Ascent is really an updated version of Datura. The two Arc of Ascent albums Circle of the Sun and The Higher Key have gone really well, some people seem to remember thee ole Datura and that I was in that band, and can hear some things that are similar, so all good. We’re very happy to have Clostridium Records in Germany putting out our albums on vinyl, and Krauted Mind too of course, things will continue be released this way, my label – Astral projection for CD, and Clostridium for the high quality vinyl.
Would it be possible for you to comment on Lamp of the Universe discography?
The Cosmic Union
First solo album I tried to do…completely by myself…recorded on a crappy 8 track recorder. Songs picked from about a million demos I did on an even shitter 4 track recorder, many of which have never come out. Thought it would never sell, so I numbered all the first pressing, which was supposed to be the only press, was completely amazed that Cranium Music – the New Zealand label that put it out had to repress it. Now it’s been repressed about 10 times. Realised that I might be able to maybe do another one.
Echo in Light
Recorded on the same crappy 8 track. Started to spread-out a bit more, jam a bit, instrumental at the end and all…crazy…went ok, then the label that put it out, Cranium Music, folded and took what money they owed me with them. Oh well, just carry on…with no plan!
Heru
First album on my new 16 track recorder because the 8 track died. Sat on this album after finishing it for over a year, not being sure what to do with it, being almost completely instrumental – something I had always wanted to do, ah, do an instrumental album that is…decided to start another lot of recordings…Ended up getting it released on limited CDR at Barlfire Recordings in the UK, sold out in a week, so again amazed, had to repress it, this time on proper CD.
Earth, Spirit & Sky
Still with no plan, recorded this one, felt way better about it and somehow got it released on the legendary September Gurls Records in Germany on LP, and the equally legendary Timothy Renner’s label Hand/Eye on CD. My only almost completely acoustic album.
From the Mystic Rays of Astrological Light
Finally got my shit together and started my own label, Astral Projection. Again, an instrumental album like Heru but without the eastern thing too much, more space jammin’ drone music. Had a blast recording it, confused allot of people with this one though I think, some aren’t too keen on it – I have been told by some fans it’s my best one!
Arc of Ascent
An experiment of the Kawabata eastern drone variety, no proper drumbeats, no proper vocals, bowed Sitar, violin etc, crazy album. I Released it as a limited edition CDR because I thought this would really confuse people, it did. Sold out in three days….Sonic Mediations in the USA re-released it on cassette, fuck yea, now that’s underground.
Acid Mantra
This one was written and recorded around the same time the first Arc of Ascent line-up was getting together, so around 07/08 so I was maybe a little influenced by the “band” thing, or the “regular song” thing a bit, ie no drone music. Took an age to feel happy about putting it out, but eventually got over myself and put it out. Looking back I’m very happy how it turned out now, after beating myself up about it for awhile thinking it was crap, I’m sure most musicians go through that.
I noticed there was another album released under your real name back in 1999?
Yes, it was called Craig – Lotus of a Thousand Petals. Those are recordings from the 4 –track I had, I felt it was a bit too “low-fi” so i re-recorded it, changed a couple of tracks and that became The Cosmic Union. I hand made all the covers and booklets for that, man what a hell of a lot of work.
What’s currently on your turntable?
Yes I’m a vinyl fan. When I started buying music all there was were LPs and cassettes, so I’ve always mostly bought vinyl to listen to at home, to me it just sounds more “real”. What’s on my turntable today? Rush – Fly by Night. Yesterday it was Cosmic Jokers. Interesting recommendations? Nothing that the readers wouldn’t already know about….
How about books?
For sure. I’m into reading about allot on history topics, Ancient cultures, religions, gnostic scriptures etc….also I’m big on the rock star biography, last one I read was either the Tony Iommi one or it might have been the AC/DC one.
What are some future plans?
Writing and rehearsing the new Arc of Ascent album right now, third album, right on!
Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.
Just to thank everyone all round the world who listens to what i do, and who buys a Cd, an LP, a T Shirt, it’s so greatly appreciated.
– Klemen Breznikar
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