Feature / One Question Interviews
Ice Dragon

Words: Sarah • February 11, 2014

Ice Dragon
Ice Dragon

Ron Rochondo (Ice Dragon)

SPB: How much recording time is spent purposefully making your music sound artfully dirty, and how much of it is pure happenstance?

Rochondo: I love this question, mainly because I think a lot of people think that we are just lazy about recording or don't know how to do it well and that is not the case at all. Do we have really expensive fancy gear? No. So a lot of it comes from using a 4-track and shitty mics and amps. But, you can get a really boring and "good" sounding record with a 4-track and shitty mics. And we don't need to be using the 4-track, we have a nice DAW as well. We choose to make our recordings sound artfully dirty because we hate the slicked up homogenized nonsense that most bands strive for. I sit down in my basement sometimes for an entire weekend trying to get a song to sound perfectly shitty. Haha. I like to think there's an art to that: getting the right balance of shitty blown out awfulness and listenability. That being said.... A lot of it does come from the fact that we record ourselves, in a basement, and we drink a lot. So there's the occasional "Oh shit I didn't have the guitar mic on that entire time man."

Sarah • February 11, 2014

Ice Dragon
Ice Dragon

Related features

Shane Embury

One Question Interviews • April 23, 2025

Shane Embury (Napalm Death, solo) What is it like playing a solo set as an opener for "the Napalm Death" crowd (as compared to a solo set with an unfamiliar audience)? Playing the Dark Sky Burial set, I feel at times is a daunting task but the reception so far … Read more

Dave Eats Mud

One Question Interviews • April 22, 2025

Andrew (Dave Eats Mud - drums) SPB: What’s your favorite ‘90s deep cut in the 3 formats: punk, pop, TV series? Andrew: So many good ‘90s punk deep cuts to choose from, but I'll go with 88 Fingers Louie's "Something I Don't Know" off their album Behind Bars. ‘90s pop … Read more

Allegedly Records

One Question Interviews • April 21, 2025

Bree (Allegedly Records) SPB:Do you accept demos? What is the most surprising demo you’ve received? Bree: We do accept demos! Since Amy is on the west coast and I'm on the east coast, this is a great way for us to listen to bands in other areas of the country … Read more

Chuck Ragan

Fly fishing tour guide

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • April 14, 2025

How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene Point Blank looks at how musicians split their time, and how their careers influence their music (or how their music provides escape). In this edition, we caught up … Read more

Jumalvauhti

One Question Interviews • March 27, 2025

Kalle (Jumalvauhti – bass) SPB: Who is your favorite band/artist from the 2000-2010 era? Kalle: It's hard to say, but Destiny's Child definitely can't go wrong.  Read more

Related news

Related reviews

Ice Dragon

The Soul's Midnight
Independent (2013)

As far as downright ass-dirty stoner metal goes, Ice Dragon are amongst the best. Their latest EP, The Soul's Midnight, sounds absolutely disgusting, and I mean that as a compliment. The tastefully low-quality production actually enhances the low, grumbling, psychedelic ramblings, creating an air of confused haziness about the album that I suspect could only be reproduced by copious amounts … Read more

More from this section

Shane Embury

One Question Interviews • April 23, 2025

Shane Embury (Napalm Death, solo) What is it like playing a solo set as an opener for "the Napalm Death" crowd (as compared to a solo set with an unfamiliar audience)? Playing the Dark Sky Burial set, I feel at times is a daunting task but the reception so far … Read more

Dave Eats Mud

One Question Interviews • April 22, 2025

Andrew (Dave Eats Mud - drums) SPB: What’s your favorite ‘90s deep cut in the 3 formats: punk, pop, TV series? Andrew: So many good ‘90s punk deep cuts to choose from, but I'll go with 88 Fingers Louie's "Something I Don't Know" off their album Behind Bars. ‘90s pop … Read more

Allegedly Records

One Question Interviews • April 21, 2025

Bree (Allegedly Records) SPB:Do you accept demos? What is the most surprising demo you’ve received? Bree: We do accept demos! Since Amy is on the west coast and I'm on the east coast, this is a great way for us to listen to bands in other areas of the country … Read more