Intronaut Cracks the Skye

So back when I started all this I wrote about INTRONAUT's Spring tour with NACHTMYSTIUM, KYLESA and THE HAUNTED.  Well, that tour is no more.  The almighty MASTODON has claimed INTRONAUT and KYLESA for its own.  We asked Intronaut's guitarist/vocalist Sascha Dunable a few questions about it all:

How did this tour come about? 

Well we got submitted for it, like with any tour, and somehow we got picked.  I don't know if Danny and Joe both touring with them in other bands had any effect on it, but it’s possible.  

Are these the biggest venues you have ever played? 

A lot of the places have names with the word "theater" which would make me assume so.  We normally play places with the words "bar", "club" or "shit hole" in the name.

Any cities you're particularly looking forward to playing?   

As always, New York and Brooklyn.  There are also lots of Canadian shows in cities I haven't been to since I was a little kid (most of my moms family is from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia), so I might see some relatives.  Also, touring through there will be cool since we never have.  The whole east coast is always the best shows, so all of that really.

I know this tour cannot include Los Angeles because of Mastodon's appearance at Coachella - you have any plans for warm-up gigs in Los Angeles?

Well we are playing The Echoplex on April 17th with Kylesa and Made Out Of Babies, which is the day Mastodon are at Coachella I think.  Nothing before that though.

Will Intronaut be trying out any new material on this tour? 

No, we don't have any!  Not show-ready at least.  We haven't actually been on tour since the last album was officially released, so we should probably play those songs for people.

What's the plan for the next album? 

After this summer we will be taking some time off to write it, I think.  There are some ideas floating around, but we still have a long way to go.  Maybe we'll record late in 2010?

Last time I saw Mastodon, their drummer Brann Dailor was wearing a King Diamond shirt - what are your thoughts on the King?

I've never really been a huge fan, but for some reason I have seen him live like five times.  But yeah, Mercyful Fate and King Diamond never did a whole lot for me.  I met his guitarist, Andy LaRocque, once and he was really nice to me. 

You have any thoughts on fellow co-openers Kylesa? From what I've heard of the new album, it sounds they're taking their sound to a new level?   

I just got their new record, and I think it is definitely their best yet.  The production is awesome, the drummers sound great together, and the riffs are crushing.  I actually haven't seen them play in many years, so I'm stoked to see them now and hang out or whatever.  

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Here are the dates:

4/10 Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Theater
4/11 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
4/13 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
4/14 Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
4/16 Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad 
4/16 Phoenix, AZ @ Martini Ranch
4/17 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex (w/ Kylesa and Made Out Of Babies)
4/18 Santa Cruz, CA @ Vets Hall (w/ Kylesa)
4/19 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
4/21 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
4/22 Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
4/23 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
4/24 Calgary, AB @ MacEwen Ballroom
4/25 Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Ballroom
4/26 Saskatoon, SK @ The Odeon
4/28 Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
4/29 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Hall
4/30 Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/1 Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
5/2 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
5/4 Montreal, QC @ Le National
5/5 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
5/6 Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt (Intronaut and Kylesa only)
5/7 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
5/8 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
5/9 New York, NY @ Fillmore - Irving Plaza
5/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/11 Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head (Intronaut and Kylesa only)
5/12 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
5/13 Carbarro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
5/14 Ashville, NC @ Orange Peel
5/15 Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage

In Mastodon news, they've announced they will be playing their whole new album, Crack the Skye, in its entirety and in order.  And today, they give us the premiere of the video for their first single of the March 28th release, "Divinations":

Mastodon - New Music - More Music Videos

And, finally, Kylesa has shit going on too.  Static Tensions, set to be released on March 17th, is available for pre-sale on both vinyl and CD.  If you can't wait that long, their limited edition 7" is available now.