When Between the Buried and Me started writing their latest album without guitarist Dustie Waring, who exited the band in 2023, Paul Waggoner says the remaining quartet were excited about the unknown.
Waring, who first appeared on the band’s 2005 album Alaska, will not be replaced on a permanent basis. Sometime in February’s Tristan Auman continues as a live member to augment Waggoner, bassist Dan Briggs, vocalist/keyboardist Tommy Giles Rogers and drummer Blake Richardson on stage.
“The fun part was not knowing where everybody’s heads are at,” Waggoner says of moving on. “The first thing Dan sent was what would become Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark, with the guitar and bass playing hot-potato with all these licks. It really got the creative juices flowing.”
The Blue Nowhere is another technicolor collection of genre-bastardizing songs, presenting another surprise-laden chapter in the band’s ever-evolving, sound. While fragments of their brutal death metal remain, they’re far more panoramic today – and Wagonner says he’s happy to be aging gracefully.
How do you navigate your chaotic blend of genres?
“We try to make sure there’s a musical thread between very different ideas. With Absent Thereafter, we ride the country idea – that bluesy I-IV-V progression – in various formats. We’re not just cramming parts into songs for the hell of it; we really try to get a bang for our buck.
“I’ve always wanted us to be like the metal band that does everything. And now the expectation is that we’re going to bring different influences to the table that don’t traditionally work in heavy music.”
Would you describe yourself as a metal guitarist?
“I’m a rock guitarist who dabbles in a bunch of different stuff. I'm a child of the ’90s; grunge is still at the core of what I do. Over the years I learned how to play metal from a technical standpoint – I really worked on it. But that's just one thing that I've tried to add to my arsenal.
“I’m not the world’s best guitar player, but I try to be well-versed enough in different styles to execute what I hear in my head.”
Did writing without Dustie weigh heavily?
“Once we got into the weeds of writing, the guys had such an abundance of ideas that the back-and-forth felt very inspiring and efficient. Going into the studio, I just needed to wrap my head around the music and have a good handle on all the guitar parts.
“As I get older, I try to see every challenge as an opportunity to prove something to myself. I made sure I was on my game and accountable. I probably did put extra work in, but it was fun.”
Were you always going to remain a two-guitar band post-Dustie?
“The two-guitar thing is very much the crux of the band. The four of us have been writing records together for a long time. We didn't want to mess with that chemistry. Tristan is cool with that; he’s happy to learn the parts. I try to give him a sneak peek when we’re writing so he knows what he’s in for.
“We were all very confident that we could write a kick-ass record with the four of us – and we did. But you never know what the future holds.”
How is Tristan settling in?
“He’s a sponge! He learns so fast and his work ethic is insane. He’s kind of an old soul; he’s 20 years younger than me but he’s wise beyond his years, and just a joy to have around.”
What guitars did you use on the album?
“I’m a pretty simple guy. I like whatever works, and I stick with it. I used my signature guitars – the Ibanez PWM10 and the PWM20 – for most of the leads and rhythms, but I also used the AZS, which is Ibanez’s Tele copy, and I freaking love it.
Theory is a nice road map when writing, but it doesn’t tell you where to go. Ultimately you have to trust your gut
“I used it on Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark, Blue Nowhere, and some leads in Psychomanteum and Absent Thereafter to get that spanky Tele sound.
“Live, I do not like switching at all. We’re going to do it a little bit on this next tour, because we wanna use the Tele for those songs, but I’m a minimalist. I want to use the least amount of gear possible.”
What about tones?
“We’re pretty much exclusively using Kemper, although Tristan uses a Quad Cortex. I’m primarily using a profile of my old rack-mount Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, a Friedman mod profile for some lead and mid-gain stuff, and a Friedman and sometimes a Port City for cleans.
“For rhythm tones, I want something that feels good, has clarity and a lot of warmth. I’ll strum a big minor 9th chord; if I can hear all those notes from the low-end of the spectrum to the high, and it’s relatively even, that’s great.”
What’s the hardest riff to play on the album?
“There’s a whammy dive riff in Psychomanteum that’s diabolically tricky. We haven’t played it live yet, but I’m already panicking about the day I have to! I think it’s one of the hardest BTBAM songs to play – I’ve already warned Tristan about it!”
How important is theory to you?
“I have a pretty in-depth theory knowledge. It’s a great communication tool, and it can provide a nice road map when songwriting, but it doesn’t necessarily tell you where to go. Ultimately you have to trust your gut. What you hear in your head is what you’re trying to execute on the instrument. Then the super-atonal stuff is about capturing an emotion or an energy. Theory doesn’t even equate.”
How would you compare the Paul Waggoner who started BTBAM with the Paul Waggoner of today?
“They’re totally different. I think my style has evolved into a less technical and more melodically and harmonically mature style. There’s still a lot of chaos and technical metal in what I do, but it’s more rooted in musicality now, and that dictates how I’m playing.
“I’m using a lot more hybrid and economy picking; my vibrato used to be very mechanical, but it’s more human now. I’ve kind of become fixated on expression rather than precision.
“There's always going to be somebody faster and cleaner. Why even try to climb that mountain? I never wanted to be a guitar hero – I just wanted to be in a cool band.”
- The Blue Nowhere is out now via InsideOut Music. Head to Between the Buried and Me for more.
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