A Dirty Dozen with NODAR KHUTORTSOV of FELLAHIN FALL – May 2020

According to a recent press release: “Brooklyn industrial rockers FELLAHIN FALL continue to promote the release of their debut LP, ‘Tar a-Kan’, which dropped last week. The band has premiered the official lyric video for the track “Rover” exclusively via No Clean Singing. Founded by songwriter Nodar Khutortsov in the summer of 2018, Fellahin Fall was initially conceived of as a synth-centered darkwave project. Through many iterations of the music, the group would evolve into the the gothic-industrial band it is today. Patrick Reilly of Tengger Cavalry, drummer Eugene Bell and rhythm guitarist Raphael Pinsker of Fin’amor, and bassist Mark Morrill complete the lineup. The upcoming album ‘Tar a-Kan’ is narrated by and named after a man in the near future who is ravaged by the change of time, technology, and himself. Tar a-Kan struggles to come to terms with his ever evolving state and the crushing urbana that surrounds him.” We get Nodar to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

There are often 2 narrators throughout the album: the narrator that he is or has become and the narrator as he perceives himself in the platonic ideal. This contradistinction is prominent throughout songs such as “That Night” and “Caught Between”. The title of the album was inspired in some ways by Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I grew up around music, it has been part of my life for as long as I could remember. Whether it was the vibration of violin strings or the hammering of piano keys, I was always immersed. The trumpet was actually the first instrument I played.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I could always listen to Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson. Something about the album always speaks to me. Maybe it’s glamour, maybe it’s sadness – that album always inspires me.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Type 0 Negative, Diary of Dreams, Marilyn Manson, Assemblage 23(early albums), and European Doom.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I would love to hear Rob Dougan’s raspy voice over one of my songs. His album Furious Angels always takes me on an emotional ride.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

While I am sure like most bands, I would like to believe that my sound is absolutely unique, but I know better and would say that if you took European doom and added some elements of gothic rock and contemporary synths, you’d get Fellahin Fall.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

The best thing about being a musician is the worst thing about being a musician; there is no hiding behind anybody. This is your face, your work, your life that is being judged every time somebody hears a song. There are no weekends, I must create when I hit that creative roll: 2pm, 2am, Tuesday or Saturday.

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I’ll be honest, every time I see an acoustic guitar I can’t resist and must strum some chords. Our guitar player Pat loves his tequila, so I am sure he is always well prepared!

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

I haven’t really been star struck, but I definitely felt those butterflies in my stomach when my prior band got a chance to open for Swallow the Sun and Dark Tranquility at Gramercy Theater in New York City. It was the first time in my band life that I felt I was on the right path to being a ‘real’ metal musician, as well as just being around band whom I admire a great deal.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

I have a degree (BA) in philosophy, so unemployment would have been the norm – regardless.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

This is still early enough in my career that I hope all that has happened, positive and negative are moments to learn from and not lament over.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would love to be in the studio for the recording of NIN’s The Downward Spiral. Reznor is an absolute genius and I would have loved to see some of his earliest works during the recording process.

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Category: Interviews