Floridian post-metallers Pipe Dreamer just released their latest EP last week, The Past Is Just A Memory, and they’ve never married doom, sludge, and hyper emotional delivery quite like this. Add in the fact that they enlisted heavyweights Billy Anderson to mix and Brad Boatwright to master, and you know this sound will land in all the right ways. You can read up on Corey’s full reaction to the album in his review here. In addition, however, we also had the chance to pose our set of Profile questions to the band and guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist Zack Jones, who was kind enough to fire back with well thought-out answers. Jones calls this album a “cathartic piece of sonic art” and we could not agree more. Read on to gain an insight into the band and their music and be sure to hit the links below to show some love.

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

I first got into playing guitar around probably 15 or so, Lex even a little before that. Played my first shows around 17/18 doing bass for a hardcore punk band. My first punk show was a street punk band Lex was playing in during high school. I’ve always thought it was cool that my first punk show was seeing my little brother’s band. No pushback from parents, my dad bought me a Jackson Flying V and Lex his first drum set on the same Christmas. Lex has played drums in every band I’ve been in so far. He’s my rock! haha Pipe Dreamer started in 2017. I had been wanting to get a band back together for years and came to a sort of ‘now or never’ moment. Played our first show on 4/20/18. We’ve had lots of ups and downs in that time but we’re still going!

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

When I get this question from older folks or co-workers, I generally tell them something along the lines of, ‘I like to think of it as a mix between Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd, just not as good.’ Honestly, if we get even close to that being true I’m calling it a win.

Is there one (or more) thing about your latest / upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

Hmm. This is tough. I guess I’ll divulge that I plan to release a sort of ‘sister ep’ after this one. Ideally, one day releasing an LP with one EP on each side. Definitely a pipe dream of mine.  

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

Regretfully, I have not got the planets to align to get any touring together so far, though I have tried haha. The first thing that comes to mind is from when we played our sort-of hometown, Dunedin. A place known for its jam bands/townie/cover bands. I’m standing on stage, aluminum-necked Flying V leaned up against the cab and about to start… This older lady flags me down in front of the stage. I walk up and lean over and she says “hey its my friend’s birthday tonight, can you play ‘Stacy’s Mom?’” I was like ‘uhhhh we’re not really that kind of band.’ My buddy Ryan managed to capture this moment in action and you can see gears turning in my facial expression. So stoked he caught that haha.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

I have always felt like I was out of the loop or get the news late. I will say that I feel like I’m finally seeing more post-metal-esque bands putting music out. I am so stoked about that. Worst things? Hard to say, I think a lot of stuff is just personal taste. I wasn’t very into the blackened-everything trend that seemed to be surging in popularity the last few years. Nothing against any of those folks, it wouldn’t be surging if people weren’t diggin it. Just not really my thing.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

I don’t get into much social/political stuff as I don’t feel like it’s adding anything to put my two cents in when there are more educated and important voices that deserve to be heard. The issue in this most recent release of ours is addressing loss and some of the darkness we all eventually run into. Feeling alone, questioning how we can go on in this world with such terrible things goin on all the time. I just want to create something that someone can find comfort in or give them space to feel those hard emotions safely.

Do you guys have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

Oh yeah. I don’t think niche metal is paying anyone’s bills at this point. Probably never will, if it ever did. I work in an office now. Lex works in a sort of metal fab job. I had to leave the hospitality/shop fields cause it was just too hard on my body and my mind. We’re both into nature stuff, taking hikes, etc. I used to be big into video games, still love them, just can’t find as much time for them as I did when I was younger.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

I dont have any advice, I try not to give tips on things i don’t know anything about. I would like to say thanks to all the folks like Corey/Nine Circles that will give a chance to the lowly independents like myself. Not everyone can afford a PR campaign or to hire someone to do all this hard, tedious work. It’s very meaningful to get a warm reception from them and to get those little boosts to help find an audience. I’m sure it’s largely a thankless job most of the time so I try to express how much it means to me every chance I get.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

Too many! I feel like I come up with things I want for this band constantly and I gotta try to just pick one thing to shoot towards. A lot of times, I end up splitting my efforts too thin. I think that is more of a lifelong personal challenge though haha. I’d like to get some short tours in the books, I’d like to play some heavy-oriented fests out of state somewhere and play with some of the greats. Getting into dream-come-true territory would be opening for Yob or a Kylesa reunion show hahaha.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

I have been exploring more the last couple years than ever before. For years I stayed pretty strictly in the heavy territory and just repeating albums by artists I loved. Kylesa, Yob, Isis, Mouth of the Architect, Fall of Efrafa, etc. Recently I’ve been getting into the shoegazey and darkwave kind of stuff. Kicking is a great grungey-gazey band from MS I shoot the shit with pretty often. Leaving is a new band that i absolutely love. Their heavy yet delicate sound is amazing. Holy Fawn is another one in this similar vein. Got to see them on my anniversary last year and their live set was top tier. The last few months I’ve also surged back into my crusty favorites, His Hero is Gone, Morrow, Masakari, Autarch, etc.

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

Getting this EP out as far and wide as I can in June. Trying to get some more recording done for new stuff before the end of the year. We’ve had some line-up changes and im hoping the fruit of that is a wider availability and heightened ambition.  

Summarize your band in one word.

Cathartic.

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Many thanks to Zack for the time!

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The Past Is Just A Memory is out now. To stay in touch with Pipe Dreamer, give them a follow on Instagram or Facebook, and be sure to check out everything else on their Bandcamp page.