Joe Preston isn’t about to flier the town begging people to come to his show. Not only does embarking on a month-long tour across the country without a crew or manager leave little time for publicity, but the man behind the solo sludge-metal project Thrones would rather skip the antics and just play music.
Between being the bassist for the Melvins and Earth in the early ’90s and contributing to a slew of others, including High On Fire and The Need – not to mention the five bands he’s currently in – Preston has earned quite a cult following over the years. Unlike most enigmatic figures, though, his core audience can’t be properly categorized.
“”I don’t know if there was really a genre when I started doing this,”” he said of his experimental, often dissonant endeavor. Since he began performing as Thrones in 1994, he has shared venues with all breeds of heavy bands, from stoner rock to “”bands who sound like Gang of Four.””
Even in the midst of hardcore’s heyday, Preston’s paste of distorted bass, groaning vocals and drum machines is more a steady presence than a sweeping sensation.
Musical tastes change, crowd types move in cycles, but Preston is sure of at least one thing: He doesn’t mind taking a road trip with an empty passenger’s seat. (Or 15 empty passenger’s seats, for that matter.)
“”Going on tour by yourself is great,”” he said, dispelling any notions of loneliness or boredom. “”I think it’s harder to keep myself sane when touring with other people.””
For a guy who creates so much doom and gloom, it is somewhat surprising – or perhaps entirely fitting – that his home listening selection consists primarily of soundtracks and Italian pop artists from the ’60s.
“”I don’t really listen to a lot of heavy music,”” he said.
As his solo tour reaches the East Coast in mid-June, he will join Mick Barr of Ocrilim for a few shows, and in July he will tour Europe as the bassist for Georgia-based hard rock outfit Harvey Milk.
“”I’m kind of burned out on touring,”” he said. “”Which is kind of funny ’cause I’m about to do a lot of it.””
Thrones performs at 9 p.m. Tuesday at Solar Culture, 31 E. Toole Ave. Doors open at 8:30. Tickets are $10 for this all-ages show.
