Credited with a degree in psychology, Ben Weinman is not your average punk-rock guy. The 33-year-old founding guitarist with New Jersey-based math-rock quintet Dillinger Escape Plan believes his decade as a touring musician has been a lesson in the workings of the human psyche.
“I can say that playing in a band is a huge psychological experiment,” he reasons on the phone from the US. “Dealing with five individuals and living that closely to them all the time where every decision you make affects more than just you is an understanding of restraint. It’s really like being married to four or five other people. I don’t know if that’s why I’m the only one still in the band today, ha, but it’s certainly an interesting sociological situation to be in.”
Weinman is no control freak however. DEP singer Greg Puciato, bassist Liam Wilson and recently retired (due to injury) drummer Chris Pennie have been by his side since the late 90s, shortly after he formed the group in high school armed with a “crappy guitar and a drummer who played on pots and pans”.
“It’s crazy, it seems like it was just yesterday when we started,” says Weinman. “But I think the common thread beside myself is just the ethic and the intent behind everything. It’s great to know that 10 or 12 years ago I had a vision and I got together to make something special. And to this day I’m able to continue to fulfil that need because I’ve found great people to help me to do it.”
So has that vision been realised yet?
“I think so,” he says. “At the moment we’re working on a DVD on the early years of the band and looking back it makes you think a lot about what your purpose was and why you’re doing what you’re doing and how you’ve changed. Back then, our goal was just to make music that we loved in front of a few people and maybe make it to the other coast of America and play California – then we’ve made it.
“All of us were working or going to school, we had no intention of doing this for a living. We started with just the intention of making an impact in the small subculture in which we were playing and to this day we still look at the crowd as individuals, we don’t look at them as one giant entity or market.”
Last year’s Steve Evetts-produced Ire Works album certainly drew rich praise from critics and peers alike for its unorthodox grooves and eccentric musicianship.
“I think the most important thing in keeping culture and art moving is to try to create a paradigm shift within your genre but to also maintain the ethics and the attitude that made that genre or subculture great to begin with,” reasons Weinman. “So for us it was always about coming into the punk scene and incorporating all these things that influenced us growing up, from listening to show tunes with my parents or listening to metal or getting into fusion acts like King Crimson.”
Currently writing new material for Ire Works’ successor, Weinman expects many of those elements to seep into the next album, slated for release this year.
“So far the songs are sounding just really uncomfortable,” he says, “and there’s a lot of tension - it’s very different. I think it’s definitely time to make people uncomfortable again. As of right now I’m getting migraines working on it so I’m sure it’ll piss off a few people as usual!”
Resting up before hitting Australia for the Soundwave caravan next month, Weinman believes he’s blessed to have had music as a loyal confidant throughout the years.
“At the end of the day music is always there for you,” he says. “Friends come and go, girlfriends come and go but music will always be there. It’s such a gift to be able to have a form of expression and pick up a guitar or get on a drum stool and use music and be a part of something that you’re a fan of for so long. Growing up, music was the soundtrack to my life and so to participate and make a living doing it is unbelievable.”
Dillinger Escape Plan play the Soundwave festival at RNA Showgrounds on Saturday February 21.
