CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 129: EARTLESS ON THEIR AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Interview by Angela Croudace.
Few bands embody the spirit of sonic exploration quite like Earthless. With sprawling, improvisational compositions and an unshakable devotion to heavy psychedelia, the San Diego power trio have built a cult following across the globe. At their core lies guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, whose playing channels the raw heaviness of Sabbath while spiraling into uncharted cosmic terrain.
We caught up with Isaiah on a bittersweet day, reflecting on the passing of the legendary Ozzy Osbourne; an influence deeply woven into Earthless’s DNA. In our conversation, Isaiah opens up about the endurance of Sabbath’s legacy, the freedom of improvisation, the evolution of psych rock, and the magic of playing for Australian crowds.
What follows is a deep dive into the spirit of a band that refuses to compromise, embracing the long form, the journey, and the joy of being truly in the moment.
FMM: It’s such a heavy day today with the passing of the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. As someone who's helped carry that Sabbath torch into new dimensions with Earthless, it must hit close to home.
Isaiah: Yeah, I feel kind of at peace. I just know that he wasn't doing well anymore. I know he was sick and declining, and it's a nasty and very sad illness that he had. I think it's incredible and beautiful that he did play that concert, about a week ago or whatever. And, like, what a way to leave Earth, with such a, such an amazing gig celebrating the legacy of Sabbath and his solo career. It's incredible.
FMM: Earthless is renowned for long, immersive instrumentals. What do you think it is about those extended compositions that resonate so strongly with fans?
Isaiah: That’s a great question. It tests the patience and attention span, but I think people can just feel the journey, the peaks, the valleys. It's very visual, and it's there’s a lot of feeling in it. I feel this way with other bands; if you feel something that’s genuine, no matter what it is, and if it’s something that’s honest, it resonates. I do think that people pick up on that. I mean, we’re not trying to do anything. If anything, we’re trying to be as free as possible, play to have the true channels, be clear and us, resonate well, play well, and make it all as great as it can possibly be. I think people can feel that we’re up there, we’re playing music that we love to play, and we mean it. To me, that’s what resonates with people.
FMM: You guys pull from such rich spectrum of sound, from Sabbath to hypnotic textures of Japanese psych. Can you talk about how those particular influences first found their way into your playing? Was that a conscious decision or, something that naturally unfolded?
Isaiah: Just naturally unfolded. I think that with us, growing up with Black Sabbath, my dad was a fan, and so it was in my household very early on. There’s no escaping those influences. Growing up, I learned every Sabbath song note for note, so it’s part of my DNA as a musician and as a guitar player. No matter what, it’s going to seep through just like Hendrick or whoever else. That's just always there in some shape or form. I think that same goes with the other guys. We all individually grew up listening to that music. That's just what it is. And then, the Japanese stuff, Mike and Mario bonded over that on their own. I recall them talking about that before Earthless was a band. It was their love of the Japanese, psychedelic music of the 60s and 70s, that brough them together in the first place. There was that, and then they wanted to start a band. That and also the German Kraut rock movement. They came together with that and then they turned me on to it. I didn't know that music.
FMM: Do you approach your live sets differently from your studio recordings or are there shows where the real Earthless spirits thrives?
Isaiah: I think it’s all in the live shows, really. The studio’s one thing, but we’re a live band. I feel it’s fun and great to get creative and all that in the studio, but we’re definitely a live band, and it’s great because no show is going to the be the same. Early on is some of my favourite times because all our sets were improvised and we never rehearsed things. It’s just what happened. There are some great moments going back and listening to some of the music from then and I really wish we recorded a lot more of it because I feel that very inspired music there. Live is the way to experience Earth, I think.
FMM: Do you guys still do some improvising on stage?
Isaiah: Oh, yeah. There's a lot of it still. I mean, especially like, for me speaking. Yeah, there's a lot. But nothing like when we're going in fresh at the start of the show, not knowing what we're gonna play. We haven't done that in a while. We're usually just playing songs that we've written and then we go off here and there within the song. The last time we had a totally free show like that was when we did a show with Damo Suzuki at Roadburn in Tilburg, Holland in 2019. It was a full improvised set, and it was so much fun. It was so awesome. It reminded me of our youth. I want to do that again with the guys. I like playing music and not being comfortable and not knowing what's going to happen, being totally on board with having stuff tank and not work out and and failing. Being able to take that risk is. Is so awesome if you have that opportunity musically. I do miss that about us. I wish we did that a lot more, but we're doing what we're doing right now, and it works great too, and I love it. But those early shows were super wild.
FMM: You guys have been part of the psych or stoner sort of rock scene for over two decades now. How have you seen it evolve and where do you think it's heading?
Isaiah: I mean, there's just a lot of bands. There are so many bands now. And there's going to continue to be more and more bands. This genre of music, just like Sabbath, I think it's going to keep continuing and there's going to be bands not on the same level as Sabbath, but bands that are already being put up on pedestals like Sabbath. Like, you know, Sleep, of course. I think those bands are going to continue to inspire and there's going to be a new generation of this and it's just going to keep happening like it always has. There's always a place for this style of music, and it's counterculture. It's not the norm; it's not the mainstream. It's for the outcasts and the weirdos and the awkward people and the confused people trying to figure it out. It's a music for those kinds of people. It's always going to have a home in the hearts of a lot of people, so it’s just gonna grow. It’s going from Sabbath and going to Sleep. Not a lot has changed and you don’t need to. It’s still pretty bare bones and to the point. I don’t know if anyone’s going to be reinventing the wheel with this stuff. There’s going to still be people singing amazingly, writing some very interesting lyrics, and making some great riffs. The riffs will never dry out. There will always be some cool riffs and cool grooves. Someone's gonna come up with new ones. And I think also personally, it's interesting seeing the new directions that people are taking it within the genre as well.
FMM: You're heading to Australia again this September. What do you love most about playing here?
Isaiah: Oh, man, the people are wonderful. The crowds are always really lovely and very warm and inviting and welcoming, and they give a lot off when we play. It's special. Australia is a very beautiful place like no other. There's something magical in the air there and the people have always just been so, so awesome. There's so much incredible music that has always come out of Australia, so there’s just something in the air there. It's undeniably special and unique and very, very welcoming always.
FMM: I'm glad you feel that way. Do you have any memories from previous Australian tours that really stick out?
Isaiah: Yeah, there's all kinds of things like getting meet heroes from music from bands and stuff like that. I can't recall his name, I'm blanking, but the lead singer from the band Buffalo came to one of our shows in Sydney to come see us and we got to meet him. And getting to sing the song ‘My Pal’ with Joel Silbersher on stage in Melbourne. It’s just like rock music royalty to us, and we just get to be close with them. That’s very special and I’ve done driving tours which are pretty crazy. The nature there is amazing. You’re in a faraway place from what I’m used to. Once you see the flying foxes and kangaroos, it’s like meeting Tim Brennan from Tim Guitars, and having a really close relationship with him. We made lifelong friends there. The shows have been great to play there like playing Meredith Festival and then hanging out with the Tame Impala dudes after going to some of their shows. It’s very friendly and fun.
FMM: You guys have built such a loyal cult following over the years. How does that relationship with your fans impact the way you play or release music today?
Isaiah: That's a good question. We did the record; Black Heaven and we wanted to try something different and wrote a bunch of songs that ended up having vocals and it was really cool. We broadened our horizons a bit and I think certain people that weren't into us before were into us and I think we lost some people, but it really didn't feel like us ultimately because so much so many albums are just not that kind of record. So, I think learning who we are, and what kind of band I think we ultimately are; it's definitely an instrumental band. I feel like that the relationships and the following that we've had over time, there's a reason why they're with us and it's for a specific kind of music. It's a different release than shorter songs with vocals and melody and all that. There's something about long journey, atmospheric songs. It was an eye-opening experience making that record and even for us realising like, oh no, this is really where we belong more of. That was also very influential on realising the fan base that we have and why they were there in the first place. I think we don't write for anyone else but ourselves and we're grateful that what we like to write and we like what we like to play resonates with people. That’s the win. That’s the best of all worlds. I’m very grateful it works out that way. I feel like they're also just a mirror for us to kind of showing who we are and what we as a band, do best within the band, musically speaking.
FMM: In a time of short attention spans, Earthless are committing to long-form immersive music. Do you think that's a rebellion within itself?
Isaiah: I think inadvertently it is. Absolutely. It feels like we have something to say, and we want to take as long as we need to say it, so it's definitely like allowing ourselves to just completely do that. I guess it is rebelling against any kind of norm, that people put on everybody. I mean especially in popular music or like anything that's radio friendly, like what a song is. Oh, it has to be this long. You can't go too long. Oh, you're gonna have to edit it and just all that kind of stuff. We're definitely not that kind of music, and the music that I like is like that, but I also like music that sticks to their guns, whatever that is, and it’s going to say what it wants to say, how it wants to say it, and the way it wants to say it. I think it is rebellious in the sense that, yeah, we are going to be ourselves and do it how we want to do it.
FMM: You guys have been such a tight trio over the years. What's the secret to keeping that chemistry strong after all these years?
Isaiah: That's a really good question too. I have to play with other people. I need to play with other musicians. I need to be creative in other musical ways. Earthless is not. It doesn't sum me up as a person or as a musician. Yeah. At all. It's just. It is a side of me, and I love that side and that side has given me a wonderful life. Mario’s the same. He’s played with a million bands before, so I think part of the success of the band in the longevity department is we go and do other things, we come back, we feel rejuvenated. I think that’s really, really helpful. We’re all very different people too, so just being mindful of space. We've toured a lot together. We spent a lot of time together and we just know who each other are and we know the person's ticks or this or that or behaviors and mannerism very well. It's been a long time, so just not overdoing anything because I think we can all go crazy.
FMM: What bands are really impressing you at the moment?
Isaiah: Oh wow. Newer bands. If there's one that you still listen to from back in the day, that's cool. There's always going to be something. Well, I just revisited another Australian band, Lost Animal and their record, Ex Tropical. I’m listening to a lot of older stuff right now because my brain if gonna not want difficult, but I saw Tropical Storm a few weeks ago. They were amazing. As always, I really like that band and saw Nick Cave in the Bad Season, Warren Ellis and that was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. My wife and I were right in the pit touch Nick and everything. It was incredible. It was just transcended. I’m blanking on newer records, but a lot of old stuff right now.
EARTHLESS 2025 Australian Tour
Wednesday 10th September – Crowbar, Brisbane
Thursday 11th September – Crowbar, Sydney
Friday 12th September – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Saturday 13th September – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
Sunday 14th September – Barwon Club, Geelong