Dusk Axis, helmed by Braden Rigling, is an instrumental showcase of technically astounding guitar lines that stretch time-signature changes and abstract rhythms. Debut single “Swords Dance” showcases the shred-tacular ways in which Rigling’s guitar performance and tones can slice through sonic sections of hard rock, trippy electronics, mathcore mania and more—all pulled together by equally impressive bass performances and solid programmed drums. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/dusk.axis.
What was the first concert you attended?
Metallica, 2008, Oracle Arena in Oakland, for their World Magnetic Tour. I was 8 years old.
What was the first album you owned?
My parents have a vast CD collection that I perused a lot when I was little. Three standout albums from that perusing: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magik; Green Day, Dookie; Counting Crows, August and Everything After.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Tigran Hamasyan, Plini, CHON, Sungazer, and Karnivool. This list is relatively unchanging, but it’s because of how much mileage and inspiration I get from these artists alone. Generally, while there are a lot of different styles that I can get behind, the more progressive, the better.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Stomp clap hey.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Rage Against the Machine. To this day, I have never come across a band whose energy quite matches theirs. I only get to imagine the collective empowerment that their crowds felt at their live shows in the ’90s.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Justin Bieber. While my pop sensibility was short-lived, it is not gone forever. There is something about having watched his music grow up with him that warrants a special place in my musical heart.
What’s your favorite music venue?
As a kid, I had the opportunity to perform at several iconic San Francisco venues as a student at the SF Rock Project. My favorite? The DNA Lounge. A landmark of the Bay Area music scene, this was the venue of my first performance with SFRP, and playing on that stage at 10 years old remains a core memory and a defining moment of my career.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Is it PetSmart or PetsMart? Are you saying that pets are smart? Or are you saying you’re a mart for pets?” “PETSMART” by Ben Lapidus.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Tool. I was introduced to them at 9 years old and have never turned back. Everything I create is ultimately inspired by the concepts I learned from this band, between odd time signatures, conventional prog-metal harmony, linear song structures, introspective themes and, of course, Maynard James Keenan’s utterly unique vocal style. Honorable mention to Animals as Leaders—I can never not give them credit where it is due.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
If there’s any musician whose brain I’m most interested in picking, it is, hands down, Jacob Collier. If I only got one question, I would ask for a list of all his favorite tonal resolutions, organized from dark to bright.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“The Great Gig in the Sky.” I decided this the first time ever I heard this song. My headcanon is that this was made to be a funeral song, and to me personally, Pink Floyd is a band that has earned that ultimate show of respect.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
To Pimp a Butterfly (by Kendrick Lamar), hands down.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
Check out my debut single, “Swords Dance,” by Dusk Axis!
