Heathen Harvest: The music of At The Head Of The Woods is suffused with a deep, romantic sense of longing for communion with nature. How important to your work is the landscape and the natural environment? Are you able to see beautiful scenery every day?

James Woodhead: I find our Mother Earth to be the purest form of inspiration. The peaks and valleys of our great planet mirror so well the rise and fall of conceptual composition, as well as the rise and fall of the tides relate to human experience and emotion on all levels. It is impossible not to find inspiration in all that is laid before us. I am lucky enough to have surrounded myself in the constant natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest United States. Mountains, forests, rivers, and valleys make up the place I call my home, ever finding their way to my heart and mind to be used to gift my craft to you all.


HH: You’re based in Portland, which seems, at least from England, to be a bit of a hotbed of artists and musicians interested in paganism, heathenism and nature mysticism – apart from yourself, Portland is also home to Markus Wolff and Waldteufel, L’Acèphale, A Minority Of One, In Gowan Ring, Fauna, Hex magazine and so on. Can you describe the Portland scene, for those who have no direct experience of it? How come all these people have gravitated to Portland and the wider Cascadian area? Did you move there specifically because of the flourishing music scene?

JW: Well first, to attribute all that to Portland is a little misleading. I would have to say the greater Cascadian area as a whole is responsible for the output, due to the natural surroundings’ input of earth energy into those individuals willing and ready to tap into it. It seams to be a common feeling among those I meet who I truly connect with, that this area is truly inspirational, from the expanse as far south as northern California to Washington, as far north as Seattle and as far east as Idaho. This area just seems to generate a vibe that is so easy to connect with, if you are willing. The people understand the power of music and performance as well as ritual and spirituality grounded in nature. But I feel as a whole that communities like this are popping up more and more around the country and around the globe, as people once again realize that man is not special and that it is from the earth we came and to the earth we will return, and in turn they utilize this knowledge of the awesome energy of the earth for pure and uninhibited expression of self. I did not move here for this reason, I was drawn here for this reason.


HH: The At The Head Of The Woods album also seems to express a personal spiritual quest. Do you follow any specific path or tradition?

JW: The path I follow is all my own. I feel the level of personal spirituality I have attained and continue to grow is beyond simple labels and words used by such simple beings as ourselves. I feel it pulse through my veins and out my fingertips, and it cycles through my body as a conduit of the awesome energy and sacred power of our mother earth. I have surrounded myself with others who, although we share a similar feeling of oneness with nature and the cosmos, would agree the end result is something too grand and powerful to simply call paganism, heathenism or anything else that can be spoken, and is too deeply personal to be under such a general tag seemingly shared by so many. It is yours and mine to grow, but will never be ours, due to the personal connections with spirituality we have all had throughout this lifetime and others past. Labels have ruined spirituality in my opinion. It is meant to be unspeakable, breathtaking and awe-inspiring to a point where you just know with a glance, a handshake, or hug who is on the same path, the same endless journey to self-awareness, discovery and enlightenment. I will forever be on this path alone, no matter how many times it is crossed by the path of another. Even if shared for a brief instant in the spectrum of time and space, this is mine to keep.


HH: Who or what else have been important influences on At The Head Of The Woods – for example, musicians, writers and artists that you find inspirational?

JW: My craft is endlessly inspired by the things I see all around me, the sounds I hear, and the people and energy I come in contact with on a daily basis. To be a little more specific, I am very inspired by my wife, who is so supportive and understanding of the life of an artist, my other bands The Elemental Chrysalis, Blood Of The Black Owl and A Minority Of One, as well as all the sound and energy that emanates from my bandmate Chet Scott, who also happens to be the ever-mesmerizing Ruhr Hunter. I also find the paintings of Stephen Kasner to be of infinite inspiration. They seem to visualize my thoughts on audio creation. As far as non-contemporary influences, I would definitely cite greats such as Pink Floyd , Bo Hansson, Klaus Schulze, Algarnas Tradgard, Primiata Fornaria Marconi, Yatha Sidhra, the earlier works of Tangerine Dream, as well as bands like Pulsar from France, and Bobby Beausoleil, whose Lucifer Rising soundtrack is something I return to quite often. Lately, I find the earlier written works of Carlos Castaneda to be an interesting jumping-off point as far as conceptualization and initiation of a piece of art. Beyond that, it is all that is the unspeakable and unbending beauty of the universe. The trees, the ocean, the air we breathe and the stars above, the warmth and calm brought on by a sunset, and the awakening and energy from a full moon.


HH: Your music seems to fit in very well with the other projects on the Glass Throat roster. How did you first come into contact with Chet Scott and Glass Throat? Do you feel there’s a distinctive house style to Glass Throat releases, and if so, how would you characterise it?

JW: Chet and myself actually met at my work a good number of years ago now, back when I lived in Seattle. He and his wife Rachel (also of Glass Throat Recordings, as well as providing the ‘banshee’s wail’ on the second Elemental Chrysalis album!) , used to come in quite often for dinner, and it was a pretty immediate connection. We would talk every time they came, and I’d often ignore my work, due to the fact that, unbeknownst to me at the time, I had found what I consider to be a long-lost brother. From there, you can hear our relationship blossom as you listen to the collective works of The Elemental Chrysalis.

As far as a house sound for Glass Throat Recordings goes, it can be pretty easily explained as the coming together of like-minded individuals destined to meet, who share a common interest and goal of attaining oneness with nature and man through ritualistic auditory transcendence. It is bound to create a sound unique to the label when ideas bleed over from disk to disk, and from artist to artist, inspired by each other’s creativity.


HH: In my review for Judas Kiss (http//:www.judaskissmagazine.co.uk) webzine of Secrets Beyond Time And Space, I wrote: “If the music of Ruhr Hunter is firmly anchored in the element of earth, seeking an ever-deeper communion with the roots and burrows, moss and mushrooms of the forest floor, then At The Head Of The Woods is all about air, light and freedom…” Is this an elemental distinction that you recognise, and if so, do you feel that your personality and aesthetic approach and Chet’s complement each other?

JW: As of late, at least pertaining to my own work, this is a definite distinction from the feelings shared by Chet and myself in working with The Elemental Chrysalis, as well as Chet himself as Ruhr Hunter. When combined, the light and space of my perceptions fully fill the branches and dens of Chet’s creation, creating a fully realized conceptual world in which we are the creators and destroyers, the life-force of which we maintain through shared ideologies and compositional oneness. To say we complement each other is putting it lightly. In this world we have created together, we complete each other.


HH: Do you have any plans for future At The Head Of The Woods releases or performances?

JW: I am currently working on my second full-length record, which is as yet untitled, but some of which you can hear on my MySpace page under the track names ‘In The Beginning’, ‘Cloud Tops’ and ‘Last Days’ (all of which are still in the process of getting their own respective final touches).

I have also been working on the creation of a few self-released limited-edition CD-Rs entitled At Sunrise and At Sunset. At Sunrise is actually already finished, and available directly from me in a hand-sewn cover. It is a single piece of music that clocks in at around 43 minutes in length, and was all recorded live at my home in Portland, Oregon. It’s one take with absolutely no overdubs. It ranges from bubbling, swirling psychedelia to pure symphonic celestial soundscapes. Its companion in the set will be of similar substance, all recorded live in one take so as to capture the true essence of my craft. Both releases will later be available together, housed in hand-built custom wooden boxes, crafted and wood-burned by myself.

I also just finished a piece of music for an upcoming tape cassette release as part of a series started by the avant-metal band Pyramids. It involves multiple tracks sent to multiple artists to finish as they see fit and as they are inspired to do. I am really happy to be a part of such a project, and think you will all find my contribution to be wonderfully mesmerizing.

As far as performances, I have had one thus far as At The Head Of The Woods, and plan to do many more given the right venue and circumstances. Live ritual is not something I take lightly nowadays, and anyone who has seen an Elemental Chrysalis performance can more than likely attest to the nature of the event and the intent and energy put into it. I generally try to associate with bands and performers who share a similar vision, to ensure the proper forum for such a release. I am not interested in performing for any less than an hour, and given the chance would love to have two hours, so as to accommodate for such a journey.


HH: You’re also currently a member of Blood Of The Black Owl, which was originally a solo project of Chet Scott, but which has now expanded to include yourself and Daniel Ellis Harrod. You contributed to the recent split LP of Blood Of The Black Owl and Celestiial , released earlier this year on Bindrune Recordings , but not the most recent Blood Of The Black Owl release, A Feral Spirit, which has just appeared on Aurora Borealis . How come you weren’t involved with A Feral Spirit – were those recordings made earlier? And is playing with Blood Of The Black Owl a release valve for your more aggressive musical impulses, as the band’s music is a lot darker and heavier than either At The Head Of The Woods or The Elemental Chrysalis?

JW: I did not appear musically on A Feral Spirit due to the fact, as you guessed, that it was recorded before we got to that point together. The split with Celestial was recorded after A Feral Spirit, but simply released first. However, I am featured on the visual end on A Feral Spirit but not on the split with Celestial. I gifted the hornless elk skull on the front and back cover as well as the antler Blood Of The Black Owl logo.

This band is definitely a huge release as far as the masculine energy I carry is concerned, as well as the dark, black energy that weighs us all down. My contributions as of late have been quite a bit more aggressive than other things I’ve recorded, but also much more of a journey into those parts of my reality and being that we all would like to forget sometimes. It is more than a release of aggression; it is a release of the burden of mankind. Of the sheer force and energy not meant to be contained in this shell of a body. It is meant as a release of all unnecessary baggage, to be able to attain a new level of awareness and personal power over the existence we have created for ourselves here on earth. Where Elemental Chrysalis and At The Head Of The Woods are here to ground and connect with ancient earth and life, Blood Of The Black Owl exists to destroy the weight and darkness laid upon us by human ‘progress’, and achieve a new understanding of the possibilities of life after mankind, when all that is left is the mess we have made of a gift so willing to offer us anything imaginable, and to arm ourselves with the knowledge of how to rebuild positive life on earth.


HH: What can you tell me about the third Blood Of The Black Owl album, A Banishing Ritual, due for release next year? How far advanced are the recordings for that? What was your contribution to this album? Do you know which label that is going to be released on yet?


JW: This is a Banishing Ritual, just as the name states, meant to cleanse those in need, and that is all I can say for now. As far as my contributions, it is easily the most extensive work I have done with Blood Of The Black Owl. Over the course of the record, I have contributed quite a lot of the foundation work as well as fine detailing and atmospheres. So far, I have played everything from analog organs and synths to bowed fretless acoustic guitar as well as bowed electric guitar, cello, violin, vocal arrangement and percussive programming. The completion of this album will come in due time. These are hectic days and hard times to get into the full frame of mind to complete this task. Just keep an ear open and news will be sure to come your way.


HH: How about The Elemental Chrysalis? What’s the state of play there? Are there any Elemental Chrysalis releases planned for the near future?

JW: The Elemental Chrysalis is and will also be. Since I moved to Portland, things have slowed a bit, simply due to our distance from one another, but this in no way means an end to a band Chet and I hold very close to our hearts. The space between has simply allowed for other things to occur in our creative lives, giving each of us time to hone our crafts and prepare for the next time we truly get to unleash that which we hold inside. As far as new releases for the near future, I am sorry to disappoint but we currently have other things on our plates. These things take time and have a way of working themselves out when that time is right.


HH: And how about A Minority Of One? Are there any plans for an album?

JW: I have been lucky enough to play live with Jason Craban and the family on a couple of occasions, and also to record on two tracks for an upcoming release, specifics of which will be brought to light in the future. There are definitely more plans as far as my involvement in the A Minority Of One goes. Again, these things just take time.


HH: Anything else you’d like to add?

JW: Thank you so much for this opportunity to share my thoughts and views. I really appreciate it.

And remember:
LISTEN AND BREATHE!