Ulysses Storm Interview

Ulysses Storm - new project from Hellset Orchestra frontman Michael Wetherburn

'Ulysseees, no-one else can do the things you do; Ulysseees, like a bolt of thunder from the blue.' Anyone remember the weird kids cartoon those lyrics were from? It had people floating around in the sky and everything! Anyway, this article isn’t about that, it’s about Ulysses Storm, the new project from Michael Wetherburn, frontman of the Hellset Orchestra. Although if you come and see their debut gig at Brownes in February then you never know what might happen… 

Introduce the new band to us…
Live it's currently me on guitar, electric piano and vocals, with Ceri Howells (Old Basford) playing the drums and Russ Clark (Foncheros) playing bass guitar. For recordings, who knows? We’ll be going to town on that one hopefully.

This doesn't mean the end of the Hellset does it?
No. Personally, I'll always be up for Hellset as long as the other people in the band are. Hellset has its 'sound', so to speak. I was writing a lot of songs that didn't particularly fit with those specifics, plus I've been playing the guitar a lot more recently. It's healthy to have different creative outlets and play music with different people, it makes you appreciate everything and keeps things fresh. I'm really keen for Ulysses to be separate to Hellset. It is very different.

Ulysses Storm - not to be confused with Ulysses 31 the kids cartoon

What kind of people do you think will be into your new music?
I don't know. People with impeccably good taste?

Describe your style...
With Ulysses, I'm going for something along the lines of Beck, Eels, Tom Waits, that sort of thing. Raw, simple, bluesy songs with odd rhythms and trademark crazy bits.

Tell us about one of your songs and what inspired you to write it…
Eaten by Ghosts is a lament from Indiana Jones to his father. 'Post-modern re-appropriation' is what my friend described it as. I mean, throughout Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom, the dad wasn't bothered about all of the amazing things that happened to the son. It's not personal and has no bearing on my life at all, but I guess I was going for 'fathers who have specific expectations of their children that aren't met, but the children do something differently amazing anyway and are not appreciated'. I haven't seen the new one yet, no.

Pick a superpower...
Either to be able to perceive hindsight as foresight or the ability to fire lasers from my fingers.

Ulysses Storm on MySpace


 

Share this article