BEN ELLER Discusses How He Got The Call From MASTODON

Mastodon surprisingly split with co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds on March 5, and then played their first Hinds-less show on March 9 at Tool‘s Live In The Sand with YouTube Ben Eller filling in. And while it’s not clear if Eller will be Mastodon‘s permanent new guitarist, one thing is for certain – Eller had to bust his ass learning a lot of Mastodon in a very short period of time.

In a new interview with Guitar World, Eller said he had to learn “17 Mastodon songs immediately” from across the band’s discography. As for how Eller even got the call, he said he and Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher have been in touch ever since Eller published his Stuff Mastodon Does video six years ago.

“A couple of years ago, Bill reached out to me via email, saying how much he enjoyed my channel and the Stuff Mastodon Does video I made,” said Eller. “We’ve stayed in touch ever since. He’s as much of a gear nut and riff chaser as I am, so we’re constantly sending each other bands, pedals, amps, and stuff to check out.”

Eller continued, saying it wasn’t eay learning all the song but that the crowd was super receptive and positive about it all: “I went into this looking at it as one of the coolest things I could ever get to be a part of, but also knowing that the backlash could potentially be brutal, especially given how incredible and important of a player Brent has been for the history of the band.

“I was absolutely unprepared for the level of positivity and kindness I would receive from the fans after the gig. I cannot believe how accepting and wonderful they’ve been; it’s overwhelming!”

Speaking of Mastodon live, they’re gonna be touring with Coheed And Cambria and Periphery this May and June. The tour kicks off on May 10 at Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA and wraps up about a month later on June 8 at Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee, IA. Tickets are available here.

5/10 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center
5/11 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Civic Coliseum
5/13 Raleigh, NC Red Hat Amphitheater
5/15 Wilmington, NC Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park
5/16 Charleston, SC Firefly Distillery
5/17 Augusta, GA William B Bell Auditorium (no Mastodon)
5/19 Estero, FL Hertz Arena
5/21 Huntsville, AL Orion Amphitheater
5/22 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
5/24 Virginia Beach, VA The Dome
5/25 Bridgeport, CT Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
5/26 Saratoga Springs, NY Broadview Stage at SPAC
5/28 Portland, ME Cross Insurance Arena
5/30 Syracuse, NY Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
5/31 Scranton, PA The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
6/1 Youngstown, OH Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre
6/3 Fort Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
6/4 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Arena
6/6 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
6/7 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
6/8 Waukee, IA Vibrant Music Hall