Earthless Return To Australia For Another Epic Tour

Known for their mind-expanding compositions and electrifying live performances, EARTHLESS has built a cult following across the globe. Formed in 2001 in San Diego and citing Japanese psych bands like Blues Creation, and Krautrock bands like Amon Düül II as early inspiration, EARTHLESS has risen to the top of the hard rock/heavy psych scene. Comprised of guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, drummer Mario Rubalcaba , and bassist Mike Eginton, and combining the intense flavours of Black Sabbath, Hendrix, and Blue Cheer, EARTHLESS continue to deliver spellbinding performances every time they step onto a stage.

Throughout 2024 and 2025 EARTHLESS have been performing such groundbreaking tracks as Sonic Prayer, Violence Of The Red Sea, Stoned Out Of My Mind and Cherry Red, so fans can anticipate witnessing some of the most explosive works the band have ever put to tape. EARTHLESS’s flamethrower approach remains – their music melts and burns and completely envelopes an audience. Old fans and new will not be disappointed when they head down our way in September. Isaiah Mitchell talks to Hi Fi Way hours after the news that the legendary Ozzy Osbourne passed away.

For a lot of music fans, there’s a lot of sadness with the passing of Ozzy Osbourne. He’s such a big influence on your band, that must be pretty tough.
Yeah, I mean, it doesn’t feel tough for me personally. It’s more like, I’m just incredibly grateful. There’s such a humongous body of influential work that he created for everybody. I know he wasn’t well, and that’s a bummer. But it’s amazing he got that final show in and was celebrated, really received all the love that he made so many people feel. I’m really grateful for that. It’s beautiful and then he passes shortly after… Gosh. That’s just, wow. Hopefully he wasn’t suffering too much.

Even back in the day, did you ever get to see him play?
I never saw Ozzy perform live, never made it to any of his shows. I saw Heaven and Hell though, that tour with Ronnie James Dio and Vinnie Appice on drums. That was incredible. So I saw that version of Sabbath. But yeah, never Ozzy.

The Australian tour is literally around the corner, you must be excited about the return?
Oh man, I can’t wait. I’m extremely excited. We love playing Australia so much. It feels like a home away from home. We’ve been there a lot. I think more than most bands. Not sure why, but it always works out, people are stoked, and we’re stoked. I love being in Australia.

Must be looking forward to having that pretty special gig up in Alice Springs this time around?
That’s like a dream come true. But I never even thought of it as a possibility or dream. I’ve always wanted to go to Uluru but didn’t think our kind of music would be welcome, like it’d be disrespectful or just not on the cards, but somehow, it’s happening. The custodians of the land have the final say, and they’ve given the go-ahead. I’m so glad I was wrong. It’s a huge honour. Already feels like a highlight of my musical life. It’s not just another gig, it feels really special.

I was going to say that this sounds like more than just a gig. Do you get to immerse yourself in the culture creating an experience you won’t forget?
I’ve always been fascinated and really interested in Aboriginal culture. I love hearing their stories, their creation stories. It’s beautiful. So in line with other spiritual cultures where the land itself is sacred, nature as divinity. Their stories are magical.

Do you think that kind of culture might influence new songs while you’re out here?
I can’t see how it wouldn’t. Being there, being with First Nations people, I think it’ll influence something. I really want to go in with a clean heart and mind, emotionally and mentally. Just be present, and receive whatever is there.

Is there plan to make the most of week before that gig to get up there early and get involved?
Yeah, we’re going early to spend time with the custodians of the land, to learn from them. That’s something I’ve always wanted to feel like I’m inside an inner circle that’s not easy to walk into. I’m grateful that music has opened that door. We’ll have extra days there, and I hope it educates us, brings us in with more respect than if we just breezed in. I want to honour them, the culture, the land with absolute respect.

Going everywhere in Australia isn’t always possible, have Adelaide and Perth fans let you know about it?
Sometimes things just line up a certain way.

For this tour, are you focusing on a particular album? Or just going where the set list takes you?
We’ve got a set list in mind. Covering a lot, from early, middle, and recent stuff. I know we’re playing Melbourne twice, plus Castlemaine and Geelong, which are just outside Melbourne. So I think we’ll mix it up a bit. Try to cover the full history with our song choices.

Do the shows feel like unique experiences, especially with the improvisation and live arrangements?
Even if we’re playing the same songs, we’ll change the order, flip them around just to keep it fresh. That definitely influences how it all unfolds. We love to bridge things together, avoid dead stops, keep the sound flowing. Finding fun segues between songs always opens up room for improvisation, for something new to emerge in the moment.

When you’ve got such a huge back catalog, it must be tough to narrow it down to a ninety-minute or two-hour set?
Yeah, totally. Some songs we just don’t play anymore, we’re not in the mood, or we’ve played them so much we’re burnt out. Sometimes I don’t have the right gear to recreate the vibe we had in the studio and flying so far means we can’t bring everything. So, the gear and the mood influence what we choose to play. Still, it’s great to have such a deep catalog to pull from. That part’s fun.

Is album number seven on the horizon?
We’ve started writing. We’ve all been in our own worlds, playing with other people, exploring other sounds. That helps us come back invigorated. Earlier this year, nothing was sticking. But the last time we got together, it felt good. After touring wraps up around the end of October, we’ll really dive in. Big writing sessions, multiple times a week. Like clocking in to work.

Do you have a direction in mind, or is it open-ended?
I know where I want to go and I think the others do too. We always want to do something different. I’d love to bring in other instruments, more electronic stuff. I’m drawn to the vibe of bands like Can or Kraftwerk, that whole German experimental thing, but still have it sound like us. I’ve also been listening to a lot of West African music, guitar styles from Niger, artists like Mdou Moctar and Ali Farka Touré. That sound would be amazing to tap into. That’s just the vision going in. Everything could change once we start writing. Our last album kind of wrote itself with no clear intention, that’s my favorite way. Let the music lead.

Exploring electronic sounds opens up so much creatively. That must be exciting?
The textures and refreshing sonic options are amazing. I’ve been using those instruments more than ever, and it’s been musically and creatively rewarding. I’d love to bring that energy into the band.

What’s your take on AI in music, especially with things like Spotify creating their own AI bands?
It’s weird. Doesn’t do anything for me. I’ve got no interest in reading or listening to that stuff. It doesn’t have life experience, no journey that sparks the urge to create. It’s just taking data and spitting out its interpretation. Bands already do that, being influenced, reshaping ideas. But with AI, it’s a novelty. Sure, it’s cool technically, but it doesn’t count for me. There’s no connection. No conversation. It shouldn’t be winning a Grammy. It just doesn’t make any sense.

Are there any Aussie bands that have caught your attention?
I love the band Tropical F*** Storm. I saw them a couple weeks ago in San Diego. They’re great live, super fun, great songs. Gareth is an amazing player and songwriter. Super cool. That’s the main one for me right now. My wife and I saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds play back in May. One of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. The set list was unreal, it was wonderful. Nick Cave is always great. And Warren Ellis? That guy is magic. So beautiful. But yeah, there’s a million bands… my brain is scrambled trying to think of them all. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, of course, they’re great. We played a festival with them in Germany maybe five or six years ago. They went on before us, and they were still a younger band, but I’d already heard of them. They were amazing. I was thinking, “I don’t want to follow that.” But we did and it was fine, but man, they had such power on that stage. Incredible.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Earthless on the following dates, tickets from DRW Entertainment…