Ithaca Underground's Bubba Crumrine caught up with guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler of Savanah, Georgia's Black Tusk the day of their thunderous performance at The Haunt last Sunday.

IU: How did the rest of the Black Cobra/Black Tusk tour go last year after the Ithaca show?

Andrew: That was an amazing tour! Being on the road with Black Cobra was easy and the shows were great.  Those are some of our best friends.

IU: You guys have been pretty busy since we saw you last November - signing to relapse, new album, sick tours - tell us about what you've been up to an how it all came together? 

Andrew: That's pretty much it.  We dropped that record in May, toured with Pentagram and Zoroaster.  Just been incredibly busy.  I think we were actually at home for a month this summer.  We have a booking agent, so that is very helpful to keep us on the road.  Hopefully we get some downtime this winter to write a new album and we hope to solidify a European tour for the beginning of next year.

IU: Have the crowds been different since you signed to Relapse?

Andrew: Sure.  As more people find out about us, more people are going to show up for the shows.  

IU: How do you feel about your new album "Taste The Sin" being able to look back at it after a few months?
Andrew: We are still incredibly happy with it.  I think it is some of the best stuff we've written thus far.  We were just informed that the vinyl and cd's have sold out and it has to be repressed!

IU: I saw Pitchfork reviewed the album, how does it feel having folks far outside the metal community placing judgment on what you create?

Thats fine by us.  We create music with the hopes that people inside and outside the metal community will hear it.  We always try to get crossover fans. We don't just listen to metal ourselves, so its good to know that other people besides the metal community are taking notice of what we do.  Anybody can place judgement on what we do, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and in the Pitchforck case, it was a good opinion!

IU: As the band continues to grow in popularity, do you find yourselves being impacted by thinking from a fan's point of view when writing? 

When we are writing, we think about what we want to hear, and what direction that we want the song to take.  Usually the train of thought is "if I were listening to this song from an outside perspective, where would i want it to go?" Hopefully from this, we will create music that our fans appreciate.

IU: Stoked to be touring with Fu Manchu?  Any particular stops you're looking forward to on this one? 

Andrew: We are always excited to visit any city when we are traveling!  Touring with Fu Manchu has been awesome, the shows have been strong and people who have never seen us or heard of us before are giving us positive feedback.  I can say we are kinda excited about going to Las Vegas on this tour, because we have never been there before. 

IU: It's been a busy year for you guys so far but what else is in store for Black Tusk in 2010 and what should we look forward to in 2011?

We might take a little downtime this winter to recharge and start writing material for a new record.  Hopefully 2011 will see some new releases and more tours!

IU: I love the promo photo of you guys with the grill engulfed in flames - what are each of your favorite foods to BBQ?

Andrew: You cant wrong BBQing, so its hard to pin down what our individual tastes are.  I'm not sure about the boys, but i do enjoy grilling a good steak and potato!

IU: Excited to play Ithaca at a space larger than a small coffee shop this time around?

Andrew: The size of the space doesn't matter, as long as kids show up ready to rock, we can play a coffee shop or an arena!  I particularly love country around Ithaca, y'all have a beautiful city!

IU: Any final words to those coming to the show on Sept 5th at The Haunt? 

Andrew: We are gonna have some super rare copies of Passage Though Purgatory available, so make sure you come down and rock out with us and pick one up! See y'all at the show!