Mastodon seem to have ridden out the crisis of Brent Hinds' sudden departure in some style, with his replacement, YouTuber guitarist Ben Eller, doing a great job by all accounts at the band’s slot at the Tool In The Sand festival last weekend.
Eller seemed to have a good time, too, based on the Instagram post he put out on Tuesday. “What an incredible weekend playing with @mastodonrocks as a part of @toolinthesand,” Eller wrote. “You guys who have followed me for a while know how much I love this music, so to be asked to play alongside the band is a TRUE honor.”
He continued: “I’ve seen your kind and supportive words for me out there, and it means the world to me! My inbox is so stuffed, there’s no way I can respond to every single thing, but know how much I appreciate yall. Thank you all, and thank you to @billy_butterslax , @creamale , and Troy for trusting me to get the job done. Playing the parts of one of my favorite guitarists ever is no easy task, but it was a joy. Cheers, everyone!”
You may recall that Eller was drafted into the line-up at the last minute after it was announced that Hinds and the band had "mutually decided to part ways” after 25 years.
He was an astute choice. Eller has made his name analysing Mastodon’s music – videos like ‘Stuff Mastodon does’ (with over a million views) and ‘What I Learned from Mastodon’ have made him known in fan circles. He’s got the chops, too, as you can see from his guitar lesson series ‘This is Why You Suck at Guitar' on his YouTube channel.
So learning 17 Mastodon songs overnight wouldn’t and indeed didn’t prove a problem for Eller.
Which still leaves the question of what happens next? Is Eller a full-time replacement for Hinds? The band have a full touring itinerary ahead of them, including the Infinite Arc co-headlining US tour with Coheed And Cambria. That starts 10 May. Will Eller swap the cushy life of a YouTuber to play lead with bandmates who are much older than him and have all known each other for 25 years? Can he forge a creative understanding with rhythm player Bill Kelliher, and put his own creative stamp on their music in the same way Hinds did?
All will no doubt be revealed in the coming weeks and months...
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