Reno trio Reeking Slug craft a brutally disgusting mix of stoner rock, punk and metal. The tones are heavy; the drums are fast; and the vocals are guttural, combining three necessary ingredients for a nasty doom-rock band. Sarah LaBarge handles bass and vocal duties, bringing a fuzzed-out flavor and an emphatic rasp, respectively, to each role. Reeking Slug recently released their debut EP, We Are the Wave, featuring six songs with hard riffs, mosh-heavy energy and stank-face-inducing slow breakdowns. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/reekingslug.
What was the first concert you attended?
Three Days Grace, Seether and Breaking Benjamin at the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis when I was in the eighth-grade.
What was the first album you owned?
Meteora and Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Recently, I have been listening to Chat Pile and BbyMutha.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Miley Cyrus.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Kittie at Ozzfest in 2000.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Hmmmm, that’s kind of hard to answer. I like a lot of different kinds of music, and it’s funny when they all end up on a playlist of mine—from anime soundtracks to trap to sludge-y stuff.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Healer, a DIY venue in Indianapolis. It’s a venue that took over an old strip-mall office, so there are still cubicles, and they all have some sort of art installations in them! It’s super-cool. I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“I wanna see your grill / You wanna see my what? / Ya, ya grill (uh), ya, ya, ya grill / Add a whole top diamond and the bottom row’s gold (Come on!),” Nelly, “Grillz.” I’ll never NOT know these lyrics.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
I would say early Nightwish. I listened to that band as a kid and got a burnt CD of their greatest hits, and it honestly opened my mind to different kinds of genres at an early age—which leads me to Korn, ha ha. They have been a big influence on picking up bass.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
BbyMutha: How do you achieve your flow state?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Take da Charge” by Project Pat.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Evidence of Immortality by Conan.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“Why” by Chat Pile.