Earthless bring their sonic pilgrimage back down under
San Diego psych rockers Earthless are back on Aussie shores this month, bringing their 2025 Australian tour to Rosemount Hotel on Thursday, September 18—with tickets on sale now. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with guitarist and founding member Isaiah Mitchell to find out about the trio’s enduring connection with Australia, the story behind fan favourite Uluru Rock, and the mysterious folklore that inspired their latest album, Night Parade of a Thousand Demons.
It’s great to have you back in Australia for this tour! Some international bands make us wait ten years or so between visits, but not Earthless! What keeps you coming back?
We are so happy to be back in Australia! I don’t know why we’re fortunate enough to keep coming back, but I’m grateful that we are because we love playing here and spending time in this incredible country.
I read that one of my favourite Earthless tracks, Uluru Rock, is also one of your favourites of the songs you’ve written. Why is that? And does the track reflect some kind of connection with Australia?
I love the song Uluru because it really shows what Earthless is as a band. It has the motif and the departure where we improvise and take it to where we want to go, and there are tempo changes that help the song move in its own way. It has a lot of dynamics and expresses who we are very well.
The song was conceived in Brisbane at an in-store show at TYM GUITARS around 2012. And since the song was conceived here in Australia and because of the respect that we have for Aboriginal culture, it felt like a heartfelt way to express gratitude and honour Australia and the Aboriginal people.
For those of us lucky enough to see you when you played in Perth in 2023, can we expect some changes to the live set? How much of your performances are planned in advance, and how much do you leave to improvisation?
I’m sure the set’s going to be different in regard to the song choices. But every Earthless show is different, so even if you play the same set, it’ll be different. And we do leave a lot to improvisation, especially getting the beginnings of the set started. That’s a place where improvisation comes in, and then in the middle of songs there’s improvisation as well.
And how about gear-wise? Is there a favourite recent acquisition of yours that you’re bringing on tour?
I’m playing a friend of mine’s guitar that he built. It’s called the ‘Powers Electric,’ based in San Diego, and I’ve been really enjoying playing that guitar. Also, a friend of mine, Ian Anderson, built me a Stratocaster copy that I love, so that’s with me as well. But outside of that, nothing new—just bringing the good old pedals that do the job how I want them.
And what’s an old favourite that holds a special place for you, even if you don’t necessarily tour with it these days?
My favourite pieces of gear that I’ve always had a connection to are my main Stratocaster, and I just wanted to bring something else this time instead of that one. I’ve always had a close relationship with the EP3 Echoplex. But those are harder to take out on tour, so it stayed at home. But one piece of equipment that’s pretty integral for me in this band is a Travel Booster, and I brought the first one I ever got by Cesar Diaz that I love, and it really makes me feel at home when I’m not using my normal rig.
Even if the songs are instrumental, I love how evocative the song and album titles are! What’s the story behind your most recent album, Night Parade of a Thousand Demons? And the awesome cover art for it?
That album is based off of a Japanese folklore tale of the same name. We were writing music unintentionally during the COVID lockdown times, and the music that we were coming up with had a Japanese air about it, so the feeling of honouring our Japanese influences came into play.
Mike, our bassist, is a big fan of the Japanese culture and stories, and he and his son do a lot of research into all of that, and he came in with the idea of calling it ‘Night Parade of 100 Demons,’ and it fit perfectly with the music. And Mike did all of the artwork for the album, which came out incredible.
And are there any more wild ideas like that circulating that could shape any upcoming releases?
We’re just starting to scratch the surface of the next record, and no concepts or ideas have really been formed yet, but once we start getting inside of it, that will change, and we will understand what it is that we are creating.
But with us, we create from a place of nothingness, and as the music takes form in shape, it informs us of what it will become, and we can develop ideas from that place. But after our last tour of the year in late October, we will be focusing on writing and not playing out so much, so that’s a good thing. It’s time for a new record.
Earthless play Rosemount Hotel on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Tickets are on sale now from davidroywilliams.com