Perhaps only his closest associates saw this coming, but drummer/bassist Don McGreevy—best known for his drumming with Master Musicians of Bukkake and bass playing with Earth—just released one of the most moving and gorgeous guitar-based records out of Seattle in a long time. It's titled Aichmophobia, which means a morbid fear of sharp objects (more on that later). On and off for the last decade, McGreevy's been more of a supporting-role musician than an auteur. During that time, he also played for the Stares and if you caught Detroit funk legend Dennis Coffey at 2011's Bumbershoot, you heard McGreevy keeping righteous time on the drums. But Aichmophobia changes one's perspective on McGreevy. On it he plays 6- and 12-string guitar, synths, mellotron, and glockenspiel, conjuring a deeply spiritual song cycle. At times meditatively pastoral à la John Fahey and Robbie Basho, at others cosmic and expansive in the vein of Popol Vuh and György Ligeti, Aichmophobia offers profound immersion (and elevation) in an artfully arrayed, sensuous sound world. It's the balm.

I interviewed McGreevy through the cramped portal of Facebook message while he was winding down after an Earth show in Brighton, England (he's also been opening for Earth on this jaunt). The band's on its way to Kortrijk, Belgium, before hitting Athens, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey later in the week.

I think Aichmophobia’s going to take a lot of people by surprise. How long has this music been brewing in you and what was your motivation for making it?
McGreevy: I've been working with Earth off and on since 2005 or '06... So it's kind of a blur at this point! Probably Earth fans will be surprised by it. Maybe not so much the MMoB folks, as it's sort of in line, in a way, with our later material. I've always wanted to do a guitar-based record. It was always a timing issue. I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to my own stuff, so finalizing a concept can sometimes be an ordeal. It was actually Dylan [Carlson, Earth's guitarist] who suggested I have a record to sell whilst touring/opening for Earth this tour we've been on. I owe him for the actual impetus. A proper deadline will do wonders for getting something in the can!

What do you see as this music’s main function? To make people cry and gasp in awe? To invoke holy spirits? To me, it creates a sense of mystical ascension and beatific meditation, like the best Popol Vuh and Robbie Basho.
This music's main function is for pure enjoyment. Unadulterated, unspoiled circular chord progressions. A lot of times it seems that certain musical concepts are supposed to harken back or forward to something, referencing this or that or pointing a direct, or indirect, finger at an influence or whatever. I literally have just been writing chord progressions with no purpose for years. I'm a self-admitted "chord-smith." I'll write for days stuff that has no relevance to anything other than being pleasing to listen to. And for me that's okay. It's music about nothing to meditate to, because meditating is nothing, ultimately. And who could watch Aguirre without being moved by those incredible walls of mellotrons? I remember thinking when I first saw that Herzog masterpiece, "This film is fucking incredible, but do I need to be a part of a ridiculously huge movie production to employ layers upon layers of fake strings?" I guess not. Hahaha...

All those Takoma Records guys blow me away. I met John Fahey in the late '90s and he was a trip, as one could imagine. Basho had another thing going on altogether. His obsessions with ragas really changed the way people approached the acoustic 12-string. Like a concert instrument rather than an accompaniment for vocals, etc.

How have your sets been received by Earth’s audience in the UK? Do you have any solo shows planned for Seattle this year?
People are really digging it. We've been pleasantly surprised. Earth fans can be quite doom-centric. So any positive feedback must mean the music is translating somehow. I've been performing with this Dutch drummer, Rogier Smal, as a duo. He's much more in line with the free-jazz community, and how we got hooked up is another story completely. But he's great and we've been developing a pretty cool language that we are going to expand on this spring. More info on that to follow.

I definitely plan to be performing in Seattle this year. Probably not as much as I'd like to, due to scheduling with Earth, MMoB, and the Sulphuric Symphonette. But, yeah. Definitely.

Will we see more Don McGreevy solo music in the near future?
I love playing in bands. It's sort of an addiction of mine. And some of the greatest music lessons I've ever had have been backing up other writers and performers. So, that aspect will never change. But more of my music? That's certainly something I'm planning to explore in the near future.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened on your current tour?
It's funny, this tour has been one of the smoothest, most uneventful, tours I've ever been on! Hahahah. Seriously. Everything has been totally in place, on time, in the hole. It's uncanny! Probably the weirdest thing was tonight in Brighton, somebody came up to me afterward and said I played like John McLaughlin! That's fucking crazy. Because I DON'T play like that mad man! But it was a nice compliment anyway.

Are you extremely fearful of sharp objects?
Yes. I'm afraid of knives. It's always before I've got to do something guitar- or bass-related that I slice the tip of my finger off at my shop. It's Murphy's Law, I suppose. Hahaha.

Mostly I just had this simple idea of doing a series of instrumental records based on irrational fears. There are so many! Amychophobia is another. It's the fear of being scratched. Somehow that seems relevant, loving vinyl as much as I do.

How can people obtain the vinyl for Aichmophobia?
Aichmophobia will be available at Easy Street, Wall of Sound, and available in order at my Bandcamp site. It's quite possible it'll be on the Southern Lord site, but that's still a few weeks off.