To encounter Steve Von Till onstage is to witness nature in action, a hurricane in human form. He bellows with utter conviction while conjuring gnarled guitar textures that have captivated listeners across generations. He is, to put it plainly, a legend of uncompromising music. His multifaceted career began with the evolving post-apocalyptic DIY juggernaut Neurosis and grew to include dusty Americana-tinged solo output under his own name and Harvestman—think Eno meets Cormac McCarthy. All of it is certifiably heavy.
There’s also Von Till, the quiet force behind Neurot Records, Von Till, the Firekeeper Alliance board member, and Von Till, the educator who has given over a quarter-century of service to his students. In all these roles, he maintains a bond with nature as a source of life-giving energy. That theme permeates his latest solo release, Alone in a World of Wound, as well as An Undying Love for a Burning World, the first Neurosis album with new member Aaron Turner (Sumac, Hydra Head Records), an icon in his own right.
On the eve of a string of solo dates starting in Washington and weaving through California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, Von Till sheds light on his many endeavors and creative techniques, exploring how they are truly interwoven. Like we all are.
The Nature of Creating
“It’s looking to that sorrow,” Von Till says of humanity’s pain of separation. “Sitting with the grief of that disconnect and trying to re-establish some sort of connection.”
Today, he is sharing his thoughts from a cabin on his 12-acre property in Idaho, surrounded by walls stacked with vintage amplifiers. In contrast to his caustic live persona, in conversation, Von Till is reflective and measured. The space serves as a visual metaphor for his thoughts: collected, curated, and intentional.
“Since Souls at Zero (1992), this whole journey has been looking at this deep wound and sorrow all Western, modern, post-industrial humanity has from our separation from the natural world,” he says. “From seeing ourselves as isolated from being brothers and sisters to everything else.”
To Von Till, the very fact that we have to use the word for nature points to the divide. “Indigenous languages don’t have that word because there is no separation between human beings and the rest of the cosmos. It’s all one.”
Similarly, a sense of aesthetic cohesion resonates throughout his many projects. “It’s a recent realization for me in these conversations where I realized it’s all one song,” he admits. “I can’t separate any of it. It’s not an intellectual exercise. For me, it’s only ever been gut level with primitive skills.”
Forge and Wrestle
You can’t talk about Von Till without mentioning his band; a longstanding relationship with Neurosis still forms the backbone of his creative life. “All I have is intuition and my relationship with my brothers and the way that we hammer and forge and wrestle these sounds out of the earth.”
His other music shares the same objective, just with a subtler approach. “Solo-wise, it’s the same, except more personal. I’m trying to write songs as opposed to these epic movements.”
"All I have is intuition and my relationship with my brothers and the way that we hammer and forge and wrestle these sounds out of the earth."
In fact, Von Till relishes the distinction between group and independence. “The magic of Neurosis is that it’s always been truly collaborative,” he explains. “On my solo work, the beauty was that this is me in my room late at night. As that’s evolved, I’ve become much more infatuated with singing.”
Working in isolation has allowed Von Till to let the muse roam. “It’s about following a moment, stumbling into pieces of music that don’t fit into my other projects, but somehow have a cohesive nature.”
And what are some of those elements? “Obsessions with home-recorded psychedelia, rural psychedelia, fuzz guitar, synthesizer, stone circles, Celtic music—seemingly disparate, but it’s all connected.”
"It’s about following a moment, stumbling into pieces of music that don't fit into my other projects, but somehow have a cohesive nature."
Rabbit Holes
The recording process evolves in tandem with his varied interests. “I’m singing into these lush soundscapes with synths and strings and French horn,” Von Till says, indicating the many keyboards in his studio. “It’s being open to moments, and following the sonic rabbit holes.”
This time, producer Randall Dunn (Zola Jesus, Sunn O))), Marissa Nadler, Boris, Anna Von Hausswolff) played a central role in helping hone Von Till’s latest. “More brains is smarter,” he jokes. “I’ll have an idea, and I can get it to a certain spot because I’m not a professional engineer. Randall’s a genius and has similar sensibilities. And I love watching him patch analog reverbs into analog reverbs.”
In addition to mixing, adding drums, bass, and some additional synth at Dunn’s place, Von Till visited another friend’s studio for an additional touch. “I did the piano with Scott Evans,” he says. “I’m not a great piano player, but when you hang around the lower end of the piano, and you need it dark and full and rich, a big older upright with character really lends itself.”
Follow the River
The attitude of following the river where it leads applies to gear. And the old maxim still applies: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. “Since ’92, this tuner has been on my pedalboard,” he says, holding up the BOSS TU-12 that has seen countless Neurosis album cycles.
His live solo rig features a unique BOSS pedal use case. “On solo tours, I took the EQ-200 Graphic Equalizer two-channel programmable stereo EQ,” he reveals. “I was playing acoustic and electric through the same pedal board, and I needed two totally different sonic approaches to hit the pedals.”
It’s a game of managing frequencies. “With the acoustic, I was able to save a profile on the right channel. That did what I needed, especially how the B strings always sounds annoying, amplified on an acoustic,” he says. “Since I had it, I beefed up my mid-range on the electric because that’s always fun.”
He also employs the Loop Station to indulge his love of layering. “I love abstract looping that’s not tied to a grid,” he says. “Multi-tracking loops of different lengths not tied to a beat, so the interaction never repeats and doesn’t become mechanical, but flowing.”
Searching for atmospheric sounds extends into his growing passion for synthesizers. These instruments feature more and more prominently in Von Till’s output over the years. But they’ve always been around.
“I’ve used a lot of Roland synths over the years, but usually I begged and borrowed old JUNOS and JUPITERs,” Von Till says. With a grin, he waves his Roland Boutique SH-01 in front of the camera. “As somebody who loves synthesizers but can’t afford vintage, the Boutique series has really allowed me an entry point.”
He also praises the compact SH-01 for its expanded capabilities. “I’m not a purist—I just want things that work. So the fact that this also becomes polyphonic is amazing.”
"As somebody who loves synthesizers but can't afford vintage, the Boutique series has really allowed me an entry point."
The Village
Equally amazing is the response to the revamped Neurosis lineup and its surprise release earlier this year. The full-length was heralded as an instant classic and an album of the year shoo-in. So, how does it feel to be entering this era of the band?
“I think we just have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the fact that we were able to keep it together and make it happen, because it didn’t always feel like it could,” he states. “And gratitude for Aaron for stepping in and giving us the energy we need, gratitude to my sisters and brothers in the Firekeeper Alliance for the invitation to Fire in the Mountain that would prove to be the catalyst we needed to make it larger than ourselves.”
Lifer
The ethics of Neurosis and Neurot Records are held up as a global benchmark for DIY integrity, and Von Till credits forbearers like Ian MacKaye as well as peers like Roadburn Festival. But Neurot is no catalog imprint; the label remains an active endeavor.
“We’re still deep in it right now,” Von Till says with a wry chuckle. “I mean, the office is on the other side of that wall. Aside from like throwing every single resource at pressing this new Neurosis record, we have a new Deaf Kids record from Brazil, Kowloon Walled City, and Great Falls coming up.” As part of the ethos, Neurot continues to offer music on its Bandcamp page on a pay-what-you-can basis to increase accessibility.
Somehow, in between all this productivity, Von Till has also held down his job as a 4th grade teacher. One wonders if his pupils have any idea of his life outside the classroom, though his lengthy beard and tattoos offer hints.
“They don’t have a conceptualization of what DIY music is or what fringy scene I exist in,” he explains. “What I get across is like, ‘I’m not a rock star. I’m a lifer who loves music and art, and I’m willing to sacrifice my time and my resources to do it.’”
"We don't have the answers, so let's explore the feelings through sound and poetry and words and sonic heaviness."
A Slow Unfolding
And for Von Till, the power of art has never been more crucial than at this complex moment. “We might not have been able to articulate it when we were young,” he says, “but it became clear over time that we use this crazy, dark, intense, psychedelic music to process emotions that don’t even have names.”
That ability to find catharsis through art is at the heart of what Von Till and Neurosis do. “We don’t have the answers, so let’s explore the feelings through sound and poetry and words and sonic heaviness.”
And when that release helps others, it makes it all worth it. He likens it to a “wellness practice,” albeit an unconventional one. “If we can turn one person around in a dark moment, it becomes a healing moment for others, which in turn heals us. It’s a slow unfolding that feels like what we’re supposed to be doing.”
