Mike Vennart once envisioned a career as a shred guitarist, but his path led him to co-founding Oceansize, a band celebrated for its blend of alternative, space, and post-rock. He remains philosophical about his eclectic tastes. “Being such a fan of Slayer and Pavement hasn’t necessarily done my career any favors,” he says. “But what are you going to do?”
He acknowledges the impact Oceansize had, even if he doesn’t revisit the music himself. “Sleep Token are big fans of what we did, and they’re the biggest fucking rock band in the world right now. That means a lot,” Vennart notes. “But I don’t listen to any of my stuff; I just make it.” This creative focus extends to his solo work, including four albums under his own name. “When I do look back on those, I’m often pleasantly surprised. I think In the Dead, Dead Wood is the most brutally honest record I’ve ever made. I wrote every fucking note—it’s my record.”
Vennart’s career continues to be diverse, serving as a touring guitarist for Biffy Clyro and launching the heavy metal project Empire State Bastard in 2023, which featured former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. In his latest, and perhaps most surprising, move, he has joined his self-admitted “all-time favorite group,” Cardiacs, not as a guitarist but as the lead vocalist, stepping in for the late Tim Smith. “It was never my dream to become the lead singer in Cardiacs,” Vennart admits. “Tim Smith is fucking Cardiacs. His songs are really good and they need to be sung. If it’s not me, then who?”
Reflecting on his playing style, Vennart points to his wide-ranging influences. “I grew up as an ’80s shredder,” he explains. “I’ve got a deep love for metal, but similarly, I’m a big fan of indie rock like Pavement and Sonic Youth. I can utilize the technicality of the shredder years with a pop or a dissonant edge, then turn my hand to dicking around with pedals.”
When asked to define his identity as a guitarist, he deflects. “That’s your job to decide! If anything, I think of myself as a psychedelic rock guitar player. For all my fireworks and Jedi tricks, all I really want to do is sit down and write a fucking good song with cowboy chords. But I’m not that songwriter.”
His role with Biffy Clyro offers a unique perspective on stadium rock. “Playing for Biffy is the best of both worlds—I get to feel famous without actually being famous,” he says. “When I’m with Biffy, nobody is really watching me, but I get to watch them. I get to look out and see the spectacle and feel the rapturous terror.”
Regarding gear, Vennart often relies on a Matamp GT-1 amplifier, inspired by the sound of Sleep’s stoner rock classic Dopesmoker. “I just wanted that sound,” he says. “It takes pedals like a champ, and it’s loud as hell.” His essential pedal is the ProCo Rat. “You can do fucking anything with that: distortion, overdrive, and fuzz. It’s really fucking wooly and crazy.”
The centerpiece of his collection remains a Japanese Squier Stratocaster his mother bought him for Christmas in 1987. “Getting a good left-handed guitar in 1987 was quite tricky,” he recalls. Over the years, he has modified nearly every component, installing a DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge and pickups from a vintage Ibanez. “If the house was on fire, the Squier Strat would be the only guitar I’d try and save,” he admits. The instrument is now retired from touring after a particularly perilous show in Bangalore where it was caught in a “Biblical downpour.”
Vennart’s new role in Cardiacs is a profound one, tasked with singing songs from a wealth of unfinished material composed by Tim Smith. “Under his guidance, just before he died, that work was completed by others,” Vennart explains. “Because Tim was not able-bodied enough to sing the songs himself, they needed someone to come in and sing them for him, and that someone is me. That’s about as wild a situation as you could possibly imagine.” The final Cardiacs album, LSD, is scheduled for release on September 19.
