Your date of birth?
September 20th, 1963.
Hometown?
Pinecliffe, Colorado, USA.
Your early influences in music?
My father listened to everything from Bach to Led Zeppelin, including John
Cage, Leadbelly, Odetta, and the Beatles... my older sister was listening to the "hippie" music when it came out, so we had Dylan, Seeger, Baez, Hendrix, Country Joe and the Fish, Jefferson Airplane, and, of course, the Grateful Dead. I would go to the library as a youngster and check out records; that's where I discovered "Freak Out" and "Absolutely Free" by Frank Zappa (I was about 7), James Brown, Debussy, Varese. My sister had a boyfriend named Stephen King, who was a classical pianist, and I'd listen to him play. He got me a copy of "Music to Eat" by the Hampton Grease Band when I was 8. That led me to Captain Beefheart. Then of course I digressed toward popular music as I was never very cool and wanted to be liked.
Which is your main instrument?
I taught myself piano and guitar, had some theory in High School and after, picked up accordian out of my love for Lars Hollmer and Taraf de Haidouks (and Arabic music). I never really committed to one particular instrument, which is perhaps why I am extremely limited on all of them.
Your favorite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Miles Davis: "Get Up With It", for that raw voodoo thang and all the
wah-wah guitars (and of course, Al Foster and Dave Liebman!).
Guigou Chenevier: "Roumors of the City", for the unique compositional
process, Guigou's drumming, and the nice melodies.
Look de Bouk: "Bec et Angles", for the highly personal production values,
awesome melodies, and Kwettap Ieuw's beautiful voice.
Faust: "The Faust Tapes", again for the unique production, but also for
the emotional rollercoaster and the exuberant, drug-addled playing.
Latin Playboys: Both of thier records display a staunch individuality that
both courts and dares the mainstream listener. Not many others do this!
The Beatles: "Abbey Road", for obvious reasons...
Please name 10 bands of all time?
Since when, and why? Oh, all right. Since I was born...
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Miles Davis
Charles Mingus
The Who
Led Zepplin
The Mothers of Invention (until 1970)
Henry Cow
Zamla
Look de Bouk/Toupidek Limonade
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
It's difficult to tell, because now, to me, everything has been mired in formulas, therefore it's difficult to judge what's real. Nowadays, when I like a new band, it's rarely longer than "for the time being". What I've liked recently hasn't stayed with me as much as what I remember being influenced by as a kid...maybe because nowadays I identify myself as an artist, so I'm wary of pledging alliegences. If I must, I'll say I liked John Zorn, Tom Waits, Orb, Radiohead (for a minute), Los Lobos, Fiona Apple, Portishead, Tortoise, some Beastie Boys, even parts of the new
Madonna record...
Which is the most influential band in the USA at present?
The Beatles. We'll never escape it.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
No.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known? Please tell about them.
Ron Miles is Colorado's pride and joy. He's done records with Bill Frisell. Farrell Lowe is an interesting Ambient artist. Oodles of great jazz players here. Most bands from here that try to make it get crushed by the machine, interpersonal problems, or by drugs. Most of the local music I'm exposed to involves modern dance; therefore, Jesse Manno, scoreman extrordinaire; Mike Vargas, who works with Nancy Stark Smith; Mark McCoin, who does everything you never hear about; and of course, Jon Stubbs.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
I play the electric bass guitar in Thinking Plague, which gets mistaken for prog/RIO music.
Have you played in any other band before Hamster Theatre?
Gazillions. From high school, I hosted an open mike jazz night as a pianist, played organ with the Ramblin' Rex blues band (that included Henry Vestine of Canned Heat and Gary Rowles of Love), played Fender Rhodes in a Miles Davis influenced free rock band (the Ecotopia Jazz/Art Ensemble), synthesizer in 2 Christian rock bands, guitar in C&W bands, drums in Grateful Dead cover bands, bass in same, Guitar in hippie jam bands, drums in post-punk bands, drums in jazz bands, drums, prepared guitar and tapes in a free-improv trio, synth bass in Big Foot Torso with Jon, accordian in the middle eastern cover band Serefe, produced and played most of the instruments on a few singer/songwriter projects, wrote and recorded scores for self-help tapes, dance, and small movies.
What is Hamster Theatre?
Hamster Theatre is an opportunity to blend together seemingly contradictory information. The intention is to unify "taste" into a common desire for nothing other than the experience of hearing music. Boundaries are ignored, there is absolutely no rock-star posing going on. Music has no place if it is cut off from itself by petty human insecurities that set up camps against "other" tastes.
How you can describe your direction?
I can't, and if I could, I probably wouldn't.
OK, it's Rock-in-Oppostion & eclectic chamber music with the Cuneiform's sound. Why this direction?
Don't test me. I live in the woods.
Are you improvising or all music at first is written on a paper?
I can't speak for Jon, but when I write I write on MIDI. Then I print out the parts for the guys. In rehearsal, we reinterpret the page so that it fits us individually. There may be spaces for improvisation written in, or we may write them in later. Things may also develop in performance, if we're lucky enough to get a gig here. The market's been pretty much taken
over by entrepeneurial hippies who need things to be categorized.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
I must refuse to define that. As always, I have, and want to have, no idea.
Your date of birth?
8 April, 1975.
Hometown?
Metz (North-east of France).
Your early influences in music?
Pink Floyd, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix.
Why you chose the guitar?
It's not really a choice. My sister bought the guitar when I was 14, I tried
it, I liked it and I never get it.
back to my sister !
But currently I try to play synthesizers and groovebox too.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again?
The Pixies: "Surfer Rosa" (or all the other albums from The Pixies).
Every song is perfect. Not a single 'B-side' song. Great guitar-parts (Joey Santiago is my favourite guitar player).
Please name 10 bands of all time?
Pixies
Sonic Youth
Velvet Underground
Beatles
Fugazi
Pink Floyd
The Who
Cure
Joy Division
Mogwai
Which is the most influential band in France at present?
daft punk.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have influenced?
bands from warp records.
What kind of sound you prefer to use or maybe you are trying to create the sound as nobody have done before?
I don't like guitar effects. I only use clean sounds or a low distortion. But when I use my synth, I try to create special sounds that I've never heard before.
Which are the cult bands in France?
Noir Desir, Telephone (in the 80's).
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
no.
Post-Rock & Electronic in France: Air, Airwave, Bathyscape, Heliogabale, La Kuizine, Madrid, Moka, Oldine, Paloma, Playdoh, Prohibition, Purr, Shade, Tank, u.c.m., Ulan Bator, Un automne à Lob Nor. Which of them are the most interesting and original?
Air, Prohibition, Helogable, Playdoh, Purr, Ulan Bator, Un automne à lob nor, Madrid.
What you are thinking of Air?
They're doing 70's-style music with nowadays instruments. Nico is a fan, I like some songs but not all.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
I've discovered a very very great band called Rroselicoeur. Very very interesting.
What is your information source about music you like? Which media?
essentially internet and magazines. Personnally I don't have any TV and I never listen to the radio.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Nico and I have a electronic side-project called µ-fi. Nico got a solo project, ellipse but our main band is of course melatonine.
Your date of birth?
August 24, 1959.
Hometown?
Torrance, California, a suburb near the beach just south of Los Angeles.
Your early influences in music?
Records I'd beg my parents to buy me as a child. The first record I got which turned me around was "Sgt. Pepper's", especially "A Day in the Life", which opened me up to musical experimentation for the first time. When I heard my first bit of free-improv noise (the middle of "Whole Lotta Love") my taste for the usual went out of the window and most kids in the neighborhood wanted nothing to do with me.
Why you chose the drums?
I wanted as much attention as I could get as a child, and what better way than to bash out rubbish on an old drum set. In 1969 Keith Godchaux, the late, great keyboardist for the Grateful Dead was a neighbor. He convinced my mother that I had natural talent as a drummer, and to forego the usual, perfunctory piano lessons. Although my sweet mom was rather older, and Keith a freaky young hippie, she respected what he had to say, and it's due to him that my parents put up with all the noise as I was growing up.
Which were your favorite drummers?
I've got a lot of favorites: Christian Vander, Chris Cutler, Lenny White, Marilyn Mazur, Keith Moon, the Robert Wyatt of yesteryear (I still love what he's up to these days, too). I like some old Jazzers, too. Louie Belson is a god, and going back a little further, Cozy Cole.
And which drummers you like to listen right now?
The guys to look out for now are Jim Menesses from Philly, and two guys named Pavel from the Czech Republic (Fajt and Kudelka). Both play in a great, heavy band with an absolute exact energy called Dunaj. Perhaps that group is gone now, I'm unsure, but I played at a festival in France last year with Fajt, and he was like the new Vander, slick but tasteful, and willing to take chances musically. He aint no wimp.
Are you a modern drummer? Have you changed your playing style, instruments, objects during last 15 years?
I don't consider myself a drummer solely. I also play other instruments, compose songs and lyrics, and produce. I've been placed in the dubious position of setting up tours and concerts as well. So perhaps the best way to explain it would be to place an emphasis on the fact that everything you do in life is going to change (or at least have an effect on) the way you play. As you grow as a person, so will you grow as a musician. The process is an unconscious one, and therefore I don't really look back at what I was doing 15 years ago and compare it to what I do today.
On October 29th Yes with symphony orchestra firstly played in Riga. It was fantastic! Do you like Alan White as a drummer?
I think YES are lucky to have Alan White all these years. He was already in both John Lennon's and George Harrison's bands. So he was to a large degree, overqualified for YES. I saw him play once with a broken ankle and he did a great job of hiding the pain. I respect that. Also, there's a lot more to being a professional musician than just being a great player. These days you also have to be a good businessman, and I think anyone who can survive for that long in a dead industry should be commended.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again?
Capt. Beefheart "Trout Mask Replica"
Nico "Marble Index"
Albert Marcoeur "Joseph"
Thomas Dimuzio "Headlock"
The Who "Sell Out"
Van Dyke Parks "Discover America"
This Heat "Deceit"
L. Voag "The Way Out"
The Science Group "Mere Coincidence"
Chris Block "Pox"
Samla Mammas Manna "Kaka"
Janet Feder "Speak Puppet"
Shawn Persinger "A Reasonable Horse"
Magma "Mekanik Destrukiv Kommandoh"
Robert Wyatt "Shleep"
Bob Drake "Skull Mailbox"
Art Bears "The World As It Is Today"
Dr. John "Gris-Gris"
Dan Hicks "Where's The Money ?"
Faust "Faust Tapes"
Motor Totemist Guild "Infradig"
The Mothers "Absolutely Free"
The Work "Rubber Cage"
Rolling Stones "Satanic Majesty"
You have played in 5uu's, Motor Totemist Guild, Rascal Reportretrs, U: Totem, Hail, Bob Drake, Present, Noisemarker's Five, Thinking Plague and Blast. In which band or album you have created something innovative and too complex that onyone other drummer have not done and you like to listen these recordings after the years?
Well, I was in a group from California called U:Totem, and that material was very complex. We would rehearse sometimes 30-40 hours a week, and we were very serious. I think perhaps no-one will try that sort of complexity again with strictly notated scores, and I'd be surprised if anyone ever again goes where we went, or where Henry Cow went. I enjoy listening to this kind of music from time to time.
Please name 10 bands of all time?
The Shadows
The Who
Hendrix
The Mothers
Soft Machine
Capt. Beefheart
Faust
Henry Cow
Magma
The Residents
(I could go on, but you asked for a mere 10)
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
Interestingly enough, I don't think that innovation lies in the hands of bands these days. Rather with those who have their hands on the bands' production. With all the wild things you can do with computers now, I believe here is where we will find the well water with which to fill the holy grail . One group I would single out as being THE most innovative would be the Science Group of Tickmeyer, Cutler and Drake. It is easily the single best project of the last half decade, if not more.
Which musical direction/movement seems intersting for you in 2001?
I'm willing to examine just about anything with merit, but I PREFER to listen to well thought-out, finely-crafted and executed compositions, especially ones where the musical setting lends credence to the lyrical intent. There isn't, perhaps, any one single musical movement attempting to do this; Rather, this approach can be adopted by any type of musical endeavor and, in turn, churn out something worthwhile.
Do you think that Rock-in-Opposition is still timely?
I think that RIO has become more of a nomenclature than a movement, as it was originally. It was a very important step with regards to "free-thinking" within the world of rock music. Although it was a very short-lived institution, what stemmed from it was a sort of category. What is now referred to as RIO is a type of interesting and innovative music which goes beyond the norm of what is usually described as progressive rock. In this sense surely RIO is still timely, and made even more so by the fact that the musicians interested in this type of field are much more apt to come up with something new and innovative, and not to merely copy the advancements of others.
Which is the most influential band in your country right now?
The Tractor's Revenge, Yossi Fine.
Are you listening Post-Rock bands or their music as Sigur Rós, Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor!?
Godspeed is a cool band, although I like to hear Godsmack a bit more, and Godz of Kermeur more so. It's interesting you should use the term, "post-rock". Someone once sang, "Hey, hey, my, my...Rock and Roll will never die." But I think he was a bit premature in his assessment. Rock music has already died. There's nothing left to do. Rock music is supposed to outrage your parents, but little of what is being produced today will outrage a mouse, let alone a parent who grew up listening to the Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys. Then there's the fact that what parades around as rock music now is consumed by the eyes via the oxymoron of music-videos, instead of the ears, as it was meant to be. A young person may know very little about music itself, but they know that Cher sang whilst swinging over the audience in a giant chariot. And that Madonna has a silver, conical bikini. And that Prince wore his buttocks out of his pants. And that Elton John is gay. All of these "events" have become to the public what music IS for them. I assert that this is not what rock music is all about, and therefore ROCK AND ROLL IS DEAD. Any band who is willing to accept these facts and come to and the conclusion that rock is dead SHOULD refer to themselves as "post-rock", and I'll tip my hat to each every one of them which pulls off something new.
What is your opinion about Univers Zero?
They were once my very favorite band, perhaps 20 years ago. But now it's hard for me to judge what they did without some form of bias because they are all good friends of mine and I've worked with most of them in PRESENT.
Is new Present's album "High Infidelity" so crazy as "Nr 6"?
Well, it's very much the same because it was recorded at the same 3 week session in Tel Aviv. It was supposed to be a double cd, but the record company was worried about the possibility of sales being hindered by the added costs, so they released half of it in 1999 and the other half about a year later. Both records tend to compliment one another.
5uu's. Your band. When will be released new album "Abandonship" on Cuneiform?
ABANDONSHIP will be available in January 2002.
Please name musicians who have played on the "Abandonship"?
I played all of the instruments. The singer is Deborah Perry and the engineer Udi Koomran. We had some guest appearances by local Israeli players, and even a tap-dance solo by a well known celebrity here. It's pretty wild stuff.
You have recorded 7 albums with 5uu's. What did you wish to create with your band?
I create because I feel the urge constantly, and it's in my blood now.
Have you heard Upsilon Acrux, Absolute Zero from USA, A Short Apnea from Italy or Uzrujan from Zagreb, which are also performing RIO?
No, I've not heard the music but have seen their websites and wish them the best. Croatia? I've only been there twice as a musician but could highly recommend the group, Mamojebac (translates as "Motherfuckers" in English.) I much prefer former Yugoslavia as a vacation spot than a place to play.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
No, only American radio and then lots of radio interviews while touring in Europe. No BBC. I've only been to England once, and that was as a tourist. We've never performed or recorded there.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Tractor's Revenge and Yossie Fine.
What is your information source about music you like? Which media?
I usually get some magazines in the mail now and then, and the internet is a valuable tool. But mostly meeting people and getting their opinions is where I hear about up and coming things. Nowadays I'm more concerned with how our little coalition can keep on top of things and continue to work in an innovative fashion, so we keep our eyes open for interesting technical developments, if they are affordable, rather than to keep track of what albums have been coming out by this or that band.
Your plans for November and December?
We are currently discussing 2 things: #1) How to get a tour funded in North America for 5uu's, and #2) is regarding the next studio project. The group is comprised of the American guitarist Janet Feder, American electro-acoustic artist Thom Dimuzio, Israeli engineer Udi Koomran and myself.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
What is most important is to support what you feel is lacking in today's musical world. Personally I feel that highly complex, notated music is in jeopardy because of the industry's want for profit, and those who write and perform it are becoming an endangered species. I read somewhere that Socrates had a musical philosophy in which he believed there to be two distinct types of music: One appealed to musicians and intellectuals, while the other appealed to commoners and barn animals. I think it interesting that our species should still think the same way after many centuries. Anyway, for a short time we had Rock and Roll in this equation, but try not to forget that, for the time being at least, Rock and Roll is dead !!!!
Your date of birth?
June 15, 1964.
Hometown?
Cohasset, MA (same town I live in now...).
Your early influences in music?
At age 7 I heard "Roundabout" (Yes) and it completely changed my life. Genesis, King Crimson, Gong, Gentle Giant, etc. Around the time I was 13 I discovered "ECM" (Terje Rypdal, Eberhard Weber) and completely droped "prog" music. Later, I kinda figured out how to blend them.
Why you chose the guitar?
My older brother played. (Still does.) I think I should have been a keyboardist, but the guitar came very naturally to me. Listening to my playing, I think that all those textures and things are making up for never having had a mellotron!!!
Your favorite guitar players? Why?
So many from so many different periods of my life. In no particular order: David Torn, Randy Roos, Steve Hackett, Bill Frisell, Wayne Krantz, Terje Rypdal, Robert Fripp, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Beck, Steve Hillage.
The common thread? They all have distinctive sounds that can be instantly identified.
On October 29th Yes performed in Riga. Do you like Steve Howe's style?
As I mentioned earlier, "Roundabout" was the song that changed my life and made me realize that music was central to my existence. Now: 30 years later, a lot has changed. I've just been listening to "Close to the edge", "Tales", and "Relayer" and I have to say that I really don't care for Steve Howe's guitar playing. The compositions (I'd completely ignored them for many years, so they feel fairly fresh) have some great moments and some horrible moments, but they were really trying to achieve something so they've got to be given credit.
What do you think of Robert Fripp and David Torn?
Two great players of wildly differing styles and approaches. Torn is one of my favorite players--very deep, very inspiring. Fripp is also cool, but much more rigid. I should point out that I know a fair bit more than many (having spent a lot of time in his company) about Torn's techinical facilities and harmonic knowledge. Make no mistake, he is an immensely
talented individual, one who is always seeking to push the envelope.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Unlike many musicians I know, I *do* listen to my records. The reason I make them is specifically because it's music that I want to hear, and I don't hear anyone else making music like this. That said, "Brief Light" receives a lot of spins still. It's closer to where my head is these days. As for albums by others, they go in cycles. I mentioned my recent fascination with Yes. I'll go through things like that with lots of records, then won't listen to them again for 5 years. Steve Reich "Music for 18 Musicians". Peter Gabriel's soundtracks. Eberhard Weber "The Following Morning". Randy Roos "Primalvision".
Please name 10 bands of all time?
Weather Report
Eberhard Weber/Colors
The usual prog suspects
Japan (later)
Bruford
Happy the Man
National Health
the guitarists above...
Which are the most innovative bands/artists right now?
Innovative? Interesting? Creative? There's a lot, and a lot I haven't heard too. But in differing areas: Torn continues to push the envelope (though I can't say I listen much his latest efforts, but that's OK), film composers Thomas Newman, Carter Burwell. Bassists Michael Manring, Gary Willis, Tony Levin. Steve Tibbetts is still doing interesting work. I haven't listened to anything in the pop or prog arena for years.
What is Alchemy Records?
Alchemy Records began when I was making "Three If By Air". Since I was
working for a living, I assumed that there would be no label interest in it (there was some, but nothing materialized) so I made it for myself as a Christmas Present and sold it at clinics. (I was working for Lexicon and doing a lot of Jam Man/Vortex clinics.) But in talking to several
artists that I worked with at Lexicon, I realized that there was a need for a good label for artists that didn't fit into conventional categories, but were really good. So I got some funding, quit my job and started the label. We've since released albums by Robby Aceto, Brian Gingrich, Caryn Lin, Wayne Krantz/Leni Stern, Gary Willis, Jeff Richman, William Camire, Michael Manring, and me. We've had great sucess critically, but alas, not financially.
Do you know - have Brian Gingrich recorded any other CD than "The White Rim of Heaven"?
He made a CD before "The White Rim of Heaven" but has not been heard from since. He's also a working man, but a fabulous composer and bassist.
Is "Three If By Air" your first solo album?
Yes. It's all me, and that's kind of it's downfall.
Please tell about your album "Anatomy Of A Wish" with Tony Levin, Vinny Sabatino and Michael Manring. Is this album more differently than "Silent Extinction Beyond..."?
"Anatomy" picked up where "Silent Extinction" left off. It's more "composed" than "Silent", and there's more of an open-ness to the compositions. It breathes more. Manring plays on one cut, which was really nice--Vinny and I had built a percussion piece around an ambiennt loop. We'd gotten some
new percussion instruments and were experimenting with them. We kind of forgot about it, until several months later when I was cataloging what was on what the tape. I found it, and really dug the vibe. I removed the loop and built a piece (sort of holdsworth-like chords) and it took off.
I knew that Manring was the right bassist-slippery fretless stuff. There's a long piece called "Minaret" which is an extended improv with Vinny, me and Tony.
"Brief Light" is the newest CD (released in August this year) and it is a very large step beyond the last two CDs. I composed most of it on Keys (Tuned Percussion stuff, not pads or normal keyboard stuff). Heavy Steve Reich influence along with my continued interest in Peter Gabriel's soundtrack work. There's a ton of percussive work from Vinny, and Tony is on most of the record. I changed my recording medium after writing all the pieces because I knew I'd be unable to do it on my old DA-88. Too many guitar and percussion parts, along with keybaord parts.
How did you meet up with Tony Levin and David Torn?
I met them while I was at Lexicon. I as in charge of artist relations (among other things) and I had gotten them some gear.
How did you recorded with Tony Levin? Improvised music or composed before the recording session?
The first couple records were pretty much improvised. I'd give him the tracks, a couple notes about where things were going, and he'd work his way through them. But the new one was totally composed, and I even wrote out charts for him. (pen and paper!!!)
How does your composition process work? What is the first? Melodies for guitar or...?
Depends. Some of the new album started from tuned percussive bits. But usually I start with an odd guitar loop. One track on the new album started from a gong loop. Sometimes I'll have a percussion ostinata be my guide.
Does each of your albums have a different direction, conception or idea?
I've tried to make each record be a stamp of where my head is currently. I'm fairly invloved in soundtrack stuff latetly, so maybe I'm going more in that vein. I don't usually start out saying "I'm making a record now." I have my studio in my home, so I'm always recording. The album usually presents itself to me when it's ready.
Are you playing shows? With Tony Levin too?
No. My last show (in NY at the knitting factory) cost me about $400 between the players and the travel. It's just so impractical, and I'm not sure I'd want to watch my music performed live, so I can't imagine making someone else sit though it. Records are much more enjoyable--you can
listen at your leisure.
Experimental guitar players. Are you friends or competitors?
Friends, when I get to know them. I can't imagine them as competitors. There are players who I respect but don't care for musically. And players I think are great fun to listen to. But I don't worry about if anyone's "better than me" or gets more calls than I do. I get more frustrated that Wayne Krantz's work on the last Steely Dan record was removed so Walter Becker could have the spotlight!
Are you telling about your new technological secrets to other guitar players?
Anyone who asks.
What equipment do you like to use right now?
Klein guitar, lexicon jam man, MPX-1, mpx-100, mesa/boogie amps.
Cloud & Filter Guitars. Please explain...
Cloud Guitars: I came up with this name to explain the textural stuff I do. They drift by like clouds, hanging in the air with no discernable beginning or ending.
Filter Guitars: On Brief Light, I began using an MPX-1 which has a really cool 4-pole moog filter. And, on "Behind Stone Walls" it was a very prominent part of the piece. So, I figured that where I was using keys on some things, it would help make it clear that a guitar was doing that filter stuff, not a synth.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands/artists in the world and to beat the band/artist from which you have influenced?
I'm in the fortunate position of having spent a large amount of time with most of my favorite artsits. I don't consider myself to be the guitaristic equal to Allan Holdsworth or Torn, but I do think of them as friends. I have also learned that I do offer something unique and that
what I do is also cool. I don't look at music competitively. Now, get me on the squash court, and I'll get competitive.
What kind of sound you prefer to use or maybe you are trying to create the sound as nobody have done before?
My sound is what I've been after all my life. It's an amalgamation of everything I've heard. I don't think I sound like anyone else. Others might disagree. But I certainly try to stifle anything that sounds too much like someone else. I'd like to think that my sound is as unique as
the other guys listed above. But I'm too close to it to be impartial.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
No.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Nothing I've heard locally is of any interest. Sorry.
What is your information source about music you like? Which media?
Sadly, the conventional media outlets have really forgotten about good music. There are some great on-line sources, in particular Innerviews.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
I've done a fair bit of work lately with Michael Whalen on some film scores and records. His latest solo album ("Mysterious Ways") is a pop/smooth jazz record with Torn, Me, Tony Levin, Danny Gottlieb, Bashiri Johnson, and Chris Botti. It's very nice, but within it's context.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
I'm still fascinated with Steve Reich and the minimalist constructs. Mostly, I've been trying to get stuff out of my head and into the computer...
Your date of birth?
28/03/1975.
Hometown?
Gent, Belgium.
Your early influences in music?
My mother listened a lot to Abba and German schlagers. She prefered the Beatles, my dad prefered Jim Reeves and the Rolling Stones. My own early influences varied from Heavy Metal to Pink Floyd and lots of Synthesizer music and later on i started listening more and more to indie and experimental stuff.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
I started with the keyboards at the age of 12 because then that was the instrument that appealed most to me. At 16 I started to play the guitar and a bit later also the Bass Guitar, sampler, vocals and four-track. I chose the guitar because I started listening more and more to guitar oriented stuff and also to extend my range of instruments. I was always intrigued by sampling and for me this was the ultimate setup to record stuff on four-track: keybs, gtr, sequencer and sampler...
How was "de portables" formed?
I am not an original Portable, I only joined after 2 years. Anyway, de portables was formed out of the remnants of two other bands being Weirdnolandouwers and Sorbitol. The original goal of de portables was to perform songs of yet another collective named low fun and other sentimental a-forms who made lo-fi improvisation stuff. The complete collective counted approximately 20 people but they never performed simultaniously. Soon de portables drifted into creating their own songs. Back then de portables were: Hans on drums, Cenneth on Bass + vox and Wio on Guitar + vox. I was asked to join them during the recordings of the first portables tape called "Zon I Bos", when I also asisted them in recording and assembling the tape. I was very happy when they invited me because a few weeks before I had been seriously baffled by tone of their live gigs and I even considered them to be some sort of 'dream' band...
How did you met up with (K-RAA-K)3 label?
We are pretty good friends with them. Wio, as well as me (under the name Köhn), had already made a few records for (K-RAA-K)3 and then they asked us to do a portables record and we agreed. Before "Rosegarden" we had already made a record called "lab.top" on a different label but we weren't quite satisfied about it. It was recorded in a genuine studio an due to lack of time and money the whole record suffered from that. Meanwhile we had constructed our own studio and that's how we recorded "Rosegarden". We still are pretty happy with that record.
How often does "de portables" play live?
Quite often actually. But we are now trying to lessen the amount of live shows so that we can start to record a new album and make new songs because we have been playing and rehearsing the same songs for almost three years now and we're getting sick of some of them...
What kind of music performed "Köhn" and "Wio"? Similar to "de portables" or not?
Köhn is more instrumental and experimental, also more electronic oriented. Wio is pure pop genius with lo-fi roots and a very emotional approach. In de portables all these things sort of blend together but still the result is different. The similarities may be: a typical song structures, melodic approach and roots in pop-music... The differences can be explained by means of individual approach (wio, köhn, etc.) and the mix of these individuals in a group resulting in portables...
Did you ever heard Univers Zero, Present or Daniel Denis solo, Avant-Rock & Rock in Opposition bands from Belgium?
Nope.
Did the first your albums got good reviews or broadcasts in Belgium? Univers Zero and Present are still not well known in Belgium. How are with "de portables"?
Our first album hardly got any reviews on the Flemish side of Belgium, the French side of Belgium was very enthusiastic (sometimes too). The second release was received very well in Flanders and got quite some airplay which is nice. I have never heard of Univers Zero or Present, i'm sorry... Did i miss something? I don't know how famous we are, but judging by the amount of girls that come to our live shows we still have a long, long way to go:)
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again?
My fav albums:
"spirit of eden" & "laughing stock" by talk talk
"hotel paral.lel" by fennesz
"loveless" & "isn't anything" by my bloody valentine
"systemisch" & "diskont 94" by oval
"astral weeks" & "blues & roots" by charles mingus (basically any mingus)
most of pink floyd
"lumpy gravy" by frank zappa (this record is probably the best record
never)
"halfway to a threeway" & "happy days" by jim o' rourke
"upgrade & afterlife" & "mirror repair" by gastr del sol
"parrot" by germ (beautiful)
"spiderland" by slint (i'm really through with this one actually, but hey...)
most guided by voices stuff
"millions now living..." by tortoise
"pet sounds" by beach boys
"revolver" & "abbey road" by the beatles
"frisbie" by heavy vegetable
"to the innocent" by thingy
"surrender to the night" by trans am
"exploded drawing" by polvo
"raise" by swervedriver...
I still forget so many... and lots of individual songs or 7" that are also great...
Most of these albums because of their combination of brilliant melodies with new sounds and sometimes humor and you know, whatever makes a record brilliant...
Please name 10 bands/artists/composers of all time?
Jeeez....
pink floyd
j.s. bach
steve reich
jim o' rourke
frank zappa
raymond scott
daniel johnston
andré hazes
charles mingus
steve albini
Your opinion about the last musical year - 2001? How interesting it was for you?
I don't know, i don't really think in years... It was a very confusing year, that's for sure, and i think it's interesting because plenty of artists are searching and experimenting. Eventhough
this often results in boring crap sometimes this also results in brilliant records....
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have influenced?
Yeah right! We want to be the absolute best and become the adolf hitlers of rock music so that we can determine what is right music and wrong music. We want to be the first rock band that also rules the world on a religious and political level... We want to be the musical equivalent of the nuclear bombs that were dropped on hiroshima an nagasaki... Actually we even considered
naming ourselves the enola gays instead of de portables...
What kind of sound you prefer to use or maybe you are trying to create the sound as nobody have done before?
farts? burps? barf? grzmzmjjndltkj?
How many sessions you have recorded for De Avonden/VPRO
radio?
wio has done 5 or 6, köhn has done 1, de portables have done 1 and
jürgen de blonde has done 1...
How many tracks you have recorded in the session in 2001? 3 or 4 tracks?
We have recorded a whole lot more, i think.... : "here i stand", "poisonous
fishy", "rosegarden", "telephone", "a waltz", "breasts", ....
The spirit of the longest song "Poisonous
Fishy" with the tremolo sound sounds similar to Peter Gabriel, when he was in Genesis. Did you like music by Peter Gabriel or early Genesis?
Yes. I think that "don't give up" (duet with kate bush) is great, and also
like some of his other stuff... I also like some of the early genesis although i don't know much of these pre-phil collins albums... I don't care too much about genesis to be honest...
Maybe you know bands in Belgium which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
sol & santi, geographique, grinberg, benjamin franklin, champion, blutch, rudy sylvester, hawaii, tweng...
What is your information source about music you like? Which media?
(K-RAA-K)3, different magazines ("gonzo circus", "wire", fanzines),
websites, friends, listening in shops....
Are you involved in any other band or project?
yup, köhn, burda moden, frambooze and others...
Which will be your next release? With "de portables" or any other band?
The first new release will be a new köhn album on (k-raak)...
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
Fennesz, Bartok, my environment (always), and lots of well-produced
80-ies stuff, Hood, and early 90-ies shoegazer...
Your date of birth?
November 16, 1976. Scorpio.
Hometown?
Los Angeles, California, USA.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
Listening to soundtracks from movies like Starman, as a kid.
What are your early musical influences?
The first wave was cassettes of thompson twins, duran duran, depeche mode. The second wave was cassettes of the smiths and joy division, and lps of the cure.
Why did you become a guitar player?
Wow i have never thought of that before. I don't know. It just became me.
Your favorite guitar players?
I can't think of any. I think of personalities more.
Which are your favorite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Morrissey: "bona drag". Every song is a hit, with great guitars and melodies.
Please name 10 bands/artists/composers of all time?
"Of all time" is too difficult, especially since i am ignorant of most of time. but I came up with:
lisa gerrard
jack nitsche (starman score)
karen peris (you can cry to many of her songs)
stravinsky (caused "the rites of spring riot")
suicide (caused "the brussels riot")
simon fisher turner (weird)
michael nyman (he's burning out lately, but he was great at melodies)
barber (his "addagio")
the frogs (it's only "right and natural")
rafter roberts (he can compose any music, instantly)
Your opinion about the last musical year 2001? How interesting it was for you?
2001 was a time when I finished a lot of my own musical projects, so it was very important for me. I'm not really sure what happened with the rest of the world.
What was the last album you listened?
"the mirror pool" by lisa gerrard.
When did you last cry listening music and what was that music about?
Today, lisa gerrard, the song sanvean something about it.
People either love or hate GYBE! or Radiohead. Why they do so?
Radiohead: because you either love or hate that kind of voice? GYBE! because they only do one type of thing. Other bands you can think they are so-so because they sound different on different albums. Since GYBE! is like Michael Nyman (one-trick-pony) you either love them or hate them because you love or hate that one song they keep playing different versions of for all their life. On a personal note, I don't love or hate either. I like particular songs by each band (the ones with good melodies), and dislike others.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
No.
What kind of sound you prefer to use? Maybe you are trying to create the sound as nobody have done before?
No, I'm not interested in innovation as a theme. I'm more interested in developing strong moods through music and creating emotional responses in other people.
Have you unfulfilled ambitions?
Definitely, that is a signal that you are alive, if you have unfulfilled ambitions. it's good to feel that way.
What is Pehrlabel?
History?
I started it in 1997 when i was at "Too Pure" and i heard a demo from Mount Analog. "Too Pure" did not want to release it, so I started "Pehr" to release music.
Intention?
Release music that I love and want other people to hear. Support good bands. Create a community of listeners and music business people and artists.
Direction?
Every day, work towards more people hearing the music.
Discovery?
I discovered my own personal strengths and weaknesses as a human and as a businessman. As for music, I discover good music all the time, I love it! It's like a drug, I'm always looking for a new high. Isn't that why we listen to radio and go to record shops?
Disappointment?
When a band I like, no one else really likes. or when "pehr" gets rejected by a distributor or radio station or magazine that I thought would like the music.
The forthcoming releases on Pehrlabel?
We have at least 12 in store. Hopefully they will include Empress, Timonium (3 albums), Delaney, Edith Frost, Sir, Monopot, The Kiwi Animal, Eucalyptus, Pastlife Workshop, Languis, and lots more that I can't say right now.
You mentioned Too Pure, the same UK label which released albums by Stereolab, PJ Harvey, Seefeel, Seely, Pram, Moonshake, Mouse On Mars, Laika, Long Fin Killie, Hefner?
Yep that was where I first learned the record biz. Learning about the music industry from outsiders like too pure is the best way to learn. Because handling that kind of music is an uphill battle, but it is worth it. Besides 2 of the bands became huge, PJ Harvey and Stereolab are not little bands anymore. I never met hefner, they signed on right as too pure left the US. But luke from long fin killie is an awesome guy, so smart and interesting. Actually so are margaret and guy from laika. They are very serious those two, very serious and very kind and nice. Wow all of those bands were so weird and good, I think that's another thing I absorbed from Too Pure, which is like a taste for musicians who are on the fringe, who should be more successful but they don't follow the corporate formula for success. Underdogs with talent.
I know! By the time I was there they were signing those bands, and they signed Seely, whose first pre-too pure album was great ("parentha sea"). But then they turned pretty bad. And then Pram left the label. And now they are signing bands like "murray the hump" it's really weird. I think the original owners are gone now, and it's just a name that beggars use.
I don't understand why they released Minxus or Jack. Still don't understand.
Minxus sucked. Jack had 2 good songs, but they were too too Brit Poppy! They are cool guys though. Voodoo Queens sucked too.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
No Timonium has never been to Europe. Hook us up with that, Dainis!
Did you do any sessions for anyone else?
Nobody famous, just cool college radio stations in the US.
How many days of rehearsals did you do for the show or going to do the tour?
Hopefully 5 practices if we are lucky.
How have the rehearsals been going?
Some are fun and productive and sound good. Others are tense and the sound doesn't come out right.
Do you have a favourite band to tour with again?
brittle stars and i am the wtc were a lot of fun to tour with, I love every one of them, and I love their music (both have such great melodies). I would do it again, even though all 3 bands sound really different.
What was you the worst or the most interesting hotel experience?
When me and adam and tracy were in a hotel in chicago, we took photos of each other in positions that make it look like we were having sex. Also, when me and stewart shared a bed at a health spa in the black forest of germany, that was fun. That was when i was playing in the cannanes.
How do you relax after gigs?
I feel self conscious after shows (not during shows) so drinking or spending time alone or with just 1 person is my favorite way.
Do you believe in aliens?
There must be something out there, the universe is too big for us to be the only ones.
Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Yes I get ESP occasionally, deja vu that comes true, and I saw a ghost when I was a child (it was not a dream).
The most beautiful track on the "Resist Eduacation" is "Leave Me In Droves". Can you tell me how this track was composed?
Sure! There were some chords I had been working with in my other band eucalyptus that I really liked, so I tried playing them with tracy one day when it was just the two of us. She came up with a bassline and that became part 1 of the song. Part 2 formed when tracy was just doodling on the bass one day, and then I started adding guitars. After playing that, we realized it might fit with part 1 of "LMID". So we tried connecting the two, and it worked! Then adam garcia added the strong dynamic to part 1 with his drumming, and james and I worked out how to interweave our guitar lines for part 2. Finally, tracy and i experimented until we came up with singing and lyrics that we enjoyed. Some of the lyrics are perverted!
In Timonium's music I heard similarities (or spirit by) of Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Sigur Rós, Mogwai, Low, Tarentel, Movietone, Windy & Carl and Labradford. Which of the named bands inspired you?
The last 2. Labradford songs such as "soft return" and "streamlining" have definitely inspired me, and Windy and Carl's entire album "Drawing of Sound" is inspiring (all 3 of us share a love of slowdive). I haven't
heard much Sigur Rós, and all the other bands came after we began in 1994. While I like or love songs by those bands (I released a tarentel song on my comptonalism), none of the other bands were influences on timonium.
How many instruments play tremolo on "Rae Luce"? It sounds like balalaikas orchestra plays tremolo. Is this track the most longest you have performed?
I would love to leave the mystery of "Rae Luce" as a mystery, and not tell you how many instruments/people were used. Mysteries about songs are rad. It is the longest song I've ever performed with Timonium. In Eucalyptus I've played songs for probably an hour.
Can you tell more about Eucalyptus?
Well eucalyptus is a lot more psychedelic than timonium, based on composing from our improvisations. So the music is not like wanky improv, there's no noodling or guitar solos, we just play the same song for a long time over several months, and then we revise it until it becomes a form that we enjoy moving through. it is very exciting to play this way, especially from something like timonium which has so much composition, it can get very depressing.
eucalyptus is like being a child again, it's more of a positive, in-the-moment thing. Some of the music is like a noise band, but with a little more melody than most noise music. Some of the
music is kind of shoegaze (we all like that music) and some is more eastern sounding, and some is like soundscapes. It's weird, even for me. Wow from this description the music sounds pretty awful, doesn't it? But we all come from the pop side of life, so it's not like "difficult" music at all.
How much records you have recorded with Eucalyptus? Did you record those long songs too?
We've recorded 5 albums worth, but of course we have not released the music! We are slowpokes in terms of releasing. We are going to start releasing albums and songs in 2002 or 2003, but we're not in a big rush because 3 of us are already in other, busy busy bands.
"Rae Luce". 22 minutes and some 6 seconds long. How this track was composed and recoreded? Did you wrote a score on a paper or it was composed differently?
The song was recorded live in one take, with one microphone. I was trying to achieve a sound like a choir of voices but with guitars, and I was trying to do it live like a choir does, so I didn't want to overdub later. The composition type stuff I can't tell you about because that is a secret, as well. I will tell you that after that recording I digitally edited out some of the mistakes, because when you play live you can mess up, and I didn't want to start over every time there was a screw up.
Is your new album done?
No, 4 songs are complete, and we are going to try to record 4 more songs within March or April, to release it in September or October.
Who would you like to remix your music?
Ulver from Scandinavia.
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Mogwai, GYBE! or Sigur Rós, who would you choose?
Sigur Rós, because I haven't really ever heard them yet, and they look gay and handsome. I bought my sister Sigur Rós for Christmas because she asked for
it, but I only heard the first song, and a song my friend from Iceland put on a comp for me. And I heard half of a song of theirs on the radio. So since they are still a mystery to me, that would be the most exciting, as I don't know what I would be getting into. Judi Dench never reads a script before taking a role, and this would be the same situation.
Are there any bands in your region which are very
innovative and original but are not well known? Please tell about them.
I think all the underground electronic music in los angeles, bands like dntel, languis, labels like "plug research" and "phthalo", and "the dublab crew", I think they are doing some great things. I'm not sure what's happening with rock bands in los angeles, I haven't heard any lately. I'm really only friends with the
beep-beep kids, even though I am a rocker.
What is your information source about music you like? Which media?
Clairecords (they are changing their name to tonevendor.com soon) and
boa melody bar are the only two places I always check for new music, because they always have the most interesting underground music from all over the world. Other than that, it's my friends, trading CDs and making comps for each other.
Are you involved in any other band or project?
Eucalyptus is a band I play in, the rest of the guys live in northern california. I love playing in that band too, it's a much different experience than Timonium.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
Choral music, the sound of many voices and multiple melody lines, all blending together to make a warm amorphous sound. all the soft voices make the harmonies kind of confusing, it's hard to tell where one note ends and another begins. That is fascinating to me. I am listening to a lot of choir music right now. I'd like to study it more so that I can begin to compose songs in the same style.
Your date of birth?
May 18, 1972.
Hometown?
Rockford, IL, USA.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
Listening to the radio progressed into taking notes into playing instruments. A linear progression.
What are your early musical influences?
My first significant influences came when I was 13 and started buying punk rock and no wave records by The Damned, The Residents, The Cramps and The Contortions. I discovered Free Jazz at age 15 and that really put me over the edge: Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, etc.
Which instrument you are playing?
I play everything I can get my hands on. I consider myself a composer and conceptualist first and foremost. The instrument is merely a tool to express myself with. I play drums in the Flying Luttenabachers, but only because I haven't found someone to replace me. I'd be more valuable
playing other instruments in the band.
How was The Flying Luttenbachers formed?
I was 19 years old and I had just come to Chicago to attend college. I tracked down Hal Russell, the late free jazz cult figure. We played together and really hit it off musically and personally. We decided to make a group. This was 1991. A long time ago. I barely remember those days.
In 1983 the contributor for the Evanston's, IL music magazine "Whatsa Matter" Steve Albini his review on Naked Raygun started with words: "Naked Raygun. Great name. That's what they sound like too, although I'm not really sure what that means, but if I did, I'm sure that's what they would sound like." What the hell means Luttenbachers? I didn't found this word in my several dictionaries.
Luttenbacher was Hal's real last name. We thought it was real cute at the time, but I think it's an awkward and sophomoric band name. I was young! At this point the Flying Luttenbacher is the name of the 100 foot tall green aluminum robot that is hibernating underground. At the point where the end of the world begins, it will break through the surface and head for the edge of the earth, smashing through a barrier into the infinite cosmos. This is illustrated in music and art on "the Gods of Chaos" album, 1997.
Do you believe in aliens?
I believe that there are many things that are beyond human comprehension. We obviously do not have the senses to detect everything that occurs in our space. I don't feel a need to call these things names because I don't know what they are and I"m not spiritual.
Have you ever had a paranormal experience? Maybe with flying....?
No. Not really. I believe in coincedence more than I believe in supernatural occurences.
What was the last colour dream you had?
I dream in full color, however I tend not to remember my dreams after I wake up. It's a shame, because they are usually vivid and detailed.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Some of my favorite albums are:
"Buy The Contortions Machine Gun Etiquette" by the Damned
Albert Ayler - "the complete Village Sessions"
Mayhem - "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"
Immortal - "Battles in The North"
Cecil Taylor - "green record on New World"
To Live and Shave in L.A. 2 - "Kill Misty"
These are all great music and art and they all have a special emotional attachment to my life. Lately I've been very sick of listening to music. Nothing sounds very good to me lately. Maybe it's because I've crossed over from being a fan to a musician and I spend so much time beating my
head against the wall trying to do my own stuff that I have little capacity to enjoy any one else's music... I don't know.
Please name 10 bands/artists/composers of all time?
Albert Ayler
Cecil Taylor
Christian Vander
Anton LaVey
Iannis Xenakis
That's it. I don't look up to many people.
Your opinion about the last musical year 2001? How interesting it was for you (maybe you have heard interesting bands or albums)?
It was a pretty good year and I think it's getting better. There are more interesting rock bands now than there has been in about 7 years. Most are very obscure, but great: Total Shutdown, Erase Errata, Subtonix, Orthrelm, Burmese, Black Dice, Pink and Brown, XBXRX, Numbers, Glass Candy and the Shattered Theater, Lightning Bolt, Arab On Radar, The Lowdown, Ex-Models, Upsilon Acrux, Locust, etcetera. There's finally a real rock underground again. With the popularity of elitist snob publications like "the WIRE" it seemed like so called "experimental" music became trendy and trivial.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
Of course. I don't how well I succeed at this. It's for others to decide. All I can do is struggle to create and survive. It gets more difficult every day. I definitely try to do things differently than most people. I don't have any simple influences -- my music and vision is a synthesis of many, many things. I don't try to copy anyone in particular with my music.
What kind of sound you prefer to use or maybe you are trying to create the sound as nobody have done before?
I am interested in expressing certain abstract concepts, but I have no allegiance to any particular instrumentation. I use whatever people are convenient and most appropriate at any given time. I am interested in aggression, energy, asymmetry, speed, violence and abstraction.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
No. We're not cool enough.
Did you do any sessions for anyone else?
Uh, in Europe? I guess so, but nothing really professional. We've done plenty of radio sessions for college radio in America.
How many days of rehearsals did you do for the show or going to do the tour?
Er, this band is pretty rehearsal intensive. The material we're playing is pretty difficult, so we have to rehearse a lot, particularly when we're learning new songs. If we don't practice for three days in a row before a show, we usually play kind of badly.
How have the rehearsals been going?
We don't really have a place to practice, so it's terrible. We have about 25 minutes of new music written but we can't really practice it.
What was you the worst or the most interesting hotel experience?
I don't remember. Tours tend to be a little boring. We'd like it if they were more fun. I guess one night in Bielefeld we were staying with Cock ESP and Matt Bacon wound up having an all night wrestling match with this German girl. That was extremely entertaining. They really beat the hell out of each other.
How do you relax after gigs?
Packing up my gear so I know I have everything. It's hard to relax because I generally feel unfulfilled, like I need more of something.
What is your opinion about Uzrujan (Croatia) and Upsilon Acrux (USA)?
I don't know Uzrujan. Upsilon Acrux are a very interesting band. They are really trying and succeeding at making new, original, intense music.
At Uzrujan's website Bara (Ivica Baricevic), the bass player of this band, wrote: "We shared stage with Storm & Stress, Flying Luttenbachers, Chris Cutler, Shock Exchange, Boris Kovac..." This was my info, that you've played together.
Oh!!! OK -- Bara. Of course. I can't keep all of his bands straight. God. I hope I'm not insulting him...
Do you have a favourite band to tour with again?
Any band that I like! We toured with the Ex-Models, Arab On Radar, The Locust, U.S. Maple, Bobby Conn and others. I would only tour with a band whose music I appreciate. Usually the friendships come later. I'd like to do a tour with Total Shutdown or Burmese. I really like those guys a lot.
What do you think of Rock in Opposition movement?
I think it probably did what it set out to do. I don't really see it as being a current thing though. I definitely want to avoid most of the cliches of rock music in order to use the form to make something new and stimulating. There's way too much mediocrity in rock music and it's our
job to go as far beyond that as we possibly can.
Did you ever listen to any album by King Crimson, Univers Zero or Art Zoyd?
Of course. I love 72-74 King Crimson very much. I like "13-13" by Univers Zero for its really incredible instrumentation and timbre. Art Zoyd are interesting to me, but something is missing. They aren't visceral or violent enough for my taste. We obviously have some inspiration from these kinds of groups, but I also feel like there are plenty of things about them I don't like, so we try to take the good from a bunch of different things and leave the bad stuff behind... we will never sing about flutes and fairies or do acoustic ballads or some shit.
Have you unfulfilled ambitions?
Do you have all day to hear about them?
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Univers Zero, Yes or King Crimson who would you choose?
Ha ha ha. You ask such fantastical questions. I find the 72-74 Crimson to be the group with the widest range of possibilities for what I'm interested in. I don't spend a lot of time being sentimental about bygone eras. I'm interested in doing the most interesting thing I can do with what reality is right now. I'm not interested in pretending that I play 'progressive rock' or 'no wave' or whatever.
What do you think of "Magnification" by Yes?
I don't know that song. It must be new. I don't really like much after "Relayer"! There's a lot I don't like about Yes, but there was some good music early on.
When did you last cry listening music and what was that music about?
Hmmm. Let me remember. It hasn't happened in a long time. I remember driving my car in high school and listening to "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" by Charles Mingus from "Mingus at Antibes". When Eric Dolphy kicks in to his solo section, it is so utterly devastating. I just remembered feeling so intimidated by his instrumental control and level of expression that I thought I'd never achieve something of that greatness. It made me very happy (to hear his music), but very sad at the same time. I have a long way to go still.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
There aren't really any within 12 miles of us. I feel pretty alone musically in Chicago. There are some good musicians like Kevin Drumm and Fred Lonberg-Holm and Cheer-Accident still have flashes of brilliance, but I really don't relate to what's popular in this city.
What is your information source about music you like? Which media?
Mostly word of mouth or meeting bands on tour. Most of the bands I like are not written about in magazines.
Are you involved in any other band or project?
Yes, but none are as serious to me as The Flying Luttenbachers. I'm in a chaos band called To Live and Shave in L.A. 2. It's a real mixture of freaks and anything goes, including burning the stage down. I play in some other things, but they aren't very important. I don't have as much time and energy as I used to. I'm trying to do one thing as well as I can, instead of a bunch of things at a mediocre level. There's too much music in the world and I believe in making less music, but better quality.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
The most important thing is for me to challenge myself technically and creatively to push my music further. I don't really like much right now and I'm trying to offer an alternative.
The Green Dolphin's Poll,
© Dainis Bushmanis, P.O.Box 345, Riga, LV-1050, LATVIA.