I've been working on getting all of these done, here's a directory of the interviews. More to come.
Keep watching this page.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Electronic Saviors: 2 - Chicago venue Interviews.
I've been working on getting all of these done, here's a directory of the interviews. More to come.
Wait a damn Cryogen Second... ES2:Chicago Interview with Eric Sochocki
Rusty: I'm going to be completely honest with you here, I haven't listened to anything that Cryogen Second has done. Period. Why, I'm a slacker and I want to hear it live. Give me a little bit of background on the band for the kids out there in internet land.
(I'm going to download and listen to the album WHILE we're doing this)
Eric: So, I started playing live/actually working on this band thing in 2005ish. I had been dicking around with programming for about 5 years beforehand, and never got the right combination of people to work with (I had originally wanted a female lead singer, wanted another person to program with, etc.). In 2005, after much prodding by my wife, I just decided to start doing it myself. I originally started this as a more futurepop type outfit, but the lyrics and music progressively got darker/more screamy/less about personal bullshit.
Also, tell those kids that my lawn is still off limits.
Rusty: Noted. I've been listening to Anthem for the Great Self Destruct while waiting for your answer. I am digging it. So if you did this all yourself, what are we to expect from a live setup? Is there a live band?
Eric: Glad you like it, man! Live is rather different from this record. I like the idea of adding in elements to a live show that aren't present on an album, so I have Kevin Edlin, a Nashville producer and engineer, playing the guitars and Asli (my wife) on live synth. Really, it's all about energy. I came into industrial from the Connecticut punk scene in the mid/late 90's, where kids would never release an album, only knew three chords, but got up on stage, and ruined themselves for thirty minutes, all for the entertainment of a handful of people who really got into it.
Rusty: For me, that's the thing. Energy is huge when you're on stage. Give it your all, or go the fuck home.
So, you said you came from Connecticut, where do you hail from now and has the response in your area been a good one for Cryogen Second?
Eric: Yeah! There was this whole... thing... that happened for a while in our scene where people either didn't realize or didn't care that while there is some importance to image and presentation, but unless you have something substantial live to back yourself up, you're just a dude in a costume, wandering listlessly around on stage, looking like a dickhead. Fortunately, I've seen more and more bands that have been coming up that are amazing performers and incredible musicians as well. It's a really exciting time to be in this scene, for all the jaded "I HATE INDUSTRIAL" shit that seems to be happening now.
To answer your question, I'm in Nashville, and have been, since 2003. It's been interesting. Nashville isn't a big scene, but we have had great response from the local markets around here in the past year or two, and we've been fortunate to have an amazing local promoter who actually cares about the local bands.
Rusty: I just drove through there TWICE over the last couple of weeks for my trip to Florida. The things I should know ahead of time before travelling. It's not too far away, so maybe we can get a show down there with you guys some time.
So, lets get to the reason we're all in Chicago on Saturday. Electronic Saviors 2. You have two tracks on there, one a remix for Inure and the other one of your own. How did you get involved in this project?
Eric: YES. LET US PLAY SHOW TOGETHER. I promise that I will only call you Busty when I introduce you to people.
I'm trying to find a way to answer this question without sounding ENTIRELY TOO serious or overly wordy, might take a minute.
Rusty: Take your time... show's saturday...
Eric: The remix was a no-brainer. I love working with Adam's music, so when he approached me to remix him, I jumped on it. I'm actually in the middle of mixing a track that we did along with another amazing artist that's going on his next single that's gonna be epic.
The other track (thirty eight) was a bit more of a labor of love, I lost a good friend under really shitty circumstances to a ridiculously rare form of blood cancer ten years ago. The people that worked with me on that track (Kevin on guitar and Sarah from Synapse on vocal) were amazing to deal with, and it served as a way to actually get closure about not being able to say proper goodbyes. I guess that was my main motivation for doing this. Watching people fight that shit and lose is horrifying. You hear stories about what people go through, but it's a lot different when you SEE it, you know?
Either way, when I learned about what was going on, we jumped at the ability to contribute and play. Life's too fucking short to be waylaid by the depressing shit, Jim putting out this comp (and by proxy the shows that have been going on around them) are a great way to make something great out of one of the worlds bigger dick moves.
Adam has informed me that I should not use the word "epic" when describing anything relating to him.
So, you know... leave that in, Highlight and bold it, and whenever those kids that were on my lawn ask about him, Make sure to use nothing but that word to describe him.
Rusty: Shit, I don't edit anything, this whole thread is going in there.
I'm trying to get a couple of these done today, so I apologize for making this a short interview. That means we're in for my ever famous "Lightning Round". 5 quick questions that could be word association as well and 5 quick answers. Ready? Alright, let's do this thing.
1) Jim Semonik
2) Beyond Therapy Records
3) Your take on the current state of industrial
4) Dave Shock
5) Beer or the hard stuff? (I gotta know what you drink for Saturday)
Eric: 1. Hopefully not an alien from another planet. I've never met him and only talked in a few short emails. Or maybe hopefully he is. Who knows.
2. Great starting point for smaller artists. Nothing but love for them.
3. Still lots of work to get out of the rut, but getting great again.
4. Probably a Gynecologist.
5. Me: A shot of Jaeger and a Jack and Coke.
Kevin: anything alcohol related
Asli: If you can get her to drink ANYTHING alcoholic you win everything.
Rusty: Fantastic. Alrighty, I'm wrapping things up here. Thank you for your time today. I'll see you on Saturday in Chicago for the awesome!
Eric: yessir! Have a good day, Senor Trombón
Holy Shit! I interviewed darkNES (He's played Kinetik... I know that doesn't rhyme) - ES2 Chicago Interview
Today, I get to banter with Brian Graupner of The Gothsicles! Sit back and enjoy the ride.Rusty: Alright, Brian, I know this is a little late in the game to do an interview. We have a show on Saturday and we want all those kids in Chicagoland to get their collective asses to the show.
Let's do this. We'll have a little back and forth here. I ask a question, you answer, I ask another one. Sometimes your answers will lead to me asking different questions.
I've been a fan for a while, I have seen the shows, but I am not sure I have ever sat down with you and asked this question. What's the deal with the old school 8-bit obsession?
Brian: "Write what you know", man. I've never been in a cyborg war or drank vampire blood, but I definitely wasted a whole summer trying to beat Castlevania II.
Rusty: I've been there too, I jumped over the 8-bit stuff due to having my 2600 and Colecovision for years and went right in to the 16-bit wars. Sorry to say I was on the Sega (not Andrew) side of the fence for that one. I'm a video game nut, so I totally get it.
There's been a little bit of a lineup change recently, you've got Mike on keys now. How has that added to the live performance and is he adding anything to future recordings?
Brian: Holy smokes on high, the live show is so much better now. It was Mike's idea to go the keytar route and it was a total home run from space. We've gotten into this pattern of feeding off of each other on stage and the result has been like this upward spiraling feedback loop of positivity. It's just awesome.
Mike's also working a lot on the new album, which is new for me because recordings have classically just been Dan Clark and myself. The stuff he's sent me sounds great, though, plus he just picked up a Moog about which he's crazy excited, so hopefully that will make it on to the new disc (or whatever).
Sega had a lot of quality titles.Rusty: A keytar, that's something you just don't see too often anymore. I know that they seem to be making a bit of a comeback. But, I thought it was just for 80's cover bands and Johnny V's wet dream of an Am.Psych lineup.
It sounds like you've got a new lease on life with Mike in there now. I can't wait to see the show and feel the energy. I saw that you guys were at Kinetic again. How were things up in Montreal? It's been a couple years since the last time you were up there.
Brian: Right, we were there in 2010 and that was effin' great, but 2012 was completely the shit. It's so crazy to just casually hang out backstage with dudes like Beborn Beton and Haujobb and then have them tell you that you played a great set. The crowd was really fantastic as well, and that festival is so professionally run, it's crazy. Thanks times infinity to J-F for having us.
Who the fuck is Am.Psych?
Rusty: Am.Psych? Some band from Wisconsin. I think they play about an hour before you on Saturday. Anyway, I have not been witness to the full audio/visual setup for the Gothsicles as of yet. Last year at the WTII minifest, there was a technical issue, and the one other time I was at a show, I am not sure if I just blanked out or what. I have seen videos online of this spectacle though. Who does all that work for you? Is this something you have done yourself?
Brian: I've been outsourcing video more lately, such as with Adam Alvarez's work on the "Save Dat Mermaid" video and Steven Cheek's work on the new Kinetik comp track "This Year's Password is 'Party'", but yeah, everything else is me. It's a huge asspain to come up with a video concept for every track, but it's also a really great avenue for jokes.
Rusty: Well, not only that but getting everything synced up together, get the quality of the videos where you want them to be, hope your machine doesn't lag when you play them back. I can see it being a daunting task.
So, new album? I'm a big fan of the latest, and Save Dat Mermaid is a personal favorite of mine. When can we expect the new one out?
Brian: Hard to say. We're working hard on it, but have a ton of upcoming shows and whatnot, and that takes time, so I'm not sure. I'll say "before the end of the year", just to keep myself motivated.
Rusty: I'll try to hold you to it! So, I'm going to go back to some 8-bit fun here. Konami Code. I have this feeling it holds a special spot in your heart. For a lot of us it's the first cheat we remember. What about it is so special for you that you've got a great song written about it?
Brian: It's a super old track that was initially written with a friend back in 1998 when music about video games was still kind of a novel idea. There's something so indelible about that code to the 8-bit culture that when deciding to first write about that sort of thing, the Konami Code becomes an obvious choice. Maybe to a fault, actually. I've gotten a lot more obscure with references over the years.
Sidenote, this interview has inspired me to do some Sega Genesis sampling in between questions.
Rusty: Awesome. So, Saturday is the Electronic Saviors 2 show in Chicago. You have been on both compilations so far with "Jim, Let me know when you can drink again" on the first, and now "Who wants to join our superhero team (Right now, it's just Me & Jim).
I'm a proud member of the superhero team now, thanks to you. What does being on these compilations mean to you?
Brian: Well, cancer's terrible, obviously, so being able to contribute to something that helps fund it's treatment means a lot to me, especially when it's a friend and fellow industrial guy that's affected.
On a different note, though, it's an effin' spectacular comp to be on! The new one is fantastic!
Rusty: Alright, B. I am making these a bit shorter as the show is this Saturday.
We head off to "The Lightning Round". 5 simple question and answer. Some may be word association, some may require a rather lengthy answer. Here we go.
1) Sex or Video games?
2) Superman or Batman?
3) Song you have the most fun performing is?
4) Synthsizers: virtual or analogue?
5) If I could be any video game character in real life, it would be:
Brian: 1) One time I dressed up as Princess Peach for Halloween so I wouldn't have to choose.
2) Moon Knight
3) "This Year's Password is 'Party'"
4) I used the analog outs on my Virus TI for the whole "analog warmth" thing for while, but recording via usb is a grillion times easier, so Imma go virtual, at least for that machine.
5) My first thought was Mega Man because I like stealing people's powers after I murder them, but if I was Bionic Commando, I wouldn't have to get up to grab a beer.
Rusty: Awesome, Thank you again for doing this on spur of the moment notice today. We will see you on Saturday for the show!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
ES2: Chicago interview with John Verbos - guest writer Joseph Graham of Razor Blade Dance Floor
I've been on vacation for the last week getting all engaged and stuff, and interviewing a band mate is kind of odd. I have asked Joseph Graham of Razor Blade Dance Floor to step in and do the honors for this one. I've formatted a few things to make the read more to the format you are used to, but I have not altered any questions or answers in any way. Thanks again, Joe, you rock for doing this for us.
Joseph: Hey there, John. First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to sit down and do this interview with me. Second, I want to thank Rusty for letting me step in as a guest for his platform. He interviewed you last year, and I think that having someone outside of the band interview you is a really great idea. I have interviewed many bands, usually in person or on the phone, so this is going to be a first for me: interviewing through e-mail. This is an odd concept to me, so bear with me. I’m sure that we can make it work. Also, Rusty interviews by trading e-mails back and forth, creating a conversation, but time is very precious in my life, and since I work 7 days a week, usually 14 hours a day, I don’t think that we will be able to have that luxury. So I will have to unfortunately do this my way, by blasting you with all my questions up front. Perhaps we can tailor the end result to sound like a conversation. Maybe not. We will just have to see!
Let’s start with your band, am.psych. What exactly does ‘am.psych’ mean and how did the naming of the band process unfold?
John: I’ve always wanted to be asked this question, man. This is super exciting. Well, I’m pretty sure that the most common assumption is that it’s short for American Psycho, which is pretty alright. I mean, it’s a great book and all. The actual full name is “Amphetamine Psychosis”, which is a sort of psychological disorder caused by excessive use of amphetamines. The name came up as a discussion between David Manning and I. I had an ex who had a pretty serious drug problem that was focused mostly in the area of amphetamines. I was hurting really badly at the time and wanted to make a statement in a very public and “cool” way that what she was doing was bad news (from my perspective). So, we decided to get our hands on some software and start making music that we could slap the name onto. As it stands, we’ve got a line-up that all agree on a fairly clear-cut drug-free mentality. We’re all in very monogamous relationships with our alcohol. The booze would get mad if we cheated on it with other subtsances.
Joseph: How did you arrive at the current sound of am.psych, which is a perfect balance of electro-industrial and hard rock music?
John: Thanks for compliment, for starters. I think, as with most music projects, the final outcome sound is determined by the contributing tastes of the musicians involved. In the past, I struggled between wanting to make 80s synth pop, classic coldwave industrial, or more of the post-2000 sort of stompy industrial. I think that a lot of the influences I had in mind played through, but you can also absolutely hear Rusty’s more classic metal style in the guitars and Dan (Clark)’s more traditional rock sensibilities playing through in the final mixes. We maintain a really great equilibrium in terms of what we contribute, and nothing gets green-lighted until we’re all happy.
Joseph: Your vocal style is forceful and sinister, while at the same time maintaining melody and a beautiful darkness. What is your background in singing, and what did you do to help you develop this singing style?
John: Ha! Well, for starters, I have no actual training other than the brief vocal coaching Dan threw at me while I was in the recording booth. My singing background is based, I guess, on me being a huge music fan who can’t stop singing along in the car. I definitely have my list of vocalists I love. Guys that I wish I sounded more like, that sort of thing. In the end, obviously, I picked up pieces of each along the way. My quick list would be: Chris Randall, Chris Cornell, Raymond Watts, Tim Skold, Nivek Ogre
Joseph: You have played a number of live shows, having the chance to open for some great acts, headline your own shows and participate in some awesome festivals. Which ones stand out to you as the most memorable, and what shows would you rather forget?
John: Well, the WTII Minifest was up there. Top five, for sure. We played a Skinny Puppy pre-show at The Rave in Milwaukee during their “Greater Wrong of the Right” tour. It was a pay-to-play gig, but even still, we went on in the bar at the same time as Otto von Schirach going on in the main hall. Nobody left during our set. The bar was packed with people and they went nuts for our set. That was pretty killer. Opening for Chemlab, USSA, and Skeleton Key in Milwaukee was also about as good as it gets. It’s hard to say. We’ve had so many great opportunities and played with some many awesome people. I think we’re really lucky. As for stuff I’d like to forget… The two years or so of shows when we started out were pretty bad. We played with a band that put little to no effort into promotion, but always made sure they got paid out first. I can’t mention any names, because that’s catty and unprofessional. Heh.
Joseph: Last year I had the chance to catch your live set at David Schock’s WTII Minifest at the Abbey Pub in Chicago, and we actually had a bit of time to hang out and talk. One of the things I took away from the festival was the overwhelming sense of family and community amongst the musicians, promoters and fans. Is this an inherently Illinois/Wisconsin thing, or do you feel like this camaraderie can be brought to a national level, or better still, and international level?
John: Honestly, I’ll always hope that we can find that level of camaraderie in any city we go to. That’s pretty much the glue that’s holding most music-based cultures together. We’re pretty laid back, like to have fun, and like to meet people. I suppose a part of that is the Midwest attitude. We’re all drinkers, and I’ve always felt that bars for us are much like Holy ground to the immortals of Highlander—neutral ground for everyone to relax and be awesome. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m going to stick to that mentality. I continue to meet more and more amazing people as we are given the opportunity to play with more bands. It’s staggering how large a percentage of people are honest, great people. Of course, there are still self-important, destructive dickheads out there. It’s inevitable. We’re just trying to skirt around those guys.
Joseph: Let’s get right to the heart of why this interview is happening: The Electronic Saviors 2 compilation that Jim Semonik just released on Metropolis Records, and the subsequent benefit show that David Schock of WTII Records is putting on in Chicago that you are performing at. First, what led to your participation in the compilation to begin with?
John: Well, after we released our EP on WTII, Dave (Schock) got to work on promoting it to everyone he knew, etc. Jim got his hands on it and was really into it. I hadn’t met Jim at the time. He promoted the EP and pushed some sales for us. Shortly thereafter, he asked us to contribute a track to ES2. We handed him, “My Enemy”, which I’ve often said is the best song I’ve ever written, lyrically. When we played at WTII Minifest last year, we got Jim onstage with us for, “Reload”. There’s been a bromantic love affair between am.psych and Jim ever since. I mean, the guy is amazing. The comp is for an awesome cause. When Jim himself asks you for a track to put on a comp that thousands of other bands are submitting tracks to, only hoping to maybe snag a spot, you throw him the best thing you’ve got. We did, I think.
Joseph: How did you wind up getting included at the benefit show?
John: Oh, thank Christ. This is an easy question that I don’t need to ramble on about: Dave Schock is an awesome label operator, that’s how. We give him our A game, he gives us awesome show opportunities.
Joseph: I myself have had more than a few family members affected by cancer, and I am watching a friend deal with the affliction as it attacks her young son’s brain. It is a heartbreaking and helpless feeling to watch someone go through it. What are your personal experiences with cancer?
John: When I was in High School, my family had a tough couple of years with cancer. We lost my aunt, my mother’s youngest sister, when she was only in her mid-late thirties. Shortly thereafter, my mother lost an uncle to cancer as well. Seeing a human being suffer like that is one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced.
Joseph: I could go on and on asking you questions, so I will wrap it up with this question: what is the future of am.psych? I hear a full-length album is in the works. How about touring?
John: Yeah, we’re still working on our LP. It’s taken a lot longer than we wanted it to, but for good reason. We’re all human beings with other obligations. If the cost of getting the LP out quickly is not going to college, not seeing our children as much as we’d like, or anything else in that realm, it’s too great a cost. We’re about halfway along as-is. I want everything as perfect as we can get it. I want it to be worth the wait. We’ve already started adding newer songs to our live performances.
Joseph: Rusty likes to play the word association game in his interviews, so I guess I will have to comply to make it fit within his branding. So here it is: The Lightning Round! Five quick statements and you provide a wordy answer to them. Only I’m going to change it up a bit and turn the words against each other, sort of like a battle or a deathmatch. You tell me who wins and why. So here goes:
Joseph: PC vs. Mac
John: I used to say Mac, but… PC (built by my Australian and I)
Joseph: Bart Pfanenstiel vs David Schock
John: Both are such amazing guys, but I’ll go with who I know better: Dave.
Joseph: Matt Fanale vs. Brian Graupner
John: Damn. These are all tough. Brian’s doing me a solid soon, so he gets it.
Joseph: Playstation vs. Xbox
John: PS3 to play Borderlands with my Aussie while we wait out the immigration process, Xbox 360 for everything else.
Joseph: Boxers vs. Briefs
John: …Boxer-briefs?
Joseph: Thanks again, John. I hope this was as fun for you as it was for me!
Joseph: Hey there, John. First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to sit down and do this interview with me. Second, I want to thank Rusty for letting me step in as a guest for his platform. He interviewed you last year, and I think that having someone outside of the band interview you is a really great idea. I have interviewed many bands, usually in person or on the phone, so this is going to be a first for me: interviewing through e-mail. This is an odd concept to me, so bear with me. I’m sure that we can make it work. Also, Rusty interviews by trading e-mails back and forth, creating a conversation, but time is very precious in my life, and since I work 7 days a week, usually 14 hours a day, I don’t think that we will be able to have that luxury. So I will have to unfortunately do this my way, by blasting you with all my questions up front. Perhaps we can tailor the end result to sound like a conversation. Maybe not. We will just have to see! Let’s start with your band, am.psych. What exactly does ‘am.psych’ mean and how did the naming of the band process unfold?
John: I’ve always wanted to be asked this question, man. This is super exciting. Well, I’m pretty sure that the most common assumption is that it’s short for American Psycho, which is pretty alright. I mean, it’s a great book and all. The actual full name is “Amphetamine Psychosis”, which is a sort of psychological disorder caused by excessive use of amphetamines. The name came up as a discussion between David Manning and I. I had an ex who had a pretty serious drug problem that was focused mostly in the area of amphetamines. I was hurting really badly at the time and wanted to make a statement in a very public and “cool” way that what she was doing was bad news (from my perspective). So, we decided to get our hands on some software and start making music that we could slap the name onto. As it stands, we’ve got a line-up that all agree on a fairly clear-cut drug-free mentality. We’re all in very monogamous relationships with our alcohol. The booze would get mad if we cheated on it with other subtsances.
Joseph: How did you arrive at the current sound of am.psych, which is a perfect balance of electro-industrial and hard rock music?
John: Thanks for compliment, for starters. I think, as with most music projects, the final outcome sound is determined by the contributing tastes of the musicians involved. In the past, I struggled between wanting to make 80s synth pop, classic coldwave industrial, or more of the post-2000 sort of stompy industrial. I think that a lot of the influences I had in mind played through, but you can also absolutely hear Rusty’s more classic metal style in the guitars and Dan (Clark)’s more traditional rock sensibilities playing through in the final mixes. We maintain a really great equilibrium in terms of what we contribute, and nothing gets green-lighted until we’re all happy.
Joseph: Your vocal style is forceful and sinister, while at the same time maintaining melody and a beautiful darkness. What is your background in singing, and what did you do to help you develop this singing style?
John: Ha! Well, for starters, I have no actual training other than the brief vocal coaching Dan threw at me while I was in the recording booth. My singing background is based, I guess, on me being a huge music fan who can’t stop singing along in the car. I definitely have my list of vocalists I love. Guys that I wish I sounded more like, that sort of thing. In the end, obviously, I picked up pieces of each along the way. My quick list would be: Chris Randall, Chris Cornell, Raymond Watts, Tim Skold, Nivek Ogre
Joseph: You have played a number of live shows, having the chance to open for some great acts, headline your own shows and participate in some awesome festivals. Which ones stand out to you as the most memorable, and what shows would you rather forget?
John: Well, the WTII Minifest was up there. Top five, for sure. We played a Skinny Puppy pre-show at The Rave in Milwaukee during their “Greater Wrong of the Right” tour. It was a pay-to-play gig, but even still, we went on in the bar at the same time as Otto von Schirach going on in the main hall. Nobody left during our set. The bar was packed with people and they went nuts for our set. That was pretty killer. Opening for Chemlab, USSA, and Skeleton Key in Milwaukee was also about as good as it gets. It’s hard to say. We’ve had so many great opportunities and played with some many awesome people. I think we’re really lucky. As for stuff I’d like to forget… The two years or so of shows when we started out were pretty bad. We played with a band that put little to no effort into promotion, but always made sure they got paid out first. I can’t mention any names, because that’s catty and unprofessional. Heh.
Joseph: Last year I had the chance to catch your live set at David Schock’s WTII Minifest at the Abbey Pub in Chicago, and we actually had a bit of time to hang out and talk. One of the things I took away from the festival was the overwhelming sense of family and community amongst the musicians, promoters and fans. Is this an inherently Illinois/Wisconsin thing, or do you feel like this camaraderie can be brought to a national level, or better still, and international level?
Joseph: Let’s get right to the heart of why this interview is happening: The Electronic Saviors 2 compilation that Jim Semonik just released on Metropolis Records, and the subsequent benefit show that David Schock of WTII Records is putting on in Chicago that you are performing at. First, what led to your participation in the compilation to begin with?
John: Well, after we released our EP on WTII, Dave (Schock) got to work on promoting it to everyone he knew, etc. Jim got his hands on it and was really into it. I hadn’t met Jim at the time. He promoted the EP and pushed some sales for us. Shortly thereafter, he asked us to contribute a track to ES2. We handed him, “My Enemy”, which I’ve often said is the best song I’ve ever written, lyrically. When we played at WTII Minifest last year, we got Jim onstage with us for, “Reload”. There’s been a bromantic love affair between am.psych and Jim ever since. I mean, the guy is amazing. The comp is for an awesome cause. When Jim himself asks you for a track to put on a comp that thousands of other bands are submitting tracks to, only hoping to maybe snag a spot, you throw him the best thing you’ve got. We did, I think.
Joseph: How did you wind up getting included at the benefit show?
John: Oh, thank Christ. This is an easy question that I don’t need to ramble on about: Dave Schock is an awesome label operator, that’s how. We give him our A game, he gives us awesome show opportunities.
Joseph: I myself have had more than a few family members affected by cancer, and I am watching a friend deal with the affliction as it attacks her young son’s brain. It is a heartbreaking and helpless feeling to watch someone go through it. What are your personal experiences with cancer?
John: When I was in High School, my family had a tough couple of years with cancer. We lost my aunt, my mother’s youngest sister, when she was only in her mid-late thirties. Shortly thereafter, my mother lost an uncle to cancer as well. Seeing a human being suffer like that is one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced.
Joseph: I could go on and on asking you questions, so I will wrap it up with this question: what is the future of am.psych? I hear a full-length album is in the works. How about touring?
Joseph: Rusty likes to play the word association game in his interviews, so I guess I will have to comply to make it fit within his branding. So here it is: The Lightning Round! Five quick statements and you provide a wordy answer to them. Only I’m going to change it up a bit and turn the words against each other, sort of like a battle or a deathmatch. You tell me who wins and why. So here goes:
Joseph: PC vs. Mac
John: I used to say Mac, but… PC (built by my Australian and I)
Joseph: Bart Pfanenstiel vs David Schock
John: Both are such amazing guys, but I’ll go with who I know better: Dave.
Joseph: Matt Fanale vs. Brian Graupner
John: Damn. These are all tough. Brian’s doing me a solid soon, so he gets it.
Joseph: Playstation vs. Xbox
John: PS3 to play Borderlands with my Aussie while we wait out the immigration process, Xbox 360 for everything else.
Joseph: Boxers vs. Briefs
John: …Boxer-briefs?
Joseph: Thanks again, John. I hope this was as fun for you as it was for me!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
ES2: Chicago interview with David Schock
 |
| Love this guy. |
Rusty: Dave, thanks for taking the time to do the interview. You've done these with me before, so lets get to the meat and potatoes of this thing.
Electronic Saviors 2. It looks like there is a hell of a line up again for Chicago. Who do we all have and who are you looking forward to seeing the most?
David: First off Rusty, I wanted to thank you for starting up these interviews again much like you did for the WTII Records Minifest 2 back in June of 2011. I had a fantastic time reading your blog and I thought it gave some interesting insight to some of the bands and helped to create a true “family” feeling between all of the bands who performed at the Minifest. Several different factors went into assembling this amazing line-up this year, part of it was that we weren't going to do another WTII Minifest in 2012, but wanted to have some type of show with a “festival” feel to it, I wanted to try to top (or at least equal) the first ES show that we did back in 2010 that had a lineup of Acumen Nation, Gothsicles, Cyanotic, the (short) return of Christ Analogue, Xuberx, the live debut of Aimonia and more, plus this is the final ES 2 benefit show so I wanted to go a little overboard to make it special and a fitting end to the 2012 round of benefit shows.
Anyway I am excited that we have Patricia Wake from Pittsburgh, opening the evening up as her voice is one that stays with you and her brand of Gothic song writing/story telling is unforgettable. We then quickly lead to Chicago's Short to Ground who are quickly becoming one of the hottest rising Chicago bands around. Nashville's Cryogen Second will be making their Chicago debut at this show and are one of the bands that I am most interested in seeing. The newly revamped lineup of Madison's Sensuous Enemy will be bringing some eroticism to the stage, followed by fellow Wisconsinite's Am.Psych. The man of the hour, Jim Semonik, will be leading his project (and WTII Records artists) Rein[forced] to the stage and you can expect to hear many songs off of his upcoming WTII release debuted at this show. Chicago's very own, Gothsicles, need no introduction (no seriously they don't need an introduction) and rounding out the evening are Baltimore's Ego Likeness and a very special late set by Ohio's AimOniA. You asked me who I am most excited to see and it may very well be AimOniA on the strength of their jaw dropping Minifest set. Oh and I am also excited to have Dj Pathogen (Pandemic), Wade Alin (Christ Analogue, The Atomica Project, and producer extrodinaire) along with Don Anderson (Terror Firma Sky) working the decks all night!
Rusty: I don't think a lot of people really appreciate the kind of time and dedication it takes to get something like this going. You have done the Sunday showcase for almost 5 years now, and a couple larger events as well. Now you're pulling this off. You have a full time job, a wife, a kid, you help run WTII with Bart. Where do you find the time to get all this festival/promotion stuff done?
David: Thank you for the kind words Rusty and I want to be truthful with you and tell you it's not easy at all. During the 5+ year run of the monthly WTII Records showcases that we did things kind of fell into place and I was able to get into a 3 month groove where I kept a schedule of "by this time I need to book a band, by here the artwork needs to be done, by here I need to post info to websites/physical media" etc etc and it was pretty easy to do as these things take on a momentum of their own. Now you are correct I have a new full time job, a beautiful, supportive and understanding wife, an amazing 18 month old son and still have many responsibilities with the record label. Being organized with my time and laying out a schedule has always been an important part of promoting methods. I obviously had to take a break during the birth of my son as well as I wanted to take a break after putting on the 4 day WTII Records Minifest 2 as it was emotionally, physically and financially draining but I have started to pick up my shows again and have done or are doing shows every month from March-July AND increasing the territory of shows that I book to include Milwaukee as well. As much as I would love to stop booking/promoting shows I always harken back to some advice that Gray Kaze from Club ? in Milwaukee gave me and that is "you can't ever truly get out of it, you can try to leave, but the bands/fans/clubs will drag you back into it". It's in my dna makeup now and even though it takes more energy to put on a show it's still something I take a lot of pride and pleasure from.
Rusty: Yeah, when you said you were "retiring" from promoting, we all said you would be back. It's like a WWE wrestler saying he's retiring... you're never really done and you can always take one more bump off the ladder.
Also, you're freaking me out being so professional with your responses. Knock it off.
So, we're doing this show over at LiveWire this time. Why the change in venue? Things were running pretty smooth at Darkroom for such a long time. (I know some of the story, but not all of it... fill us in here)
David: Well Darkroom has been and always will be where we call home, they were one of the first people and venues to really get behind the idea of monthly live "industrial" shows and the nights and club grew exponentially because of it. Darkroom played host to some of the most amazing independent shows that Chicago has seen over the past ten years or so. Now unfortunately Darkroom like many other venues in the city (and country) suffered during the recent economic recessions and they have been trying to sell the building now. The are still open and are still booking shows at Darkroom but unfortunately they are doing it on a month to month basis which doesn't really work when I normally book shows 3+ months out at a time. If Darkroom's future improves I would love to work with them again as word has gotten around the country about the professional staff there as well as the sound and ambiance of the venue. The memories that Darkroom has provided not only to my wife Jean and I such as our wedding, baby shower, several bday shows, holiday events, simply pale in comparison to the relationships that were forged there over the years, shows, and the many bottles of Jameson's. But speaking of professionals I am pleased to have started up a new relationship with Dave Hornyak and Live Wire Lounge. I've worked with Dave in the past for a few shows at Underground Lounge and was excited at the idea of working with him again especially in this new venue. Live Wire has been kind enough to let me book my April, June and July shows there and we hope to do more in the future. While it may appear as if it won't hold the as many as the 235 people that Darkroom holds some changes and concessions are being made to improve the spacing in the venue to accommodate the 150-200+ crowds that we are anticipating to see for both this event and the upcoming July iVardensphere show there
Rusty: That's great that you still have a place to get all the bands seen. We're getting a bit wordy today and I want to give our readers what they come for... the lightning round... you know the drill. 5 questions, 5 answers. This time we're going to do it a little different. I'm going to name off five bands that are playing the show and you rattle off what comes to mind first.
1) Ego Likeness
2) The Gothsicles
3) Rein[Forced]
4) ummm... Am.Psych
5) Sensuous Enemy
BONUS!!!! Fuck it, lets get them all out there.
i ) Cryogen Second, Short to Ground, Patricia Wake (and if you feel like it AimOnia... they've been picking on me online lately... something about goats and being called something with a trombone...)
David: Yes I realized that we were a tad wordy so I apologize if I bored anyone to death, guess we'll go to the other extreme and use the minimal amount of words now
(1) Ego Likeness---Ultra Talented and worthy headliners
(2)The Gothsicles--Soon-to-be scene Superstars (if they aren't already there, Jesus who would have ever thought that!!)
(3)Rein[forced]---My Hero, My Friend, My Brother (nuff said)
(4)Am.Psych--Proud (watching them grow up over the years as a band)
(5)Sensuous Enemy-- Underrated (more people show know about them, Jai is an amazing Frontwoman)
(6)Cryogen Second---Wildcard (never played Chicago so their set is highly anticipated)
(7) Short to Ground--Up and Comers (taken the chicago scene by storm in a very short time)
(8)Patricia Wake--Beautiful Voice (get out early to check out her set as you won't be disappointed)
(9)AimOniA---Bar is Raised (after their jaw dropping set at the WTII Minifest a lot is expected out of this band now!!)
Rusty: Dave, thanks for getting back to me on these questions and taking the time out of your crazy busy day. I think we've got a hell of a show lined up for the end of the month.
ES2: Chicago interview with Gooby and The Goddamn Batman of Ego Likeness
"Busty": A lot of people reading this may not be too familiar with Ego Likeness, I myself don't want to butcher any back story. Donna, why don't you give us a little history lesson. (Side note, I have complied with all demands on how I am to conduct myself and address myself... let's do this thing.)
Gooby: Well, Busty, Steven and I got together, started dating, and started a goth band sometime around 1997 or 98. It was pretty straightforward goth, and we found ourselves wanting to do something that incorporated our other influences, (and so help me, if you ask me what our influences are -as every single interviewer EVER has done- I'll cut you) so we started Ego Likeness. The goth band broke up and then we got married in 1999. We released our first full length EL album in 2000 or 2001 (I can't remember) with the help of a friend at the time, then did the next two albums with Dancing Ferret. We signed with Metropolis for 'Breedless' in 2010, and will be releasing the next full length at the beginning of next year. So in the past 12 years, there have been numerous members, numerous shows and tours, a couple of nervous breakdowns, and many, many miles put on our van.
"Busty": I will have to admit, I didn't know a whole lot about Ego Likeness untill the WTII Minifest last year. That was my first opportunity to hear you and see the live show. I was blown away. I love the stage presence and your voice with the music matches up perfectly. I know a lot of this scene seems to have a lot of acts that don't have women as the vocalist or the main focal point of the band. Have you found this a challenge at all to get people to notice Ego Likeness? (Don't worry, Steven... I have questions for you too...)
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| Gooby and The Goddamn Batman: Goat hunting |
"Gooby": Thanks. We've been at this a long time, and I do often think about why we haven't made more of an impact, considering we sell well, get good reviews, people enjoy the shows, we get to open for some of the biggest acts around, etc... You may well have hit the nail on the head. It seems that in this scene female fronted bands don't get taken as seriously, though I can't put my finger on why. I think sometimes there is this attitude of "Oh, that's one of those bands where the guy does all the work and the girl -usually his girlfriend- is just there as eye candy." It is still a bit of a boys club out there. More than once before a performance, people have assumed that I was either the merch girl, or at best, the keyboard player. To be fair, though, with some pretty major and awesome exceptions, (Ayria, I:Scintilla, Sensuous Enemy, Hansel und Gretyl, to name a few who are ) some of the female singers for darkwave/ industrial bands I've seen could stand to step up their game a little. Confidence and a strong stage presence go a long way.
"Busty": Well, from the show I saw last year, you have the confidence. So do the other bands you mentioned as well.
Merch is an interesting transitional topic for me with your band. Ego Likeness had one of the most awesome merch tables I have ever seen. Why? Most of it wasn't "band" merch. There was art. Some crazy creepy stuff blended in with skulls and bones and they were turned in to necklaces and pendants, things of that nature. How did that all start? Is this something that was done by necessity to "change it up" a little bit and stand out?
"Gooby" : Well, you see, Busty...we are starving artists. We have no real skills beyond making things, so we've had to survive on what we know. Steven -who, incidentally, requested we refer to him from here on out as "The Goddamn Batman"- is an artist, and we are both writers, in addition to being musicians, and really- it's all tied together for us. When we started touring, we realized pretty quickly that CD and Tshirt sales alone weren't going to cut it - gas, food, van repairs, supplies, places to sleep - it adds up fast. Sometimes, some of those things are covered, but you're not going to get a swank room at the Super 8 every night, you know. Having all of the art and books and jewelry makes a huge difference in our income. And, as you said, I think it does help us stand out a bit. Nothing sadder than a nearly empty merch table.
"Busty": Well, from the show I saw last year, you have the confidence. So do the other bands you mentioned as well.
Merch is an interesting transitional topic for me with your band. Ego Likeness had one of the most awesome merch tables I have ever seen. Why? Most of it wasn't "band" merch. There was art. Some crazy creepy stuff blended in with skulls and bones and they were turned in to necklaces and pendants, things of that nature. How did that all start? Is this something that was done by necessity to "change it up" a little bit and stand out?
"Gooby" : Well, you see, Busty...we are starving artists. We have no real skills beyond making things, so we've had to survive on what we know. Steven -who, incidentally, requested we refer to him from here on out as "The Goddamn Batman"- is an artist, and we are both writers, in addition to being musicians, and really- it's all tied together for us. When we started touring, we realized pretty quickly that CD and Tshirt sales alone weren't going to cut it - gas, food, van repairs, supplies, places to sleep - it adds up fast. Sometimes, some of those things are covered, but you're not going to get a swank room at the Super 8 every night, you know. Having all of the art and books and jewelry makes a huge difference in our income. And, as you said, I think it does help us stand out a bit. Nothing sadder than a nearly empty merch table.
"Busty": (Jesus, "The Goddamn Batman" needs to stop making so many demands. Anyway...) I tend to keep my interviews short (minus that Caustic one cause Matt and I talk like little girls when you get us together). I want your music and your live performance to speak for itself. If you've never read any of my other interviews, I have a staple in them. I watched a lot of game shows as a kid. So... it's time for...
The Lightning round! Five quick questions or statements, and five quick or wordy answers to them. It's going to be a little different this time because of who I'm interviewing and the fact that "The Goddamn Batman" should probably respond to at least one of these questions. So, questions 4 and 5 are specifically meant for him.
1) Band you can't miss at the ES2 show in Chicago:
2) Best book you've read in the last six months:
3) Your favorite meme:
4) Electronic Saviors and Jim Semonik:
5) Goat:
"Gooby" :
The Lightning round! Five quick questions or statements, and five quick or wordy answers to them. It's going to be a little different this time because of who I'm interviewing and the fact that "The Goddamn Batman" should probably respond to at least one of these questions. So, questions 4 and 5 are specifically meant for him.
1) Band you can't miss at the ES2 show in Chicago:
2) Best book you've read in the last six months:
3) Your favorite meme:
4) Electronic Saviors and Jim Semonik:
5) Goat:
"Gooby" :
1) Gothsicles
2) "Gooby": JG Ballard "Myths of the Near Future"
TGDBM: Peter Watts "Blindsight
3) "Gooby" : Dolan Duck (it's sooo dumb, but all I have to do is think "Gooby plz" and I crack up)
TGDBM: Insanity Wolf
4) He's one of our heroes, though he's still not going to make 'Yak' happen.
5) They have horizontal pupils and FUCK YEAH GOATS.
Also, thanks! You're a good sport, Busty! xx
2) "Gooby": JG Ballard "Myths of the Near Future"
TGDBM: Peter Watts "Blindsight
3) "Gooby" : Dolan Duck (it's sooo dumb, but all I have to do is think "Gooby plz" and I crack up)
TGDBM: Insanity Wolf
4) He's one of our heroes, though he's still not going to make 'Yak' happen.
5) They have horizontal pupils and FUCK YEAH GOATS.
Also, thanks! You're a good sport, Busty! xx
"Busty": No, Thank you. I have fun doing this. I'll see you at the end of the month for the show.
"Gooby": We're so excited! ; )
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Electronic Saviors 2 : Chicago Release Party Interview with Jim Semonik
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| Electronic Saviors 2 |
Once again I bring you a round of interviews from the world of Industrial music. This time we focus our attention on the Electronic Saviors 2 : Chicago Release Party that is being held down in Chicago at the LiveWire Lounge on June 30th.
What follows is my "interview" conducted with Jim via email the last couple of days.
I'm piecing it all together now.
It's been a long strange trip for me and my arm. I started messing with it when I was nineteen and I got a small tribal squidish looking thing on my shoulder. That was all that would be on there for quite a long time. It was easily hidden by my shirts so I wouldn't have employers looking at me strange when applying for jobs.
Finally I started thinking about my kids and that I wanted something that represented them but in a way that I enjoyed and was special to me. I decided to go Chinese. I love Asian culture. The style, the look, the history. Love it. So, my daughter was born year of the dragon. That is where my dragon came from.
Next came a mistake, I got not only my Leo zodiac on me, but I also got a Gemini on me as well. I'll let you figure out why that was a mistake. But, At this time I decided to add a little more Asian flare. This is where the koi came in. The top one covered up my previous shoulder tattoo and it was the start of my arm being completely done.
With this one, I didn't heal well at all. It wasn't from a lack of care either. I felt very raw from this session for now reason at all. I decided it was time to find a new artist.
That's where Tom Aldana at Superstar tattoo came in. I was introduced to him and we hit it off right away. I had a few ideas, he had a few as well on what we were going to do and we started with a "rebirth" of my arm and my life. He got to take a crack at it, so he did a cover up of the Gemini with fire (which oddly enough, Leo is a fire sign) and put in the phoenix. At this stage, it was black only on it.
After healing fantastically on this one and seeing how it all ended up, I decided Tom was the guy that was going to work on my arm from now on. It was time to get my son's tattoo put on me. Both he and I are year of the tiger. That is where this one fits in. I've never really been much of a color guy either. The design I sent Tom was just the black tribal with the red eyes. He called me up the day of the appointment and goes, "yo, Rusty, we're putting color in this. It's gonna look awesome."
I was scared. the only color I really had was the fire and the Leo. That was only a little bit of shading. I was really pleased with what he came up with. Once again he out did himself to a point where I told him to put color in to the phoenix. The last piece I needed was my demon. This is a bit symbolic to me as I have had a lot of demons keeping me down over the years. This demon was put in to keep the others away.
This brings us to the big project... figuring out how it all fits together. The original plan was to have a multi colored brown tribal in the back like a tree that would have cherry blossoms on it. Well, about a month ago I got the idea to "stitch" it all together. Fit all the pieces of my life in to one spot. Frankenstein style.
We started somewhere around 6 after I got some food in me and drew on my arm for almost two hours. Tom knew what was up and I told him that it was his arm to do with now. I'm done giving direction. "Make it work."
Around 8pm we got started with the ink. The new gun he's got seems to really let him move quickly and accurately. It was nice to see how fast he was going compared to the other pieces he had done on me already.
There were points where I would look down and I had no idea that he was working another color or doing some accents on the stitches until I actually looked at where he was in the process.
I've learned over the years that I can take a beating when it comes to the needle of a tattoo gun. There are parts on me that are more sensitive than others. Ones that I just could care less about and go about my day. But I found out that I have two spots in particular that just don't jive well with me. My wrist, and my inner elbow might be the worst I have experienced so far in my life.
These wrist was painful because I couldn't control my hand. I was pressed down so I couldn't move and the needle getting dragged over my tendons was not pleasant.
My fingers would twitch, I'd make a fist without knowing it. I joked with Tom that he'd get a finger in the belly button and it would be his fault.
The inner elbow was one I did not expect.
I don't have a nice history with surgical needles. I hate them. Giving blood, IV's whatever. I'm in pain in that area for days on end. Must have some crazy bit of nerves there or something. The Frankenstein patch took about 20-30 minutes alone. He wanted to get it done right.
When you're upside down from what is being worked on, you can't really see what is going on in the mind of the artist. You don't see things in their perspective. I sat in that chair until about 12:30 this morning and there were times I had no idea what I was looking at. "Why is he shading it this way, why is that line there, why did he choose the colors he did?"
I told Tom last night again, "This is YOUR arm now. I trust you're going to finish it right."
We have one more session left to go. At least we have pictures of the outline from this time. We thought we were going to get more done, but we just did not have time. Once more session, then I'm done for a while.
 |
| Barely any ink |
 |
| Triloback |
This picture just seems so bare now without anything showing on it. After I started thinking about what it was that I wanted to do with it, I continued on with my back which has been a work in progress for years as well.
I kept thinking over and over about what it is I wanted to do for my sleeve and even then while thinking of that, I got my Chinese "Peace, Love, Harmony" on my stomach. If you have never had a tattoo on your abs, I don't recommend it. It feels like you're doing crunches or planks the entire time the needle is drilling in to your flesh.
 |
| Peace, love, harmony |
Finally I started thinking about my kids and that I wanted something that represented them but in a way that I enjoyed and was special to me. I decided to go Chinese. I love Asian culture. The style, the look, the history. Love it. So, my daughter was born year of the dragon. That is where my dragon came from.
Next came a mistake, I got not only my Leo zodiac on me, but I also got a Gemini on me as well. I'll let you figure out why that was a mistake. But, At this time I decided to add a little more Asian flare. This is where the koi came in. The top one covered up my previous shoulder tattoo and it was the start of my arm being completely done.
With this one, I didn't heal well at all. It wasn't from a lack of care either. I felt very raw from this session for now reason at all. I decided it was time to find a new artist.
That's where Tom Aldana at Superstar tattoo came in. I was introduced to him and we hit it off right away. I had a few ideas, he had a few as well on what we were going to do and we started with a "rebirth" of my arm and my life. He got to take a crack at it, so he did a cover up of the Gemini with fire (which oddly enough, Leo is a fire sign) and put in the phoenix. At this stage, it was black only on it.
After healing fantastically on this one and seeing how it all ended up, I decided Tom was the guy that was going to work on my arm from now on. It was time to get my son's tattoo put on me. Both he and I are year of the tiger. That is where this one fits in. I've never really been much of a color guy either. The design I sent Tom was just the black tribal with the red eyes. He called me up the day of the appointment and goes, "yo, Rusty, we're putting color in this. It's gonna look awesome."I was scared. the only color I really had was the fire and the Leo. That was only a little bit of shading. I was really pleased with what he came up with. Once again he out did himself to a point where I told him to put color in to the phoenix. The last piece I needed was my demon. This is a bit symbolic to me as I have had a lot of demons keeping me down over the years. This demon was put in to keep the others away.
This brings us to the big project... figuring out how it all fits together. The original plan was to have a multi colored brown tribal in the back like a tree that would have cherry blossoms on it. Well, about a month ago I got the idea to "stitch" it all together. Fit all the pieces of my life in to one spot. Frankenstein style.
We started somewhere around 6 after I got some food in me and drew on my arm for almost two hours. Tom knew what was up and I told him that it was his arm to do with now. I'm done giving direction. "Make it work."Around 8pm we got started with the ink. The new gun he's got seems to really let him move quickly and accurately. It was nice to see how fast he was going compared to the other pieces he had done on me already.
There were points where I would look down and I had no idea that he was working another color or doing some accents on the stitches until I actually looked at where he was in the process.I've learned over the years that I can take a beating when it comes to the needle of a tattoo gun. There are parts on me that are more sensitive than others. Ones that I just could care less about and go about my day. But I found out that I have two spots in particular that just don't jive well with me. My wrist, and my inner elbow might be the worst I have experienced so far in my life.
These wrist was painful because I couldn't control my hand. I was pressed down so I couldn't move and the needle getting dragged over my tendons was not pleasant.
My fingers would twitch, I'd make a fist without knowing it. I joked with Tom that he'd get a finger in the belly button and it would be his fault.The inner elbow was one I did not expect.
I don't have a nice history with surgical needles. I hate them. Giving blood, IV's whatever. I'm in pain in that area for days on end. Must have some crazy bit of nerves there or something. The Frankenstein patch took about 20-30 minutes alone. He wanted to get it done right.
When you're upside down from what is being worked on, you can't really see what is going on in the mind of the artist. You don't see things in their perspective. I sat in that chair until about 12:30 this morning and there were times I had no idea what I was looking at. "Why is he shading it this way, why is that line there, why did he choose the colors he did?"I told Tom last night again, "This is YOUR arm now. I trust you're going to finish it right."
We have one more session left to go. At least we have pictures of the outline from this time. We thought we were going to get more done, but we just did not have time. Once more session, then I'm done for a while.
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