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RVA #3 / FALL 2010 / RICHMOND, VA USA
IN THIS ISSUE
12 Tungs
13 Just Plain Ant
14 Crispin Hellion Glover
16 Drop The Lime
18 Les La Britanica
20 The Clipse
26 Ken-Credible
30 Ryan Mclennan
34 Rusko
38 Jeff Staple
42 Oderus & Dave
46 Sara Blake
50 Ameoba Man
54 Record Reviews
RVA MAGAZINE ARTICLES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT RVAMAG.COM.
cover photo by SARA BLAKE
TUNGS
by Adrian Bennett
PHOTO by Dominic Butchello
The only word needed to describe Richmond acid-punk
quartet Tungs is psychedelic.
Everything about the band has
been harvested and refined from
the strange, murky waters of the
James River, like the mysterious
bubbling film you find floating
on top of some stagnant pool.
The band’s sound draws from
many different styles within the
vast array of psychedelia, from
the creeping metamorphosis of
Krautrock demigods like Can,
and their bastard offspring of the
post-punk era, to the surreal and
experimental late 60’s songwriting developments that revitalized
the pop music of the time. Tungs
draws from all of these sources
and more to create a strangeness
that is undeniably their own.
We just don’t really ever stop,” says
multi-instrumentalist Alex Criqui
12
about the group’s expansive
sonic palette. “Each week one of
us will get into something different and show the others, so we
are always changing in our taste
and what we’re looking for from
music.” The band, comprised of
Criqui, fellow multi-instrumentalists
and songwriters Ben Miller and
Paul Himmelman, and newly
added drummer Andrew Halligan,
are known for their wildly energetic and unpredictable live act.
In sets that rarely last longer than
thirty minutes, they go from serene
space pop to squalling walls of
feedback and saxophone-fueled
free jazz without thinking twice. “I
think there’s always been kind of
a ‘fuck it’ mentality in this band,
when it comes to what we feel we
should or should not do in our
music,” says Himmelman. “I don’t
really see that changing any time
soon.”
The group’s self-produced full
length, Sleeping , was released
this summer and has been getting ample attention, with the
help of DIY video projects and
some catchy yet by no means formulaic singles. The album’s conceptual exploration of the dream
world, created by using some of
the most surreal elements of pop
music, is perfectly set within the
framework of the songwriting trio’s
various compositions. “We all have
different approaches and different ideas about the band, but
we try to set our egos aside and
let our perspectives flow into one
sound,” Miller says.
The bands newly expanded
lineup has added a wide frontier
of sonic possibilities. The group’s
newest material seems to draw inspiration equally from Miles Davis
and the experimental punk of the
1980’s. “Before Drew joined, it was
a situation where you had three
guitar players trying to drum,” says
Criqui. “But now, we actually have
someone who knows what they’re
doing, and so it’s awesome being
able to let that go and just [have]
all three of us concentrate on the
melodies.”
Tungs is planning on releasing
an EP this winter through their
new label, the Acme Thunderer,
as well as a vinyl seven inch
on Whole Ghost, scheduled
for release in February of next
year. Their inquisitive nature and
continued explorations into new
frontiers of sound should keep
Tungs progressing in fascinating
and unpredictable directions for
a long time to come.
www.myspace.com/tungsband
JUST PL AIN ANT
WORDS by B.I. BL ACK
For Anthony Gillison, better known to the river city as the eclectic
beat maestro Just Plain Ant, 2010 has been an especially prolific
year. Gillison has kept his sound fresh with each changing season,
dropping his third release of the year, See What Eye See , this fall.
JPA’s past effor ts have featured a formidable collection of some of
the best MCs in the game, from both within Richmond and beyond
its borders. He even managed to attract the legendary talent of
Public Enemy front man Chuck D, who lent his voice to this summer’s
sensational full length Rumble, Young Man, Rumble . The legendary
MC’s presence and musical ethic stand as a touchstone for Just
Plain Ant’s boundary-pushing music, which combines elements of
jazz, electronica, and classic old-school hip hop, always keeping the
emphasis on intellect.
Gillison’s journey began in 2009 when he joined with like minded
talents from around the region to form the Just Plain Sounds collective. The group formed in an effor t to bring a scattered group of
collaborators within the Richmond hip hop scene together into a
unified front. By combining the forces of ar tists including Joey Ripps,
OhBliv, Sleaze, and Draztiq, Just Plain Sounds--along with acts like the
Chocolate Milk beat collective, and freestyle champion Nikelus F -fostered a renewed scene for positivist hip hop in Richmond.
Just Plain Ant’s work goes far beyond mere creation of backing
tracks for MCs to drop verses over. His heavily varied sound spans the
spectrum of beat culture. He’s capable of producing sample heavy
bangers like Rumble Young Man, Rumble’s “This is Madness (featuring
Black Liquid),” but by juxtaposing them with digitally dripping original
compositions that would feel more at home on a Radiohead album
than a typical hip hop release, he creates an entirely new context
for both kinds of composition. See What Eye See’s first single, “Singing To Myself (feat. Caits Messner),” steps even far ther into lef t field.
It combines the cool contemplation of early 90’s lounge music with
an abstract collage of spoken word and seductive coos, which dissolve amongst the haunting, reverberating jazz piano chords. Gillison
describes See What Eye See as his best and most introspective work
to date. He uses fewer samples in favor of working with more original
melodies and sound sources that reflect his current temperament
and full ar tistic range. However, he still retains his strong connections
with the roots of hip-hop, placing these new explorations in sound
alongside rhymes from the members of the Just Plain Sounds crew.
As if two full-length albums and an EP weren’t enough for one year,
Ant claims to be working on a four th release: a top secret project of
a more experimental nature that will soon be completed, but may or
may not ever be revealed to the general public. In a year that could
always use more of the amazing new hip-hop music that Just Plain
Ant continually provides, we can only hope that we all get to hear it,
and soon.
justplainant.bandcamp.com
13
Crispin Hellion Glover
by Todd R aviotta
photo courtesy of crispin glover
Crispin Hellion Glover is undoubtedly
best known for his roles in classic 80s
movies like Back To The Future and
River’s Edge. However, while he might
seem like a marginal figure to those
who see the world through the filter
of a Hollywood lens, in truth Glover is
a multi-talented artist who has spent
the past three decades putting
the majority of his energies into his
independent projects. These projects
range from producing and directing
low-budget independent films to releasing albums to writing books, all of
which reflect Glover’s unique sensibility. His more recent work in big-budget
Hollywood movies also reflects this
sensibility to a great extent, as Glover
typically portrays eccentric characters
in his more recent film work. Among
those roles are the title role in the 2003
remake of the 1971 film Willard, that of
the Creepy Thin Man in the Charlie’s
Angels film series, and that of Grendel
in Robert Zemeckis’s 2007 adaptation
of Beowulf.
is not addressed during the film. In
order to best present the film, and
deal with the questions it was sure to
raise, Glover chose to forego typical
avenues of film distribution. Instead,
he took the film on tour and presented it himself at independent theatres,
accompanied by a question and
answer session, as well as a slideshow
presentation of several of his books
entitled Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big
Slide Show. Glover’s books are just as
much works of visual art as writing; he
constructs them by radically modifying books from the 19th Century that
have become part of the public
domain. He has published several
through his production company,
Volcanic Eruptions, but many more remain unpublished. Glover is currently
touring with his 2007 sequel to What
is it?, entitled It is fine! EVERYTHING IS
FINE. This film was written by and stars
Steven C. Stewart, who also appeared
in What is it? Glover produced the film
and co-directed it with David Brothers.
In 2005, Glover released What is
it?, a film he’d been working on for
over a decade, financing it with the
paychecks from his appearances in
big-budget Hollywood films. What Is
It? was a shocking experimental film
dealing with taboo subjects such as
racism and prejudice towards the
handicapped and disabled. Most
members of the cast have Down
Syndrome, although the condition
His tour will bring him to Richmond’s
Byrd Theatre on Friday, December
3rd, in an appearance facilitated
and sponsored by the James River
Film Society. The event will start at 9:00
PM, and will consist of two programs:
Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide
Show Part 2, a one hour dramatic
narration of eight different, profusely
illustrated books; and a screening of
14
It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE (35 mm,
74 minutes). Tickets are $10 for each
program, or $20 for both, and are
available at Chop Suey Books and
Video Fan.
Todd Raviotta got in contact with Mr.
Glover over email to ask about his
films, his books, and how he balances his work within and outside of
the Hollywood studio system.
TODD: What is your process and
ritual in the book making?
CRISPIN: I made all the books in
the shows in the 80’s and early 90’s.
I would find older bindings from the
1800’s and images from around the
same time and rework them. I usually reworked the text with india ink
and the photos and illustrations with
graphite and india ink. I would use
rubber cement to glue in the illustrations. Some of the books were made
over a period of months or even
years, if they were put aside for a
time, and some of them were made
more rapidly. There usually was some
revising of them after having gone
through the pages, and then at a
certain point it would become apparent that the book was completed.
The books are taken from old books
from the 1800’s that have been
changed into different books from
what they originally were. They are
heavily illustrated with original drawings and reworked images and
photographs. When I first started
publishing the books in 1987, people
said I should have book readings.
But the book are so heavily illustrated,
and the way the illustrations are
used within the books, they help to
tell the story. So the only way for the
books to make sense was to have
visual representations of the images.
This is why I knew a slide show was
necessary. It took a while, but in 1992 I
started performing what I used to call
Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Side Show.
People get confused as to what that
is, so now I always let it be known that
it is a one hour dramatic narration
of eight different profusely illustrated
books that I have made over the
years. The illustrations from the books
are projected behind me as I perform
the show.
TODD: How do you strike a balance
between the experience of working
on big impersonal projects and that
of making complex intimate smaller
films?
CRISPIN: I do not really use the same
vocabulary to describe the balance
of my film work. I will explain what you
are asking this way: In the last ten
years I have been acting in films that
I have been utilizing the money to
finance my own film projects. I often
see it written as though I am only act-
ing in other people’s films to finance
my films, but this is not true. I enjoy
acting in other people’s films. Actually financing my own films with the
money I have made acting in other
people’s films has made me enjoy
acting in other people’s films more
and be more grateful for it.
TODD: When did you first start working on your personal films? What got
you started on making them?
CRISPIN: I have been making films
starting when I was thirteen and
purchased a Minolta super 8 camera
with an intervalometer. I do not quite
remember what attracted me to making movies at that age, but I did like it.
Some details about the two feature
films I have completed are as follows:
What is it? is my psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that
have happened in the last 20 to
30 years in filmmaking. Specifically,
anything that can possibly make an
audience uncomfortable is necessarily excised, or the film will not be
corporately funded or distributed. This
is damaging to the culture because it
is the very moment when an audience member sits back in their chair
looks up at the screen and thinks to
themselves, “Is this right what I am
watching? Is this wrong what I am
watching? Should I be here? Should
the film maker have made this? What
is it?” And that is the title of the film.
What is it that is taboo in the culture?
What does it mean that taboo has
been ubiquitously excised in this culture’s media? What does it mean to
the culture when it does not properly
process taboo in its media? It is a
bad thing when questions are not
being asked, because these kinds
of questions are when people are
having a truly educational experience. For the culture to not be able
to ask questions leads towards a non
educational experience, and that is
what is happening in this culture. This
stupefies this culture and that is of
course a bad thing. So What is it? is a
direct reaction to this culture’s film in
content.
I have completed part two of the
trilogy entitled It is fine! EVERYTHING
IS FINE. Steven C. Stewart wrote and
is the main actor in It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. I put Steve into the cast
of What is it? because he had written
this screenplay, which I read in 1987.
When I turned What is it? from a short
film into a feature, I realized there
were certain thematic elements in
the film that related to what Steven C.
Stewart’s screenplay dealt with. Steve
had been locked in a nursing home
for about ten years when his mother
died. He had been born with a severe
case of cerebral palsy and he was
very difficult to understand. People
that were caring for him in the nursing home would derisively call him an
“M.R.” short for “Mental Retard.” This
is not a nice thing to say to anyone,
but Steve was of normal intelligence.
When he did get out, he wrote his
screenplay. Although it is written in the
genre of a murder detective thriller,
truths of his own existence come
through much more clearly than if he
had written it as a standard autobiography.
I put Steven C. Stewart into What is
it? when I turned What is it? into a
feature film. Originally What is it? was
going to be a short film to promote
the concept to corporate film funding entities [of] working with a cast
wherein most characters are played
by actors with Down’s Syndrome.
Steve had written his screenplay in in
the late 1970’s. I read it in 1987 and
as soon as I had read it, I knew I had
to produce the film. Steven C. Stewart
died within a month after we finished
shooting the film. Cerebral palsy is not
generative but Steve was 62 when we
shot the film. One of Steve’s lungs had
collapsed because he had started
choking on his own saliva, and he
got pneumonia. I specifically started
funding my own films with the money
I make from the films I act in. When
Steven C. Stewart’s lung collapsed
in the year 2000 this was around
the same time that the first Charlie’s
Angels film was coming to me. I
realized with the money I made from
that film, I could put straight into the
Steven C. Stewart film. That is exactly
what happened. I finished acting in
Charlie’s Angels and then went to
Salt Lake City, where Steven C. Stewart
lived. I met with Steve and David
Brothers, with whom I co-directed the
film. I went back to LA and acted in
an lower budget film for about five
weeks, and David Brothers started
building the sets. Then I went straight
back to Salt Lake and we completed
shooting the film within about six
months, in three separate smaller
productions. Then Steve died within a
month after we finished shooting.
I am relieved to have gotten this
film finally completed because ever
since I read the screenplay in 1987, I
knew I had to produce the film, and
also produce it correctly. I would not
have felt right about myself if I had
not gotten Steve’s film made. I would
have felt that I had done something
wrong and that I had actually done
a bad thing if I had not gotten it
made. So I am greatly relieved to
have completed it, especially since
I am very pleased with how well the
film has turned out. We shot It is fine!
EVERYTHING IS FINE. while I was still
completing What is it? And this is
partly why What is it? took a long time
to complete. I am very proud of the
film, as I am of What is it? I feel It is
fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. will probably
be the best film I will have anything
to do with in my entire career. People
should join up on the email list at
CrispinGlover.com as they will be
emailed with information as to where
I will be where with whatever film I tour
with. It is by far the best way to know
how to see the films.
TODD: What is your experience with
the handicapped and disabled?
What attracts you to telling part of
their story?
I should reiterate that What is it? is my
psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that have happened in
the last 20 to 30 years in filmmaking.
And although most of the actors in
the film have Down’s Syndrome, the
film is not about Down’s Syndrome.
The second film in what will be the
trilogy is the film I will be showing at
the Byrd Theatre. I am very proud of
this film.
TODD: How has touring with your
independent films affected the way
you see the country and the world?
CRISPIN: When I show What is it?
outside of the United States, I get a
much different reaction than when
I show it in the United States. People
become much more aggressive in
the US in the Q and A session. I would
attribute this to the fact that the
control of the US media is more stringent in the US by corporate interests
than it is in other countries. Therefore
What is it? feels more alien and more
questionable in the US than it does in
most of the other parts of the world I
have shown. Strangely, the only other
countries that I have had similar kind
of aggressive questions as the US are
in Ireland and Germany. My experiences in Canada, Norway, Spain,
Japan, Australia and Finland were
that the audiences were far less aggressive about the material that they
witnessed. It could have just been the
mood of the particular questioners
in the audience though. I have had
less aggressive questioning in the US
as well. I did notice that cities in the
US that would be often considered
liberal cities had the more aggressive
questions, and that cities that may be
considered more conservative in the
US would have less aggressive questions. I would not consider What is it?
either a liberal or conservative film,
but I do not think either film would be
appropriate for anyone under the
age of 18.
TODD: Do you have any hope for
21st century independent media in
the US?
CRISPIN: I think the continuing
tightness of the constraints over the
corporate funded and distributed
media will make it necessary for
non-corporately funded media to be
funded and distributed by individuals
who want to express specific thoughts
that corporately funded media will
not fund or distribute.
TODD: What do you look out for in
visiting places where you share your
films?
CRISPIN: It is more about the aggressiveness of the people involved
with the venue in getting me to them
than it is about me searching out
and pursuing venues. I have to admit
I love playing in genuine vaudeville
theaters because I can feel that they
were constructed for live performance, but the individuals who are
passionate about bringing unusual
films and media to help educate
their community are true unsung
heroes!
TODD: What directors or artists first
inspired or continue to inspire your
creativity?
CRISPIN: Werner Herzog, Luis
Buñuel, Stanley Kubrick, Tod Browning, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Fritz
Lang, F.W Murnau, Federico Fellini,
Roman Polanski, Gaspar Noé, Fyodor
Dostoyevsky, Ludwig Van Beethoven,
Diane Arbus, and many more.
TODD: Do you make work with an
audience in mind?
I often am thinking about my own enjoyment, but for the films I also know
that I have to recoup the investment,
and if there is a limited audience for
what my personal interests are, then
I have to be very careful with the
budget.
TODD: One of my favorite moments
from Wild at Heart is the Cousin Dell
parable. Can you share thoughts on
developing Jingle Dell?
CRISPIN: I loved working with David
Lynch. That performance is the most
concisely directed performance I
have ever done. As much as I am
very happy with the performance
and being in the film, I have to say
that it was to the second precisely
directed by David Lynch.
TODD: I found your portrayal of
Andy Warhol in The Doors to be very
interesting. How difficult is it portraying
an art icon that has been interpreted
many times over in numerous other
films?
CRISPIN: I shot that film in 1990. To
my knowledge, I was the first person
to portray Andy Warhol in a feature
film. I had met Andy Warhol and talked with him a bit at Madonna and
Sean Penn’s wedding in 1985, five
years previous to portraying him. After
I spoke with him I stood back and
watched him and how he moved. I
thought he would be an interesting
person to play sometime. The first time
I heard about a film that had him as
a character was for The Doors, and
I pursued the role and auditioned
for Oliver Stone. I did have certain
concerns about how to portray the
character, but many of the concerns
were about having the character say
less, and Oliver Stone was very good
to work with as a director.
TODD: How do you feel about being forever connected with George
McFly?
CRISPIN: I am glad that I was in
Back To The Future. The character of
George McFly was an excellent role,
and I feel good about the final results
in that film. I need to clarify that I did
not play the character in the sequels
to the film. There was never an agreement reached for me to appear in
the sequels to Back to the Future.
The producers hired another actor
and, with a false nose, chin and
cheekbones, made him up to look
like me, then inter-spliced a very small
amount of footage of me from the
original film in order to fool audiences
into believing it was me playing the
character. Because of my lawsuit,
there are laws in the Screen Actors
Guild that make it so no producers,
directors, or actors are ever able to do
this again. I am proud of that. I have
noticed, however, that Bob Gale, who
was the co-writer and one of the
producers on the films, and one of
the chief architects of the concepts
that led to the lawsuit, has been stating false things about me to attempt
to lessen his wrongdoing. I do not like
his false statements and would like
to remind that what he did caused
laws in the Screen Actors Guild to
be changed to protect actors from
his kind of wrongdoing. I ended up
having an excellent working relationship with Robert Zemeckis on Beowulf,
which was released in 2007. Despite
the negative aspects of Bob Gale, I
am glad that I played the character
in the original film.
For more info on the December 3rd showing
at the Byrd : jamesriverfilm.com
On Crispin Glover : www.crispinglover.com
DROP THE LIME
WORDS by ALEX ROSE
PHOTO by ERIK FOX
ALEX: You have the “Hot as Hell” single
coming out soon as well as your
debut LP entitled Into The Night. When
should we expect to see these?
DTL: The single, “Hot As Hell,” just got
pushed back. It was supposed to
come out in November but now itís
coming out in January. The album is
set for release on January 30th. We
have some major labels that I canít
talk about that signed the album and
single.
ALEX: Is the music video timed to
release with the single?
DTL: Yeah, same time. Crazy video.
We shot it in London. We got some
models, we got some girls from Agent
Provocateur. We were rockabillying out.
Getting wiggly-n-wild.
ALEX: Last year/earlier this year youíve
been travelling the world. How was
that for you?
DTL: Unglaublich!
ALEX: I have no idea what you just
said.
DTL: Haha, it means unbelievable in
German.
Once a month in Richmond all hell
breaks loose for an event known as
Brain Drain. These monthly parties
have been happening for a few years
and have had to change venues several times to accommodate the rapidly growing head count. Over the past
few months, resident DJs audioammo
have brought in some heavy hitters to
help get the parties started right. DC
natives Nadastrom, Richmond-raised
Cobra Krames, and Trouble & Bass Label heavy hitters Deathface and Drop
The Lime have all graced the stage.
Prior to his special Brain Drain performance last week, I thought it would be
appropriate to sit down and pick the
brain of two-time Brain Drain headliner
Luca Venezia aka Drop The Lime.
And as those who attended learned,
“special” does a poor job of summing
up the madness that occurred on this
memorable evening.
ALEX: The Hot As Hell Tour kicked off a
few weeks ago, howís it been going?
DTL: Fantastic!
ALEX: Everything you ever dreamed
of?
DTL: And more.
ALEX: How’s the crowd feeling the
new stuff?
DTL: Real good. It’s a twist. I got the
rockabilly, the western-infused house
music and the bass madness.
ALEX: Sounds like it’s never been
done. Youíre an innovator man.
DTL: I don’t think it has been done.
Maybe it has. It probably has, but no
one has put it out there. These kids
should put it out. BRING IT OUT!
ALEX: What are some standout cities?
DTL: Sydney, Australia. Hong Kong.
Bangkok. These places are insane.
ALEX: Jumping back to your Hot as
Hell tour, is it going worldwide?
DTL: It’s going worldwide. The November leg is UK/Europe. I do them all
again.
ALEX: I’ve been seeing a little more
about it lately, but when it first came
out, people didn’t really catch onto it.
I’m talking about your FabricLive mix.
It had to have been an honor to be
asked to prepare a mix for them.
DTL: It was a huge honor. I’ve always
looked up to those mixes. I’ve always
looked up to Fabric. When I got a
residency there first, it was always my
dream to hopefully do a mix. And
when I did the mix... it was difficult because everything had to be cleared. I
had a mix that was a lot different.
ALEX: I want to say I read somewhere
that when you first sent in your mix, you
were unsure how they would accept
some of the tracks.
DTL: I had really weird/obscure rockabilly and a lot of weird, asian-infused
house.
ALEX: How much do you think they
edited out?
DTL: At least 70%. Just because you
can’t clear it. A lot of record labels are
like, “No, we won’t clear it.”
ALEX: The latest release I saw with you
doing some guest vocals was the AC
& Dell release. Prior to that, I saw that
Crookers had you on a track. Are there
any tracks with your vocals coming out
in the future that you can talk about?
DTL: I did a song with Arthur Baker.
Thatís coming out next year. I did a
song on the Cubic Zirconia album.
I did a song with Para One and I’m
thinking that’s about it. Oh, and I did a
song with Mowgli! Been doing a lot of
guest vocals.
ALEX: Sounds like you’ve kind of been
branching off into a few different
genres.
DTL: Yea it’s fun. Real fun. I actually
did a song with Spank Rock too. He’s
finishing up his new album here soon.
ALEX: Going back to your album.
What did you want to accomplish. Did
you want more vocals/less vocals?
What were your intentions.
DTL: I wasn’t thinking. It kind of happened naturally. Because I was DJ-ing
rockabilly in my sets and mixing with
dance music, I just started to produce
that way. Next thing I know, that’s what
the sound was. I had an album I
thought was done 2 years ago. All of
those songs are done. The only song
that is on the album that has lasted is
“Devil’s Eyes.”
ALEX: Trouble & Bass just had their 4th
year Anniversary. Congratulations! Did
you see yourself and the label here 4
years ago?
DTL: Yes. Of course.
ALEX: Such confidence, got to love it.
How does it feel knowing that at any
given time, there are Trouble & Bass
artists DJ-ing all over the world?
DTL: It’s real good. It’s a good international family. It’s a gang. We’re like
a mafia. We’re not a record label.
We are not a party. We are a fucking
gang. It’s a gang that makes people
dance.
ALEX: You did a few shows as the
Trouble & Bass Crew over the summer.
Do you have any more plans to do
any of these types of shows?
DTL: We’re doing a big tour. We’re doing San Diego and Los Angeles. We’re
taking over Avalon in December. On
the 18th I believe. It’s a whole Trouble
& Bass night. It’s all 4 of us with Samo
Sound Boy. Me, AC Slater, Star Eyes
and the Captain.
ALEX: What should we be expecting
from T & B in the coming months? Anyone catching your eye in the hopes of
bringing into the family?
DTL: Deathface is doing a new EP
with us. He’s doing a live band, has
female singers, it’s real next level music.
We have a new Supra1 EP coming
out, real cool sounding. I produced
a bunch of stuff for Little Jinder. We
have a new song that I produced
that’s a dubstep tune thatíll come out
called “Without You.” A lot of new stuff...
Zombies for Money has some new
stuff. As far as new people weíre taking on, weíre working with Canblaster
and Manta Ray. I’m doing a collab
with Bart B More. It has cow moo-ing
samples and some other unusual
sounds. Cowabunga! That’s what we
should call it, haha.
ALEX: Last time you were in Richmond, you played a much smaller
club. It was insanity. It was probably
one of the most memorable times I’ve
had here. Do you feel like you have to
one-up your last set?
DTL: Right now, what I’m doing is so
different and crazier. Let’s just say it’s
going to be fun. We’re here to have
fun and I’m going to make sure we’re
going to have fun.
ALEX: If you could produce/work with
any artist/group from any time period,
who would it be?
DTL: KLF. KLF and Tom Waits.
ALEX: Who’s your favorite producer
now?
DTL: I’d say Canblaster is really nailing
it now. This new wave of French kids
are really killing it.
ALEX: In your down time, what are
some new music releases you have on
repeat?
DTL: In my downtime, let’s see. Emeralds, from Cleveland they’re amazing.
Reporter, another amazing band.
Altered States. I listen to lot of bands, I
don’t really listen to dance music. Oh,
and the new Skream album sticks out.
ALEX: I saw on your blog that when
you’re travelling all over, you like to post
pictures of all the food! What’s some of
the craziest shit that stands out when
you look back?
DTL: We like eating, AC Slater and
I. We like cocktails and fancy foods.
When I played with Classixx in Beijing,
we ate a live fish. Check it on youtube.
A fish, a whole carp, still breathing.
You see the gills moving, everything. It’s
cooked! It was the most delicious fish
I’ve had in my entire life.
(misc talk amongst the people in the
room about how the fuck this was
possible)
DTL: Ok basically what they do--I
asked--they take a blanket and suffocate the fish, fry the body, pull it out
quickly and then take the blanket
off so it’s still breathing. That was the
weirdest thing. It was an unbelievable
experience. Would I do it again? Yes.
(laughs)
ALEX: Final question: three things you
cannot go on tour without.
DTL: Pomade, Sweet Georgia Brown
to be exact. A comb. Those should be
together. And my lucky number 7’s.
He then pulled out a pair of dice and
rolled a 7, first try nonetheless. At that
point, my interview with the heavy bass
champion was over.
www.dropthelime.com
17
LES L A BRITANICA
WORDS by Anna Wittel and Meghan WORSHAM
P hotos by ross iannatti, jason lappa, & caleb plutzer
Last winter, my cohort in crime,
Meghan Worsham, and I trudged
through the snow to see Les La
Britanica play a gig in a packed,
grimy basement in the Fan. The
mostly twenty-something crowd
convulsed collectively to the beat,
singing along with front-duo Lindsey
(Les La) and Louis (The Jilla Kew)
who, along with Luke (Bobblehead)
the resident beat-master, blasted
their special brand of rap-hip hoppop music into the eager ears of
the gathered masses. This was our
first encounter with Les La Britanica
and their many loyal super-fans.
Since that winter the group has only
continued to grow in popularity and
panache as they woo new admirers
at various venues around town.
Meghan and I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the trio at
Crossroads coffee shop and ask the
hard-hitting questions about where
the band’s been, where they’re
headed, and more importantly,
what in the world Poppinoffolopolis
means.
MEGHAN: So how did you guys
meet?
LINDSEY: I guess the first time I met
Louis he was rapping in a white
body suit. [laughter]
LOUIS: That was the first time I had
rapped or anything. Lindsey was
there and that was the first time she
met me.
ANNA: What kind of bodysuit?
LINDSEY: A painter’s suit with a
hood.
Louis: You’ll see it in our music
video.
LUKE: The first time that I met you I
didn’t really like you Lindsey. [laughter] Well it wasn’t that I didn’t like
you it’s just that…You have this thing,
when you get drunk you yell in
people’s faces. You were doing that
to me all night…
LINDSEY: [ giggles] I’m so sorry!
LUKE: I didn’t dislike you. You were
just intense, that’s all.
LINDSEY: I can be loud and obnoxious. I have to make a scene
for normally being quiet and well
behaved.
ANNA When did you all get started
with music?
LUKE: At first the name Les La Britanica comes from…Lindsey’s name
is Les La and this other girl named
Brittany we call Britanica. Louis and I
were just going to be the beat-masters. They were going to be sort of
the rap girls. And Britany didn’t even
make it to the first practice.
LINDSEY: We figured out that she
can’t keep a beat. She can’t even
clap on beat. [ laughter]
LUKE: Before that Luke and I were
making rap CDs. He was making
beats and I was making really bad
raps. I wasn’t trying to say I was a
18
rapper. It was meant for people to
laugh at. Lindsey ended up being
one of those people that heard it
and she liked it.
I’m not there. It’s not like we get
together ever.
MEGHAN: What do you guys think
of the Richmond music scene?
ANNA: Do you guys fight a lot?
ANNA: Had you rapped before?
LINDSEY: All the time. [laughter]
LINDSEY: No, actually I had been
playing guitar and writing since I
was 13. I was really serious about
music and then they asked me if
I would rap. It was a joke almost.
I remember it was “Slave to the
Thump,” and you guys were like,
“That’s not bad.”
LOUIS: We’re all friends so we bicker. We bicker more than we fight.
LINDSEY: I think it’s really good.
I really wish we could do more
house shows and not have to
constantly worry about the cops
showing up.
LINDSEY: Uhh..electronic-dancerap. It’s very poppy.
LOUIS: The Richmond music scene
-- there’s a lot of people doing cool
stuff, but where are we going to
play? It’s hard to find places where
even they have equipment to utilize or a sound guy.
ANNA: What are your roles in the
group?
LUKE: Our genre is Poppinoffolopolis.
ANNA: What music do you listen
to?
LOUIS: She’s kind of like the face,
not saying that she’s not talented,
but in this case she’s talent and the
face. I guess I would be the soul.
ANNA: Wait say that again?
LINDSEY:: I’ve always listened to
pop music. I listened to country
music when I was a kid. But, I love
Lady Gaga. I’m actually into a lot
of Baltimore acts. Right now I’m obsessed with Future Islands, Washed
Out, Neon Indian…What about you
guys?
ANNA: How would you describe
your music?
LOUIS: Poppinoffolopolis. Me and
Luke love it and Lindsey hates it!
[laughter]
LINDSEY: Louis bitches at everyone
and it gets shit done. Luke makes
beats.
MEGHAN: What does that mean?
LOUIS: We all write music. We all
produce music. It’s not like he’s the
beat man, but he makes the best
beats out of all of us. He makes the
best licks. But, if he’s unwilling to
work then we’ll work.
LUKE: It’s like a metropolis that kind
of pops off. It’s kind of a real place.
It’s kind of a state of mind.
LUKE: We just have a weird dynamic. We don’t really all work together.
We all do it separately – I’ll make a
beat, save it on the computer, and
then maybe Lindsey will come to it,
record her lyrics over it. She might
not even be there. Then Louis might
write some lyrics and record when
LINDSEY: Shit’s poppin’ off!
LOUIS: It’s anywhere you want it
to be. We’ve thought of all sorts of
dumb things to call it. Hype-hop,
which is not cool. It’s like a clash of
our sensibilities.
LINDSEY: We still don’t even know
what we’re doing. So each song is
different, especially on our newer
album.
LOUIS: We all have similar enough
tastes, but also really different.
When I was in high school I would
listen to all the hip-hop from the
90s, but then my favorite band in
the world is Built to Spill, so I was
really into the indie scene at the
same time. I mean, I was never a
musician in high school. I’m more
of a visual artist. I played baritone
horn in 8th grade and I don’t play
guitar or keys. I’m starting to learn
how to play the keys, but music has
always been a secondary thing to
me really.
LUKE: Yeah, I guess indie. Definitely the older, classic indie rock like
Pavement, Built to Spill, old Modest
Mouse. I guess that’s my core.
MEGHAN:: So what are your aspirations for Les La? Where do you see
yourselves in a year?
LINDSEY: We’re hoping that eventually we’ll be able to do some kind
of tour. First and foremost we need
to just finish this album because
we’ve been working on it for a year
now. It’s really almost done. It will be
awesome to be able to get that to
people and feel like this is the most
current, relevant music that we give
them.
ANNA: Do you guys have groupies?
LOUIS: Nahh, I mean… [laughter]
ANNA Does Lindsey have groupies?
Louis: The girls are more intrigued
by Lindsey then want to go up and
tell her that she’s amazing. I think
the girls like her more than the guys.
MEGHAN: Are you sexy?
LINDSEY: In a hidden way. I like to
hide filth in my lyrics. If you tried to
decipher them, you might figure it
out. “I take the Visa if you swipe it
through my jimmy stache.” That’s all
I’m saying.
www.myspace.com/leslabritanica
19
THE CLIPSE
DOiN GOOD THiNGS
by Shahan Jafri
Since their critically acclaimed release Lord Willin back in 2002, the Clipse have been recognized by fans and artists alike as one of
the most venerable duos in the industry. The industry itself, though, has not always been so kind. Label problems from early on, and
being labeled “coke rap,” did not help the grit-laced brothers. They have had a wild ride from the get up, and are now on the “re-up”
with two different paths. Gene Elliott Thornton Jr (Malice) and Terrence Thornton (Pusha T) are on the verge of doing some really good
things.
Malice is finishing up a book this December entitled Wretched, Pittiful, Poor, Blind and Naked, which will serve as somewhat of an autobiography. “I tell my son you gotta pick your friends better, I love Geezy to death but I have yet to write a letter,” he says on his promotional track “Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked Freestyle.” This is a reference to Clipse’s former manager Anthony “Geezy” Gonzalez, whose 32 year sentence for drug trafficking was a very close call to home. Malice has also started a vlog site at maliceoftheclipse.
com, where he is making short films based on true stories of hardship and redemption.
Meanwhile Pusha is finding his place on the stage and in the studio these days. There had been rumors since the beginning of summer of Pusha signing with Kanye’s label G.O.O.D. Music, and they were recently confirmed. Whether its rocking out this year’s VMAs, or
appearing on Saturday Night Live, performing the number one hit “Runaway” with Kanye West, Pusha is not quite done yet.
The brothers Thornton have nothing but love and respect for each other as they follow their own endeavors. Recently I was lucky
enough to see both perform in DC as they rocked out Howard Homecoming. “2011 Pusha Solo album, 2011 new Clipse material, 2011
new Re-Up Gang material--we back by popular demand y’all.” Beat drops and the place erupts. This was the scene on stage, and
after it all died down, I was able to speak to them separately about their upcoming endeavors.
20
21
49
22
PART 1: MALICE
SHAHAN: What can you tell me about the book?
MALICE: The book covers my life in the industry, the affects it has on me-positive and negative both. I think it serves as a eye opener for a lot of younger
people who have aspirations of not just getting into this industry but any form
of entertainment. Just being in this realm for fame, fortune, success or whatever
their idea of that is.
SHAHAN: What led you to write this book and make these blog films?
MALICE: I think it was the platform that I’ve been blessed with, and I feel like I
would do a disservice to only paint one side of the picture. For years you have
seen the ups of the Clipse and you have seen me at my pinnacle. I think it’s
only fair to show that there are two sides to every coin. We have had a lot of
stellar moments and that’s what the media portrays and shows. You see us in
all our splendor, but it’s not always like that.
SHAHAN: What is maliceoftheclipse.com about?
MALICE: The site is basically geared towards the youth, to those people I feel
can still be molded and can still be taught. You still have influence on them to
be thinkers, and not to always conform to what they see the next man doing.
I know every person has talent and I don’t want that talent to be wasted on a
figment of your imagination.
SHAHAN: You recently changed your blog site-MALICE: The new direction of the blog site is basically to promote the book,
and then eventually the film. All the video blogs are true stories. They all basically have an interesting tale which I narrate over and give the background.
They are all events that have happened in my life. I find it to be very interesting
because they have direct parallels to the Bible. It’s 2010 and I see a lot of the
same stories that were documented over 2000 years ago. It just overwhelms me
how the same things going on today were going on back then.
SHAHAN: As far as music goes, your brother is doing a solo album, will you be
featured?
MALICE: I would have to say more than likely that I would be featured on my
brothers album. The only question that comes into play is whether or not I feel
compelled to rap (laughter).
SHAHAN: You told me one time that it was a blessing that rhymes were not
coming to you, and you were just choosing to follow another path.
MALICE: That has since changed, because right now I feel like a beast rhyming. I recently did a song with Ab Liva. It’s called “Where Do We Go.” I know I still
got it, obviously, but I have another focus right now. I found another source of
fulfillment with these video blogs, the book and the movie. I feel like that is my
new found passion. Rap will always be there, but it’s just not my focus at this
point in time.
SHAHAN: So there could be a solo album coming out?
MALICE: Definitely. Don’t ever rule that out, but I have just been really enjoying
this down time to finalize my book and promote it. I think I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people, and the testimonies that people have received lately
are very satisfying. I’m just reading the comments and feedback and I feel like
what I’m doing is a very needed thing. That to me is very satisfying.
SHAHAN: How do you feel about your brother and where he is headed?
MALICE: I think he has been put into a really good position. You know I am
with my brother all the time, so I know how talented he is. So it doesn’t surprise
me. As long as his soul is right then he is a total package.
www.maliceoftheclipse.com / mademylifechange.com
23
24
PART 2: PUSHA T
PART 1: MALICE
SHAHAN: So it is official, you are with G.O.O.D. Music?
PUSHA T: Yes, 100% official.
SHAHAN: When did this all begin? I know you went out to Hawaii to Kanye’s studio several months back and started collaborating.
PUSHA T: I want to believe it was around March. I went out there for three days initially, which turned into a month. There would be days where I
would literally take a flight from VA to Hawaii, go do a show and studio and come back. It ended up being a month and some change.
SHAHAN: Did you have an idea after the last album, Til The Casket Drops, that you wanted to do a solo project?
PUSHA T: It’s always been in the plans for Re-Up Gang Records, honestly. Anything that builds upon the Clipse brand, Re-Up Gang Records
and, while building that brand, solo projects were always part of it. I look at my favorite acts like Outkast and Mobb Deep, and they did solo
projects. You have to remember Malice and I are brothers, and there will never be a non-Clipse. So there is no breaking up with us, we really
have to do things that build upon the brand.
SHAHAN: During the DC show, you announced that your solo album will be coming out in 2011. Do you have an expected release time on
your album?
PUSHA T: We talk tentatively about it, but at the end of the day we are taking it project by project. Right now all the focus is around Kanye’s
Dark Twisted Fantasy album. That and the tour that will be around it, which should be in the near future.
SHAHAN: How do you feel about the direction your brother is taking?
PUSHA T: I love it, I love everything that he is doing. I think his direction explains, and makes me have to explain less, the dichotomy of the
Clipse. I think people are getting wind and really seeing how far his greatness spans. It’s really dope because there is a level of sincerity and a
level of consciousness in it.
SHAHAN: I asked Malice if he will be featured on your album, and he said more than likely, but only if he is “compelled to rap.”
PUSHA T: Now if he says if he is compelled to rap? Well all I am going to say on that is if you have heard the Ab Liva and iCan Y.E.S. project, he
just dropped a verse on that a couple of days ago. I don’t think there is a question of him and rapping.
SHAHAN: Is Kanye producing this album from top to bottom? I heard you and Bangladesh (Producer) were in the studio working together.
PUSHA T: Yeah, see that’s the thing, we have been in and made solo records together. But it’s really hard to talk into that project until [Kanye’s
album] is over with. He will just send me records, and I will get it and record to it. At the end of the day, while he is not doing that, I can be in the
studio with Bangladesh or Pharrell. I am trying to be everywhere. I just have to create and I have to keep creating.
SHAHAN: You are probably on the best label right now with Common, Kudi, Mos Def, the list goes on.
PUSHA T: Oh my god, yeah, man. (laughter)
SHAHAN: How has VA influenced this upcoming album?
PUSHA T: My whole thing is life experiences, man. I think that is the best way to even discuss it. I was born and raised here, and it’s the only
thing I know how to do. It’s actually harder when you are making up a lot of things, I’m not that imaginative.
SHAHAN:When does inspiration take place?
PUSHA T: Some things I think, off the cuff and I’m like, ‘Yo, I need to put this to a beat.’ You got guys who build some great sound beds for
some of my words, and I try to seek them out and find them. I try to be everywhere getting with people.
SHAHAN: Will you be working with the Inkredibles, who are based out of Richmond VA?
PUSHA T: I would like to. I am actually going to be seeing them very soon.
SHAHAN: When are you coming to Richmond, man?
PUSHA T: I just left Stony Point mall if that answers your question. (laughter)
www.playcloths.com
25
KEN-CREDIBLE
ANT: So your past work has been band photography. You are working currently with more high fashion, Betsey Johnson being an example of that. But
you also do some fringe work. What’s the range of stuff that you like to do?
Girls falling from the sky, women towering over a landscape, guys cutting
through time with knives... Ken gets paid to push you outside the everyday, disrupt your train of thought, and even scare you sometimes. For this
reason, I wanted to sit down and ask him about his roots, photography and
fighting the mainstream.
KEN: There’s nothing I wouldn’t say no to doing, but I’m the kind of person
who wouldn’t just do anything for money. I’m at an advantage [because] I
do web design also. I’ve had a good life, I’m not at a point where I have to
do everything that’s set in front of me. It’s hard to say. If someone comes up
to me with a interesting project or if they have a general idea that they want
me to develop into something bigger, I’m all about it. No matter what it is.
ANT: Are you a Richmond native?
ANT: Fetish photography?
KEN: Yes--grew up here, went to Midlothian High School, moved here when
I was 12 from Lynchburg, Virginia where I was born.
KEN: I wouldn’t say no to it, but itís funny you say that. In Philadelphia, I shot
a lot of higher end latex designers. They pretty much are at the borderline
of fetish. I’ve been in one of the biggest fetish magazines in Europe for the
past three years from that kind of photography. I’m not shooting people
having sex and stuff, which I’m not really into... but if I can get my art in the
same genre it’s fine with me.
An interview with photographer Ken Penn
by Ant
ANT: I heard you were in some local bands when you were younger, can
you talk about that?
KEN: I was. I still love bands. I did a reunion show two weeks ago, believe
it or not. The most notable band was called Grip, which was a hardcore
band from the Fan, VCU area. We later changed our name to Dayspring-the same band, just went a little more melodical. Actually, we had to
change our name because a metal band in Boston showed us a cease
and desist. (laughter)
ANT: About what year(s) was that really active?
KEN: Probably 92-94. By the end, we did a whole US tour and everything. It
was pretty awesome.
ANT: Were you taking pictures while you were in the band, or is that something that came after?
KEN: I’ve been taking pictures since high school. In the early years I shot
bands--mostly bands that I liked, hardcore bands, punk bands--at the old
Metro/Rockitz club downtown, Twisters, and throughout the years [of] being
in bands. Also, I would shoot, but I didn’t shoot as much as I would now,
because I would enjoy being in the pit and stuff, too. So that was fun. I
didnít get into subject matter like models and everything until maybe 2003.
After that I started focusing on the fashion aspects of things, and different
kinds of artistic styles.
ANT: Is that when you went to being a professional photographer - trying
to make it your living?
KEN: Yeah, exactly. I started to study, and the main thing I tried to focus on
is lights. Getting different feelings through dramatic light, making the light
help you tell the story. That’s when I started to seriously focus on it. It always
ends up [being about] how much you focus and how much you want to
get better at your craft, really.
ANT: I noticed, and I might be off, but it seems like you are inspired at least
a little bit in your high fashion work by Dave LaChappelle. It’s a little more
fantastical -seems like there are similar elements- the beautiful women and
imaginary narratives. Can you talk a little bit about that, where that might
come from?
KEN: Every now and then people say that to me, and I take that as a big
compliment. I like his work a lot. I don’t look at it as far as trying to follow
his style or anything. I don’t look at myself as having a style. I try to do
things that will leave a lasting impression. You can take a picture with just a
person standing in a room. Someone might remember it more if you have
something unusual or contrasting in the photo. If they like it or hate it, they’ll
remember that’s why they hated it, or that’s why they liked it. Because its
something off, a little more unique about a photo. That’s what I try to do.
Sometimes it’s a little more outlandish. I’ve tried to calm down on my photoshop editing, because I used to get crazy with that. But now Iím trying to
do the same craziness, but shooting it all at once. So it’s more thought out,
more planned, and just keeping it interesting.
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ANT: So you are back in Richmond and you are still working with your
connections in Philadelphia. What is the next step for you, and why did you
move back here? I mean, coming back from a larger market to a smaller
market. Is it just because you love Richmond? Or does it matter anymore?
You can get work wherever after you made the connections. Can you
speak a little more on that for a second?
KEN: Well the main reason, my wife and I just had a baby girl a year ago.
She’s turning one this Friday. My wife is a doctor and has been training for
the past 9 to 12 years or so. We decided that we would move back here if
she found a position here. As far as I look at it, like I said, I aways take myself
worldwide. If someone wants to take me to Europe, to China, to Hawaii, I’m
all about it. With the internet I can make contacts everyday. It doesnít really
matter. It’s just pushing my art, and getting people to see me. Taking it bigger every time is what I want to do.
ANT: So you’re not limited by the city, and I donít think most creative people
are anymore. Let’s talk about your models for a second. It seems like you
have a fondness for tattooed women and men. Can you speak a little bit
on how you choose your models and why you stick with alternative lifestyles? It doesn’t look like your work will ever go mainstream.
KEN: I think it all revolves around to what I said before, keeping the interest
in a photo. It’s not really trying to pick certain people or certain things, but I
think I’m drawn to subcultures. Things are really bold and in your face, and
that leaves lasting impressions on people. With the contacts I’ve made, time
and time again people in that network, whether it be models or fashion
designers, seem to tie back. One of my favorite makeup artists that I use
from New York was the hairstylist and make up artist for Katy Perry, who’s
as mainstream as you can get right now. But if you look at Katy Perryís past
work she’s kind of alternative herself. It’s not mainstream until everybody
sees it. So once everyone sees me, I’ll be mainstream.
ANT: I guess mainstream is very subjective now. The old fringe stuff is mainstream, and the stuff thatís on the fringe is too scary for everybody.
KEN: I think there’s a difference. I’d like to be mainstream, but I don’t want
to be cheesy. It is what it is, I guess.
ANT: Absolutely. Where do you see your work going from here? You’re working in high fashion, you’re still doing the more artsy stuff that you love... Do
you have any immediate goals?
KEN: I’m trying to round myself out as far as subject matter goes. I’ve
dabbled in a little bit of everything, and I want to take all of that to the next
level. I’m looking at doing a high fashion wedding scheme this year. I’m
looking at pitching to Vans Media for national campaigns--taking it back to
my skateboarding roots. It usually goes back to stuff I love, you know--I love
beautiful women, I love skateboarding, I love music... That’s what I shoot.
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KEN PENN
additional credits: Hair: Juaquin Cameron Makeup: Andrea Martini Necklace : Belle Morte Bees: Safari Anomalous
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30
RYAN McLENNAN
by S. Preston Duncan
It doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies to
hear about talented people moving away from
Richmond, but there’s not really anything warm
and fuzzy about the ar t of Ryan Mclennan for
his relocation to corrupt. His work is a morose
contemplation of human abstractions explored
in the context of anthropomorphized animals,
personified flora. The result is a desolate reexamination of consciousness, both of mor tality and
the unknowable nature of existence. The effect is
one that leads to not only the reconsideration of
the fruitlessness of nihilistic perspective, but the
needless absurdity of grasping for definitive answers to the question of what it means to be alive.
It prompts a quiet investigation of the depression
related to sacrificing existential exuberance for
a practical philosophy of meaninglessness, an effect amplified by the starkness of the images presented on an empty white background, stripped
of their natural context. There is a relatable quality in this, a subtle suggestion that the depicted
quandaries are inherent to a detachment from
the natural environment, and the unrelenting
sterility of ar tificial surroundings.
redefining their image from that of a musician to
that of a visual ar tist, a phenomenon that can be
easily ascribed to his identifiably signature style, impeccable compositions, and discernibly Richmondinfluenced color schemes.
I work on paper. Overall, the work is very deliberate
because I can’t afford many mistakes. I’ll stare at
a painting for hours before I am 100% sure what to
do next. If I place something in the wrong position it could potentially cost me the whole piece.
Lighter strokes can be sanded off, but if I overwork
something it can be impossible to get rid of. I use
source material all the time. I use what I find in
books, magazines, the Internet and whatever photos I can take on my own, though I am not much
of a photographer and animals don’t care to be
photographed.
A Richmond native now pursuing his ar t career in
New York, I was first introduced to Ryan’s creative
prowess by his reluctant involvement in the profoundly influential local acoustic act Homemade
Knives, both as a bassist and album cover ar tist.
He’s one of the few ar tists that has succeeded in
It would be reasonable to assume that a painter
with such a demonstrable grasp on craf t and
technical skill would contend with little resistance in
ar t school. Apparently, however, drawing animals
didn’t exactly appeal to the high-brow, professorial
sensibilities of university thought, a dilemma that
His process is one of relentlessly developed vision,
precise forethought, and meticulous rendering,
and conjures images of ancient sculptors meditating on an unshaped block of stone before setting
about its carving.
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31
RYAN MCLENNAN
forced Ryan, albeit briefly, from his subject matter of choice, but that
ultimately contributed to his ar tistic evolution.
Drawing dinosaurs and animals when I was in elementary school
was the beginning. Universities do not like dinosaurs and animals.
Going to college was good because it gave me a chance to prove
that I don’t like what I thought I didn’t like. After school I got back on
track.
With an established aesthetic of exactness that rests comfor tably
somewhere between the stylized and photo-real, and a distinct symbolic voice that speaks all at once to the primal and evolutionary
consciousness, Ryan is setting about an ar tistic exploration of less
concrete imagery and scientific execution.
Hopefully [my work will become] less precise and more painterly,
which is not too subtle of a transition. I’m working on it.
And it’s an interesting transition. The illustrative qualities of his work
demonstrate the human capacity for literal observation, and though
his subjects are represented as grappling with human abstraction,
the process itself doesn’t par ticularly exemplify the confusion depicted. There’s a cer tain level of palpable detachment in this, not from
the pieces themselves, but from the individual entities contained
therein, a sense that the god of the piece is a distant creator, who
has lef t his creations to sor t out their existence on their own.
Most of the interactions are influenced by human dilemma. The
animals are beginning to question their existence. Some are possibly
finding faith, some despising it. Some are not only surviving, but they
truly fear death. Some don’t want to be alive anymore.
There is a dystopian quality to these ecological networks, a sense
of the inescapably tragic, of re-contextualized pessimism, a quality
due in par t to the color schemes of the pieces, which, Ryan says, are
largely influenced by his time in Richmond.
I have grown to really appreciate old things. Old buildings. I like the
architecture in Richmond and many places on the east coast. New
buildings and renovations make me feel uncomfortable, they bore
me. I like drab earthy colors (obviously, my paintings are all brown)
and I think of Richmond as a fairly drab place. Not flashy. When I
think of Richmond I think brown. I hate bright colors. If I wore a shirt
that was orange or yellow it might kill me.
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An ar tist moving to New York generally indicates forward momentum,
building success, or at least a dream and the requisite gonads. Ryan
speaks modestly of the move, avoiding elaboration on the trajectory
of his career.
I don’t know what [moving to New York] will mean, maybe nothing. I
lived in and around Richmond my whole life. It was time to go. I have
good friends in New York. There is a lot of art to see. Most everything
is new to me here. I love it.
As a musician playing bass for Homemade Knives, Ryan also designed the cover to their last album, No One Doubts The Darkness,
but apparently this is the closest the two creative outlets come to
overlapping.
I try to keep one as far from the other as possible. I don’t enjoy playing in bands. I do love my musician friends though so I play with
them when I am able to. It’s a good time. They know I hate it, and I
know [I] really don’t HATE it. It’s kind of a joke. They let me leave as
soon as I know a song.
With an ever-transforming style and burgeoning career, it’s no stretch
to wonder what it is about these paintings that attract people living in
our society today, and what that attraction says about our society. Is
it indicative of an evolutionary shif t in human consciousness, a symptom of our desire to return to the unfettered acceptance of existence
once held by pre-civilized man? Is it simply a way to reevaluate our
perceptions of life, death, and the problems we face between, made
palatable by the detachment of anthropomorphizing animals rather
than depicting human beings? Or is it just that it causes us to ask
ourselves what it is we like about these scenes of despair, quiet hope,
and awareness of survival?
It’s also no great leap of forethought to consider how living in the
permeating intensity of New York will effect Ryan’s vision, or to contemplate the potential of his return to Richmond. When asked if he
had any plans to return, his answer was no more overworked than his
paintings, and considerably less revealing:
Let me move away first.
WWW.RYANMCLENNAN.COM
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WORDS AND PHOTOS by Erik Fox
It’s been less than a year since DJ/producer Rusko moved from his native
England to Los Angeles, but Americaís first “dubstep ambassador” has already
set clubs on fire from California to New York with his unique take on the genre.
Coming from a musically-oriented family, Rusko went through the music program at Leeds University, graduating with a degree in musical performance
and production. After school, he discovered dub culture through SUB DUB, The
Digital Mystikz, and his own work with Iration Steppas, which eventually led him
to move to London seeking a larger dub scene.
Since then he has solidified his niche in the genre as dubstep’s leading popdub producer, focusing more on danceable party melodies rather than the
dark, moody rhythms from which the genre originated. Though die-hard fans
of the music may shun his pioneering work, there is no ignoring the fact that
what he has brought to the scene is expanding the genre. It’s also expanding
his own career, allowing him to work with a diverse range of the industry’s A-list
artists, from pop queen Britney Spears to hip independent performer M.I.A. to
fellow club producer Diplo.
We caught up with Rusko over email a few weeks before his explosive live performance at the Canal Club on October 23.
ERIK FOX: First of all, Rusko, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to get up with
us about your tour’s upcoming stop through Richmond. I understand that this
will be your first time in RVA?
RUSKO: Yep, super excited!
ERIK: I’ll get to your recent success in a minute, but let’s start from the beginning. How long have you been into music?
RUSKO: My mum was in a folk band whilst she was pregnant with me. She
sang and played mandolin in the band! She stopped once she had me and
never got back into music again, but now she is, like, obsessed with dancixang.
I started making music at 14. I play the saxophone, bass, guitar and piano. My
mum bought me this 4 track tape recorder that I would [use to] record songs
I made on a simple drum machine program on the family computer. Then I
started playing in bands with my friends. I had a ska and punk band. I used to
play guitar and write the lyrics. That was fun for a while but I like to be in control
of the music, so eventually I upgraded my software to Sony Acid and started
producing solo. Then I went to Leeds college of music, but I didn’t graduate!
They kicked me out and told me it was never going to happen for me! I am
pretty strong-willed, and I just wasn’t interested in a lot of what they were making
us do. I felt like most of their work was taking up valuable music-making time.
I would skip class, stay home and make music. I am pretty much completely
self taught. My drive and love for music is what made me stay home. I was
100% dedicated to music and making it my career, just not necessarily how the
34
school thought it should have been done.
ERIK: So at what point did dubstep come into your life?
RUSKO There is a huge dub culture in Leeds. They’d have battling sound
system parties and Iration Steppas obviously was the best. They had a major
influence on my music. Then I met Caspa online! I sent him one of my old dub
tunes, and he wrote back and said that he could totally see this as a dubstep
release for his label! I went down to London to meet him, and that was that,
really! I moved down to London and started producing dubstep and releasing [records] on Dub Police. When we used to collaborate, we would basically
spend one whole looooong day working on it, and at the end one of us would
take it home and just put the finishing touches on it. Then we started playing DJ
sets together and did the FABRIC LIVE 37 CD.
ERIK: Since then you’ve done work with huge names in the industry--Switch,
Diplo, M.I.A., just to list a few. Are there any artists you’ve really enjoyed collaborating with?
RUSKO: I’ve definitely worked with some amazing artists. I really enjoyed working
with M.I.A. I really enjoyed the whole process. She is really creative and has crazy
ideas! Sometimes they were totally impossible to do but other times it was [possible], and I think we came up with some amazing stuff! She really pushed me
to try new things. As a producer it was cool to have her more involved in the musical process. A lot of times you never get to work one on one with the artist, but
we spent a ton of looooong nights working in the studio. She was really willing to
try out some of my ideas that other artists may not have had the balls to try!
ERIK: Your most recent album, O.M.G.!, is by far the most distinctive collection
you’ve put out yet. I’ll admit I’ve had it on repeat for some time now. Can you tell
us what you’ve done with your music to solidify such an unmistakeable style for
yourself?
RUSKO: I have always listened to a wide array of different styles of music and
have made all kinds of stuff. I think this is just the first chance I’ve had to really
showcase that. The talkbox disco vibe is sort of a running theme through the
album, and that was a big influence in my sound. This album took me quite
some time to make, so I think when listening to it, you can sort of go on the journey with me. I have some classic dub tracks and a ton of melodic dubstep, also
some fun vocal tracks too.
ERIK: Once again, thanks for your time with us.
RUSKO: Thanks!
www.ruskoonfire.com
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37
A CONVERSATION WITH JEFF STAPLE
by Neil Lopez (www.thisisforyoumom.com)
Interview and Lecture Photos by Duy Nguyen (www.acollegeproject.com)
I met Jeff Staple at Jackson Ward. The nearly two-hour talk we had, over
coffee and tea at Ettamae’s, was an incredibly inspiring experience. If you
had told me over the summer that in a few months Jeff would be flying into
Richmond from New York late Sunday night, that he’d be eating his first
Richmond meal at New York Fried Chicken around midnight, and that I’d be
having a sit down conversation with him two blocks from my apartment the
following morning; I would have laughed in your face, especially from the
New York Fried Chicken bit.
But yet, that all happened thanks to the VCU Student Hip Hop Organization
(SHHO), a group of VCU students and alumni whose aim is simple: higher
learning through hip-hop. SHHO collaborated with the VCU Brandcenter
to bring Jeff Staple to Richmond for a lecture, held on September 13th. I’ve
been to several of the VCU Brandcenter guest lectures and this was one of
the most packed and diverse crowds I’ve seen. For those who don’t know,
Jeff Staple (otherwise known as Jeff Ng) is a hugely influential figure in the
worlds of communication design, hip-hop, sneaker culture, streetwear culture,
and fashion in general. He is the founder of Staple Design, Staple Clothing,
and NYC retail spaces, Reed Space & Reed Annex. He is the man behind the
now legendary chaos of the Nike Pigeon Dunk and other collaborations with
Nike, New Balance, Oakley, Lomo, Mountain Dew, Airwalk, Starter, Penfield, Kid
Robot, Burton Snowboards, among others.
The man is both a veteran and a tastemaker of streetwear culture. His work
defines and evolves the game all at once. In an industry full of shallow tee
shirt graphics and nonsensical collaborations, Jeff Staple is an established
standout. It would be easy to go on and on about his influence but I will
choose not to preach. Instead, a word to the wise: Let the wise speak.
NEIL: Could you tell us the reason behind the names Staple Design and
Reed Space?
JEFF: When I started making simple t-shirt graphics out of school, I wasn’t
even really trying to start a company. I was just wearing one of my shirts when
I walked into a store (Triple 5 Soul) and the guy that was working the store
wanted to buy my shirts. But I didn’t have a brand at that point. I just had to
think of a brand like right there on the spot. So I came up with Staple and
that dude named me Jeff Staple. This was back in ‘96/97, and I was so dissatisfied with what hip hop fashion had to offer. I loved hip hop music and I
loved the lifestyle, but the clothing was so cornball that I couldn’t be caught
dead in it. This was like when Ecko was really popping off, and Sean John
was just coming out and I was like, “Man, this is so much loud, meaningless
yelling.” To me, the best parts of fashion were what laid underneath. Not the
bling factor. So I just wanted to take hip hop back to the staple foundation,
you know, the roots--the essential material that you can’t live without. That is
what a staple is. Staple Design is like the design that requires the raw, basic,
essential elements and that’s it. No added bullshit on top. And I went with
that.
Reed Space is named after my high school art teacher, Michael Reed, who
was really the first teacher that not only taught me about art and being creative, but also about communication--being able to convey messages and
thoughts and ideas in a positive light. Designing and teaching are basically
transferring messages from one person to another. He was incredible at that.
He taught you without you feeling like you were being taught. He made you
thirsty, which was dope. He passed away while he was teaching me and it
had a huge effect on me. The one teacher that I really loved was taken in
midyear, and that really hit me hard. That was in ’93, and I didn’t start Reed
Space until 2002. So [for] nine years, I kept him in my mind, and when I decided to open my store, I named it after Michael Reed.
NEIL: How long did he teach you for?
JEFF: One year. Not even--half a year. Let me give you an example of what
he did. I had just got a car back then, and it was a Honda Civic Hatchback.
I bought these ill speakers that you put into the trunk. I was really happy, but
then there’s the back seat and the hatchback in the rear and I couldn’t hear
anything because there’s no way for the sound to escape. So I was telling Mr.
Reed about this and he was like, “You should just take the lid off, cut holes in
it, and ventilate it.” I was saying, “That’s nice, but I don’t know how to do any
of that shit.” And he was like, “After class, let’s do it, you and I.” So after class
we went into the workshop, the wood cutting shop. He got a hacksaw and
was teaching me how to do it the whole time. We jury-rigged this really nice
aerated mesh grill, all handmade by me and him, all after school hours. He
didn’t have to do that shit.
NEIL: I’ve never had a teacher like that.
JEFF: Exactly. It was so dope that he took the time out. I always remember
that. To me, it’s important to take time out, lend an extra hand. Whether it’s for
one person or two hundred people, or a thousand people. The more people
I could touch, it just adds to the world, you know? Just trying to carry on what
Mr. Reed taught me.
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JEFF STAPLE
NEIL: How was it growing up in Jersey? How important of an influence was
New York City?
JEFF: Well, Jersey is a small state. Where I came from, Monouth County in
New Jersey, is just rural, suburbia. It’s small. And I think, from a very young
age, I needed to get out of New Jersey. I appreciate where I came from,
but I knew that the speed of New Jersey wasn’t for me. I was coming into
New York every weekend. My parents worked in the city and from a young
age, like ten years old, they’d be like, “All right, we gotta work, so just walk in
the city. Don’t go above 23rd Street.” They just threw me out there by myself.
NEIL: How old were you?
JEFF: Like less than thirteen. Maybe twelve or eleven years old.
NEIL: Must have had some crazy shit happen to you.
JEFF: Yeah, man. It was great! (laughs) I got conned so many times, but
that’s how you learn. Like hey, little guy, want some sunglasses? And three
card monte, like, “You got ten dollars, little kid? Come on, you can see
where the ball is, right?” But that’s how you learned. You get conned. So I
just felt, from a really early age, like the speed of New Jersey was not fast
enough for me. I knew I was going to NYU before entering high school. Like
there’s no question about it, you know? I applied for early admission.
I also always knew that there’s a big difference between people who were
born and raised in a big metropolitan city versus those people who were
born in the outskirts, suburbs, small cities, then moved into the city. Not to
stereotype and pigeonhole everybody, but I think if you’re born and raised
in New York, you feel like you’re privileged.
NEIL: Like assholes?
JEFF: *Laughs* I don’t know if they’re assholes, but more like, “Yo, I was
born and raised in New York, I deserve to be here by default.” Outsiders
are just hungrier. A person from the outside is more humble, hardworking,
diligent. It’s a broad stroke, but I’ve found that to be very true in every city
that I’ve been to. I’m very appreciative of the fact that I came from a small
town, and I think I still have small town sensibilities deep down, even though
I’ve seen the world.
NEIL: You’re quite the jetsetter. What do you think the importance of traveling is?
JEFF: The most important thing about traveling is to understand that the
world is bigger than the place that you occupy. I could see how if you
come from a certain area, the problems of that area and the obstacles in
that area, and even the accomplishments, both good and bad, are your
whole world. If you have a problem, it’s like, “Aw man. Fuck this town.” Or if
something dope happens, it’s like, “Yeah, I’m the king of this town.” But then
you got sorta zoom out a little bit and realize, like on Google Maps. You
could just zoom out one click, and you’re meaningless. You know, maybe if
you’re like a true baller, than you zoom out five clicks and people still care
about you. But eventually, I don’t care who you are, you could be like Lady
Gaga or Kanye West, you’re gonna zoom out to the point where people
don’t give a shit about you. Travel reminds you of that. You go to a place
and go, “Wow, everything I’ve done means nothing here. Everything I’ve accomplished, people don’t give a shit.” And conversely, every stressful thing
that hinders me in New York or wherever you’re from, doesn’t hinder me
here. You need to travel in order to open yourself up to think on a global
level. It’s not just about me sitting here doing this or that. It’s really how it
could affect or potentially affect the whole entire world.
NEIL: What do you think of the current state of streetwear culture? And
what do you think about the use of that term to describe this culture anyway? It’s kind of an odd term.
JEFF: It is an odd term, but whatever, I’m not ashamed of it. People use it
a lot, but it’s just a broad term so I don’t really mind it. In terms of where it’s
going right now, I think it’s been in a weird spot for a while. We’re fortunate
enough to live on the cusp of the culture. So when shit starts to look good,
we’re generally the first ones to feel it. And then there’s mainstream that’s in
the middle--they feel it later. When sneaker culture, for example, began to
feel wack and corny, and it started to not be in a good place, we felt that.
Me and the people I work with were probably sick of Dunks like five years
ago. And maybe now, like a year ago, the mainstream is finally starting to
be sick of Dunks. There’s such a delay, it’s almost like it’s back around. Like
we were sick of camo, and then two or three years later, the mainstream
was sick of camo. But now that the mainstream’s sick of camo, we’re kind
of cool with camo again. You know? *Laughs* And then it looks like we’re
behind. We’ve sort of lapped them, and they’re like, “oh this guy’s trying
to bring back…” No. We already did a lap. We’ve already been there. So I
think it’s in a weird place right now but I also think that the movement that
replaced street culture is Americana. Plaid shirts, chambray shirts, right?
That’s it. If you open a store now, it’s gotta have a dead moose head on
the wall, you need old wood, a burning fireplace, that’s the look right now.
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That will pass, and what’s going to replace it is the rejection of Americana,
which is street culture again. Like in your face revolutionary statements,
maybe mixed with an infusion of Americana. The reason people like Americana is the craftsmanship, and the time that was put into it. It’s also a rejection of things made overseas, in China and stuff. So I think what you’ll see is
the mentality of street culture mixed with the craftsmanship of Americana.
Maybe you won’t see street culture the way it was, like a kid silkscreening a
shirt in his bath tub. Maybe now it’ll be a 100% whole cotton shirt made in
America that an artist in Vermont silk screened, but with like a dope graphic
or message. I think that’ll be really good.
People ask me, “Isn’t streetwear dead?” I think it’s just evolving. I think like,
Kanye, love him or hate him, is a great example. You could say hip hop is
dead [according to] a definition that you have of hip hop, and you don’t
think he is a hip hop artist, but he is a hip-hop artist--an evolution of the hip
hop artist. I think that’s what’s happening with streetwear right now. What you
think of streetwear as, like all-over print guns on a shirt, that might be dead.
But I have a friend who really hates on streetwear, cause he’s all into Americana and he’s always like, “How are you surviving? Street culture is dead.”
And I’m like, “You realize that everything I’m wearing is street culture, right?
You don’t make that connection?”
NEIL: What do you think are the best forms of communication today, in
terms of reaching the consumer?
JEFF: Twitter. I think Twitter is amazing. It’s kind of sad though. The reason why
it’s so effective is because it’s so easy and so quick. And if you’ve been on
this Earth long enough, you’ll know that anything that’s easy and quick is
never really that good. It’s like sex, or fried chicken. *Laughs* But in terms of
being able to communicate, it’s so powerful. I thought when I had a blog it
was powerful, but Twitter blows blogging out of the water in terms of accessibility and touching people right away. Then again, it’s just about communicating, it’s not about authenticity or accuracy. All these things go out the
window. When you go out in the Wild West of blogging and twittering, almost
anything goes. I just started following Dave Chappelle today and I don’t
even know if it’s really Dave Chappelle. It could be a girl in her panties in her
bed just pretending to be Dave Chappelle. I have no idea. So validity is very
very dicey in this new age world, but it’s also very quick and accessible.
NEIL: I feel like there’s duality here. I mean, why did you start a print magazine like Reed Pages?
JEFF: I’m really passionate about magazines, so I want to try to make a
magazine you know? People want to be able to touch something. It’s an
experience. People want to cherish something and put it on their bookshelf
and access it. It’s not like you can’t access an old Hypebeast post months
later or something. You can. You just do a search. But there’s just something
about the process. Anything of a digital nature is strictly junk food. It’s the
difference between eating a Peter Luger prime rib steak and Doritos. Have
you ever looked at a blog or Facebook for too long, so that it feels like you’ve
eaten a huge bag of chips by yourself? (laughs) You feel sick, whereas if
you’ve eaten a dope steak, you just feel like, “Ahhh.” You’re in heaven. And
that’s what I want Reed Pages to exist as.
NEIL: There’s this advertising book called the Brand Gap that you may have
heard of. They define a brand as what people think about you, not what
you say about the brand. It’s their gut feeling of the brand that defines what
the brand is. For the Jeff Staple experience, what do you want people’s gut
feeling to be?
JEFF: Fuck. I just want them to have an opinion. I don’t care what the feeling
is. I think a lot of brands spend too much time and money in trying to steer
their consumers into feeling a certain way. “I want you to feel safe when you
think about my brand. I want you to feel rebellious.” I just want you to think
about my brand. Maybe it’s naïve of me to say, but I just feel honored when
anyone thinks about what I’ve created. Whenever I see someone hold a
Reed Space shopping bag I’m like, “Holy shit, that dude spent money at my
store. That’s dope.” It’s still wild that that shit happens. So love it or hate it, I just
want you to have an opinion. Like, I love haters. I think haters are some of my
biggest source of inspiration. We just recently did an Oakley collection, a six
piece collection. The last one to come out was the Frogskin, which was pigeon inspired. I saw some guy saying, “Man, can’t Staple do anything other
than those stupid fucking pigeons?” OK, this dude’s obviously an idiot, but
also, I’m not doing a very good job at explaining what my company does.
Because obviously we do a lot more than pigeons. With this kid, whatever
rock he’s living under, I need to get to that rock. That is the inspiration that
drives me.
NEIL: When it’s all said and done, how do you want to be remembered by
other people?
JEFF: I think this is where my Asian blood kicks in. I just want to be remembered for being a hard working person, that’s it. I just put in my hours and
did what I could.
Thanks to the Student Hip-Hop Organization, the VCU
Brandcenter, and of course Jeff Staple.
To see more of Jeff’s work and to purchase product.
www.stapledesign.com www.reedspace.com
For the full length video interview www.theshho.com
41
DAVE & ODERUS
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GWAR FRONTMAN by Ian M. Graham
St. Louis has an arch. San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge. Washington, DC has the federal government and the world’s greatest chili dogs. And
Richmond, VA has a heavy metal band from outer space that wants to skull
fuck you. Slowly at first, but by the time they’re done, it’s violent.
Grammy nominated, banned in multiple municipalities and states, GWAR
is here to offend you. Anyone who hails from Richmond and is a weirdo like
me owes something to GWAR, whether they like it and acknowledge it or not.
Nobody has been strange in RVA for as long as they have, and after over
twenty years, they’re not just going strong, they’re gaining steam; they are
producing albums at an alarming rate, and are touring more currently than
they have during several periods in the past.
At its core, GWAR is art. Their music, costumes, stage show and presence
all smack of a not-very-subtly crafted message of shock and gore; it shows
hours of tireless work on their art. The costumes are incredible and the stage
presence is ridiculous. Their version of political commentary is ripping the
heads off of latex world leaders and, you guessed it, skull-fucking them. If
you haven’t seen GWAR live, you have no idea what I’m talking about, so do
yourself a favor and check them out on youtube. Better yet, go to their next
show, wear a white t-shirt, and get ready to be covered in blood, guts, and
green alien jizz.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with both of GWAR’s frontmen: Dave
Brockie, and his character, Oderus Urungus.
IAN: It’s safe to say at this point that the Earth has been pretty well conquered by GWAR. Which planet is next?
ODERUS: We have conquered pretty much everything at this point. We did
go back to outer space on the last album, checked it out, and when we
were getting ready to destroy everything in all of space we realized that Earth
is the only place that has crack. So we had to come back and stock up on
crack, and we really haven’t left since then. We are planning on re-invading
outer space again, after this record is over.We intend to bring our bloody
choir to every fucking place we play on this tour. We will zombify them, and
then use their zombified bodies to to make our undead shock trooper zombie army that we’re going to invade outer space with. However, the one thing
that’s probably not going to work about this is GWAR’s tremendous talent
for failing, miserably, over and over again. Every time we have an idea, you
can put money on the fact that it really won’t work out the way we thought it
would. But that’s okay! Failure is sometimes just as good as victory, as long as
things are getting broken and I’m getting my dick sucked.
IAN: As long as you’re high on crack, it’s all good?
ODERUS: I wouldn’t say that I get high, the feeling is just different than not
smoking crack. It is better, and if I don’t get it... Well, I was going to say that I
get mean and violent, but it’s probably just meaner and violenter [sic]. I try
and downplay the whole crack thing, it’s just like, I’m a crackhead! Sue me.
IAN: It’s well known that Flattus Maximus deforested the fertile crescent with
his chronic flatulence. What impact does this have on international relations?
ODERUS: It’s a symbol of the impact that GWAR could have on the environment. GWAR could be used by the governments of this planet in a more
constructive manner. For instance, during the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,
GWAR has, in the band, the largest pumper of nasty organic material in
existence.I am talking about Flattus’s butt. We can fuckin’ shovel more shit
through that asshole than any supertanker could ever handle. We could
have shit that well shut after just a few buffets at Denny’s.Flattus would have
performed a fecal top-kill maneuver on it. I could easily irrigate the entire
Sahara Desert with my fucking cuttlefish. But no! No! The governments of
the world are too fucking concerned that I’m gonna end up butt-raping
the pope on national television that they won’t talk to us about these things.
Then again, we wouldn’t help them, anyways.
IAN: They’re asshats. If you could only skull-fuck one more human, who
would it be, and why?
ODERUS: Which human? Justin Beiber. Everyone’s been begging me to kill
that little fuck, and I don’t even know who he is. But yeah, that would be him.
IAN: Nice. So, the entire human race was created when GWAR went on
a fuckspree with prehistoric animals. Why is it, then, that humans are such
pathetic, puny fleshbags?
ODERUS: I don’t know. When I was fucking various animals, trying to create
a new form of life, I was hoping to get some kind of super cross between
GWAR and apes, like a war-beast creature. Maybe with wings? But instead
I got these pink, hairless wimps. But you know, you guys, one thing we have
to give to humans is that they do have some pretty interesting inventions. We
gotta give it up to you guys for coming up with heavy metal, squirt cheese,
the rubic’s cube... There are a lot of interesting things that the humans do.
There’s a flipside: everything else you do completely fucking sucks. So, I’m
not really understanding how you guys got to be the way you are. I do have
to take a certain amount of credit, being the creator of the race; I am kind
of like your father, and you guys are kind of like my kids, except you guys
are a retarded disappointment. At least Down Syndrome. At least a serious
LD. I guess my penchant for corporal punishment, beating the shit out of
children, I heartily approve. It isn’t really helping things, it’s probably causing
huge brain growths to expand like cauliflower sacks of pus in your brainstems.
IAN: Do you know of a good travel agent on Scumdog? I’ve heard the
beaches there are nasty.
ODERUS: Oh no, it’s terrible. The only reason they have beaches on Scumdogia is so they can practice amphibious invasions and have a place
to shit. I mean, they’re really nice beaches, but there is just so much fecal
matter on them that you can’t walk anywhere without stepping in a stinker.
And, no travel agents, the only people that go there are either enslaved or
kidnapped to be brought there to feed the endless war machine. Really not
a place you want to have a vacation on. I would say try Flobcliff Eight.
IAN: If GWAR were to enter the Thunderdome, in a two-bands-enter, oneband-leaves scenario, who would you want the other band to be? Why?
ODERUS: Any other band on the planet would explode immediately. There’s
plenty of bands I’d love to see in the ring with GWAR, top of the list would
be that Finnish fuck Lordi. The one that apparently hadn’t heard of GWAR
while he was busy completely ripping us off and using everything we’ve ever
done. He deserves death, certainly, but as far as the other bands are concerned, I really wouldn’t want to slag them too hard or destroy them. Coming
from a first person view on the whole thing, I understand how difficult it is, it’s
a tough road. People think being a rock star is a big bed of roses, but there’s
actually a lot of people doing all of my work for me all day so that I can sit
on a phone and yell at people. So I guess, actually, I’ve got it pretty good.
I’m pretty well off on the whole thing. A lot of other people have to die before
I start killing off bands in the thunderdome. I’d love to take all the members
of the United States Congress in there! That would take at least a week.
Alright. The next questions are for Dave Brockie...
ODERUS: Alright, I’ll go get him.
[I hear the phone set down on the table, and, I think, footsteps.]
ODERUS: Here he is.
IAN: Thanks.
DAVE BROCKIE: Hey, what’s up?
IAN: Hey, Dave, what it is?
DB: How was Oderus? He give you a hard time?
IAN: Dude, that guy is terrible. I can smell him from here.
DB: Yeah, he’s terrible.
IAN: Awful. How are you?
DB: Good! We’re out in Lincoln, Nebraska today.
43
IAN: Is there anything out there?
DB: Sure, there’s a whole city out here. It’s called Lincoln fucking Nebraska.
Bruce Springsteen wrote an incredibly depressing album about this place.
It’s great, it’s completely depressing and horrible. We’re in that weird extension of America, everything from Texas to the West Coast. There’s occasionally a landmark of civilization, and in between those, there’s not a hell of a
lot. Everything between The Rockies and the Mississippi is just flat. There’s not
a heck of a lot going on there except tornadoes, Indian burial grounds, and
broken vehicles.
IAN: Do you ever get the urge to snap into character when you’re getting
really shitty customer service? Have you ever flipped the fuck out on someone at a Burger King?
DB: Ha! I’d love to be able to do that, but it doesn’t work at all. People just
think you’re absolutely fucking crazy, and then they get mad at you. I wish I
could whip out the Cuttlefish of Cthulhu and blast my way through any situation. But I have to remind myself that I do have to be a real human being
at the end of the day. It’s a difficult lesson I’ve had to learn: the louder you
yell at people, the less they listen to you. It’s one thing when Oderus is yelling
at you; people like that. I’m so deaf from years of being in bands that I just
yell at people, and they think I’m yelling at them but I hear myself in a normal conversational tone. And then, what makes it even worse is that when
you really do yell at someone, it’s mind-numbingly loud.
IAN: Leonard Cohen is, I think, seventy-six years old. Does he still have it?
DB: Sure, definitely he does. Just because you get old doesn’t mean you
lose it. You get to the point where you have so much of it that you’ll have it
for the rest of your life, and even after you’re dead. For instance, and this
might be a little hard, but I was thinking about it last night- Metallica. They
still have it. They might have put out ten crappy records in a row, but the shit
that they did that was so great is so good and it will still be good. I’m sure if
Cohen wanted it, he could have a sixteen year old naked blonde Korean
child sucking his nuts. So yeah, he’s got it.
IAN: What’s the biggest gun you’ve ever shot?
DB: I shot an AK. Nothing particularly obscene. Casey [Orr, “Beefcake the
Mighty”] shot a fifty caliber one time. He wouldn’t stop pulling the trigger. He
shot off a couple hundred rounds, apparently it was like six hundred bucks
in ammo. The dude was yelling “Stop! Stop!” but once he started pulling that
trigger, rockin’ that ma deuce, he couldn’t stop until the belt was empty.
IAN: Why haven’t you moved into local politics in Richmond?
DB: (laughs)
IAN: If Dee Snider can get a radio show here, you should be on city council
by now.
DB: Well, that’s a national radio show, isn’t it? He’s all over the place with
that. I’ve often thought about doing something like that. There’s just not
enough time. Like anything in my life, I like to do the best job I possibly can
at it. GWAR right now, really the last couple years--I know it sounds weird for
a band that’s been as long as GWAR has to be taking off. It’s gotten to the
point now where when I wake up in the morning, I can spend every single
second working on GWAR stuff. This goes for everyone in the band and all
the artists that are supporting us. We’ve never been more intensely busy
and challenged by all the things we have coming up right now. It’s a super
intense time and I just don’t have time to think about politics right now, other
than the fact that I completely loathe politicians. I think it would be one of
those things where people, you know, they want to become a cop for all the
right reasons but after a couple years they become warped and perverted
by the system itself. I don’t know how long I’d be able to handle it. Richmond
especially, they have such a reputation for corrupt politics, and I have a
reputation for being a sponge for all things naughty. I don’t think I would do
too well at it.
IAN: That’s why I think you would do well at it. What dirt could anyone possibly dig up on you?
DB: It could work really well, yeah, and I could see myself doing something
like that in the future. We certainly have no plans on leaving Richmond.
It has definitely been there as my home, and will be for the rest of my life.
There’s a lot that I would like to do for our city. I actually have some really big
plans for Richmond, if I could just get some of these rich motherfuckers to
step up and get behind GWAR! I have some stuff on the burner here that
would do no less than completely revolutionize the way that Richmond is
perceived. Not just by our regional rivals, Charlottesville and Virginia Beach,
I’m talking about the entire world.
The way I want to do this--and I know I might be tipping my hand a little
early here--I think that Richmond’s [an] ideal spot for a museum that’s a museum of countercultural art, underground art. They say a lot of what we do is
the low art movement--tattoo art, heavy metal, punk rock, customized bikes,
all that cooky, crazy underground shit that’s been coming out for thirty plus
years that is trying to make itself into a movement right now and doesn’t really have an outlet. We need a museum that could really get all those different
ideas underneath one banner and kind of proclaim it. The idea comes from
having a GWAR museum, and it’s kind of grown from there. What you have
is a museum with all that crazy art, and then you have the guys from GWAR
and the Richmond community as the stewards of the museum.
If you look at Richmond, it’s really the perfect place for it. Look at all the
amazing bands that we produce, look at all the talented artists that the
place produces. And yet that city has still barely gotten any respect from
anyone because we’re just DC’s little bastard butt-boy. We get the trickle
down from I-95, and we never get any fucking respect for all the amazing
people in Richmond. GWAR should blaze the way and there should be The
Museum of the Counterculture Revolution or whatever the fuck you want to
call it, we should build it in Richmond fucking Virginia.
And you know what? We’d be doing for the local politicians what they’ve
wanted for so long. They want Richmond to be accepted and respected as
a city that means something. The problem is, they’re trying to do it in all the
wrong ways. Getting us a baseball team! Celebrating our Civil War heritage!
Or WHATEVER bullshit thing they’re trying out as a way to get people to visit
Richmond. Fuck all that shit. Concentrate on what Richmond is fucking
great at--making fucked up art and producing really fucking heavy bands.
It’s not just a small stupid little thing, it’s an international movement. These
bands go all around the world. GWAR is an international icon. Lamb of
God is playing the Philippines in front of eighty thousand people. We have
a power in our city that needs to be documented, needs to be developed,
and a museum would be the perfect way to do it.
IAN: I’m for it! My next question is unfortunately political. Who makes the
best sandwich in Richmond?
DB: Oh! You know, that’s a tough one. I’m not as up on my sandwiches as
I used to be. There’s so many new restaurants in Richmond that I haven’t
been able to catch up with a lot of them. I’m partial to-- At the old Village,
they used to have a thing called an Egg and Anchovy burger. It wasn’t
supposed to be the ingredients, they forgot to put a comma in, so I would
always order the Egg and Anchovy burger. A burger counts as a sandwich.
That was always my favorite one. It was an over easy fried egg with three anchovies on it, just a regular hamburger. That combination of dripping yolk,
salty greasy fish, and hamburger is the best thing in the world. Unfortunately,
they took it off the menu, so I can no longer have my favorite sandwich. I
have to construct them at home. Don’t worry about any cheese, don’t get
any lettuce or anything like that on it, maybe just one piece of lettuce and
a few onions just for crispness, but when that egg pops and drips hot yolk
all over the inside of the burger... Two or three anchovies at the most. It’s that
perfect combination of salt and dairy and meat, oh it’s delicious.
IAN: Thanks for your time, Dave, take care and have fun out there!
DB: One more thing! We played the FunFunFunFest in Austin, Texas with
Municipal Waste and Strike Anywhere, also on the bill were Bad Religion and
The Vandals and all these old school California punk bands. Richmond
went up against California in Austin, and let me tell ya- Richmond kicked
California’s ass.
www.gwar.net
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46
SARA BLAKE
by Jonny Sismanis
Her style is vivid and dream-like, mixing traditional illustration with digital techniques. She creates unique images defined by intermingling textures, vibrant
colors laid over grays and blacks, and prominent negative space. There is an
inherent duality in her work, between the real and the surreal, emptiness and
defined form, color and the lack thereof. Her name is Sara Blake, known also
as ZSO, and in addition to being a Richmond-born artist schooled at NYU (as
opposed to VCU--an oddity, I know), she is an exceptionally talented artist with a
knack for marrying elements of differing schools of art (graphic design, photorealism, watercolor, comic art) into signature accidental masterpieces.
Based out of New York, Sara has spent the last several years as an art director,
graphic designer, and freelance illustrator, keeping a tight work schedule and
barely any sleep schedule at all. Having recently returned from her first ever solo
show at the Friends of Leon Gallery in Sydney, Australia, she is currently making
the transition to full-time illustrator.
Despite her very busy schedule, Sara made time for an email interview, which
gave me a chance to find out a little bit more about her life, her art, and the
new directions her career is taking her.
JONNY: Tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are, where you’re from, what
you do now, and how you got there.
SARA: Hello hello! I’m Sara Blake. I also go by ZSO—I’m originally from Richmond,
VA, but I’ve been living and working in New York City for the past 7 years. I moved
here for school and studied a variety of things including some graphic design
and fine art. It wasn’t until I taught myself Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and even
learned to code a little that I really found my voice working digitally. That turned
into a job working as an interactive designer and digital art director in a bunch
of agencies over the past few years. I guess I sensed early on in my career that
something was missing from my life creatively, so in 2007 I started drawing more
and experimenting with coloring my hand drawn stuff digitally. Over the past
few years I’ve just been working as hard as I can, and finally, as of this month, I’m
able to illustrate full time!
JONNY: So am I correct in saying that ZSO is your pseudonym of sorts? Can you
tell us where that comes from or would you have to kill us?
SARA: Correct! It is my pseudonym, but I can’t tell you what it means. I can, however tell you that it’s shape is significant. When kerned tightly, the shape between
the Z and the S makes an upside-down heart shape. All you really need to know
about ZSO is that it’s all about love. I truly believe that love for our craft or for a
person or for whatever it may be makes the world go ‘round. I guess it was a
really fitting fluke that my name’s negative space is an upside-down heart. The
love in my life is always slightly weird and on its head. But it still governs my life
and my work.
JONNY: I know you’ve got a couple of different mediums you like to work in--illustration, graphic design, photography, or a little of all three--but is there anything
you’d consider your main focus?
SARA: I think I definitely relate to illustration the most. I take pictures but I really
don’t consider myself much of a photographer. I carry around my camera quite
a bit because I shoot all my own textures to use in my digital pieces, so try to
develop my camera skills when I can. But without a doubt, illustration is the focus
and the passion. My process always starts on paper. I love graphic design and
respect and enjoy it immensely, but I don’t think it’s my strong point. I really look
up to artists who can marry graphic design and fine art in smart ways. Think
James Jean or Krzysztof Domaradzki.
JONNY: Your illustrations show a remarkable and unique style. You seem to
mix aspects of photo-realism, comic-art, and graphic design to create these
really crisp, rich, digital images. How would you describe your style and how you
developed it?
SARA: Wow, well thank you! I love comic art, but I never imagined I could come
close to anything that resembles it. I think my style is pretty accidental. I struggled
a lot to find “a style” when I first started. It was really tough and everything felt
forced. I went through those stages that every young illustrator goes through
where they try to emulate others, and I was hyper-conscious of that. And it just
wasn’t working. I think one day I was like, “OK, I’m gonna stop trying so hard and
just draw whatever.” I had to sort of take the pressure off and erase my mind.
And it worked. I guess my style found me. I also like to just experiment and mess
up. I never really know what a personal piece is going to look like until it’s done.
While I love client work because it pushes you to new ground, I’m much more
of a “Hey, let’s see what happens” kind of artist. I think the digital part came in
because I could never get my traditional pieces to a place that felt finished or in47
SAR A BL AKE
JONNY: If you’re working on an illustration, what is your typical workflow like?
SARA: If it’s for fun, I’ll usually sort of just choose a subject matter and go at it. No
sketches or anything. I like the mess ups (usually). However, as I’m starting to get
more assignments, clients must see early sketches to show proof of concept, so
I’m just starting to get better at sketching. I’m making it a goal to sketch one hour
a day, even if it’s all throwaway crap, just to get in the habit of drawing, and to
train my hand. Sometimes I’ll comp sketches right in photoshop too. Once I’m
done with my drawing, I’ll scan, usually in several small pieces because my scanner is small. I scan very hi-res, piece them together and clean in Photoshop, and
then add color and texture digitally.
JONNY: Do you have any tips for other artists out there trying to bridge the gap
between organic media and digital?
SARA: Well, I guess first of all you gotta establish if it’s essential to your process
that you bridge that gap. I’m often very jealous of masters like Alex Trochut who
manage to work purely digitally, or vice versa, those like Sam Weber who can
work all traditionally. I think digital has it’s advantage, especially in a global industry where we rely so much on the internet, but I think first things first... you have
to see if your style needs to be hybrid. I think once you’ve established that, there’s
no other advice other than work, work, work! I’ve only been doing this a handful
of years and I’m still constantly learning. Everything comes with practice.
JONNY: What kind of inspirations do you use in your work, i.e. other artists, music,
etc.? I mentioned a perceived comic art influence earlier, would you consider
that a correct assumption, and can you elaborate on that influence at all?
SARA: I’m not sure the comic influence is intentional, although I’m sure it’s there
as I studied graphic novels in school and grew up the past 4 years following
James Jean’s Fables cover releases. I think overall I really dig heavy linework, so
that is sort of comic-y. I think my influences are mainly things like music, fashion,
New York City, textures, and just life. I’m greatly inspired by so many artists, many
colleagues from Depthcore and the KDU, but when I’m in the middle of working,
I try to stay away from looking at other people’s art. It messes me up. I sort of
compare that to running... I’ve been a runner all my life, but when I ran in groups,
or on teams, or in races, I was unhappy or injured. But now I run alone, go at my
own pace, and to the beat of my own drum, and I’ve been doing just fine.
JONNY: I’ve re-written this question a million times to avoid sounding like an idiot,
but basically, what’s it like being a woman in your industry?
SARA: Totally valid question! It’s without a doubt an industry run and dominated
by dudes. (I mean what industry isn’t, right?) I think part of the thinking behind
my pseudonym in the very beginning was to hide my sex, but I think I’m finding
my stride and identity, and it’s better to just be me. I still get mistaken for a guy
sometimes on things where I am just listed as ZSO, and I take it as a compliment.
I’ve always wanted to be able to hang with the dudes, in sports, in grades, in
holding my whiskey, and in talent. I am a little self conscious sometimes about
being a girl, but in the end, I have to remind myself, it comes down to the work.
Keep your head down, and focus.
JONNY: So, you’re from Richmond, you live in New York--how can you describe
that transition? Can we expect to see you back around here anytime soon, and
will you be bringing your work with you?
SARA: Richmond is home-base, but New York is home. When I moved here
when I was 18, I knew this was it for me. NYC is a lot more intense than Richmond.
There is always energy, and I don’t think I’d be where I am now without it—I think
lots of artists move here for the same reason, to sort of get immersed and up
their game. It’s just harder faster better stronger 24/7. It can be unbelievably
exhausting, lots of 100-hour weeks, and lots of headaches. I do fantasize about
moving back to Richmond sometimes where the pace is a little slower, but I think
I’d miss the masochism. Unfortunately I don’t make it back to RVA much these
days, but I do actually have a pipe dream of having a show in my hometown
one day. Hey, know any cool galleries?
JONNY: What’s next for you? What’s big that’s going on for you right now, and
where can we expect to see you next?
teresting. I dream in Photoshop, so I guess it just felt like a natural way to expand
on it.
JONNY: What kind of gear do you use (software, hardware, etc.)?
SARA: A nice piece of bristol vellum, some pencils, some blending sticks,
watercolors, a regular old flatbed scanner, Photoshop, a Wacom tablet, and
my newly pimped out Mac with tons of memory (my files are pretty monstrous,
usually breaching PSD-land and ending up in Photoshop-large land). That
and a lot of coffee.
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SARA: This month is my first month as a full time freelance illustrator, so right now
the plan is sort of to decompress and take the next month and just draw, draw,
draw. There will be some new pieces done for an online shop this winter, a solo
gallery show in Perth next year, some collaborations with the Keystone Design
Union in Brooklyn, and some top secret projects that I can’t talk about yet, but
you can check my blog in the coming months to learn more!
You can see more of Sara’s work, as well as reading some of the interviews she’s
collected in the past year, on her blog at www.hellozso.com.
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Jason Hodges devotes more energy to music than most people do to
anything in their lives. He plays in four different bands, all of which have
released a record in the past year. He runs a record label, which releases
plenty of the sort of weird, experimental music that strikes his fancy. By his
own standards, though, this still is not enough. “To be honest, I wish there
were two records coming out this year by each of my bands,” he says. “I’d
like to do more.” When I mention that he seems like a busy guy, he replies,
“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun.” It’s clear that there’s nothing else he’d rather be
doing.
Jason’s musical journey began over two decades ago in the small city of
Roanoke. “I started out as a metal kid,” he says. “From metal, I found Corrosion Of Conformity and Suicidal Tendencies. I started exploring all the
old punk music, but then I got into really fast hardcore. I ordered all these
really obscure hardcore 7 inches from ads in [leading punk fanzine]
Maximum Rocknroll. I had to mail-order everything because you couldn’t
find records like that in Roanoke.” He cites early EPs by No Comment and
Infest, as well as the 1991 compilation Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh!, as powerful early influences.
Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! was based around a concept then unheard
of--get a ton of bands to record their shortest, fastest song, and cram as
many of those songs as possible onto a 7 inch vinyl EP. Its 12-minute running time featured 41 bands. “That comp changed everything for me,”
Hodges says. “That stuff just blew my mind.” In 1992, at the age of 17, he
and some high school pals formed Suppression, who, along with many
of the bands on the Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! comp, were grouped
together into a nascent genre known as power violence. Power violence
music was characterized by extreme speed, brevity, and distortion. Suppression crammed 13 songs onto their first 8-minute EP, and only got faster
and more intense from there. At one point, their lineup featured a second
guitarist who wasn’t really playing guitar by any normal definition. “He had
this little combo amp,” Hodges says. “I don’t know what happened to it,
I’ve never heard another amplifier do it, but every time you turned it on
and plugged a guitar into it it just went--” he makes a siren-like oscillating
noise. “He could manipulate the pulsing of it, the speed and frequencies
on it. He had a guitar, but he didn’t use it as a guitar at all, he’d just use
tools on the pickups to make noise.” This guitarist only played with Suppression on two of their EPs, but he gave them a very distinctive sound
during his brief tenure.
But the very fact of said brief tenure points to an ongoing problem with
the original Roanoke incarnation of Suppression. Hodges was the only
member who played in all of their lineups. He was usually joined by Davey
Austin on vocals and David “Hog” Conner on drums, but even those guys
were not guaranteed to be reliable. The band featured several different
guitarists over the course of their career, and quitting just before a tour
was a common theme. In fact, it’s what eventually broke up the band.
“We were about to go to Japan, and they all bailed because they didn’t
want to be apart from their girlfriends for two weeks.” Jason’s frustration is
obvious, even over a decade after the incident occurred. “I was like, ‘Are
you crazy? I’m done with this.’ And I moved to Richmond.”
A depressing postscript to the story of the Roanoke version of Suppression
came a few years later when former guitarist Dave Craft collaborated
with a German label to release a Suppression discography CD without
mentioning it to Jason. Since Craft had left the band two years before the
Roanoke incarnation disbanded, he didn’t have copies of several of the
band’s releases, and filled up the CD with poor-quality rehearsal demos.
“I wasn’t angry with him about it [at first],” Jason says. “I emailed him and
said, ‘Dude, it’s kinda weird that you just did this CD without even bothering to ask me or anything. Can I at least get a copy of it?’ And he told me
to send him money for postage. I was like ‘You know what? This is bullshit.’
We exchanged some really insulting emails and nothing ever really came
of it.” Hodges is mystified by Craft’s motivations in the affair. “I don’t know
if he made any money off of it. I couldn’t believe somebody actually put
it out. All those demo tracks did not need to be put out at all.” He had
assembled a CD discography of his own, but had never been able to
release it. “I felt like I’d rather focus on the present with the label’s money.
And then that thing came out, and I was just embarrassed about it, so
I wanted to rectify it.” To that end, he finally got the money together and
released the far superior Amputated Brain Stem last year.
Years after leaving Roanoke, Jason decided to revive Suppression, despite
the fact that he was the only member left from the Roanoke version of the
band. He didn’t feel the least bit guilty about continuing to use the name.
“I put too much work in,” he says. “Fuck it, I started the thing, I wrote all the
songs, I can do whatever I want.” Since the revival in 2001, the band--now
down to two members--has been much more stable, if a bit less active.
Jason’s partner in the current version of Suppression is drummer Ryan Parrish, whose main gig is playing drums for metal band Darkest Hour. You’d
think that, with Parrish spending significant amounts of every year on tour
with Darkest Hour, it’d be hard to keep Suppression going steadily. However,
Jason doesn’t find that to be true at all. “It really works out well,” he says. “We
just get along really well, and it’s really fun. A year could pass, two years
could pass, and if we got together and started to play, we’d just pick up
right where we left off.”
The spot where Suppression picks up today is a far cry from what they were
doing in the late 90s. Their current, guitarless sound is less harsh than their
old stuff, but it’s probably even weirder. Their songs boast intricate construction, which can sometimes make live performance more challenging. “A
lot of times we’ve only practiced a couple of times before we play shows,”
Jason explains. “Most of the time it’s one practice after six months of nothing.
If we play a new song we’ll try to go over it in at least a couple of practices.
If something’s that new though, and it’s got 14, 15 riffs in it...” he shakes his
head and trails off. The complexity than can make songs difficult to master
in time for live shows also makes them an interesting listen. The latest Suppression LP, Alliance Of Concerned Men, features a truly impressive level of
technical ability, with mathematically-complex riffing backed by elaborate
drum patterns, all of which stop and start on a dime. They draw heavily from
the acid-drenched psychedelic weirdness of bands like the Butthole Surfers,
as well as postpunk bands like Wire and Gang Of Four.
The album’s title, Alliance Of Concerned Men, is the sort of phrase that
jumps right out at you. “We were driving to record in DC and we saw the seal
on a van,” Jason relates. “We never bothered to look up what it meant, we
just thought the name was hilarious.” After releasing the album, they learned
that the group works to teach inner city kids skills they can use to gain
careers, in order to keep them away from gang activity. “After the fact, I was
worried that people would think we were talking shit on this great cause.”
Nothing could be further from the truth, though, he insists. “We just thought
the name was funny.”
While not quite as long-running as Suppression, The Amoeba Men have
been around long enough to attain veteran status in the Richmond music
scene, as demonstrated by their recent gig opening for indie-rock godfathers Mission Of Burma at University Of Richmond. The Amoeba Men
began with solo recordings Jason did on a four-track in 2003. At that point,
the project was known as The Amoeba Man, but the band name soon
became pluralized with the addition of drummer Barry Cover and guitarist
Chris Conrad. Jason and Barry had previously played together in Kojak, the
first band Jason did when he moved to Richmond in the late 90s. Soundwise, Kojak fit in somewhat with the chaotic hardcore sound that was big in
the mid to late 90s. The Amoeba Men don’t exactly pick up where Kojak left
off, but there are elements that link the two. Foremost among them is the distinctive vocal style that Jason developed in Kojak--the perpetually-surprised
holler of a redneck with amnesia. This style reflects the same sort of fascination with trash culture that came through in the music of the Butthole Surfers.
Compared to Suppression, The Amoeba Men’s songs are simpler and more
accessible, sticking to the sort of verse-chorus structure that people expect
in rock music. However, the bands do sound somewhat similar, a fact that
even Jason acknowledges. “I’ve had a couple of riffs here and there where
I was like, ‘Hmm, Amoeba Men or Suppression?’” he tells me. But he’s getting
away from writing in circumstances that would lead him to ask that question.
“I don’t like to write at home anymore. It’s more fun to see what happens
when you’re playing with other people. Those happy accidents make the
best songs.”
With Ryan Parrish away so frequently, The Amoeba Men have been Jason’s
main focus over the past several years. That may be changing, though.
“Chris has got a serious job. Barry has a kid now, and he’s got another band
as well. We haven’t been practicing that much.” Instead, he’s been focusing
on a newer project: Bermuda Triangles. Like The Amoeba Men, Bermuda
Triangles started out as a solo project. That version of Bermuda Triangles
released a CD and a split EP before Jason decided to add some more
musicians to the fold. “Initially I was trying to get those guys to rework songs
I had done by myself, but when we started writing together, that’s when we
did our best stuff.” The Reptilian Intervention LP is the band’s first release to
feature the current lineup. The overall sound is tribal, but beyond that, it’s
51
hard to pin down. “Somebody started this whole ‘tropical post-apocalyptic’
thing,” Jason tells me. “I would say percussive psychedelic postpunk. It’s a
mash of all kinds of stuff we’re into. I definitely like a lot of stuff that’s considered world music.” He mentions congotronics, a style of music that integrates
modern electronics with traditional African music, and there is a detectable
resemblance between Bermuda Triangles and congotronics groups like
Konono No. 1. Nonetheless, they are a unique group, especially in the indie
rock world. Bermuda Triangles is the most active of Jason’s current bands,
and they have no plans to slow down anytime soon, with a tour coming up
in the fall and a new LP planned for the beginning of next year.
Another project Jason has focused on in recent months is Mutwawa, his
collaboration with Head Molt’s Gary Stevens. With both members playing a
variety of samplers and effects pedals, Mutwawa has the sort of group structure that might lead listeners to expect a completely improvised wall of noise.
However, while improvisation has its place in the group, the songs have a
consistent, if loose, structure. Jason explains: “I arrange beats and samples by
myself and then bring them to Gary. We practice them over and over, record52
ing everything until we have a suitable version. I use a lot of samples taken
from free-form four-track recordings. Gary usually runs my sounds through
two different chains of effects pedals. His pedal set up can change from session to session. We sometimes play a song live at more than one show, but
we never play them the same way twice.” On the other hand, some of their
music is completely improvised. “Sometimes we just hit record and do sporadic 30 to 40 minute recordings, with me making beats on the fly and Gary
taking them to that next level. Those jams rarely make it to our releases. We
have hours and hours of unreleased material.” Mutwawa’s strange, pulsing
sound is electronically based but nonetheless very musical. Bizarre melodies
and clear, constant rhythms run through their songs. Their first release, the
cassette EP Necro Zulu, was jointly released by Flish Records and Jason’s own
CNP Records earlier this fall.
Other than the recent Suppression album, in fact, Jason releases almost
every piece of music he records on his own label. He has been releasing
music for almost as long as he’s been playing it, starting in the early 90s with
cassette releases he did under the name Chaotic Noise Productions. He
shortened the moniker to CNP in the late 90s. “Everybody who ordered tapes
from me always wrote ‘Jason CNP’ on the envelopes anyway. I kept the ‘CNP’
so people would know it was me if they saw the record for sale somewhere.
I was proud of all those [Chaotic Noise Productions] cassettes.” At the same
time, he felt that it was good to move away from having the word “noise” in
the label name. “I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself, or paint myself into a
corner.”
The first release under the CNP Records moniker was a 99-track compilation CD called Audioterrorism. “I was hanging around with Scott Hull [of Pig
Destroyer] a lot at that time,” Jason says. “I don’t remember which one of us
came up with the concept. Scott had contact with a lot of Japanese noise
artists, and I knew all the bands I’d met on the Suppression tours. We hit
up everybody we’d met in the past year or two that did weird music.” Each
band on the CD contributed one track, and the average length of those
tracks was around 45 seconds. The result strongly resembled the Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! compilation that had had such a big impact on Jason
nearly a decade before.
Since then, compilations have been a staple of the label’s release schedule.
Bizarrely-titled CDs like Supersonic Sounds From The Fuck You Movement mix
contributions from current and defunct bands in the CNP family with fourtrack experimentations by Jason and other CNP regulars. In fact, a themed
cassette compilation entitled Yo! CNP Raps is the next release from the label.
Jason gives me the details: “It’s DJ Renaldo, which is Ryan Parrish; Big Eats,
which is Bill Porter; a Bermuda Triangles track from when I was still doing that
stuff by myself; Mutwawa just did a track; Diamond Black Hearted Boy is on
it; and Boner Legs, which is Joe who used to be in Ho-Ax. I like hip-hop, but
most of the stuff on there is pretty ridiculous.”
While CNP released quite a few CDs over the past decade, recent releases
have all been on vinyl or cassette. Jason believes that CNP is through with
CD as a format. “CDs are disposable and cheap. I’m not ever putting out
a CD again. I’ve spent so much money on CDs that are just piled up in my
closet. When people order things I just give away stuff from that closet along
with whatever they ordered.”
Making money is not Jason’s main concern as a record label owner. He likes
the idea of making as appealing a physical release as possible. He particularly likes the options provided by the larger size of vinyl record covers. “It’s this
big piece of art. You’ve got all this space to use up. It’s awesome.” Lately he’s
been enjoying doing screenprinted covers. “The last three releases we did
have been screenprinted. I definitely want to stick with it.” He doesn’t rely on
precise, expensive screenprinting equipment, either, preferring to do everything DIY style. “We just buy a couple of twelve-packs, put a table in my living
room, and power it out.” Of course, this approach has its downsides. “We
only have 14 copies of the Bermuda Triangles LP left. We’re almost certainly
gonna repress it, and the thought of doing all that screenprinting again just
makes me want to throw up.”
Jason’s emphasis on unique, handmade releases, as well as the unusual
nature of most of the music his label puts out, gives CNP an immediately
recognizable aesthetic. It also makes their products more appealing, since
they don’t look like anything else one is likely to run across. Their approach
used to be much more common; ten or more years ago, there was an entire
community of underground bands and labels whose distinctive, handcrafted products shared a completely different look from those within the
mainstream. In more recent years, though, the aesthetics of the indie world
have moved closer and closer to the mainstream, leaving labels like CNP
on the fringe. “Trying to run a label like we did in the 90s [now] is just kind of
weird,” Jason says. “Press kits are... eugh.” He shudders in disgust. “I hate that
aspect of the music business. There’s no personality. It’s just soulless fucking
garbage.”
His musical endeavors may have plenty of soul, but they are by no means a
guarantee of financial security. When asked if he ever expected his music to
pay his bills, he replied, “It hasn’t so far, and I’ve been doing this for 18 years.
I’m not holding my breath for that.” And yet, when asked if he can think of
another career he’d rather have, his answer still relates directly to making
music. “I would love to do scores or soundtracks at some point. I think that
would be a challenge.” Even if he never makes it big, Jason Hodges seems
content to live the life he’s got right now. “Where music is concerned, I’m
definitely a lifer,” he says. “It’s what drives me. When songs come together, it’s
just really rewarding.” For him, the spiritual rewards of playing music outweigh
any of the financial gains he’s forsaken.
www.cnprecords.com
RECORDS by ANDREW NECCI
Cough
Ritual Abuse
Envy
Recitation
Gritter
Sour Mash And Spanish Moss
Lydia Ooghe And Lux Vacancy
Love That Glow
(Relapse)
(Rock Action)
(Self-released)
(Self-released)
Das Racist
The Fall
Katy Perry
Sit Down Man
(Mad Decent/Greedhead/Mishka)
Our Future Your Clutter
(Domino)
Teenage Dream
(Capitol)
The Measure [SA]
Dungen
Grinderman
Long Arms
Trudging, crawling, totally hypnotic doom
metal from this Richmond band. They
keep things interesting with vocal effects,
harsh feedback, and echoing psychedelic
passages, all of which have one thing in
common: heaviness. It’s hard to make
consistently slow music that’s also consistently interesting, but these guys pull it
off. Recommended.
Humorous wordplay covers for a serious
political consciousness and makes for
some of the most interesting lyrics in
the hip-hop world right now. The music
is quietly brilliant, too. Das Racist were
originally regarded as a joke act, but it’s
time we all start taking them seriously.
Originally considered screamo, Envy
have spent their career edging towards the
post-rock epics of bands like Explosions
In The Sky. The melodic guitar leads and
dramatic crescendos of their screamo past
are still in place, but drowned in reverb
and drawn out significantly, resulting in
perhaps their best work.
When a singer rules a band with an iron
fist for decades, musical inconsistency
will result. This album is proof, as it veers
from lo-fi noise to mind-numbing repetition to occasional flashes of the postpunk
brilliance that The Fall are known for. Not
a brilliant listen, but always interesting.
Skit I Allt
Grinderman 2
(Subliminal Sounds/Mexican Summer)
(Anti)
Dungen began moving away from the
heavy psych of their earlier career on
2008’s Dungen 4. Skit I Allt dispenses
with that album’s transitional growing
pains, presenting a mature atmospheric
pop sound that explores a different style
of psychedelia than previous work.
They’ve changed, but they still rule.
54
Their debut was the sound of Nick Cave’s
midlife crisis--a wall of buzzing noise
angst. This followup comes closer in
mood to the stately darkness of Cave’s recent solo work. It retains the bluesy rock
n’ roll feel of the first Grinderman album-just without all the feedback.
This Richmond band plays slow, pounding metal, somewhere between the bluesy
sludge of Eyehategod and the muscle-car
rocknroll of Kyuss. The times when the
singer actually sings get kinda cheesy,
but he spends most of the record screaming, so overall I’m into it. Slow-motion
headbangs all around!
Minimizing her famous perv streak for
a tour through the overamplified emotional minefield of adolescence, Ms.
Perry strikes gold when she sticks with
the sweeter (or sillier) side of things.
Darker, more serious content is still a bit
of a reach for her, but the majority of this
album shines.
This album feels like an anachronism, like
it should have come out in the 70s when
Joni Mitchell was popular. In a good way,
though--it captures the best elements of
that era. Quiet, polished folk-pop tunes
with substantive lyrics and gorgeous vocals. Not my usual thing, but I dig it.
Notes
(No Idea)
Upbeat pop-punk that does a great job
striking a balance between snarling
rhythm guitars and melodic lead lines.
The male and female vocals mix well,
with both singers harmonizing on many of
this album’s excellent choruses. The lyrics
are pretty great too. Really, this whole
album is great.
Neil Young
To Hold You
Le Noise
(Self-released)
(Reprise)
This is the newest project of James
Menefee, formerly of Funsize and River
City High. He’s grown up, and so has
his music; this album reminds, at various
points, of Springsteen, Ryan Adams,
Social Distortion, and Paul Westerberg.
Production is smoother than I’d like, but
the music is undeniably enjoyable.
This is a true solo album for Young,
containing only his voice and guitar. The
mostly electric songs feature just as much
distortion as his loudest work with Crazy
Horse, and are just as powerful as they’d
be with full band backing. His best work
since Mirrorball? It seems likely.
No Age
Everything In Between
Souvenir’s Young America Name Of The Snake
(Sub Pop)
(Init)
Here on their third album, this minimalist duo have found their perfect sound
(forever). Distorted yet jangling twochord hypnotic guitar buzz, repetitively
propulsive drumming, feedback solos,
melodies carried entirely by vocals that
fight with fuzzbox hiss for headspace. Important namechecks: Velvet Underground,
Jay Reatard, Galaxie 500, Mercury Rev.
Necessary.
This local instrumental group walk the
line between post-rock and post-metal,
infusing their music with a dark, heavy
feel more common to Neurosis than
Mogwai. This album also features some
surprisingly excellent harmonica playing.
The resulting sound could be described as
“ambient blues.” You need to hear this.
Swans
My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope
To The Sky
(Young God)
Swans were never metal, and not even
always loud, but they were always heavy.
This, their first album in 15 years, is even
heavier than usual. A sense of a huge,
echoing atmosphere surrounds them at
all times here, and its frightening majesty
makes this album a powerful, riveting
experience.
The Thermals
Salem
Stereolab
King Night
(IAMSOUND)
Not Music
(Drag City)
This collection of outtakes from 2008’s
Chemical Chords focuses on Stereolab’s poppier side. These songs tend to
resemble 1960s-era French pop, or the
exotic lounge style known as “space age
bachelor pad music.” I generally prefer
their explorations into Krautrock and
psychedelia, but this album is still quite
enjoyable.
The Thermals took their catchy, poppy
punk to the next level on their third
album, 2006’s The Body The Blood The
Machine. Since then, they’ve returned to
their earlier sound, and it’s kind of disappointing by comparison. There are some
fun songs here, but this doesn’t approach
their best work.
Soundgarden
Superchunk
Underoath
Majesty Shredding
Ø [Disambiguation]
(A&M)
(Merge)
(Tooth And Nail)
This “witch house” group’s album isn’t
quite as scary as their mixtapes have
been, though there’s still definitely an
air of menace here, emphasized by sonic
references to screwed n’ chopped hip-hop.
Warbling, ambient synth and vocal melodies contrast with the hip-hop influences
to create a seductive blend of opposites.
Telephantasm [Double-Disc Edition]
This retrospective makes a great introduction to Soundgarden’s career. Their last album made me forget how good their first
five albums were, but this is an excellent
reminder. The new song and live tracks
included are worth having, making this an
essential purchase for superfans as well as
casual ones.
Superchunk moved away from their roots
as an energetic, melodic punk band on
their last few albums--slowing down,
“growing up,” and suffering a corresponding lapse in quality. After a nine-year
break, they’re back to basics, and the
result is their best album in fifteen years.
You need this.
Personal Life
(Kill Rock Stars)
Underoath’s last three albums were an
excellent mix of metalcore and melodic
emo-pop. However, before this album
was recorded, drummer/vocalist Aaron
Gillespie quit. He seems to have taken
Underoath’s melodic sense with him.
Metal screamo epics are what remains,
and they’re just not as good. I am disappoint.
The Vaselines
Sex With An X
(Sub Pop)
It’s the first album in 20 years from this
Scottish indie-pop quartet, best known
today for being covered multiple times by
Nirvana. They’ve got a charming, ramshackle, acoustically-based sound, and if
you like catchy indie-pop tunes, their new
record will make you very happy. Check
it out.
Weezer
Hurley
(Epitaph)
Frustratingly, a few songs on this album
(“Run Away,” “Trainwrecks”) sound like
the old Rivers Cuomo, from back in the
90s. Apparently he still has some talent.
Too bad he squanders it most often on the
sort of 80s-movie soundtrack rejects that
populate the majority of this album.
White Laces
White Laces EP
(Self-released)
Local shoegazers White Laces have an
excellent guitar sound--reverb-laden,
bent-stringed, and beautifully distorted. It
drives their noisy pop tunes perfectly, and
makes me long for quite a few more songs
than just these five. “Sick Of Summer” is
the masterpiece, but the whole record’s
great. Get it.
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