beyond fame, beyond shame facebook`s darkside

PRESENTING WHAT THE CARPET BLEEDS AND THE HOOVER IGNORED
glUECiFeR‘S
TRAUMA
tEAm
ISSUE SIXTY NINE | MARCH 2013
ALINA
& LEON
Brother and sister
breaking taboo
FACEBOOK‘S
DARKSIDE
Most juicy chats
sold to porn industry
SLOTHING:
Country grinds to a hold
by new rage –
People stay in bed all day
BEYOND FAME,
BEYOND SHAME
T.S.O.S. give an exclusive
insight of their bright
days in the cellar
t.s.o.s.
Probably one of the best kept secrets in rock and roll history:
Teenage Slaves Of Satan. Aka T.S.O.S. have released their second CD
simply called » II «. A strange mixture of songs – sometimes heavy
and massive and sometimes open and even poppy but as their previous release, very intimate sounding. File under garage rock.
I managed to track them down for an interview:
Tell me a bit about the history of the band.
W
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MARcH 30, 2013
ell , first of all, we don’t see ourselves as
a band. It’s just Joan & me. But let me go
back a little in time …
In 1998 Joan was in a band called Swan Vesta and
they were invited to play a series of gigs in Germany.
I was asked by a third party to join them so i did
and met the guys on the way down … spent a week
in Germany and got to know eachother quite well.
So after that week i invited them to my home in
Rotterdam to record a semi acoustic session on
my fourtrack. I was doing a lot of our fourtrack
stuff at the time and so were Joan and Punto under the name Psycho Schq. So we shared this love
for lo-fi recordings from the start. The Swan Vesta
recording turned out to be quite nice even though
it was with crappy mics and next to nothing gear.
Soon after that the drummer of Swan Vesta
had to go to Michigan for a while so the guys who
stayed behind thought it would be a good idea to
fill the gap with a project, so they wrote a bunch of
stoner songs and asked me to record them on my
fourtrack. It turned out te be very good … rough
but good. They called themselves Viberider and
the CD, which was never really released just copies
for friends, was called » Split for Michigan «
After that we were in various bands but Joan
and me continued to record things on fourtrack
and sending them to eachother. Thinking that we
were the only ones who could appreciate eachothers stuff. At one point Viberider was ressurected with a different drummer and this time it was
more serious. A full lenght album was recorded
by Joan and Punto, called » Evolve the long lead «.
Succes was inevitable but on a local scale, they
played lots of shows for a couple of years and they
got themselves a spot on Pinkpop Festival in 2007,
among other things such as a TV appearance .
As I used to do a lot of filming, still do, i tried to
capture a lot of the band also as an excuse to see
them live and to maintain our friendship.
A new album was in the process but in the
meantime listening to the Viberider » Split for
Michigan « fourtrack recordings it raised the
idea to re-record them, as the songs were still
sounding fresh and timeless. So they did and we
released it on their label PsychoSchq recs and my
label Masturbation Classics Records as a 10’’ vinyl
release. Joan and Punto finished the follow up
album » The Big Show « and asked me to join them
on their live gigs.
»"we don't see ourselves
as a band"
After a year and a half of doing gigs regularly,
disaster struck and Joan suffered from a facial
paralysis so a small tour was canceled and Joan
went to Los Angeles to recover and work on new
paintings as he is a professional artist. Punto was
asked to join Anneke van Giersbergen on their
tours and also started a band called Kill Ferelli
with Kelly who had joined the Big Show gigs
previously. Kill Ferelli were the support act for
Anneke van Giersbergen on their European tour
and did numerous shows all over the continent.
Jos, the drummer for Viberider continued to play
with Pendejo who are doing great in South America
and Portugal and Spain. Me and Joan did not join
new bands due to various circumstances in our
private lives.
Anything to add Joan?
No.
So how do the jams evolve into these songs?
W
e record a jam. Then record it again
so we have two copies. We both finish
them seperately by adding whatever we
like. Then when we meet again, we play the songs
and see what each of us made of the same jam.
Then we choose the best version to be on the
new release. Then sometimes we finish the songs
by adding more stuff to it when we are together.
It’s a very nice way of working. I make a song for
Joan and he does for me.
Are many versions of the songs unreleased?
Yes there are …
So what are your ambitions?
We have none. Ambition is just another four letter
word to us. We make songs for eachother, with
eachother. It’s the process we like. Make about 75
digi-packs and give most of them away to friends
and we put the albums online for free. The digipacks are handmade by us.
What equipment do you use?
W
e got a Tascam fourtrack at Joan’s
atelier and I use a Yamaha MT4X at my
home. Guitar or bass is mic’ed with a
SM57 and played over a Vox and the drums are
recorded with a Realistic PZM, just one. The ones
you could buy for 100 guilders at a Tandy shop
back in the days.
At home I use a Film Industries Ltd. ribbon mic
from the, I think early 60’s maybe even end 50’s.
Joan uses a new Vox ac30 and I use a Vox Ac30
from 1963. Guitars vary from Epiphone to vintage
Fender Mustangs or Strats. But also unknown
Japanes brands. Joan plays a Gibson LP special
and a Squier Supersonic. Another piece of equipment that’s used mainly on vocals are a Electro
Harmonix Memory Man Deluxe – we have two.
But we have lots of vintage pedals and stuff. But
we also put our stuff into the laptop. Whatever is
needed at the time to get to a finished product.
»"ambition is just another
four letter word to us"
Is there a chance to ever see you perform live?
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MARcH 30, 2013
We recently spoke about it how and why and with
whom and such. But only for touring I guess … not
like play shows in the weekends in Holland.
But if: what band would you like to have
as an opening act? Active or disbanded …
Joan: Sabbath or something?
The songs sound very intimate in a way – like you are
there in the rehearsal room. While most bands these
days go into a studio and want to sound hi-fi and
technically everything is perfect you even keep the
mistakes on your final recordings. Is that on purpose?
E
d: Well, first of all, most of the drums are done by me.
I am a guitarist and no drummer. I never practice on
a drum kit and the only time I sit behind it, we record
straight away. So it all sounds manky as a result – but I
love to play drums. Joan is probably a better drummer
than I am but I like it more than him I guess.
It’s a cheap kit but the room of the space we record in
make up for it. Joan’s atelier, where he paints, is like one of
these high classrooms. Great acoustics.
13 | GlUecifER's TrAumA TeAm
Is there gonna be a T.S.O.S. » III « and will it be different
than the previous ones?
We already started recording new tracks. We even brought
my Fostex B16 to record on but I don’t know if we will use
it. The drums are now a little bit better recorded. Now we
have a little bit more control over it. We use two mics for
it now. A big ribbon mic just above my head and one PZM
somewhere in front of the kit.
Then again, we just experiment. Do what we always do.
We plan on releasing » III « at the end of the summer. So
that will be fall. (laughs)
T.S.O.S. » II « is slightly better produced than » I «.
Are you moving in a direction of better produced albums?
E
d: We hope we will be moving at all! Direction is not
a thing we really discuss.
But now we have two CDs. The first one is more like
this and the second is more like that – but then we realize
MARcH 30, 2013
T
Joan: Or depress us … even more than we already are.
hen the obvious ones more well known: the Melvins,
Nirvana, QOTSA, Sonic Youth, ButtholeSurfers,
Frusciante, Beatles, Sex Pistols, Deep Purple, LZ …
Now I really dig Tame Impala. Impressive work from one
man – also a fourtrack lover!
But the first album sounds a bit rougher and
atmospheric to the second, which is more song orientated.
Any plans for a direction for the third?
Joan: As long as it’s made with no other intentions but
being inside music . There isn’t a lot of stuff coming from
that place. Rare gems. Absolute magic.
Ed: Did you not hear what I said?
Joan, Ed told me that the inside of the digipack of T.S.O.S.,
the hummingbird – was first intended as to be incorporated in your art. Or even is. Do you seperate your music
from your art as a painter. Or do these things overlap as
it seems happening with the colibri.
Tell me something about that.
we just have to do what we do. We don’t even play any
other bands before we start recording. It might influence us.
Joan: Back into the void.
Any bands out there you like?
Ed: Personally, the older I get the more I lose interest in
bands. I guess I’ve seen so many. But I like some bands in
my circle of folk I know. I like obscure stuff by my friends
and as far as bands – Sungrazer is one of them. I like the
Snøffeltøffs, …
Joan: It all comes from the same place, the same space.
If you were free to pick any musician, dead or
alive, to join TSOS, who would it be?
Ed: Guess we need a good drummer … Keith Moon.
Who did the artwork?
T
he first one we did both. Got some paint out
and some markers. The second is done by
Joan.
We do everything ourselves but I have to mention
the whole CD is mastered by Punto who did a
great job in making it sound better than it was!
Do you set off with an idea of which direction
you go just before the jam.?
Ed: Not really. We just start and see what comes.
We don’t wanna sound like this or that or trying
to fit in with a scene or whatever.
However, at home, finishing the song, sometimes
it reminds me of something and I push it a little
bit in that direction.
Lyricly, how do they come and
what are they about?
Ed: It depends. Joan works differently maybe than
I do. For me it pops in my mind and other times
when I am stuck its just a part from a conversation
I have via chat or something.
Like » Fish to fry « A chat with my friend Sean.
Thats just some lines we fire at eachother.
Sometimes I am more straight forward and obvious
with something I want to say
or instance » The next blow « was written on
the last day I saw my father. I was waiting
for the next blow and it came the day after
when he died. It’s not just all nonsense. It has
roots in what we experience.
F
Joan: Automatic writing. Trying not to let my
thoughts get in the way.
Joan: Today I was thinking Ian Paice would make
a nice drummer for us. Preferably alive.
Elvis would be fun to have around.
Would you rather eat your own foot or play an
Italian guitar?
Ed: Obviously: eat my own foot! Italian guitars
look very nice but I would only use them to
smash ’em into a thousand pieces while amped
up to the max!
Joan: Coffee anyone?
Do you do drugs?
Joan: Nice one …
»"we don't try to fit in
with a scene"
Ed: I do on a regular basis all my life apart from
childhood of course. Some I use recreational,
some I use therapeutical and some is just because
my body gets older.
Needs all the help it can get. (laughs)
Then again, you have to take some care of your
body and mind though so you can abuse it again.
But you gotta keep the mind flexible. Rewire
wrongly wired dogmatic patterns; go through
normally hard to reach pains and emotions.
Triggered by music that pulls these strings for you
and see things clearer. Empty full buckets.
On parties it can be good or in nature. Different
stuff for different uses. The whole shebang and
different strokes for different folks. I would not
recommend it though. It can all really fuck you up
big style. Or worse.
Will Viberider be ressurected in the future?
Any further plans?
That is a possibility but we won’t tell you if that
happens. You’ll see or won’t.
Ok some more out of the box questions:
You guys rob a bank. Who’s the getaway driver?
And why?
We would love to release the first and second on
vinyl. Just on one album. But as always, it’s a matter of cash and we have such a small fanbase –
I wonder if it’s worth the money.
Ed: Probably Joan as I would be better in robbing a
bank I think …
Joan: Ed smashed more cars than me so I guess it
would be me.
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by Scott Craig