Panic, Toronto’s beloved and long-standing new wave/alternative/post-punk dance night founded by DJ Lazarus, has just announced their fall 2023 dates with big news – the launch of a dedicated new venue at 1279 Queen Street West: Ground Control, a new music venue and cocktail lounge inspired by David Bowie.
With our local alternative live music scene, dwindling music festivals and Toronto’s historic rock clubs struggling both pre-and-post pandemic, not to mention our post-millennial general malaise we postpunk kids should have seen coming (and kept on dancing anyway), the latest slate of Panic video dance party nights is worth a pause, a round of applause, and all the support that this city’s too-often starved music heads can muster.
Social media is the *only event poster and entertainment news we have left anymore, and as we all know, it’s make or break: a passive like, a flash of motivation, but, just as easily, we can get distracted by modern life’s endless distractibility and adulting which tricks us into thinking that things that stir us into fleeting calls to action online are just whims, nostalgia, or retro themselves. Or we just forget to make time for fun and connection with our hearts. It happens.
Panic, and, undoubtedly, Ground Control’s new presence as a home for these parties is very good news for our city and needs and deserves a new level of support. So Share, Like, Comment, buy a ticket, and most importantly, GO OUT.
In previous venues, Panic nights have regularly sold out, changed the course of our long winters (a particular The Smiths/Morrissey focus lingers on in memory as a cure for a music travel jetlag-hangover years on…) and has been one of those unsung, underground glues of the fraying fabric of Toronto culture that deserves a lot wider recognition. And all who know something about Panic know that this party exists and survives through a lot of love and effort (and *real life fliers handed out outside music venues in rain, sleet or smoke haze). It’s all retro in only the best ways.
And this reimagining of Robert Smith as Beetlejuice is not only inspiring, funny and a perfect reference, it’s ART!
Autumn has come along rudely with an August slap, but here it is and it’s our time, Alternative music kids of all ages (19+). Our season. Fall reminds us how timeless and slyly cyclical it all is: the best music, the beats we once and foralwaysandever calibrated our own hearts to, the music we fell in and out of love to, still do, the videos that travelled (by boat, kids) to help us find our tribe on faraway shores, much of it underground here, and so, still sacred. What are years, decades, eras in music? Nada. The time is now. Now, as things cool around here and days darken, we come out to play. Spread the word. See you there.
“PANIC is a brilliant evening of new wave, post-punk, classic alternatives, synth pioneers, britpop, shoegaze, madchester, new romantic, classic industrial, ska, and more…”
Ground Control’s GRAND OPENING is Saturday, October 14, 2023, featuring a must-see David Bowie Video Dance Party. What could be more perfect? And so the new venture will be blessed.
Things were going along swimmingly near the end of 2019. We had just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime dream gig in Hebden Bridge, UK to see the temporarily reformed Adorable play two stellar gigs at the Trades Club, visited Manchester where, with a music legend leading our way, experienced first-hand some absolutely iconic locations never to be found in any tourist guide, and had returned to Canada to settle in for holiday season with all kinds of plans for Disarm 2020 already brewing.
What’s the saying? Life happens while you’re making plans? Outside of the scientific community, I don’t think very many could have predicted Covid-19, or the impact it would have on the entire planet. We lived through the SARs scare of 2003 in Toronto, which resulted in a music festival where thousands rock-and-rolled at Downsview Park with Rush, ACDC and the Rolling Stones. No lock-downs. No panic. None that I recall anyway. Why would this be any different?
I wonder if anyone kept their Rolling Stones face mask?
In the early months of 2020, work sent us home “for a few weeks”. Just in case. We never returned, at least to that office anyway, as working remotely turned out to be an efficient, and appealing answer for the industry I’m in.
Most of the world shut down. Live music played to packed rooms vanished and the venues and pubs locked their doors. Many forever. The landscape of our world and how we spent our time since Disarm was born was essentially wiped out within a few months. Sadly, we lost a lot of our music heroes too.
Needless to say, the world changed over the next two years. Everyone I know, save a single person, has been hit by Covid. Fortunately, those cases were relatively mild. We too went through it and came out no worse for wear.
So here we are, (mostly) on the other side of it. Restaurants are open. People are socializing. LIVE MUSIC IS BACK!
And so is Disarm.
But where to begin…well what better way to kick it into gear than with Hooky?
Peter Hook and the Light will grace our much-loved Danforth Music Hall for a two-night stint on August 11th and 12th, performing the Unknown Pleasures and Closer albums by Joy Division, and opening with a New Order set.
We are beyond chuffed to be attending the Peter Hook experience for what will be the 7th time, testament to the fact that Hooky and the band never fail to deliver a set that keeps us moving and singing all night long, and always leaving us wanting more.
Tickets are still available, so grab em’ while you can. We hope to see some familiar faces and raise a few toasts to those that survived it, and those that didn’t. It’s the “perfect kiss” to start things up again.
Words and Hooky photos by Dave MacIntyre. Sars photo by Aaron Harris of the Canadian Press.
Iwan Gronow, the singer-songwriter and bass player from bands such as The Mutineers, Haven, and Johnny Marr, has today released his 3rd single as a solo artist called “Highest Symbol”.
Iwan had this to say about the new song.
“Highest Symbol is a term used in cards. I never set out to write a song about the issues of gambling.
It happened by accident. Some time ago I watched a program which stuck with me. A story about a man who had a stable career and family and lost it all to gambling. It was something I couldn’t get out of my head. Highest Symbol is about the dominance of betting and gambling within our society. Whether it’s online, at the bookies or casino gambling “there’s no sense in lining your pockets green, it won’t stop the lying and the running fees”. It approaches the false hope “sea of dreams” the loss “you left and failed to mention what threw you out” and the danger “roulette a sense to rush” fuelled by gambling.
The Highest Symbol video directed by Emily Jade Hagan tries to capture this sense of undeniable risk, loss and loneliness. We tried to show how everything can quickly disappear, how a past life can turn to a distant memory “The Highest Symbol, Highest Symbol will save the urge, will save the urge. The Highest Symbol, highest symbol will fade and burn, will fade and burn”.
With the release of the new song, we took the opportunity to ask Iwan our DISARMing questions about his music, art, travel, and life in general.
So check out the new song and read the interview while you listen.
DISARM: What are you listening to right now?
Iwan: Jehnny Beth, Warmduscher, Nadine Shah, Anna Calvi, BC Camplight, and She Drew The Gun
What was the first LP/tape/CD/MP3 you can remember owning, buying, or obsessing over?
My dad use to make Blues and Rock cassettes of artists such as J. J. Cale, Robert Cray, Hendrix, and Clapton. That really got me into the guitar. The first tape I bought was very heavy. I’m not going to pretend to be cool, but it would have been a band like Slayer or Sepultura, Ha! I grew up in Cornwall and metal was very popular around that time.
Are you loyal to vinyl or CD/Digital formats?
Recently I found all my CDs in the cellar. I cleaned them up and put them back on the shelf. I try to buy vinyl when I can. My dad has very kindly let me borrow some of his collection. I go through phases of books and vinyl. It depends if we’re gigging or I’m writing. That side of music takes up most of my time.
What bands are hardwired into your musical DNA?
In the Haven days, we were heavily into Velvet Underground, Skip Spence, Stooges and Peter Green. So I guess they have really stuck with me.
Why do you live where you do? What is your favourite journey?
The late great Joe Moss is the reason I am where I am. We threw everything we had into a van and turned up at his doorstep. Joe kindly let the whole band (Haven) stay in his house until we got sorted. I think he was slightly gutted as it meant his trips to Cornwall would be less often, ha! He loved Cornwall.
My favourite journey is when my wife and I get the chance to go back to Cornwall and see the family. My dream trip would be New Zealand. We were lucky enough to tour there with Johnny. It’s a great place to run; it would be good to go back. South America is ace as well, especially the gigs. Great crowds.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Going for a long walk, catching a film, reading and playing my acoustic.
What is essential for your go-bag (plane/train/automobile/tour bus)?
What do you do with 4 hours of free time in a new city?
Go for a run as I think that’s the best way to see a new city and find your bearings, although I generally get lost, ha! Go for food with our tour group.If we’re near water, I head straight to it and spend time there, sometimes even go in. Doviak and I did that a couple of times on the last American tour. Always feel better by the sea.
Who/what got you into playing music?
My dad was a singer in a punk band called The Wolfboys. They were signed to Rocket Records so there was always guitars and vinyl around the house. From a young age I was really intrigued by the guitar.
What was your most memorable day job?
I use to work at a fish and chip shop in St. Just in Cornwall. My job title was ‘fish boy’. My friends had fun with that one. Think my pay was £1.50 an hour.
What advice should you have taken but didn’t?
That’s a tough one. I try my best not to have regrets as it can have a negative affect and I try to learn from situations that may not have turned out how I wanted.
What should everyone shut up about?
It would have been the ‘B Word’ (editors: Brexit) but that’s kind of done now, which is something I’m very sad about. Personally I will always see myself as European.
What is getting under your skin at the moment?
We are at present in very unsettling times. My pet peeve would be people that don’t listen to expert advice, especially health advice. The NHS need us more than ever and we should be doing everything we can to support them.
Who are your perfect dinner guests, living or dead? What’s on the menu?
Would love to have dinner with the late great Arthur Lee (Love) and Iggy. I would cook a veggie roast, ply them with wine and get as many Rock and Roll stories out of them as I could.
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Miss Havisham from the Charles Dickens book Great Expectations, I studied in college. She was super dark. My favourite quote of hers is “Break their hearts, my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!” I always felt there was a bit of humour there which I liked.
Tell us about one of the best live gigs you’ve ever attended.
Recently we played the Rock En Seine Festival. The Cure headlined I was blown away by them especially Robert Smith, his voice was flawless.
What are your must-reads?
I mainly stick with books. David Bowie – a life by Dylan Jones, Salt Path by Raynor Winn. At the moment I’m reading The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather. Johnny also got me into the writer Yuval Noah Harari. For light relief, I really like the Off Menu Podcast by Ed Gamble and James Acaster.
What’s something that you consider a mind-altering/reality-reframing work of art?
Anything by Joan Miro. Me and my wife went to the Miro Exhibition in Barcelona; mind blowing. I also like Wassily Kandinsky’s work. Upward is a particular favourite.
What does the next six months look like for you?
Unfortunately due to recent events, our touring and festival schedule has thinned out. Right now people’s safety is far more important. We are booked into to play with ‘The Killers’ in the U.S. in August. Until then, I will be mostly writing and preparing for the single release on the 10th of April.
Editors: Fingers crossed we’ll see you at the Toronto date with the Killers!
It’s been said about musical or film icons: “Never meet your heroes.” Agree or disagree?
In this “pajamas and bunny slippers” time of unplanned hiatus from public life, we’ve been so happy to get a few minutes to chat with one of our truest Toronto troubadours, prolific musician, painter and activist Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low. As we all commit to self-isolation and social distancing for the greater good, it’s ever-important to maintain our community, connections, and turn to music, that precious jewel we carry in our hearts through tough times, and the very thing that will see us dance again, when this is past. The Low’s lastest album Agitpop has galvanized the fans with its urgent message of conscience-driven, driving anthems, which finds the Low still acutely in touch with activism for today and catchy lyrics we’ve come to expect (demand) from one of our most quotable bands. They also have a delectable, lovingly assembled box set: Shakespeare….My Box.
Now, the songwriter shares with us his thoughts on the hug-a-bility of album covers and what vinyl can teach us, the wisdom learned on the gravest of graveyard shifts, and what sets (us) East-Enders apart in this great city we call home. Be advised readers and future interview subjects, the gauntlet has been dropped. It’s unlikely anyone can top Hawkins’ selection for favourite hero of fiction! We heartily agree.
DISARM: What are you listening to right now?
Ron: I’ve been taking a deep dive into some old Rocksteady and Blue Beat stuff. And the Trojan Records catalogue. There’s been a lot of SKA going on. Also listening to Op Ivy and lots of current friends like Ace of Wands and Skye Wallace. Altered by Mom are doing a “song a week” project over the next 52 weeks. Even I’m not crazy enough to try that. Also, just surfing Spotify for Afro Cuban stuff or typing things like “women who kick ass!” into the search engine to see what pops up. Oh also the Blasters and Robert Gordon have had a spin on the ol’ vinyl this week. I got the Prince 1999 box set as well.
What was the first LP/tape/CD/MP3 you can remember owning, buying, or obsessing over?
First single I ever bought was Earth Wind & Fire doing a version of the Beatles tune “Got To Get You Into My Life”. I obsessed over almost everything I bought back then – Whodini, Prince- Dirty Mind, The Undertones, all of the Beatles, Blondie, Gang of Four… but it was The Clash that sealed the deal. The first Clash album and London Calling changed my life.
Are you loyal to vinyl or CD/Digital formats?
Vinyl all the fuckin’ way!! When I sold all my vinyl back in about 1990 because I was moving into a little punk rock shithole, I thought vinyl was never coming back. So I squinted at the small and underwhelming art work on the covers of CDs, I pressed shitty little earbuds into my ears and thought “Well, who needs a bass player I guess” and I found stuff on line with no artwork and no credits for producers and artists and designers. That became the new normal… so when vinyl came back I was thrilled. I embraced it wholeheartedly. I have been known to hug a vinyl album cover. I just love the full-sized art work, and probably most of all the relationship you have to maintain with it. You have to take care of it. It’s fragile. You have to engage with it… be attentive. Vinyl is surreptitiously teaching you how to be a good person, a good partner, a good son… a good human.
What bands are hardwired into your musical DNA?
The Clash, the Clash, the Clash… oh and I guess Billy Bragg, The Specials, Phil Ochs, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Prince, The Beach Boys, The Shirelles, Squeeze, Elvis Costello and Amy Winehouse.
Why do you live where you do? What is your favourite journey?
I was born in Toronto. I grew up an East-Ender (which like a lot of cities is/was one of the working class neighbourhoods of the town). I associate heavily with those working class roots. I feel like they taught me about community, about ambition – but not selfish ambition – the kind of ambition that makes you strong so you can fight for your comrades and you can have the wherewithal to take on tough challenges. And East-Enders have a very well-tuned bullshit meter. They see through it, they point it out and they don’t suffer it easily.
My favourite intellectual journey is to try to remain curious about everything – life, art, people… till the day they put me in a box. I love that quote “he who is not busy being born is busy dying” because it is 150% true. My favourite emotional journey is to see my friends and family flourish. To watch my daughter achieve things and learn things so much faster than I did at her age. To see what an amazing person she’s becoming. Physical journey would be almost anywhere – but specifically Barcelona, Mexico City, Rome, NYC, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Melbourne and on and on…
Have you traveled much? What is your dream trip if budget wasn’t a factor?
Oops, I jumped the gun on this one. Yeah I’ve travelled a bunch. When I had no money, when I had some money and when I had no money again. What I love about travelling is that you are getting the utmost of any experience no matter how much money you have. When I could barely afford to be in Spain, I travelled on the cheap, in shitty broken down hostels but met amazing people and had surreal, once in a lifetime experiences. It allows you to see the world as if you were the protagonist in the movie of your life (which of course you are, but we seldom get to feel that down in the very core of our being). I’ve been robbed, I’ve been saved, I’ve been loved, I’ve been chased, I’ve been sad, I’ve been elated, I’ve been hungry and I’ve been high. But it’s always an experience. Mexico City is a wild, inspirational, dizzying place. Everywhere you turn there is something so much bigger than life that it can barely be contained. There’s a vibrating sense of danger and violence and a sensuality from the food and the colossal works of art and history. The things I like to do when I travel don’t seem to cost a lot of money, so I get a kind of free pass.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Time IS a concept right? Isn’t that all it is really? I find as I get older that things that have happened in my life can seem simultaneously to be a long time ago and at the same time just like yesterday. So Sunday is a lot like any other day for me. Have a killer coffee in the morning, listen to some music. have a great chat with someone I love, try to write a song, fail, have a great lunch, try to write a song, fail, go see a friend, get a talking to by my daughter Ruby B, have another killer coffee, try to write a song… succeed! watch Transparent, try to make Jill laugh, go to bed.
What is essential for your go-bag (plane/train/automobile/tour bus)?
Gary Shteyngart novel, pork pie hat, Bowie knife.
What do you do with 4 hours of free time in a new city?
Barber, bakery, modern art gallery.
Who/what got you into playing music?
I would say probably the Pet Sounds record and the Beatles, musically. Those records mesmerized me. Then my close friend Ken and I started a band in high school and it was politics and The Clash that got me really psyched to try and do something meaningful with it all. Oh, and girls.
What was your most memorable (or scarring) day job?
I was a window cleaner for a while and had a couple close calls. That got my class analysis sharpened – to have a sometimes dangerous job be so poorly recompensed. I also killed rats on the graveyard shift for a while at a factory whose name I will spare out of common decency. Although doing that for a while made me want to become a better songwriter really quickly.
What advice should you have taken but didn’t?
Don’t become a window cleaner. Don’t kill rats with a shovel on a factory floor at 5 AM.
What should everyone shut up about?
The death of music. Believe it or not I am old enough to have acquaintances who say “There’s no good music anymore. There hasn’t been since…” I usually try to cut them off there and interject “the 80s”, “the 90s” or whatever era I imagine they were 20 in. It’s such a boooooring sentence. I can spend all day on Spotify or YouTube and would never run out of astounding work that was released in the last 12 months. That’s almost the problem now – there is so much amazing stuff that it’s daunting and seems impossible to get to it all.
What is getting under your skin at the moment?
Capitalism, Coronavirus (in that order).
Who are your perfect dinner guests, living or dead? What’s on the menu?
Joe Strummer, Dorothy Parker, Alice Neel, Hannah Gadsby, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, John Lennon, Leon Trotsky, Frida Kahlo, Henry Miller, Robert Mitchum, Louise Brooks and Jesus. The menu is fishes and loaves. And water…
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Why can’t I answer this question? I wanna say Chewbacca but I doubt that’s very helpful.
Tell us about one of the best live gigs you’ve ever attended.
The Clash in Toronto, countless Billy Bragg shows at The Concert Hall – every summer from about 1983 to 1990 or so. Fishbone. So many it’s impossible to pick one. Any great concert is similar in that it sends you out into the street afterward ready to take on the world in whatever way you do.
What are your must-reads? (magazines, news, websites, blogs, Twitter feeds, podcasts…)
I’m really into a magazine called The Baffler right now. It’s an American socio-political journal. I like Tape Op magazine for stuff about music and production. It’s a real art driven audio magazine – the quirks and quarks of the really cool stuff. And I have a crush on Larry Crane, the guy who started it. He seems like an awesome character. The 1619 Project in the New York Times Magazine is a stunning and saddening and still inspiring project about slavery in America. I have a subscription to Women In Sound which is a magazine that shines a light on great women in audio production. And The New Yorker but who can keep up. I still prefer analogue to digital reading. I don’t know why particularly, but it just seems less fleeting to me.
What’s something that you consider a mind-altering/reality-reframing work of art?
The Diego Rivera murals at the Ministry of Education in Mexico City are astounding to stand in front of. Just the Herculean effort of creating that much work and the focus of the through line of the history in them is staggering to me. I consider myself a very prolific artist and even I felt shamed by the sheer output. When did he find time to do all that womanizing!
I would say however that the most mind altering work of art I’ve ever experienced was in Central Park by a Canadian sound installation artist named Janet Cardiff. It was a living breathing work. You were given a Walkman on entering the park and there was a narration. There was a kind of metronomic click, like footsteps that you were meant to match with your stride, as you were being guided through Central Park following the narration on the disc. The narration covered everything from flora and fauna (the oak trees that were planted after the civil war) to stories about the Dakota building and John and Yoko. When you reached the zoo there were a series of chants on the tape and the narrator says “Look at that polar bear. In the wild a polar bear’s range is (I can’t remember the kilometres)”. As she’s saying this you are staring at this poor bear in a closed environment walking small circles in a very neurotic and agitated way. As your attention is captured by the chants you suddenly realize they are old work songs from slaves in the field. And on and on it goes, with too many amazing analogies and wonders to explain. Funny, tragic, inspiring. I’ve never since seen such an ambitious and amazing work.
What does the next six months look like for you?
Some social isolation due to COVID-19. I’m finishing up an album for my band the Do Good Assassins that we recorded on a 1985 Tascam 246 4-track cassette recorder. I wanted to do it as a challenge. To keep the decision making to a minimum and just focus on four humans playing music together without any bells and whistles. Turns out it sounds fantastic. Who knew. After making and recording 17 or 18 records I’ve been looking for new ways to challenge my perception of how I make them. Any fun idea is on the table at this point. I’ve made records in my house, in a barn, in studios and live. The Lowest of the Low is working on a possible live record and we’re already rehearsing songs for a new studio album as well. Being a dad is always a blast and a challenge, though with a 14-year old daughter you start to become a bit irrelevant. There’ll be some touring, some painting and some just slacking off as well.
It’s been said about musical or film icons: “Never meet your heroes.” Agree or disagree?
Disagree. This is it. This is all we have.This time here on earth. What are you waiting for? And what’s the risk? You find out they’re horrible people and you never see their work through the same lenses again? Get over it! There is plenty of art in the sea.
Our deepest thanks to Ron Hawkins for this insightful and energizing interview at a time when we really need it.
Mayflower Madame, the Norwegian Post-Punk / Psych band comprised of Trond Fagernes, Håvard Haga, and Ola J. Kyrkjeeide, are excited to premiere their album, Prepared For A Nightmare, here at DISARM!
The album is being released digitally on March 27, to be followed by the physical release, on both vinyl and CD, May 15th via Only Lovers Records, in collaboration with Portland’s Little Cloud Records and Parisian label Icy Cold Records.
While you enjoy the stream of the new record, you can also check out these DISARMing questions we asked Trond Fagernes. So press play, enjoy the record, and read on!
DISARM: What are you listening to right now?
Trond: Right now I’m listening a lot to LA band Sextile. They’re doing some kind of raw combination of Post-Punk and Synth-Wave that I find really, really cool.
What was the first LP/tape/CD you remember owning?
I remember getting some Beatles CDs when I was really young, one of them was Revolver. The first two CDs I bought myself was Nirvana’s Nevermind and Unplugged in New York which I still can very much enjoy listening to today.
Vinyl or CD/Digital?
I prefer vinyl, but still listen to CDs also. I’m definitely a sucker for the physical format when it comes to music.
What are your favourite bands?
Hmm, always a hard question, so many to choose from… The first that comes to mind are early Clinic, Psychic Ills, DIIV, and Bauhaus. I should also mention Sextile again. And Nirvana will always have a special place in my heart.
Why do you live where you do?
Simply because Oslo is the most central place to be in a small country like Norway.
What is your favourite journey?
Also a hard question, again so many great to choose from… But I guess there’s not much that I have enjoyed more than doing a road trip along the US west coast or driving in between the mountains and national parks of Utah.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Sleeping undisturbed until I wake up (without a hangover) after staying up late the night before. Then a long breakfast with my girlfriend before I go to our studio for a couple of hours (feeling very creative and motivated of course). After that perhaps going to a museum or gallery followed by a nice dinner with some wine and then a lazy evening watching a movie and listening to some of my favourite vinyl.
What essentials do you take on a plane or tour bus?
Preferably someone interesting to talk with and a good novel (or a band or artist biography if in the need for some “easy entertainment”). A notebook is always handy as well.
What is your dream vacation if money was no object?
I guess it would be the same answer as for my favourite journey. Either that or traveling throughout Japan for a month or so.
What do you do with 4 hours to yourself in a new city?
I would definitely look up the best art gallery/museum and the best record shop. Then I would find a nice neighbourhood to stroll around for a little while before wrapping it up at a cozy bar with great drinks and good music.
Photo by Miriam Brenne
What inspired you to take up music?
As long as I can remember, I’ve felt the need to express myself creatively. I was not impressed by my own drawing abilities and I think I’ve always been too impatient to be a writer, but when I first picked up a guitar it felt right at once. It didn’t take that long before I could copy some of my heroes and then I found out that it didn’t require that much technical abilities to create something myself that I actually also thought sounded cool.
What was your most memorable day job?
My first day job was as an assistant janitor at a nursing home for elders with dementia. It was kind of ironic that I ended up there because I was not a “handyman” at all and I didn’t really enjoy my tasks at that time, but I learned a lot, mostly from the contact with the patients (I’m still not a handyman), and even today I think about that job quite often.
What advice should you have taken but didn’t?
I don’t really remember any, I must have ignored/suppressed them all. You learn as you live – I guess that’s been my motto.
What should everyone shut up about?
Everyone who says global warming and climate change is not real should shut up right now.
Who’s your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what the menu be?
I would invite Bill Hicks for some tacos and discussions about music, art and politics. I imagine it would be a fun meal.
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Hmm, I’m not sure if I have any particular fictional heroes anymore, but as a kid I was a really big fan of Zorro!
What was the best live gig or music festival you attended (as a fan or artist)?
As a fan I think it’s either Pulp at Oya Festival in Oslo during their reunion tour in 2011 or Clinic at Oslo Psych Fest in 2015. As an artist it’s just too difficult to pick out one or two, but maybe one of the more obscure ones that I really enjoyed was a house show in Boise on our first US tour in 2017. A big living room in a suburban house packed with really cool, friendly people and goats in the backyard. Great vibes.
What are your “must” read magazines, news, websites, blogs?
Another difficult one. For news I do my best to avoid the tabloids and I prefer a Norwegian newspaper called Aftenposten. I don’t really read that many blogs or magazines regularly. There’s a lot of great music blogs out there though – like Disarm Magazine 🙂
Name something you consider a mind-altering work of art.
German Expressionist painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s street scenes from Berlin 1913-15. I wrote my master thesis in art history about these works and I would gladly do it again – they’ve never stopped fascinating me. If I had to pick one of them, it would be a painting called “Potsdamer Platz” from 1914.
What does the next 6 months look like for you?
I guess we’ll be either stuck at home because of the Corona virus pandemic or touring around Europe and North America in support of our upcoming album Prepared For A Nightmare.
Which musician rule do you agree with? Always meet your heroes or never meet your heroes?
Meet them!
Thanks Trond! You can check out more from Mayflower Madame and get Prepared For A Nightmare on their Bandcamp page HERE.
Looming in the Darkwave, Post-Punk and Goth Electro realms, HALLOWS formed in 2018 in Minneapolis / St. Paul and since made their way to the west coast. Consisting of Dom R. (vocals, guitar, synth, drum programming) and Vanee D. (vocals, synth, bass), their music presents layers of yearning sounds that bleed into uplifting, sanguine beats. Their compositions offer intimate messages about modern-day malaise conveyed through an exposed, vulnerable lens.
We caught up with the duo to ask them about music, art, and life outside of HALLOWS. This is what they shared with us.
DISARM: What are you listening to right now?
Dom: I have been hooked on Dancing Plague, Years of Denial, and revisiting Oathbreaker’s catalogue lately. I just saw Blu Anxxiety live yesterday so I suspect I will revisit them too soon.
Vanee: My current playlist is varied and somewhat disjointed. In the wave-nowave/post-punk realms, I am listening to tons of HIDE, Odonis Odonis, SRSQ, Buzz Kull, ACTORS, Drab Majesty, and BOAN. Then throw in a mix of frequent returns to older-ish music from Light Bearer, Mogwai & Have A Nice Life, True Widow & Low. It’s a trip.
What was the first LP/tape/CD you remember owning?
D: At around 6 years old, Smash by The Offspring came out. I was really intrigued by the album art and convinced my parents to buy it for me on cassette. I would listen to it weekly while doing chores on my Walkman. The Offspring became my first “favorite” band.
V: That would be an erratic mixed tape (when it was totally a thing) where I would non-stop listen to tracks from No Doubt, The Cranberries, and Radiohead back in 1995/1996.
Vinyl or CD/Digital?
D: All three. I like vinyl because it is cool and want to support artists who take the financial hit to get their releases pressed. However, some records just sound better on CD and digital is probably the highest quality out there.
V: Anything to support music that artists put out there. I do have a soft spot for vinyl because they feel like a delicate ornament.
What are your favourite bands?
D: That’s tough… I will say that Neurosis and AmenRa have been the two bands that have influenced me the most in the past decade. However, at the moment I will say that Ritual Howls and Kaelan Mikla are my two favs. They have definitely shaped the way HALLOWS sounds.
Editors: Kaelan Mikla! Yes!
V: Yes, tough one indeed. I would say Have a Nice Life really speaks to me and inspires the melancholy that I bring in writing music for HALLOWS. Ritual Howls and Drab Majesty are solid acts to experience live and have constantly put out incredible work. Light Asylum is a force!
Editors: Drab Majesty! Yes! 🙂
Why do you live where you do?
V: After more than a decade of schooling in Minnesota, most of which was in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dom and I decided to choose a path where we could do what we really love doing (playing music/arts, going to shows, hanging with our animals, etc.) in tandem with pursuing a career. Seattle offered that and we are so stoked to be in this community. Shout out to our friends in Seattle and the Twin Cities.
What is your favourite journey?
D: Driving around the desert near Joshua Tree in California is probably some of my favorite travels ever. V and I have done this a few times and it is surreal to just drive around that area while blasting some good music.
V: D and I once walked around the streets of Paris with no aim for hours. We talked, stopped by cafes to have coffee/drinks, people watched, and basically just chilled. It was a low-key, serene, cloudy day – perfect for the soul.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
D: Lounging with our three pets, HALLOWS practice, hanging at the cafe on top of our practice space (Cafe Petti Rosso rules).
V: We basically have the same routine on Sundays: long morning talks with coffee, late breakfast, pets, practice/music, food, walks, and TV shows.
Photo by Daniel Kastner
What essentials do you take on a plane or tour bus?
D: Headphones and music.
V: Bandaids, lotion, headphones, and D.
What is your dream vacation if money was no object?
D: V and I are from a tropical island (Mauritius) and we miss warm sunny places. I would say anywhere with beaches, sun, and warmth.
V: Sun and water – I am in. And throw in some nice goth/dark-wave/post-punk shows happening in that locale, we are truly golden.
What do you do with 4 hours to yourself in a new city?
D: Figure out where the locals hang and try to grasp the local culture.
V: If I am at an airport, I would stick around. I have this peculiar liking of hanging at airports, eating terrible airport food, having the not-so-tasty drinks, walking around, hauling luggage, watching people jet by – it’s calming and odd… don’t ask me more. If I am already in a city that I traveled to, probably a nap.
What inspired you to take up music?
D: I started being obsessed with music at a very young age so playing music was a logical step. For HALLOWS, V had just picked up her instruments (she learned to sing, play bass, and synths over the course of a summer believe it or not) and I wanted to support her by jamming. We ended up liking what we were creating and we decided to start a band one night while having a drink in San Diego.
V: I’ve liked singing since childhood, I had a bad guitar when I was younger, and owned a bass when I was 18. However, I have always been anxious and under-confident, so I never really pursued any of these avenues seriously. I decided to start jamming on my keys and bass sometime in late 2018 and D would join in. We really liked where it was going, but had no intention of performing. Then one day (I did not remember it was in San Diego, but the timing is correct) we were like, let’s be a band.
What was your most memorable day job?
D: When I was doing my undergrad, I was somewhat of a glorified janitor for the university’s student union. It was not glamorous but I had fun doing it and met some good people. It also allowed me to branch out and do live sound for their music events at some point.
V: My past students may be unhappy I am not saying it is teaching, if they read this. But, I worked at a coffee shop in between my undergrad and graduate school. I had regulars that would come hang out and I got good at making delicious fancy coffee drinks. Made me somewhat of a coffee snob for a while there, although I drink black drip coffee almost always.
What advice should you have taken but didn’t?
D: Sleep more and drink more water.
V: Have boundaries.
What should everyone shut up about?
D: Everyone should just shut up about policing what is cool or not. Let people have things as long as they’re not hurting anyone else.
V: Many need to shut up about playing nice and hearing “others” (aka bigots) out. Bigoted thoughts, actions, and behaviors do hurt a large scale of people. Call people out, speak up, be difficult, radical, and resolute.
Who’s your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what would the menu be?
D: Steve von Till from Neurosis because he is a huge inspiration for me. I’d cook whatever he wants!
V: I would love to host Dolores O’Riordian (RIP) from The Cranberries. I would make country fried vegan seitan or even cook up some real steak in our sweet cast iron skillet, if Dolores would serenade me to “No need to Argue” after dinner.
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
D: I don’t really have a favorite. I like anti-heroes better. They are more realistic.
V: Hannibal Lecter comes to mind. Although my most badass fictional hero would be Lee Geum-ja in Lady Vengeance by Chan Wook Park.
What was the best live gig or music festival you attended (as a fan or artist)?
D: We attended Substance in LA last year (2019) and it was incredible. So many good performances and great artists. It was really inspiring to both of us and encouraged us to push HALLOWS as far as possible. Maybe one day we’ll play it…
V: Yes, Substance in LA was the recent memorable one. Just an incredible line up of the most talented artists in the genre – a real treat.
What are your “must” read magazines, news, websites, blogs?
D: post-punk.com because they cover almost everything that I like.
V: Ditto about post-punk.com. I also binge read The New York Times and The Hard Times (hah!).
Name something you consider a mind-altering work of art.
D: Almost everything by Neurosis. They are a huge influence in how I write music. It may not be very apparent in the HALLOWS material but they are key to my contributions to that project.
V: The movie Dogville. I reluctantly appreciate the rawness, injustice, and unfairness englobed in the movie, and cherish the minimalism and legitimized violence. It is a beautiful piece of art. In HALLOWS, I often write about the cruelties of humanity, deception, and vulnerabilities, which, in my perspective, are the essence of this movie.
What does the next 6 months look like for you?
D: We want to have a successful release of “Subtle” then try to plan a mini-tour in the Fall (work in progress). We are also neck deep in writing our first full length record. The goal is to have it composed by the end of the Summer, then record it soon after.
V: We are working on a video for “The Call//Ravenous” featuring some of our talented friends as characters. We are stoked for our EP “Subtle” release on April 3rd, 2020. The title track is already available for streaming. We are working on some exciting new songs where we are getting out of our comfort zone and experimenting. It makes for a more challenging, but gratifying process.
Which musician rule do you agree with? Always meet your heroes or never meet your heroes?
D: I tent to not like rules very much so I am not sure which one I agree with. I think that meeting your heroes might be ok because people are complex beings. You should be ready to deal with disappointment though. Some of your heroes might be jerks but some might be kind. The one hero who is kind makes up for all the other jerks in my opinion. For example, I met Colin from AmenRa once and he was a very sweet person.
V: It has gone both ways in the past, so I would not hold myself back by decree. I usually go for meeting my heroes if the setting is right. Not making excuses, but it’s also key to empathize and understand that heroes (especially artists) are also often exhausted when touring and on the road. Though, heroes who turn out to be legit terrible humans, well, farewell. I cannot separate the art from the artist in those circumstances. Most have been absolute gems so far though.
Thanks Dom and Vanee! Check out more from HALLOWS on their Bandcamp page HERE.
Pia Fraus is an Estonian Shoegaze / Dream Pop band comprised of Eve Komp, Kärt Ojavee, Rein Fuks, Reijo Tagapere and Joosep Volk, six art school students, that formed the band in 1998. Described as mixture of “Dream Pop, subtle Shoegaze and beautiful Electronica, blissfully topped off with shimmering layered male-female vocals”, the band have released five studio albums and several EPs.
We caught up with Rein Fuks to ask him our 21 DISARMing questions about music, art, day jobs, holidays, and life outside of the band. This is what he shared with us.
DISARM: What are you listening to right now?
Rein Fuks: Sasami, Angel Olsen, Omni, Yumi Zouma, and so on….
What was the first LP/tape/CD you remember owning?
The very first tape was Guns n’ Roses Appetite for Destruction it was the year 1991. My first CD was Sex Pistols compilation Kiss This, the first vinyl was The Beatles Love Songs. I still own it, such an excellent collection!
Vinyl or CD/Digital?
I buy vinyl, CD and also digital files. I like music, and I like the idea that I can support the bands and small labels.
What are your favourite bands?
It’s tough to pick one.
My first favourite band was Estonian punk group called J.M.K.E when I was six years old. I still like the band a lot. They sound like Dead Kennedys.
One of my all-time favourites has also been The Pastels. I really liked The Wedding Present and Stereolab when I was a teenager, these two where biggest influences when we started with Pia Fraus in the late nineties. And of course, I like Yo La Tengo, Hood…. But my newest favourite artist is Sasami.
Why do you live where you do?
Because it’s not that bad in here 🙂 I live in Tallinn, which is the capital of Estonia. A lovely little town on the North coast of Estonia. I think my second favourite city is Glasgow in Scotland. I think it would be cool to spend some years in there.
What is your favourite journey?
I kind of like them all. I travel a lot with my day job, but I also like to stay at home.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Spending some time at home with my daughter and wife, and a few hours in the studio!
What essentials do you take on a plane or tour bus?
In-ear headphones!
What is your dream vacation if money was no object?
Somewhere at the country house, surrounded by beautiful nature and my instruments. Btw, It’s doable without billion dollars 🙂
What do you do with 4 hours to yourself in a new city?
Vegetarian restaurants and record stores!
Photo by Lauri Liivak
What inspired you to take up music?
Punk music made me do it 🙂 I started when I was eleven.
What was your most memorable day job?
I used to work in a record shop. It was my dream job until I started to hate it. I still like the music and the records, but there was something that made me quit the job. Btw in the past 15 years I have best day job ever! Living in a dream 🙂
What advice should you have taken but didn’t?
Listen and learn!
What should everyone shut up about?
Freedom of expression!
Who’s your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what would the menu be?
My own friends, bandmates and family. Vegetarian Mexican or Indian food!
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Spiderman! (Pia Fraus “Thank You, Peter Parker”) 😉
What was the best live gig or music festival you attended (as a fan or artist)?
As a fan, the Yo La Tengo gig in Malmö, Sweden in 2003 was life-changing. Best in the last year was Cass McCombs in Glasgow at The Great Western Festival.
What are your “must” read magazines, news, websites, blogs?
Good news only! Life is too short for bad ones.
Name something you consider a mind-altering work of art.
Art is everywhere 🙂 I like record covers!
What does the next 6 months look like for you?
Day job, family, home, rehearsals, gigs, recordings.
Which musician rule do you agree with? Always meet your heroes or never meet your heroes?
You don’t always need to meet your heroes, but it would be nice to meet some of them. I have met many of my idols, and it’s great 🙂
I have also worked with some of them, which is even better than just meeting them.
Thanks Rein!
Check out more from Pia Fraus on their Bandcamp page HERE.
And now we bring you All The Questions Fit to Print with Nick Hudson, the man behind the prolific, Brighton-based The Academy of Sun, wherein we talk about inspiring new wave aunties, being proudly stateless, homemade stock, (terrifying) emotional support spiders, and our favourite topic, music that is anything but ordinary.
DISARM: What are you listening to right now?
The Academy of Sun: A live Naked City concert from 1992, John Zorn’s cut-up jazz-core fusion band with Yamatsuka Eye from Boredoms on vocals. And Mr. Bungle demos. I just saw them in NYC so I’m a little obsessed right now. (Again).
What was the first LP/tape/CD you remember owning?
Mr Bungle’s Disco Volante when I was 14. My parents were horrified. My monomania prescribed it played on loop for an entire year. Now they’re both huge Mike Patton fans, either through Stockholm Syndrome or Epiphany. As for cassette, it was far less cool. It was Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet, which was at number one for FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. And is appalling.
Photo credit: Rob Orchard
Vinyl or CD/Digital?
Both! Vinyl as a fetishizable tangible artifact and a wider canvas for the artwork and digital for the high-res clarity, albeit via Bandcamp – not Spotify – in the interest and advocacy of artist fairness.
What are your favourite bands?
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Kayo Dot, Spleen, Cleric, Mr. Bungle, The Walker Brothers, Oingo Boingo, REM, These New Puritans, Coil, Talk Talk, Crime And The City Solution, Nine Inch Nails, Swans, The B52’s, Massive Attack, Goblin, K.U.K.L., Cocteau Twins, Kino, Crass, Love, Tomahawk.
Why do you live where you do?
..It’s the last bastion of progressive and socially liberal attitudes and policies in the UK (not counting Manchester, Bristol etc), and despite Steve Coogan’s assertion that “Brighton is where young people go to retire”, I’m able to live and work here with my idiosyncrasies intact and largely unchallenged and unhindered, i.e. I’m currently working from home, answering these (excellent) questions whilst blasting out Naked City and cooking a fresh batch of homemade stock with which to augment my meals this coming week.
Brighton also has a grungy, seedy aspect that can be quite beguiling from a writer’s point of view. Plus it’s conveniently close to London and various airports, as regards escaping when Brexit anxiety gets too much. We’re all getting gradually priced out of it, sadly, as it becomes one gargantuan artisanal coffee shop full of commuting Londoners. But I intend to secure a bureaucratic footing on the European mainland before the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31st anyway, otherwise touring Europe is gonna become an absolute hellmare. Plus, I consider myself proudly stateless and defiantly un-nationalistic. (with a passionate love for Europe and its culture.) Oh and the food is shit in the UK and is only going to get worse.
Photo Credit: Rob Orchard
What is your favourite journey?
As a compulsive and insatiable traveler I have to list a handful:
– Crossing the bridge to The Isle Of Skye from the Highlander castle.
– Flying over Greenland en route to The States.
– the four-hour journey from Longyearbyen on the archipelago of Svalbard (as close to the north pole as a civilian can access) to the Russian enclave of Barentsburg via the Esmark glacier.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Brunch with my chosen family in Williamsburg, NYC before catching the ferry across the East River to Manhattan to catch a gig or a movie, all subtly amplified with a cocktail that’s probably green and may or may not have wasabi in it.
What essentials do you take on a plane or tour bus?
Headphones, a book, coconut water, phone charger, emotional support camel spider.
What is your dream vacation if money was no object?
Trans-Siberian Railway with multiple extended stops across Siberia, with a few weeks stationed around both Lake Baikal and Kamchatka.
What do you do with 4 hours to yourself in a new city?
Find some good street food and a dimly-lit dive bar full of Lynchian off-cuts.
What inspired you to take up music?
My auntie gave my a keyboard when I was four. She was in a new wave/post-punk band called Room 101 whose single “Tokyo Nights” was much beloved of John Peel and Billy Bragg. She used to wear a thrift-shop wedding dress and smeared goth make-up onstage (long before Courtney) and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. (Still do, to be honest). I took to the keyboard pretty well, graduated to piano at six, and the vista opened wide-up from there. She died in 1989, far too young, and I’ve recorded my own version of “Tokyo Nights”, in tribute, for a solo record I’ll put out later this year.
Photo credit: Liene Lisovska
What was your most memorable day job?
Cheffing. And I’m shocked I remember ANY of it given how hedonistic it was. Someone lent me Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and we used it as a life manual for a few years. Oops.
Who’s your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what would the menu be?
Elisabeth Bathory. Probably ox heart. Liver. Longpig at a stretch. I’d aim to stop short at adding myself to the menu. I gather she’s notoriously hard to sate… we actually wrote a song about her on The Quiet Earth, which is to be released as a single on March 13th.
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Hunter S. Thompson’s Samoan attorney. William Burroughs’ Dr. Benway. Kafka’s Gregor Samsa.
What was the best live gig or music festival you attended (as a fan or as an artist)?
Kate Bush, Before The Dawn, 2014.
What are your “must” read magazines, news, websites, blogs?
The Byline Times, The Siberian Times, The Quietus, Sight and Sound, Carole Cadwalladr’s Twitter feed.
Name something you consider a mind-altering work of art.
The accumulated output of German artist Anselm Kiefer. Especially his compound in Barjac, southern France. David Bowie’s career. Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia.
Hectic and exciting! The Academy Of Sun are putting out a single on March 13th, with the album – The Quiet Earth – to follow on April 24th, which we’re devilishly excited about. We’ll be doing a tonne of shows in support of that, with further singles to follow. I have my first exhibition of visual work in a joint show with my excellent painter friend Mark Walter, with the private view scheduled for April 16th in Brighton.
I have a short UK solo tour in early April alongside my friend and collaborator Toby Driver from Kayo Dot. I’m doing a three week tour of the west-coast of the USA also with Toby in June, where I’ll be playing in his solo band, and also in Asva, the band I’m in which is based out of Seattle, and which has a double album out early next year. I’ll also be performing with Kianna Blue from The Academy Of Sun on this tour, doing material from both The Quiet Earth and my solo output. This month I’m completing a film score for a feature by director Bradley Tuck before I begin another short score for a sci-fi film. I’m tracking the strings for the solo record later this week with genius violinist Lizzy Carey, so that record should be done fairly soon. I made a collaborative improv record with Toby Driver while in NYC last week, engineered by Marc Urselli (Lou Reed, John Zorn), which we’ll release soon.
I’ve written a short film script that I’ll be filming in May, cast and crew are established for that. At some point within all of this I plan to take a short sojourn in a cute little green shack I found on AirBnB which is a few metres outside of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. I like a solo break from time to time, so I’ll take a few days there to sit and write.
Which musician-based rule do you agree with: “Always meet your heroes” or “Never meet your heroes”?
I tend to disagree with most rules. Caravaggio was a murderer but I’ll still salivate in thrall to his exquisite chiaroscuro. As they say. I met Diamanda Galas in Paris once and she was the most gracious, charismatic and buoyant – and lovely human being. Thank you for asking such awesome questions!
Thank you for your thoughtful and entertaining answers, Nick! We can’t wait for the new album and please keep us in the loop about news of your other diverse projects when/as…
After this interview, we’re announcing the DISARM Interview Hall of Fame (in honour of our fifth year) and The Academy of Sun is the first inductee. Your portrait now lines an impressive (imaginary) hall inside our (brilliantly dreamed up) shrine to music and lively storytelling. Tell us where to send your award: Brighton or Williamsburg (or Barentsburg…?).
Medicine, the pioneering shoegaze band from Los Angeles formed in 1990 has returned with a brand new 11-track album entitled Scarred For Life. Comprised entirely of cover songs including tracks from Neil Young, Judee Sill, Miles Davis, The Monkees, and even Bob Welch, it’s described as a record that is “killer no filler” and has been released by Drawing Room Records.
Medicine were the fist American band to sign with the legendary UK label Creation Records on the basis of their original demo. In their home country,they signed to Rick Rubin’s American Recordings label in 1992.
We asked Medicine singer Annette Zilinskas, also known as the original bassist for The Bangles and vocalist with influential roots-punk outfit Blood on the Saddle, 21 of our DISARMing questions about music, art, and life in general. This is what she told us.
DISARM: Hello Annette. Thanks for taking the time to answer our DIARMing questions. It’s great to see all your latest activity with The Bangles and Medicine lately. It feels like things have come full circle with both bands and we really love the Scarred For Life album. So here we go.
What are you listening to right now?
Annette: I’m listening to a lot of Coolies partly because I love their music and I’ll be performing with them playing bass on March 15th for Kim Shattuck’s ALS Benefit at the El Rey. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Fall, Modettes and Ty Segal lately.
What was the first LP/tape/CD you remember owning?
It was a 45 that I got as a child from a garage sale…Chipmunks red vinyl. First LP was Carol King and Linda Ronstadt.
Vinyl or CD/Digital?
Vinyl (of course, and still!)
Who are your favourite artists?
Have a seat….there are just too many but I’ll take a whirl…Yardbirds, early Linda Ronstadt, Tammy Wynette, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Reverands, Mercury Rev, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Butthole Surfers, Buffalo Springfield, Warm Drag, Beatles, early Stones, The Fall, Gene Vincent, Ty Segal, Led Zeppelin, LA Witch, Leaving Trains, Opal, Black Flag, the Outsiders, Gun Club, M17, Public Enemy, Ethyl Meatplow, Johnny Cash and June Carter…I know I’m forgetting something really obvious but ah well…
Why do you live where you do?
It’s where I landed.
What is your favourite journey?
Road trips – I like the high desert at night such as Joshua Tree, Landers. I enjoy the Sci Fi’ness and expansive quality of it. My next stop hopefully will be Marfa Texas to check out the Marfa lights.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Just plopping down and watching something classic or a cool underground 60s movie…not having any deadlines or having to do anything is an ideal day for me.
What essentials do you take on a plane or tour bus?
Eye Drops, Brush, Dentine, Lip Gloss, Sunglasses.
What is your dream vacation if money was no object?
Any place that I have never been to before.
What do you do with 4 hours to yourself in a new city?
Coffee number one. Walk around and see if there any good bookshops or old cathedrals to discover. Read the local paper.
Photo: Beatrix Zilinskas
What inspired you to take up music?
Linda Ronstadt. Major girl crush. Also, AM radio. And hearing The Carpenters the Yardbirds and Elvis.
What was your most memorable day job?
Working at the Chipmunks production company. My first job and one of the best I had.
What advice should you have taken but didn’t?
Music should always come first…not boyfriends lol.
What should everyone shut up about?
I’m sure you know the answer 😉
Who’s your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what would the menu be?
James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Robert Mapplethorpe, Dorothy Dandridge or Sharon Tate. Italian food or Mediterranean.
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Sinuhe – from the novel The Egyptian.
What was the best live gig or music festival you attended (as a fan or artist)?
As a fan, when my uncles, Ray and Vic, took my sister and I as kids to see the Rolling Stones at the Forum. As an artist, playing Arroyo Seco with the Bangles.
What are your “must” read magazines, news, websites, blogs?
You forgot podcasts…right now I’m delving into “You Must Remember This”.
Name something you consider a mind-altering work of art.
A video project Kal Spelletich (from the band Semen) and I did. We filmed very tight close-ups of pigeons who had gathered around the video camera that we set down on the ground with breadcrumbs scattered around it. They got in close to the lens eating the crumbs. Playing it back, the pigeons were almost unrecognizable and looked like abstract white and grey spotted movement. One couldn’t make out that they were birds. When we slowed it down, it had an almost hypnotic drug like effect on the viewer. I also love Chiho Aoshima video installation piece called “City Glow”.
What does the next 6 months look like for you?
Hopefully touring doing music or a spoken word adventure across the continents.
Which musician rule do you agree with? Always meet your heroes or never meet your heroes?
Probably not. I usually prefer one’s imagination better. But not always!
Thanks Annette!
You can buy Scarred For Life now from Medicine’s Bandcamp page HERE.
When listening to a record for the first time, I can usually tell within the first thirty seconds of song one if I’ll want to hear it through, skip to song two (or deeper) in search of the chords and vocals that will connect with me, or stop it and never look back. There are also occasions when song one gets repeat playback because it’s so good. And then the same happens with song two. And song three. Music lovers understand this “Eureka!” moment.
Maybe Someday by Tombstones In Their Eyes was my 2019 “Eureka!” moment.
Comprised of John Treanor (vocals/guitar), Josh Drew (guitar), Mike Mason (bass) and Stephen Striegel (drums), Tombstones In Their Eyes is a band from Los Angeles that appeals to fans of psych, noise, shoegaze, alternative, and even sludgy doom metal. James Cooper, an old school friend of Treanor’s now living in New York, is also considered a member as he helped start the band and works with him on song creation. The band released a number of EPs, including 2017’s Fear which was my first introduction to their signature melodic yet crunchy sound, and 2018’s Nothing Here.
On November 15th, 2019, Somewherecold Records released Maybe Someday, and what could be described as a well-polished, cohesive collection of gritty psych-infused noise rock songs.
There is an immediate feeling of immensity on album opener “Open Skies” and the tangibility of this “bigness” caries throughout the title-track and “I Want You”, amplified by the swirl of guitars and the drone of Treanor’s ethereal vocals. Bass lines and drums are clean and not overstated, effectively complimenting and driving forward the wash of sound enveloping them.
“Down In The Dirt” has a decidedly sludgier feel to it that fans of Philadelphia’s Nothing will appreciate and is a personal favourite, of many favourites, on the album. Coming in at just shy of six minutes, it’s best played loud, with eyes closed and head bopping.
When listening to the “The One”, it’s not at all surprising that Treanor listed Electric Wizard as one of his favourite bands in our 21 Disarming Questions interview. It’s a dark and heavy stoner rock song, yet feels not at all out of place on Maybe Someday. Like “Down In The Dirt”, it pushes the six minute mark, but I’d welcome an extra long extended version of this one. It’s that good.
Another shift in direction happens on “I Believe”, the most upbeat song on the album and closest to a “traditional” alternative/psych song before we slow down and slide back into the fog of “I Can’t Feel It Anymore” and “Up And Down” that fans of The Black Angels will surely enjoy. We leave Maybe Someday with “Dreams”, an aptly-named soundscape of surreal fuzzed-out guitars, vapory vocals and keys.
Tombstones In Their Eyes manages to interlace so many sounds into Maybe Someday without defining the album as any one genre nor lose the mood set out from the album’s opening notes. It’s a perfect balance and pace and warrants repeated play through from start to finish.
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