All of these photos were taken on a single disposable camera that I still remember saving up my allowance for in 1997. I was ten.
MY CHILDHOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Author: Jane Pain
35MM photographer, writer, and musician. A New York City native living and working in NYC. Vocals in LA-based Safe Word. Vocals and electronics in the Tech-noise duo Appetite with Ciarra Black. Plays solo as NYDN.
All inquiries and comissions: JaneChardiet@gmail.com
PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE ANY IMAGES WITHOUT CREDIT.
stay in touch:
Instagram: Jane_____Pain
Twitter: @coldforever
HUMANBEAST/RUSSIAN TSARLAG/PHEMALE/SURVIVAL/GBX FLYER
I booked Humanbeast, Russian Tsarlag, Phemale, Survival and GBX to play the Ho_se. July 5, 2013. Flyer by myself. Image is handmade collage.
HUMANBEAST, “NIGHTGOWN”
I premiered “Nightgown” by Humanbeast for Impose Magazine.
“‘Nightgown’ is a brilliant glimpse at Humanbeast’s forthcoming new album Venus Ejaculates into the Banquet, out July 16 on Load Records. “Nightgown” is a pop track with a dark side, seemingly stained by bodily fluids, perhaps born in a dungeon. The track begins with a simple arpeggiation that swells into a climax of swirling noisy ecstasy made even more sublime by beautiful looping cries from vocalist Maralie Armstrong. Armstrong has a gorgeous, powerful voice that cannot be denied.”…
To read more and listen to this incredible track, please visit http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/humanbeast-nightgown
PHOTOS FROM SAVAGE WEEKEND 2013
INTERVIEW WITH DESTRUCTION UNIT
Founded by Ryan Rousseau and Jay Reatard back in the early 2000’s, Arizona’s Destruction Unit has been through many members and sounds. Their latest LP, Void delivers top notch freaked out, fuzzed out tracks ruled by three guitars. I had a chance to speak with 3/5 of Destruction Unit’s ever changing line up at one of my favorite shitty watering holes; after a whirlwind week of recording and shows in New York.
JANE PAIN: When I asked for older MP3s, Jes claimed that Void is the only thing that is “relevant”. I know that the band aims to make each record different but what did you mean by this exactly? Is the current line up/ record divorced from previous line-ups?
JES: Yeah, I mean… It is different because it is different people. Even the line up now is different from Void. I think that Void is good but the way we do things does not involve looking behind us, except to prevent future mistakes. People ask us to repress or reprint things but if we have already moved on from it there is no point in dragging it back to the surface. We’re beyond that.
JP: I had a question for someone who is not here… Do you want to be him? Turns to Nick Nappa.
NICK NAPPA: Who is he?
JP: Ryan!
N: I can’t feel my legs.
JP: Ryan said that he prefers recording alone because he can make things sound exactly how he wants them to sound quicker but it seems that the current Destruction Unit stuff seems way more collaborative, particularly tracks like “druglore”. Obviously this is because there are new members in the band but… There is more to it… For example, Jes has fielded a couple of interviews -including this one- without Ryan, the bands establishing member. Do you think that he has loosened the reigns on Destruction Unit and allowed current members of Destruction Unit more control?
Jes: The amount of control any specific member exerts in this band is not something we can comment on.
JP: The last NYC date was in the midst of hurricane Sandy. You said that you “never considered skipping New York”. On this stint, Destruction Unit came all the way from Arizona for two Destruction Unit shows and one Marshstepper show. Maybe I am fishing for something as a native New Yorker; but is there an affinity towards New York City for you guys?
J: There is an affinity to the people that we know here; I wouldn’t say there is necessarily an affinity to the place. It’s an interesting city.
ANDREW: There are a lot of people from Phoenix out here too.
JP to Chris Hansell, their publicist and friend: Yeah, I heard the dude that you pushed out of the Marshstepper show was an Arizona dude.
Jes: We have known him for yeeeaarrsss.
Chris: I just felt like he was ruining it.
N: He’s IN Marshstepper, dude.
Jes: Yes. Chris kicked a member of Marshstepper out of his own show. It happens.
JP: Are there any place that you detest? Or would rather not return to?
N: There are so many.
Jes: I won’t ever go to Kansas again. I’d rather not discuss that in the public forum for legal reasons though.
JP: The next question is the mandatory desert question.
Jes: Let’s hear it!
JP:: Have you ever considered residing in a different habitat?
Jes: Sure. I love Arizona but it also kind of sucks in a lot of ways. There isn’t much here. Most of the stereotypes are true. It is hot, it is very spread out, there aren’t many resources for artists or anyone really. Some people fetishize that, and think they are better off for it. It makes them “tougher”. To me, it doesn’t matter either way. I happen to live in Arizona, and I enjoy it. But I would could enjoy any place I live. You get different perspectives from different places. The wider your range of experience, the better.
JP: How do you guys feel about the upcoming Merchandise/ Milk Music tour! What do you expect when touring with those dudes?
N: Strong camaraderie.
A: I am mostly excited about it because I am going to be going to a lot of cities that I have never been to before and I just feel really good about this whole thing. I think it’s going to be great. Everyone’s together. Having three bands touring together can be problematic but it’s also a gift.
J: Three of the best rock bands in the world right now all touring together, that’s something to be excited about. I am also interested because I am pretty sure this is the first tour that I have ever been on that I didn’t book. It will be interesting to not have to deal with all of that shit.
JP: And you are always dealing with everyone’s shit!
J: All of the shows are going to be wild. Everyone involved in this tour has known each other for years now. It makes sense. It was bound to happen inevitably, whether it is with these three specific bands or not. It just makes sense
JP: And I saw that Nylon printed a photo of you as an honorary member of Merchandise not too long ago… Can comment on being down there with those dudes/ that shoot and playing with them?
J: I went to visit them in Tampa, and traveled with them to Miami for Art Basel. Which, by the way, was mostly rubbish. The shows were great and Merchandise were great at both of them. Then they tricked me into being in that photo. I had just rolled out of bed and they called me and said to meet them at this auto-junkyard. Showed up to a photoshoot.
JP: You guys are about to play SXSW. How do you feel about big music fests like that? What has your experience been? How do you feel about playing bigger shows as opposed to the smaller, DIY shows that you normally do?
J: South By Southwest as an entity is pretty awful. It’s quite an exploitative affair. A bunch of people trying to attach their name or logo to something, anything. Why are we still trying to identify with other people? Especially people so far removed from our own personal experience. How arbitrary is it all? You can’t feel alienated if you have no desire to be a part of something other then yourself. And that is what strength is.
The less you claim to know about a stranger, the more beautiful they are. Because they don’t have anything in common with you. And why would you hope for them to? Why would impose your context onto another? We don’t live for a community or for a scene. All of our friends and collaborators are infinitely far removed from us, but for that reason they are equally as relevant, equally as far out in a different direction. As for playing bigger shows, we’re are quite comfortable playing anywhere, whether that’s a 5,000 capacity hall or a 50 capacity basement. With these bigger gigs you have to be more careful about people trying to co-opt or homogenize your work. When business people start thinking they might have something to gain from what you do, you have to be aware of that. We are well aware.
A: I think also… The thing with festivals is that there are a lot of people who have not heard the music yet. A lot of people will be hearing it for the first time, which is really cool.
JP: Most definitely. I heard in another interview that important elements of Marshstepper are balancing transcendence and humor while still remaining aggressive. Do you think that also holds true to performing with Destruction Unit?
J: It’s not meant to be taken lightly or seriously. Essentially I am saying that what we are doing is quite significant, but it’s ever evolving and changing. The farther out there you can go, the more legitimate your cause. Cultural revolution is schizophrenic, its bipolar, its hallucination, its finding the one thing nobody loves and loving it for everyone. It’s speaking too soon for too long about nothing at all. Keep moving forward with new ideas and new methods and new people. If you can’t look yourself in the mirror without laughing, you’re holding yourself back. We are all a product of our own terrible culture, and its impossible to change that culture while we reside within it.
JP: You said that Marshstepper and Destruction Unit perform different ‘functions’, what are those functions?
J: I don’t know if I can answer that at this moment.
JP: Damn! Andrew, you are really young. You’re 19, you shouldn’t be in this bar, you model nude for Marshstepper, you slay the drums…
A: Thank you!
JP: How did you guys all meet and what does Destruction Unit mean to you?
A: I’ve known these guys for a long time. I have known Jes for a really long time and looking up to these guys for a really long time. When I first started a band, we wanted to sound like their band.
We all started playing shows together and a sense of community grew out of it. This whole thing has been awesome for me. I have only been in the band for two months and it is just blowing up! It is something I am proud of. I think it sounds good. Glad to be in this band with these people.
J: I think it is important to note that age is pretty irrelevant. We have learned from and been impressed by the younger group of people as by those that came before us. I looked up to people growing up too, but one thing I have always kind of hated was the older people who stuck around, thinking of themselves as the elders and taking themselves really seriously, demanding respect and admiration. Art has a short shelf life. Longer than a decade but shorter than a generation. If you can keep up, you can stay relevant, but the work you did 20 years ago certainly hold’s no one hostage anymore. None of this has anything to do with age. It is all about your intention.
JP: What’s your favorite drug and why?
A: It’s different for everyone in the band. I want to say some psychedelic but smoking weed is cool.
J: All drugs are great if you know what you are taking and how much to take. Some things have more of a social stigma than others, but in reality, the world is much less black and white. My advice regarding drugs? Be a taker not a user.
JP: Then how do you feel about Speed Boat?
J: Speed Boat is a big inspiration for everything that we do. This interview, this trip, these bands. Really, none of this would be possible without Speed Boat. The amount of work that he puts in is incredible. The other day he drove all the way to New York from Arizona just to come to our show. He is a true testament to believing in something.
C: He sold the merch when he got there…
A I have known Speed Boat since I was twelve and I don’t think there is a better feeling than knowing Speed Boat since we were kids.
J: He’s actually kind of an asshole.
A: Yeah, he’s a dick. I hate him.
JP: I guess that is a good place to end considering my next two questions were is Speed Boat your favorite band and are you Speed Boat?
PHOTOS OF MARSHSTEPPER
Marshstepper is more than a just band, they are a perfect extension of the Ascetic House collective that the members have built. Spearheaded by J. Aurelius, A. Jarson, N. Nappa and D. Pupillo; Tempe, Arizona’s Ascetic House releases everything from video art and cassette tapes to handsome zines. Releases often feature musicians extending their creative impulse to create visual art and words. In Marshstepper’s case, the band has pushed beyond simply playing music and create an eerie aura at live shows that includes performance, costume and a whole lot of fog.
D. Pupillo seems like the projects front man but he does not contribute to performing the music live. Generally D. Pupillo performs in masks and participates in rituals with nude models. At a recent show at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, his performance also included two girls in gimp masks and domanatrix gear brutally dominating him live. While N. Nappa held down electronics and vocals, J. Aurelius took time off the gutair to read from his most recent zine, which he then set on fire. The gesture was intensified by his own photo on the books cover, which was slowly burned into a crisp.
But don’t let my concentration on Marshstepper’s performative aspects distract from Marshstepper’s music. Releasing cassettes on their own Ascetic House imprint and also Greh Holger’s impeccable Chondritic Sound, Marshstepper have created a sound that is so solid, I would have put it at the top of my 2012 list. Guitar and synth driven noise melts into spooky dance music to create a perfect balance of tripped out ambience and utterly entrancing EBM and techno tinged tracks . I had a chance to shoot these photos at their performance at Saint Vitus bar in Brooklyn, February 28 when they played alongside Soren, Foreplay [my new project with Chris Hansell, who also happen to now have a tape available through Ascetic House], Profligate and YOU.
JANUARY’S DISPOSABLE CAMERA SHOTS
![Chris Hansell and the Flatmates, a fictitous inside joke killed by death style punk band became a reality, hopping on a shitty living room show on another disgruntled bands gear [only to receive the best reaction of the night] playing songs written by humming them once outside of said shitty show. Oh, and a Black Flag cover.](https://jane-pain.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/flatmates.jpg)
This was an absurd month of awesome shows. Saw Profligate, Soft Moon, Hoax, Inmates, Antown, Raspberry Bulbs, Ice Age, Salvation, Pharmakon,Vatican Shadow, Silent Servent, Deformity and so many others. Djed Invocation and Wierd. Showed three prints in the “Thrown Together” art show. Going to play with my new project FOREPLAY live in thee Wierd at Home Sweet Home for the first time tomorrow. DJing Discipline on Friday, Feb.1. Sheesh. I love New York.
INTERVIEW WITH PROFLIGATE
Profligate is Noah Anthony’s Philadelphia based solo project. He makes beat driven electronic music that may have some roots in early techno but certainly can not be described as ‘minimal’. His music is ethereal and layered, calculated and unexpected. I had a chance to chat with Noah before his impressive performance at Wierd record’s weekly party at Home Sweet Home. I learned everything from how to correctly pronounce the project’s name (whoops) to his plans to robo trip with Lazy Magnet.
You played sort of similar music under the moniker Night Burger for a while. What inspired the name change, especially when Profligate doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue?
[Noah laughs at me]
I had to question myself before I pronounced it…
Yeah. It’s pronounced prof-la-git. GIT. Not Gate. I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal, haha. For Night Burger, I had never really played solo before and I really wanted to explore that zone. And it was really just a pile of garbage equipment strung together so it was a challenge trying to come up with these really minimal compositions with the most bullshit gear I could get. That fucking organ that I always used was something that the band Pedestrian Deposit found on the street when they were staying at our spot. We didn’t even see if it worked. We used it as a table for the grill for the entire summer before we even checked it out. Total garbage gear. I dunno, I’m mainly just interested in writing songs, so sure enough after a year or so of playing weird minimal dubbed out garbage, some vocals and straightforward tunes started to emerge from the Burger rig and that was when I sort of knew it was time to switch it up. Also all my gear died on me.
Guess that meant it was a time for a whole new sound.
Yeah, none of that shit works anymore. So, it was a clear indication that it was time to rethink some things. Social Junk had split up a while back also, and that was at one point my main vehicle for songwriting, so I needed another outlet. There is a solid line between the two projects in my view but the mood is sort of still the same, just more vocalized. “Videotape” was sort of where it started, with a heavy beat and a synth line. Actually, I played a lot of the songs from the Profligate records as Night Burger but they were always kind of fucked up and never sounded right.
The other day you posted “Not a Noise guy. Not a techno guy either.” What were you speaking to?
Just a basic statement of intent. No labels. No politics. No bullshit. I just don’t get why people make such a stink about using a drum machine. Please spare me your labels and politics. I just don’t care about it. Social Junk wasn’t a noise band and Profligate isn’t a techno band. The first instrument I ever bought was an Alesis drum machine back in 1997 anyways, so like I said who cares.
Sometimes I find myself wondering what the next big “wave” in music may be. Could you argue that anything important is happening right now in music with your Not Not Fun label mates like Father Finger and Maria Minerva? There almost seems to be a push toward “outsider-esque” electronic music…
I’m not really up on Maria Minerva’s music honestly so I can’t really say if there’s any connection there but Father Finger is really great. I guess there has been a “push” for a while now and it’s nice to see killer underground acts getting some much deserved recognition.
I was going to ask how your tour went with Father Finger last summer. I don’t know either of you especially well but it is my impression that you have pretty opposite personalities…
Yeah, we’re pretty similar in a lot of ways also though. We sort of acted like divas a bit, mainly at ourselves. She is fun and kind of wild but also has a real professional attitude toward music which I dig. She taught me how to wrap a cable correctly, HA. We had a great time. What can I say? We did a lot of drugs.
Did she get you into any trouble?
I wouldn’t say we got into any trouble. We didn’t get caught. It was a sick tour, I have to say. I can’t elaborate. Sorry.
Some buddies of yours released Come Follow Me joking that it was a “shared burden” between More Records and Hot Releases. Thought that was funny. Do you feel support from the noise community? What is it like living in Philly these days and making music…
That’s just a little Plotkin humor. Do I feel support from the noise community? Umm…
You might not be a “noise guy” but I feel like you might “fall into that crowd”. And a lot of people who follow noise music are seemingly the majority of your following. I am not sure if that is true…
I’m not sure either, but I’m down with it. To me, it makes more sense to refer to it as the underground community, rather than ‘noise community.’ I mean yeah, I have gone to most of the INC’s [International Noise Conference in Miami] but… It’s different. It’s all these maniacs losing their shit and just doing their own thing. It’s about total freedom. People doing whatever they want to do. I’ve never really felt like a part of the noise scene but I’ve definitely been inspired by the general attitude behind it.
What about Philly? I lived there for a while but by the time I moved back to New York I was feeling so lonely.
It is a quiet time for Philly. I’m mainly just trying to help my friends who come through with cool shows. I don’t feel like I am very active right now or really able to be. There are some sweet new venues though. Heaven’s Gate is one. It rules. There’s some new blood, and that helps.
Do you think that the people who are doing Heaven’s Gate have the power to rejuvenate the citiy’ scene?
Anything is possible, it is a new year, baby.
2013 is the year of Philadelphia.
But not for me.
Shifting a bit, it seems like you have adopted a pretty uniform saturated, distorted VHS aesthetic. Your latest record is called Videotape. Additionally, your girlfriend is a visual artist and has done some artwork/video work for you. How much of this was collaboration? Or were you giving her a lot of direction? Do you plan on continuing to work with her for album art and music videos? She makes really cool videos…
Yeah, she just got into it recently. For Videotape the artwork was her idea. She just sent me a weird cell phone picture at one point that I thought would make a great cover. We tried to recreate that cell phone picture by filming in our apartment and then grabbing stills from it. The original source footage was then used in the music video for the song.
Come Follow Me was made in the same style. Filming, processing and taking stills. I gave her some vague idea of what I wanted and she made it happen by just tossing some fabric up in the air to 2 seconds. I think it’s really fitting for the record. It was exactly how I wanted it to look. It just clicked.
Do you think you are going to stick to this style? Or do you just like the way it looks and are not particularly dedicated to it?
Yeah, I think I will stick to what works. You’ll probably see more of that. We did something similar for the Form a Log LP that is coming out soon.
The video she made for the Form a Log video is so fucking insane.
Yeah, it’s so fucked up and creepy. I love how well it goes with the music. There’s a part where she stabs a strawberry and there’s a ‘squish’ sound that we thought was from filming, but it’s actually in the music! It’s perfect.
You included the lyrics to the record which I feel like is becoming increasingly rare. Is there any significance to that? How much do you think about your lyrics?
I definitely wanted to include them. They’re important to me. It makes me feel a little exposed also, and I’m into that. I did that for both of the records, even though on Videotape there’s only one line so it was easy. Personally I just like staring at a lyric sheet while listening to a record. I wish Russian Tsarlag LPs came with the lyrics.
Musically and otherwise do you think about where you want to be and where you want to take yourself with the project? Any frontiers you have considered exploring with the project? New approaches to song writing? Gear you’d love to obtain? Collaboration?
I like to limit myself with gear. I don’t want to go crazy. I don’t want too many options with my gear, I like to try to get the most out of what little I have. I tinker around enough as it is and have a very backward way of recording that I like to stick to, at least until I can get inside a real studio. I recently bought my first synthesizer, but I really haven’t even touched it. It’s just sitting in the corner. It’s a beast that I’m not ready to tackle yet. The most I’ve done with it is record some pan flute for Form a Log. My goal for the winter was to get it set up, but “lazy boy winter mode” is sort of hitting me hard.
There are a couple more shitty cold months ahead of you to get that done.
Yeah, there’s plenty of time, so I’m just taking it slow. I have a lot of ideas that I’m excited to try out for the new songs I’m working on. Hopefully I’ll walk away with something. The challenge of integrating rock guitar into dance music is one for example, does it ever work? I want to find out. Also, in terms of collaborating with other people, the door is open. Especially with vocalists. I have been trying to do that for a while at this point. I’ve asked different people… It never ends up happening, haha.
Who are some of these people?
I had better not name names. They know who they are. I definitely want to get more people involved. But that one song would’ve been so much better! [shaking fists] Ha Ha. Just kidding.
I thought it was really cool that you included re-mixes that your friends did of your songs with the last record. It’s also a cool way to interact with other musicians without compromising yourself/songs as a solo act.
I have some really talented friends! These songs are just sitting there. And I am just sitting here. And maybe they are just sitting there. We should just jam each others shit, come up with some new stuff. Some new old stuff. Haha. What am I saying? It is really refreshing and rewarding to play solo but I definitely love getting other people involved. Maybe even turn this into a full band at some point, it’s possible.
Besides Outmode and Toe Ring and some of the people you have worked on remixes with, who else are you really into right now?
Well, everybody knows Human Beast is the best fucking band around. Everybody knows that. So, there you go. Human Beast. The best. Moth Cock, from Ohio makes some of the strangest music I’ve ever heard. And also, Daryl from Meager Sunlight’s new solo project Samantha Vacation is really fantastic.
I’ve never seen her solo; I have only seen her with Meager Sunlight.
Really? She is out of control. So good. Honestly, I have to say that the East Coast is filled with some real freaks who are blowing my mind constantly and there’s probably a lot I’m not even aware of. It’s great to be a part of it.
Yeah I feel like for the first time in a long time, I want to be where I am.
Totally. I lived in Oakland very briefly and didn’t have a lot of time to dig deep into the scene which was unfortunate. I feel like I’m pretty out of touch with the West Coast in general, and hope to fix that soon. I’ll bet there is some crazy shit happening over there.
Speaking of working with others, you are about to go on a tour with Lazy Magnet and I read that Jeremy is enlisting a lot of help. What are you anticipating with this tour?
Probably a lot of cough syrup.
INTERVIEW WITH THE SOFT MOON
The Soft Moon is an Oakland based project masterminded by front man Luis Vasquez. The music sounds anxious and visceral; dark without being melodramatic or over the top. The Soft Moon does not follow the lead of the all too common Depeche Mode worshipping contemporary Post-Punk outfits. Vasquez isn’t crooning below his vocal range to sparse snyth. His whispers turn into screams, delicately layered in a collage of sound. I can’t think of a band to compare The Soft Moon to, they have created an unapologetically hypnotic sound that is all their own. And that is the point. With The Soft Moon’s latest album, Zeros, Vasquez set out to snatch the listener out of their own reality with the albums beginning and spit them back out at the end. I had a chance to meet with the band before their sold out show at the Mercury Lounge in New York City to talk about shitty childhoods, Nine Inch Nails and getting seasick on a barge in Leon, France.
While people tend to file The Soft Moon under “post-punk”, you sometimes strike me as unique approach to “post-industrial” music. You aim to create a full sensory experience with your live shows and create atmospheres and noise landscapes rather than manufacturing traditional “pop” songs. What do you make of this?
I think it’s funny. Most bands talk about how they don’t like to be generalized and think they are too cool or too pretentious to be some sort of genre. I am open to whatever sort of genre people want to align me with. I am open to what they feel. I don’t really know what I am making, honestly. I am just making music, whatever feels right, whatever happens naturally. You can call me whatever, and it is cool. I like the genres like post-punk and post-industrial because those feel like they work.
You mentioned not writing conventional songs. That is totally true. That is something that I do on purpose to stay away from the typical approach to making music. Critics, every once in a while, will take note of that as though it is wrong of me not to write songs. But every track that I write is more of a soundtrack to my emotions. Or sonic photographs of how I am feeling at that moment. Memories. I don’t necessarily need to write a hook to express that I am sad or mourning over the death of a friend or something like that.
Speaking of post-industrial, you recently re-mixed ‘Ice Age’ by Trent Reznor’s new band How to Destroy Angels_. How did that happen? Did it feel strange? Are you a Nine Inch Nails fan?
I never really delved into NIN. I had downward spiral. I would watch Pretty Hate Machine videos on MTV, things like that. It was still an honor. I consider Trent Reznor a pioneer. I respect him completely.
The way it came about was really random. It was out of nowhere. My publicist just e-mailed me and was like ‘Trent Reznor gave you the go ahead to do a remix’ and I was like ‘What?’ We talked about maybe crossing our fingers and touring with NIN if he ever released a new record and that was the last thing we talked about. A few months later there was this e-mail requesting a remix. I never talked to him directly.
I procrastinated on it. I didn’t want to listen to the track until the absolute last minute because I was really overwhelmed with the project. Especially knowing that he is really precise and that he is really particular and is a perfectionist when it comes to his music and I am the complete opposite. I like flaws.
At the same time, I embraced what I do and my style of writing and combined it. But I was scared. I wanted him to like it and I was scared that he wasn’t going to like it. In the end I pulled it together and I’m pretty happy with it.
Do you know if he is happy with it?
Yeah! He considered it his favorite remix. We got that e-mail and we were like “yeahhhh”. And I just got another e-mail. They want me to send them stems of an instrumental of the track because I think they want to perform my version live.
WOW
Read that right before I got on the plane here.
You’ve said that the Soft Moon has been largely inspired by you facing your difficult childhood. Do you feel that The Soft Moon has helped you come to terms with your childhood? Do you feel emotional growth with each release?
I am still trying to unravel my childhood. I completely blocked the entire thing out and that was the initial reason why I started the project. I wanted to figure out why I feel so fucked up in my head. Why I feel so much paranoia and anxiety and suffer from depression. I mean we all suffer from these same things but I know that mine is directed towards my upbringing.
The sole purpose of The Soft Moon was to dig up what I buried away. It has definitely helped me realize certain things about me but it has definitely fucked me up even more because I am realizing things about me… Becoming more aware. Become more awkward. Having worse social disorders and things like that. And drinking more because of it. I am hoping that there is going to be some clarity in the future. The whole purpose of the project was to help me feel sane and it is driving me crazier at the moment. But we will see what happens.
Have your parents heard The Soft Moon?
I keep it away from my Mom. I have invited her to a show though… She says she is going to come and she never does. I don’t think she would be able to handle it if she came. She would be able to see exactly what I am saying. She would see so much reality in it.
I get text messages from her all the time telling me that she is a horrible mother and all that… And that she is sorry… So if she sees the result of it on stage… She’ll be able to consider it me doing something that I love but at the same time I am doing it so I can live.
My brother came to a couple of shows and he totally saw it. He has a similar upbringing… He is younger than me but once he told me that he could feel the “family stuff”. But I think it would fuck my Mom up for sure… But maybe one day… We will see…
You grew up in the Mojave Desert. I recently returned from a trip from Joshua tree and was awestruck by the almost un-earth like beauty of that area. As a New York native, the Desert was brilliantly foreign to me. You are now living in the rather bleak city of Oakland, CA. How do you think this change of scenery affects you? Did you move to Oakland specifically to remove yourself from the Desert, which while being beautiful- is isolating and holds bad memories?
Growing up there, I completely hated it. The second that I was old enough to move out I moved to LA, Long Beach and those areas. I think it is because I went to a contrasting city to gain perspective on where I grew up that I started to appreciate where I grew up. After gaining that perspective and once I stepped away from it for many years and started appreciating it allowed me to go back their sonically through The Soft Moon.
Have any major developments in your life [since the self-titled album] inspired Zeros? Or would we have to wait a few years to hear that album?
I think the third record is going to be the most evolutional for me. I approached Zeros with more of a concept in mind. I wanted to bookend the album with the opening track and a reversal of it to bring you out of your consciousness, into mine and then bringing you back to reality at the end. I went with a post- apocalyptic approach because I have reoccurring end of the world dreams all the time. I played into that. And I wanted to have a soundtrack formula to writing music.
The third record feels like freedom to me. I am going to be allowed to do something that comes natural. There are always expectations when it comes to a second record. Now that that’s over with, I think the third record is truly going to be me.
Do you see the project taking all sorts of different directions, tackling something new?
More me. I don’t predetermine what I write. I don’t like to think about it until it is time to write. I do want to make it more visual. That is a goal of mine. In terms of the music, I can’t really control that. But when it comes to the visual aspect, I want to enhance that more. Make that more focused. Have more a concept. I think the music already has a theme and a feel to it. People know it is The Soft Moon. Now it is time to hone in on the vision.
It sounds like you really want to develop the visual aspect of the project. What would you ideally be able to “pull off” for a live show? If you could do anything? You seem very interested in soundtracks, have you considered making a movie and scoring it? What would be your dream live performance?
Definitely. It would be amazing to make a film and score that film and combine it with the third record so the third record is part film. That would be pretty amazing. I also want to bring in more of a Neubauten approach and start banging on things… I am doing that more and more with each recording. But I want to embrace the industrial thing, but in a different way. Not because it is industrial, but because I am curious about the way that things sound.
You dropped a new video for ‘Die Life” today and are beginning an international tour tonight. How do you feel about this upcoming adventure? Do you like to tour?
I do. If I am home I get really depressed and stare at walls and drink a lot. When we are on tour I feel like there is purpose to my life. I like being active. Being productive just makes you feel better. And also having a schedule. It is cool to have a place to go, a place to be every day. But besides that it is completely spontaneous and stimulating, you never know what is going to happen because we are somewhere new everyday. It is the best of both worlds.
Are there any places that you like touring to in particular?
France is amazing. I don’t know what happened there, but they like us a lot. Barcelona, too. I could play there ten times a year, easily. Of course, Berlin. Mainly, Paris, huh?
Remember the boat in Leon? [The other dudes egg Luis on to tell “the story”] What happened? I mean, I broke my elbow open. It was the encore and it was kind of slippery…
[Justin and Kevin chime in intermediately]
We played a small barge. We were watching as the light moved up and down. As more people got on the barge we could see more and more movement.
What was cool was that drinking balanced it out.
That seems kind of counter intuitive!
It was really bothering me until I started drinking… A lot. The stage was tiny and wet. That’s the name of the new record, Tiny and Wet. I think Bon Jovi already took that… What was the name of the new Bon Jovi record? Because We Can. Seems kinda arrogant.
Check out the new official video for “Die Life” off Zeros.
The Soft Moon tour dates:
January 9 – Cambridge, MA @ T.T. The Bears *
January 10 – Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar *
January 12 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
January 13 – Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness *
January 14 – Lexington, KY @ Al’s Bar *
January 15 – Atlanta, GA @ 529 *
January 16 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge *
January 17 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook *
January 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar *
January 19 – Hamden, CT @ The Outer Space *
January 20 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
March 5 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Beauty Bar
March 7 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
March 10 – Denton, TX @ 35 Denton (Denton Fest)
March 12 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald´s
March 13 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 14 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 18 – Kansas City, KS @ Riot Room
March 20 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
March 21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
March 29 – Aarhus, Denmark @ Atlas
March 30 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Loppen
April 2 – Helsinki, Finland @ Kuudes Linja
April 6 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Meet Factory
April 7 – Budapest, Hungary @ A38
April 9 – Ljubljana, Slovenia @ K4
April 10 – Rome, Italy @ Circolo degli Artisti
April 11 – Milan, Italy @ Elita Milano Design Week Festival
April 12 – Bologna, Italy @ Covo
April 13 – Padova, Italy @ Loop / Bastione Alicorno
April 14 – Dijon, France @ Consortium
April 15 – Paris, France @ Trabendo
April 16 – London, England @ Islington Academy
April 17 – Amsterdam, Holland @ Melkweg
April 19 – Lille, France @ Le Grand Mix
April 20 – Amiens, France @ La Lune des Pirates
April 28 – Austin, TX @ Austin Psych Fest
* w/ Majical Cloudz
JANE PAIN GOES WEST
![The first hot tub crew at the Sacred Bones Rented Ranch, Yucca Valley, CA. Photo by Ms. Hannah Silk Champagne. (Taylor Brode [Sacred Bones], Soren Roi, Loke Rahbek [VÅR, Posh Isolation], Margaret Chardiet [Pharmakon], Christopher Hansell, Myself and JS Aurelius [Marshstepper, Destruction Unit].](https://jane-pain.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/hottub.jpg?w=1200)
JANE PAIN 