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.
Matt Adis, Salvation @Saint Vitus 1/13/13.Marco, Raspberry Bulbs @ Saint Vitus 1/13/13.Raspberry Bulbs Banner.Uniform Moshers.Ray hired a saxophone player off Craigslist for his birthday party. Unfortunately, the clown he hired for “$25 and an open bar” did not show up. Last days of Speakeasy. RIP Rot Gut.Cucia’s first show.Mateo and Jared at Speakeasy.Julia wilding out.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.Antown live at Santos Party House, 1/24/13.
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.
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.
Profligate live at Wierd
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.
The original picture text that inspired the “Videotape” album art.The final artwork for “Videotape”.
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.
Profligate live at Wierd
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?
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.
The Soft Moon backstage at Mercury Lounge, January 8, 2012. NYC.
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…
The Soft Moon, live at Mercury Lounge.
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.
“Zeros” cover
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.
Live at Mercury Lounge.
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.
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
Danny Pupillo, Marshstepper. Sonoran Pop Festival. Tempe, AZ.Nude models, Marshstepper. Sonoran Pop Festival.Hannes Norrvide (Lust for Youth), Christopher Hansell (Warthog, Foreplay) and Soren Roi (Søren, Røsenkopf) post Marshstepper. Sonoran Pop Festival.Lust For Youth. Sonoran Pop Festival.Pharmakon. Sonoran Pop Festival.The View from the Sacred Bones Rented Ranch in Yucca Valley, CA.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].Elias Rønnenfelt, VÅR. Sacred Bones 5-Year Anniversary Show. Joshua Tree, CA.Sean Ragon (Cult of Youth), Performing with VÅR. Sacred Bones 5-Year Anniversary.Inbetween States.Anti-Civilization Mask, Sound and Vision After the End of the World.Body Of Light, Sound And Vision After the End of the World.Christian, Gagging, Dripping but yet to be whippped, VÅR. Sound and Vision after the End of the World.Antwon at Tiki Ti’s, L.A., C.A.
Swedish synth artist Hannes Norrvide’s creates simple but intoxicating tracks reminiscent of Cremations era Cold Cave, but certainly more danceable. There is a certain freedom in his music. He says, quite simply, that he makes his music for himself and for fun, but he is certainly happy that others care to listen. I had a chance to ask Norrvide a few questions via email about his music and Growing Seeds, which Sacred Bones records have re-released today. All photos courtesy of Hanne Norrvide.
Hannes Norrvide
JANE PAIN: American label Sacred Bones is about to reissue Growing Seeds. How do you feel about the US? Why have you decided to write your songs in English and do you think it is significant at all? Are you looking forward to your upcoming American tour dates? What American bands/projects are you into right now?
HANNES NORRVIDE: I’m excited to visit US, I’ve only been there when I was very young. I’v met some really sweet people that are from the states so I hope the rest of US is like them, I don’t know.
Well, writing in english feels more safe than writing in my native language. And of course I’ve listened to a lot of music my whole life which most have been in english so it got kind of natural.
I got this 12″ by Hieroglyphic Being, I really liked that one, Gatekeeper.
Loke Rahbek and Hannes Norrvide
LFY began as a solo project but has required helping hands to play live. Now that you are working with Loke (Vår/ Posh Isolation) , do you imagine that LFY will become a more collaborative project? Could you imagine adding more members and becoming a full band, or do you prefer to be in complete control of the project?
Maybe, time will tell. It’s still kind of the same thing, I have an idea of how I want it to be and Loke gives an opinion. But it’s still me doing it for the most part.
I given it a bit of a thought, and I like not to be alone playing live but for doing the recordings I prefer right now having the full control. I think it might would be hard to let other people take a bigger part of it since I’ve mostly done this alone the whole time.
Two friends, Olivia and eleanor.
You recently relocated from Sweden to Denmark for love. Has it been as romantic as it sounds? How are you adjusting to a new relationship in a new country? How is your new home treating you?
Yes. But there is also the basic everyday stuff of course which isn’t that romantic; paying bills, arguing about the dishes and boring stuff like that. Well it’s not that different from Sweden really, except alcohol laws aren’t as strict as in Sweden. Most of the people are nice here.
kristian (Vår)
A few years ago, there was a sudden rise in the popularity of snyth based music but a lot of it was quite sentimental and aimed to be very nolstalgic (70s, 80s) but recently it seems there is a new voice of snyth based music. We may not be able to quite put our finger on it because it is happening. Do you feel akin to other comtemporary snyth projects? Is so, who and why? How do you feel that you fit in or do not fit in with other bands coming out today.
No, I have never thought about it. I have the feeling I don’t really fit in really, I think I make pop music but probably most people thinks it’s a bit too lo-fi and monotone.
What is your aim with your music? What do you want to achieve with your music? What other aspirations do you have? Where do you see LFY in the future.
To do something I enjoy doing, it’s just pure fun and if people wants to listen to it I’m honored.
You can listen to an exclusive stream of the album here via the Quietus.
REPOST/SHARE: My father’s Far Rockaway home was destroyed during Sandy and he is now homeless. In an effort to help him find permanent housing and replace damaged and unsalvageable belongings, I have set up a savings account/ Pay Pal account to accept donations for my Dad. Any little bit helps, he did not have anything to fall back on and everything from a new pair of shoes to his next meal to repairing musical gear which he relies on to make a living is an additional stress and burden that he can not afford on top of everything he is struggling with right now. You can donate now at SandyRelief4Simon@gmail.com via PayPal.
I asked my friend Antwon, a San Jose based hip hop artist to take a disposable camera for me. I don’t often listen to rap but I love his music because it is a little melted, strange and remains unique while still paying respects to our generations’ 90’s Gods. He comes from roots in punk, hardcore and metal and incorporates collaborations with amazing freaks like Dog Leather, Pictureplane and Lil Ugly Mane while sometimes spitting about Infest and smoking drugs at my old shitty punk house in Philadelphia. 1016, WHAT UP.
Tony always takes really personal photos and is good at documenting life without pretense. Everything he does always seems tinged with California vibes, too. I like these photos because they tell me how he is doing and show me who he is doing it with. They also make me want to eat a West coast burrito so much. Love you, Tony. And I am proud of you, too.
![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)
![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 