I have a crush on the song zero, zero, zero. Id so wear a headband and do a few jumping jacks to this...or wear invisible headphones through a crowd at an uncomfortable party with this song playing. It makes me so happy. I love the lyrics of how they display a mild restlessness, yet acceptance to feeling like a zero. What was the inspiration behind such song?
*Koba: Last fall i had surgery for my appendix rupturing. It was very painful. When i wrote the lyrics, i thought about that time; how unavoidable some pains are in life. And also, i really felt empty after my surgery. With on of my organs taken out, it wasn't quite Zero yet, but i really felt like i was missing something afterwards.
Who’s the songwriter in the group? What kinda roles do each of you have in the band?
*Nani: We are both song writers for the band; we both just have unique roles the majority of the time. We work well together as a team, particularly most of the time a song starts with the bass/drums... Secondly, Koba's drums will take on a few varied approaches and then last the vocals come in. We want to capture a unique/strong feeling on every song so sometimes this structure of songwriting can drift to a few other varied stages.
Satire on Satan?-is this your first release of songs? What do you like most about this ep?
*Koba: Yes, since it was our first demonstration, we just wanted to show what we were going for at the time. Looking back, there are a lot of things we could have done different, but overall we like it. It's a good demonstration of what we sound like for two people.
*Nani: We actually never planned on being a duo, it just happened to work best this way. And this EP depicts well the direction we were going at the time.
How long have you’ve been playing and how did one man from Cali and one man from Japan meet to form a band with a mesh of wonderful noisy melodies and lyrical sweetness?
*Nani: We have been playing now for just over a year. We met through mutual friends. And thank you for the kind words!
"Death on the beach making fun of jocks"... Such a clever line of sarcastic humor...did you know i once was a jock.embarrasing i know. Shhh don’t tell anybody.
Its chorus reads:"If i had tricks up my sleevethat could keep your attentionI would make you believe that i was just like them"............................." would you consider yourselves outsiders in life? Are you now or have you always been? would you consider that a struggle or an accepting pleasure-knowing that you’re way cooler on the sidelines in the shadows laughing at all those around?
*Koba: It's a song about how stupid it is to categorize/judge people. "I hate jocks, they hate me"... We are all equally absurd, just like a racist is!
You a fan of the kills? i see them in your top two on myspace.....who would you say is a killer band these days? Recommend any?
*Nani: We appreciate the tunes they create as a duo. I didn't ever really acknowledge the abundance of duo's out there, until recently. I like a band called Broadcast, I also like what the band "the horrors" are doing...
what are your visions for black patterns from Saturn....what kind of art are you trying to create?
*Koba: It's cheesy, for me to say this but ideally where "east meets the west".
*Nani: We want to continue recreating different textures as much as possible. The band will continue to focus on limitless boundaries in writing and hopefully reach unchallenged ground with each recording engineer we work with.
Any important gigs or projects coming up? What do you dudesdo for fun besides drumming and strumming?
*Nani: As for any major projects, we are just concentrating on working on a full length. And as for the two of us doing other things, there really isn't much else!
Will you ever play a show with dust cake? Yes? ;)
*Nani: Sure! But we are currently working on a tour vehicle at this moment... Hopefully this can happen soon, thanks
Dusty!
Dusty!
"Your wonderful I know you are" Tessa Tessa Tessa, this interview has been stirring up in my brain for many weeks… I realize I will never ask that perfect question for such a lovely voice…so I’m just gonna shoot out randoms...And hopefully you’ll respond ;) ….….First things first, how are you? What have you been up to lately? Playing any gigs? Creating new sounds?
- Hmmm... In English or in Swedish...? What have I been up to lately..? Well, I've been rehearsing for a gig we have on September 29. It's an arty farty happening with lots of art exhibitions, and I think the audience is right for us, because I believe that my music is a bit strange, and that not everybody understands it. But hopefully people who have an open mind can like it, and understand it. (Sorry if I write in Swenglish with wrong prepositions and expressions).
Your voice transcends beautifully…echoes a semi-sweet melancholy…airbrushed into the atmosphere….how long have you been singing? And what has inspired your voice?
- I've been singing for my self all my life. I've always been very shy and never believed I could sing because I can't sing like trained singers with whaling voices (you know what I mean, don't you. I don't even know the names of the singers with those voices; I just know that ordinary people love those voices). When I was 11 I composed the most wonderful songs with my guitar, but it was punk, so it was okay to not to sing like Whitney Houston (that's a name that popped up now). But what has inspired me..? I love female singers like Beth Gibbons in Portishead, Hope Sandoval in Mazzy Star and Stina Nordenstam, a fantastic Swedish singer. I just love their voices, but I'm not sure if I sing like them, because I don't think you can choose how to sing - you are born with some kind of voice, and I can never sing like Whitney Houston. How tragic is that?
What was it like growing up in Sweden? Describe the kind of scene you have? What’s a typical day for you there?
- Growing up? Did I ever grow up? Well, I grew up in a town, not very big, called Uppsala. It has an old university and it's very close to our capital city Stockholm. I don't have a driving license, because I have always been cycling everywhere. It's not like the U.S. And when it was too far away for cycling, I took the train. I grew up with a single, depressed mother who eventually committed suicide, and an absent father who was a musician and played on the British "Top of the Pops" in 1977, in the same episode as The Stranglers.
In your electronic release 300 boys, how would you describe its sound? & how did the idea for this release come about? Any moods/ vision/message/ ideas you want your music to portray?
- The release of "300 boys" is totally River's idea. He's the one who encouraged me. He found my music on MySpace, and asked if I was interested in releasing it on iTunes, and I said yes and went looking for ten suitable songs that I had made. Among those songs there was "300 boys" and I thought the title of the album could be the same, because I like the title. I think the album has a sound of melancholy, but also a sound of humour and irony. That's what it's meant to be anyway, and people who understand irony, understand that I'm ironic. I'm not a serious singer- songwriter.
If there were only 3 albums that you could travel around the world with, which would they be?
- Only three...? Maybe then I would choose Radiohead's "Amnesiac" because I just love it. I love the sound, Thom Yorks voice - everything! And Portishead's "Dummy" of course, because Beth Gibbon's voice and all the sounds make me weak... And I would also bring the sound track of Krzysztof Kieslowski's "La double vie de Véronique", music composed by my favorite film music composer, Zbigniew Preisner. Wonderful music, wonderful film!
Your Band the Polanskis… How long have you been playing with them….what kind of plans do you have with the band? How would you compare the bands sound to your own? What are all the projects your involved in?
- All my projects... I love projects. The Polanskis is a non-existing band... The guitarist lives in Norway, but when he visits us, we are the Polanskis. He's a very talented musician who loves The Ramones. Then there is the bassist, who lives here, and he's alright (he's actually my husband). And then there's me and my sister. When we meet, we want to make Ramones kind of songs, if you know what I mean. We want to reunite ourselves and the history of punk. If I compare The Polanskis and Tessa's holiday, I would say that The Polanskis is more for the people - more people understand The Polanskis. It's not complicated and strange, whereas Tessa's holiday is more awkward and weird; people think it's depressing and strange because they have no sense of humour. Tessa's holiday is more me, and that's because it's only me. I am Tessa. The Polanskis is a bunch of friends having fun. Then there is "A modest proposal" which is me and my dear husband. But it's only songs that we recorded when we lived in Liverpool, England.
What kind of equipment do you use; it always intrigues me on what kind of devices the artist loves/uses? Any guitars/amps/recording secrets? Which instrument are you dieing to play?
- Oh, I wish I could play the cello, or the violin. And I've been thinking of learning, but I have never the time for that. Imagine me and a cello... Isn't that instrument just wonderful. And sexy! But since I can't play the cello, I play a lot of egg. I love egg, the instrument, not the food (I'm a vegetarian). And when I record, I love to use my not very tuned piano. And when I play the bass, I want it in a special way... What's it called..? "Distad bas" in Swedish. I want it to sound raw, and with lots of echo. I love to mix the songs after recording them, and add lots of echo and sounds that I didn't know existed. I usually play synthesizer through a guitar box so it sometimes sounds like a very raw guitar. Are their any bands out there today of the underground that you admire? - I never know underground. I'm not that up to date. But I found you, didn't I, on MySpace. Your sound is fantastic! I just love it!!
Does Sweden have an MTV, if so is it as bad as ours? Haah…I just watched the MTV music video awards…and realized how poor our music vision of today is…not a lot of eclectic mix, creativity, and unique raw sounds….no love for alternative acts (even though there are millions unfound to the mainstream)….how has mainstream music in your eyes changed today in comparison to the past? What are your hopes for the mainstream music of the future?
- I don't have MTV, I'm afraid. Or should I not be? I watched it a long time ago, and I can understand what you mean. I can compare it to the Swedish radio, and the music channels only play one kind of music, and it goes round and round, and they never present anything new. We have four national radio stations, and on one of them, that plays mostly music, they only play 4 % of the released music of today, only 4 %. That means, they must play the same bands over and over again, and nobody new can ever get in. There's no chance...
What do you do for fun, besides music?
- Oh, jesus... Fun? It's the music that is fun in my life. But, okay, I have children, and they are quite all right, even though I count the days till they move away from home so I can spend more time with being more creative. No, I love writing, and maybe, someday, I will write something more serious. At the moment, I have no time. Music and language is fun! I used to travel a lot, but now I'm too relaxed and love staying at home. I live in a house that always needs to be fixed, and I love living here. I don't like gardening; I just love to live in a beautiful house that is mine. And I love the idea of having no neighbors in the walls (in Sweden most people live in apartments). Here, I have everything, including my portable studio. A
ny myspacer you recommend?
- Oh, there's a wonderful band called... Mountain Party.
Favorite books/restaurant/artist/movie/show. WHAT DOES TESSA LOVE?
- I just read. I never know what I read. When I was younger, I was more aware of what I read, and I always wanted to read the "right" stuff, and I shocked everyone by reading Charles Bukowski and such. But now, I don't care. Every time I go to England, I buy ten or twenty paper backs, so I can read when I get back home. This means I only read in English. I've studied literature, both in Swedish and in English, at the university, which means I like literature, and I'm quite open minded. Restaurant...? No, I prefer to stay here, at home, in my house. My husband makes the most wonderful food, and when I go to a restaurant, I always get a bit disappointed.. But it's always nice to go a veggie restaurant, since I don't eat meat.Well, I've already told you about Beth Gibbons... Oh, I used to listen a lot to The Smiths, and I still listen to Morrissey. He's cool. He's old. He's fat. But I still like him. Oh, and there are great Icelandic bands like Múm. You must listen to them! They are fantastic. And what else..? Yes, there's a band (I don't know if they still exist) called Solex. They're great! And I used to listen to Public Image Limited - I just loved John Lydon when I was younger. He and I share birthday (but I'm younger than him!). Movie...? Nowadays I very seldom go to the cinema. I've become a very isolated, boring and lazy person who prefers to stay at home, watching DVDs instead of going to the cinema. And I'm not very up to date when it comes to new films. But as I wrote earlier, I love Krzysztof Kieslowski films, and Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman and Wim Wenders. But I also like "Friends" and "Seinfeld" and "Extras".
What track on 300 boys do you enjoy the most?
- I think "So beautiful (I never was)" is one of my favorites. I'm quite pride that I made it. I must have had a great day that day.Any future solo releases?- Yes, why not. But at the moment, I don't think anybody has bought my present album, so we'll see. But music will always be there, in my life. Always.
EXCERPTS FROM underground DJ & Vintage Fashionista SARAH JAYNE- ARTICLE FOR DIRRTY GLAM MAG. INTERVIEW BY ME.
How would you describe your local scene of underground music/fashion/art etc? Is it hard in a city of suburban sprawl and work, work, work to get people to come out and "play"?
Oh, here it comes. I have a lot of thoughts on this one:I lived in the NW for 12 years - 4 years in Portland, OR and 8 years in Seattle, WA. I felt like I was at center of the universe when the whole grunge/'alternative' phenomena broke, it was fuckin' amazing. Around the same time 3rd wave punk and ska were emerging, rave was getting huge, goth was still a credible music genre - not reduced to just a fashion. Industrial music was a force to be reckoned with. Brit pop was on the rise. Riot grrrl took on a life of its own. There were countless emo, twee, and shoegazer bands cultivating these new music styles. LoFi garage bands had cult followings. The Grateful Dead still played, and there was a big hippie revival too. All of that was embraced by the NW. When I see footage of 60s Haight Ashbury or Carnaby Street it reminds of the NW in the early 90s, because Portland and certain neighborhoods of Seattle were so much like that; subcultural kids every which fucking way! But people are fickle, and eventually (inevitably) that all died down by '97 or so. Around the same time the whole refined hipster craze started to replace it - anorexic boys in size 2 jeans, white belts, designer shag haircuts, reading Herman Hesse at the cool coffee shop just to be seen reading Herman Hesse, that whole lot. For a time there was a garage/mod trend that went with it. Then came the swing craze. Then rockabilly/psychobilly.
I'm glad I saw it all, but 12 years of living under cloudy skies and constant rain was too taxing on my well being. So 3 years ago I moved to Arizona....HOLY FUCKIN' CULTURE SHOCK! As if the mass of Mesa Mormons wasn't bad enough, I met so called punk kids - mohawks and all - who didn't know who the Ramones or Sex Pistols were. The one frat boy I met in Seattle who thought Sid Vicious was a wrestler is excusable, but these kids should've known better, and didn't thanks (or no thanks) to cultural isolation. How sad. It really bums me out knowing that; that kids out here (the future!) who get turned on to independent music and subculture don't really have a community in which to dig deeper and cultivate their interests. They don't have a scene to go to. The closest thing they have is that occasional MTV band coming through town, or the nearest Hot Topic. Whereas in the NW, when I was that age there were multiple scenes to chose from, several cool hang outs, and tons of great record shops. Obscurity was handed to me on a silver platter. That's how it is in most major cities, but not in Phoenix. Corporate sprawl has deprived Phoenix of this experience. Because it's traditionally a retirement area (and most retirees just want to golf, scratch their asses, and get changed twice a day), it was built with the isolationist in mind. Downtown is a ghost town, commercial developers gentrified the art district and these same developers continued to buy every inch of land/property they can to house even more corporate tennants. Most small businesses can't afford to lease a 10,000 square foot space next to Wal-Mart. It's a similar situation with housing. My best friend nailed it on the head when she said other cities build upwards, but Phoenix builds outwards. This shit isolates people further. There's no centralized hub of creative activity. No neighborhood where you can go hang out for hours, people watch, shop from store to store, and party in one day. So many small businesses, club nights, and other creative ventures bomb because of this, because half their market lives 40 minutes away or more. But that isn't to suggest Phoenix has nothing going for it!!!!! There are bars like the Bikini Lounge, the Rouge, George & Dragon, Rhythm Room, Casa Blanca, and the Ruby Room which support local bands and dj's, as well as coffee houses like the Willo House. There's a huge underground art scene sprawling with amazing artists and photographers, and several independent art galleries. There's several badass bands here! The Love Me Nots, Eurovox, White Demons, Kill Baby Kill, Del-Vamps, New Romantics, Glass Heroes, Modern Girlfriends, Dust Cake, Rebel Set, Oh No's, Complainiacs, Cryin' Shames, Sister Cities, Labor Party, Earps, Black Star Carnival, Hell On Heels, and Dakota & the Black River Bandit are worth checking out. Record shops like Stinkweeds and Eastside offer a nice alternative to Sam Goody. There's tons of independent designers, and boutiques such as Frances, Red Modern / Mint Vintage, and Gold Lion which showcase them. But best of all, when you meet someone 'on the scene' here, there's a good chance that they're truly into what they're into, not just posing around to look cool. Punk rock isn't pasted on billboards here like it is in Hollywood. When you meet people here deeply knowledgeable about art, music, fashion, etc., you know they went that extra 10 miles to educate themselves. There's A LOT to be said for that. Phoenix as a city isn't community friendly, but its art community and subcultural folks are truly underground. Whew!
I'm glad I saw it all, but 12 years of living under cloudy skies and constant rain was too taxing on my well being. So 3 years ago I moved to Arizona....HOLY FUCKIN' CULTURE SHOCK! As if the mass of Mesa Mormons wasn't bad enough, I met so called punk kids - mohawks and all - who didn't know who the Ramones or Sex Pistols were. The one frat boy I met in Seattle who thought Sid Vicious was a wrestler is excusable, but these kids should've known better, and didn't thanks (or no thanks) to cultural isolation. How sad. It really bums me out knowing that; that kids out here (the future!) who get turned on to independent music and subculture don't really have a community in which to dig deeper and cultivate their interests. They don't have a scene to go to. The closest thing they have is that occasional MTV band coming through town, or the nearest Hot Topic. Whereas in the NW, when I was that age there were multiple scenes to chose from, several cool hang outs, and tons of great record shops. Obscurity was handed to me on a silver platter. That's how it is in most major cities, but not in Phoenix. Corporate sprawl has deprived Phoenix of this experience. Because it's traditionally a retirement area (and most retirees just want to golf, scratch their asses, and get changed twice a day), it was built with the isolationist in mind. Downtown is a ghost town, commercial developers gentrified the art district and these same developers continued to buy every inch of land/property they can to house even more corporate tennants. Most small businesses can't afford to lease a 10,000 square foot space next to Wal-Mart. It's a similar situation with housing. My best friend nailed it on the head when she said other cities build upwards, but Phoenix builds outwards. This shit isolates people further. There's no centralized hub of creative activity. No neighborhood where you can go hang out for hours, people watch, shop from store to store, and party in one day. So many small businesses, club nights, and other creative ventures bomb because of this, because half their market lives 40 minutes away or more. But that isn't to suggest Phoenix has nothing going for it!!!!! There are bars like the Bikini Lounge, the Rouge, George & Dragon, Rhythm Room, Casa Blanca, and the Ruby Room which support local bands and dj's, as well as coffee houses like the Willo House. There's a huge underground art scene sprawling with amazing artists and photographers, and several independent art galleries. There's several badass bands here! The Love Me Nots, Eurovox, White Demons, Kill Baby Kill, Del-Vamps, New Romantics, Glass Heroes, Modern Girlfriends, Dust Cake, Rebel Set, Oh No's, Complainiacs, Cryin' Shames, Sister Cities, Labor Party, Earps, Black Star Carnival, Hell On Heels, and Dakota & the Black River Bandit are worth checking out. Record shops like Stinkweeds and Eastside offer a nice alternative to Sam Goody. There's tons of independent designers, and boutiques such as Frances, Red Modern / Mint Vintage, and Gold Lion which showcase them. But best of all, when you meet someone 'on the scene' here, there's a good chance that they're truly into what they're into, not just posing around to look cool. Punk rock isn't pasted on billboards here like it is in Hollywood. When you meet people here deeply knowledgeable about art, music, fashion, etc., you know they went that extra 10 miles to educate themselves. There's A LOT to be said for that. Phoenix as a city isn't community friendly, but its art community and subcultural folks are truly underground. Whew!
DJ Dolly Rocker, is that your stage name behind the booth mixin your choice tunes of all things garage/60s/newwave/pop/punk? How'd you get such a gig? Ever plan on making this a regular identity or is it just an alter ego?
I've been in touch with my inner dj for as long as I've been into music. As a child I always made mix tapes for friends and talked non-stop about bands I was into. Now I also burn cd's, upload mp3's, and help friends promote their bands and club nights. DJ'ing is something I've always wanted to do, and was a career I considered going into as a teen. I opted against being a professional radio dj though, as the overall lack of variety on air at the time bummed me out. It seemed like every station was pressured to play the same top 10 oldies hits or flavor of the week rap songs ad nauseum... either that or an endless slew of half-assed, watered down excuse for rock bands. Total zombification and a form of brainwashing to me, definitely NOT rock & roll! How sad is it that most commercial success has less to do with talent and more to do with how you look, who you know, and what ass you're willing to kiss? No thanks! That's not the sort of thing I want involvement in. Thank god we have more options these days thanks to technology! Sirius, XM radio, and the countless 'net based radio shows are paving the way for more dj's, making it possible to hear bands off the beaten path. The amount of variety out there is overwhelming even, but that's a good thing. Hopefully it'll break down more barriers, which is what music should really be about. Maybe some day I'll have my own radio show after all, but until then, I'm perfectly happy spinning at the local clubs. My friend Kate had a punk rock dj night at a local club called Ky's (since renamed Glam). I asked her to teach me how to spin and she did. Thanks, Kate! Slowly afterwards people offered me gigs, and I just went from there. I don't know about you, but I've always wanted to change my name! I play out that fantasy by having a 'stage name' like many other dj's do. Dolly Rocker comes from the Syd Barrett song of the same name. I wouldn't legally change my name to that though! If I ever introduce myself as 'Dolly Rocker' outside a club, please, shoot me.
How would you describe your style both musically and fashionably?
Insanely eclectic! I grew up exposed to jazz, country, rockabilly, surf, mainstream oldies, new age, r&b, hard rock, and punk alike. I appreciate diversity, and my musical taste reflects that. But I've gotta say, music wise, I'm very subculturally biased. I'm into a lot of 'collectors genres' such as 50s rockabilly, 60s garage/freakbeat, yeye (a form of 60s French pop), 70s glam/glitter rock, early punk, early psychobilly, mod revival, c86 (an entire sub-genre of early indie rock which was very Smiths influenced), twee pop (another indie sub-genre), shoegaze (yet another indie sub genre), etc. etc. I'm all about songs that are insanely catchy, that should've been hits, or bigger hits, but weren't. I think that's the best music in the world. As far as personal fashion sense goes, I'm heavily into 1920s-1970s fashion. Some of the '80s stuff ain't too shabby either. I love the whole ladylike 50s/60s aesthetic of having everything match just so. I like when purses and belts match shoes, when tights pick up accent colors in prints, when every hair is perfectly in place and makeup is neatly done. Little details like that make the whole.
Your myspace page holds an impressive list of eclectic (esp. 60s pop/punk) music....Which is your fav and why? Are there any bands today that you admire or do you much prefer a musical mix of past time pleasures?
Pffffft, like I'd really narrow it down to one! I own over 1,000 albums and hundreds of singles, and don't intend to stop anytime soon. But I'll level with ya; I think most albums consist of only one or two good songs, and a bunch of filler crap in between. Still, as a music fanatic it's worth it to me to have that song or two on vinyl. My favorite bands/artists are ones who released a slew of brilliant singles, or at least one album which is good from start to finish. As far as older artists go, some of my favorites include:The Creation, Les Crabs!, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Wanda Jackson., The Rezillos, Cocksparrer, Cockney Rejects, the Flatmates, 60s France Gall, Gorilla, Mazzy Star, The Birds, Elastica, The Fall, Slowdive, the Joneses, Janis Martin, the Collins Kids, T Rex, The Bats, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, and Titch, Vodka Collins, Michel Polnareff, the Caretaker Race, the Beatles, the Ramones, and anything with psychobilly godfather Nigel Lewis. When it comes to new artists, I especially love Dressy Bessy from Denver, the Love Me Nots from Phoenix, the Doll Squad from Australia/Europe, the Greatest Hits from Seattle, Melody Club from Sweden, Don Juan Dracula from Norway, Nagg from San Francisco, and Prima Donna from LA. I think the latter one in particular are on to something. I'm dying for a 70s glam revival, and these guys have that sound down pat. They could be the next big thing.
