Thepunkguy

One of my favorite new bands these days is a band called Giants. They are an instrumental band from Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. If you know me and my musical taste these days, you know that this band plays cinematic, beautiful sweeping instrumental music alla This Will Destroy You, Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed and a less metal-y Pelican.

I was able to email James(and the rest of the band) to get an idea of what influenced them and how they have a band that’s in three states at once..

(Check the bottom for a free MP3)

START HERE>

Can you tell me who’s in the band and what roles they play?

Dave Livingston – Bass
Joshua Sparks – Drums
Heath Hospodarsky – Guitar
Josh Parks – Guitar
James Lyle – Guitar

We have also all played other instruments on recordings such as the obligatory bells, piano, keyboard, extra percussion type stuff, etc.

How long have you been together?

We formed in August of 2005. The first time I met Heath Dave was at our first practice actually. Naturally it was love at first sight.

Where are you guys from? How was that influenced your music?

We are all from around the same area of Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa. We met while we lived there but for most of the time that we’ve been a band we’ve lived in different cities. I lived in Chicago for a few years and Dave and Heath lived in Minneapolis for a while. Now I live Minneapolis and they live in Iowa City and the Josh’s live in Cedar Falls.

Being from your classic “middle of nowhere” type environment really lends itself to our type of music I think. Or just writing music in general. There’s not much to do so you have to create your own fun a lot of the time. Which for us meant learning an instrument and starting a band.

What have you released so far? where can I find it?

We released a 4 song EP back in 2005, They, The Undeserving in 2007 and Old Stories in 2008. You can find our music in several locations including Cavity Records webstore, The Mylene Sheath’s webstore, iTunes or just buy typing it in online to download it. Preferably through one of our label’s webstores though. Or if you see us live we always have stuff with us as well.

Our last cd Old Stories was just released on vinyl by Cavity Records so check that out!

look HERE.

Tell us about your writing process:

A lot of the time we prefer to start with a guitar part that one of us writes and then take that to the whole band, or to just another member to slowly build the song. For example, I’ll write a guitar part, do a crappy recording of it on Garage Band and then send it off to Heath. He’ll then write something off of it or throw back ideas of how to change it and then write something from that. Then we’ll bring that to an actual practice so we can be a little more prepared then just “jamming” all the time.

If we lived together and could practice every other day we would probably just write as a band more but it’s difficult because we only have a weekend a month or every couple months to get together.

What would you say are your biggest influences? Where does GIANTS sounds come from?

Our influences as a band definitely cover every base. We have all played/play in bands that are totally different from giants (metal/hardcore/pop-punk/etc) so it would be hard to list each persons personal influences. I guess my earliest instrumental influence was probably GY!BE (Godspeed you black emperor). My friend showed me F#A# in junior high soon after it came out and it was in love.

What was instrumental (no pun intended) to have no vocals in your band/?

Basically, none of us wanted to sing for the band and that is why we became an instrumental band. Haha. That is another reason why our EP sounds a lot different than our other 2 records. At the time we wrote the music, we were planning on adding vocals at some point. So they are formatted in more of a…verse chorus type structure.

If you could turn anyone on to a local band or friends of yours, who would it be? why/?

Iowa Bands: Former Thieves, Long Nights, Christian Brown, Beat Strings, Old Scratch Revival Singers, Followed by Ghosts, Stubborn Tiny Lights vs. Clustering Darkness Forever OK?, William Elliot Whitmore, Slipknot, Etc.

These are some of our friends bands/ bands from Iowa in general that are all great (esp./obviously Slipknot).
(Editors note: Really Slipknot?)

What are the band’s future plans?

Currently Josh & Josh’s other band Former Thieves are on a 3 month tour so nothing in the immediate future but we hope to be writing for a new full length and recording sometime in the next year. Unfortunately we’ve been working/in school so we haven’t been able to tour at all in the last year besides a few shows here and there. Hopefully when our next record comes out we’ll be able to get back out on the road some.

How important is design for you guys? packaging, shirts, websites?

Design is pretty important for us. I did a lot of our earlier (crappier) designs for shirts and stuff but in the last couple of years Three Bears Design has been doing our design stuff (packaging, shirts, posters, etc) and it has been amazing. We love the work they have done for us so check out their stuff.

Internet? Like that dirty cousin or a lover?

The internet has been amazing for booking tours for sure. I don’t even understand how bands could have booked their own tours even ten years ago. We (Heath) have done the majority of our booking through messaging other bands on myspace and we’ve been able to get on so many great shows and fill up dates on tours because of it. So, thank you internets.

What do you think it more important, a band’s live show or discography ? Why?

Both are very important I’d say. It’s weird how you can listen to a band and not like them, then see them live and love them and vice versa.

An amazing live show is an added bonus to a band you already like. I’d say the music is most important…but the live show is what sets bands apart.

I think with all that bands can do in the studio to make a record sound amazing…it is refreshing when they can pull it off perfectly live as well.

Any last words on why people should check out GIANTS ?

Like…cause if you don’t check out our band…the terrorists win….and stuff.

Their MYSPACE IS HERE.
Buy their last album on VINYL it’s fucking great HERE>

MP3’s:

Giants – Where The Ages Steal

thank you to the band for taking the time.

So I started Guest Blogging over at Break Thru Radio..

I also did an interview and a radio show.

please go over HERE and then go to articles and Blogger of the week. Check out some of the posts I did here and then

GO HERE to hear my radio show.

Thanks.

WHAT’S IN A LABEL: A new ongoing interview series with record label owners about what got them started, what keeps them going and what would make them stop putting out incredible records.

EXOTIC FEVER RECORDS:

I spoke to Katy O. about her label Exotic Fever. Exotic Fever is from the DC area and puts out some really great independent bands, ranging from melodic girl fronted post punk to pretty aggressive DC style rock. Katy was great and got back to me sooo quickly, she’s my new best friend. Please check out her releases down at the bottom, free Mp3s and her website. And buy some of her fantastic music.

1. What made you want to start a label? How did it get started?

I had a bunch of friends in bands, as I was, that I saw have really stupid and bad experiences with labels. They did not have people who believed in them giving their attention and energy to the releases in ways that I thought made sense. My friend Bonnie who was my bandmate at the time in a former band Bald Rapunzel ended up starting Exotic Fever, for a release that did not have a home. She roped me in, which was easy to do because I had been interested. Now, I run the label solely.

2. Did you have a mentor or someone in the industry that was able to guide you? if so, who was it and what advice did they give?

Kim Colletta, Brian Lowit, Jenny Toomey and Ian MacKaye have all been tremendous role models and mentors for me. I got a lot of advice on what manufacturing to do with, how to manage distribution, and so forth.

3, What release or milestone are you proudest of?

We just hit our 30th release. I can’t believe it and I am thrilled.

(more…)

I don’t remember where or how I came across Charles Glaubitz work first but I can tell you this, he was the first artist I ever commissioned to do work for me and he, might be, one of the nicest men I have never met. I have since bought at least 5 paintings from him and have referred him to at least two other people. Check out this interview I did with him over the internet.

What is your name?
Charles Glaubitz Gonzalez

Where do you live and work? How would you say that has defined you as
an artist?
I live and work in PLayas de Tijuana, Mexico. Right on the border
between Mexico and USA, it has made my work what it is…where the third
world meets the first with a flood gate and some fanatics with guns
called the minutemen.

How long have you been selling paintings for?
about 6 years

Do you have any exhibits running right now? Any future ones? What are
you working on right now?
Yes I do, HERE!

What is your creative process?
content, sketches, painting, sip of beer, painting, sip of tequila,
painting, finish.

What is your favorite medium?
right now is acrylic

What is your current favorite subject?
modern myths, esoterism, quantum physics, magic, indigo children, new
age, politics, environmentalism.

I know you are a family man, besides paying bills how does that effect your subject or your process?
It has changed my outlook on my work alot!instead of being angry and our
society for its stupidity and making paintings about it!I figured out
that two negatives just repel each other and don’t really make a change,
so my work ahs changed into sometime that hopefully has a different
positive outlook and that will have a larger effect than the negative.

How has that changed from your past paintings?
well look at this way, before I wanted to burn all McDonalds with
molotovs, now I understand that if I do that they will build more!!so
it is better for me to go to school, get a masters in business and work
myself to the top of the board and then bankrupt the damn mother fucker
with bad buisness decisions.

what have you been listening to most?Does it effect your process? why
and how?
I keep always going back to tommy guerrero, pink floyd, miles davis
bitches brew, art bell coast to coast, deepak chopra quantum healing,
dorren virtue, grant morrison….

How long does it take for you to finish a piece?
a little beer, a little tequila and some weed.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
being a good husband(well thats my opinion) and a good father

How does your location effect your paintings?
they did in the beginning, but they don’t now!

Are there any contemporary artists that you love? Dead artists?
Jose clemente Orozco, Gary Panter, Lee Baxter Davis, Jack Kirby, Hiyao
Miyazaki,

What do you think of the current state of Art in the US / MEXICO?
The outsider art movement in the US to me is my favorite, it is honest,
sincere and what it is…it has no snobby pretentious attachments,
obviously the snobby art is what is in the art circles!!!in Mexico it is
all about Gabriel Orozco, a snobby pretentious artist.

Can we buy your paintings / sketches / prints anywhere?
Yes Checkout www.mrglaubitz.com as well as galeria h&h

Red or Blue?
both! they make each other stronger!

Anything that people should know about that we don’t??
Yeah!That a spoon full of salt in a glass of water makes the water
undrinkable and a spoon full of salt in a lake goes unnoticed.

Any last words?
the after proceeds the before always.

CHECK OUT CHARLES GLAUBITZ SITE HERE.

CHECK OUT MORE HERE.

Miles Davis – JOhn Maclaughlin

Tommy Guerrero – Post Primative

I met DANIEL DANGER at Flatstock, which is an ongoing traveling poster / print show, that was attached to the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this summer. Honestly, his work really stood out to me not to mention he had some great buttons too. Anyway, here are some email questions he has kindly answered for thepunkguy.

What is your name?

my real name is daniel john niejadlik, but only about 4 people actually know that. when i was 15 and in my first punk band in high school, we did that whole make-your-last-name-the-band-name thing and our band was called “the dangerouslys”, after the micheal keaton movie Johnny Dangerously. the name just sort of stuck, it certainly didnt help that my real last name was virtually unpronounceable. you can try, but you wont get it right unless youre polish.

Where do you live and work?

im currently residing in the woods of leverett, in western massachusetts. i have a house that i share with a few friends/bandmates/fellow artist-folk of mine. we specifically wanted a house with no neighbors and a large basement due to my facination with oversized vintage amplifers, and chris and justins tendancies towards neil-peart-ing whenever nobody is home, or whenever i have a headache and am trying to take a nap.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE STUDIO HERE>

myself and justin myer staller (a fellow printmaker and photographer) have a new studio space in orange MA, which is currently taking up most of our time and money. its coming along nicely, but has been a headache since day one. in MA alot of the former industrial cities are opening up old mill buildings as artists studios and small production shops and the such. this leads to really great artists communitys and has opportunitys for shows and small internal gallerys in an already incredibly rich cultural area. orange MA is being “developed” into a future “artist friendly city” but im fairly confident were the first ones here. theres a nice waterfront park going in across the street, and an amazing junk shop down the road with 2 floors of nothing but old analog jukeboxes though, so im all set.

the intention for this space is to be a small collective, were opening it up to other artists who want access to the equipment we have been fortunate enough to own, as well as a small permanant workplace of their own, access to other creative minds, and i think ill do more work if more people are around.

How long have you been selling your artwork for?

ive been making terrible punk rock flyers for years now, my first public outing i think would be when i showed at flatstock 4 in austin texas at SXSW. i shared a booth with leia bell and really came to meet other the other artists and hopefully stick my neck out into things. i had such an amazing time and met such amazing people that it got me hooked. my parents have been selling their work (pottery and photography) at art shows since i was a child, so i grew up literally at art shows every other weekend, so the atmosphere felt like home to me.

Do you have any exhibits running right now? Any future ones?

none at the moment, though there is alot going on in my future. justin myer and i have a split show at the A/V space in rochester NY the whole month of may. and then i have another collab show with the ridiculous rob jones at mystery city in chicago, where we will both bask in our mutual love of red and black on every possible surface. besides those, ill be at flatstock 12 in austin in march selling some wares and other assorted secret goodies.

What is your creative process?

mostly i panic. then stuff comes out.

Tell me about Tiny Media, how did it get started, who’s involved.…

tiny media empire was started by myself and a writer/musician/nonsexualmanpartner of mine stephen swift as a way to simply produce things (weither they be prints, or small books, or albums or whatever) that people might like and a way to tell them about it. we figured we should simply pool our resources. plus, he knew how to code an online store and all i know how to do is draw trees.

What is your favorite medium?

oh ill pretty much take anything. you name it, im sure its shown up somewhere. i hate oil paints though, but im sure i should prolly learn to love them.

What is your current favorite subject?

i prefer a calm yet unsettling surrealist aesthetic to my work. i like ambulances lost in the middle of snowy woods, girls turning into herons, beds floating into the sky, ghosts with meanings on a thousand different levels, and lots and lots of trees that are just too tall and dont seem to end.

How long does it take for you to finish a piece ?

usually the piece is done within a day, ill marathon it for 24 hours and forget to eat. but ill sit and stare at it for 2 weeks deciding what i hate about it and nitpicking pointlessly until someone tells me to stop.

How has that changed from your past paintings ?

it hasnt really, ive always been a fast worker. the only thing i feel that has really changed in my process over the years, besides the whole ‘finding new processes and methods’ side of things, but on a mental level, is that i have much more of a drive to really push myself and what im capable of. there are so many amazing artists working out there right now that are stepping up their game and doing incredibly inspirational work that leaves me feeling completely useless and angry that im not there on that level, but the recovery process from that hit is what makes us better. theres a certain ego-fueled side that just wants to dominate every one of them while hoping they dominate you right back.

I know you are into music quite a bit, what have you been listening to most?

recently, ive been listening to alot of newer albums to see what sticks. the new explosions in the sky, the new regina spektor (whos last album is a favorite), the new converge, that andrew bird album that isnt even really new but its new to me (3 boxes of the LP were delivered on the road to a band i was touring with last march, i snagged a copy but didnt pull it out till recently, it rules).

my tastes are all over the place, as to be expected. ive got a wall of LPs ranging from everything from neo-classical post-rock to 90s So-Cal emo to bedroom low-fi singer songwriters to IDM to brash noisey gimmick bands who wear costumes and sing grind songs about christmas and dragons. come to think of it, i think i have a few thrash punk albums that are about christmas. ‘bild a howz’ comes to mind. god i wish that band could come play my kitchen. for the sake of discussion, my all time favorite albums are..
plow united – s/t
swing kids / spanakorzo split 10″ (song below)
phonem – ilusu
jeremy enigk – return of the frog queen
the feelies – crazy rhythms
jimmy eat world – clarity
aloha – sugar
and last but certainly not leastly, converge – jane doe.

Does it effect your process? why and how?

i think its pretty safe to say it doesnt really effect my process, music carrys me through the process to occupy otherwise dead silence, but my goal and process is usually dictated by other things. it never lines up anyways, my most peaceful and calming prints were prolly created while listening to scary shouty music and my most angry and unsettling prints were likely created while listening to the go-go’s or something. once in a while ill get the same feeling i get with other artists but ill get it from someones lyrics, something so beautiful and telling that it makes me dig deeper to say something worth saying.

What is the process of working with a Musician ?

get approached about a project, agree to do the project, actually do the project, not get paid for the project, spend a year emailing the musician/band with no replies, end up buying the record from a third party just to see what it actually looks like. usually thats how it goes down.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far ?

not dying.

How does your location effect your paintings?

i like forests, i grew up in the woods. i know the big push nowadays is for really urban artwork, and i sort of find myself distanced from that. the most ‘urban’ piece i ever did declared that the city i lived in was literally making me sick. that was my farewell piece and i returned back to rural western MA. the bonuses include having windows instead of reference photos, and i could play drums at 4am if i really wanted to. i like work with solitary figures and quiet enviroments and a sense of isolated uncertain surrealism, i couldnt find that in rochester NY or NYC or anywhere really. i love travelling or touring with bands and spending very limited time in as many varied places as i can and taking in what i can, but theres always that part of me that just wants to be alone in the woods.

Are there any contemporary artists that you love? Dead artists?

jay ryan, aaron horkey, jeral tidwell, chris ware, dan mccarthy, jermaine rogers, john howard, judge, myles karr, jordan crane, and a ton others im sure ill regret forgetting. those are the people nowadays who are kicking my ass and making me try harder. oh, and bill watterson’s entire catalog. as for the dead ones; e.h.shepard, john tennial, alphonse mucha. pretty much anyone who can draw a good looking tree or a good looking girl.

What do you think of the current state of Art in the US?

when people talk about current happenings and names in modern art, i tend to smile and nod alot. i tend to keep to myself and you can only learn so much on the internet. theres a loop and im out of it. theres alot of things that i see that make me so happy and excited that someone can be so brilliant. and theres a lot of awful trends i really wish would just dissapear from the earth, which mostly relate to the trends of ‘being an artist’ rather than the art those people sometimes make. but art is art, purely subjective on all fronts.

Can we buy your paintings / sketches / prints anywhere?

i have an online store at tinymediaempire.com, but really the best way to get a hold of things is to get on my mailing list, because i always sell to them first, and sometimes things dissapear before the general public ever see’s them. theres also a few places that carry prints and shirts of mine, postersandtoys.net being one. oh and theres ebay, but im not the one putting things up there…

Anything that people should know about that we don’t??

i make a tuna melt that can stop wars. it says so on my resume.

Any last words?

” i saw doves and i thought they were rocks, but they were asleep. my breath made them stir, and the rocks took flight, the earth exploding…and my only thought was that i wanted you to see them, too.” – douglas coupland

“youre right, a robot would have to be crazy to want to be a folk singer.” – bender the robot

-dd

A song from one of Dan’s favorite records: Swing Kids – Disease
HIS SITE.

THANKS DANIEL.

Recently I spoke with Dave Leto from the Mighty Rye Coalition about Dave Grohl, being in a band forever and one of my favorite topics, New Jersey. Check it out below:
]
Can you tell me who’s in the band and what they do?

Ralph Cuseglio
Singer, Lyric Writer, Former David Yow Slapee, Current David Yow Slapper, They have that Rick James/ Charlie Murphy relationship. Also drives a cab (poorly) and has the craziest hookshot in basketball since Kurt Rambis

Jon Gonnelli
Guitarrorist. What can I say about this guy. He has a guitar made of chrome. Its a weapon both on and off stage. He can do thatthing where he lets spit dangle really far and can then suck it back up.

Herbert Joseph Wiley V
Guitarded. This guy is like Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, and Ritchie Blackmore all rolled into one insane individual. You may also call him to find out when your furniture will be delivered

Dave Leto
D(r)umb(s) Can Also be found on the basketball court sometimes with Kurt Rambis. People say I am like a white Larry Bird. Full time Mr. Mom. If in the Jersey City area and you need a diaper changed, I’m your dude.

Bass Player:
Photo not Available

How long have you guys been around?
WE have been around since forming in high school 1994. Which would make us old. We played on and off together thru school, girllfriends, etc….

What’s the trick on being a band for so long?
First & foremost, the band should be made up of friends. You can all be into it when you are home practicing, but the true self comes out when you get in a van for three weeks. You may kill someone, so you want to make sure the band is a good fit. Secondly, do it until it is fun, when it is no longer fun and enjoyable, STOP.

What have you guys released? Where can I get it?
DISCOGRAPHY:
Full Length Albums
Curses – 2006 GERNBLANDSTEN.
On Top – 2002 TIGERSTYLE.
Lipstick Game – 1999 GERNBLANDSTEN.
Hee Saw Dhuh Kaet – 1996 GERNBLANDSTEN.

ALL OF THESE ARE READILY AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM, ITUNES, RECORD STORES (GOOD ONES), EBAY AND AT OUR SHOWS OR GERNBLANDSTEN.COM

EPs
Chariots On Fire – 2006 (RELEASES IN EUROPE CAN STILL FIND IT ON EBAY)
Jersey Girls – 2003 AMAZON, TIGERSTYLE.COM
Karp / Rye Split EP (compiles split 12″ and first 7″) – 1997 EBAY AMAZON TROUBLEMAN
Karp / Rye Split 12″ – 1996 EBAY AMAZON TROUBLEMAN
The Dancing Man (Demo) – 1994 JUST SAW ONE ON EBAY

7″s
Got This Thing On The Move b/w Whole Lotta Rosie 7″ (SUB POP) – 2003 EBAY ONLY
New Sherriff In Town 7″ – 1996 GERNBLANDSTEN.COM
Teen-age Dance Session 7″ – 1995 EBAY TOUBLEMANUNLIMITED.COM
Maximillian Colby / Rye Coalition split 7″ – 1995 EBAY ONLY
Rye Coalition / The VSS split 2×7″ EBAY ONLY ONCE AGAIN

COMPILATIONS
ABC’s OF PUNK ROCK (EBAY?) 12 inch
STEALING THE POCKET (EBAY?) 12 inch
aND SOME OTHER SEVEN INCH WITH FOUR BANDS ON IT

Tell me what it means to be a Jersey band and how does living in Jersey effect your music?
Lots of Jersey bands are emo, and you know how I feel about that. I liken it to the guy in the zebra spandex outfit in Heavy Metal Parking Lot talking about punk music. Then other bands are weekend warrior bar bands. Or BOn Jovi or Bruce Springsteen

What the writing process behind Rye?
Someone comes in with a big fat monster riff, then we work on it with a W.W.I.S.D. mentality (WHAT WOULD IZZY STRADLIN DO) mentality. Or Someone has a whole song written and we try to learn it and make it ours forever, like Robert Goulet when he gets his paws on something. Or we get high, start a fire, kick around the hackey sack and jam out like a fucking Burning Man band. Just kidding about that last part, Or am I?

Congrats on having a baby, by the way, how does that effect your life?
Thanks, I try to explain to people, you are never ready until you have the baby, then it all comes together,. I tell people imagine the coolest thing thats ever happened to you or you have seen and multiply it by 1,000,000,000.

Will you do a sountrack for Are We There Yet 3?
You give me money and I will do a sound track for a Nambla movie. My baby needs diapers

I know that you guys have had some label troubles in the past, what has kept you guys together?
The desire to prove certain FAT CATS wrong. LEt them feel like they have made a mistake. Most importantly, its the friendship and the music. I we were doing this to get rich, don’t you think we would have stopped years ago?

Is there a show or tour moment that is your favorite?
There are so many , and sometimes they all blur into one memory
i really like this last tour we did of Europe, It was half arenas (with the Foos) and half small headlining shows. It was very fun. Then there was the time we played in New Orleands with The Ex Models & The Apes (both bands I love) and there was no one there. We set up our gear and each band member had their stuff in a different corner, it was very funny. Ralph ran across the bar, kicked some drinks over, fell thru the roof of a little sitting booth, and got his necked clawed and bloodied by the bartender. Best three songs we ever played. The other bands had to load our shit out because we werent allowed back in

Also the last tour we did with Golden was amazing. A great band

Buy this record now!!!!!

Really, how good is that Karp split 12 inch you guys did??
It’s pretty good. It’s funny to listen to now. It brings back many teenaged memories. Both bands did a really short song and a really long song, but we didn’t know we both were going to do that. Also I think both sides of th\e record are exactly the same length. Minus the lame Star Wars cover art (I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY STAR WARS MOVIES) I think its great

Your new record was produced by Dave Grohl, what was he like to work with?
It was how you would imagine it to be, fun laid back, a good time hanging and cracking jokes and shit… It was like ahving another dude in the band.
He is an extremely great guy

Who’s better, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, the Boss or The Fugees?
Love Bon jovi, Queen Latifah, eh…. The Fugees The Score was like the record of my high school. Queen Latifah’s video rental store in Jersey City was closed because they were selling bootleg movies. hehhehe

What have you been listening to most these days?
Hmm, Babies crying, QOTSA, , DOOBIE BROS, Steely Dan, Mars Volta, Orchestra Extra Golden , Muse, Kanye, Murs, Elliott Smith. 5Style, Tortoise. Betty Davis, Outkast (Not the new one) I dont know

What’s your favorite NJ joke?
WE put it on one of our T Shirts. It had an outline of NJ and it said “kiss your girlfriend where it smells, Take Her To NJ. We sold lots of them, especially to lesbians. It worked on so many levels

Any shows coming up?
NOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPEEE. We are currently training and brainwashing a new bass player and writing some new crud, so it may be awhile…

RYE COALITION’S SITE HERE.

Rye Coalition – Honky Please! (from On Top)

Rye Coalition – White Jesus of 114th St (From the Karp split)

Rye Coalition – Pussyfootin (from Curses)

BUY ALL THEIR MATERIALS HERE.

thanks dave.
(no, thank you)

To continue with my absolute Swedish obession, I recently talked with Dan from Friska Viljor. Please check out the short but interesting interview below:

Can you tell me who’s in the band and what roles they play?
Joakim Sveningsson – Lead vocals, mandoline
Daniel Johansson – Guitar, vocals
Ludvig Rylander – Guitar, vocals
Maria Lindén – Organ, vocals
Mattias Areskog – Bass, vocals
Markus Bergkvist – Drums, vocals

Where are you guys from?
Stockholm, Sweden

Can you tell me why Swedish indie music is soo good? Why do you think, is it number 2 in Europe only next to the UK in English speaking rock?
Actually we think that Swedish music is just as good as British. The only difference is that the UK has a lot more bands than Sweden. A broader base, but the top bands in Sweden is totally comparable to the British, if not even better.
We can only speak for ourselves why that is. In our case it´s a combination of broken hearts and easy access to alcohol that has made Friska Viljor what we are. Maybe hearts break more easily here in Sweden… (Editor’s note, I think Swedish music is better than English too)

How long have you been together?
1.5 year

Where does the name come from?
The name was made up the first night we started playing together. It´s just two drunks sarcastic comment on how they were (not) feeling at the time. But still with a little bit of hope in it… Friska Viljor is a Swedish and kinda hard to translate into English but the word for word translation would be “Healthy Wills” or maybe “Cheerful Wills” or something like that.

How did you guys meet?
Joakim and Daniel go way back, about fifteen years back to be more precise. Both born in the small town Värnamo in the southern of Sweden they´ve been trying to write rock´n roll history together since high school. Markus, also born in Värnamo but three years later, tagged along a couple of years later. Maria is an old friend of Daniels sister and Ludvig, Mattias and Daniel met when the three of them started to play with the swedish artist Marit Bergman.

What have you released so far? where can I find it?
The ep “Gold” and the album “Bravo!” Distributed through SonyBmg in Sweden. The rest of the world can order the album from the fantastic store Bengans.

What is the scene like where you live?
There is a whole lot of exellent bands in Stockholm but unfortunately the live scene is quite small. There aren´t many places to play live gigs in if you are a small garage band with no record deal or booker. The music played is mostly rock but with very inventful ways of playing it. Swedish bands tend to take a bit wider turns in music.

How does being Swedish effect your process in making music?
Don´t know – it´s very dark and cold between october and march. Might be one of the things that gives the bittersweet sound.

What would you say are your biggest influences?
Alcohol and broken hearts… and hope…

If you could turn anyone on to a local band or friends of yours, who would it be? why/?
Miss Li is a wonderful singer with an amazing voice and great tunes!! Check her out here!

Internet? Like that dirty cousin or a lover?
It´s important, but we don´t have the time or money to do all the things we´d like to, so I guess a neglected lover…

Shows coming up?
A tour in Germany and some swedish shows. Check friskaviljor.net for exact dates.

Any last words on why people should check out Friska Viljor??
Just listen to it, you will love it! You people have got to see us live too, we´ll make you happy!

Friska Viljor – Gold

Friska Viljor – Oh Oh

Their site HERE.

Be their MYSPACE FRIEND HERE.

Their label HERE.

Thanks and definitely check out everything this band has to offer. tpg

Alaska! is not a state. Alaska! is not a band! Alaska! is not what Shrimping Boat Captains scream. Alaska! is a graphic artist out of LA …

WHo are you?
I’ve been asking myself that question for years. for the sake of the
interview, I’ll say ‘alaska’

and Where are you?
I’m in my girlfriend’s office in east Los Angeles

How long have you been creating art?
since the beginning. I’ve only been doing design for the last 3 years,
but I’ve always been involved in the creation of some form of art from
music, painting, graffiti, video/film, etc.

What are your other artistic interests besides graphic design?
at this moment in time, I’m solely focusing on design. While it’s
necessary for me to do so to pay the bills, I’m still really young and
I’m learning my craft.

how do they relate?
I guess they all influence each other. In video, painting, and
graffiti, I was always aware of composition and color. In graffiti, I
was attentive to typography and abstract shape proportions.

How did you get involved with the porn industry??
Eon McKai scored a deal to make a movie for VCA and he went in to the
VP and firmly said, “This kid is doing my design. I don’t want
‘corporate’ hands to infect the look of my movie. Those from the scene
whom I’m making this movie for will know it’s not authentic if a
corporate porn staff designer does this box.” He and I are usually on
the same page visually and we’re both really into the same art/music
subcultures.

Where can we currently see your art?
The best place to visit is my online portfolio. Otherwise, you’ll have
to visit your shady local adult video store (who probably doesn’t carry
“alt” titles). check out:HERE

Does music effect your (creative) process at all?
Yes. i’m an avid music collector and I’m always listening to and
researching new stuff.

Current playlist:
Bizzart “Bloodshot Mama”
Mastodon “Blood Mountain”
Facedowninshit “NPON”
Russian Circles “Enter”
Harvey Milk “Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men”

How?
not sure other than how one is naturally influenced by their own
surroundings.

What would you say are your biggest influences?
the internet. It’s amazing how much art work I can see in an afternoon
of clicking links.

If you could turn anyone on to a artist you love, who would it be?
why/?
Okay, I’ve got a few so hang tight. It’s impossible to just say one,
because there are so many great artists out there and no one individual
deserves to be “The One.”

These young designers continuously amaze me:
We are Bitch.
Happy Pets.
Super Low.

Like that dirty cousin or a lover?
Um, I’m gonna stay away from that one.

How do you feel about the current state of art in LA?
it’s great. I wish I had more free time to go out to galleries and
check stuff out.

Any cool projects you are working on now?
too many things right now. Large update on my website soon. I just
finished “Skater Girl Fever”. I like how that one came out. Currently
working on Dana DeArmond Does the Internet (D3ti) and I’m liking where
this one is going (hopefully I still do in the end). I’m incorporating
a lot of low-res/pixelated/8-bit elements into it, and that’s been a
lot of fun.

Dana Dearmond is pretty tall, right?
I think she’s the same height as me, maybe she’s a little taller. I
don’t remember, but I don’t recall her being a towering woman.

How does porn become art and vice versa?
I’m not sure. I guess it depends on the context it’s put in and the
foundation of the piece, whether it was produced to be art or produced
to be commerce.
Check out GRAFUCK, that’s porn/art

how does art become porn?
i think in the case of “alt.porn” perhaps.
you’ve got artists whom are aching to make visual stuff and want a lot
of freedom in doing it. Porn comes along and says, “I’ll pay you to do
your thing and give you a lot of freedom, if you follow these few
restrictions.” Of course, the amount of restrictions vary from company
to company.

So, I’ve got these restrictions:
I must have:
*a girl on the cover
*title of the movie on the cover
*stills from the movie on the back
*name of the movie on the disc
*logo everywhere

so, if you come across a package designed by me and one or more of
those elements are not on the packaging, you’ll know I’m smiling
somewhere.

Do you love Eon’s fly car or what?
it’d be better if he cleaned it. I love my fly car. 1979 firebird.

Any last words on why people should check you out?
find out what all the hub-ub is about, i guess.

CHECK OUT HIS SITE HERE.

The World Without Magic, a great band from NYC talks with thepunkguy about magicians, dirty cousins and their music.

Can you tell me who’s in the band and what roles they play?
Darren Will plays bass, Chris Egan plays drums and few keyboard-oriented gadgets, Mina + 1 plays keyboards, guitar and sings, and I (Patrick Bower) play guitar and sing.

How long have you been together?
Things have been in the works for a couple of years now. Chris and I had another band, Max Fox, which kind of fell apart after the other members got famous or got out. But it’s been the way it is now for about 9 months.

How did you guys meet?
Chris and I met through our friend Jarrod, who’s in this band called The Honorary Title. We shared a rehearsal space with them for a long time. Darren toured with Chris in our other friend’s band Say Hi To Your Mom and afterward decided to defect to us. Mina and I met through a mutual friend in January.

What have you released so far? where can I find it?
We have a self-titled EP out on our own label, FunFact. You can get it at Soundfix in Williamsburg – or you can order it online HERE.

Tell us about your writing process:
I sit at home with a moleskine, a bottle of Coors and my acoustic guitar and write the words, chords and melodies. I write a lot of them. Often, HBO is playing in the background. That’s to drown out the reggaeton that’s constantly blasting through the walls from my Puerto Rican neighbors. Then, when a song seems to be in decent shape, I take it to the others, at which point they tear it to shreds and re-create it in their own image. It’s a monster.

What would you say are your biggest influences?
I think the influences we all agree on might go something like this: Bowie/Eno for sure, and we all seem to like Queen and The Pixies. There’s a lot of Pulp in there too.

Individually, Chris loves his jazz; Darren has a very melodic, McCartney approach to his playing; and I’m obsessed with songwriters like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. Mina’s a riot grrrl at heart, and she likes bands like Sleater Kinney, Pavement and Radiohead.

If you could turn anyone on to a local band or friends of yours, who would it be? why?
I think all of us would agree on this – our friend Jon Wiley, who is a multi-instrumentalist for The Honorary Title, writes the most beautiful, subtle and heart-rending music you can imagine. Check him out Here.. We want to cover his song ” Slow Your Row” on our next record.

How important is design for you guys? packaging, shirts, websites?
It’s like making a good first impression. If you haven’t heard about the music, the art is the first thing that you notice, so it’s important to make it a decent reflection of what’s going on inside the disc. I draw a little, and so does Mina, and we’re always brainstorming ways to achieve the perfect visual hook. I like our new t-shirt design. It’s bunny road kill.

Internet? Like that dirty cousin or a lover?
I get bored with it quickly; I don’t stay up nights adding people on Myspace. Plus, sometimes I feel like the internet’s a little too democratic. Now, instead of hearing about a band from a trusted pundit or critic, a band’s “buzz” is measured by how many seventeen year olds are gushing over them on their blogs. Their first CD was probably Hoobastank, before they discovered “classic” bands like Bright Eyes. Then again, I remember buying a Spin Doctors CD early on.

So I say that the internet’s like a Dirty Cousin. But only because my first make-out session was with my third cousin.

How do you feel about the current state of music in NYC?
It’s getting better and broader. There isn’t a single dominating sound, so more kinds of music now have a chance to rise to the top. My neighborhood (Williamsburg) is still a good place to be around like-minded artists, even if most of it is crap. It kind of makes you feel like it’s not just you against the Wallstreet types.

Shows coming up?
Nothing for a while. We just got back from a short tour with The Station Myth and Resting Rooster. So now it’s time to write.

Favorite film involving magic….
By far – The Magician, by Ingmar Bergman. It’s funny, eerie, poetic and trance inducing. Also, the women are beautiful. In my college band, I would put it on during rehearsals without sound. I imagined we were composing a soundtrack to it.

What do you think it more important, a band’s live show or discography? Why?
The only way to really understand a band at any given moment is to see them live. It’s like taking a snapshot of the artist, who should always be mutating, at that moment in time. In the end, though, I guess the recorded songs are the only things that survive our deaths. So discography.

Really, what would the world be like without magic?
Just like this.

Any last words on why people should check out world without magic?
Because we’re more interesting to talk about the next day at the water cooler than that ridiculous TV show you’re addicted to.

Thanks again.

www.theworldwithoutmagic.com

www.myspace.com/theworldwithoutmagic

Songs:

The World Without Magic – Up the Wrong One

The World Without Magic – Quiet Life

The World Without Magic – Never Begun

Chris Milk, is one of the newest hottest music video directors in the industry these days. He is the one who did the first two Kanye West videos and our favorite Modest Mouse video. Fortunately, for me, we have been friends since Art School. I traded emails with him back and forth from Paris while he was finishing up Gnarls Barkley’s new video. We talked about music, my future career and skin abrasions. Check out CHRIS MILK:

What is your name?
Chris Milk

Where do you live and work?
Live in LA, work everywhere. Right now I’m in Paris doing Gnarls Barkley. I’ve been on the road for 5 months working. New Zealand, Australia, New York, Arizona, Buenos Aries, Patagonia Argentina, France, London. I want to go home.

Who are some of the musicians you have worked with?
It’s a short list as I’ve only been doing it for 3 years, only do one project at a time, and spend a long time on each. Kanye, Chemical Brothers, Courtney Love, Modest Mouse, Audioslave, John Mellencamp, Jet, Natasha Beddingfield, Gnarls Barkley.

What is your creative process?
Bang my head against a wall until I either get an idea or knock myself unconscious.

I know you do a bit of photography, which is your favorite? still or moving?
Stills are like a Haiku of a narrative. I love that. I love being able to do a whole shoot with the simplicity of just me and a camera. Moving images with sound and music though provide a much larger canvas to put your ideas forth. Unfortunately it’s infinitely more complicated and costly to do so.

I know you are into music quite a bit, what have you been listening to most?
Space mtn, Cure, TV on the radio, The Knife, Fingathing, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Thom York, live U2 bootlegs

Does it effect your creative process?
Not particularly. The creative inspiration for a video come out of the tonality of that particular song, rather than the other stuff I’m listening to at the time.

Who would be a dream artist to work for?
U2, Cure, Tori Amos. (do I really need to put links here?)

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
Really just getting the chance to keep making videos for me is the biggest thing. This is a hard business to break into and I got very lucky with the artists I worked with early on. Without the Chemical Brothers and Kanye giving me the freedom to do what I wanted, even though I had virtually nothing on my video reel, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

You have worked with Kanye three times, he seems to have a very specific vision, would you say that applies to music and not his videos?
He has a very specific vision for both. For videos he knows what he likes and what he doesn’t. Sometimes we will go back and forth for months before we settle on something. Sometimes I don’t like his idea, sometimes he doesn’t like mine. Every so often our tastes line up.
On Touch the Sky we talked about it from the day he was recording it to when we shot it a year later. At the last min I actually decided I didn’t like the idea I had sold him on. That was a bit awkward. “Yeah, so that idea I pitched you, that you really like, and are now trying to give me the money to shoot, I don’t like it anymore”. It was all good though cause I went back to the drawing board and came up with a better idea with the Evil Kanyevil thing.

We went to school together, how did film school help you?
Hmmm, that’s tough. I often wonder if I had just jumped right in instead of going to school if I would have been better off. We certainly spent a lot in time just fucking around. I think the biggest thing was finding your place in the social dynamic of the film world. You discover that there really is no sure recipe for making it this business, or for that matter, making anything good. You can’t work your way up the food chain to be an Oscar winning director. There is no sure fire system or magic ritual. If you want to do it, sometimes you just have to throw yourself into the mouth of the volcano and see what happens.

Do you aspire to do feature length films?
yes

Do you think growing up in New York has effected your work? How?
I think growing up in NY has effected me as a person, and I suppose my work comes out of that, so I guess it’s plausible. NY will always be my home, but I vacation in LA eleven months of the year. I can’t deal with NY weather anymore.

Internet? do you embrace it or reject it?
It’s a fad. I give it another year.

Do you plan on hiring me one day as your music supervisor when you do a feature?
Provided it’s centered around the Swedish hardcore movement, you’re my guy hommie. (Editor’s Note: Jerk!)

Anything that people should know about that we don’t??
Thepunkguy and all his Jersey boys used to live in a house called “The Broderick Manor” back in the day in SF. They had this homeless gutter punk chick sleeping on their couch for a while. They kicked her out though after they found out she had scabies. Scabies, for those of you that don’t know, belong to the spider family. They are these tiny microscopic nightmares that craw under your skin and multiply. They itch like a mother, spread quickly all over your body, ruin your month, and are a bitch to get rid of (you must boil your house). No one felt it necessary to mention to me though when I needed to crash one blurry night after North Beach, that the chick had left the couch the day before. The outcome was less than desirable.

Karma is a bitch though cause 6 months later while traveling with [kristian] in Europe he picked a nasty EU version in a Prague hostel/ex soviet dissident camp.

Any last words?
Even though Bloomfield is only “15 min from Manhattan”, it will still, always and forever, be in New Jersey.

Thanks Milk!

(Editor’s Note # 2: Bloomfield NJ is a lot closer to Manhattan than Glen Cove is, remember that!!)

CHRIS MILK’S SITE.

TV on the Radio – New Health Rock

The Knife – We Share Our Mother’s health (Ratatat Remix)