How to Exorcise the Creative Demon That’s Killing You and Your Work by kat smith
“Pain / I guess it’s a matter of sensation / But somehow, you have a way of avoiding it all / In my mind, I have shot you and stabbed you through your heart / I just didn’t understand / The ricochet is the second part.” “Revenge” (ft. The Flaming Lips) by Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse on The Dark Night of the Soul. On Saturday, March 8th 2010, at 47 years old, singer and songwriter Mark Linkous shot himself in the heart with his own gun in alley by a friend’s house in Knoxville, Tennessee. Linkous released several ambient psych-folk albums between 1996 and 2010 often alternating melodically between the contrast of light and shade in his mind’s eye. The singer had danced with death before when he ingested a toxic mix of Valium and anti-depressants while on tour in the U.K. in 1996 supporting his debut album Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. He lay unconscious for 14 hours and suffered a heart attack. The incident also left him crippled, cutting off circulation to his legs, and it took seven surgeries and months of re-habilitation to save his limbs. Had the singer succeeded in this first attempt, the world would never have been able to enjoy the tremendous bulk of work that he produced then afterwards.
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Linkous is only one of many solo artists who have succumb to their own soul-sucking demons as a study conducted in the U.K. looked retrospectively at 1,489 musicians from a variety of genres of whom 9.2% died during the 50 year-period they studied. The study concluded that solo acts were more likely to die untimely deaths than group acts and 39% of the deaths were due to violence, alcohol or drugs. His music has particular significance to me, as Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain was my first ‘ceiling gazer’ album. You know, that one that you shut off everything else for to enjoy in moments of pure unadulterated audio-bliss. I felt like he was singing about something more serious than the pop punk heartbreaks of yore, and through his music I could hear my teenage soul and its appreciation for music start to grow. The duality between the good and evil in every person has been well documented and dramaticized with glorious effect by the creative crowd so often that it has become part of the collective myth that suffer is to shine. There is a certain romantic quality about tragedy that writers seem to thrive on, as if the description of the gargoyle face of darkness or it’s smiling cousin is antidote enough in itself. The late 19th century novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekkyl and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Luis Stevenson is just one of many descriptions of this duality of nature that has permeated popular culture. In his final letter, bidding his friends and the audience adieu he writes of the strange affection he holds for his inner demon, “But his love me is wonderful…when I recall the abjection and passion of this attachment, and when I know how he fears of my power to cut him off by suicide, I find it in my heart to pity him.” Perhaps the reason why so many creatives suffer from their demons is because they entertain an abusive relationship with themselves where the bruises become hidden and forgiven by the better half. Would Jekkyl’s fate have been different had he been able to share his private pain with his concerned friend Mr. Utterson? No battle can be won alone, whether it is psychological or physically and it’s important to seek sources of social support in moments of weakness to uplift us. Best-selling author, Elizabeth Gilbert presented a Ted Talk in February 2009 entitled ‘Your elusive creative genius’ in which she speaks about the psychological burdens that rational humanism has given to the creative ego. The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that creativity came from a form of divine intervention, she says, thereby abdicating the creator of any personal responsibility for the success or failure of the creation. Gilbert insists that the idea of the unstable artist is unhealthy and needs to be discontinued. We should instead encourage our creative few to be happy and productive so that even on those Dark Nights of the Soul they will not choose to leave us sooner than nature would have allowed. I don’t think much of demons anymore. I see them as they always were—a mental construct surrounding my greatest fears. The creative demon is nothing more than a weak excuse, or an illogical obstacle standing in the way of a beautiful life and a free-flowing thought between people. Now I see the inner-beast as more of a Tinkerbell-like muse that flits around inside me with impish delight. She tugs at my ear, urging me to finish this piece and gently coaxes me to explore more mysterious parts of my own psyche with rapt attention and wonder rather than melancholic apprehension. She sits on the bridge of my nose every morning, sprinkling my eyelashes with unforeseen wishes until I open tired eyes, yawn, and trap her annoying fairy ass under a glass and hit the snooze button. Then, after fifteen minutes ignoring the sound of the tiny fists striking against the glass, I initiate my lazy wake-up routine, stretch my stiff little fingers across the keyboard and begin to play.
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this issue is brought to you by real college radio.
Single of the
Week “Black Magic” was the first song I ever heard from Magic Wands, and I fell in love in an instant. These mystical lyrics and shimmering guitars lure you in, and you won’t be able to get enough. Check this song out, as well as the rest of their debut LP, Aloha Moon!
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The Top 5 Songs For Valentine’s Day
the Honor roll
by matt boswell
Valentine’s Day is obviously everyone’s least favorite holiday. If you’re single, it’s a reminder as to how single you are. If you’re in a relationship, either you’re going to be paying a large amount of money for something or feeling bad for not paying a large amount of money for something. You could be like me though. I’m in a relationship, I don’t spend lots of money on my girlfriend, and instead I make her mixes FOR FREE. Allow me to give you some suggestions for “must-have” songs on your Valentine’s Day playlist this year. 1. “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo This song is the deepest of all cuts and it guarantees to result in instant love. Not only are the lyrics truly beautiful, but K-Ci & JoJo are more or less a pair of non-acting Justin Timberlakes that are always followed by a Motown gospel choir. You’ll be setting the mood for the best Valentine’s Day ever with this track. 2. “Lady” by Styx I have always and will always love Styx, but really the only reason this song is on this list is because of that scene in Freaks and Geeks when Jason Segel sings it to Lindsay. God damn, this track is the ultimate cheesy lip sync. 3. “Falling For You” by Weezer Because if your significant other can’t appreciate Weezer, that’s not really a relationship you should be in. Plus if you are making your lover a Valentine’s Day mix, I’m assuming you’re somewhat dorky and the way that Rivers Cuomo describes his feelings in this song probably reflect yours pretty well. 4. “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” by John Mayer Let’s face it, the main goal of a Valentine mix is to have the perfect soundtrack for making sweet love in one way or another. John Mayer is the perfect mood-setting music and this song is so undeniably seductive that it’ll bring your lips together faster than he got those white office workers naked in that sketch of Chappelle’s Show. 5. “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton *Drops the mic and walks away.* Here are some other tracks that I will have on the mix for my girlfriend this year, I suggest you check some of them out! • “Third Engine (Acoustic)” by Saves The Day • “The Beers” by The Front Bottoms • “I Don’t Mind” by Defeater • “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon • “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?” by The Beach Boys • “Nothing With You” by Descendants • “Ask” by The Smiths • “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths • “Lovesong” by The Cure • “Crush” by Smashing Pumpkins
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Frost bites, Hudson Taylor doesn’t by mary luncsford
Well, it’s January in central Indiana, which means the weather is done teasing us with warm air. It’s just cold. And gray. And sort of miserable. Which is why, instead of listening to typical winter artists like Daughter and Fiona Apple, I had to find something a little more refreshing. The past week has been nothing but Hudson Taylor. Trust me when I say that one listen to a song by this Irish brother duo, comprised of Harry (age 20) and Alfie (age 18), and Hudson Taylor is enough to stave off seasonal depression until spring comes. My first listen to these two came from their cover of “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, featuring the haunting vocals of English singer/ songwriter Gabrielle Aplin. Their tight harmonies and Alfie’s unique vocals gave a breath of life to a song that, since its release, has been much overplayed. While they have a slew of original songs, I love a well-done cover. The two paired up with another Dubliner, Ms. Orla Gartland (She is another gem of a person; seriously, Ireland is kind of awesome right now as far as musicians go.) to sing a mash-up of “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, “Flume” by Bon Iver and “Walking on the Moon” by the Police. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, Sting is disgusting, but these three unlikely songs actually make a wicked medley. It is my very professional opinion that if an artist can take a song and make it his own, and I’m not talking like American Idol covers, then that speaks to his ability as a musician. 2012 was a big year for Hudson Taylor. They released their first EP, Battles, in August and their second EP, Cinematic Lifestyle, in November. The pair have been touring England and Ireland and recently made their way across the pond to play some shows for their American fans. (Of course, Indianapolis did not make the list.) While the group hasn’t achieved mega-stardom yet, they do have a pretty loyal fan base. In their first EP, the pair came out swinging with the foot-stomping namesake song “Battles.” This song features a biting chorus that will send shivers down your spine. “I will lift her love, and I’ll break your spirit; I will dig a hole and I’ll throw you in it.” This song is a call to arms and of the caliber you would expect from a much older band. The attitude portrayed in “Battles” basically sets the tone for the whole EP. Each song is about a fight of some kind. Whether the fight is man vs. man or man vs. 6
society (as in “Drop of Smoke”), the songs have a sense of cohesiveness about them because of these “battles.” While “Battles” and “Drop of Smoke” are intense and provocative, “Hideaway” is an eloquent song about coming clean with one’s true feelings. Upon first listen, the song sounds like a love song, but upon further examination of the lyrics, you realize that the “truth” he’s talking about isn’t always pleasant. This song stands out on the EP because of its honesty. The real crown jewel on Battles, is “Left Alone.” It is on this track that we can really hear the artistry of Hudson Taylor’s lyrics. It is hard to believe that these guys are writing songs with this much depth considering their ages. It becomes apparent whilst listening to Hudson Taylor’s second EP that the pair has matured even in the small amount of time between their releases. Cinematic Lifestyle is more contemplative and introspective. While remnants of Battles still linger in the song “Watchtower,” it seems that the boys’ newer batch of songs reflect their relatively fast ascent from YouTube singers to actual recording artists. Where Battles was more planning to take the world by storm, Cinematic Lifestyle seems to be musings on that front. The title song is a perfect example of that. “Butterflies” literally gives me butterflies. I know, I know, how terribly cheesy, but in my defense, this song is brilliant. It’s not only a love song, but a song about conquering fears, whether they stem from relationships or, you know, living life. “Roll with whatever flows, it comes my way, I always say.” This is the perfect pick-me-up song when the weather is trying to freeze your insides. But, if you really need a cozy cashmere sweater of a song, then I recommend “Chasing Rubies.” The line “this is not déjà vu; I’ve never met somebody like you” without a doubt, wins hearts. It is a pretty standard love song, but there is something about the acoustic quality and the honesty with which Alfie and Harry sing that make this anything but an ordinary track. I think therein lies Hudson Taylor’s real talent. Sure, they may border on cheese sometimes, but they walk that line quite well. It seems that today there is a lack of authenticity when it comes to songwriting (Take, for example, “Little Things” by One Direction. This song is trying to be honest and sincere, but that is an impossible goal when you sing about a girl’s thighs and fitting into jeans—I mean, good God, who told them that was endearing?), but Hudson Taylor doesn’t have a problem with that. The fact is that they are producing this level of work at 18 and 20. What will they be doing at 24 and 26? I’m not sure, but I can’t wait to find out. 7
magic wands an interview by the miscreant
Dexy and Chris Valentine are Magic Wands. They have been hard at work promoting their new album, preparing a full-fledged USA tour, and experimenting with different elements of being a band. The Los Angeles duo has a lot of mysticism surrounding their music, in both content and inspiration. Here, they discuss the process of completing their record, Aloha Moon, as well as the history of the band. 8
THE MISCREANT: How long have you guys been playing music together? DEXY: Hi, we’ve been playing together five years now. CHRIS: Actually the end of 2007 we did our first demos, like “Black Magic” and “Teenage Love.” THE MISCREANT: Were you both involved in bands before? What was your musical background, and how did it shape the music of Magic Wands? DEXY: We’ve both had a lot of different bands we’ve been in. I grew up playing the piano, then switched to keyboards, and then guitar. When we came together our plan was to forget everything we knew and did musically prior to meeting and to do something new. Creating a new sound. CHRIS: We’ve both done music our whole lives, playing different instruments and trying out different sounds. With Magic Wands we are focused on creating a fantasy atmosphere music that we’d only experimented with in the past. THE MISCREANT: Who are your primary artistic influences for this band? Also, in general, what have you been listening to lately? DEXY: I love early Pink Floyd, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, The Smiths, Roxy music, Cocteau Twins, Bowie, Velvet Underground, Hawkwind. Lately we’ve been listening to Ash Ra Tempel & sound healing frequencies. CHRIS: Magic Wands is mostly a combination of our love of pop, rock, electronic and healing sound frequencies. I’ve been listening to a lot of artists that create Solfeggio-tuned binaural beats, like Jezebel Decibel. For the rock and pop elements, we tend to have an 80’s type sound mostly because we record to tape and use old synths. Our guitar work is more influenced by certain surf bands and the occasional My Bloody Valentine wall of sound. THE MISCREANT: You two actually met via MySpace. How do you think social media entities have changed the way you personally make and interact with music? DEXY: It has no bearing on the way I make or interact with music other than it’s cool we can put something out there and it can reach so many people all over the world in just a second and I can find out about new music a lot faster. CHRIS: Social media doesn’t really affect making the music, but I’ve found so many songs that I love just by cruising around Youtube. I actually avoid social media for the most part because it tends to suck your soul after awhile, it’s the reason why I don’t have a personal Facebook acocunt. THE MISCREANT: Is there a particular scene you’ve become connected with in Los Angeles? DEXY: There are a lot of hipster bands who hang in scenes, we know people in and
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throughout a lot of them but we’re in our own world and prefer to be outside of it. CHRIS: We kind of have our own little scene, our friends that visit us are always creating their own music and art, it keeps us inspired. Most of our friends are in bands or have their own thing going on, so it’s more about exchanging ideas and less about partying and house shows. THE MISCREANT: A lot of your lyrics are about black magic and dreams as well as young love. How do these different subject matters connect to you? DEXY: We write about what we want to attract into our lives, experiences we’ve had or shared, lyrics are more important than people think, words are spells. What you spell out with your words is what you will attract into your life, even if it is a made up story. I have a hard time listening to bands that sing about their pain and anger because you just attract more of that by putting it out there. We’re not always positive people in our daily lives, but a song is forever, it’s for everyone and if I’m going to be singing my words night after night, it has to be uplifting. My lyrics are usually about love, magic, and dreams or some mystical fantasy world. CHRIS: The lyrics are usually written very quickly and on the spot, with the occasional change of a word or two when we record. They are subjects that are interesting to us. Magic, love, dreams, they all have a fantasy connection to each of them and we prefer to live in a fantasy type world and try to keep the “reality” at the door. So it comes out in the music we’re making. We don’t like listening to music where people complain about their problems, we usually rather create the place we want to be then cry about where we wish we were. THE MISCREANT: How do you think the songs on your debut record, Aloha Moon, evolved over the four years you worked on the album? DEXY: We were really reluctant to re-record “Teenage Love,” “Black Magic,” “Kiss Me Dead,” and “Warrior.” They had already come out when we made the 8-Track cassette demos that I love. They capture the true essence of the song, and then we re-recorded them for our Magic Love and Dreams EP, so to do them all again for Aloha Moon, was a bit frustrating for us. We somehow managed to freshen them up and add in new parts/layers and it turned out well but I’m happy to be moving on to the next thing. CHRIS: We had a lot of those tracks for awhile and certain people insisted we put them on the first album. Personally I wasn’t too thrilled to re-record those songs but I could see how they fit with the theme of the record. We just ended up giving them a bigger, more expansive sound, and the live drums we used changed it a lot compared to just the drum machine we were using exclusively before. THE MISCREANT: What was it like working with a producer on the album? DEXY: I’m a control freak when it comes to my music, I feel like nobody knows
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better than I do about how to sing or write my song, but I must say we got lucky, we had two producers and both of them really got us. The first version of Aloha Moon was recorded with John Morrical. Aloha Moon was originally all electronic, we turned it into our label in October of 2010 and it got rejected because something happened to the song files. We then went back into the studio with the other producer Sep V who suggested we replace the electronic drums and bass with live players and re-do all the vocals, so we did that. We enjoyed working with both John and Sep but we also like to do our own thing as well and will mostly likely be producing our second album ourselves. CHRIS: Yeah, we had good producers. Usually when we record it’s just the two us and a tape machine, but for the record we worked with two really talented people, John and Sep. It’s definitely different than us at home, you have to make compromises and know how to communicate what you want. It is nice to have someone running the board, freeing you up to just focus on recording parts instead of having to record and engineer at the same time which can be frustrating. THE MISCREANT: You guys just finished up an artist in residency at Harvard & Stone. What was that experience like and what were you working on for the most part? DEXY: We had a great time! We had some friends bands play with us a couple times and each week the place was packed out with people dancing and singing along, we love our LA fans. CHRIS: Those shows were us with a band, just trying out different jams that evolved out of the songs and seeing where we could take them. THE MISCREANT: You’re about to embark on a tour with the Deer Tracks. What are you most excited about for this tour? Where all will you be headed? DEXY: It’s a five week US tour, it goes everywhere, we’re really excited, it starts in Seattle and goes through SXSW to NYC, Canada and back west. CHRIS: Yeah it’s the whole U.S. and Canada. I’m looking forward to New York City, Austin, Atlanta, everywhere in between. THE MISCREANT: What else lies ahead for Magic Wands? DEXY: Freedom, no rules. Our contract for Aloha Moon just ended so we’re excited. We are going back to being a two piece again, and I’m switching up playing guitar and will be playing two keyboards with Chris on guitar and a drum machine, maybe a drummer live - I’m so excited about our new material, I think it’s our best stuff yet. CHRIS: Yeah we have all these new songs that we’re about to record and they really are the best things we’ve come up with yet. It’s getting deeper and the sounds we’ve been getting are really powerful so it’s exciting to see how it turns out when we finish the new album.
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Tea Time With Tori
& Dresses an interview by miss tori cote
Based of Portland, the duo Timothy Heller and Jared Ryan Maldonado have worked hard to create a cute sound that is nothing short of perfection. Their latest single, “Blew My Mind,” is blowing up with popularity and gives listeners high hopes for the other singles they are planning to come out with. “Blew My Mind” can currently be found on iTunes, Youtube, and a number of others places. Give this band a listen if you music that is as sweet as sugar. Tori: You guys are the kind of duo Tea Time girls and boys want to make. How did you two meet and start out? Timothy: Jared and I met through some of my old members who Jared went to high school with. I heard Jared’s music off Facebook so I messaged him and we decided to get together and start writing music together! Jared: Timothy was in a band with some guys from my school, which I was a big fan of. Then one day she told me she liked my solo music on Facebook, and we decided to try to write together. Then we wrote blew my mind and a bunch of other songs and are where we are today! Tori: What are your main influences as a band? T: I don’t know if I’d say we both have any collective influences as a band, I feel like while writing songs I’m not particularly influenced by specific artists, but definitely inspired I say by what I’m listening to at the time and whatever I’m thinking about. My song writing style changes around a lot just depending on the day. J: We have a lot of different influences but I know we both like top 40 music and I really love indie-er bands like local natives, the head and the heart, etc. Tori: You guys have been posting a lot of covers lately on your Facebook, all of which I personally love! What kind of things do you aim to cover and what can we look forward to seeing in the future? T: Who knows! We just pick songs we like and enjoy singing. Well probably mix things up though and try to find genres you wouldn’t expect or older songs. J: I’m not too sure what we plan on covering in the future, we just kind of pick songs as we go. Hopefully in the future we can have more video/audio equipment to do cooler looking/sounding videos! Tori: What is each of your dream houses like? What color would the houses be? What kind of furniture? Where??
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T: My dream house would probably be somewhere warm, a cute color like mint or peach or pink have a nice yard and a front porch. I need a comfy couch and a VERY comfy bed. And it definitely needs a cute old bathtub. And a basement! J: I want a really old 2 story 3 bedroom house, not sure of the color.. Probably something blueish. I would want older furniture, but not gross and smelly. And some ikea. Gotta have ikea. And either in NW, NE, or SE Portland, or somewhere in LA like west Hollywood. Tori: What’s each of your favorite artists and/or piece of art? T: I honestly don’t follow a ton of artists, I definitely see art I like and admire but I don’t really know a ton of specific artists. There’s an Italian street artist that goes by Blu who is really cool, he makes stop motion videos of his art and they’re really crazy and intricate, I love those. I’d say his video Muto is one of my favorite pieces of art if that counts. J: I haven’t really followed artists lately but I guess an artist I’ve loved for a long time is Alex pardee Tori: What is each of your dream breakfasts? T: I love ihop!!!! The strawberry cheesecake pancakes with hash browns and eggs and bacon. But also Jared and I are secretly REALLY good at making weird interesting breakfast sandwiches they might be better than ihop. J: A smorgasbord of breakfast foods like waffles bacon hash browns sausage. And pancakes with strawberries and strawberry sauce and whip cream. Also Timothy and I make the BEST most gourmet breakfast sandwiches. If music fails we’ll open a breakfastery. Tori: What is in Dresses future? Any albums/ singles/ tours that fans should get excited about? T: Of course all those things are in the works, it’s just too early to know when any of it will release! Definitely stay tuned. J: We’re currently recording for an album! We’re not sure when were releasing it yet or how many songs, but we’re super excited to get things going!
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THE APOLOGIST, MYSELF AS A HORROR HERONIE by miss kenzie weeks
As any fan knows, with fandom comes sacrifice—the prices paid to earn your keep or keep your sanity as a “fan”—not a critic, but a fan. Explicit money on albums purchased, concert tickets, convention fees, special screenings, whatever; the implicit cost of time spent on research, absorption, listening, viewing; lengthy hours of practice-logged adulation. That secondhand, original issue Blood on Satan’s Claw U.S. release poster or the special blue vinyl pressing of your favorite album. You fill in the blanks. But I’ve started to notice myself paying off my particular brand of infatuation with something inherently more problematic—my identity. I’m queer, I’m feminist, I’m female, and yet I blindly love what seems to actively revel in hating me—the horror film. I’ve always been an academic asshole. The teacher’s pet. The overzealous arguer and defensive pretender to the intellectual crown. But for some reason, always the first to shout “MISOGNY!” at a screening of M*A*S*H, is always the last one standing in defense of horror—where tits and ass are substituted for personality and motivation and women are lovingly bound, gagged, quartered, and ground up for dinner. So how do I justify accepting, and with zealousness, the degradation, sexualization, torment, torture, and murders of women onscreen? How can I reconcile my “street” personality and conviction with my “bedroom” fandom? Am I selling my soul for my sins? I fucking love horror. And I think, when I crack myself open wide enough, my convictions have a hell of a lot to do with my seemingly contradictory obsession. To be a fan is to give yourself over to your poison or passion of choice, and give yourself over in full- without embarrassment, shame, or trepidation. It follows then, that in giving myself over to Wes Craven, Nicholas Roeg, and Don Coscarelli that I must be somewhere in this pile of dismembered meat. By accepting the shit and the slash and the sex of horror, I appropriate and make it my own. I gain control and comfort and the pleasure of ownership. I don’t approve of the misogyny or the racism or the heterosexism, but in my fandom, I can mediate it and own it and bite into it and maybe that makes me more critical elsewhere? In horror, I don’t want criticism, I want relief from it. Maybe while watching the camera slice a woman’s body into frames I feel some relief from my own body image issues, my own experience of sexism, my own battles with homophobia. In the clichéd, predictable tropes of the slasher, the ghost story, and the detective thriller, my personal anxiety in the tenuousness of life is soothed. I am Clarice Starling. I am Laurie Strode. I am Buffy Summers. And in the mutilation and objectification and torture and blood splatters of every horror film that passes by my eyes unjudged, I don’t lose my identity; I think I find it.
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DEAREST DAN CROLL
AN INTERVIEW WITH DAN CROLL, A RISING STAR OUT OF LIVERPOOL VIA Staffordshire by olivia cellamare
OLIVIA: You won the Musicians Benevolent Fund song writing award in 2011, what was your initial response to this and what did you spend the £5k on? My initial response was jumping in the air and shouting “GET IN!”, then I calmed down a bit. DAN: The £5k was spent on setting up a basic home studio so that I could keep on writing in my own time and at my own pace. It allowed me to get my songs to a comfortable position before taking them in to the studio/school gym where we recorded. OLIVIA: Did winning this award make you feel any pressure with writing songs? DAN: I dont think so, it made me feel very confident in my song-writing and I guess contributed to the writing of some of my recent songs like ‘From Nowhere’, ‘Wanna know’ and ‘Home’. If anything the pressure on my song-writing has come from ‘From Nowhere’, that song went far beyond my expectations and now gives me sleepless nights thinking about following it up. OLIVIA: When you write, do you have to be in a specific environment? DAN: Ideally, I like to write in just a relaxed environment, no phones ringing, no emails bleeping, but this is quite hard to get nowadays so I guess I’ve been getting used to writing in any kind of environment. Another thing that really helps me with writing is to have an instrument completely new to me near-by. I get a real buzz off seeing a new instrument, picking it up and trying to play it. I’ve taught myself all the instruments I play so far, and there’s no better feeling of finding new chords/melodies on them without having been shown/taught them. OLIVIA: “From Nowhere” is one of the most brilliant songs I’ve heard in a while; what influenced the tropical vibe in this song? I love how the music is so upbeat, but the lyrics are a quite opposite. It’s kind of how 90s dance music was isn’t it. Sad lyrics to an up-tempo beat. DAN: Thank you very much, writing that song has been one of the proudest moments so far in my career. I’m not sure if there was any direct influence for this song. We were moving all of the instruments and gear in to an 16
old school gym, when I just turned on the organ and started playing the chords, I knew they were strong, grabbed my laptop, and recorded it in to garage band calling it ‘from nowhere’. Even though at no point in the song does “from nowhere” get mentioned in the lyrics, I thought it was nice to keep it as the track name so that I’d always remember how utterly out of the blue the song came about. Then I guess along the way the great vibe we had in the studio added to the song. We were playing a lot of badminton next to the studio set-up, drinking and eating a lot, and just having a great time. I guess that rubbed off on the song. OLIVIA: Liverpool is the home to some brilliant acts such as Beach Skulls and Bird, is it harder for bands/singers to get recognised in Liverpool than it is say in London? There seems to be a wider style of music from the Midlands up, whereas in London it seems some want to hold onto a bandwagon for dear life. DAN: I think maybe it is harder for bands/acts to be noticed up here as the ‘bright lights’ of london seem to draw the attention of labels, press and what not. But I’m always trying my best to promote and plug the liverpool music scene. Its really incredible up here at the moment, a massive amount of different genres and styles going around, and because its such a small city, we all know each other, we all help each other, and that just adds even more to the music. I think artists/acts in London can sometimes be too far up their own arses to realise how important and helpful collaboration can be. If you want to hear whats going on up here, start with these guys: Stealing Sheep, OUTFIT, Wave Machines, Vasco Da Gama, Kankouran, James Canty, Jonas Alaska, Mikhael Paskalev, Billie Van, EYE EMMA JEDI, Jethro Fox, Greenwich Tea Party, Douglas Dare, Loved Ones, All We Are, Clinic, Ninetails, Dogshow, Emily & the faves, Barberos, and many more... OLIVIA: You’re from Staffordshire (I went to Uni there) has growing up there influenced your music in any way or has Liverpool been the key place? DAN: Well I was born and raised mainly in Stoke-on-Trent, but I also spent a lot of my youth in Liverpool due to all but myself and my brother being Liverpudlians. I guess both places influenced my music, but I’d say moving to Liverpool brought the most inspiration, and still does. OLIVIA: What was it like studying at LIPA? Did your time there influence the music you made in any way? DAN: Studying at LIPA was alright, I think music is such a hard and controversial thing to teach that I dont think It influenced me that much. The real inspiration came from the people I shared my time there with, those people introduced me to a wide arrange of cultures and genres that now show in my music, I guess I have a lot to thank them for. 17
RANT ON WHAT WAS ONCE LO-FI by jake byrnes
“Lo-Fi is becoming the new mainstream” -Someone At Some Point I can still remember four years ago when I was exploring Youtube videos of Deerhoof before I went to go see Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and I found a video simply called The Microphones. It opened with a blast of static and played the saddest song I’d ever heard accompanied by a Super 8 film, which was shot by the musician according to the description. The song was “Solar System” by Phil Elvrum’s The Microphones. The lonely acoustic guitar was muffled and the vocals were distorted and forlorn. It was like nothing I’d ever heard. I listened to several albums of his that night and did extensive research on Phil, The Microphones, flora and fauna of Washington and the style known as ‘lo-fi.’ I found out that the song I had heard, along with almost all of The Microphones’ library was recorded on an old reel-to-reel recording system, which was something I’d never heard of at the time (hey, I was only twelve.) I soon fell in love with tape quality, lo-fidelity recordings because of the authenticity, passion and warmth behind them. Four years later, it seems like everyone else has, also. What was once an expression of emotion through recording technique has become a common novelty. The new age of vintage-loving “hipsters” has brought a wave of misplaced appreciation for lo-fi style recordings. You know, because it’s cool. Artists posing as the complex minds of real musicians go insanely out of their way to capture their songs about a sweater or something in the lo-fi style. These people mock those who truly use tapes and reels as part of their art. I am the proud owner of a Tascam Porta 05 4-track cassette recorder. I am also the proud owner of a Tascam US-800 USB audio interface. Why both? Because there is a feeling associated with either. I know these emotions. I know the music I make when I feel broken and distorted. I also know the music I make when I feel more clarity in my head. There is a place for both. So I know damn well when using low quality is appropriate and when it isn’t. I don’t believe that wanting to be cool and ‘retro’ is the correct usage when your music is able to be recorded in normal quality, which is the case for most modern lo-fi hopefuls. Back to The Microphones, anyway who listens to the music realizes that Phil’s emotions are scattered and jagged and he used a reel-to-reel for all his music because he wanted to express himself completely authentically down to the recording style. In listening to new pseudo-indie recordings, I’ve found that lo-fi has become more common than standard. Everyone seems to want more distortion and more reverb. A song can never just be conveyed the way it’s written. Do artists hide behind this? Do they use the primitive recording sound as a crutch? Whatever the reason it is, the wave of kids in love with taping their parents LPs to their walls is only gaining speed and I don’t know if enough people are noticing and getting as pissed as me to compare with how many people are hopping on the bandwagon and buying tape decks at Goodwill that they’ll only use to tell they’re friends they are “soooooo indie.”
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L.R.S. Records & Friends by dylan j suttles January 25th, 2013. It happened to be National Irish Coffee Day. Who knew? It was also the day of Syracuse’s LRS Records first record release show at Gorham Brothers Music. It featured performances from Homeward, Ronnie Crawford, and the two bands on the label’s debut split seven inch: The Slaughterhouse Chorus and Bridge Under Fire. Along with the ten dollars at the door admission, you received a copy of that very seven inch. LRS Records is run by Mark Turley and Nick Oliver, the former also being the front man of and mastermind behind Bridge Under Fire. Throughout the night, Mark took care of the music side of things, helping bands get set up and playing on time, while Nick worked the LRS merch table with his two primary colored sweater wearing “interns,” giving away records to attendees and spinning vintage albums between bands. I arrived to the show late so I only caught the last song of the first band, Homeward. It was a sped up cover of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” that the young crowd bounced around to and seemed to enjoy. Next up was Ronnie Crawford, who brought an air of mystery with him. He had not been listed on the flyer or on Facebook. No one seemed to know anything about him. He wasn’t even in the building until right before his set was to start, when he wandered in the front door, guitar case in hand. Quickly, Mark set up one mic for him to sing into and another for his miniature acoustic guitar. With a slight accent, coiffed hair, and a tan cardigan, he told the audience he was from a small town in Texas and seemed to imply that he was from the year 1950. There was some confused chuckling from the crowd, which filled the small venue. As he played his early rock and roll influenced pop songs, he went from a low breathy croon up to a lilting falsetto that was not unlike Chris Isaak or Roy Orbison and struck the image of an anachronistic character in a David Lynch film. Early on, between songs, he noticed a bottle of water on the floor and commented with amusement at it, “What a great idea.” At the end of his short but moving set, he remarked on how we were all dressed so strangely before telling us that he had to get going to drive to his next stop. After, the crowd bemusedly wondered what they had just 20
witnessed. I did overhear one person stating that Ronnie bore a striking resemblance to a member of the Syracuse based band The Vanderbuilts. Third up was The Slaughterhouse Chorus from Albany, NY, who, similar in song structure but vastly different in style, kicked Crawford’s quiet pop tunes up to a thunderous volume and breakneck pace. The four piece band played hard and fast in their nine song set that featured blazing chickenpickin’ Telecaster lead guitar work along with Tom Waits style vocals in their heavy twang punk rock, that at times also took on a stoner rock/Led Zepplin vibe. “This song is about cocain,” salt-and-pepper haired singer Chris Jordan quipped before a particularly fast song. Lyrics like “Read me the obituaries/I’m too high to move,” exemplify how the major key honky-tonk of their music belies the darker subject matter of the songs. Last was the catchy punk-rock-and-roll of Bridge Under Fire. The band’s songs, glibly titled (“HeteroFlexable”, “There’s Always Money In The Banana Stand”, “A Lovely Cheese Pizza Just For Me”), are quixotic stories of love, travel, and holding onto youth. The harmonious and textural guitars paint an ethereal audioscape while still getting down to rocking out. The band is dynamic, going from tight and choppy rhythmic playing to loose, open, ringing chords, under gravelly shouts from Turley. “More dick jokes!” someone in the audience shouted, between songs. Bridge Under Fire is also known by their fans for their irreverent and self deprecating humor that pairs well with their anthemic, gang vocal laced songs. Much more is in the plans for LRS, I am told. They are currently in the process of putting together their next seven inch record, out in the spring, with another release show to follow. LRS Records has many lofty goals, not only for recording a diverse mixture of bands but also for producing a variety of unusually packaged releases. For more information visit: http://lrsrecords.bigcartel.com/ http://bridgeunderfire.bandcamp.com/ http://theslaughterhousechorus.com/ 21
on music and men by katie young
I react to music the way that others may react to any other sensory stimuli- sure, there are a few smells or sights that bring forth memories, and sometimes a certain touch will pull me backwards in time. But nothing compares to the way a song completely triggers me. And as a woman who has been “boy crazy” from preschool forward, you can only imagine how songs have been applied and attached to every kind of boy, dude, guy and man I’ve fallen for (and usually recovered from.) These vignettes are my sometimes (ok, most times) teary-eyed, visceral and sincere attempts to translate those truly heart wrenching/doofus grin inducing moments into words. I can’t say why I am this way- be it an already emotional mind, or too many viewings of Almost Famous, but I am who I am, and here they are: my most current thoughts On Music and Men.
PART 3 OF 4 It’s only been since I recently found my old iPod under a pile of unwritten postcards in my drawer that I’ve thought of you at length. It’s ridiculous, but only upbeat songs remind me of disgustingly hurtful our relationship was. Standing on the subway platform, Kate Nash repeats, “I can be alone, yeah” over the cheeriest sounding instrumentals and I feel sick to my stomach all over again. We found each other at a time in my life when I was (I hope) as vulnerable as I’ll ever be. The winter of my freshman year of college was winding down, and the honeymoon phase of being “independent” was over. I was like a raw nerve- fried, sensitive, spent. I spent most nights awake but in a haze, hands hovering over the keyboard, my eyes half-focused on the TV as episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Family Guy played once, twice, sometimes three times on a bad night. After years of taking a particular kind of medication, it was determined that my body had built up quite an immunity and that it was no longer working. I don’t remember if I told you any of this, but I’m sure I did. Somehow, you got me to tell you everything and anything- even things that I knew weren’t true. I craved attention and comfort more than anything then. You were the first man to ever express any interest in me and I was terrified no one else would ever again- I refused to let you go. You used me, to put it lightly. I waited for your calls, texts, IMs- I was obedient, all while believing that it was that I wanted, not what you demanded. At that point music became more of an escape for me than it had ever been. I rarely removed my earbuds and forced as much noise into my head as possible, anything to distract me from the hell you were putting me through and that I was allowing to happen. Vampire Weekend, of all bands, became part of a daily routine of shoving aside my anxieties and the warning signs, and justifying the mess we were creating. I would stomp across the still-icy Kent State landscape with the sun glaring more aggressively than welcomingly, those African-infused songs determining my pace. “Then I see you walk across the campus,” they’d croon, and I’d stare at the ground ahead. “How am I supposed to pretend I never want to see you again?” When, months later, I told you I didn’t like where we were heading, you blackmailed me. You threatened to expose me to my friends, to my family, to strangers, for “what I was”- a slut, a stupid little girl, a weak and desperate shell of a human. You weren’t the first or the last to make those accusations, and part of me still thinks they’re true. But standing up to you and cutting you out of my life completely was the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never simultaneously felt more brave or scared, more happy and sad at once. I never heard from you again, and I hope I never do. But I never want to forget how I learned I deserve more from a man and from people in general, and the strangely juxtaposed music of girly Brits and foppish NYU grads certainly helps.
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the full monty by queen karen edith millar Initially, I wish to extend my greater most (I don’t even know if that’s grammatically correct, but it sounds sincere) apologies for my lack of creative input as of late. In short, my excuse for a inability to find it in me to engage in productive activity / be good at life in general as of late initially stems from the fact it feels like it’s been January for around four years now and also because I’ve managed to have large scale arguments with three multi-national companies in the past week alone over a piece of stolen exercise equipment. I wish I were joking. Another reason I have been busy, is because I’ve been working on press for this beauty of an album. Reason To Believe: The Songs of Tim Hardin , is a tribute records featuring covers by Mark Lanegan, Smoke Faries, Okkervil River and more… Acclaimed Oregon troubadour Tim Hardin is one of the most influential and respected singer-songwriters of all time, not that the man himself cared much for the title. “My songs aren’t personal,” he insisted before his death in 1980. “They sound it ‘cos it was me who revealed them, but it was my head that got the lightning shot through it.” An interesting choice of descriptive, seeing as how for his many devotees, his bewitching folk music has the same knockout power as a ten thousand volt lightning strike from the sky – instantaneous, bruising, beautiful, electrifying. Among those devotees are some of the most exciting alternative voices of the last fifty years – like Nick Drake and Tim Buckley before him, Hardin was a musicians’ musician, the inspiration behind a great many artists whose limelight he never procured for himself. Johnny Cash, Paul Weller, Rod Stewart, Echo and the Bunnymen, Scott Walker, Nico... Hardin’s music has been covered by countless icons of contemporary counter-culture. Now that tradition is set to continue with the release of Reason To Believe, a tribute album collecting specially recorded cover versions from the impressive likes of Screaming Trees legend Mark Lanegan, the beguiling Hannah Peel, indie favourites Okkervil River and many more. “So many people’s entry point to Tim has been through cover versions,”says Full Time Hobby co-owner Nigel Adams, responsible for the release. “It felt fitting to bring his songs up to date with contemporary artists approaching his music with the hope listeners would then go beyond the well known and dig into some of the wealth of songs he wrote and recorded”. The album comes as a sequel of sorts to the label’s 2006 release, Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley, and is the next in a gradual series of releases that puts the spotlight on artists whose impact was more profound than their fame would suggest, whose names may have drifted into obscurity but continue to burn brightly in the hearts and record collections of many music lovers. But Reason To Believe is more than an opportunity to pay lip service to one of the most gifted and overlooked talents in generations, with its artists (in the true spirit of Hardin) getting creative with the songs. The record begins with Wellington cinematic-pop types The Phoenix Foundation and a dazzling reworking of ‘Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep’, the ‘60s groove and strummed guitar of Hardin’s original replaced by a tsunami wash of post-rock pianos and airy vocals. From there, the good times keep tumbling. Sam Gender’s Diagrams turn the tender ‘Part Of The Wind’ into an electronics epic guided by 16-bit bleeps and ghostly synths, while Smoke Fairies offer a broody, smokey, intense take on ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ that burrows its way into your psyche. A problem I have with covers is that they can often sound little better than high-end karaoke, but this album is a testament to the fact that just because you didn’t write the words you singing doesn’t mean you can’t make it sound like you mean them. Make sure to check it out when it’s released stateside next month!
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WANT MORE MISCREANT? My Miscreants, Happy New Year, folks! Thank you all so much for checking out the first issue of the Miscreant of 2013, and a special thanks to all who submitted their work. There’s so much on the horizon, and I’m so excited for all of the great bands we’ll be talking to, albums we’ll be looking at, and new columns that will start appearing regularly. There’s a lot to look forward to; be on the look out for issues featuring LVL UP, Breakfast In Fur, and more! This issue, I’m thrilled to have Magic Wands on the cover. They’re one of those great bands with a distinct sound, an exciting aesthetic, and the gonads to put in a lot of hard work into a record. Personally, I spent a few years longing for their full length, but it was well worth the wait. I was thrilled to also see they had been a guest on our friends’ podcast, EAR CANDY. That’s certainly an episode worth seeking out. Also, be sure to keep a look out for Mgic Wands’ tour dates. Another huge thanks to everyone who came out to the WERW Launch Party on 1/31! Kyle and I had so much fun hanging out with all of you. It was great to have Bad Sound, Buzzy Girl Flynn, and Chris Baugh all out to play some funky music. I think you know it was a good night when the DJ plays “D.A.N.C.E.” twice in a row. Now, it’s time to start on issue 35! Submissions are due on February 19. Send in your love letters to Steven Tyler, your defense of Beyoncé’s lip synching (like she really needs it), your concert photography, anything to do with music. Email your work or any questions you might have to themiscreant@miscreantrecords.com. Look to miscreantrecords.com and the Miscreant Facebook for more info on the music you read about here and more! Love, The Miscreant