Interview with Tenement

I first got into Tenement when I read about them in Razorcake a while back, but I didn't get to see them until a few weeks ago at the Not Normal showcase, where Ralph from Not Normal was celebrating the release of his wonderful compilation album "Welcome to 13," a reflection on the world not ending in December of 2012, but continuing on (for better or for worse) at a time when that seemed just about all a body could do. The Not Normal showcase lasted over six hours in two segments that were roughly three hours each. About twelve bands played from the new gruffly aggressive Skrapyard to the frenzied fun-dripping Lumpy and the Dumpers. Tenement, as they later state, was kind of the odd man out, in terms of music style. Tenement plays a sound much more rooted in pop-sensibility.

What amazed me about Tenement's set was that even though the circle pit became less violent, the pogo of the punx simply changed to a different movement. And everyone at Swerp Mansion seemed to know all the lyrics of the songs, which was awesome. People were crowd surfing and moshing in one big conglomerate rather than the free form every man for himself pit I had been used to. It was really cool to see all the hardcore kids get into a band that was so different from the rest of the groups (and there were a lot of bands).

Tenement's album Napalm Dream is a furious blast of rock n' roll mixed with punk rock energy. The first song "Stupid Werld" is an anthemic rager ending with a sing-along chorus crooning "Living in, living, living in a Napalm Dream." For some reason it just makes a lot of sense. When I hear it, I think "yeah, I kind of am living in a napalm dream" (once again - for better or for worse). Tenement is a band that is really fun, first off, but it's a band that I find that people find impossible to dislike.

You can check out their Facebook page HERE, their Tumblr page HERE, and their bandcamp page HERE

Who all is in Tenement? How did you guys start? Did you know each other before starting the band for a while?

Jesse: Right now it's Amos, Eric, and I.  We've had some line up changes over the last 6 years but the core has been Amos and I.  I suspect we've found a stable line up.  We all grew up in Wisconsin. Amos and I went to the same high school in Neenah.  During high school we got into the typical punk/hardcore stuff and went to shows all around Wisconsin.  Around the time I was in my freshman year of college, Amos got ahold of me to play some music. And we've been playing in Tenement ever since.  We picked up Eric after some unfortunate shit happened and we needed a competent like minded drummer.

What was it like starting a band in Appleton, Wisconsin? Are there many bands there that you guys play with or enjoy listening to?

Jesse: We grew up in a small town and that was our scene and we don't really know any better.

Eric: I grew up in Hartford, about an hour south of Appleton. There were no bands except for crappy high school jam bands. There was a ska band called "Straight Edge Crack Whores" from the nineties. 

Amos: Jesse and I spent our adolescence going to crust/hardcore punk shows. And that was really the only kind of "scene" that existed in Appleton at the time. No less, it was really important to us, and what we probably took away from it most was the urgency in the sound and presentation. There was one really great pop group in the Appleton area when we were growing up called Yesterday's Kids. Their LP, "Can't Hear Nothin", is still one of my favorite modern Rock N Roll / Power Pop / Pop-Punk records. Lookout! released it, and to us, that was a mark of prestige, or something. That record is probably the reason why I wasn't ashamed to listen to stuff like The Beatles or Big Star even as I was so infatuated with punk and hardcore. They suffered a premature break up and reformed as The Obsoletes, with more alt. country influence. And they were still great. And as a seventeen year old kid, I spent alot of time sneaking into bars to watch them drunkenly slur through the songs that defined that period of my life and the town I grew up in. 

What all have you guys released? What labels have you been on? How has it been working with the labels or people from them?

Amos: Tenement has two proper LPs and a handful of singles and EPs. "Napalm Dream" was released on vinyl through Mandible Records from Brooklyn, New York. They approached us about releasing it after coming to see us at Death By Audio in 2007. That should give you a good idea of how long that record took to materialize. Hang Up Records from La Crosse, Wisconsin did the CD version which was quite a gamble, considering CDs are so difficult to sell in America right now. He straight up payed for us to record drums for "Napalm Dream", and we're very grateful to have worked with such a generous, honest guy. Cowabunga Records from Chicago did the vinyl for "The Blind Wink", after picking up a copy of the hand dubbed cassette version we were passing around in 2011. We met him in 2010, at a show in Chicago we played with some big shot pop-punk band that will go unnamed. Drugged Conscience, Burger, and Dead Broke have all given our full length records cassette release, and they're all really wonderful people that we've become friends with over the past few years. And I think that's important. You should be able to trust and respect them; whether they're making you millions or not. 

What is the recording process of songs like? Do you guys have specific roles in terms of songwriting and recording?

Jesse: The song writing process is funny. Most of the time Amos writes the bulk of the material, which is then filtered through  the rest of us. I'll do my own bass parts or add/subtract to a suggested one Amos might have in mind.  Then we might record it right away and never play it live, or Amos will just write and record the entire thing by his lonesome. Alternately we may write it then play the hell out of it and through that process change the song in some regard. The recording process for the last LP was that Amos recorded a bunch of demos, and I provided a song that Amos helped with.  We then went through the demos and got them ready for studio treatment if you will. I personally really like writing a song, then playing it a lot live and making those changes and finally recording it.  But I also know Amos has a different outlook on that type of stuff than I do.

Amos: Sometimes a recording will be a really compulsive thing that I undertake by myself, while writing the song. If it ends up with some sort of exciting quality or energy, it might end up on the final record eventually. I'm of the opinion that a song should be dealt with in a way in which suits it, even if it means that some of us play something unusual or don't play at all. Drums are my first instrument and my most natural creative outlet, so I can be rather picky about the drum parts. Which is probably hellish for Eric. 

Eric: It's kinda funny, but everytime I record drums for a song, I learn it the same day. I have not had any creative input toward songwriting so far, but my brain is churning.

What do you guys record on?

Jesse: A little bit of everything really. Refer to Amos.

Amos: Whatever suits the song, or is most available at the moment... be it eight track machine, Pro Tools, or cassette. 

Do you guys record in a studio? Your records sound pretty polished. Would you ever record in a studio if you have not?

Amos: We sometimes record in a studio setting, if it's decided that it will be the proper treatment for whatever we're working on. Napalm Dream was recorded at several studios around Wisconsin by our friend Justin Perkins, who has produced alot of other great records too. He puts his mark on everything he does, and It's a mark I've come to love over the years. It works really well for some of the music we write.

When I saw you guys perform at the Not Normal showcase in Chicago, you played a house show with a bunch of hardcore bands. Is this indicative of a Tenement performance?

Jesse: We'd gotten some practice in and the backlined gear sounded a lot like our own. I think it was a good example of a Tenement set.  However, it lacked a "Moment".  But i'm glad all the hardcore kids got into it. I felt we were the odd band out that night.

Eric: My favorite style of music is hardcore, so getting to play with HC bands all the time is great. It makes us play harder; maybe faster. 

Amos: Out of tune...out of key...RAW POWER. Most of the punx are tone deaf anyway, am I right???

You guys are clearly punk influenced and rock n roll influenced. What or who do you think has impacted or influenced your songs or recordings the most?

Jesse: Early on I think the really obvious stuff stuck out a lot, but at this point we're really influenced by a ton of stuff outside of the punk/HC/pop realm.  We've always been into the visceral power of a live hardcore band and feeling of Black Flag, which has informed the way we play live.  But now 6 years down the line we're all into some wild bullshit music nerd shit, be it skronky free jazz, house, R&B/SOUL, rock, pop, experimental classical, whatever... it all manages to show up some where.  

Amos: Black Flag and The Ramones have been very stationary influences with this band since day one. They probably always will be. Some of the more subtle influences that are no less important right now are folks like Ray Charles and Charles Mingus. Masters in mood. I've been listening to alot of lounge, exotica, third stream jazz, and ballad vocal stylings by the likes of Clyde McPhatter and other soul/jazz singers of the period. Those will all probably have an effect on our next record in some way or another. Some people probably won't like that. It's been a long time since I stopped caring about what everyone else liked. 

What do you think of the punk scene that you guys have encountered so far? I personally think it's alive and vibrant with people who really care. But do you think there's anything missing in it or stuff that your band can do that other bands don't do as much?

Jesse: A lot of punks are ignorant people in some regard.  Punk at times feels like a rigid dogma.  But at the same time it has undefinable qualities that still attract me to it.  This might sound silly, but I think punks in general should develop a stronger understanding of jazz music. It's more like "punk" than one might think.  Obviously this isn't the rule, and most of my friends I've made in my adult life have been through some affiliation with punk. 

Eric: Punk will always be like mold growing. If you remove yourself from the underground, the underground will still always remain. The internet has ruined going to shows in a sense. Instead of having to go to a show to hear what a band sounds like, you can have their whole discography downloaded in a few minutes. There is nothing we can do that other bands can't. Make sacrifices and take chances. 

Amos: The punk scene in America has been very kind to us, and we've got to be grateful for that. However, I feel like alot of folks involved with DIY punk have really self righteous attitudes and morals, and the social cliques at alot of punk shows have made them feel no different than the halls of a high school, or any other facet of normal society.

What have been some of your best experiences playing live? How do you judge a successful live show?

Jesse: The best times are when we have a moment... where something unique and unscripted takes shape.  Sometimes it's when an audience expresses their distaste for us. Like when we played with screeching weasel and some people didn't like some noise. As long as we leave an impression on someone, good or bad.

What is in the future for Tenement? More live shows and records? Any specifics?

Jesse: More music.

Anything else you guys would like to say?

Eric: Listen to Uh Oh (WI), White Wash (Canada), and Lumpy and the Dumpers (MO).

Interview with Ashlie White, the curator of Pet Tich Eye

I've always heard the phrase giving back to your community. I've thought a lot about what that means. Which community? What sort of giving back? How sustainable should this gift action be? Each one of us comes from a plethora of communities and some are worth giving back to and some are not. As individuals, it becomes important to differentiate the worthwhile communities. For instance, I spent my adolescence in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, but was born in Los Angeles, and in between lived in Washington, D.C. That's three communities. And I don't think I really have any loyalty to any of them or feel the need to give back.

But when I heard about Pet Tich Eye, a collaborative art project curated by Ashlie White, I was very excited. Pet Tich Eye takes more than thirty musicians, ten photographers, ten visual artists, and ten community organizers from the Triangle area of North Carolina and makes it into a cohesive unit - one that is sustainable. I found out about the project through their KICKSTARTER, but the idea had been in the works for a while. It's truly a moving idea, indicative of the feeling anyone gets while going to a local show in the Triangle, spending an hour in a coffee shop on ninth street, or seeing the fliers on the walls at All Day Records.

The triangle area is a community worth giving back to, and it's blowing up with art from the full-frame documentary festival, to DPAC's world-class theatre, to the many great bands springing up throughout any of the three cities. This is a project worth supporting and it's something that I think many cities could try and emulate, though perhaps with different results. That being said, I see it as a method of uniting artists and a community, and should be a beacon of what those of us in the art community should strive for.

You can check out their Facebook page HERE

Jordan: What is Pet Tich Eye? How did it come to fruition and how long has it been in the works?

Ashlie: Pet-Tich-Eye is, at this very moment, a collaboration of more than 30 musicians, 10 photographers, 10 visual artists and 10 community organizations. We hope that the release of this 10-song record will be just the beginning of many collaborations to come. The website www.PetTichEye.com will be an outlet to release original music with this same collaborative structure in the future. We are encouraging musicians who want to record a collaboration to partner with a community organization and release the song through our website. Perhaps, if the interest is there, we'll put another vinyl out in the future.

J: I read that Pet Tich Eye was something of an enigma from the Triangle area. What's the story behind the man and the name of the project?

A: I read about Pet-Tich-Eye in Durham, A Bull City Story by Jim Wise. Pet-Tich-Eye was the nickname of the son of a historical Triangle trouble maker named Ben Peeler. I haven't found any other writings about Pet-Tich-Eye or any references to his real name. I saw his name in the book and it caught my eye. I thought it was obscure enough that, when searched for on the web, the term "Pet-Tich-Eye" would only ever populate results for our project and for history books about our area. I thought that was a cool link between our project and our community.

J: I moved from Durham in May, but I remember that the music scene in the Triangle area was incredibly tightly-knit, friendly, and fun. How do you think the Triangle area impacted the project? Do you think the project could have come from anywhere else?

A: I grew up near the Triangle and went to high school in Raleigh and undergrad in Chapel Hill. I've travelled a lot and lived in several other cities/states before moving to Durham in 2011. I've never experienced this type of creative enthusiasm in any other area. The music scene here is exactly like you said, tightly-knit and friendly. One thing that makes the Triangle music community different than other music communities is the support the musicians provide for each other. There is a humbleness about most Triangle musicians that comes from the recognition of the immense talent surrounding them at every turn. The show up in numbers at each other's shows and are always the faces seen near the front of the stage. Here the creative community understands that we are living off the same lifeline. The same people who care about this community and support the community organizations are also the people who come out to support the music and arts. 

A: I've wondered if this project could be done anywhere else; I'm certain it could be, but I'm not sure any community would approach it with the same enthusiasm and commitment as this group of musicians did. 

J: What role has the South played in the creation of the project, especially in an area that, to me, seems to be a bit of an anomalous Southern area, in terms of industry, art, and many incredible universities?

A: I'm very proud to live in a community that embraces its Southern roots while simultaneously supporting such an openminded and creative community. Many of the amazing people on this project are not from the South but have found beauty in our area that has kept them here. I was raised in a rural North Carolina community and it doesn't take long to hear it in my voice. I am proud of where I come from, but I am also painfully aware of the stereotypes about the South. For me and many of the people around me, our community is special because there are some amazing things happening here and a bunch of amazing people making those things happen.

J: What has been your role in the Pet Tich Eye project?

A: I am the curator of the project. I also photographed Ivan Howard, Heather McEntire and JYU in the studio when they recorded East Coast/West Coast Time.  

A: I came up with the concept and talked it over with Ivan Howard, a dear friend and inspiration,  who encouraged me to proceed with the idea and make it a reality. 

I asked 10 of the musicians, who I knew personally, to be a part of the project. I asked each of them to choose two musicians to collaborate with, a photographer to document the creative process, a visual artist to create album art for the song and a community organization to be a beneficiary. I organized studio schedules and worked closely with the engineers through the recording, mixing and mastering of the record. Once we release the record, I hope to continue curating collaborations to release on the website. 

J: What have been the roles of the different photographers and musicians? Do most people focus on just the art aspect, or do people take on more responsibility?

A:  I think the photographers knew that they were witnessing and documenting something special when they were in the studio. It was really nice to see the musicians so open to having the photographers around all day. Some of the photographers brought in lights and some did portraits. It was interesting to see how each of the photographers worked in the space. 

A: Most of the artists (musicians, photographers, visual artists) just focused on their one task or contribution to the project. Everyone has been tremendously helpful in helping me promote the project, but for this first recording it was hard to wrap my brain around delegating responsibilities. Moving forward, I know there are a lot of people who want to see this concept work and a lot of people who are invested in doing what needs doing to make it work. 

J: What are a couple memorable moments that you've experienced from the project?

A: Wow, it's hard to narrow that down. I was fortunate enough to attend portions of all of the studio sessions, so I have very specific and special memories from each day recording. One of the most memorable moments was towards the end of the mastering session with Brent Lambert at Kitchen Mastering. I realized that the project was real, that we had accomplished our goal to create something special and I got pretty emotional.   

J: Contrarily, what has been especially hard working with so many people and getting everything worked out? Are there any specific obstacles you've had to deal with?

A: Scheduling was the hardest thing to organize and nail down. Another challenging part of the project was trying to decide whether or not to do a Kickstarter and how to announce the project to the world. 

J: What is the show at Motorco going to be like? I wish I could take a flight to Durham and see it! So many great musicians in one room!

A: We are going to set up the garage space as a gallery of all the album art and photographs. We want people to get a feeling of what this project actually encompasses besides the music. The art and photographs that have not sold through the Kickstarter campaign will be up for silent auction that night in order to make some money for the musicians. The gallery will open at 6 pm and the music will start at 8pm. Several of the musicians will be on tour but we have confirmations from five of the groups who will play their songs. We also have an exciting announcement about the two bands that will be joining the bill that night, which is coming soon. 

J: Is this going to be a one-off project or do you have more stuff to come from such great talent?

A: We've built this project to be sustainable. The website will be an outlet for future release and if we see the interest for another physical release, we will definitely consider doing one. The community has to want it and the musicians have to be willing to do the collaborations, but we really hope to see this project move forward. Really, there are no limits to the awesomeness that can happen. 

Interview with Kym Register of Loamlands

The last time I talked to Kym was at the Subterranean in Chicago. I remember staggering in there after going to Emporium Bar and Grill and having one too many Union Jacks. Midtown Dickens had put out their swan song album "Home" by Trekky Records out recently in April. I don't know how many times I've seen Midtown Dickens, but I do remember both the first and the last times that I saw them. The first time was at the short-lived Troika music festival in Durham, which should continue by the way (in case anyone is reading who would like to start that back up). It was my first time in Fullsteam Brewery my junior year, at a time when my mental state didn't allow for me to drink. But Troika changed my life. It made me believe in community for beginners - it gave me a sort of geographical loyalty to my music, (one that I still hold dear [as anyone can probably see judging from the amount of North Carolina bands featured on the blog]).

Midtown Dickens released three incredible folk records that incrementally grew. They featured something home-centric by way of both lyric and music. Their music came across as sincere and precise, which was (and still is) a winning combination if I've ever seen one.

So yeah, I was sad when that band broke up, but just reading their statement on Facebook gave me a sort of pause by making me think that they were people who had places to go, things to do, and sometimes we can't all take the same path to paradise. So when I saw that Loamlands was coming into existence, I jumped. They have yet to record, but that doesn't even matter. A lot of people listen to music for enjoyment. Some people listen to be told how to live. Some people listen to critique. For me, it's a little different. I listen to music to get to know people and to believe in people. That's something that I got from Midtown Dickens and folk music in general. I can't wait to hear what Loamlands have in store.

You can check them out on their Facebook page HERE

This is what Kym said

Jordan: What is Loamlands? Where did the name come from? Who is in Loamlands?

Kym: Loamlands is a band formed out of the mutual love and respect that Will and I have for each other as people and musicians.  Playing with Will for the past, what like 20 years (so it seems) has been really fun.  I've been supported and challenged musically, and am really excited to keep that going.  It's an extension of what I was writing in Midtown, but there's a lot more energy put to both the music and how I'm singing... I'm really trying to focus here. It's also got a bit of a more rocking feel.  I'm playing electric guitar about half the time so far (my grandads, and his amp!) and banjo and acoustic the other 50% of the time.  Will is writing with me, harmonizing and playing guitar / mandolin so far.  We're still feeling this one out.  So far it's Will and I, and filling in for the first few shows are Kyle Kegan from Lost in the Trees (and a million other bands) on drums and Brad Cook for Megafaun on bass.  

J: Why did Midtown Dickens break up and how did this project stem out of that?

K: Midtown was doing really well, and I think through that each of us felt empowered to really search out our own interests.  We toured a lot last year, and had been a band for around 8 years.  I think we each needed to hold that project near to our hearts, embrace the love of our community and move on to other projects that inspired us.  Catherine is traveling a lot and still playing music, Jonathan has been touring and recording with Kairaba, and Will and I are really excited to get this new / old sound out in the world.  

J: What kind of music does Loamlands make? Where do you get your inspiration for this project?

K: It's still folk music, without a doubt.  It still tells a story, but I feel more honed in.  I'm playing with strings now, and really focussing on song structure and singing.  I feel grounded and focussed in what Will and I are putting together.  It seems almost effortless and natural, in the way that it embrasses what I learned in MTD but takes that to another plane. 

J: Have you guys written any songs? How does your music get made?

K: We've almost got a record written!  I'm so excited!  I'd been toying around with songs for the next MTD record, so there were a few riffs and what not that I took from those ideas into Loamlands, but not really.  This is a new sound and a natural progression, but it's all mostly new material.  Basically what's happening now is that I'm writing basic song outlines with melody / lyrics etc, and bringing that to will. Then we collaborate.  He's amazing at fine tuning the folk songs I bring in and figuring out melodies and structure.  He's dreamy. 

J: Do you guys plan on recording some songs or possibly an album? What are some of the first things that you guys are working on?

K: We're definitely planning on recording, and almost have enough material for a full length.  What are we working on... hm.  Music mostly.  Getting our gear the way we want it.  Pairing down.  Having fun.  Eating good food.  Making sure we don't get electrocuted on stage.  My Grandpa's amp wasn't grounded, so ... that was an issue.  But thanks to Russ @ Bull City Sound, I have a styling power cable and no new near death experiences. 

J: You guys have a few shows coming up. Can you talk a little bit about those?

K: VERY excited about the shows we have coming up.  One is on 4.11 w/ William Tyler @ The Pinhook.  He's such an inspirational musician.  One of those that you watch and then immediately want to go home and start writing music.  It is an honor to play with him.  

K: Also Shakori!  It's going to feel like going home, playing there.  Such a sweet festival full of supportive folks and talented musicians.  

K: A few more are in the worls, but the are yet to be announced :) 

J: Anything else you'd like to say?

K: I'm just really excited for this project.  It feels like such a natural extension of what I was / am doing musically, and feels good to grow into.  I'm glad to get a chance to do this.  

J: Thanks!

K: Thanks Jordan!  

Interview with Mount Moriah

When I don't know where to start with a blog post I start with the lines "When I don't know where to start with a blog post." When I listen to Mount Moriah, I am impressed with the restraint and precision of the backing music that can sometimes stand in stark contrast to the complex nature of Heather McEntire's words. Mount Moriah is about the quiet explosions that exist within a person's mind that are impossible to see from the outside. But they're also about a reflection process. They're about conflict, but they're also about beauty.

I remember hearing "Social Wedding Rings" for the first time and thinking about growing up in a deeply religious household. My mother still attends Bible Study conferences in Colorado Springs and is the leader of an amazing bible study for women, which I know gives a lot of people a support system and new ways to think. My mom puts a lot of time in it and does a really amazing time. I have always struggled with religion. Since I was fifteen, I have struggled with being both agnostic and being a good son in a religious family. I love my mom a lot and don't want to disappoint her. When I heard "Social Wedding Rings," and other songs on the self-titled album, a lot of Heather's words rang true for me - to put it simply, it gave me a connection, which is of course what Mount Moriah is all about.

There's a lot that leads up to the sound, ethos, and ideas that come from a Mount Moriah song. I see geography as the prism through which ideas get shot out onto a canvas, which becomes a song. So, say sexuality. You take the idea of sexuality and see how it can be sent through a Southern filter (likening to a camera this time) and see what the picture on the other side - the south is not the definition but rather an entity that defines. This is only a shallow reading. There is a lot of thought and humanity in the music behind Mount Moriah that makes them a very special band.

You can listen to their music on spotify, check out their first two full-length albums through MERGE RECORDS, or check out their WEBSITE

Jordan: Who is in Mount Moriah? How did you guys meet? When did you start the band?

Hether: Jenks and I met while working a record store in Chapel Hill, NC. At the core, Mount Moriah is me, Jenks Miller, and Casey Toll; we also work with other collaborators. Jenks and I started playing together as Mount Moriah in 2008, though he had used the name previously with another set of members. 

J: How did you get the name Mount Moriah? I know it's the mountain where Abraham was supposed to sacrifice Issac, but is there a significance behind that theme?

H: Jenks named the band. Yes, it's a biblical reference that we find intriguing and powerful. Coincidentally, it's also a road in our town runs between Durham and Chapel Hill. I pass by it several times a week.

J: How has it been signing to Merge? What was the process behind that like? I know Merge is in the area of you guys. How did you meet?

H: So far it's been wonderful and exciting. Merge has been really welcoming and enthusiastic. We are proud to be a part of their stable. Yes, they are based in Durham as well; it's quite convenient. Some of their staff have been coming to our shows over the last couple years, so we send them a demo of new songs we recorded on 4-track. They liked it and asked if they could put out our next full length. 

J: How did you end up deciding to repress and reissue the first record that you guys did?

H: We had always wanted it to be available on vinyl, but could never quite afford to press it on our own. We ran the idea of a reissue by them and immediately got the ball rolling. After touring so much on the s/t album, we knew it was out there in people's hands but that Merge could help cast a much wider net and give it another life cycle. The s/t album is an important piece in understanding Mount Moriah, in the chronology, the evolution. We wanted it to be available for folks to trace back to the beginning.

J: In terms of writing and recording, how has it been different from the first album and the second? Different people or ideas in the process?

H: The writing and recording process was much more cohesive on Miracle Temple. We had a clear vision of what we wanted these songs to be - it was very intentional and focused. Our membership was also more concrete with Miracle Temple; on the s/t album, we involved a lot of different friends and toured with a revolving a cast. From start to finish, the recording of Miracle Temple took one month, as opposed to s/t which took  6 months to complete and then it came out a year and half later.

J: Who inspires you lyrically? How do you make lyrics? What importance do you see in lyrics versus the music? How do you write melody and lyrics? How intertwined are they?

H: I have a BFA in Creative Writing, so I first fell in love with words. Lyrics are really important to me and a large reason why I am so engaged with Mount Moriah. Sometimes the words come first, sometimes the chord progression, sometimes the melody. Certain people respond to lyrics more immediately, some to melody, some to the sonic qualities of the music. We work hard to refine all of these things to sincerely and thorough represent an idea or subject.

J: What bands, ideas, events, and other things impact you when you make music? I know that there's a lot of new vs. old theme on the first record. Does that continue?

H: Most of my lyrics are inspired by personal experiences. I keep my eyes wide and ear cupped to it all. A seemingly simple moment can breed an elaborate concept. People and place seem to move me consistently. And, of course, we are committed to the topic of Southern identity - unpacking tradition and heritage, looking at the challenges of making art and being progressive in the South, trying to find a harmony.

J: I'm familiar with Jenks' other group Horseback, but not the rest of you. Are you guys involved in other creative outlets?

H: Although Mount Moriah has my main focus, I also play in bands called Bellafea and Un Deux Trois, as well as write and perform solo. I'm in a deep collaborative space right now, so when I have time I say yes to a lot of singing/music projects. Casey plays in a band called Spooky Woods and plays jazz music. 

J: What are you looking for the response to be to the new album? How do you want people to react to it?

H: I'm not looking for a particular response from listeners. They will experience it how they will, bringing their own perspectives and opinions. Miracle Temple was a genuine exploration for us, and we are very happy with what we accomplished with it. 

J: What else is in your future, or have you just been swamped with the upcoming tour and album?

H: This year will likely hold a lot of touring and promotion, but we're ready for it. I've been writing new songs this winter and will continue to do so on the road this spring. 

Mount Moriah Plays Schuba's with Blessed Feathers on March 18 in Chicago : TICKETS

Interview with Chris DeFusco of Negative Fun Records

It's surprising to me that I never ran into Chris DeFusco while I was still in Durham. I "met" him basically as I started my blog and got a twitter account. I guess he liked the stuff that I was doing, which was really flattering and we shared a fairly similar taste in music and humor. So between seeing that Chris was in touch with a bunch of really awesome bands, a cool dude, and starting a record label, it was pretty easy to stay in contact.

I preordered the Red Hex 7" that he released pretty much because I trusted his taste in music. If you read my earlier interview with the gang at Red Hex, you can see that I was a huge fan and ended up picking up their debut single.Then I also picked up the other Negative Fun record at the time, which was the split 7-inch between She Rides and Dripping Slits, which is a really cool blast of punk, and a revery for what I see as theatrically huge vocals on the side dedicated to She Rides. Dripping Slits has a bit more thrash into it and some serious guitar playing. The vocals are spitfire delivered and reminiscent of an earlier iteration of Damian Abrahamson. It rocks, to say the least.

So yeah, I've been impressed with Negative Fun Records from the get-go. These two first records comes across as confident and engaging. To put it simply, they don't come across as the first releases from a label and it's really cool to see a rocket-launch start from something that has been a dream for a long while.


You can check out the label's website HERE, listen to the records on BANDCAMP, and check them out on FACEBOOK

Jordan: So you've been involved in music for a while? When did you first start? In what capacity did you start taking an active role in music?

Chris: I spent most of my high school and college years going to hardcore shows in the Boston and Providence area. I went to Providence College in RI, which was a pretty conservative school. Here I was, a vegan straight edge kid. I ended up becoming really involved in the local hardcore scene mostly because it gave me something to do other than sitting in my dorm room eating cheeseless pizza.  I published a fanzine and did a radio show, then I started booking shows at clubs, vfw halls and basements. I always liked doing more than watching.

J: Have you ever played in a band or made music yourself?

C: Yeah, I played in a hardcore punk band called Paindriver. Before I joined the band they were a three piece, but the bass player wanted to sing full time. I wrote something about the singers old band in my fanzine and he approached me at a show and asked if I could play bass. I lied and said yes, bought a bass and was practicing with them a few weeks later. They already had a single on Sound Pollution Records before I joined the band and not too long after I learned the songs we recorded a 12” with Kurt Ballou from Converge at the first incarnation of God City Studio. The guitar player and I decided to put it out ourselves. We basically sold all of our belongings to raise the money to put it out. We called the label Takeover Records, but when the band dissolved so did the label.

J: Aside from the new label what all have you done in terms of other music oriented stuff

C: I spent the better part of ten years working at a record store chain in New England called Newbury Comics. My label partner Jon and I worked together for years at a store in New Hampshire. I was his boss, then he was my boss. Then we started travelling all over the place together to see shows and festivals. When I decided to start the label he contacted me and asked how he could help almost immediately.

J: What bands or shows made you think that you wanted to start a record label?

C: I don’t know if it was any particular band or show, but I was definitely finding influence from a lot of small record labels. I’ve always been drawn to those labels with a distinctive look and feel to them. Trouble In Mind and Sacred Bones come to mind, as do old Sub Pop records, even Fucked Up records. That was the idea from the start, but we haven’t really figured out how to look distinctive without being a rip-off. I think its one of those things that just evolves. There was a while when I wasn’t really paying all that much attention to music, which was weird because I was working at a record store at the time, and some friends from Memphis turned me on to Mr. Airplane Man. That got me obsessed with Sympathy For The Record Industry.

C: Lots of local NC labels have been really inspirational and supportive, like Sorry State, Churchkey, To Live A Lie, and Three Lobed Records. Cory from Three Lobed has been super helpful while we’ve been getting our legs under us.

J: How did you start the label itself?

C: I had been trying to get a music and sports blog off the ground, but that frustrated me. I like to write, but I hate my writing, so it felt like work, and I wanted an escape from work. One day I just decided that I would take some of the stock options that I had from my day job and cash them in and put it towards this label idea. I figured I usually just used that money to pay bills or buy household items, why not do something productive with it? Then Jon came into the picture and we became 50/50 partners, so it gave us a little more to work with, financially.

J: Where did you get the name Negative Fun from? I love it!

C: I have a reputation of being pretty negative, especially on facebook and twitter, so I was playing with that idea. It basically just popped into my head one day. I did a google search to see if the name was taken and didn’t find anything. It sounded like it should be the name of something. I did a little more digging and then realized that it was a Simpsons reference from the episode when Lisa becomes a vegetarian. “Hi, I’m Troy McClure. You might remember me from such educational films such as 2-3 equals negative fun”. I mean...right?

J: How has it been starting a label when you have a kid and a wife? Seems like there's not a whole lot of time!

C: That gave me some pause at first. I thought my wife would think I was crazy, but she has been super supportive. I may have sold her by naming the label after a Simpsons quote.

C: One of the things I least expected from fatherhood was the creative rush it gave me. Its a lot of work, and I wish I had more time some days, but I’m a busy body by nature. I have a hard time sitting still. It helps that I have a partner too, if I was doing everything myself and working and being a husband and father it would be a lot tougher.

C: I guess this ties in with your question about my influences. A few months after my wife and I found out that we were having a kid I went on a road trip with Jon to Memphis for Gonerfest 6. Bill and Lisa Roe from Trouble In Mind Records were playing that year with CocoComas. They had brought their baby (and I assume their kid’s grandmother) with them and were hanging out at the Goner store and some of the day parties with their whole family. I couldn’t stop thinking about how awesome that was. I was still in “holy crap I’m going to be a dad” panic mode and it made me realize that I wouldn’t have to give up all my interests if I wanted to be a good parent. In fact, I think it makes you a bad parent if you give up everything for your kids. The last thing I want is to be resentful of my child if I look back and feel like I left something on the table, so to speak. Hopefully one day my kid will think its cool that her daddy runs a record label, instead of not knowing what I do when I go to work every day.

J: What have you released since the beginning of Negative Fun records?

C: The first thing I put up on our Bandcamp page was a digital version of the Paindriver record. It was out of print and I found it up on Mediafire, so I figured someone might want it. I pretty much put it up so I could start figuring out how Bandcamp worked.

C: In December we released our first record. The She Rides/Dripping Slits split 7”, then we followed that up with the Red Hex 7”.

J: What has the process behind getting bands to put out records been like? Has it been similar for the stuff that you've released?

C: When I started up the label I made a facebook page for it and posted an announcement. George from She Rides replied almost immediately that they were looking for someone to put out a split 7”. I had seen them play a poorly promoted Monday night show in Raleigh a month prior and they still played their asses off. It was impressive and I knew that they were the type of band that I wanted to work with. She Rides had played with Dripping Slits while they were on tour, so that pairing came together pretty naturally.

C: My friend Ashley from Tacoma, who I had known while we both lived in Portland, Ore., tipped me off to Red Hex. He sent me a link to a bandcamp compilation with their song Weird Bruises. I couldn’t get enough of that song, so I contacted Sam about buying their self released single and asked if they were looking to put anything else out. They were interested and took a chance on working with a brand new label. I’m really proud of that release. I’ve had rough versions of those songs since last September and they still sound fresh every time I listen to them.

C: The next release was going to be a Record Store Day exclusive, but there was an accident at the pressing plant that we use, so we’ve decided to take the foot off the gas with that one. Though we hope to make it a regular series of releases. Jon, the other half of the label, manages a Newbury Comics store in the Dartmouth College area of NH. There is a collective of musicians up there from NH and Vermont called What Doth Life. We’ve developed a nice relationship with those folks and decided that one way we could work together with them was to issue a series of split singles featuring bands from up north and bands from here in North Carolina. The label has two homes, so why not feature them?  One of Jon’s regular customers at his store is Ryan Hebert, who is a really talented multi instrumentalist. He’s had a pretty prolific recording career. People may know him from the psych/drone band Heavy Winged who have a bunch of records out. Well, Ryan was playing drums in a band which was breaking up and started a new band called Carton with some of the guys from this really great rock and roll band, Pilgrims It turns out that they are freaking incredible so we asked them if they wanted to be a part of this idea. With Alpha Cop, I had gotten to know Corbie Hill, their singer/guitar player through twitter and really liked what I had heard from the band, so I approached him with the idea. The funny thing is this could have been disastrous because we didn’t know what Carton was going to sound like when the idea hatched, and Alpha Cop was in the midst of evolving their sound, and adding members to the band. It came together beautifully. There is a really distinct mid-90’s Dischord/Quarterstick/Touch and Go Records vibe coming through the record, without sounding too nostalgic. I think people will really dig it.

C: Finally, we’ve got a seven inch planned with our friend Chris Pupecki from Doomriders new doom/psych project called Wormwood. Chris started this duo with the original Doomriders drummer, and it sounds massive. Hopefully they’ll put a live incarnation of the band together and play some shows. They’ve gotten some serious buzz in Boston already, and have a 12” coming out on Magic Bullet Records soon. Chris approached me about working together when I posted that first facebook update about the label. Jon and I have known him and his wife for years from working at Newbury Comics together, so it was a natural fit.

J: What do you find the significance of physical media to be?

C: I just love the entire package. I love that it sounds different through different record players and speakers. I like that artwork can have nuances. Its a thing, rather than a series of data. I like that its an old technology often made by one person operating a machine with care.

J: What else do you have in the future for Negative Fun?

C: We’re co-sponsoring a SXSW day party on March 16th at a tattoo parlor called Triple Crown Tattoo. That should be a lot of fun. Our friends from New Orleans play in a great rock and roll band called DiNola who will be on the bill, and The High Tension Wires are playing as well as a few other bands. She Rides was supposed to play but they had to scrap their tour at the last minute, unfortunately.

C: We want to try and sponsor or co-sponsor a day party during Hopscotch Fest in Raleigh this September, so we’re looking into what it takes to put that together.

C: We’ve got enough funding for the first four releases, so after that we just have to wait and see. The goal was to always roll our money back into future releases and not stretch ourselves beyond our means. We’ve got some feelers out there on a few future releases, but we’ll be concentrating on promoting the label and our releases for the near term.

J: What would your dream record to put out be? You can even do a top 5 if you'd like just so you can make it unrealistic.

C: We’d love to put out a Spider Bags 7”. It would be cool to do something a little outside the ordinary like a comedy single. Putting out an unreleased Mr Airplane Man single would be incredible. I’d kill to put out a Super Wild Horses single, or really anything from an Australian garage band would be killer.

J: Anything else you'd like to say?

C: Thanks for the interview and all of the support you’ve given the label. Buy records from record stores and support indie labels. Come say hi at South By Southwest.

Interview with Red Hex

I heard of Red Hex through Chris DeFusco who runs Negative Fun records, an awesome new record label out of Raleigh, NC. Red Hex was something that I preordered basically because I trusted his music taste. I didn't know anything about the band, but figured that he wouldn't steer me wrong. And boy was I right. I got a monster of a 7" record out of the deal. I remember getting it in the mail and popping it on my turntable and being completely unprepared for what was going to happen to my face. The face, you say? Oh, yes. Because my face was TOTALLY MELTED from the aural power that came from the impressive vocals, barking guitars, bullet-riddled drum part and an ability to tie it all together to make something presentable that didn't lose any spitfire from the many factors.

The word that came to my mind was that the 7" record was "special." In that way where a band completely takes you by surprise, rolls you over, and commands you to keep listening. I ended up flipping the record from one side to the other and so forth for over an hour. Non stop listening. I was so shocked that I hadn't listened to them before. So I bought their other 7" and that one was great too. A little less fidelity, but whatever. You don't listen to punk rock for the fidelity. You listen to punk rock for the realness and grittiness you might get walking down an avenue, stepping under an unused train station and seeing graffiti that tells you "8 million homeless in the U.S." - a painted body holding a painted Jack Daniels fifth of whiskey collapsed onto an imagined plane.

So yeah, I liked the record. 

This is what they said.

Jordan: Tell me a little bit about your band. Where are you guys from? Who all is in the band 

and what are your different roles in terms of writing, recording and playing?

Sam: "So we're sittin' around eatin' dinner and I say 'hey man, we should call the band Corn!, with a K!' and then Munky says 'Yeah!, and we'll flip the K around!". Red Hex, however was formed in Tacoma Washington, a small logging/gang city nestled in the shadow of  the Asarco smelter. For years the poisons flowed freely, gently raining upon three young boys. The boys grew and grew until fate finally united them. In the basement played. In the basement they stayed. In the bath-tub they also played.. Isaiah: The drummer who played the drums like they were a guitar, Sam: The guitarist who played a guitar like it was a drum and Spencer ate the sauce.. 

J: What releases do you guys have?

Sam: The Two 7"s, the "Black Hole" one we did on our own, and the Shoulda Known/Down in The Dirt one that just came out on Negative Fun Records. We also still sell/give away a 6 song CD that has some of our older stuff on it. That's it.

J: I love both of your 7"s that you have released. It seems like there's just consistent adrenaline in the new 7" as opposed to the slower b-side on your first one. Is this just more comfortable for you guys? Or just the kind of songs you have been writing?

Isaiah: I didn't even want that song on the first record..

Sam: haha yeah, I did what I thought I had to do to sell the records. The fans love Weird Bruises. We were gonna have Rat Boy on there too but it didn't fit on the record.

Spencer: We actually don't think about anything before doing it, and we have alot of slower songs at the moment too.

Sam: Yeah, Shoulda known is a really old song and we'd never recorded it, so we decided to put it the Negative Fun 7" since it would be out of place the album that we're recording/writing. Down in the Dirt was a new song we were stoked on so we decided to throw that on there too. Our new stuff is getting pretty weird..

Spencer: Yes, the album will be interesting...

J: How long does it take for a song to get written and finished? How do you record the songs?

Spencer: Oh god...

Isaiah: Anywhere from literally playing the whole song first try off the top of our heads, to years..

Sam: Yeah we've written songs where it seems like we didn't even write them, and we also have songs that we've been working on the entire time we've been a band. As for recording, I've recorded everything we've done, pretty much live, just pressing record and picking up my guitar. We've never recorded with anyone else around.

J: What's that sample at the end of the "shoulda known" 7" on the third song? I know I've heard it before but it's been bothering me.

Sam: It's from "Dead Beat at Dawn" the 70's new york gang movie. 

Spencer: I guess some metal band called Impetigo already used it, but who cares. 

J: It seems like you guys might be big into horror movies from what I've heard in your songs? Any particular movies or directors in particular you like? I'm a big fan.

Sam: We're all fans of film in general, but Zay is the real horror buff!

Isaiah: we like to watch everything. favorite horror directors off the top of the head would be murnau, lang, whale, hitchcock, early argento, romero, cronenberg, fulci, bava, carpenter, soavi, hooper, etc. tons of shit from silent films to the shittiest shot on video shitfilms. Film is probably my biggest influence when making music. Riefenstahl, kurosawa and herzog errday 

Sam: My brother is actually film maker, and Isaiah and I recently did the score for his new "German" Expressionist Horror/Comedy "Ich Hunger", check it out!

J: What do you guys like to talk about in your lyrics? Are there certain themes or influences that you guys take when you're writing lyrics?

Sam: I just scream jibberish at practice and try to form it in to words later. It usually ends up being about psychedelia, death and jealousy. 

Isaiah: Treacheris Succubinis

Spencer: Roman Holiday/Nautical Studies

Sam: Yes, pure-bred crystal falcon. 

J: How has it been working with Negative Fun records as opposed to just self-releasing the seven inch record you guys have done? What's the difference?

Sam: The difference is I didn't pay for anything and people are actually hearing our record this time. haha. I'm terrible at self managing the band and don't really work it as hard as I should to sell records and whatnot. Chris at Negative Fun is doing us a huge favor by dealing with our weird asses and we are extremely grateful.

J: How often do you guys play live? Where do you like to play? What bands in particular do you like playing with?

Spencer: We play often, at least a few times a month. We prefer house shows, since the crowd actually goes nuts.. We like playing with bands who aren't dicks and don't suck..

Isaiah: I prefer to play in the bath-tub truthfully... 

Sam:  We actually throw shows in our basement which we call "The Haunted Haus" because the scene in Tacoma is so dead. We've brought alot of great bands through like our pals the Night Beats & Criminal Code as well as Mr. Elevator and the Brain Hotel, Cosmonauts, Youthbitch, Guantanamo Baywatch, Big Eyes, Japanther (who sucked) and many more..

J: Do you guys have any more plans for shows or releases in 2013?

Spencer: MmmFasho!

Sam: We're planning a tour down to the Bay Area this April. This will be our first tour since we've never had any money or a van or anything until recently, and we're all 21 now. If all goes well we'll do a bigger one in the summer.

Spencer: Not to mention our upcoming split with Mumford & Sons.. No, but seriously, we're working on a full length record and some other stuff.

Sam: Yeah, someone put out our full length!!

J: Anything Else you'd like to say?

Red Hex: Shout outs to all the Friends, Girl Trouble, Ed, The Fams & The Fans! 

It's a helluva show..