Support the resistance, Black lives matter! We’ve made a handy list of good places to donate to during this time. If you have any you’d like to suggest, please email us at popscuremedia@gmail.com
Support the resistance, educate yourself! We’ve made a handy list of good books, podcasts, movies, and other resources to check out. If you have any you’d like to suggest, please email us at popscuremedia@gmail.com
Support the resistance, show up for POC! Here’s some petitions to sign, articles to read, and more resources. If you have any you’d like to suggest, please email us at popscuremedia@gmail.com
Following the livestream takeover from our Instagram last night, Popscure Editor-in-Chief Shannon Jay chatted withlaboratory scientist, Brianda, better known as “Flyyscience” to discuss all things science, including the recent pandemic.
Brianda is a medical laboratory scientist working on achieving both her Masters in Biological Sciences and PhD in Molecular Medicine. If that wasn’t enough on her plate, she’s also a YouTuber that connects pop culture, society, and science. Under the name @flyyscience, she engages in all of her passions – music, arts, sports, and (obviously) STEM. Her hope is to communicate science to a general audience in a cool and interesting way!
Ever wanted the break down how a bath bomb works? There’s a video on that. How about the science behind that siqq ink you’re rocking’ on your arm? She’s got you covered there too.
Blending her love of hip-hop and medicine, she talks about some of her favorite rappers’ battles with diseases. She starts her Eazy-E video out in his signature shades before talking about his battle with AIDS.
Image via Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
In her J Dilla video explaining how he died from TTP, she starts off by grabbing a sweet snack that’s a nod to his signature album “Donuts,” and even uses Stars Wars figures to explain how the disease works. Need I say more?
Image via Stüssy
Missed the livestream? Don’t worry, you can still view it on our Instagram story for a limited time! Stay tuned to our IG for future live Q&A’s with Flyyscience and subscribe to her YouTube channel!
In the midst of a global pandemic, Popscure contributor, Allison Weeks, took the time to share some perspective and grounding advice on how to approach our new reality in a world without live music and entertainment.
Spring has started springing, and music lovers and makers alike have reached the threshold of that long-awaited time of year: festival season. In a moment of divine harmony, chilly temps seemed to be on the outs while sunshine, crop tops, and fantasized lineups (too good to be true) floated into sight—a blissful ménage à trois between industry, spectator, and – well, Mother Nature. That is…until we were met with the unexpected.
COVID-19. Coronavirus. It has been difficult atbest to get straightforward answers about the now pandemic and, as more and more cases are confirmed within the US, industries have been scrambling to make immediate safety decisions. Like rampant wildfire, events and institutions are announcing cancellations – including academia, concerts, festivals…the entire NBA season, even. But the music world has encountered these effects at a much more rapid pace.
On March 6th, in a shot heard ’round the world, the city of Austin, Texas, pulled the trigger on cancelling SXSW. Known more fondly on the street as “South By,” the mega festival/conference is a living, breathing point of convergence among film, music, tech, and interactive media, bringing together more than 400,000 attendees and over 2,000 acts spanning the globe. It’s a smorgasbord of art, culture, indie music, film, and ideas – and the damn thing generates over $350 million in roughly a week. The cancellation, a first in the notorious event’s 34 years, represents more than just a missed opportunity to knock back one too many PBRs while jamming to an exclusive Pom Poko set. It exists as an allegory for the financial ripple effect that artists are immediately feeling in the wake of social and economic chaos.
At this point, the numbers of cancelled shows and postponed tours are too large to gather, but if there’s one undeniable takeaway, it’s that this hurts. In the era of free streaming, leaks (read: hackers), and the availability of just about anything via smartphone at our fingertips, the whole “musician as a full-time job” thing is no cakewalk—nor is it much of a money tree for most. That’s why your favorite acts are always all, “Link in bio,” “Buy some merch,” “Get to the gig!” Promo is dough, yo.
Image via music think tank/Jonathan Ostrow
In all seriousness, with no clear end to the corona-madness in sight and more cancellations rolling in by the day, it’s evident that festival and spring touring season are not going to be the midriff-bearing, sunny dreamscapes we had anticipated. Nevertheless, in the recent words of a quarantined Tom Hanks, “There’s no crying in baseball.” That’s right. Now isn’t the time to pity our missed experiences – it’s time to step up and show support in alternative ways to our favorite bands and artists. Cop some merch. Order the limited-edition vinyl. Buy the entire record on Bandcamp. Share their pages on your social media. Venmo where venmo is due (sorry Cash App, shameless personal plug). Also, consider making direct donations to independent labels and venues – they, too, are feeling the heavy weight of this. Seriously, be there for these folks. After all, the sounds they create and share with the world are what get us through difficult times like these.
Once the dust settles and we (hopefully) return to whatever pre-pandemic version of normalcy that existed, it’ll be your continued support that allows artists and venues to reschedule and keep the groove alive.
For more information on how to support artists, view live-streaming events, and stay updated on further cancellations, visit the Virtual Music Events Directory, compiled by Cherie Hu.The featured photo at the top was shot by Tye Truitt via SXSW.
As an added aside, recently featured artists: Shormey, Alfred., LOVELORN, LEYA, and Suburban Living‘s tours have been cut short. In good nature of the article above, directly purchasing any content/items from the artists/bands would be a great way of showing some support.
Unfamiliar with any of these artists? Take some time to get familiar below:
Together with Smartmouth, we’re making sure no one spends their night alone this Friday.
Another year, another Valentine’s Day…but what if this year was different? Instead of self-loathing or ruminating on your relationship (or lack thereof), why not be surrounded by a bunch of strangers for an evening? Sure, that sounds like the exact opposite of what you might do on a day dedicated to romantic love, but the lovers of beer and live music are gathering at Smartmouth Brewery this Friday to try and change your mind.
Located in the Chelsea business district of Norfolk, VA (aka West Ghent), Smartmouth Brewery Headquarters will be holding their first ever Valentine’s Day themed party, affectionally titled, “Nothin’ But Love” from 6PM – 11PM. With the help of their friends in Citrus City Records and Popscure, they aim to manifest a night filled with “nothin’ but love”—love for beer, love for company, love for music, love for love.
The culture of dedication and love is nothing new for the craft brewery. Since its inception in 2012, the brewery has become known for their unique craft brews that exude passion and a certain level of bravado—qualities that describe its founder, Porter Hardy. After having a successful career as a lawyer, Hardy decided that it was time for him to pursue his passion in life—beer. From that fateful moment, Smartmouth Brewery has established itself as one of the first original craft breweries in Hampton Roads with two locations (Norfolk and Virginia Beach), and a reputation with the community for its dedication to giving back.
“At Smartmouth, we love to have fun and to put our own twist on things. We’ve sort of left Valentine’s Day alone most years, but when the team came up with this idea, I thought it fit us perfectly. It’s a great mix of opening our arms to the whole community and having fun on Valentine’s Day,” says Hardy.
Of course every lovin’ heart needs a rhythm, and to keep the night moving along in a steady beat, there will be music performances happening in Smartmouth’s newly developed warehouse space. Dedicated to hosting what has become known as the Warehouse Live, this new venture has already established itself as a serious contender for holding live, intimate entertainment. We already know the crowd is in for a real sweet treat at the Warehouse this Friday, but if you need more convincing then follow along with us as we introduce you to the night’s artists below.
Local spinner, WIVVE, is sure to start things off right with his ability to feel the crowd’s energy and amplify it tenfold. Perhaps one of our favorite things is the diversity of musicality in his sets. It’s like he has a sixth sense and can tap into whatever the crowd is feeling with whatever sonic weapon in his armory.
Singer/songwriter, Koren Grace, is such a force to be reckoned with. Her dynamic vocals have a sense of vulnerability that enrapt any listener—like a siren call ready to take their prisoner. Combine that with her overflowing charisma and soulful spirit, and you just may develop Stockholm Syndrome—and we think you may be alright with that.
Artists like Cam Murdoch further our belief that genres are just limiting barriers leftover from an archaic state of mind. As an artist, there is nothing better than just being known for you and only you. There’s no way to pinpoint the sound of Cam Murdoch…he’s just Cam Murdoch—and that’s what makes him unique.
Intricacy immediately comes to mind when listening to this Richmond trio. Each note serves a purpose, ultimately creating a phenomenon of translation between the human and the instrument. The synergy is strong within Manatree.
If you’re looking for grooves, look no further. Shormey creates music is like a time portal with fuzzy compressed synths, playful guitar licks, and a riding bass-line reminiscent of that classic 70s funk and disco of the past, but with a modern twist. Her music is sure to lift you higher from all of the noise of reality.
Prepare to get beamed up with this Virginia Beach band. With plenty of funky riffs, rhythms, and “out of this world” vocals (sorry… I had to), the musicians in Paper Aliens are here to take over with their energetic, feel-good music.
Last but not least, if you’d like to hear more straight from the artists’ and organizers’ smart mouths about Friday’s festivities, then stay locked to these videos below that were just shot over the weekend at the Warehouse:
WIVVE, Cam Murdoch, & Koren Grace sat down with Cole and Jordan from Smartmouth to talk Valentine’s Day and “nothin’ but love”
Paper Aliens sat down with Cole and Jordan from Smartmouth to talk Valentine’s Day and “nothin’ but love”
As this decade closes and new one begins, much reflection has taken place. A whole 10 years – that’s truly how long I’ve been doing this shit.
Flash back to 2010, my junior year of high school, when my concert buddies Trey and Ryan invited me to contribute to their music blog, Let This Colony Know. While my Blogspots and Xangas before had been scattered with musings on music here and there, this step was my first transition into more actualized music writing and blogging.
Later on, artists I gushed over on LTCK such as James Mercer of the Shins or Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards would become my interview subjects. Eventually, I would get paid to write, and when that wasn’t paying enough, freelancing would become the side gig to a full-time job.
Somewhere in between, I started Popscure. Despite the concept of music blogs being shoved to more obscure corners of the internet, I persisted. With the ability to stream all the music you’d ever want, including algorithmic pushes into new directions, who needs an independent music authority anyway?
I wanted to make it something different, bigger, and more impressive than LTCK, with video, podcasting, and events spanning all realms of media. Tyler and Jerome saw the big picture before I did and offered to help transfer my vision over to popscuremedia.com.
Popscure is a platform showcasing independent artists and diving deep into their creative process, acute analysis of pop culture’s past and present to dictate its future, and serves as a guide through the thick jungle of content straight to the cool stuff.
What started as a lowly Tumblr to practice journalism became a full-fledged media site after I graduated college. With no prospects in sight, I decided to build the blog up and create something to show potential employers.
Interviewers feared their offerings weren’t “creative enough” and passed on hiring me until my current bosses at Array Digital were excited instead of intimidated by my creation – they got it and they hired me. Thus, the blog I had put all my spare energy, time, and creativity into took a back seat.
In August, friends from No Preserves reached out to reinvigorate the project. Their team of eager writers, producers, marketers, and designers offered to take a load off my shoulders, and somehow marry our brands in a way we can work together instead of against each other.
It’s a win-win situation: writers like Darryan and Jasmine can build up a portfolio while also learning how to run and operate a blog; producers like Cam can feature artists they’re working with and expand their audience; designers like Tavis can have a media outlet to showcase his work with animation, video, digital art and logo making; videographers like Alex can create new content to hone their skills.
I feel like the biggest winner, though. Thankfully, folks have seen what I’ve manifested collectively over a decade and want to keep the train chugging along. I get to share all the doors Popscure has opened for me, the skills it has taught me, and all the joy it has ignited in others.
So with that, I announce a new partnership between No Preserves x Popscure; to expand our networks, work smarter not harder, and usher in the next generation of artists for the next decade.
“Uhauled: Love as a Performance” will be a one-night pop up gallery at the Norfolk NEON Festival, that centers around queer love. The gallery will showcase multiple queer artists as each will have their own U-Haul truck to display their work in. The event aims to provide a safe space for queer women specifically, as the general social climate seems to lack them. This is the second year that curator Cat Baker, has worked with the NEON Festival to organize such an inclusive, interactive, and unique experience for all walks of life.
“Originally, this idea formed because in Norfolk, especially, there aren’t really any big celebratory spaces for queer women. And if there are, those spaces are quickly overrun by people who are straight identifying and also a lot of gay men take over those spaces.” Baker said.
Often times when we think of gay culture as how it’s portrayed in the media, we see the acceptable “party gay man” but there’s more to it than that. Queer women deserve a space too, that doesn’t oversexualize them or place them in a stereotypical box; one that’s free of pitting different identifying queer women against each other, instead highlighting the positivity and cultural awareness within a marginalized community.
Three woman hug in the last days of Hershee Bar, one of the oldest lesbian bars on the East Coast. It closed in 2018 after 35+ years of operation in Norfolk.
“Hershee Bar was the only queer woman designated space in Norfolk and it was shut down. And everywhere else in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, [spaces] are centered around gay men. It’s the same in DC and Richmond, so I feel like a lot of the gay culture is like ‘party gay men,’ and that is like the young culture of the gay community. I [felt like] this is a time and space where we [queer women] make this, we have complete control, this is about queer women, and we control who takes over that space. This just celebrates, highlights, and also very much normalizes, queer women.” Baker said.
This year, the event will house a whole new slew of artists from DC and Virginia as Baker wants to incorporate new ones every year. They include Faye Stein, Deep Pool, Aurele Gould, Koren Grace, Alexandria Jones, Nava Levenson, Marra Sherrier and Cat Baker herself.
“This year has quite an array, [of art experiences] with different types of art, such as three-dimensional works, writing, video installations and a lot of photography.” Said Baker, “There will be three-dimensional, large scale replications of a bathroom but everything is hand sewn. There’s an artist performing vocally, Koren Grace, a Norfolk artist/singer-songwriter that will have a set-up in her truck as kind of a makeshift stage.” Baker said.
When talking about her experience curating a show like Uhauled, Baker says event planning comes very easy for her. “Everything within the event is paid for, nothing comes out of the artists’ pockets, and MJ’s Tavern and The NEON District are sponsors. MJ’s Tavern made a donation to us so that we could actually afford the U-Hauls.” said Baker.
“On the day of [the event] its very hectic and crazy but we’re all very organized people. Setting up is very hands on and enjoyable for me and because I did it last year, I know what I need to do this year so it’s not as nerve-racking,” Baker said. “It’s really fun to have a prompt and to make art around the prompt and it’s also very interesting to see the [other artists, their process, and how they make art.]”
Housing the works of art in U-Hauls stems from a running joke in the queer community about moving in after the first date. “[The joke is that there’s a U-Haul Lesbian,] which means you bring your U-Haul truck on the first date, you move in immediately. So, [I thought] this is kind of like a funny idea to have it in U-Haul trucks, to be about queer women, but also this gallery can go anywhere that there’s a parking space. It’s very accessible, it can be done in cities, in more rural places, it can be done indoors, outdoors, anywhere that can hold a truck,” Baker said.
Interactive excerpts from last year’s Uhauled
Not only is Baker a curator but she’s also a mixed media artist and photographer. When asked how she promotes herself and others, Baker contributes a lot of it to networking. “Every single city has its own pocket of artists and I think I was lucky enough to stumble into that. I was invited to shows and to be in shows and a lot [of it is] in person, marketing yourself. It’s social media heavy – I have an art page and I’ll post my art with a lot of hashtags and that’s kind of how you get followers, and how you get strangers to talk to, to engage with you.” she said.
“There are a couple of people in Norfolk who are doing more gorilla canvassing with physical posters. A lot of it is Facebook Events, asking all my artists to share, being on Instagram and tagging [the city of] Norfolk, our sponsors, tagging other artists. Everyone is so involved with social media, people really do see it.” Baker said.
When asked what people should take away from the event, Baker said she hopes they recognize “the objectification that queer women do feel from other people and that just because we’re women, or just because we’re nonbinary, etc, doesn’t mean that it’s okay to sexualize us and it’s not okay to glorify [our] relationships, or ourselves as people.”
“UHauled Love as a Performance” will be held in the Slone Chiropractic Clinic parking lot, Friday October 18th. The event will start at 6 p.m. and will run until 11 p.m. This unique gallery provides inclusion through exclusion and there’s everything queer about that.
Harriet Brown’s hypnotic R&B music sounds like something straight from the early 2000s done completely differently. His addition of loop machines and love of electronic music bring it deep into the new millennium, while slick guitar licks and outlandish on-point wails bring it to a Prince place. He’s seeping soul from every era, past present and future.
We talked to him before he took the stage with fellow Popscure features Opal and Dazeases this coming Thursday. Jasmine Rodriguez of No Preserves was kind enough to dive deep into his discography – namely, his latest endeavor Mall of Fortune – and ask him a few questions
Your album cover for Mall of Fortune screams “early 2000s.” Was this done on purpose, or did it naturally turn out this way?
It actually was done on purpose! But not necessarily with just “early 2000s” in mind, but more with specific artists and albums that I was particularly influenced by during the making of the album, like 702, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, etc.
Since we are on the topic of visuals, I felt like the music video for “Driver’s Seat” was an artifact obtained from an early ’00s vault. Everything from the clothing to the lighting to the panning shots gave off that vibe. I know you are heavily influenced by the music and vibes of that era, so was that planned as well?
Yes, it definitely was planned. Some of the main videos I was inspired by were the videos for SWV’s Someone and Total’s “Trippin'”.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing process, or leading up to the writing process, of Mall of Fortune that influenced you?
Yes! I supposed I hinted at this a bit already, but both 702’s self-titled album and their album “Star” were on heavy rotation for me during the time. I had also gotten super into that gospel, double-time slow jam feel found on a lot of R&B records circa ’97 or ’98, like Kenny Lattimore’s “Days Like This,” or Chico Debarge. Janet Jackson’s “All For You” album is also a big one for this record – such a varied but seamless mashup of styles.
I love a lot of electronic music, too, and I was particularly interested in how R&B albums like this actually had really tight, technical production that, to me at least, are on the same level as the IDM and earlier Warp Records stuff that electronic heads revere so highly. I had gotten really into the connections between the two.
Were there any challenges, musically, that occurred during the writing/production period?
Sure, as always. This was my first time writing and producing an entire album from start to finish within a finite period of time – in this case about 5 or 6 months – and I definitely learned a lot in the process. It was also the first time I was making the whole thing at my own studio at home. I really had to learn to trust myself and my ears. But with that said, because I was using such heavy bass on a lot of the tracks, my ears definitely got pretty strained at times.
Also, I’m naturally a night owl, but I really let myself go during this time, often working until 8 or 9 or even 10am at times, and waking up sometimes as the sun was setting. While that definitely added to the extremely personal, intimate and surreal aspects of the album, it definitely was not the healthiest thing to do, haha. I would try to be more balanced and healthy about the work flow next time around.
The album seems to encompass themes of love/existentialism (“Method,” “Outerworld,” “Cinnamon Sky”) as well as a sense of yearning for authentic human interaction (“Window Shopping,” “Retail Therapy,” “Bag Away.”) Was there a central feeling or specific moment in time that influenced you to write about these topics? Have your feelings on these topics changed since you wrote the album?
Wow, you really listened! Thank you! And yes. After having been in LA for four years and dealing with the music industry in general for the first time, as well as cycling through different music scenes in search of my “tribe,” I was feeling a bit drained, low and isolated, misunderstood, taken advantage of, and jaded. And consequently, my guard went super way up, and I had become a bit paranoid and wasn’t going out very much, even questioning the genuineness of my own personal friendships.
Most of my contact with other people, aside from my partner, were just through the internet, email or social media. So that’s where I was at when I began working on Mall of Fortune. I was definitely yearning for some real human interaction, but was also having major trust issues and instead was going inside myself for escape. I was very aware of all these things, and knew that something had to change, but was just having a very hard time doing so, which is why the album contains both moments of self-love, self-encouragement, right alongside heavy moments of self-doubt and paranoia and anxiety – myself trying to push me along.
After the album was done, I started going out again, trying to see people, and realized that a lot of people had actually been going through the same thing as I was, and were now really starved for real human interaction. I also came to acknowledge the need to prune the relationships in my life, to stop giving energy to relationships that made me feel anxious and doubtful, and instead concentrate that energy on relationships that made me feel loved and secure. Also started going to therapy!
So yes, sorry for the long response, but now, after MOF, and after having lived in LA for five years, I am finally feeling like it’s home, and have finally found the people that I feel are like family to me. And I’d say that the process of creating Mall of Fortune was the beginning of this inner examination and resulting change that has now taken place.
What do you feel like is the biggest lesson you learned throughout the process of writing/finishing Mall of Fortune?
Listen to my gut! Listen to my heart! Trust myself! I know what I want more than anyone else does (in music and in life).
Should people know anything about your current Mall of Fortune Summer Tour that they don’t already know?
It might be hot outside, but it’s even hotter on stage.
In an alternate reality, David and I would probably both be at church around the time I called Sunday afternoon. I’d seen Bazan’s band, Pedro the Lion, play at Cat’s Cradle recently. I’ve been listening to his music for more than twenty years and went to speak with him when I saw him outside.
“I just wanted to thank you in person. Your music helped me have the courage to leave church.” With a knowing look on his face, he simply said, “That’s a hard thing.”
Pedro the Lion began as a Seattle slowcore project in the Nineties, initially characterized as a Christian band with their release of the Whole EP on Tooth & Nail Records. David Bazan continues to write the lion’s share of the music, having toured with a revolving cast of over twenty musicians for live shows. Bazan shared his struggle with faith on the subsequent debut album, It’s Hard to Find a Friend, perhaps most evidently in the song “Secret of the Easy Yoke”
Could someone please tell me the story / Of sinners ransomed from the fall /
I still have never seen you / And some days I don’t love you at all.
Bazan’s lyrics go beyond spiritual trials. His next two conceptual albums, Winners Never Quit and Control, held tales of political corruption, murder, religious hypocrisy, corporate greed, infidelity, and the sense that we could be treating each other better. Achilles Heel was more direct than conceptual. The song “Foregone Conclusions” laid out Bazan’s perspective on the bedside manner of many evangelicals:
You were too busy steering / The conversation toward the Lord /
To hear the voice of the Spirit / Begging you to shut the fuck up.
When Pedro the Lion played that song at a Christian music festival in 2004, panties reportedly were thrown on stage as a sign of approval. There were likely attendees that would withdraw from an F-bomb dropping on a song about God, but others obviously understood what Bazan was saying about the incessant salesmanship of their brethren.
By 2006, Bazan needed a break from the Pedro the Lion moniker and, among other projects, began touring by himself under his own name. While he would come to resurrect Pedro the Lion, Bazan has not done the same for his faith.
2009 saw Bazan booking an acoustic tour in people’s living rooms for Curse Your Branches, described as an album about breaking up with God. Having aired his deity laundry, he began to take a look around. Strange Negotiations, put out in 2011, might serve as a better State of the Union Address. The titular track describes the alienation many Americans are experiencing as they are squeezed for our collective financial sins:
But now it’s you who doesn’t know what a dollar is worth /
You got the market its own bodyguard / And all the people are getting hurt
This album also inspired the name of screenwriter Brandon Vedder’s documentary, screening up and down the east coast this week. Having read the Kickstarter pitch for the film, I know that he followed Bazan around for two years filming conversations about art, faith, truth, and America.
I talked to David Bazan and Brandon Vedder via phone about their collaboration:
Davey Jones: How did you get involved with Dave and decide to make a documentary about him?
Brandon Vedder: I listened to Pedro the Lion in high school and college. I was on a drive after finishing a film and I was listening to a podcast by Pete Holmes, called You Made It Weird, and Dave was on. It started a fire. Afterwards, I went home and printed out all Dave’s lyrics and put a book together so I could read them as a narrative. Our mutual friend, Alison, produced it.
DJ: I rented your film, In Pursuit of Silence, last night and was fascinated by the spiritual and scientific aspects. I also read about A Certain Kind of Light, focused on death and listening. Do you feel like Strange Negotiations is a culmination of these ideas?
BV: Sure. I started by shooting bands, but I’ve always been interested in bigger ideas.
DJ: Did you have to adapt your approach after Silence?
BV: I had to be small and agile and keep up with the pace of what Dave is doing. There was a closeness, without a cam op or a boom op that would’ve complicated production. So that was a challenge, being a one-man band and having to scale up to 3 or 4 cameras and record sound at a venue.
David Bazan: If I can chime in for just a second… I would say that Brandon’s process was as manic as my own. It wasn’t really a choice. We had to get in my headspace. I was inviting him into my insecurity. We are both really hard on ourselves, and although we were able to pull it off, we were both fatigued all the time.
I tell Dave about meeting him outside of Cat’s Cradle, and he responds…
David Bazan: Yeah, it is a hard thing. It’s a lonely thing, leaving that club.
DJ: I’ve read interviews with you that say you reformed Pedro the Lion for musical reasons, but did you consider having to speak with your Christian fans again?
Image via ansley lee
DB: The affiliation brings a certain attention and scrutiny. Some people may not have gotten the memo from 2005. Others may have had shifts in their thinking. I spent a lot of time deconstructing. Now it is time for reconstruction. I wanted to hang out with people again. I wanted to bring tenderness back to Pedro.
DJ: Returning to the name Pedro the Lion probably stirs certain feelings. What is your relationship to faith now?
DB: I was engaged in a conversation in my head. I thought it was with God. I didn’t get to keep that conversation, even though it had a lot of meaning for me.
DJ: I know a lot of people probably ask you “what was the hardest thing” about leaving church. What was the easiest thing about leaving church for you?
DB: It’s such a relief… I had thoughts that don’t fit into the program. Part of me is contrary. I want to think my own thoughts… evaluate the data. I didn’t like the obligation, the tension. People asking for an answer and assuming that it’s going to be along the party line.
DJ: It’s interesting to me that use the words party line, that phrase. That’s part of what the documentary is about, right? Not just your relationship with faith, and talking about it with people after shows, but also how American Christianity relates to the current political conversation… or lack of it.
DB: I always thought language was the way to change the behavior. The words were the seeds, the fruit was our behavior… peace, love, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness. No one’s trying to grow anything. They’re beating each other up with it. It’s just bad math with words. I grew up with a more idealistic sense of how people should treat one another… the implications of the Good Samaritan. People that know that story, people I love and respect, they supported a sexual predator and proto-fascist for president. There’s an extra layer of disappointment, having to remove yourself from a social group acting in a way you never thought possible. It’s a shock. It’s a blow.
DJ: Do you take some sense of hope from our system of government, the bureaucracy, stonewalling a guy like Trump, keeping him from doing as much damage as he might have if he were German in the 1940s?
DB: It took a while in Germany, too. We’re right on track if we don’t mobilize our interest in democracy. We have to insist. We have to do it at the ballot box. We’re at an impasse. I don’t want to listen to some guy’s elevator pitch for authoritarianism. We have to talk to our moms and dads and our college roommates that have conservative podcasts. It’s the third quarter and it’s a toss-up. It shouldn’t be close. I have hope, but there’s a decent chance it goes the other way.
DJ: I read an article recently about the conditions at an immigrant detainee camp. I also heard that Ocasio-Cortez caught flak for referring to them as concentration camps. Tell me how you feel about that.
DB: She’s the greatest threat they have right now. She’s not gonna be able to say anything without taking flak. Even if they don’t meet the definition of concentration camps, they’re baby versions… denying soap and toothbrushes to children like they can’t afford it. Immigrants aren’t creating economic difficulty in this country… it’s the hoarders siphoning money out of the system, outsourcing jobs. It’s a con job.
DJ: Do you think there’s a way to incentivize people to treat each other better?
DB: Yes. I think the incentives already exist. But it’s a question of narrative. Maybe they are unaware of the incentives. Or they aren’t as turned on, not as excited by looking for similarities between themselves and people that talk in a language that they don’t understand and sounds harsh to them. We’re all just people. We’ve all got problems. Trump’s got dad issues… he shouldn’t be in charge… he’s a wounded person. A wounded person that’s seduced other people.
DJ: Seduced. That’s a good way to put it. Last year I read about Christians defending Trump’s affair with Stormy Daniels by comparing him to King David. What do you think of that?
DB: You can make the Bible say whatever you want, support whatever you already believe…
DJ: Like slavery.
DB: Or concentration camps. They’ve got blinders on, supporters of Trump. I read that kids were being molested and I shared that with someone I love that also happens to support Trump. He said those kids were probably molested before they even got there. I don’t know why. I think that’s wrong on six different levels. I love him dearly, but his values don’t add up. It’s like finding out your family are monsters. Like a zombie movie. They got bit. How? I don’t know how. I was with them the whole time. I didn’t see it.
We talk a little more about the Christian bookstore that David bought Christian death metal tapes from when he was 14, and how one of his favorite bands is Fugazi. I ask Brandon about his next films. He says he is working on a project called Upriver People with the Karuk Tribe in California. Then they have to go. I tell them I look forward to seeing them at the film showing in Richmond, happening this evening. You can buy tickets in advance here. They’ll be at Chapel Hill tomorrow, and tickets can be purchased here.
This diverse mix is a great one to zone out to. Ambient experimental and chill indie takes you into a dream while hip hop and harsh house smack you back into the real world.
“If you’re looking for an out of body audio experience, Click play and enjoy! This mix features music from Aphex Twins, Toro Y Moi, CECE PENISTON, and more.” -Isiah
Sometimes it’s just better to do things the old fashion way, and that’s what Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride are all about. As a duo they’re Xeno & Oaklander, touring the world and twirling thousands of knobs along the way. Haunting yet poppy, brooding yet bright, their synth-heavy electronic music goes back to (not so) basics and eliminates any laptops.
Witness their vintage, analog setup in all it’s tangle wired glory tomorrow night at Charlie’s American Cafe. A super-stacked lineup celebrates the debut release from Good Glass Records. The mind behind it all, Andrew Horton (playing his own synthy songs tomorrow as Young Hierophant) was kind enough to send the band a few questions. He gained insight on their new album ‘Hypnos,’ Greek mythology, and eau de toilette inspired by the purest electronica.
Many of our readers aren’t necessarily up on the vagaries of music production. Would you kindly describe to the non-anorak spectator how X&O’s approach is different than using a laptop for making electronic music?
Liz Wendelbo: Think of the immediacy and raw power of an electric guitar – that’s the analog sound, it’s electric and it’s dynamic.
Sean McBride: The difference is akin to playing Grand Turismo on one’s video game console and actually driving a 60s Aston Martin or Mustang.
On your new album ‘Hypnos,’ one of the first things that jumped out at me was the polyphony – string machines, etc. after years of extremely minimal arrangements. But they don’t overwhelm the skeletal arrangements. How do you balance polyphonic chords with such minimal counterpoint?
SM: Much of the song writing begins sketching out the character and arrangements on the piano. and then it is simply the task of building the scaffolding of the songs with Monophonic bass and arpeggiations. The chords or polyphonic voicing, at this point, fall perfectly into place.
Speaking of the new record – many of the tiles and lyrics seem rooted in greek mythology, and I’m immediately reminded of your first album as a duo, ‘Sentinelle’ – with the acropolis or Parthenon on the cover. What do the Greek myths mean to you? How do they resonate, thematically, with X&O?
LW: Greek mythology is fascinating because it speaks the language of our dreams: Hypnos is the god of sleep and the underworld is his universe, a cave-like space. We’ve always loved how imaginative and free Greek mythology is. The mind wanders and you can just create your own stories. We love architecture. The Parthenon is a wondrous edifice – an ancient temple that sits atop a rock in the center of the city of Athens in Greece, called the Acropolis.
Perfumes are like music, scents are layered like a song.
– Liz Wendelbo
The album cover, which you designed, has an almost lenticular effect. Would you kindly talk about how it came about?
LW: I’ve always been into 3-D and creating that effect in simple ways. For the album artwork for ‘Hypnos’ I used several plastic sheets that I printed stripes on. Think of silk-screen printing techniques, or even analog photography, in the days when people used to project slides. I then super-imposed the printed transparent sheets on top of each other and that created a Moiré pattern. It’s an optical illusion that the surrealists were really into, Salvador Dali loved that effect. It tricks the eye into seeing movement or a pattern. Also the pattern reminds me of the Aegean sea in Greece, that blue.
What are you reading lately? Do you read on the road?
LW: We like to listen to books on tape while we drive, right now we’re listening to free Yale University lectures on Youtube by Paul Freedman on the Middle Ages, about the fall of Rome – it’s an interesting contrast to the wide open horizon lines and bright blue skies that we see as we drive on our tour of North America.
In addition to all of your other projects – music, film, print, fashion, etc. – you’ve released several scents in the ‘Eau de Xeno’ line. What are your favorite – or least favorite but memorable – scents that you associate with music? What are your favorite base notes and top notes? What interests your nose?
LW: The first one is always the best! Jasmin, Eucalyptus and black pepper. Perfumes are like music, scents are layered like a song. Scents tend to sing best when fragrances keep each other company, so in Eau De Xeno a flower such as a Jasmin flower ascends out of the bottle thanks to the uplifting nature of Eucalyptus and sustains its note thanks to the aggressive quality of black pepper.
What’s your favorite Chris Marker project? What about Agnes Varda? Favorite Scott Walker song?
LW: I like Agnes Varda’s vagrant stories such as ‘Sans Toit Ni Loi’ or ‘The Gleaners and I’ somehow I can identify, tour life sometimes resembles that vagabond feeling.
What’s the largest thing you’ve ever killed? Was it on purpose or an accident? [credit to BabySue for this question – I always loved when they’d ask it]
LW: Killing an idea is the closest we’ve come to that.
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