PLAX Premiere “Not For You” Plus Mini Interview

Premiere: PLAX, ‘Not For You’

Hear a new song from PLAX and read an interview with bassist Michael Goodwin

by Dan Redding | August 7, 2017

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PLAX is an Austin band featuring members of Skeleton, Nosferatu, Spray Paint, Glassss and OBN IIIs. The band will release its debut LP, Clean Feeling, on Super Secret Records on August 11th. PLAX brings lo-fi grit to its Wire-influenced post-punk growl. PLAX is Victor Ziolkowski (vocals), Marley Jones (drums), Samantha Wendel (guitar), and Michael Goodwin (bass).

Today we’re premiering the Clean Feeling track ‘Not For You.’ Listen here and read an interview with Plax bassist Michael Goodwin below:

Plax Interview

Culture Creature: What can you tell me about the inspiration and/or recording process of ‘Not For You’?

Michael Goodwin: Inspiration for the instrumental idea of the song came from Marley (drums) and I listening to Bobby Soxx and Butthole Surfers at practice and wanting to write a mid-tempo song. We all are huge fans of the amazingly weird punk bands that have come from Texas and I feel like that “sound” comes out in this one. The recording was engineered by Ian Rundell and recorded live with the same set up as the other songs on the LP.

How would you describe the Austin music scene?

The music scene is a wide array of genres, which is nice because it isn’t all the same, but “scenes” do fall into a rut sometimes and bands start to sound too similar. However, I do feel fortunate to live in a city where I’ve been able to see some amazing projects and feel inspired.

What was the inspiration for the title ‘Clean Feeling’?

We released a demo and Chris (guitar) and I added a weird analog synth track we did years prior to PLAX at the end of the tape and called it ‘Clean Feeling.’ When Chris and I made that synth track years prior I was in the midst of a pretty weird time in my life and I liked the juxtaposition of a clean feeling when I was lacking clarity. Also a bit of a logophile and really like the way those 2 words look and sound together.

How is PLAX different from other bands you’ve performed in?

PLAX is more of a rhythm-based band that allows the guitar a chance to breathe and change if it chooses to do so and I like that feeling. I’ve never had a band where each performance sounds different up there to me, which makes it more exciting to play.

Austin Chronicle Feature on Avoiding the Sophomore Slump Includes Suspirians

Suspirians

Quantum progression post-punk and cosmic psychedelia

Photo by Shelley Hiam

Few bands boast a vision as clear as that demonstrated by Suspirians on their debut. Released in 2014, the Austin trio’s vibrant blend of post-punk onslaught and cosmic psychedelia sounded fully formed. Which makes the quantum progression of sophomore LP Ti Bon Ange all the more noteworthy.

“We didn’t have time to think about it too much,” says singer/guitarist Marisa Pool. “We had the opportunity to go into the studio via Super Secret, and we felt an urgency to do it quickly. Looking back, I don’t know why. [Maybe] because it had already been over a year since we put out the first record.

“So we took the material and worked it. We were really open to experimenting and seeing what we could do with what we had. We didn’t overthink it. We spent a lot of time shaping it, but we also just had fun with it – like a piece of art.”

Bassist/keyboardist Stephanie Demopulos pinpoints another reason for the exponential growth.

“We were already writing songs in a different direction, but we did replace a band member, which changed a lot of stuff.”
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She’s referring to the exit of original drummer Anna Lamphear, off to study law, and the addition of veteran Austin drummer Lisa Cameron, who brought a new edge to the threepiece.

“One thing I’ve noticed is that we’ve gone more into improv, experimental tinges,” says Cameron, whose powerhouse résumé includes membership in roots blowout Brave Combo, indie rock first-wavers Glass Eye, and Lone Star legends Roky Erickson & the Aliens – not to mention a long-running stint with homegrown psych pioneers ST 37. “I think I’m encouraging them somehow even though they were already there. That attracted me to the band. They would get these trance-y, drone-y, garage-y kind of throwdowns, which I really enjoy.”

Cameron also credits the band’s ability to absorb and reflect its influences for Ti Bon Ange’s wider appeal.

“We have somehow developed this uncanny sense of being able to evoke different sounds without having to actually play like that person,” she continues. “Like just a little tinge of this or that is enough to remind people of the Butthole Surfers or Neil Young or Siouxsie Sioux. There’s an influence of surf. I even hear girl groups, the Ronettes or the Shangri-Las, in there. We’re not trying to sound like those people. It’s just part of our natural diet.”

Unsurprisingly, for a band that gives interviews en masse, Suspirians credit their sophomore triumph to tight chemistry.

“Stephanie and I have been playing together for years,” says Pool. “Once we started playing with Lisa, that just expanded the vision and it went on its natural path. It just keeps changing to something better, hopefully.”

– Michael Toland

Rocky Boy Exclusive Interview with Suspirians

Suspirians: Artist Exclusive

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July 31, 2017

Olivia Winslow

Suspirians, an all girl rock group from Austin Texas. This band is sure to rock your socks off no matter what. You can catch this amazing band live at the State Street Pub in Indianapolis on August 1st!

Rocky Boy: What digital tool has impacted your career the most?

Suspirians: Facebook, Instagram, and smartphones in general.

Rocky Boy: How do you think social media has improved your career?

Suspirians: It’s made networking with everyone so much easier. Getting and staying in touch with other bands, venues, promoters, and our fans has always been very important to us, but social media makes those interactions quicker, easier, and in many ways, better than resorting to less reliable and lengthier means like email and written letters.

Rocky Boy: What career opportunities have you received from social media?

Suspirians: Recently, a label based in Russia, Pomogrite, found us online and reached out to us about releasing a limited run of our second album on cassette tape. It wasn’t something we had really thought about doing (a cassette tape run) as we’ve stuck more with the traditional CD/vinyl runs through Super Secret Records, but so far it’s been great working with them on the tapes and now seeing them in the flesh is just awesome.

We were also offered a show from Neil Haggerty of Royal Trux who found us on Twitter. The show ultimately didn’t happen, but we were super flattered to be considered!

Rocky Boy: What is the craziest thing that has happened to you on social media?

Suspirians: We had press coverage for one of our singles before the new album came out and it featured our current press photo where I’m holding a crystal. We figured we’d use the article in an ad to help promote the new album on Facebook. Some guy apparently sees the ad and then begins trying to troll us, calling us Satanist witches! It was pretty awesome!

Rocky Boy: What is your biggest social media regret?

Suspirians: No regrets as of yet.

Rocky Boy: What is your social media strategy?

Suspirians: We try to combine all of our creative interests and endeavors under the Suspirians umbrella. That’s why you’ll of course find posts about our music, tours, merchandise, etc. but then you’ll also find things like random photos of us around town or cool videos we found online. We want to have that personal side as well.

Rocky Boy: What is the most difficult part about connecting with fans through social media?

Suspirians: While we love using social media, there are some challenges. With Facebook, we’ve noticed that the Pages don’t seem to connect you as closely to the fans. You can post cool content that people see and some fans interact with by liking it, but it’s hard to really strike up and carry on a conversation. In that regard, it feels a bit one-sided. Instagram has been a bit better on the interaction front for us, which is great, while Twitter has probably been our slowest growth channel and the one with the least interaction.

Rocky Boy: What advice would you give a musician that does not think social media is important for their career?

Suspirians: Hit the road and connect in person! There are many bands out there that refuse to use social media, no matter how much you tell them it’ll benefit and help them. Those in-person connections tend to resonate more to begin with, so make sure you’re sticking around after your set and talking with people. It really goes a long way.

Rocky Boy: Favorite social media platform?

Suspirians: Instagram is the most fun! Facebook, on the other hand, has gotten to be a bit dull.

Rocky Boy: Favorite hashtag?

Suspirians: We might be biased, but #suspirians is a pretty amazing hashtag!

Rocky Boy: What do you think is the importance of all girl rock groups?

Suspirians: All girl rock groups are vital to music because the world needs the female energy! It’s the key to raising our consciousness and re-enforces the fact that women can do anything that men can do. This isn’t a “guys only” world.

Rocky Boy: What is your favorite thing about tour?

Suspirians: Meeting new people!

Rocky Boy: What is your favorite way to interact with fans on tour?

Suspirians: Talking to fans in person and being present. Putting faces to names and hearing some of the stories people have to tell makes the long hours on the road absolutely worth it.

Rocky Boy: What advice would you give a young musician about touring?

Suspirians: Budget, plan, organize, stay healthy, and above all else – don’t be a dick.

Rocky Boy: What are three adjective to describe your music?

Suspirians: Immersive, mutable, and organic.

You can check out Suspirians on the following social media channels!

Fields Magazine Interviews Tyson Swindell

Interview: Tyson Swindell

June 1, 2017

(Originally posted here)

Tyson Swindell is a multi-instrumentalist based in Austin. When he’s not working as the Talent Buyer and General Manager at local punk club Sidewinder, he plays music with various bands, including most recently with the hardcore band Illustrations. Those who know him from these arenas might be surprised to listen to his latest release, Pianoforte Facsimiles, a haunting collection of solo piano performances, out now on cassette via Self Sabotage Records. We spoke with Tyson after the release concert, which took place at the Museum of Human Achievement in May.

As a fellow pianist, I really enjoyed your performance. It is rare to see solo piano performances of an avant-garde nature here in Austin. For how long have you been playing the piano? Did you take lessons?

TS: I briefly studied piano using the Suzuki Method when I was a child, but had problems keeping teachers. My first teacher moved away from my home town of Amarillo, Texas, and my second teacher died before we got very far. My parents didn’t really push me to continue lessons after that. I was also heavily involved in the Suzuki world of violin and viola at that point anyway. My family is very musical. All my siblings and I started playing instruments when we were about three years old.

Oh wow. So your parents play music as well? What instruments do they all play?

TS: My mother played piano, and my father is a jazz singer to this day. Apparently they wanted a string quartet; I switched from violin to viola around age 10, and my two sisters played violin and my brother played cello.

I love that. The Swindell Family Band. So you’ve been playing music your whole life. Is this tape your first release?

TS: This is my first release under my own name, and certainly my first piano release. I have been in touring bands since I was about 16 or 17 years old, mostly indie rock and punk/hardcore. I got a piano about 10 years ago, though, and I have been tinkering on it since then. I often write songs on piano and transcribe them to guitar or vice versa, depending on the type of musical project.

I love the variety of styles present. There’s the Disintegration Loops feel of the title track, the elegiac elegance of Nils Frahm on tracks like “Sidereus Nuncius,” and then what sounds like a vaudevillian romp sandwiched between them. Who are your inspirations?

TS: Yes, William Basinski was a huge inspiration for me on this! The other big ones would be Radiohead and Brian Eno. I always loved the piano stuff that Radiohead would release; their newest record is full of them. And obviously, Music for Airports was way up there, too. I still listen to that several times a month, every single month. Schoenberg and Webern were also really important guys for me to discover. The vaudevillian sounding stuff, I’m not really sure where to pinpoint the origin of… Honestly, it’s probably just theater songs, or maybe The Beatles, or Queen? I am a huge Queen fan.

I approached this record like an electronic album. I used samples I had made of myself on the piano and knitted them together, sort of how you would find the production on Vaporwave or Witch House electronics recordings. So artists like Burial and Dan Mason were big for me at the time, too.

How long did it take you to get the sequencing the way you wanted? Was there a larger pool of songs that the album was culled from?

TS: The way I usually decide on song sequence is that I dump everything down to cassette tape and spend a few days leisurely listening to the tape in the background of regular life. I have a crappy tape deck in almost every room I spend a good amount of time in, and the order of songs just sort of reveals itself to me. I jot these things in a notebook. You would think I am totally insane if you looked into this book. I can be pretty obsessive when it comes to things that I love.

Your use of space on the album is really wonderful. Satie has inspired a million composers to create sparse compositions in minor keys, but your sound is distinct. Does this style of playing come naturally to you, or do you find yourself going back and paring the pieces down? (I know I have a tendency to overplay when I’m composing, but maybe that’s just me.)

TS: Thanks! I guess I don’t sound like Satie because I have not listened to him much. Quit Smoking & Alcohol Drinking Too much before discount cialis click to find out sleeping, surely, it is something that you should keep in mind. Arthritis online prescription viagra without is a commonly found health disorder characterized by uncontrolled ejaculation of semen. In a survey of some of our repeat customers who purchase buy cialis tadalafil and other products, we asked the following questions: 1. On the off chance that somebody is having viagra canada deliver any of these issues then go for your doctor for help. I’m sure my influences are directly tied to him though, so that’s probably the similarity and distinction you notice. I do want to explore his works now that you bring it up! I was really going for a very dreamy, simple style from the get go, so overplaying wasn’t something I had to combat on this recording. I definitely do tend to do that when I play bass or guitar in a band. It’s more fun that way!

Tell me about the way you recorded this album. The cavernous sound of the recording gives it such a haunting quality, like walking through a derelict palace.

TS: So this was almost all recorded using a Zoom field recorder in my house playing my Wellington upright. Ky Williams mixed it very heavily on wet sounds (i.e., adding reverb and delay effects on top of the natural reverb on the tracks). Ky did a fantastic job. I wanted this album to sound like a glitchy sound wave of piano playing discovered after a war or maybe the apocalypse.

When I saw you play at the tape release, the loop pedal and effects were such a prominent part of your sound. I was surprised to find the effects to be much more subtle on the album. Do you consciously try to present a different experience live than on the recording?

TS: The sampler I used live is not on the recording at all, it was simply a tool for me to recreate the idea of the album (thus facsimiles) while still staying true to the music. To be honest, I like using it because it is so hard to control. Every time I play the songs live with that sampler, they turn out different in many different ways. I love that about it.

Was a loop pedal used at all in the recordings? Is your method of manipulation the same live as it is in the studio?

TS: No, live manipulations tend to be more loose, interpretive and improvised, where the ones on the record are cut by hand several times until the exact performance I imagined was achieved. I used both digital and analog methods of sound manipulation, both of which are heard in the title track.

Your sister played with you at the release, yes? On the violin?

TS: Yes. She was randomly in town and I put her to work! She is a professional touring musician, and I can usually collaborate with her when we are in the same town.

Did you think to add violin only after the recordings, and is that something you’d hope to incorporate more in the future?

TS: There is a little bit of cello I recorded on the album, so when we realized she would be in town for my release party, we figured out a way to get her on stage with me. It’s quite lonely up there by yourself the whole time.

How did you come up with the title of the album? It’s so fitting: again, it brings to mind the Disintegration Loops, but it also gives the impression that the sound is not of a piano at all, but of some approximation or recreation. I think the idea of recreation is present throughout the work; a heavy nostalgia persists, an idea that you’re consciously trying to replicate something. It feels like the soundtrack to a youth I never had. Is this a feeling that you set out to accomplish, and if so, why?

TS: The title of the album just snuck into my mind when I was working on this album. Much of the mixing and editing was done when I was on a seven-week tour with the hardcore/punk band Illustrations, as something to keep me busy. I’ve always loved the word facsimile and so I made it work.

There is a very heavy nostalgia in these songs and recordings. Many of the strings on my piano are the original strings, and I hadn’t had it tuned professionally in quite some time. I love the way it sounds like this. It reminds me of my past, my childhood, my grandparents. It smells old. I purposefully wanted this album to reflect those ideas, themes and feelings.

The photos on the insert of the tape I took at the funeral of my grandfather. We released balloons into the air after the burial, and I snapped these two photos. They seemed to fit when I went back to think about the artwork. Jordan Braithwaite did the layout for me. I am very pleased with it.

Follow Tyson online on Twitter and at his website.

Interview and photography by Sean Redmond.

Black Hole Suspirians – An interview

Black Hole Suspirians

Epic track previews ATX trio’s heavy second record

(Originally posted here)

BY KEVIN CURTIN, 1:10PM, TUE. MAY 30, 2017

Turns out the skeletal garage shriek, post-punk, and art rock accord of Suspirians’ eponymous 2014 debut merely showed off their first gear. The Austin threepiece throws into overdrive on Ti Bon Ange, a roaring expedition of spellbinding psych punk. Today, singer and guitarist Marisa Pool discusses the transformative new LP.

Crystal hippies? (l-r) Lisa Cameron, Marisa Pool, and Stephanie Demopulos (Courtesy of US/THEM group)

Austin Chronicle: Ti Bon Ange smashes the template laid out by your first album – longer songs, driving rhythms, and an all-around heavier sonic command. What changed in Suspirians’ creative vision?

Marisa Pool: What you get on the first record is the intention of Suspirians. Most of the songs were written before we were a band and it was a solid foundation for us to grow. You can actually hear the beginnings of the new sound on the first record during the song “Whatcha Do?” At the end of the song, we open up a bit. That was the song that sparked this new sound. It was already in there, hiding.

We really didn’t specifically set out to change all that much. It was a natural progression. We were just continuing to play and write, and trying to find a new drummer. That’s when the muses gifted us Lisa Cameron and it was obvious we were meant to make another record. Her style fit seamlessly with the intuitive and automatic direction [bassist] Stephanie [Demopulos] and I were already going in and are still exploring. So when we got the opportunity to make Ti Bon Ange, we took it and went into the studio with the material we had and an anything goes mentality.

All of the changes that occurred were products of inspiration we had at the time, including Lisa’s drumming and our engineer Evan Kleinecke helping us dial in some guitar and synth sounds. We just tried to take advantage of the access to the studio and also incorporate other influences we have such as noise and experimental music. We all enjoy that, as well as other approaches to the creative process like synchronicity and cut-up method. The experience of making this record was transformative and Ti Bon Ange is a reflection of that. Creatively, we had to open up completely to make it and are a better band now because of it.

AC: Tell us about the title, Ti Bon Ange.

MP: Ti Bon Ange was inspired by a book both Lisa and I read called Divine Horsemen, written by the filmmaker Maya Deren. It’s a voodoo term meaning “little good angel” and is meant to represent a part of your soul that possesses your individuality and willpower. It also leaves the body to make room for you to dream or be possessed during a ritual.

The book is beautiful and the ideas really resonated with me at that time. I felt this record could represent that idea – a space for a listener to be possessed by imagination and allow themselves to emerge as something else for a while, not unlike a mambo priestess dancing to voodoo drums. It’s the creative energy that lives both inside and outside of you, crossing between the planes of consciousness, opening a door to the divine dimensions.

AC: We’re premiering “Back Holes,” the album’s epic and melodic centerpiece. What can you tell us about it?

MP: “Black Holes” is a song about decay, emptiness, acceptance, and submission – reveling in the mysteries of dark energy and the power of surrendering to one’s insignificance. Ascension. If MC5, Neil Young, Joy Division, and Sun Ra had a song baby, it would be “Black Holes.”

Ti Bon Ange arrives June 9 on Austin’s Super Secret Records. Suspirians punctuate its release with a show that same Friday at Electric Church alongside Big Bill, Soaked, and Soda Lilies.

Interview with Pere Ubu/Rocket From the Tombs’s Dave Thomas

Secret Culturalist Dave Thomas

Pere Ubu/Rocket From the Tombs frontman tag teams ATX

BY MICHAEL TOLAND, 9:00AM, THU. MAY 18, 2017

This weekend, Pere Ubu and Rocket From the Tombs cram into Beerland for local imprint Super Secret Records’ Austin Jukebox series. Dubbed the Coed Jail tour, the pairing of Cleveland rock legends marks the return of Rocket after an incendiary Emo’s show in 2003, and the first time Ubu’s graced a Lone Star stage in two decades.

We spoke to Ubu/Rocket leader David Thomas from his London home via a patchy Skype connection.

Dave Thomas

Austin Chronicle: It’s been over 20 years since Pere Ubu last played Texas. What took you so long to come back?

David Thomas: The problem with Texas is that it’s in the middle of the country. And we tend to, for practical reasons, play just the East and West coast, and maybe a little bit South on the east side of the country. That’s the problem with Texas and Minneapolis: It’s just a long way from there to the next place.

AC: You haven’t done a back-to-back Rocket and Ubu stand since 2003. Are there any big challenges doing two different shows with two different bands?

DT: I wouldn’t want to do it too much. Too many songs, too much stuff to remember. But in rare times, in rare events, it’s OK.

AC: Pere Ubu has never been a nostalgia act. Rather, it’s always been a forward-thinking band. Do you mind doing shows that focus on the past?

DT: No. I mean, I wouldn’t make a career out of it. We don’t sit there and do these things faithfully and try to duplicate everything that we did. We’re able to play them pretty much the way they were meant to be played, just because Pere Ubu songs are essentially very simple.

And it’s enjoyable!

A lot of the modern members haven’t had a chance to play the old stuff, and they like doing it. I like doing it. They’re not old songs to me. They’re part of a continuous path. It’s not something we’re gonna do forever, unless you’ve got $30,000 you wanna throw around.

AC: You touched on this already, but you have new musicians in the band all the time, and you mentioned that since they didn’t play on the old stuff originally, they love playing it, which helps keep it fresh. And you still like the old songs anyway.

DT: Believe me, I’m the one that’s played “Final Solution” for 40 years. It can get a bit rough after a while. But it’s like, “Cool, all right,” y’know? You’re not having to sit there while the bass player or the drummer is playing the same damn thing you’ve heard for 20 years. It’s different, so that’s exciting.

AC: I’ve read that you said music should have a regionalism to it. You’ve got members from England and the United States –

DT: And Germany.

AC: What regionalism is Pere Ubu?

DT: Well, it’s actually kind of a good question. Since the early Eighties, I’ve lived in a ghost town. Cleveland itself became a ghost town at that point. Everywhere is a ghost town, in ways. The good thing about a ghost town being your home is that a ghost town goes wherever you go [chuckles]. It’s with you always.

I know that may sound sort of glib, but that’s pretty much how it is. I’m buying a loaf of bread from a grocery store that no longer exists, but I’m used to that sort of thing. The city I grew up in doesn’t exist. That’s not unique to me. Many people, when I explain the nature of ghost towns, find a resonance there. “Yeah, I live in a ghost town, too.” That’s the answer.

Even as a Platonic ideal, it’s perfect. It’s like the lost Smile album by Brian Wilson. I was really disappointed when they tried to re-record it. The album was perfect because it didn’t exist except in your imagination. I had all the bootlegs, and the beauty of it was that, because the songs only exist in multiple takes and things, I can assemble those things in my head, and it’s there in a perfect state.

That was the brilliance of Brian Wilson. Whether he meant it to be that way or not isn’t the issue. It’s never been equaled and probably never will be, because of the nature of things, but it was perfect because it didn’t exist. It’s the same with a ghost town. It’s perfect.

AC: I visited your ghost town a few years ago. I was very surprised that at 5pm everything just… shut down.

DT: A ghost town, yeah! [laughs]

AC: It was really strange.

DT: No, that’s the way it was back then. We all lived downtown, and everybody would disappear. It was us, a bunch of young kids, we owned the town. It was like salvage or something. It’s like when you run across a derelict ship – you can claim it. So that had a lot to do with the deep sense of identity we had, because it was ours. Nobody else wanted it. They’d thrown it away.

AC: You’ve been very influential, but literally nobody sounds like Pere Ubu.

DT: This is one of those canards or urban myths or something. Everyone says we’ve been very influential, but I don’t hear us in anybody. I’m honored that various high class/high visibility people have said that we were very influential, but I don’t know. I guess if I wanted to flatter myself, I’d say it’s the same way Captain Beefheart was influential. He was just so different, and he didn’t make any bones about it. He just went his own way.

So maybe that’s how we’re influential. I don’t know. I don’t care. I don’t sit here and go, “I’m influential.” I sit here and go, “I gotta clean the dishes.”

The pertinent issue is I don’t have an interesting life. I do one thing, and that’s make music. And none of that is ever seen. Even going out on stage, that’s already too late. I’ve already done it. No two of my shows are the same, but everything creative is going on inside my head, and I have a straight face that’s looking at you. Everything interesting is hidden. Culture is always hidden. It always happens in secret.

AC: That’s a great notion.

DT: I got a million of ’em.