A New York State of Mind

It's tough enough keeping a band going playing original, uncompromising music without ever mellowing out or a writing a dud tune. For 20 years, Unsane has had amazing consistency, even after lineup changes, a dance with the major label devils, a vicious attack on frontman Chris Spencer in Austria and the band's subsequent breaking up for several years. Unsane got back together a couple of years ago, and not only do they still put on one of the most intense live shows, their last album 'Visqueen' ranks among their best work. Chris answered a few of my questions about the new record, the Cutthroats 9, the band he did during Unsane's downtime and what he thinks of Unsane becoming a toy.

Your last album Visqueen stays true to the sound that you've developed over the last 20 years but there's a definite sense of progression, I think it's your best work! What were some of the goals you had going into recording? How successful do you think you were in achieving them?

When we were writing "Visqueen" there were some new ideas that we wanted to incorporate into the record without changing our basic "live" sound. Songs like "Only Pain" are a good example of this. We also wanted to use more recordings of things that we hear everyday in New York without completely overpowering the "live" sound. I think we were able to get exactly what we wanted with this record. The production had a lot to do with it too. Andrew Schneider did a fantastic job.

How were things different from the time you broke up to when you started playing again and how is it doing Unsane now? And was there any difficulty getting back to touring after the time off?

The major difference was that we wanted to make being in a band fun again. We had been doing so much touring that we were burning ourselves out. It has been really great to be touring with that attitude.

What was the story behind Cutthroats 9? What differences were there in the way you approached that band and the approach to your work with Unsane?

The "Cutthroats 9" was a band that was formed out in California during Unsane's break. The people that I was playing with had a more "rock" sensibility. We really did it just to have fun. We started breaking equipment at the end of live shows just so that I would have something to do the next day repairing stuff. That made touring a lot more fun for me. I hate sitting around a club all day waiting to play.

How do you feel about the folding of Man's Ruin, the label that put out Cutthroats 9's records?

That was really too bad. Man's Ruin was a great label run by a friend (Frank Kozik). I think they made the mistake that a lot of indie labels make and over extended themselves.

I started playing harmonica because of how awesome it sounded on your song 'Alleged'. What made you decide to incorporate it into some of your songs? I was also stoked to hear more harmonica and slide guitar work on newer songs like 'This Stops at the River'. Are these things you would like to do more of in future?

I have been playing harmonica since I was a kid, but was never quite sure how to incorporate it into our music. I realized that keeping it simple was the best way to approach it. I would definitely like to use more of it in the future.

Much has been said about the scene that you came from, how it spawned bands like Helmet and Blues Explosion, did it feel like a particularly creative time for that scene? Did it even feel like a “scene” where the bands supported one another?

I think that that scene was a very creative time in New York. We would all see each other at shows, play shows together and share practice spaces. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was a very positive, fun, nurturing scene for all of us.

I remember a while back you expressed interest in collaborating with other artists or having other people work on Unsane material to put their own spin on the tracks. Can you elaborate on this and has there been any progress?

I am actually hoping to spend some time in Berlin this summer working on that project. I am not sure how many other people will be involved, but we'll see... more news later...

Unsane has been cited as a major influence by a lot of newer acts. What do you think the band brought that wasn't around before it? What do you think about bands that have been influenced by your music and what do you feel most of them have picked up from you?

I'm really not sure how to answer that. It's great if bands have been influenced by us, but I think that you would have to ask them what they thought we brought that no one else had. We are really just the product of our three musical styles.

What can we expect from the next Unsane record and when can we expect it?

To be honest, I'm not sure. I have been writing for the Berlin recordings lately and would like to get that done before beginning work on the next one.

What do you think about the Unsane toy figurine that Ipecac put out with UNKL?

I think it's amazing that Unsane have a toy out there! I would have like to have had more to do with the design so that it maybe could have been more like our visual stuff.

Unsane – 'Scattered, Smothered and Covered'
Sure, a band can be heavy by playing super fast, diming the distortion and having several layers of drums, bass and guitars diving in to a chugging, thugged-out groove. A power trio, the twang of a fender telecaster and harmonicas aren't the ingredients you would expect to move you if you like it loud and heavy. Unsane is one of the premier noise rock bands - influential but unparalleled, 'Scattered, Smothered and Covered' has plenty of volume, visceral grooves and anguished screams but throws in a few surprises such as the aforementioned harmonica, which makes an appearance on 'Alleged', parping over a sinister bassline before the band kicks in together. The opening track 'Scrape' was an unexpected MTV hit thanks to a low-budget video with live shots of the band spliced with gnarly skateboard wipeouts. Of course this album is killer from beginning to end, but then again, Unsane's work has been amazingly consistent for the last two decades.

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Dig Your Own Grehv

It's not unusual for bands, regardless of their genre, to have an eccentric, token metalhead among them. Dapose, holds that title among Omaha, Nebraska's the Faint, who have established themselves by reminding everyone that electronic music with synths can be intelligent, expansive, can cover a broad range of vibes and emotions but can still be fun. But while the Faint are working on a new album scheduled to be out at the end of summer, Dapose has signed with metal mainstays Relapse Records to put out his solo record under the moniker Vverevvolf Grehv. Although the record features the weird and wonderful electronic soundscapes that wouldn't be out of place on a record by Dapose's main band, 'Zombie Aesthetics' harkens back to days when extreme metal bands would strive to be technical and inventive.

What is your background with extreme metal? Is there much of a scene for it in Omaha? What drew you to it in the first place and when did Precious Metal become your new project Vverevvolf Grehv?

Well before I was in the Faint I played in a death metal band called Lead for five years. There is a good metal scene in Omaha. I'm not really a part of that scene to be honest. I just play with any bands I like, not just metal. It's not like I'm really part of any scene in town. I go to whatever show I think will be sweet. Metal shows tend to have six or 10 bands playing all the time and I'm usually there to see one. Precious Metal started in 2005. That just means I started writing this stuff when ever I had a chance. I'm not sure how, but an all girl heavy metal band from the '80s some how contacted people I know through saddle creek records and told me to stop using the name. Some of my friends still call it that, but I came up with Vverevvolf Grehv when I was finished recording. I got a really good feeling when I thought of this name. It really felt like the music to me.

The material on 'Zombie Aesthetics' definitely looks to the future but still has something the tech/death metalheads can appreciate. What new ground do you feel has to be broken in the genre that you hope to achieve with Vverevvolf Grehv?

I hope to go further into the electronic world a bit more. I know I just scratched the surface with this record. It's all been brewing in my head for years now. I do hope to explore concrete music more and just really open metal music up a bit. To me the inventiveness of early 90's death metal was very important. I hope to bring back that inventive chaotic spirit. I dream of making more improv style metal music as well.

I remember watching the documentary on Saddle Creek a while ago and hearing about the skepticism from other artists when they heard the Faint's material on 'Blank Wave Arcade' in the studio. What were some of the initial reactions from your peers when they heard Vverevvolf Grehv? What do the others in the Faint think about it?

Well, Joel (Petersen, the Faint's bassist) recorded and mixed the album with me. Everyone in the band has been very supportive. It is important to me to exist separately from the Faint. I've heard a lot of positive feedback here from my friends and out of town. Most people think it's rad and have always known i was a metalhead. But to hear a twist on the metal and that I'm just a one man band has kind of brought it back to that singer song writer thing a little.

Are you in tune with the underground black metal scene in the states which involves a lot of one-man bands like Xasthur and Leviathan recording their own material and using programmed drums? Have you connected with some of these artists and did any of them influence Vverevvolf Grehv in any way?

Well honestly I have not heard these bands. I do hope to get more familiar with the underground black metal scene. I am a black metal fan. but with most genres of music I am pretty picky with what I like. I do love early electronic music, noise, early death metal, classical, Indian tabla music. Jazz and improv music.

How did the deal with Relapse come about? How have they been as a label and aside from the artists on the roster, what are the differences between being on Relapse and being on Saddle Creek? Why didn't Zombie Aesthetics come out on Saddle Creek?

Relapse is a great independent record label. They really do a great job on a personal level and professional. For me being on Saddle Creek used to be awesome because all the bands ran it along with the staff. It was a very group-oriented label. And that has stopped over the years for various reasons. Relapse has been around longer and is a billion times more familiar with heavy weird music. It never really made much sense in my mind to put it out on Saddle Creek.

'Linking life to death in a continuous experience', 'over active appreciation' and 'specimen well' are clearly not the run-of-the-mill death metal song titles. What are the lyrical inspirations behind Vverevvolf Grehv's songs? Is there a common lyrical thread between the songs you sing on the album? And what are 'Zombie Aesthetics'?

I think the thread might be non-negativity. Not positivity so much but just don't try to make out like I'm pissed off at god, society, a girl, some group of people. I think negativity is interesting and I can relate to some bands that hate, but I do get bored of every band with screaming growling vocals whining at me. So I didn't want to whine at anyone. And I am into Paul Laffoly, Howard Zinn, Noam Chompsky, Morbid Angel, Satyricon, Gorguts, Tibetan Monks, Thelonious Monk. John Weise, Daniel Menche, Russel Hasswell, John Butcher, Franze Liszt, Dimirti Shosticovich, Sergi Rachmaninoff, Arnold Shoenberg, Aaron Dilloway, Black Dice, Autechre, and a million other people.

Do you plan on keeping Vverevvolf Grehv a one-man project or do you plan on getting other people involved in the future?

I am looking for someone who is an experienced musician and electronics expert to join my band. A creative collaborator. I don't care what instrument they play. I never wanted it to be a one man band but it's fine for now.

Who would you like most to collaborate with on material more in the vein of Vverevvolf Grehv? Have you gotten any offers or made any plans to work on other people?

I have not currently gotten any collaboration request. I did timidly ask John Wiese if he would be into doing something sometime. He didn't respond.

I understand the Faint is working on a new album, what can we expect from the new material? Any titles or tentative release dates? How do you think doing Vverevvolf Grehv will affect how you approach working on the Faint's material?

Well, we just finished recording! Yeah! I'm really happy about that. We worked really hard on it. Some titles are 'The Geeks Were Right', 'Folcrum' and 'Lever, A Battle Hymn for Children'. The album is called Fascination. It will be out in early August I think. I'm a reactionary person so if the Faint is doing one thing I tend to want to do something else, Not because I don't like it I just have a million ideas that I want to try. More than can fit in one band. Or in two for that matter.

If Vverevvolf Grehv took off, got offers to play Relapse's Contamination Fest, Ozzfest and the Unholy Alliance Tour but these clashed with touring and recording plans with the Faint, which would you choose to do?

The Faint!

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions!

Thank you and Peace!

Vverevvolf Grehv – 'Zombie Aesthetics'
A lot has been said about the Faint guitarist Michael 'Dapose' Dappen's background in death metal. His first solo outing is released on Relapse records, but don't expect Dap to have abandoned synths and drum machines altogether. Zombie Aesthetics plays more like an IDM record with Dapose showcasing his true shredding talents along side. Sure, in a way it is what you would expect from a guitarist's solo album – blindingly technical, the guitars are too crisp and clear to be straight up death metal and there's rarely anything that could be considered a chorus, although 'Eureka Ghost' packs a nice groove. As for Mr. Dappen's vocals, you know that growling “like a cat's shadow” on the Faint's 'Agenda Suicide'? Yeah that's him. Imagine album's worth of that, over a less geeky DFI, jamming to an autechre cd. This has its roots in the more inventive side of extreme metal – think Suffocation and Atheist, not Slayer and Cannibal Corpse.

A Few Scratches and Dents.

To me the Murder City Devils were the epitome of rock n' roll. It had nothing to do with having a greasy little pompadore, using a certain amp to get a retro vibe and twang or spending a shit ton of money on the right 'old' clothes. Their songs are stripped down but have the seamless melodic invention to keep them timeless classics, they have the boom and the swagger as well as poignant heartfelt moments lamenting loves lost. Spencer Moody's lyrics are laced with metaphors incorporating being a touring band with being a sailor at sea, drowning in excess and regret to forget the girl in the last state he was in, or the last stop for shore leave. Moody has lent his talents to more great projects since MCD called it a day in 2001, the latest being Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, which has been probably his most abstract and yet his most heartfelt output to date.

It's great to hear your voice still going after all these years and not be silenced, what's the MO for your latest project Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death? And what a great name! What are the origins behind it?

Triumph of lethargy is taken from the Beautiful and the Damned by F.Scott Fitsgerald. Skinned alive to death was a band name Corey (Brewer, Chaostic Magic) had. So we stuck 'em together. A little silly i must say.

From what I understand, Triumph of Lethargy... has quite a few releases in the works, are there any tentative release dates? What can people expect from the new material? 'Chivalry is Dead' has been my favourite song for the past month. Are you involved in any other projects that we can expect to see any releases from in the near future?

The record Teenage Teardrops is putting out should be out in the next few months, you should be able to get it through their web site. There should also be a split release with Seattle band Hemingway coming out soon on broken press. We have other offers to release stuff, it's mostly a matter of getting the recording time. The new material is stuff we've been writing with Joel (Cuplin, Hideous Thieves) and Andrea (Zollo, Pretty Girls Make Graves) so it sounds a little more like a band than the older stuff.

You're probably most well known as the vocalist for the Murder City Devils, but after it ended you were involved with a string of other projects (Dead Low Tide, The John and Spencer Booze Explosion, Smoke and Smoke) for those not in the know, can you give a little background on each as well as on some I may have missed out!

The only one you missed was Rabbit Ears, we had one ep out on make break records. Rabbit ears was myself and Jeff Macissac. Electric drums and vocals. Dead low tide was Coady and Nate from MCD and our friend Mike Kunka from Godheadsilo and Enemymine. We put one record out but couldn't keep our shit together. Smoke and Smoke was me and Kunka and Dan on drums, Dan was also in Godheadsilo. I liked Smoke and Smoke a lot but fate was against us. Booze Explosion was something fun to do with John Atkins and some other folks, I'd like to more music with John some time.

After years and years of being a primarily a singer in different bands, what made you decide to pick up a guitar in Triumph of Lethargy as well?

I found people who would tolerate it. It's more fun than singing. I feel more like part of the band.

I get the impression there's a link between your antiques shop the Anne Bonny and the lo-fi junk shop orchestra vibe in a lot of the Triumph of Lethargy... stuff. Do you feel that working at your shop has influenced your music in a way? Do both reflect a love of things with an overall 'classic' feel?

I don't mind a few scratches and dents

Murder City Devils did some reunion shows recently. What made you want to play with that band again? How did these gigs go and are there any more shows planned?

The shows went well, I think we were always kind of a fucked up live band anyway. There is talk of more shows from time to time.

What is your approach to lyrics? How have they changed through the years and what are the inspirations behind them? Is there a different goal with each band you do and if so what do you try to achieve with lyrics for Triumph of Lethargy?

I used to try and sound honest now I try to actually be honest.

I've only just got a copy of the Rock n' Roll Won't Wait DVD though mail order. It's a great little road dog movie but unfortunately one I rarely heard about. With it having come out long before every band was putting out dvds do you feel that it was given the proper publicity and recognition it deserved?

I don't know never gave it much thought.

Do you think a band like the Murder City Devils could have gotten as far as it did had you started nowadays? Do you think it would have easier to start/be in the Murder City Devils in 2008 in any way?

Hard to say, I hate to think of the bands we would be lumped in with today.

With newer bands springing up from your area from people involved in bands like MCD, Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves. How do you feel about the bands in your town in recent years? Where do you see the music from Seattle evolving lately? Do you still feel a kinship with these bands and the people in them?

I feel very much a kinship with these bands, everyone keeps getting better.

Thanks so much again for taking the time to respond to my questions!

Thank you and good luck with everything.

The Murder City Devils – RIP
By Moody's own admission, Murder City Devils were always “kind of a fucked up live band anyway” and this was true to the end, Their final show on Halloween 2001 saw mics, cutting out, out of tune guitars grating against one another and keyboardist Leslie Hardy conspicuous by her absence. But even on their studio albums there was a wild-eyed, reckless and a slightly inebriated abandon that kept the danger present in all the best rock n' roll present in the devils' sound. The band holds it together well enough to barrel through the classics from their final ep Thelema, all the way back to songs from their first record. The band went up, cut the self celebratory bs most bands this great would revel in for their swan songs and did what they had been doing for the previous five years. Probably the most interesting moments are in the two songs only played at this show. 'Waltz' and 'Grace That Saves' pick up where the material on Thelema left off and give a glimpse into the type of output that would be seen from Dead Low Tide, the post-MCD band most of devils would go on to form. Another highlight worth mentioning for the indie hipster boys out there is 'Boom, Swagger Boom', which features Pretty Girls Make Graves singer Andrea Zollo uh-huh-ing, moaning and purring like a cat. Rawr.