Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

Invisible Oranges: In Conversation With Horseback’s Jenks Miller

Posted on Thursday, May 19th, 2011

Joseph Schafer of Invisible Oranges recently conducted an interview with Jenks Miller, songwriter and mastermind of American psych / drone rock act Horseback, and it discusses the past and present of the band.

Invisible Oranges: Horseback is one of the first Bandcamp release success stories, alongside perhaps Cloudkicker and Iron Thrones. How did the decision to use Bandcamp come about?

JM: I didn’t know that Invisible Mountain was one of the first records on Bandcamp. Relapse set all that up. I had heard about Bandcamp, and eventually I’m sure I would’ve moved Horseback’s online presence to Bandcamp from the trainwreck that is MySpace, but any success with the site is owed to Relapse’s staff.

When Relapse picked the record up and began their promotion, The Invisible Mountain had already been released on CD by Utech Records in 2009, and on vinyl by Aurora Borealis in early 2010. The Bandcamp thing came after all that. I honestly hadn’t realized until I read this interview question that Bandcamp was such a big deal!

Invisible Oranges: I heard some talk about how Invisible Mountain was a distinctly “American” record. People found it in some ways reminiscent of American folk music, as well as related it to the work of author Cormac McCarthy, who deals primarily with the violent heart of America’s past. Are these claims credible?

JM: I do consider Horseback to be American music in that it is entangled in a very complex mythology that precludes any fanatical, white-knuckled grip on “purity”. The violence you’re referring to is more metaphorical than literal. It represents the process of grappling with conflicting interests and influences in order to synthesize something new. That is “America” at its best, I think. At least, it is the America I’m inspired by.

You said that you’re interested in violence in nature, but Forbidden Planet is bringing in Speculative Fiction, or “super-nature”, for which we have no specific frame of reference. How did these more abstract ideas come into the music?

Good question. One of the things I like about Speculative Fiction is that it reflects its author. In the author’s imagination, what qualities characterize “super-nature”, and why might those qualities be important to him or her? To draw on a pertinent example: Why is an apocalypse so fascinating to folks of certain religious persuasions? And why is that apocalypse violent? What do these folks really want to change?

Of course, this kind of thing is tangential to the music itself. I do try to organize a few more abstract ideas in a loose conceptual framework as I’m recording each album, because such a framework provides an internal logic for the project, and helps me imagine what might lie ahead.

Continue reading:  Invisible Oranges: Interview: Horseback.

Horseback have just released The Gorgon’s Tongue: Impale Golden Horn + Forbidden Planet, a reissue of their first album, Impale Golden Horn, and last year’s cassette-only album, Forbidden Planet.

Tags: Horseback, Invisible Mountain, Invisible Oranges, Jenks Miller, Joseph Schafer, relapse records, The Gorgon’s Tongue
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The Obelisk – Jesu Interview: Justin Broadrick Confirms New Godflesh Studio Album, Discusses Roadburn, And Much More

Posted on Saturday, May 7th, 2011

JJ Koczan of The Obelisk recently conducted an interview with Justin Broadrick of Godflesh and Jesu-fame, and it features questions focusing on a new Godflesh album, Jesu’s latest, Imperfection, Self Indulgance, Roadburn and much more. The Obelisk: How was your Roadburn experience? JB: Roadburn’s a fantastic festival. It’s such a ...read more

“Unspeakable Fire Flowing Through Art:” TONEAudio’s Bob Gendron Interviews Walter of the Roadburn Festival

Posted on Friday, March 25th, 2011

An intimate four-day gathering of psychedelic, avant-garde, heavy, and nearly every other imaginable cutting-edge sonic delight, Roadburn Festival is without peer. Every April, dozens of bands and eager listeners from more than 40 countries descend upon a quaint town in the Netherlands to share in a common love of sensory-absorbing ...read more

The Obelisk: Wino Talks About Signing To Volcom, Spirit Caravan, New Shrinebuilder, Saint Vitus And Much More

Posted on Friday, February 4th, 2011

JJ Koczan of The Obelisk recently conducted an interview with Scott  “Wino” Weinrich of Saint Vitus and The Obsessed-fame, and it features in-depth questions focusing on signing to volcom, going acoustic, savoy brown, pentagram, spirit caravan, new shrinebuilder, saint vitus and much more. The Obelisk: Are you signed to Volcom? ...read more

Transylvanian Hungerrr: Wovenhand – An Interview With David Eugene Edwards

Posted on Friday, November 26th, 2010

I don’t know the exact date when the line-up for Roadburn 2011 went from ridiculous to outrageous, but one thing is certain: next year’s event will be the bomb. Having managed to skillfully dodge that damn volcano last year, the organizers seem to have been keen on making next year’s ...read more

The self-titled magazine interview: Steve Von Till of Neurosis

Posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2010

Self-titled Magazine‘s Trevor de Brauw (of Pelican-fame) interviewed Steve Von Till of Neurosis for their 25th anniversary: Now that Neurosis is considered one of modern metal’s most influential acts (see: such vocal supporters / acolytes as ISIS, Mastodon and Converge), it’s easy to forget their hardcore / punk beginnings in ...read more

Wovenhand: Quality Footage (Roadburn Premiere) And Part Of An Extensive Wovenhand Story by Stefan Raduta

Posted on Thursday, November 4th, 2010

This here is part of an extensive Wovenhand story, which will include more quality footage (almost their entire set in NYC on October 4th, filmed on HD), amazing photos taken in NYC, Philly and DC, and an in depth conversation with David himself. By Stefan Raduta, soon on transylvanianhungerrr.blogspot.com Enjoy, ...read more

LA Music Blog: Interview with Scott Kelly of Neurosis

Posted on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Some 25 years since the band’s inception, Neurosis have rightfully transformed the realm of experimental, heavy music through the course of nine powerful studio albums. Noticeably progressing through each release, it was 1993’s Enemy of the Sun that propelled the band into an entirely new entity, shedding their crusty, hardcore ...read more

Voivod Live in Helmond, Holland: Catching Trains and Missing Sequences by Leslie Hadlock

Posted on Monday, August 16th, 2010

Friday, 13 August 2010: Snake’s theory was that the date had something to do with Blacky’s bass breaking down during ‘Experiment,’ quickly followed by Dan’s guitar malfunctioning during the same song. Band and crowd took the temporary breakdown in stride. It didn’t matter and besides, it was nothing compared to ...read more

The Quietus: In Their Own Words – Lee Dorrian On The Legacy Of Napalm Death

Posted on Monday, June 7th, 2010

Lovingly pinched from The Quietus:  “A lot of people probably still think I’m the same person I was in 1988 because they’ve got a record there which makes Napalm Death timeless for them. Their vision of you is from that time. But in reality I might be the same in ...read more