instrumental – Page 2 – Weirdo Shrine

5 July 2023

Review + Q&A: Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska – Sounds Of A Forming Planet (2023, Up In Her Room Records)

The great and late astronomer Carl Sagan once said: “Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.”

He also said:

“The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.”

Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska know this, and acted upon this knowledge. On their new album Sounds Of A Forming Planet they not only quote Sagan themselves, they also set on an explorative improvisational journey through the cosmos all while being very much under the influence of the benign herb Sagan reveres so much…

We are presented with three galaxy sized space jams, the main gargantuan monster being opener We Are The Kosmos, which presents SDBIA at the pinnacle of their jam based existence, elevating their mere human dabbling to something much more profound and deep. When they launch into an instrumental space sequence and play sound bites of Sagan explaining how everything was made in the universe you must be stone cold dead not to feel shivers down your spine.

After an Interim song called, well, Interim the band fires up the spaceship engines again for a deeper and heavier variation of themselves. Starting off deceptively calm, Heavy Molten Core picks up pace and mass all the way to a smashing ending with molten heavy metal aggression.

And then we are left alone again, staring into the blackness of empty space. It is a good thing we can flip the record and start the journey anew.

I touched base with the Newcastle snake people once again and asked them how they spent their days in between the previous album Interstellic Psychedelic and their new work. I found a very positive vibe and a reinvigorated band ready to conquer the ears and souls of aural space travellers all over this planet and the next. Bass, vocal, synth, and organ man Aaron Bertram provided the answers.

Hi guys, how are you? How is Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska?

Hi Jasper I’m doing great and the band is doing great too. We are in a very good place right now.

How have you spend your days since the release of your previous album Interstellic Psychedelic?

A lot has happened and changed in the 10 or so months since the release of Interstellic Psychedelic. We have released several live recordings digitally, Including “The Chairlift Sessions” which was our final recordings with Guitar Snake Jarrid, before he moved to Australia and “Live In The Snake Pit” Which was our first release with our new Guitar Snake Tom.

What was the best thing that happened to you this year?

So far this year the best thing to happen to us has most certainly been the release of the new record and the reception it has recieved. The year is only half done though so we hope to have more great things to come this year.

….and the worst?

To be honest it has been a pretty good year so far, although we did loose Jarrid in January, but that was balanced with the fact that we gained Tom, who is an equally gifted guitar demon.

Can you tell me about the recording sessions of Sounds Of A Forming Planet? What state of mind were you in?

The recording session for Sounds Of A Forming Planet actually happened last summer, it was our first full on live recording session after the nightmare of covid. So as you can imagine we were running on all cylinders, which I think comes across quite well in the record. We tend to just go with the flow when we perform and this record is no different. We released all of our pent up energy like the bellow of a bull snake.

How do you reach the right mindset to play your kind of improvised music?

To be honest we have been doing this for a long time now, It’ll be our 10 year anniversary as a band next year and I think about 7 or 8 years of that time improvising, so it has become second nature to us. We have one rule that has always served us well and that is not to over think anything. We play what we feel, so one performance you might see, we could be really chilled out and playing with genres like drone-psych, post-rock, etc. Then the next time you see us we could be full of beans so to speak and you’ll hear a performance of genres like doom, stoner, motorik, etc. We really do just go where the wind takes us, we’ve given ourselves that freedom.

What can you tell me about being a small psych band in the North of England right now?

The good thing about being in the North East of england is the musical diversity. The gigs can be filled with all sorts of genres on the same bill and you often find cool bands that you would otherwise never come across. Being a small band can be frustrating sometimes though, simply because we absolutely love gigging, but being a smaller band can make it difficult to book gigs away from our home city and also fitting a gig schedule into our lives around work and family life. The most important thing is, that we have fun and hope that those who listen to us enjoy what comes from us having fun.

Do you still dream? What dreams do you have for the band?

Oh no doubt haha. We are snakes…. Errr I mean human, after all. we’d love to be going out right now and playing the big psych festivals around the world or doing big tours across other countries. There is one thing potentially in the pipeline that could be considered a dream come true though, although it is still in the early stages right now so I can’t really speak about it, but if it does go ahead I think people are going to enjoy it very much.

What should the Weirdo Shrine readers do immediately after reading this interview?

The weirdo shrine crew should go listen to Sounds Of A Forming Planet, it’s available via all streaming services and on our Bandcamp and if anyone would like to purchase a copy of the vinyl, they can head over to Up In Her Room‘s Bancamp. Also go listen to “Live In The Snake Pit” too as that will give you a small taste of things to come.

9 June 2023

Split review + Q&A: DUNDDW/Kombynat Robotron (2023, Spinda Records, Sunhair Records)

When like minded people meet, beautiful things can grow. Take the instrumental brothers in arms Kombynat Robotron and DUNDDW; they found each other on the European road touring and immediately felt a connection. Now they release a stunning looking split vinyl record through a cool collaboration of labels allover the world and every fan of adventurous instrumental improvisational jams will rejoice.

Striking in the first place about this split is the beautiful artwork, a piece of visual art by DUNDDW’s Huibert der Weduwen (also in Bismut and Phosphor visuals) depicting both bands’ practice spaces in Kiel, Germany, and Nijmegen, The Netherlands on an amazing looking old world map. Together with the blue/orange edition of the vinyl it makes up a package that will sell out quickly (and probably is by the time this article is published).

But hey, let’s not forget the music either. Of course we all know and love Kombynat Robotron and their organic sounding space jams. We get two for this record, and both radiate a comfortable warmth that make them very fitting for the weather at the moment. They are jams that make you long for the festival summer, lying on your back in a grass patch and spacing out of your wits.

DUNDDW on the other hand is the lesser known of the two here. Of course we know Bismut, the thunderous instrumental stoner unit two thirds of this ensemble derives of, but with DUNDDW the scope is different, and the feel out of this world. It is a trio that starts out exploring themselves and the space they are in, and slowly but certainly they work their jams out into the very cosmos and its outer reaches. To boldly go where no one went before, and to do so intuitively, without any premeditated plans. It is a bold proposition, but DUNDDW makes. it work. We have not heard the last of them yet.

For this split release Weirdo Shrine decided to talk to both bands, and ask them the same sets of questions, about the album, and about each other. DUNDDW starts off, typing their answers on the road just returning from a gig in Germany, while Kombynat Robotron handed theirs in a little later because they were also in full tour mode. It is. a good time to be a jam band, that is for certain.

DUNDDW:

How are you these days? What’s happening at the moment?

At the moment of answering these questions, we are driving home from a cool 3 day festival in the east of Germany: GockelScream (4th edition). We played a 45 minute jam in picturesque surroundings for a sympathetic crowd, alongside great bands like Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree and Temple Fang.

Tell me about your new split album! What is the best thing about it?

We think it is a fruitful collaboration between 2 improvising bands, across different countries. With the labels Spinda Records (from Spain) and Sunhair Music (from Germany) involved in releasing the album, it feels like a great German/Spanish/Dutch partnership. Musically, it represents 2 different approaches to improvised music with a spacy and kraut-like sound.

What can you tell me about the other band?

Not much… just kidding: Kombynat Robotron is a great band, with jams that keep on going and evolving. They really know how to keep a flow going. We also admire their DIY-attitude, with an impressive variety of (solo and split) releases over the past couple of years. That has really solidified their reputation. The idea of the split album originated when Bismut shared the stage with KR at Altena Sounds (and helped them out with car troubles) – 2/3 of DUNDDW also play in Bismut.

What can you tell me about the stunning artwork?

We are very fortunate to have a visual artist as one of our band members: Huibert is part of Phosphor Visuals: a collective that creates analog visuals at concerts. He made the artwork for the split. The attentive observer will see that the artwork also shows maps of the cities where Kombynat Robotron and DUNDDW rehearse/jam out (Kiel in Germany + Nijmegen in the Netherlands).

What do you have in store for us in the near future? Will there be more collaborations?

For sure: we would love to do more collaborations with bands/artists that we like and are inspired by. So in the future we might release a live recording from a gig with a guest artist, or another split like this one.

What tips/tricks can you teach us about learning to play improv/jams?

Don’t think about it too much, and try to make contact with your band members. Not necessarily through eye contact, but by getting on the same wave length. Or ride another wave and see what happens: see where you find each other again, or let the waves intertwine or flow their own way. That’s the beauty of improv: there is no right or wrong, just vibrations that merge (and hopefully appeal to us and the listener).

What should the Weirdo Shrine readers do after reading this interview?

Buy the split album quickly, because it is almost sold out! And check out more Weirdo Shrine posts to find boundary streching music. And support your local scene.

Kombynat Robotron:

How are you these days? What’s happening at the moment?

We feel good these days and are happy to have the split with our friends of DUNNDW out now. The response so far is great and that´s something we needed yet. We changed our line-up and play as a three-piece now. With the first two shows a few weeks ago and this split record we know we’re on the right track and it feels good to be back after half a year of a break. All three of us playing in other bands that are more active these days, but its always good to come together and have some jams.

Tell me about your new split album! What is the best thing about it?
The split songs were recorded almost 1 1/2 a year ago in another session we had at the Dickfehler Studio in East Frisia. They are different as we jammed the songs and then re-recorded them. So, it´s not 100% improvised. More like 90%. :D. And that is the different and maybe the best thing about our side of the split. It’s a special form of KR music.
And of course, it was a no-brainer to work with DUNNDW, Spinda Records and Sunhair Music together. What a pleasure all around!

What can you tell me about the other band?
We know Peter and Huibert for a long time now. They played a few times with Bismut in our Hometown Kiel. and we met them on the road here and there. So it´s an absolute highlight to see them jamming with another guitarist and make some different music. We heard the tracks a couple of months ago and could not wait to get this project finalized.

What can you tell me about the stunning artwork?
Its Huibert´s magic. He came up with the idea to use parts of maps showing our locations of both bands’ rehearsal rooms. With that Psychedelic layer it matches perfect for the split album. Plus, our hometown looks pretty good from above.

What do you have in store for us in the near future? Will there be more collaborations?

We have new album coming later this year on a label we worked together before. It’s from the same session as the split tracks are. And we hope to have another collab coming this or next year but it’s still in talks and we cant tell you any details yet. But when it will happen, it’s going to be huge! We played a video session in Lübeck a month ago, the videos will be online in a few weeks and of course we recorded some new material we are looking forward to release next year.. At the moment we’re working on the concept for that stuff. We have not many shows booked for this year, but we hope to play a little tour in the UK next year. If anybody wants to help feel free to hit us up, we appreciate the help.

What tips/tricks can you teach us about learning to play improv/jams?

Jamming is very different in set and setting. When we started as a band, we had no concept or idea what direction it will take us.
But playing together over 5 years now, makes it easier to anticipate the vibe of each other.
Its important to leave the ego outside and work as a unit. Its about communication, listening to each other and recognise space and sometimes step back and make room for your bandmates.
When we recorded the sessions at the Dickfehler Studio, it was good to be in another place and have something like vacations to be on the same mindset.

What should the Weirdo Shrine readers do after reading this interview?

Check out all the labels we worked together and discover great bands.
Support the underground, go to concerts, buy merch and enjoy the growing scene.

Thanks for having us and thanks for reading.

Kombynat Robotron over and out.

Schauen Sie nicht ins Licht

8 June 20237 June 2023

Review + Q&A: Electric Moon – Inferno (Anniversary Edition) (2023, Worst Bassist Records)

Let’s turn back the hands of time eleven years, to the year 2012. The German improvisational psych rock band Electric Moon was still a young band, consisting of Sula Bassana on guitars, “Comet” Lulu Neudeck on bass, and their new drummer Alex Staudtmeister (listed only as “Alex” in the liner notes) as they had just parted ways with their former drummer Pablo Carneval. They wanted to continue recording and playing, and one of the first occasions they could jam Sula pressed play, and Inferno was born.

Sometimes music can be so simple it is kind of hard to believe, but those simple examples make the most impact. Inferno is one of those examples. It is “just” a jam, the band did not even plan for it to be an official release, but over time it became one of their most loved albums by their fans. Originally released on CD, later re-issued on Sula Bassana’s Sulatron Records, and now this new issue with re-imagined artwork by Lulu on her own Worst Bassist Records.

It is a beautiful issue, this “11 Years Anniversary Remastered Edition” pressed on two slabs of recycled dark greyish purple vinyl. The artwork was recreated by Lulu and gained much more depth and impact. If you missed out on earlier issues of this piece of instrumental stoner history now is your chance to really do it justice. Worst Bassist Records has once again truly delivered a labor of love.

I asked Lulu Neudeck and Dave “Sula Bassana” Schmidt to dive with me, back into time eleven years ago to revisit Inferno and what they still remember about those times. This is what they told me:

How was the connection between the three of you at the time?

Lulu: The connection was very instant – we just invited Alex (the drummer of Inferno) for a first rehearsal and boom Inferno was born! Dave and me have been very connected at that time anyway and Alex was totally jumping on that ship.

Dave: It was our first session with a new drummer a bit of talking, a spliff and ready to record… and we recorded for 2 hours or so.

How did the decision making go about what would go on the album?

Lulu: It wasn’t difficult as it was the complete recording of the session. Dave just cut it into form and recorded some keys for overdubs and that was all.

Sula: I only took what we recorded I guess. It wasn’t planned as a album. We did a CD-R of it to have material with a new drummer. but the first 2 CD-R issues went away very well so we decided to make a CD and this sold well too. even a re-issue years later.

Did you play any of it live much at that time?

Lulu: It happened that we went into parts of inferno live again and again. There is a specific change in major and minor in inferno which we played live a lot

Dave: Improvised music (and Inferno was 100% improvised) can’t be reproduced. so we never played it live that way.

What is your opinion about releasing it on vinyl now?

Lulu: It has been released on vinyl already via sulatron records – even 2 times. This release is an anniversary edition which got a new cover and a remaster. Not that the old master wasn’t good. It’s just to experience it again in a slightly different manner. I am very happy to have the opportunity to release Inferno on Worst Bassist, as it might be the last re-issue of old Electric Moon albums for the next time….

Dave: it was on Sulatron years ago. was a nice release, I like it. Now there is new cover art.

Finally, how do you look back at that period with Electric Moon?

Lulu: It was wild, full of hope and dreams and the beginning of a very intense trip the following decade….

Dave: It was like a new start after Pablo/Bernhard left the band. A difficult start…difficult to replace Bernhard. Because we were a strong unit and big friends.

What can you tell me about your art Lulu?

I didn’t find the old artwork anymore, which was a doodle from a phone call. So I thought it’d be fun to reinterpret the old artwork in a new one – in full color this time. Think it turned out quite cool. Also, it is the 11 years anniversary, same as the Doomsday Machine anniversary edition last year. Liked that to celebrate a 11 years anniversary Inferno is one of our cult albums and we’ve been surprised back then how people freaked out about it. That was why we decided to put it out on vinyl too.

2 June 2023

Review + Q&A: 10-20 Project – Snakes Go Dark To Soak In The Sun (2023, Echodelick Records/We Here Now Records/Worst Bassist Records/The Weird Beard)

Music is a universal language, but to speak it anywhere universally is a different thing. For 10-20 Project to be a psychedelic jam unit in their country of Tunisia in Northern Africa is a complete world apart from any similar band in a regular city in Europe or North America. Even apart from the political turmoil in the country you can imagine this to be true.

For me music is just music most of the time, and especially these kind of instrumental jams. However, there is a completely different spirit haunting over 10-20 Project‘s sounds. More than anything I have heard this year so far this jam session called Snakes Go Dark To Soak In The Sun is a ritual celebration of pure unadulterated freedom. The use of saxophone and didgeridoo strengthens this ancient ritualistic feel, as if you were present at a wild shamanistic dance in the desert around a gigantic fire.

Playing the music they play does not feel like killing some time or shooting the shit, it feels like an act of rebellion, and a cry for freedom. Hell, even from my own Western safe haven I felt a bit more alive and free cranking Snakes Go Dark To Soak In The Sun at actual venue level volume through my speakers. Such is the power of imaginative improvisation, and 10-20 Project wield this power with expert skill and a deep, rich soul.

The sonic rebellion is here, joining is easy. Just find yourself a vinyl copy of this record, play it really loud, and sail freely through the endless desert.

I reached out to the band through the the boundless channels of the interweb and found 10-20 Project at their home in Monastir, a city on the central coast of Tunisia. I taked to bass player Dhia Eddine Mejrissi and he introduced me to the rest of the band consisting of Marwen Lazaar (Guitar), and Ismail Bnouni (Drums). Together they are “sonic rebels”, and if you want to know what that means I happily invite you to read on, my dear reader…

How are you? How has the pandemic period been for 10-20 Project?

Hello, and Thanks for asking. We’re doing fine. I think the pandemic was manageable, we succeeded to survive. How does it affect the band ? For Rock music in Tunisia, with or without the pandemic, it’s nearly the same situation.

Can you introduce yourself, how did you meet, etc?

Well.. where to begin ? we are instrumental, DIY, free-form band that plays heavy psychedelic sounds. We change musicians so often.. But due to the fact that marwen and I are the core members, we take control about everything, the style has not changed, but the sound and emotions always depends on the musicians who are involved in recording or live concerts. Our Current line-up is : Marwen (Guitar), Ismail (Drums) and I, Dhia (Bass).

How did we met ? Since we live in Monastir, a small Town in in the central coast of Tunisia, everybody knows each other. We started playing together in 2009, in different bands and line-ups. 10-20 Project is a continuation of all this musical dynamics in 2018. We didn’t really start it with any ambition in mind, or… there was no plan. We wanted to do something different. To create something out of our confort zone when we came to a conclusion that structured songs are restricting and that’s just not how we like to play. 10-20 was born as a meme, all revolve aroud the way we perceive freedom, out of all kind of concepts, ideologies and constructive narratives . Just living the present and playing music the best way it reflects us instantly , we worship human imperfection and we FREAK OUT !! .. We have never been ones to abide by conventional styles or certain artistic norms.. we love to act like « Sonic Rebels »

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

We are in the middle of our 30s now, so a lot of music… As teens we were lucky to witness the best era of Tunisian independant underground music in the 2000s. Bands tried out all sorts of musical genres, moving the boundaries of what is considered underground, the frequency of concerts was acceptable. The scene was so real, resilient and decentralized. You know .. The notion of underground music is really diffrent in Third world countries ..
Marwen played in a heavy Metal band called Passchendael. I joined him at 2009, in a cover band called Stone Age, we tried a lot of Hendrix, Rory Gallagher. I think that era really shaped our musical growth. In 2013 we started another band Green Bottles Blues and we began experimenting with our own primitive sounds and recording it. Generally, our taste is eclectic. We share a lot in common regarding our musical taste, even I’m softer than marwen (laughs). It saved us a lot of grief in 10-20, all music is made by consensus. Maybe a lot of Blues/psychedelic rock from the ’60s and ’70s in our bags. In my opinion, there’s a lot of freedom and originality to the music that bands from these genres show us and no one does it quite like they do. The sounds and the ferocity they express have such a strong impact.

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

In Tunisia, no regular days. We have to improvise.

What is the best thing about the new album?

Ammm.. The way it was done.

We came out from the lockdown with kind of sounds resonating in our mind like Snakes , it’s hard to explain it.. We just decided to play it and Sailing Stones asked us to film it We combined their visual background with our sonic know-how.

As a band we tried to give a psychedelic model of how things could be done collectively and independently from ashes, we gave all people involved a free space to contribute in our music the way they feel it. It was strange. It was an odd process, but at the same time, it was really creative. And I feel like it kept us a band, as a reference of what we can do and what we have to change…

So, It was an honest recording for us, It’s just kind of like… whatever happened. It was important to make like, not super cleaned up. It was really fast to put together. Do a quick mix, master. And it was done live..

Where do you live and how does it affect your music?

Well a lot of things have to be said here (laughs).

Honestly, if we talk about the Rock music scene, it is now in clinical coma, it is practically non-existent.

Last decade, it was an era of social and political instability. We witnessed how all kind of ideologies and constructive narratives turned into its opposite, producing violence, Frustrations, insecrurity, angst about the futur, dividing people and turning them into isolation. It’s deadly environment for co-operating things like rock music, and the scene has simply collapsed ..

The lack of ressources too, has turned the scene into more cost effective solo projects and the underground music is more depending on Authority and Europeans Funds depriving it from an important amount of freedom, shaping how the music must be created.

We’ve been upset about this situation, maybe accidentally we turned all these limitations into our own favors , into primitive sounds, loud music and manipulating feedbacks.. it’s like turning Hendrix into our own reality and environment. All these emotions are melt in our music. I don’t know, maybe a kind of nostalgia, not nostalgia for a past that was missing, but a nostalgia for the present, a nostalgia for there to be link to the past once again.

We are stubborn, we’re doing things from ashes by our own terms and we hope we’re doing it well.

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

Hard question .. still active ? Earthless, Earth, Colour Haze… Sula Bassana (all the stuff), sharing music moments with him on stage was one of our best memories. Temple Fang was one of our best discoveries in 2022. Maybe something related to Tunisia, Pärson Sound, From Tunis to India in Full moon.

Can you tell me about how you went about composing and recording songs?

How we compose ? It’s all about emotions and flow. We’re not story tellers, we play above our heads.. Mostly it just one take and done. We just choose a key and we go through it, I keep the time and mark changes in modal themes for the fuzzy guitar of Marwen. And we feed off of eye contact in a certain way… kind of vintage psychedelia.. we have our tricks..
For recording.. old cheap gears, a mixing console, simple daw, with some eq, compressor, low cut etc… the usual stuff.

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

We live day by day, We don’t have future plan. We’re excited about our first Vinyl and we’re happy our music has found its way into a bigger psychedelic family

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

To Take it easy but take it.

17 May 2023

Review + Q&A: Wooden Tape – Music From Another Place (2023, God Unknown Records)

My first encounter with Liverpool’s Wooden Tape is the lovely video (added below) of the song Geodesic Eric in which we see a humanoid dog figure ballet dancing his way through a typically English rural landscape. The whole thing radiates a certain calm, peace, and finesse that is quite typical of Wooden Tape and its music. The album Music From Another Place is a clockmaker’s ambient work in that sense that it is carefully crafted, has a deep sense of detail, and that it fully demands your attention to embrace its deep inner beauty.

Wooden Tape is Tim Maycox, a high school arts teacher in Liverpool. Within this project he has meticulously crafted his own minute little universe, in which every single sound has its function. If it were an armchair it would probably resemble a Rietveld. In a similar way all the extras are stripped but instead of a lesser object, it becomes more, stylistically, and artistically.

There is a strong connection to the world outside as well, and often times we hear various species of bird chirping and twittering away. It personally transported me right back to my own pandemic experience, when the sudden quiet of a society grinding to a halt also seemed to amplify the sound of nature around me. It was actually one of the big upsides of the whole dreary situation.

With its skilfully executed mixture of guitars, electronics, and field recordings Music From Another Place is quite a unique work even among the Avantgarde ambient of today. It would lend it itself perfectly for an arthouse film, but for now it also works fine to visualise your own film inside your brain. Perhaps the latter is even preferable, as every time you put this record on it could transport you to a different place. The album title seems to suggest that, and we are welcome to explore…are you up for it?

I had a nice chat with Tim Maycox from his home in Liverpool. Having had a couple of stints in bands and playing with renowned psych bands like Mainliner and Teeth Of The Sea, he carefully explains his musical roots and current status, and the perks of being a one man band in Wooden Tape.

How are you? How has the pandemic period been for you?

It is during times like the pandemic that you realise how lucky you are to have creative outlets to fall back on and escape into. I was also blessed to have my family with me, not everyone had that. It did lead to some of the writing and recordings on the album.

Can you introduce yourself and the musical projects you are involved in?

I am Tim AKA Wooden Tape. At the moment, Wooden Tape is ‘the’ project, with the album due out I am involved in putting together a small band of like-minded types to do some live work over the summer and beyond. Wooden Tape is a combination of my interests in hauntology, acoustic guitar music of the late 60’s/early 70’s, ambient synths and pads, library music and classic OST music. The sound of the album is a set of forgotten theme tunes like audio versions of little, faded ektachrome snaps. There is another collaboration I have been working on but I hope that might be one for the future, involving music, word/text and possible film. I also have a new set of pieces I am developing.

What can you tell me about your musical background?

Played in a couple of bands over the years in the Merseyside/Liverpool region. Did some great shows as ‘Fortunatus’, supporting the likes of Teeth of the Sea and Mainliner, with the excellent Behind the Wall of Sleep promotions and as part of the Liverpool Psych Fest. We could never really get any traction and it kind of fizzled out, like a lot of bands do! I also recorded and wrote as part of a project called ‘Sons of Sekander’, we put out our own E.P, not dissimilar to Wooden Tape but with a bit more spoken word on it. The great thing about Wooden Tape is I have been able to bring together Joe and Sean from those previous bands for the Wooden Tape stuff. I worked at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall for 16 years (I was a classical roadie) so music was never far- at home and at work. Wooden Tape grew from a couple of songs that two close friends championed. Very organic.

What does a regular day in your life look like?

Very dualistic! I am a High School teacher which I love. I teach Art but am based in a building with Music so sometimes I am asked to play on bits (the students put me to shame!) I am lucky to be able to take one cap off and put another on, when I have the time. A regular music day can be anything from recording in my house, to organising mixes to writing.

What is the best thing about Music From Another Place?

I suppose like anything someone puts out it is a distillation of your particular likes. It can be hard to be subjective about your own music and to stand outside and look in. I think it does sound different and that is the home recorded element to it. I have a set of percussion that maybe different to the next musician’s set of percussion so you instantly get a ‘sound’ I am heavy on melody and don’t mind things being ‘pretty’ but I also like balance, so you get pieces like ‘Birds II’ and ‘Broken Tapestry’ sitting next to each other. That is one of the things I love about my favourite albums that light/dark thing. At school I talk about Chaos and Order in art, and I think that is really important.

Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?

I live close to one of the great music cities, Liverpool. I also live in a region that is probably untouchable with Liverpool and Manchester, within 35 miles of each other. Then you have got North Wales close by, which is and always has been a hotbed of amazing music. Liverpool is as receptive as any place to alternative sounds and music and the musical environment is very healthy though we have lost some great venues.

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

I have always loved Ben Chasny/Six Organs of Admittance and really liked Rick Tomlinson/Voice of the Seven Woods. Anything Ghost Box brings out is always amazing. I like Bibio, Hampshire & Foat and songwriters like Bill Callahan the list goes on! Locally we have amazing bands like Ex-Easter Island Head, who are a must see live. Johhny Trunk and Andy Votel are big idols for me, they straddle that music/film/art/outsider/retro thing so well and are culturally so important (I am ever the art student!) I could do this interview tomorrow and add another 100 artists!

Can you tell me about how you go about composing and recording songs?

I tend to write a lot on acoustic guitar and still see myself as predominantly a guitarist, but I love to pretend to be Matthew Fisher or Rick Wright and tinker away on a keyboard. I get bits down on the phone and go back to them, I know if I had to get out of bed, go downstairs, find my guitar, get the phone out and press record it must have been ok (hard listening back when it wasn’t though!!!) I mostly start by looping percussion, put down an acoustic pattern and then add washes with other guitar and keyboard. When you don’t have words, titles become really important as they set the meaning, though I do also like using vague/ambiguous titles so people can have their own take on the themes. Anything I do then goes to the brilliant Marc Joy to sprinkle his wonder dust on. Marc has been pivotal to the sound of Wooden Tape.

What are your immediate and long-term future plans?

Immediate plans are to promote the album, Jason at God Unknown has given me a wonderful opportunity. Also, we need to get out and support the album with some live shows, hoping for some visual aspect to these with film. Long term is more music! I touched upon that other project before, there is music written and a script with some interest so let’s see?! A festival would be nice, we always loved the Green Man so if you are reading…

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

Listen to the album! I would start with the video for Geodesic Eric that the very talented Clifford Sayer animated and then listen to the album in sequence. Then go down that rabbit hole of influences! Umliani & Zalla (or pretty much any Italian Library music, they were the masters) John Renbourn/6 Organs of Admittance/Popol Vuh/KPM again, the list goes on. It’s the wonderful thing about music, it just keeps on giving!

16 May 2023

Review + Q&A: Dead Sea Apes – Rewilding (2023, Cardinal Fuzz Records/Feeding Tube Records)

The Dead Sea Apes have returned out of their pandemic induced slumber. Domesticated were they, caged, like all of their musician brethren. Sure, they managed to make new music still, but it was never as raw and alive as before. Until now. They found the holy fire again, being able to play together renewed, free in the live experience. The jam, the very blood flowing through their veins. The Apes could roam again, wild once more. Bear witness to the Rewilding of the Dead Sea Apes.

On their new album the revitalised Apes have stripped their sound to the very core: guitar, drums and bass. Just three guys in a room picking up on a vibe and rolling with it, six times in a row for forty-two minutes. The sheer pleasure of the solid click Brett Savage, Chris Hardman, and Jack Toker have is infectious, and it is not difficult to visualise the energy in the room with your eyes closed.

You can feel it too, in your limbs, in your stomach, the rumbling bass, the tribal hacking of the drums, the gyrating howl of the guitars. This is a band of wildling apes released from their cages once more, ready to crush, ready to shed some sweat, ready to breathe. Rewilding presents a band finding back their holy fire; the mighty jam, the intuitive ritual, and we get to be there in this moment. It is a good time to be alive.

I talked to guitarist Brett Savage, who was more than happy to tell us more about the who/why/how of Dead Sea Apes. It is so great to be able to connect with passionate musician lifers like him and his band mates. It is the main reason for keeping up this Weirdo Shrine of mine in the first place…

How are you? How was the pandemic period for Dead Sea Apes?

Hello Jasper! Im all well and good, thank you. Hope that you are too! Personally speaking, I’ve got very mixed feelings about the pandemic period. I realise that it came with a real heavy cost to a lot of people – but I also thought it was really an interesting time to be alive. The lockdown period here in the UK was a really odd time. There was a real uncanniness to that time that I don’t think that we will ever experience again in our lifetimes, and I do think it ended up having a huge bearing on Rewilding. The empty streets, clear skies and the general quietness was a little bit spooky.

Here in the UK, we were allowed to go outside for short periods for exercise and get a breath of fresh air. I was out walking with my dog on a quarry local to me and I was listening to some really spooky music (Dire Wolves, as it happens), it was April and still quite cold and windy. The wind was making all the trees sway wildly, flecks of snow were flying in the wind – and all of a sudden, two deer just run out in front of me. It was like something out of a dream. It kind of felt like Mother Nature was reasserting herself in some way. That had a profound effect on me. It was both dreamlike and visceral at the same time – and that really seemed to jive with the times.

I also felt like a lot of people were affected rather oddly by the overall atmosphere of the lockdown. I’ve always been interested in conspiracy theories (not as a fan, more as an observer) and it was interesting to see how these ideas had started to promulgate so fervidly, as they often do in periods of uncertainty. These themes and the general uncanny vibe of that whole era seemed to fit with the primal and red-blooded music that had started to come out of us when we finally got back into the rehearsal room.

Obviously, it was frustrating for anyone in a band during the lockdown, as it was incredibly difficult to make music together beyond recording stuff and sending it over the internet, but we managed to get some ideas together with Adam Stone and Stephen Bradbury (Black Tempest) to make Dataland, which we are all really proud of and which I think captures some of that weirdness of the pandemic era really well, not least in Adam’s words.

Can you introduce the band, and how did you meet, etc, ?

Originally, Both Chris Hardman (drums), Nick Harris (Bass) and I (guitar) met through online musician’s noticeboards way back in 2009. We were a steady line up, up until Nick Harris left at the end of 2017. It took us a good few months to find Jack (Toker), who came in to replace him on the bass. I used to see Jack at quite a few gigs down in London and had always got in well with him. I ran into him at gig for The Heads in Manchester when we were looking for a new bass player after a few false starts. He had not long moved back up to the North of England and was keen to join. And we are so glad he has. He has given us a new lease of life and has fitted right in.

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

All of us have had experience playing generally loud and weird stuff in a number of bands, up and down the country!

What does a regular day in your lives look like? (jobs/hobbies/vocations…)

Well, music is a connective tissue in our lives. In his day job, Jack builds and fixes guitars (he has just built me a beautiful custom guitar, by the way!). Chris is a sound engineer for the BBC. He also records and produces all of our stuff. We have recorded everything in our rehearsal room and Chris makes it sound pretty much as if we have been in a recording studio! I’m definitely biased here, but I think Chris is a true artisan when it comes to recording. He has a lot of creative talent backed up with a high level of technical skill. As for myself, in recent years, I’ve opened a record shop, so making music is kind of a ‘busman’s holiday’!

What is the best thing about Rewilding?

I think Rewilding has been an absolute rebirth for us. Although it took its time in coming, I think that we have bounced back with a real passion. I think we were really hungry to get back to playing as a band and let that unspoken communication can come back into play. You really can’t replicate it playing it in a back bedroom and sending it over data transfer. We wanted some of that ‘rehearsal room democracy’ to inform our music – and as a result, I think it made this album much more focussed, cohesive and our most passionate yet. Admittedly, we have taken our time in making it, but I feel that we have got the feel and the sound just right. We wanted it to come along in its own time. We haven’t laboured it to the point where it had drained all of the life out of it. It feels wild and spirited. We’ve been Rewilded!

Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?

Both Chris and I live in different parts of Greater Manchester and we have always pretty much rehearsed in the city centre. Jack lives a bit further out in Todmorden. Both Manchester and Todmorden have great promoters and audiences that are really supportive for music like ours.

A friend of ours told me recently that they felt that the Dead Sea Apes sound is very ‘Northern’, not so much that we sound like Oasis or The Stone Roses or anything (at least I hope not), more that it captures the vibe and space of the surrounding hills and local environment etc. I took that as a real compliment.

What are some of your best memories with the band so far?

We have a lot of good memories with the band – and most of them revolve around the friends, including a lot of great bands, that we have made and met along the way. We have been really lucky to meet loads of great people – and Facebook has allowed us to keep in touch. We’ve also played with bands that we are real fans of such as The Heads, Carlton Melton, Part Chimp and loads more.

We also have a back catalogue of albums that we are proud of. I don’t feel that we have any real weak spots in our collection, nor feel the need to rewrite history to reframe them to make sense of them. They all capture us at a point where we were at that time – and I feel that they all stand up really well.

We have also been incredibly lucky to work with Cardinal Fuzz on all of them. You really could not wish for a more supportive label owner than Dave Cambridge – who is a great friend of all of us in the band. We have also co-released with some great labels including (the legendary!) Feeding Tube, Sky Lantern, Sunrise Ocean Bender (RIP Kevin McFadin) and Deep Water Acres. Also, a big shout out to Andy Uzzell who released a couple of groovy lathe cuts with Adam and Steve on his great Misophonia label! We could also do with giving props to Adam at Drone Rock Records and the Terrascope guys for adding us onto their great compilations too. And finally, thanks to all at Golden Lion Sounds for releasing a split single with us and the mighty Carlton Melton!

Can you tell me about the recording sessions of Rewilding? How did you get in the right flow?

I think just before the pandemic, we felt a little bit lost – and not a lot of stuff was coming together. We kind of entered the lockdown period with nothing really solid to work with as a band.

When we got back in the rehearsal room we regrouped and returned with a newfound energy. Some new ideas seemed to just arrive fully formed, which really shocked us. Some other ideas that we really liked took some time to percolate into what they are now – but definitely showed promise. We could feel our confidence returning and I think when you are excited by what you are doing, the album then starts to build up its own momentum. And as I said before, we are lucky in the sense that Chris is a sound engineer and records everything – so nothing is really lost to the ether. We can listen back to the jamming out that we do with each song and take any ideas that come from the sessions and apply them to the songs.

I also feel that Jack had really bedded in and stamped his authority all over this album too. That’s not to say that he hadn’t on the last two, but I feel that he has really brought lots of ideas and a real energy to this one. It really has confirmed that he was the right choice!

What is the secret of a good jam? What would you recommend aspiring jam bands to do?

Jamming is a pretty strange thing to try and quantify as I feel that there is a lot going on in the mix! I think it really helps if you are actively listening to each other and that you can pick up on cues for dynamics etc – but I also think, when I put my ‘magical thinking’ hat on, that a lot of unspoken communication comes into play. Peak states, flow states, third mind, whatever… but it definitely feels like something spooky is going on when you hit your stride.

I’m also a big advocate of the input/output rule – the more music that you listen to expands the scope of your own musical imagination. Its also good to work with other people who like stuff that you have never heard – and they can subsequently open you up to it – and likewise, it’s also good to work with people who share similar touchstones as you.

I suppose an openness to follow where it goes is also good. It might not hit the spot everytime – but you are more likely than not to hit peaks the more that you play together!

Any touring plans? Would love to see you guys in Europe!

We do have some touring plans. Not least, we are playing at Ottawa Psych Fest in September – at the invitation of Mr John Westhaver of the amazing The Band Whose Name Is a Symbol. He is a good example of one of those really good friends that you meet along the way. We cannot wait to play over there. John has been a real advocate for us over there – and we have been told to expect a warm welcome. Christopher Laramee is also playing as Wasted Cathedral, and he is another exceptionally fine fellow who I’ve met a few times now. Its going to be great! We do have a few UK dates for the rest of the year, but not for Europe unfortunately. Maybe next year? (and so long as the Brexit related admin nonsense is not too much of a stumbling block!)

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

I’ve always loved it when The Minutemen’s Mike Watt used to shout ‘learn an instrument… form a band’ at the end of shows. I think that is good advice, so I will steal it!

10 May 202310 May 2023

Review + Q&A: Cazayoux – Cazayoux (2023, Weird Beard/ Echodelick Records/Worst Bassist Records/We, Here&Now! Records/Ramble Records)

This colourful debut album by Austin, Texas based psych funk orchestra Cazayoux is such a welcome surprise to me this spring. Outside the weather seems hesitant to get out of dreary winter mode, and of course that mood is transferred to the people. Enter Cazayoux; a festive funk kraut jazz party that blasts from your speakers with trumpets blazing! The cool thing is; it is not a musical style that I would have quickly sought out on my own, but now it’s been supported by five of my favorite psych record labels I practically could not miss it, and you shouldn’t either.

On this self-titled album we get the cream of the Austin, Texas music scene joining forces and basically having a real good time in the studio. It is lucky someone had the time and mind space to press the record button so we can enjoy it now too. It is not hard to imagine this fantastic orchestra travelling the world and spreading joy, madness, and limb movement wherever they go.

The music itself is a wild mixture of every world music influence the individual musicians brought to the table be it from Louisiana, Mexico, Africa, or even Japan. Whether they take on jazz, funk, afrobeat, or samba, you can be assured it is impossible to sit this one through untouched.

For the tiny eyed psychedelic crowd especially a little hip shaking might be a good idea, so get up, run to your local record store and dance through your home on the sunny sounds of Cazayoux!

I connected with drummer and name giver Forrest Cazayoux to shed some light on his fantastic new project. You can feel the enthusiasm and love for music throughout his answers. This guy is on a roll, and we get to enjoy it. Life is good people!

How are you? How has Cazayoux been lately?

I am doing great thank you so much for asking. Things here in Austin with the band have been very smooth. We are keeping busy that’s for sure, and we enjoy the work we do.

Can you introduce the band, and how did you meet, etc, ?

Sure I can intro the band. We have John Slavin on Trumpet (Philadelphia), Damien Valenzuela on Sax (New Mexico), Todd Rodgers on Trombone (Texas), Alex Freeman on bass (Austin TX), Fernando Flores on congas (Mexico), Forest Cazayoux (Louisiana) Drums, Aboubacar Sylla on Djembe and Balafon (Guinea, Conakry), Fumihito Sugawara on guitar (Hiroshima Japan), Ben Fisher on keys (North Carolina),and Joe Woullard on bari sax (Austin). We all met in Austin TX in the music scence. The music we are all attracted to sort of brought us together.

What can you tell me about your musical background(s)?

Our musical backgrounds are very diverse. We take influence from lots of different styles and music. Some of the main themes that brought us together as musicians are stuff like funk music, jazz, West African folk music, soul and rnb, New Orleans 2nd line, Latin Music, and so much more. We all agree that we love this music and we try and create our version of our influences when we write and play live.

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

So a regular day for us here in Austin Tx consists of some of us working jobs and playing gigs with various bands around the city. Some of us are full time musicians and some of us supplement income by doing other things. The good thing about Austin is for musicians there are tons of clubs and bars to work in any day of the week. We also get time to relax too!

What is the best thing about the new self-titled album?

I feel like the best thing about our new record is that the sounds we made are a true reflection of who we are. All of our influences and experiences molded together collaboratively to create something that we feel is worth sharing. Thank you for asking.

Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?

The music here in Austin is thriving. There are tons of great musicians here in the city and clubs to play. Everyone for the most part respects one another and we all work to push our scene forward the best way we can.

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

There is so much music that I love. I feel like its a long list but I will name some of the first that come to mind. Johny Vidacovitch, Tony Allen, Lettuce, Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band, The Meters, Dr. John, Fela Kuti, and the list goes on

Can you tell me about how you go about composing and recording songs?

Our process actually starts mainly in the studio for this record. We started out as just the rhythm section arranging and recording ideas on the spot. Then we observe it and write new parts and add more music once we have some time listen. It is 100% a collaborative effort.

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

Our immediate plans are to keep working and writing new music and do our best to bring joy into peoples lives any chance we get. Long term we plan to hit the road and hopefully bring our music to the world.

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

We would love for you to check out our music, and if you dig it share it with a friend. Records Are available for anyone to purchase online for whoever is interested. We at CAZAYOUX thank you for having us. We appreciate you and wish you well!

8 May 2023

Review + Q&A: Son Of Buzzi – Die Hand Der Riesin (2023, Cardinal Fuzz/Centripetal Force/Ramble Records)

On a porch somewhere in Zurich, Switzerland, a guy is playing guitar by himself. He just lets the tones flow in rhythmic patterns, while he gains inspiration from the birds chirping around him and even from the city noises in the background. This is Son Of Buzzi.

The outside noise being there strengthens the overall feeling of loneliness and contemplation that ripples from this music. All by himself, just a man with his guitar and a four track recorder, Son Of Buzzi captures a moment. The moment is good as it is captured, no overdubs, no fancy stuff. It is the moment as it was captured at that time. To capture a moment in time in itself and record it for it to be repeated in eternity is a kind of magic if you think about it. And Die Hand Der Riesin (“The hand of the giantess”) feels magical in the way that very tiny things sometimes can feel.

I’m sorry if my mind wonders off while I write this, but minimalist guitar music like this can do that to your head. I do believe it is where strange, surprising, and new ideas grow from. In a sense you could say that listening to a Son Of Buzzi album could turn you into a writer, or a rambler, a poet, or even a sole guitar slinger…it could be a bit of magic.

I talked with Sebastian Bischoff from his home in Zurich, Switzerland. He seems a lover of music first, and then a musician, even though he plays a lot too and with delight. As solo artist he revels in taking the flow and roll with it, recording surrounding sounds and living in the moment. To live, to escape, to be alone with his instrument. Here is Son Of Buzzi.

Hi Sebastian! How are you doing? How was the pandemic for you?

I am doing well, thank you. Of course, like for most of us, the pandemic was special. Not going out for more than two years, not meeting with friends, especially not playing or going to concerts and live music was really exhausting. However, I was in the privileged position of not belonging to a risk group, having a day job and being able to work from home, and most importantly, not being alone, but with my family. But hopefully, no more pandemic.

Can you introduce yourself and your music?

Ok, my name is Sebastian Bischoff or “Son of Buzzi”. I am now based in Zurich/ Switzerland.
My music is mainly acoustic steel string guitar, 6 and 12 string. Sometimes I also use electronics (synthesizer, mixer…) or other instruments like double bass, banjo, or whatever fits the mood. I try to create intimate soundscapes with my instrumental music. The sounds and the space around the sounds are important to me. But the most important thing for me is to play the music myself. It allows me to pause or simply to escape. And I hope that I can create such a personal mood with my sounds that this is also transferred to the listener.

What can you tell me about your musical background?

Oh, music has always been an important part of my life. I’m a self-taught musician. I played bass and was singing in local hardcore bands as a teenager, switched to upright bass in my 20s and now, in my 40s, it’s solo acoustic guitar.

What does a regular day in your life look like?

Most of time is taken up by my day-job as an engineer for strucural mechanics in tunneling construction. And when I find the time, I play or listen to music, mostly in the evening and on my roof terrace.

What is the best thing about Die Hand Der Riesin?

For me it’s the collaborative work on the vinyl release. Starting with Michal Potter who helped me again with the mix and also with the arrangement of “Die Hand der Riesin I + II”, Zita (Bischoff’s daughter-ed), who made the drawing on the front cover, Mischa Scherrer who contributed the picture for the back cover, Brett Savage who helped me with the design and layout, Holger Adams who wrote the liner notes/ Begleittexte and of course the collaboration with the labels: Dave from Cardinal Fuzz, Mike from Centripetal Force and Mike from Ramble. There were quite a few people involved in the makin, and it was a lot of fun working with these folks. Considering it’s solo instrumental music, this is more than I could have asked for (smiles)!

Where do you live and how does it affect your music?

I’ve been living in Zurich since 2010, moved here from Munich. Zurich has a very vibrant music scene and there are many good venues and great concerts to see. That’s really great, because live music is very important to me.

My apartment near Europabrücke and Werdinsel in Zurich has a very nice roof terrace where I spend most of my time playing the guitar. Obviously the landscape and also the sounds of the adjacent road and nearby river as a constant background for my playing have a big impact on my music and how I want it to sound. You can even hear it on some recordings, for example on „Die Hand der Riesin“ or on the album „Eins bis vier“ that I recorded for Dadaist-Tapes, where the ambient noise plays an important role for me.

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

Oh, „heroes“ is difficult, but if I’d have to name any, it would be Nina Simone, Alice Coltrane, Pauline Oliveros. Of course there are influences by other contemporary guitar players such as Loren Connors, Jim o`Rourke, Daniel Bachman, Shane Parish, of course Jack Rose/ Pelt, Mike Gangloff, Joseph Allred, Willie Lane, Joost Dijkema…Basho and Fahey obviously. I was listening a lot to Tongue Depressor recently, also Magic Tuber Stringband, Sarah Davachi, Natalia Beylis, and I’m really looking forward to my copy of the re-pressing of Abdul Wadud‘s „By Myself“ (still in the mail)…music is cool!

Can you tell me about how you went about composing and recording songs?

Composing here is usually trial and error. I’m not a trained musician, so the composition process is very unstructured. Sometimes I’ll start with a melody or rhythm pattern and go from there, repeating the parts endlessly, discarding them and starting over. It’s not clear what will come out in the end, but I have to be convinced of the piece in order for it to be “done”. In the end, It’s also important to me that the whole album stands on its own and is consistent in terms of mood and sound. This also applies to the improvised parts, because I also see these improvised passages more in terms of sound and dramaturgy, that is, how they fit into the musical mood and where I want to go from there.

The recording itself usually takes place in my kitchen or living room, straight into my 4-track recorder. It’s important to me to record the music as a whole, live and without overdubs, but with all the little flaws and random noises from the environment and such.

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

Well it looks like there will be a 7” release this year on a really great label from the Czech Republic. And I or rather we (yeah!) are working on some new recordings, but it’s not finished yet so I won’t talk about it. And hopefully I’ll go on tour this fall and play some live shows, but nothing fixed yet.

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

Hug a friend!

1 May 2023

Review + Q&A: Kanaan – Downpour (2023, Jansen Records)

There are instrumental bands that can take you to other worlds in psychedelic bliss, and there are instrumental bands that stay very much in the now, just being themselves and happy to be there. Kanaan out of Norway has heavy “now” vibes. They are “just” three dudes hitting it off instrumentally, but doing it so incredibly well and spontaneous that you find yourself locked in the groove in seconds, jaw to the floor, 100% captivation.

Downpour is the band becoming a jam machine seven consecutive times, and we as lucky bystanders get to watch and learn. Whether their jam session is based on one or more brain splitting riffs or on a hip jiggling jungle groove, these Norsemen make it so that you instantly become their puppet, and all you can do is move to the music.

The whole thing is a top notch trip, but few personal highlights cannot be left unnoticed; the title track Downpour for instance because of its rhythmic acrobatics and smooth Motorpsycho vibes, Amazon because it features a collaboration with the magnificent Hedvig Mollestad and one of the most memorable riffs this side of 2023, and finally the two parts of Solaris, that make up a thrilling psychedelic space jam that would not be out of place scoring the actual movie.

Sure, Kanaan are “just” three dudes out of Oslo, Norway hitting it off musically, but they hit it off so extremely well they make us witness the power of sheer human musical synchronicity. This is what three people locking in and being in the now can accomplish. Better take notice!

I found drummer Ingvald André Vassbø in Oslo booking their tour for Downpour and being generally satisfied with life as his band is hitting it off quite well and turning heads allover the world. Life is good when you have a team of musicians that understand each other so well on multiple levels. Let’s meet Kanaan.

How are you? How was the pandemic period for Kanaan?

The pandemic period was for Kanaan as for other bands all over the world a hard time. We had to cancel concerts, postpone studio sessions and in periods weren´t able to meet up at all. Even though it was a hard time for us we were actually able to finish up some work we had to do. We managed to record our album Earthbound in June 2020, our quartet-album Diversions Vol 1: Softly Through Sunshine in May 2021 as well as our addition to the Sampler “International Space Station” which were released on the great label Worst Bassist Records last year. Even though meeting up, planning things and organizing the band was a hassle during that period we were actually able to do some work that we´re all really happy with and proud of.

Can you introduce the band, and how did you meet, etc, ?

The band consists of myself (Ingvald), Ask Vatn Strøm our guitarist and Eskild Myrvoll, our bass player We met at the Norwegian Academy of Music where we had some very fun jam sessions and found out that we had a lot of common interests, particularly when it came to electric jazz (we studied jazz there) and rock music. We also quickly found out that we liked to play and work together and that we “locked” socially in a very good way. We started to write songs together and booked our first gig which took place in one of the rehearsal-rooms in the basement of the academy. From there on it´s been a very natural thing to play music and do everything that has to do with organizing and playing in a band together.

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

None of my parents are musicians but i was musically brought up a variety of places. On of them was in my dads record-basement where he had and still has tons of experimental rock-vinyl and cds. Krautrock, Prog, “Rock in Oppostion”, Avant Garde stuff, jazzrock, psychedelic stuff… Since I was quite young we’ve been regularily having these really great listening sessions in the weekends where he still manages to blow my mind with super obscure, and completely amazing music. Listening to music together with him defininetly formed my musicality a lot. Since i was around 9 years until late in my teens we went to Burg Herzberg Festival in Hessen which is a legendary German hippie festival. There I heard a lot of great music from a young age which inspired me a whole deal. We got the chance to see so many of all the legendary 70s kraut rock bands as well as a broad range of what was and still is going on in the german underground scene. I´m really thankful for that!

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

For me, one of the best things about being a freelance musician is that no day is the same. I have a quite busy musical life which consists of practicing alone and with different bands, writing music, going to rehearsals and off course doing administrative work and having meetings. Travelling is also an integral part of my life and is actually one of the things I like the most about being a touring musician. Travelling around and seeing different places, meeting new people and exploring new forms of art and music fits my personality really well and is one of the things about my own life i appreciate deeply.

What is the best thing about Downpour?

There are many things that I’m happy with about Downpour. One of my favorite moments are the first minutes of Solaris pt I. I’m a person who has a lot of energy and often feel that I’m “on the edge of things” musically speaking and often “pushing the beat” and therefore it’s always fun when there are moments when I feel that I really manage to stay calm and “find peace” within in the groove and with the music. On that track I really feel that we managed to create a lush atmosphere with a high degree of energy and direction while at the same time having a sense of calm and control within the music. I hope that I can manage to do the same thing live! I love when one is trying to “nail” or “interpret” a specific vibe for the music and it ends up transfering so much emotion back to you. That I feel happened a lot during the recording of this album.

Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?
All three of us live in Oslo at the moment and there is a really fruitful music scene at the moment. There’s a lot of interesting music going in Oslo and in Norway in general so it is a great pleasure to be part of. One of the best parts about it is that we feel that people are quite open and one is able to try out different things and be parts of many different “scenes” at once. There´s no “poppers vs the rockers” or anything like that. People are into a lot of different stuff which i really like. There are also a lot of concerts every night, so I never become deprived of inspiration. That’s for sure!

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

Ingvald: Some of my biggest contemporary-ish musical influences are Oneohtrix Point Never, Moor Mother, James Ferraro, Caroline Polachek, Poil with Junko Ueda, Lightning Bolt, Zach Hill and Hella, Daughters, Punkt vrt. Plastik, Ambrose Akinmusire, Viljay Iyer, Elder, Black Midi, Steve Lehman, Domi & JD Beck, Marcus Gilmore, Guro Moe, Horse Lords, Oneida, Njaaljos Ljom, Danny Brown, Slift, Björk +++

Can you tell me about how you go about composing and recording songs?

For the most part we’ve been writing songs together in our rehearsal space. Normally one of us comes up with an idea for a groove, a riff, a chord progression, a vibe etc and then we work and expand on it together. We’re always discussing and trying out different ways of playing and experimenting with the ideas. This approach changed a bit during the pandemic when we weren’t able to meet up in the same way as before. The Downpour album was therefore more composed more individually with demos and so on. The demo-ideas was of course changed, re-arranged and experimented with collectively but less so than with the other albums.

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

Our first upcoming project is a concert together with Øvre Eiker Kulturskole (a music school where Ask teaches) which we’ve been planning for a long time. We’re going to perform two songs from our first record Windborne, one from Earthbound and one song from Downpour together with over 70 kids from 6 to 20 years who play a wide array of different instruments. (violins, trumpets, classical percussion, acoustic guitars, clarinets etc). Our music was arranged by a super talented jazz-singer, composer and arranger called Vilde Aakre Lie so we´re super excited about that. It will be really interesting and fun project.

In May we´ll play a handful of club shows in Norway to promote our upcoming album Downpour, and after that we´re going on a two week european tour between the 17th and 28th of May. We are also planning a few festival shows in Finland, Portugal and Germany this summer as well another European tour in august and September which we’re really looking forward to do!

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?
Order tickets to an upcoming Kanaan show and come and meet us. We´re really nice people 🙂

25 April 202324 April 2023

Review + Q&A: Orsak:Oslo – In Irons (2023, Vinter Records)

After releasing two EPs which we discussed briefly in 2021 Orsak:Oslo is now ready to unleash their new full length album In Irons. On this new effort the instrumental post rock/metal band once again prove they can paint the contours of their home country of Norway through sheer instrumental craftsmanship.

Orsak:Oslo navigates the dark waters between post rock and instrumental prog, and does this with a narrative power that takes the listener through melancholic landscapes and harsh and icy fjords, and at times even shows us the psychedelic Northern Lights. In Irons is an impressive piece of instrumentalism, because it grabs the attention from the get go and keeps it all the way to the end.

The five songs are dark and heavy in nature, appealing to both fans of amplifier walls like Isis and Neurosis, and more intricate progressive leanings like Long Distance Calling. The sound is beautifully recorded and thick, and feels like a nice and fuzzy winter coat you want to wear all year round. The spoken word quotes make the music feel even more cinematic and layered.

In Irons feels like a pinnacle in Orsak:Oslo’s career, it is definitely their biggest and best alum so far. With this record in their pockets, it is only a matter of time before the doors of the bigger venues and festivals in Europe will open their doors to them.

Orsak:Oslo were quite happy to talk to Weirdo Shrine about their band and their new album. In a combined effort they enthusiastically introduce their band and themselves:

How are you? How has the period between the previous album and the new one been for Orsak:Oslo?
Hi! Thanks for having us. We are doing fine, except for being extremely anxious to release this album. Our previous release was made during the pandemic, and of course a lot of stuff has changed in the world since then. We, on the other hand, are more or less the same. It’s been tough being separated for years during lock-down in different countries, but it might have just fueled the eagerness to get together and make something new and great as soon as possible after the borders started opening again.

Can you introduce yourself, how did you meet, etc?
Orsak:Oslo was founded in 2012 by Christian Andersson (guitar) and Øyvind Minsaas (drums). We first met in 2009 when Christian moved from Gothenburg, Sweden to Oslo, Norway in search of work. He ended up sharing a single flat with seven strangers, and one of them was Øyvind. It wasn’t until several years later that we started playing together. At some point it was time to start doing live shows, and that’s when we got a hold on Bjarne Karlsson (keys, now guitar) and Jakob Sandström on bass. Unfortunately, Jakob had to leave the band after a couple of years, and the final lineup was established in 2016 when Peter Nilsson joined on bass.

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?
Christian comes from a dub and blues background, while Øyvind comes from classical music and metal. Bjarne and Peter are absent for this interview, but we’re pretty sure Bjarne is more of an americana and country music man, and if Peter is not all about the old hard rock we know nothing.

What does a regular day in your lives look like?
For now, we have kept our odd day jobs: Factory work, archiving, carpentry, construction and so on. We’re average Joes and our days reflect that. Only difference is that we sleep less, since we also stay up all night to work with this project.

What is the best thing about In Irons?
The best thing about In Irons is that it is in its entirety a result of the first weekend we met after almost 3 years apart (after the pandemic).

Where do you live and how does it affect your music?
As we’re split between Sweden and Norway, you can say that there’s a noticeable Scandinavian bias in our music. We won’t resort to exhausted tropes like being inspired by the arctic cold or long polar nights in the pine forest, but I think we are definitely influenced by our climate. You never see concrete landscapes as brutalistic and depressing as a mid-winter Oslo or Gothenburg. We feel that there is a certain melancholy to the urban Nordic life that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?
Mogwai, Dead Meadow, Noel Gallagher, Nick Cave, Slow Thai, Garreth Liddiard, Sleaford Mods.

Can you tell me about how you went about composing and recording songs?
We record all of our songs in the same way: We meet up at our recording space in Oslo on a Friday, set up microphones and distribute beer and red wine, press record and start a jam that last for the rest of the weekend. On Sunday night we shuffle through the hours of recorded material and decide on what parts will make the record. The original recordings then remain unchanged, and only new tracks are added to support the primary arrangement before it’s mixed, mastered and released.

What are your immediate and long term future plans?
Our immediate plan is to get this record out, spread the word, play as many shows as possible, get back, and make a new record. Our long-term plan is to get that next record out, spread the word, get out and play a slightly longer tour with slightly bigger shows, then get back and make a new record. This is how we’ve done it so far, be it EPs or full albums: Slow and steady, brick by brick.

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?
Head over to bandcamp and check out the other awesome bands on Vinter Records. They’re also releasing some really good new stuff other than Orsak:Oslo later this year, so make sure to check back regularly!