between my crooked teeth difficulty sticks in strings. i wince against the rattle of my [medicine] chest but i hold the moment by the fistful - despite inexperience, despite primitive implements, i flash those teeth and say “hello.”
JMT, 2009/2011
In my apartment, Vivaldi is playing at a volume loud enough to disturb the demon child and his deaf grandmother who forgets the rest of us can still hear her in the unit above me. I’ve just taken two Ambien and I must get this out before it kicks in and I reveal to you the seven secrets of Apollo, thus granting you eternal life and the sexual stamina of a god.
So let’s begin. This particular post has been in my queue for almost a year. Half-done. Almost done. Actually done, just too fatigued to post for fear of…something. Excuses perhaps. An explanation as to where I’m going. Where I’ve been. But in the end, maybe it doesn’t matter.
Troy manages to dissuade the paparazzi. I look like I'm saying a friendly hello. Obviously LA and I get along just fine.
One thing I’ve always had difficulty with is this moment, right now. It’s never this moment. It’s always what will be, what has been, what I’m missing, what I don’t have. This moment is never enough. The funny thing is, right now, this moment is all I have. I have no grand plan. I have no synopsis of what will become of me, or my work, or travel plans. And even if I did, what would that prove? It still wouldn’t put words on paper. It would be a lot of moments I’ve never lived in, though I’ve in fact lived them. You don’t have to tell me that doesn’t make sense.
I dream of dreams. I dream of dreaming. How backwards it is, to dream of a dream. To desire the act of dreaming, rather than achieving. I suppose the phrase “stop dreaming and start doing” is being kicked around in my head. (Quoth the raven, nevermore.)
For a long time I had an “idea” of what I was, of what Gossip [&] the Devil “should” be and how it should be “presented.” Like so many things kept past their prime I held on to that idea because I’d constructed it, executed it and I was seeing dividends in the process.
But isn’t there some risk in the process? Of course. But that risk doesn’t disappear when dividends appear. In fact, the risk rises. The edge becomes thinner. So thin it cuts your toes every time you pirouette. To keep your toes something must change. Equally absurd is it to continue to turn until you have nothing but stumps to show.
And so, there is change.
Vicodin, nicotine, timed prescriptions and what will be the death of me. I'm a professional pill taker.
There is a ride in the ruins of a city that begs to be remembered. The music is faint and its seats are cold. All of this can be rectified. Not glorified. Not memorialized.
But revitalized.
There is a certain amount of posturing that exists in our business (read: artists), a delicate balance of confidence and ego, of the je ne se quois any one of us posses. It’s a hard mix to homogenize, but it can be done. More often there is an uglier imbalance of too much talk and far less talent.
This is mine. My name, my place. I’ve felt unsafe in my own home, a learned behavior poisoning my children, these words. The very things I slaughter for – instead I’ve taken to slaughtering the necessary parts to create them.
I talk about the phoenix, the specatle of the fire bird, the awe of the rebirth – I’ve found it well past due to become it, embody it, to MOVE. I love what I’ve created. It was all I had, for better or worse, for glamour or grit.
It isn’t all I have now, but it’s damn sure still worth fighting for. I’ve found going about things in a healthy way is difficult. Who knew, right? But, as Reno from Final Fantasy VII so eloquently put it: A pro isn’t someone who sacrifices himself for his job. That’s just a fool. And that includes this job – THIS job. This little worker bee has to put her life into the sting she creates and find a way to watch the splendor in the resulting swell.
Expect something different for what Gossip [&] the Devil is and perhaps should have been a long time ago. A broadening of content. The only “call to arms” for the Modern Orphans is to EXIST- same mission – less exclusion – less “prerequisite” – less bullshit. I’m tired. And frankly I’ve met some people in the last few months who have completely shattered my notions of what it means to be brilliant, talented and well aware of that fact – yet still humble. (I’m looking at you, Troy Baker.) Is there a certain amount of swagger involved with any artist? Sure. What I’ve “discovered” is it isn’t the things we do well that necessarily keep us going – it’s the areas we tend to fall just short in that drive us to succeed. Success isn’t nearly as good a motivator as the idea that you are but one word away from being told you didn’t land the job.
Every ink pen lying still, every note left unheard is a loss, something to be mourned but mourned DESPITE them, TO SPITE them if you so choose.
First meeting, 6 years ago. I was far heavier and had a youthful glow. Mat has continued to drink the blood of virgins and looks the exact same today.
To the Modern Orphans, my friends, to my fans, to my lovers, to my fantasies – there is little that is needed from me more than simple honesty.
Honesty.
Some of you have been with me for years. Literally since the beginning. But it isn’t just to you I owe this to -I owe it to me too.
A potential muse has spent many nights with me, swapping prescriptions and speaking so far above my head I had to reach for the stars to catch their words. I’ve spent time outside blackening my lungs with them, scribbling on crumpled napkins, trying to understand their ethos. I feel the first bite of new life. I feel the venom and thank the wily bastard who produced it.
From now on at G[&]D you’ll find the “me” who isn’t necessarily always in Seattle, or Chicago, or with Amanda Palmer, or with Marilyn Manson, or with our lovely Monsieur Devine. Characters are necessary, but a character is only that – temporary. Eventually you have to own up to the fact that, sooner or later, someone is going to catch you without makeup, and that’s far more telling than any spider-web spin of tongues and teeth could ever provide. Bat those doll-lashes, purse those doll-lips, find those doll-veins. At the end of the day you still close your eyes and try to make sense of the ink-blots stuck to the back of your lids.
Next up I’ll FINALLY provide promo to MD’s incorrigible poetry (sorry, Mat), a long-due post on mental illness (and some great books for reference), anime masturbation and yes, perhaps even some poetry. (Bated breath, I know.) In the meantime – keep dreaming.
This post is thanks mostly in part to my friends both new and old, who keep me honest: Jai Marie (who asks the tough questions), Troy Baker (“Stop dreaming and start doing.”), Elias Mallin (“Julie, you talk enough bullshit. Now write it down.”), Peter Pixie (“POST IT.”) and, as is usually the case, to Mat Devine (co-creator of Hopeless Beach), who I had the pleasure of meeting six years ago today. Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart for inspiring me to work, write and NEED again. After all, there is someone in the world studying me – and I don’t have the heart to help this poor student fail any attempt at higher education:
Let’s get one thing clear: innerpartysystem have always been too smart for the scene, from the Orwellian origin of their name to critiques on current culture so enlightened I could write a thesis on the various conversations we had during tour. Even more amusing is the “scene” they tended to fuck was the very environment they always saw right through. They became a part of – and in some cases fed – a very consistent theme in their music.
“Nothing’s too excessive when you’ve got nothing left. We’re all here ‘cos we lost control. If we all should die tonight, we will have no regrets. If this night should take my life we can’t go back. We’ve got nothing left. You can see the plastic, dripping of your face, we may not all be pretty – but we feel pretty fake.” – Die Tonight, Live Forever
I found innerpartysystem’s“indefinate hiatus” announcement surprising not only because I was certain their best work was yet to come (which is saying something, considering the brilliance of the work they’d already done) but because it was following on the heels of their Never Be ContentEP that was released earlier this year, and a new studio album that was announced for a release later in 2011.
IPS at the Metro, 2008
They’d heavily promoted the American Trash single not just with words but with an entire merchandise bundle to go along with the EP. The follow-up single, Not Getting Any Better, came with a stellar 8-minute video and a heavily promoted remix contest, falling into the hands of such up-and-coming and established artists like Designer Drugs and Treasure Fingers. I’d read numerous sources citing IPS as one of the “bands to watch” since they hit the ground running in 2007.
Everything just seemed…right.
“While we will always treasure our time as innerpartysystem, we as individuals have chosen a path different from the one the band originally set out on.” – from the IPS announcement
The “path” they’d set out on was one that took the current pop culture mindset and applied an attitude reminiscent of what grunge did in the early 90′s. During a time where any and everything could be considered “famous,” IPS seemed disgusted with the state of pop culture affairs and had no problem vocalizing said disgust. From the creative suppression organized religion and small-town mentalities can impose to failed relationships, they ran the gamut of emotion for stellar lyrical content. Musically they took the metallic crunchiness of late 90′s rock and the 21st century Pro-Tools explosion and gave birth to something I personally had never seen or heard before. It was refreshing. It was exciting. It gave me hope for a better musical landscape in the future. What they did was no easy task, and managed to walk a fine line without crossing over into pretension or some laughable echo of a TOOL album remastered with super-synth and auto-tune. (Even when they were performing entire sets using little more than their iPhones.) The modern desire to turn people like Snooki and the cast of Teen Mom into “celebrities” was virtually puked on with contempt. They took all of this, made it current, and what’s more: They were damn good at it. They slaughtered the idea that electronic music was soulless, a vapid excuse for no-talent wannabes.
In 2007 I was in Chicago to see my friends in Kill Hannah perform an intimate set as part of their annual New Heart for Xmas weekend. What I didn’t expect was one of the opening acts – a then relatively unknown innerpartysystem (with a much smaller version of their light show) – completely blow my mind. I had no clue what happened to me, like a drive-by fucking. It left me breathless. It was like one of those whirlwind crazy boyfriends: You wonder if they were real, if that one night reading poetry and fucking in a school parking lot were actually a part of your tangible life, or a figment created because you needed it at the time. I didn’t know shit about IPS then, but I stood in awe of their art in a way I hadn’t for a band in a long, long time.
The Download EP didn’t leave my musical rotation for months. 6 songs repeated over and over in the car, on my headphones, on my computer. Don’t Stop was the single I didn’t know I wanted, but couldn’t stop once I started. Don’t stop. Ha.
In 2008 I was lucky enough to seem them nearly a dozen times in support of Kill Hannah’s “Hope for the Hopeless” tour, when I decided I missed the touring life. (I needed to remember how it felt not to bathe and lose entire days in booze and bad drugs, apparently.) I drove across the country and flew when driving wasn’t possible, everywhere from Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI. Eventually I ended up in Chicago at the end of 2008 and to catch the final stop at the Metro, where the show not only took my breath away but hijacked the entire crowd. That show I nearly fell off the balcony from exhaustion. I had no voice left (hello end of tour) – but I forced it out to chant SHE WAS SIMPLY JUST A CONCEPT right back at them when they asked. Their cover of Joy Divison’s Transmission STILL gives me goosebumps.
They decimate you live.
I didn’t see them again until Valentine’s Day of 2009, when a ninja trip to Denver, CO reminded me that driving 10 hours, doing a show and driving 10 hours back takes a lot more stamina than I remembered. Of 48 hours, over 20 of those were spent driving but the handful spent at the Marquis Theater watching this band DESTROY their crowd made the drive more than worth it. That show remains one of the most violent and beautiful things I’ve ever been a part of, a show that truly changed my life and the way I think about music and the industry that comes with it. I was crushed, hit, beaten up, wasted and tripping on ecstasy. If Heaven actually existed, I couldn’t think of a better place than the moment I was standing in. I thought: This is it. This is immediate. This is now. This. Is. Living. Kris and Jared lept into the crowd even as Patrick was still screaming “it’s just, don’t stop!” and Jesse danced around on something other than booze. You couldn’t see anything after the strobe lights died. I couldn’t tell the difference between sweat and booze soaking my hair and clothing.
I knew as soon as the crowd let me breathe that I would never see IPS like that again. Everyone knew the words. Little girls, old men, bartenders, babies, addicts, schizophrenics, hipsters, metal heads, scene queens…everyone. Four days after the show I posted a blog on Myspace that said:
“I’m quite confident that this will be one of the last times I see IPS like this. They’re blowing up, and will soon be on their way to ‘don’t have to sell our own merch’ status…they want to sell records, make music and worm their way into the ‘man’s’ territory (to eat it from the inside out) – which they’re doing. So, say your goodbyes now kids. They’re going up and away from the Earth.” - from my Myspace blog
Their self-titled album was released and the video for Don’t Stop had to be re-shot because of its original “edgy” content. This Empty Love, Heart of Fire and Die Tonight, Live Forever also received video treatments, and to this day I still watch the former at least once every couple of weeks. I love it THAT much.
After that their sound moved from a less rock/electronic hybrid (they pretty much ditched the live guitar, much to my dismay) and more into strictly dance/electro territory, and lost member Jesse Cronan to his own endeavors. By the time the Never Be Content EP came out I was certain the band had a renewed vision, a direction they’d all agreed on. Their video for the first single, American Trash, seemed to support this and their previous themes of slamming pseudo-drug-glam culture and jaded ass kissing. The song was nestled between songs about love and loss – which was something I’d come to expect from them.
“I get my facts from the TV. Believe in everything I read. It’s such an ignorant bliss when the whole fucking world wants to be like me. ‘Cos I’m just American trash. Stupid American trash.” – American Trash
All systems seemed go – as mentioned before with the bundle packages, remix contests, hit shows at SXSW and gigs with Moby in NYC (where one could be shuttled to and from in a limo with bottle service) – I was left screaming “GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM!” when the bomb was dropped that they’d each be heading in different directions. Where were they going? What planet was I on?
It’s funny to describe an IPS show as a “religious” experience, given their distaste for such things. I highly doubt that was their intention and none of them set out to be any kind of messiah or harbinger of enlightenment to the 21st century youth. If anything there was a very Timothy Leary-esque message behind those bright lights that told you to “think for yourself and question authority” and find in their music what they were trying to say, because they certainly weren’t handing it to you.
Frankly I wouldn’t want them to. I don’t know what led to their hiatus other than the admission that each of them wanted to go in their own directions, much like Jesse had months before. I have no doubt I’ll see them together again, but in what form, and what message will they want to convey? Much of the magic IPS possessed seemed intrinsically due in part to the mental makeup of its members together as a unit. It’s a hard pill to swallow that they came across a fork in the road and each took the one the other wasn’t traveling.
I can only hope that as long as I keep moving I’ll stumble across said roads some day. (However this time I won’t rack up a $250 bar tab in Dallas buying Patrón, since I insisted that was all anyone could drink.)
(What the fuck DID happen in Dallas anyway?)
Patrick, Kris, Jared (and Jesse) – good luck and thank you.
Orphans, it seems the time has come. The first pressing of The Rough Chronicles of Bipolar Romance is:
SOLD | OUT
The limited-edition, vellum covered chapbook featured every one of my previous publications, plus a few exclusive works and a psychosocial history outline (blacked out government document style) from my personal collection – all wrapped together with laser guided precision. From “He’s A Drummer By Trade” to “Voyeur” this was the coveted first edition, hand bound in house by Gossip [&] the Devil Inc. Though any artist would love to admit they just knew it was going to happen, the reality is most of us sit there and hope it’ll happen.
Acclaim for Julie M. Tate [&]
The Rough Chronicles of Bipolar Romance:
“It’s very sexual…it’s amazing. I loved it…[she's] my favorite underground poet.” – Mat Devine, vocalist, Kill Hannah
“The Rough Chronicles of Bi-Polar Romance should not be a limited edition. It should be dispensed far and wide for the reading world to quietly taste…” – W. B. Burkholder, editor, Troubadour 21
“There are writers who speak to the minds of us and then there are those few who speak to the souls and hearts of us. They talk to our guts…They make us shiver and shake with their words and they make us know them a bit deeper than we had ever imagined we would.” – Tairrie B. Murphy, vocalist, My Ruin
“An absolutely fantastic writer.” – Eric Victorino, vocalist, Strata/The Limousines
“I love [her] website.”- wiL Francis, vocalist, Aiden/William Control
“If you submit this [poem] to any other format…it’s going to get rejected. This poem will be rejected by most other poetry formats but it’ll make you famous…I actually had it in an envelope to reject it, but I couldn’t do it, it’s too good.” – Larry Ziman, editor,The Great American Poetry Show
“I’m scared you’re going to fuck your talent off, which would be a shame because you’re just too good.” – Ai, winner of the 1999 National Book Award for Poetry
“‘This is Your Capitan Speaking’…read like [a] short story. I didn’t want the poem to end.” – Danielle Dreger-Babbitt, Seattle Books Examiner
None of this – NONE OF THIS – would be possible without you, Orphans, fans, supporters, gawkers, voyeurs, perverts, addicts and DIY-ers. You KNOW who you are. You’re the dreamers, schemers, the take-a-chancers, the middle fingers in the face of your roadblocks and naysayers. YOU.
It’s 2011 and shit is about to start happening. Get ready for the 5th Season. More soon. Cheers! xx
“If you happen to be of the other mindset, that judges artistic merit on mass acceptance, then you are probably reading the wrong interview and blog.”
Being that Gossip [&] the Devil is an equal opportunity interview slayer, when Kill Hannah’s new touring guitarist, Michael Maddox (who prefers to be called by his surname), asked me to interview him I couldn’t say no. You might remember the other interview I conducted with then-touring guitarist Gil Baram a few months ago. What the fuck? You ask. Yes, raccoon-eyed girls and guys, Maddox is now on the touring grind with Kill Hannah. (In short: Gil returned to Israel briefly to finish some personal business while Kill Hannah were still on tour; Maddox filled in during that time and has stayed with them since.) Before touring with Kill Hannah, however, Maddox was part of regionally successful acts Jupiter Blue and Miser, both of which met their end due to lack of work ethic and that sad state of affairs when you aren’t getting paid.
I remember handing Maddox my card in the rain outside an open venue in Austin, TX. He claimed he gave a great interview and, after hearing his responses to everything from word association to what the humanities have to offer the next generation I’ll submit the guy is right. I threw him some of the hardest questions I could, and he answered them with tact and above all, honesty.
Raised in Texas before reloacting to LA, he has a Southern grace about his California style. The band circuit has failed him on more than one occasion, yet those experiences have hardly dampened his passion; he instead channeled that drive into a solo project. Taking inspiration from family members and other hardworking bands, Maddox does whatever it takes to keep the music coming, help preserve a culture that likely won’t be appreciated in the near future and urges you to “forge your own path regardless of current trends.”
Age: In Hollywood I’m 29, in any other town, I’m a little older. Sign: Sagittarius Occupation: Guitarist Biggest Influences: Brian May, Ace Frehley, Neal Schon, Steve Vai
Musical Synopsis: I began playing on Christmas morning when I was 12 yrs old. I took two lessons when I was about 14, but got bored pretty quickly and continued learning by ear. Also a lot of trial and error. I essentially just practiced playing along to records that I grew up listening to. A lot of classic rock that I got from my older brother and dad, as well as some of the heavier stuff like Metallica, Judas Priest, etc. I was obsessed with rock and roll right away, and obviously never really wised up all these years later.
I was playing in the Dallas area for quite a while, and wasn’t getting anywhere. The majority of players I was playing with seemed to want to do it part time, or had so many other priorities that I felt like the only one really breaking my neck to make things happen. I moved to LA with a girlfriend that I was also playing with, that lasted about 3 months, of course. Then I decided to do my own thing.
Julie M. Tate: Have you always been a freelance musician? Have you done your fair share of auditioning for bands?
Michael Maddox: I’ve actually not gone on that many true “cold auditions” per say. I have gotten most of my gigs through mutual friends, recommendations, and reputation. I have really tried hard to only play with people, or in bands that I really enjoyed. It would be very difficult for me to dedicate myself to something that I didn’t believe in, or at least SOME aspect of the overall picture. The only time I’ve ever gone out for an audition that I didn’t get, was actually the Kill Hannah audition. I lost the lead guitar slot, but apparently came in a close second, so when Dan Wiese decided to get married, I was asked to fill in for him for a few weeks, which turned into me staying on with the band even after Dan returned.
JMT: One of these gigs included Jupiter Blue, who moved from Chicago to LA. What brought you together with them?
MM: It was actually only the singer [Dickie Chapin] that relocated. I saw an ad online about a band looking for a drummer, and by the description it really sounded like my dream band. I checked out some music, the singer was exactly what I’d been looking for my whole career. I emailed him, and told him that I was a terrible drummer, but if some unfortunate accident happened to their guitarist, i.e., a faulty brake cable or some other random mishap, that I’d be glad to take over. As fate would have it, a week later I got a call that their guitarist was moving back home, and that they had a show in a week. I rehearsed twice with them, played the show, and stayed with them for the next 3 or 4 years until the band ended.
Maddox on the set of Jupiter Blue's video for their single "Anthem for the Jaded"
JMT: And Jupiter Blue has a long and sordid history with your current touring band, Kill Hannah, right?
MM: As I said Dickie is originally from Chicago, Kill Hannah’s hometown. They played a lot of shows together as both bands were getting started, and as a matter of fact he played a show or two with them behind the kit, as he is originally a drummer. An early Kill Hannah drummer named James Connelly, was also the first drummer in Jupiter Blue when I joined in LA. There is a long list of mutual friends in the circle as well. While I was in Jupiter Blue, when we would discuss or argue about why the band wasn’t moving further, or faster, I would always point to two bands that displayed an incredible work ethic: Miser and Kill Hannah. The fact that I eventually went on to work with both bands is more than a little ironic.
“I can honestly say that having support from family is a huge advantage when you’re struggling to survive playing music.”
JMT: You moved back to Texas after your nephew was in a motorcycle accident, giving up what you had in LA. Have you always been close with your family and do they support your dreams?
MM: I am very close with my family, and have always been. My nephew was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident last year, so I decided to move back to Texas to help out with him. It turned out he didn’t really need my help, and is doing fine on his own. So, luckily I got a call from the band Miser to join them, which I did for a bit before moving back to LA.
My parents are still married, which is a rarity these days. They have not always been thrilled with my lifestyle or career choices but have always backed me, and been ecstatic about any successes I’ve achieved. I can honestly say that having support from family is a huge advantage when you’re struggling to survive playing music.
JMT: I’m sure watching your nephew come back from such a potential tragedy was inspiring.
MM: My nephew was and is absolutely an inspiration. It makes it difficult to complain or not see the bright side of any situation when i think about what he struggles with everyday. He hasn’t let being in a wheelchair stop him from having a completely full life, and he stays in excellent shape with his upper body in the hope that when and if stem cell technologies advance he will be a perfect candidate.
Photo by Twink
JMT: Miser, as you explained in your Myspace blog, met its demise because no one was making money. Then you made the curious decision to make a solo record, almost in complete defiance of that sentiment. Where are those songs now, and can we hear them?
MM: I really had come to a place with other musicians in general, where I felt like it didn’t matter how much effort I put into it, it would always be derailed by someone else’s lack of drive. When I decided to do a solo record, it was really just the idea of me saying, “fuck being in a band, I’m going to produce something that didn’t rely on anyone else’s dedication or schedule other than my own.” I have about 10 songs in the works now, I don’t know when I will have the time to continue working on them in the foreseeable future, but I’m really proud of them and would like them to be heard eventually. I’m not interested in pushing them as a product, it really is just sort of a pet project up to this point. It’s been nothing but Kill Hannah for the last few months, and I’m so happy to be in a band that truly works incredibly hard everyday for the same goal. It’s really the ideal band situation I’ve always looked for, so I don’t mind at all putting my pet project on the back burner for a while.
“Hopefully, things will continue to go well…but if not I really don’t have the desire to run out and join another band.”
JMT: Are you looking for a permanent gig to write/record with?
MM: This sort of feeds back into my earlier answer about being fed up with bands in general. When I came to Los Angeles after playing with Miser, I had no intention of getting back into a band situation, unless it was just a very comfortable fit and was something I could really believe in. I really can’t think of any bands I would have gone out of my way to play with besides Kill Hannah. Hopefully, things will continue to go well with them, but if not I really don’t have the desire to run out and join another band. I would more likely return home to work on my solo material.
JMT: Kill Hannah usually have murderous touring schedules. How’s tour been so far? The shows with She Wants Revenge seemed to have gone great, as well as your current tour with Jet and Papa Roach.
MM: The shows have been absolutely amazing. The tour schedule is very hectic, especially with us filling in the days off from the Papa Roach and Jet tour with our own headlining shows. This is a band that is not afraid to work though, I feel very lucky to be a part of such a dedicated group of guys. I have to keep reminding myself that these guys have been at it a long time, so whenever I worry that maybe someone is getting burnt out, that they have already proven themselves time and time again that they are dedicated to the work they do. I’m just so used to band mates pulling the plug when things get a little rough, so again I feel very lucky to be working with a band with such a great work ethic.
“I think the key thing in Kill Hannah, right now, is to keep it sounding like Kill Hannah, which means making it sound the way Mat Devine hears in his head.”
JMT: Kill Hannah really are about growing their product, enhancing it and making it thicker, tighter and more productive. How do you help enhance Kill Hannah’s sound?
MM: I think the key thing in Kill Hannah, right now, is to keep it sounding like Kill Hannah, which means making it sound the way Mat Devine hears in his head. I’ll take certain liberties with things like effects, and occasionally I will throw in a few little things musically, but to be honest I usually hear about it after the show. *laughs* Other players have come in and not really fit the sound, so the way to do it is to give them what they want now, and as time goes on, and they learn to trust my style things will evolve organically.
Maddox with Kill Hannah, September 2009 (Photo by R. E. Barbash)
JMT: Are you neurotic? In Kill Hannah you have to be neurotic.
MM: Oh my god, do you think I’m neurotic? Why would you think I’m neurotic? Do I seem neurotic? I have to do something about this neurosis, what should I do? Does that answer your question?
JMT: What’s the first word that comes to mind when faced with the following words or phrases:
MM:
Miser: jager Jupiter Blue: under utilized potential Kill Hannah: hard working Eyeliner: war paint Profits: never heard of it. Record Label President: never heard of us Faygo: ridiculous
“It’s a real shame that kids today don’t take the same interest generally in the details of the music they care about.”
JMT: Did you have a big record collection as a kid? Did it save your life?
MM: Oh yeah. I bought EVERYTHING. I was the guy that would buy all types of music, just to get turned on to new things. I love owning entire catalogs from artists like Queen, or Zeppelin. I have about four huge racks of cd’s with a ton of vinyl and cassettes as well. I used to read every liner note, every credit on every record that I bought while growing up. It’s a real shame that kids today don’t take the same interest generally in the details of the music they care about. It’s interesting to me, that growing up, I only knew about 2 or 3 kids that were into the same movies, albums, and bands that I was. As I’ve gotten older, I seem to have gravitated towards like minded people, and now have a huge group of friends that were/are exactly like I was as a kid. Of course, we’ve all taken those influences and lived different lives through them, which is important. It’s exciting to find that common ground in a new friend though.
JMT: We’re in the Information Age and great works of art are reduced to entries on Wikipedia. Given your pursuit of your dreams both on your own and with others, do you believe the humanities are an important part in preserving our culture?
MM: I’m going to be really honest here, because it’s something that I think about a lot. I think that in a few years, nothing is going to be “special” to the next generation. The incredible sense of entitlement, in addition to instant information and technology at their fingertips, means that future generations will have no interest in cultivating anything original or artistic. Anything we can do as artists to keep the sacredness of music, literature, and art alive is paramount. Every 12-year-old has a recording studio on their new laptop, that is light years beyond what The Beatles used to record Sgt. Pepper. Having said that, music has never been more stale and unoriginal. There is a correlation there. Stop buying new software that gives you fifty new drums sounds. Stop thinking that by owning Pro Tools, you are an artist. Stop thinking that getting new gear means you are becoming a better player. We have to stop collecting technology as a bragging right, and go back to working on the craft of UTILIZING what we have in new and exciting ways.
Maddox and I happy to be alive in Lawrence, KS, October 2009
JMT: Do you think an artist’s job is important to the whole, or do you think an artist is self-serving first and foremost?
MM: I believe that to be a “true artist” you have to shun convention, and forge your own path regardless of current trends or or what the current cultural momentum is. This is in direct contrast to being a “successful artist” in our world today. It’s not only easier, but it’s been proven that almost the ONLY way to be a success, is to create carbon copies of the previous model and water it down until it’s devoid of any real creativity. There is a way to take the things that influenced you as a younger person, and push it into new directions. Think outside the box, but reference what shaped you to become the person you are today. It’s a pretty exclusive group that seem to be able to do this. Marilyn Manson, Lady Gaga, Trent Reznor, Wayne Coyne and even Mat Devine are a few that come to mind, that possess this trait. This is all just my opinion, of course. If you happen to be of the other mindset, that judges artistic merit on mass acceptance, then you are probably reading the wrong interview and blog.
(Kill Hannah are currently on tour with Jet and Papa Roach. Check their Myspace or killhannah.com for details on this and their upcoming New Heart For Xmas show held annually in Chicago!)
“…a song I haven’t sung since I was a little brat in Connecticut,” sings Kill Hannah’s Mat Devine on their latest effort, Wake Up the Sleepers.
He’s right.
Sleepers is no doubt Kill Hannah’s most honest and ambitious album to date, the “album we’ve always wanted to make,” according to the band. More than their major label efforts, For Never and Ever and Until There’s Nothing Left of Us, this album stays truer to the original “Kill Hannah sound” that decorated the band’s first albums: an infectious blending of sludge and sleaze, glitter, dance beats, space cadet effects and afro-Cuban drum parts. Somewhere inside this album lies the aural cocktail that’s been eluding them since the release of American Jet Set in 1999, and they’ve attempted every trick in the book to re-discover it, including guest appearances by everyone from Benji Madden to Amanda Palmer.
One must take risks in producing such an ambitious effort, and Kill Hannah has not fallen short in that regard. In doing so, however, they must be prepared for those risks to turn people off. Several of Kill Hannah’s influences have learned this the hard way, notably U2 (Pop) and The Smashing Pumpkins (Machina/The Machines of God).
Key track “Escape Artistry” is “All That He Wants (American Jet Set)” updated for 2009 and “Living in Misery,” is every bit as grandiose as Devine’s dreams—an epic, hopeful ballad featuring larger-than-life Twitter-er and sometime musician Palmer, a children’s choir and the chorus, “We are living in misery, but we have to hold on.” With throwaway lyrics and a beat meant to move you, “Tokyo (Dance In The Dust)” takes influence from friends Shiny Toy Guns and their hit “Le Disko,” despite the questionable and unnecessary T-O-K-Y-O chant let loose toward the end of the song.
Self-produced and pieced together in four different studios around Chicago and in Canada, the album alternates from hopeful to hopeless, lovesick to love-heals-all-things. The fact a few of the songs were written years apart from one another explains some of the manic-depressive mood swings. Fan favorite “New York City Speed” was an internet demo leaked years ago, while rock-love song “Acid Rain” was written during the Until There’s Nothing Left of Us sessions. These songs act as the glue holding the album together and bind new with old, attempting to keep the band’s promise to “unite all the Kill Hannah fans from the last 10 years, and do everything in our ability to continue to earn [their] loyalty.”
The mixing on the album feels just as scattered—tracks like “Mouth 2 Mouth,” “Escape Artistry” and “Strobelights” sound like they belong on one album, while “Living in Misery” and “Laika” on another. Complete downer “Promise Me” samples a string orchestra and features live tympani drums, but the subtleties are such it barely seems to break through demo waters. The song has potential to be a heart-rending, moody ballad, but comes across as neglected next to the slick production of “New York City Speed” and “Radio.”
Dan Wiese performed virtually all of the guitar work (aside from a couple guest turns), due to the departure of Jonny Radtke (who makes a sole appearance on “Acid Rain”). He gives the album a depth missing in previous KH efforts, layered in distortion and effects, a mad concoction of thick sound. Wiese’s vibe is more indie than metal, and instead of sprawling solos you get sonic landscapes crafted from the belly of this effect scientist’s laboratory. The guitars are dripping with whatever Wiese can pull from his pedal board, adding a refreshing touch to a tried-and-true formula.
Drummer Elias Mallin plays on his first record with the band and adds the touch of metal flair with a thunder of double bass and added rhythmic complexity. His contribution is especially noticeable with improvements on old favorites (“Welcome to Chicago Motherfucker”) and the occasional stray from the 4/4 time supported by bassist Greg Corner.
Devine lets his voice loose, stripping away the Pro Tools and letting his elfin, strained moans and shrieks come to life on their own terms. It’s one of his finest performances vocally and lyrically as he tries to tackle subjects only hinted at on previous albums. While his trademark turns of phrase are evident (“…and so we say goodbye, with thunder in our eyes…”) he also takes the blame (“Promise Me”), gives a free-style confessional (“Why I Have My Grandma’s Sad Eyes”) and tells his detractors to fuck off (“Radio”).
While Wake Up the Sleepers has some cringe-worthy moments (the T-O-K-Y-O chant) it has some triumphant ones as well (the chorus to “Strobe Lights”). By far my biggest complaint about the record is song order. While likely intended to be schizophrenic and experimental it comes across as sloppy and disagreeable. The album jumps and jars so often I finally gave up and made my own playlist, which I’ll post below.
Regardless of the collective opinion, Kill Hannah make no apologies and have again made an album unlike any of their contemporaries. They are busy living, creating, and taking risks—rather than catering to a specific audience or delivering a disc put together by a label. They are honesty warriors making the music they want to make. From their ambitious Chicago roots Kill Hannah’s message has always centered on hope and the unbeatable desire to press ever onward.
They’ve faced obstacles that have destroyed other bands; their suffering supplements their art. Through fire, trial, struggle and change emerges “a renewed sense of fearlessness and freedom during the writing and recording process that we haven’t felt since our independent DIY days in Chicago. We took a lot of chances, because this is the album that we want to be remembered by,” said Devine.
They danced with major labels and painted their faces; now Kill Hannah seem eager to jump into the bare grit of the sweat-soaked crowd, the sleepless that have always been awake, wearing trademark sniper hearts on their sleeves.
Julie M. T.’s recommended song order:
Mouth 2 Mouth
Snowblinded
Why I Have My Grandma’s Sad Eyes
Radio
Escape Artistry
New York City Speed
Strobe Lights
Tokyo (Dance in the Dust)
Laika
Vultures (Be There For Me)
Acid Rain
Promise Me
Living in Misery
(Bonus) Welcome to Chicago Motherfucker
(Visit killhannah.com for numerous Wake Up the Sleepers packages, or buy the album on Itunes here. Kill Hannah are currently on tour with Jet and Papa Roach. Check their Myspace for details.)
Acclaim for Julie M. Tate [&] 
