1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are political band from Madison WI influenced equally by the grinding noise rock of the 90s (think Amphetamine Reptile and Touch & Go Records)and more recent post-metal (think Isis or Neurosis). We focus on dynamics,repetition, and the dismantling of capitalism.
> 2.you released an album in November, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Shades of light and dark. For every ugly and thunderous moment, there is a delicate and quiet moment. Above all there is an overwhelming sense of anger and longing.
> 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
All the lyrics on the record were based on The Communist Manifesto:commodity fetishism, boomandbust cycles, cultural distractions, democracy,class warfare, and patriotism. The next record leans heavily on the themes presented in Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine."
> 4.I know that the band name came from the 4th chapter of Howard Zinn's "A people's history Of the United States" what was the decision behind naming
> your band after the 4th chapter of that book?
It has a nice ring to it, tautologically speaking, but the book in general
and that chapter in particular encapsulate much of what we are angry about
and fighting against.
> 5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also
> how would you describe your stage performance?
Spastic. M. Guy and Russell flail like possessed mannequins while JB appears to have eight appendages. Jason stoically looks on bemused. Any show where at least one person loses their mind is a great one, but a recent packed, sweaty show at the Mag Bar in Louisville was pretty amazing.
> 6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We tour extensively in the Midwest from our home base in Madison,primarily on weekends. When interest warrants, we'll be doing the coasts at some point.
> 7.The new album came out on Phratry Records, can you tell us a little bit
> more about this label?
Phratry means brotherhood in Greek and that perfectly sums up Jerry's approach to the label. It's a community of like minded bands, artists, and individuals who all pitch in to help each other and get the music heard.
We met Jerry touring with our old band when we played in Cincinnati and as like-minded souls, we kept in touch. He is very supportive and understands what we're trying to do.
> 8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of
> noise rock?
Great response. It's funny though because the things people hear really break down along age lines rather than geographically. Older people hear a lot of AmRep noiserock while younger listeners tend to focus on the post-rock and post-metal elements.
> 9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We're almost done writing our next record and the over arching change seems to be that the songs are getting more complex. A lot of this has to do with our new drummer JB who is a huge mathrock fan from way back. Another interesting development has been the addition of trumpet. M Guy has been pulling double duty on bass and trumpet and lending some of the longer songs a melancholic and orchestral quality. There's still plenty of noise, feedback, and screaming too.
> 10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
M. Guy and Russell have been listening to a lot of post-Black metal lately. JB listens to a lot of 90s math and indie rock while Jason listens to weirdo pop. We all listen to a lot of the bands that we've met playing shows over the last couple of years, like The Paver, Buildings, The Rutabega, and Mad Anthony...
> 11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Art, cooking, film... you know normal people stuff.
While many people dismiss our political stance as contrived or, at the very least, preaching to the converted, we're just trying to move the meter a bit on people's attitudes. At a minimum we try to make people realize that voting Democrat is not going to change a goddamn thing. The"two-party" system is a lie.
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