wavelength

	August 2001 Wavelength #75 Mini Anniversary Superband Wasteband Barzin The Tundra Survey DJ The Band Gesundheit Brasilia
	WAVELENGTH #75 MINI ANNIVERSARY
	DOC PICKLES 7:00pm www.docpickles.eplugz.com first played Wavelength #29, Aug. 27, 2000 Doc woke up last one Monday last November after playing Wavelength as frontman for Mason Hornet and was still drunk. He called the TTC, where he worked, and told them the truth about why he planned to skip work, so he was fired. He has since broken an ankle, broken up his band, and recorded loads of homemade albums. He started a little band with Alastair called the Eggs. Beginning in September, Doc will team up with Fukermann to start a monthly Vaudeville-style cabaret.
	CELESTINO 8:00pm first played Wavelength #27, Aug. 13, 2000 (as "Celestina"... d'oh!) Purveyors of: Indie-country-rock with a side order of soul Pictured: Craig Fraid Dunsmuir, Julia Muth, Yvan MacKinnon Celestino is Julia Muth on lead vocals and guitar, Yvan MacKinnon on drums and Craig Fraid Dunsmuir on bass and harmonies. Though they've only played a handful of shows so far and have yet to officially release any recordings, their sound is heartachingly good, and destined to consume both alt-country and slowcore fans the world over. Nora Charles coaxed Julia into discussing Celestino's imminent superstardom. Are you guys country or indie-rock? Your genre is our accordion, kuty. Okay, so the anagram doesn't quite work. I'm still impressed with myself. How do you guys manage to keep Craig on stage for an entire set? I don't know if anyone noticed, but the last show we played Craig was sort of sitting off to the side in near darkness. This was to cover up the fact that we'd tied him to the chair. You'd be surprised what good restraints patch cords make. We've all heard of Julia's legendary spats with the paparazzi, did you want to talk about the Monte Carlo incident at all? Since I'm pretty much the most un-photogenic person to ever walk the earth, if someone tried to take a picture of me without my consent, there would be a problem. But I don't think I have to worry about anyone wanting to take my picture. Did you feel vindicated after receiving the apology from Hank Williams Jr? Sorry Nora, I just don't have a good answer for this one. What steps are you taking to ensure that the riots at your last show will never happen again? Well, you know, it was a wild night at the Blue Moon. The girls can hardly contain themselves around Yvan... and Craig bound to his chair? HOT. This time, we are going to try to make sure everyone pacifies themselves with liquor... oh wait, that won't work. Really, what can we do? Is there any way to douse the fire ignited by Celestino? Angel food cake, how do they make it so spongy? Egg whites and Sodium Bicarbonate. If the Carter Family was to fight the Stanley Brothers, who'd win? Well, normally I would let our resident music encyclopedia field this one... calling on Craig? Nowhere to be found. I actually have very little knowledge of real country music... for me, it just kind of comes out that way. But, if I were to speculate... I think I'd like to see Maybelle Carter kick some ass. - interview by Nora Charles
	THE PIOUS COMPANION 7:30pm Wavelength newcomers Purveyors of: Midwest acoustic pop e-mail: tvmike@dirtyscarecrow.com web: www.thepiouscompanion.com Collage by: Jonny Dovercourt TV Mike fronts the quiet-rock quartet The Pious Companion, out of Bloomington, Indiana (42 miles south of Indianapolis). They are the second of twelve bands playing Wavelength 75 and we're happy to have them. How did you get the name TV Mike? I watched TV too loud my freshman year of college. My neighbors all called me that and it stuck. When I started playing out I was underage and had a fake I.D. I used the name TV Mike instead because I didn't want to get kicked out of the bar. Who else in is The Pious Companion? The rest of the Pious companion consists of Nathan Dillon (guitar), Nathan Baker (bass/guitar) and Rick Olsen (drums). The only music I've been able to check out have been some super lo-fi "dirty style" live MP3s. Do you have "proper" studio recordings out? If not, any plans to do so? No proper recordings out yet. We plan on spending September recording. Nathan Baker will have a small EP out under the name Lessor Lights. There is a mournful but don't-give-a-fuck quality to your songs... what do you think of that, eh? I would agree, but I am not mournful. Are you involved in the organization of Bloomingtonfest? This sounds like a cool festival and I'm sure many Wavelength readers would like to know: what's it all about? Bloomingtonfest is amazing. I am helping coordinate the Bloomingtonfest arts. We will have film and art gallery openings the same week as the fest. We will have in-gallery performances by musicians and etc. The fest is $20 and a week long. Tickets go on sale August 1. You may also involved with a mysterious organization called Dirty Scarecrow. What's that all about? Dirty Scarecrow is an artist development company I started with Matthew Meyer. We find artists that we have faith in and try and help them get heard, signed, seen, etc. We work in all mediums and put on art openings and events ocasionally. Our goal is to do whatever is most beneficial to the artist. How much TV do you watch? Any favourite shows? None. I don't have the time. My favorite show though is Mr. Show with Bob and Dave. I have all of them on tape. What influences you? Name three musical and three non-musical things. Life influences me. but I love these people: Willie Nelson, Louis Armstong and Elvis Costello; Kurt Vonnegut, Jim Jarmusch, A.A Milne. What are you most looking forward to about hitting Toronto? I never have been to Canada. I hear Toronto is beautiful and clean, but still a happening mecca of entertainment. I want to see it with my own eyes. What are you most looking forward to about the Planet of the Apes movie? Mark Wahlberg filling in as the moron lead character. - interview by Jonny Dovercourt
	WINTERBRIEF 8:35pm www.winterbrief.com first played Wavelength #13, May 7, 2000 Winterbrief have a brand new CD out on the Intellectos label (www.intellectos.com) called Take The Town. It adds some snappy breakbeats to the Philadelphia duo's sassy, sloganeering synth-punk (as heard on their first LP, 1999's Complaints From The Beauty Class). As their bio states, they "enjoy roaming aimlessly and getting lost. Julian is currently battling addiction to picture-taking while Jan is trying to kick her habit of collecting wrapping paper. Their appreciation for good coffee, however, suggests they may be maturing."
	WHITE STAR LINE 9:10pm www.execulink.com/~mac2/WSL first played Wavelength #35, Oct. 8, 2000 Since WSL's last Wavelength, we have: Toured the U.S., drank, drunk, smoke, smoked, were paid not to play, and not paid for playing. Sacked a sadsack. Doubted. Redoubted. Ordered more from the bar. Recording at the House Of Miracles. Releasing stuff soon. Playing more. Playing less. Planning more. Reducing stress. Retooling. And still waking up with chubbies in the morning dew. Love, White Star Line.
	THE PLATH 9:45pm www.theplath.com Wavelength newcomers Queercore band The Plath will rock your world if you have it in you. Shannon Mitchell's on bass and vocals, Mary Jane plays guitar and Cheryl Steele rocks both vocals and drums. From the time of your first show (09/25/00) to the present, you've toured the States, got a demo and a full-length CD, been in Chart magazine for bringing Ladyfest to Toronto (Ladyfest originated in Olympia WA; Cheryl and Shannon organized it here to raise money for Interval House Women's Shelter), been featured on three compilations, and have taken part in at least three festivals. To what do you attribute your rapid success? Shannon & Cheryl: We're really hard working and dedicated in what we do. We're also really honest in what we write about, and the way we go about life. I think people really appreciate that in a band. When we go onstage there is no big transformation into "rock stars". We are just ourselves. What was your most choice happening during your trip to the U.S.A.? S & C: It was totally about the people we met. We met so many great people from bands, people who set up shows or individuals who were somehow connected to the venues we played at. People were so good to us, we've made a lot of really great friends and that to us is the most important element. And your worst? S & C: Getting fucked over by the promoter of the Kali Maa Fair in NYC. She made many empty promises and lied about everything. The festival was an absolute joke. If it weren't for all the lovely people at the Meow Mix who saved our asses, we would have been screwed. They put us up for three nights in NYC and were some of the greatest people we have ever met. What drawbacks have you had in the music biz being all girls? Any creepy men asking you to show more skin for their buck? S & C: One of the biggest disappointment to us is the experiences that we have had with sound guys. We don't understand it since there are so many female musicians now a days. We just find some of them are so ignorant and think girls can't set up or carry their own gear. It really pisses us off. We've only had one instance of a guy heckling us and being kind of sexist, that just makes us even stronger. We have too much self-respect to let somebody get away with treating us that way. If people think they can come to one of our shows and exhibit that behaviour they are sadly mistaken. How do you feel about baby humans? Can't stand 'em myself. I think the world is overpopulated. S: I'm not really a fan of babies. I think it's very unfortunate that so many unwanted babies are born a day. There are too many deadbeat parents out there. It makes me really sad. C: Yes the world is overpopulated; however, if creative people with open minds start having more babies, then the world will be a better place. Does the word "human" bother you? S: That's a tough one, I usually make bold statements like "I hate humanity" and "people suck", but then I meet someone really cool who makes me question those thoughts. What do you think are the most annoying things about men? S: I'm not a man-hating lesbian, I honestly love them. Though when it comes to misogynist men, they can just go fuck themselves. C: Just as in any group of people there are always the assholes. In my travels I've encountered a lot of really great guys. What's up with the whole Guns 'N' Roses thing? S: Ok I don't know who tipped you off about our current run-ins with Guns 'N' Roses. We don't even understand the Guns 'N' Roses significance ourselves. For some reason they haunted us on our entire tour. We brought the CD with us for the irony, but then no matter where we went, Guns 'N' Roses would either be playing, there would be pictures of Axl, or others would bring them up in our conversations. We just got more and more obsessed with the album through our travels. As for being influenced by them, I don't think so. Me neither. - interview by Mandylion
	CURRENTLY IN THESE UNITED STATES 10:30pm first played Wavelength #7, March 26, 2000 last played Wavelength #59, April 15, 2001 Hailing from Milton, Ontario, CITUS have been entertaining audiences for the past six years in bars and at fall fairs across our lovely province with their unique brand of fun-loving Maritime Country music. To add to the festivities of Wavelength 75, they will be accompanied by members of the Port Credit Junior Men's Morris Dancing association. They recently recorded their long-playing record ("LP"), Heretictactician (Vive le Quebec Libre), in a barn.
	PICASTRO 10:55pm first played Wavelength #9, April 9, 2000 last played Wavelength #66, June 3, 2001 Since June 3... trying to tell people the Picastro record is finally coming out, trying to do the artwork for it, trying to coordinate all of this with a person who lives in another time zone and is never home... trying to finish that fuckin' long book Ulysses. - Liz Hysen (The Picastro record, entitled Red Your Blues, will be released on California label Pehr Records - fact-fetish ed.)
	TIGER SAW 11:30pm www.envy13.com/tigersaw from Newburyport, Mass. first played Wavelength #60, April 22, 2001 Tiger Saw has been recording their sophomore record, Blessed Are The Trials We Will Find, in Boston with Brian Dunn and Colin Rhinesmith of The Clairvoyants. It is due out this winter on Kimchee Records. The second half of 2001 will see collaborations with Toronto's White Star Line and Picastro, as well as new scores to the silent films Faust and A Christmas Carol for the holiday seasons. Members of Tiger Saw have been touring the world in various other configurations: Club D'elf, Blood, Tigersaw/Pid Duo, A Slow Messe... Tiger Saw loves Wavelength like a razor. - Dylan Metrano
	THE SUMMERLAD 12:05am Wavelength newcomers Purveyors of: Dissonant rhetoric-rock e-mail: thesummerlad@yahoo.com The Summerlad come to us from Calgary. They include former Primrods fellow P7. This quartet deploys dissonant yet anthemic guitar rock, as well as some possibly satirical revolutionary rhetoric in their promotional material. Who is The Summerlad? Identify yourselves. We are men. We are not Devo. Dean, Sean, Fisher, P7. You have claimed authorship of the Manifesto for Retro-Futurist Musicians. Please condense the revolutionary ideas contained within this tract into an easily digestible soundbite. Retro-Futurism is the catalyst for a new society. Self-aggrandizement is impossible without appropriation of trendy yet unprofitable ideologies of the past, so as to model oneself on an image of the future which is indeed triumphal. Better living through the sound of speed. Here come th' Judge. You are associated with the recording collective Catch and Release (www.catch-and-release.org). Please explain how this egalitarian organization can successfully operate in the face of capitalist orthodoxy. Egalitarian!? You make us laff. They say "Jump", we say "Jump!" What is the best road food? The produce section of a supermarket. Do you guys like smashing your instruments? No. What the hell does "In Dritten Marsk" mean? Check yr atlas. Search the internet. A search for "dritten marsk" on google.com unearthed only the following entry: "*44 Beispiele fur solche Verse sind die Worte des Bibliothekars in Dritten Marsk in Minute 64: 'Books and bother killed my mother, books and bother killed my mother - and my father, too!', Kramer in Dritten Marsk in Minute 65: "Girls on the Square, Naughty and Fair. Mostly Marie, mostly Marie.", Fisher im Wald in Minute 70: 'Marry me, marry me, bury me, bind me', usw." Which, according to babelfish.altavista.com, translates into English as: "44 examples of such verses are the words of the librarian in third Marsk in minute of 64: Books and killed my more mother, books and killed my more mother. and my more father, too!., Kramer in third Marsk in minute of 65: 'Girls on the Square, Naughty and fair. Mostly Marie, mostly Marie.', Fisher in the forest in minute of 70: For Marry ME, marry ME, bury ME, bind ME, etc." This is an excerpt from the footnote to some academic commentary on Lars Von Trier's 1984 film The Element Of Crime (Forbrydelsens element). A google search on "marsk" itself yielded only the acronym MARSK, which refers to an "analysis of the future technical skill needs of the European Maritime Industries." Make of this what you will. - interview by Jonny Dovercourt
	THE CONSTANTINES 12:40am www.threegutrecords.com from Guelph first played Wavelength #49, Feb. 4, 2001 Since last playing Wavelength in February, The Constantines have been keeping busy through playing as many shows as possible. The shows tend to require more driving time to get to nowadays, which leaves our van ever more cluttered with old cassettes. At these shows, we remind folks about our first disc (brought to you by the fine folks at Three Gut Records in June), and then gush about Royal City and AC/DC to anyone who will listen. Occasionally, we invite young rockers out dancing with us afterwards, and those who do come have generally never actually seen us dance beforehand - that seems to be key. Hopefully, we can find us some dancin' partners at Wavelength 75. - Doug MacGregor
	WAYNE OMAHA 1:15am first played Wavelength #15, May 21, 2000 last played Wavelength #44, Dec. 10, 2000 The Wayne O's have had their Can the Maps. Go for the Beauty. CD re-released by T.O. indie Bobby Dazzler, are set to tour out west again (though the only date officially announced so far is Aug. 16 in Edmonton), and are rumoured to be taking up a residency at the Duke of Gloucester on Yonge Street. If all else fails, Yawd will run against Mel Lastman in 2003.

	SUPERBAND WASTEBAND WAVELENGTH #76 Sunday August 12, 11pm Purveyors of: Draught-swillin' dirge-rock e-mail: jubjub@interlog.com Collage by Superband Wasteband Superband Wasteband will be releasing their CD at Wavelength on August 12. Sorry, we have no idea what it's called. Doc Pickles caught up to a couple members of the Superband at Squirly's: Doc: Identify yourselves. Nigel: I'm Nigel, I play guitar. Kim: Kim, guitar. Doc: What are you wearing around your waist? Is it a Superband Waistband? Nigel: I've got a senior's belt. Look! It looks like a belt but (snaps belt like suspenders) zoom! I got it from my 70-year-old Dad. Kim: I'm not wearing a belt. I've got ample hips, so there. Eric (ex-Parts Unknown, from the table next to us): Duncan, tequila? Doc: Do I feel the love? Eric: I thought you were saying an answer about tequila. Doc: Oh, no. Tequila and I don't get along. (Turns attention back to Kim and Nigel) At what point does playing music stop being fun and become a drag? Kim: I can't answer that or I'll get in trouble. Nigel: Nah, I can't answer that or I'll get in trouble. Doc: Memories of Miles? Nigel: Nice man. Kim: Get your fucking amp out of my space! Jerk face. I hate you. Write that! Doc: Hey, get a hold of yourself. Kim: Shut up, Duncan. What's the next question? Doc: Why is commercial radio so boring (assuming you think commercial radio is boring in the first place)? Nigel: Because it is a commercial. Nothing is played unless it's for sale or is going to be sold. Kim: I wouldn't know, I don't listen to it. Doc: Yeah, it's just a big ad. Kim: A big ad for big losers. Doc: Have you had any weird dreams lately? Nigel: I have, but you don't want to write them down. Kim: I don't want to incriminate myself. People would think I'm funny. Not "Funny-Ha-Ha", funny strange. Doc: Ever had any inspiration for music from a dream? Kim: Nothing that I'll remember. I wake up thinking "yeah, this is perfect!" and then... Doc: Do you remember the feeling you felt when you realized it was perfect, even though you don't remember exactly what "it" is? Kim: Crestfallen. Doc: Is Captain Morgan really gay or was he just pretending to be gay during Pride Week so that his corporation could penetrate a new target market? Nigel: I cannot come out against a manufacturer of intoxicating products. I heard that pirates were funny right from the start. You get a lot of men on a boat... Doc: What's life like working in a bar? Nigel: I play music in bars but I wouldn't say I would like working there. Mostly I just drink in them. Kim: It makes me want to get another job fast. Not a word of a lie. Seriously. I fucking hate it here. Eric (still at the next table): Have you ever brought the wrong kind of beer just to see if the customer would notice? Kim: Not on purpose, but did it once by accident and I was hoping they wouldn't notice. Doc: What's the coolest thing that's happened to you this week? Nigel: I was dressed as Cat Boy the Cat Santa as I played organ while my friends played flaming ping-pong. (Ensues: Story about friend's passed-away mother's farm, an organ, and a flaming ping-pong table) ... man, you can raise a lot of hell in the country. Kim: The coolest part of my week was hearing about it. Doc: Environmentalist Barry Commoner likened the efficiency of nuclear power with that of aiming a cannon from across the street towards a doorbell you wanted to ring. He said that it would probably do the job, but that it was neither the most efficient nor safest technique available. Compare this method of overkill to something in music. Nigel: At a Chemical Brothers show, when they turn up the white light and the white noise and you just stand there and go: "Yeah! That's IT!" There's no direct target in music. It's subjective, so you need a wide spray. Kim: My guitar playing is a cannonball. I don't pluck, I just fire cannons. Doc: Ever been to Disneyworld? Nigel: No. Can't stand lineups. It's the same as Canada's Wonderland. Kim: I just hate Florida. You couldn't pay me enough money to go there. It just scares me. Florida's one of those places I have just no desire to go to. I have to have another beer. Doc: What kind of beer are you drinking? Kim: Cameron's draught. Nigel (has a bottle of Heineken, but says): Just say Crest. *** A couple days later, Kimmy (bassist, not to be mistaken with Kim) runs into Doc Pickles at, where else, Wavelength. Kimmy: Hey! So you did the interview. Doc: Yeah, they were funny. It's too bad you couldn't be there, but Nigel and Kim got a chance to shine. Kimmy: They didn't mention once that this was our CD release, did they? Doc: No, but the interview was funny. You'll like it. Kimmy: Cool. Hey listen can you do me a favour? You haven't typed the interview up or anything yet have you? Doc: I tried to but couldn't get to a computer this weekend. Kimmy: Well if you still have time can you mention that we're making this our CD release? Doc: I would have mentioned it, I'm sure. That's the whole point, isn't it?
	BARZIN WAVELENGTH #76 Sunday August 12, 10pm Purveyors of: Dark and handsome chamber-pop e-mail: barzinh@hotmail.com web: www.barzinh.com Barzin is a tall, dark and handsome lad that crafts dark, handsome sounds... really - there is little to write as a preamble to this Q & A, and really, little need for one... You'll see and hear his material for yourself when you come out to Wavelength, and you can preview for yourself if you pick up the LP or head over to the website, which I do suggest you do. This Toronto/Guelph-based artist definitely warrants the attention of people who are into the subtler side of sounds. So I'll let the interview (of sorts) provide the information through which you can make some conclusions... enjoy... The biography mentions that these are sounds ideal for a "wet, gray day." The music has a laidback quality; no urgency, but no laziness either. Would I be wrong in noting rather that the music is written to celebrate these random moments of being forced to slow down? The music that I make has always had a prevalent sadness to it. There is no denying that. I don't know where it comes from. I have tried long and hard to understand why what I do moves at such a slow pace or why it always seems to dwell so much on the melancholy side of things, but I have come up with nothing. And so I have no illuminating answer to your question about why the music moves at such a slow and melancholy pace. I have tried for years to write in different tempos and feels, but it has never felt genuine. Maybe the best answer to your question is that it feels genuine to write these slow, sad songs. I have no objections with people who pigeonhole what I do. I will not try to control that. I can see why they would do that. I just hope that the music comes across as honest. And no matter what happens I know there will always be people out there who will appreciate the music. Any surprising sources of support to note? I have received the support of a lot of different people and musicians. Probably the best form of support that has come my way recently has been hooking up with the New York label Young God Records. It is run by Michael Gira, who used to front the band the Swans and whose new project is called Angels of Light. Young God will be re-releasing my album sometime this year. They are a great label with great artists. Actually, one of the bands that I have been listening to quite a bit lately, Windsor for the Derby, is on that label, so it is great to be associated with them. It feels good to be with a label where I am with other artists whose music and vision is so similar to mine. Nothing beats this kind of support. The last time I saw you folks perform, I was impressed at the proficent use of the stand-up bass, lap steel, etc. The self-titled LP has many contributing members... is there a set line-up for the "band" or would that be to the detriment of the live presentation? I have been very fortunate to have received the support of so many great musicians. For my album I received help from Tamara Williamson, Sam Cino (King Cobb Steelie, Superex) and Lewis Melville (Rheostatics, Skydiggers). Three other musicians, who might be somewhat less known to others, have also been helping me along the way for a very long, long time. They are Brett Higgins, Walter Koffman and Suzanne Hancock, and they are the three consistent members who seem to always be sitting in at each show. What is the future projected for you? Aims, goals, releases, tours, projects and collaborations...? I am keeping myself busy for the time being with a lot of music. I am not going to be recording anytime soon. With this album getting re-released it will probably a while before I do another one. So I guess for me the future holds touring and touring and writing and writing. But there are other things that are keeping me busy. Like learning how to use the Yamaha V50. I don't know why but I have had this fixation with keyboards for some time now. And I am developing another fixation with drum machines. So I am keeping myself busy with the electronic end of things for now. It's great but at the same time I am finding that I am having less and less time for other things that are so dear to me such as poetry. On your website there is a "poet of the month" section... how important are lyrics to you? I went to school for English. And poetry is a big part of my life. I have always put great weight on lyrics. So I am trying to figure out how I can balance my love of words with my love for sounds. What were you listening to when you recieved this interview from me? What were you listening to when you pondered the questions? What were you listening to when you typed the responses? The albums that I was listening to from the time I received your questions, to the time I completed them: 1. Labradford - Fixed::Context 2. Frankie Sparo - My Red Scare 3. Tram - Heavy Black Frames 4. Windsor for the Derby - Difference and Repetition - interview by Stephen Dohnberg
	THE TUNDRA SURVEY WAVELENGTH #77 Sunday August 19, 11pm Purveyors of: Punk Rock To Sleep To e-mail: tundrasurvey@tenseforms.com web: www.tenseforms.com/tundra Photo by: Nora McComiskey Wavelength correspondent Paddy O'Donnell caught up with Josh Dumas of Chicago's The Tundra Survey. Here is what ensued. It interests me to hear bands in the independent circuit who eschew the traditional bass/drums/guitar/vocals rock line-up. You are likely playing to the same audiences, but the reaction must be different. Who plays what in the line-up, and how do you feel audiences perceive what you are doing? Mary Claire Kueber - cello Emily Frank - viola Andy Wagner - flute/xylophone Tom McGettrick - bass Josh Dumas (me) - guitar... We all sing... In general, audiences have been remarkably kind to us. Our bookings have been kind of split between playing with much louder rock bands, and with much more experimental/free-improv musicians, but in both circles we figure folks can recognize that we're just kids trying to make songs that matter somehow. The Tundra Survey... barren... searching through the emptiness... bleak and unpopulated terrain... why these associations? What's in a name? You've totally nailed the associations on one side, but the thing that is crucial to us is that some person does this surveying, that there is some girl or some boy walking around the frigging Arctic taking notes on a clipboard or something. It is very cold and she is keeping a detailed record of nothing - like a song! I was struck by the similarities between godspeed you black emperor! and yourselves during the opening few moments of "Small Fires," a song that can be heard on your website. Is this intended? Is gybe! an influence? It's hard to say. I like godspeed. This project was just getting off the ground when I first heard them, so I guess they serve as a counter-weight somehow, the way any band can. At practice we'll try something and someone will say, "that's way too Slint-y" or "that's way too godspeed." I think our arrangement lends to godspeed comparisons, but I worry more that we're ripping off Jeff Mueller (June of 44/Shipping News), or Codeine, or Lungfish. What inspires you as a group? What informs your music? Sometimes when we play shows, kids will quiet down in the bar and listen closely. Watching the process work is kinda inspiring too - we write all our songs collectively, structures, melodies, lyrics; so when we actually finish something, that feels pretty frigging good. I guess our music is mostly informed by that process. We have almost no formal training, so songwriting is just this process of super janky collision and then trying to sort through the mess and make a song outta that. Chicago must be an interesting place in which to create the type of music you are playing. There is a rich history, in addition to a respected scene that is happening right now. Where does The Tundra Survey fit in to all this? Both nicely and uncomfortably - so much great punk/ post-punk a few years ago, so much cool experimental stuff now - since we kind of sit in the weirdo midst of those two places, we get to play with amazing folks on both ends, but we also don't fit real nice in either scene. How does it feel to be creating music in Chicago? We practice and record in mine and Tom's apartment. People walk by and watch through the window. You can hear the trains and cars on our records. Lake Michigan is a block away. There's a mess of snow in winter. Shows are pretty well-attended, the scene is good about supporting itself... it's pretty good. Where to next? Our first full-length should be ready by the time we visit Toronto - it has 8 songs, it's packaged in nice red paper that we hand-stamped. This tour is a big deal for us. We're gonna try to do an EP by November. I visited your website and listened to your music, but still don't have much of a sense about what you're about... perhaps that's the point. The reason that you have trouble getting a sense of what we are about, is that you're looking for something that isn't there. We're not complicated, just kids with shitty day-jobs, who want to make songs in the evening, who take their time seriously enough to give it to music. I'm not trying to be evasive or difficult; in fact, I want to insist that that is not the point, the opposite is the point. We're not innovators, we're not particularly talented or smarty-pantsed, there is no real mystery - we just try real hard and hope that with enough sweat the music will be meaningful, and some people will like it and maybe it will move them.
	DJ THE BAND WAVELENGTH #77 Sunday August 19, 10pm Purveyors of: Bubble-wrapped free-improv/minimal-techno sandwich Pictured: Mike Gennaro (one turntable) and Jacob Fairley (electronics) In the spirit of cross-pollination, Wavelength proudly presents the debut of DJ The Band - a collaboration between free-improv musician Mike Gennaro and minimal techno producer Jacob Fairley. Here, Craig Fraid strokes his ever-widening brow and forms some queries. Unlike the more developed aesthetics of such projects as yours and Kurt Newman's Wrist Error, Mike, or CCMC or The Draperies or Detention or even AMM, etc., where repeated performances produce a consistent and player-comforting soundfield, this collaboration seems to be "purer" improvisation precisely because of its impurities, its risk, its "ad-hoc-ness"; have you two ever even played together informally, or would that be going against the tenets of what you're aiming for here? Mike: We've gotten together once so far. I kinda think that rehearsing is often detrimental to making this kind of music; I think you should just leave it to the performance. The best things come out that way, especially with stuff like this. Usually, the first time you get together is probably the best. With this [collaboration], we felt it was best to first talk about it a little bit, though, because... Jacob: Because I have no experience playing improvised music; I'm from the techno world. But that's probably a better situation, because there's so much unnecessary baggage that comes along with trying to be an improvisor, or what that's supposed to mean... Mike: I agree... One of the more blatant oppositions that this collaboration presents is that between the techno and free-improv scenes; are you anticipating playing with the tensions between the two idioms, for instance, idiomatic differences in degrees of rigidity pulse-wise, with the 4/4 bass thump and free/infinite time-keeping on either end of the spectrum, respectively? Mike: It's actually not as contrasting as you might think; there's somewhat more of an obvious middle ground, as we intentionally wanted it to be rhythmic... Jacob: Yeah, I think we're pretty much meeting each other halfway... Mike: I mean, it's kind of like early free-jazz, where there's still a swing, but the "freedom" is on top, and that's similar to the approach we're taking; I mean, it's not set in stone, but there's a similar rhythmic foundation there... Jacob: Yeah; there's a lot of room up top to change the sound, but it'll be a challenge to work around the fact that the rhythm will be fairly constant, to find ways to break it up. Mike: With this thing, I think we both want the sound to predominantly dynamically "be there" for people... Which is way better suited for a rock club, because sometimes when free-improv groups have played Wavelength, for instance, the audience wasn't prepared to be as really quiet as was sometimes necessary... Mike: That's true, but this decision wasn't even made in the context of the venue. Are there any other similarly unlikely collaborations for either of you in the near future? Mike: Actually, I've been wanting to do something with Jacob for a while now; I just didn't know how it would end up working. I'm sorta realizing that improvisation should be about those kinds of situations, where you're faced with something that's going to make you do something different, so I'm interested in exploring that, even with people like Jacob who don't normally improvise, as much as there are strong elements of improvising in what Jacob does when he plays live solo. I'm also working with Josh Reichman, who's not a quote-unquote "free improvisor", but if you listen to him play, you can tell that there are strong improvisational elements in what he does, too. I just think that you don't necessarily have to always play with somebody who sounds like Derek Bailey to get interesting results... Arguably, if you're only playing with people like that, too, I think you're actually countering the whole spirit that founded free improvisation in the first place... Mike: Definitely. Well, since we're talking in the drum department of a music store, I should ask how important or unimportant each of you feels visceral/spectacular/virtuosic movement to be when performing live with electronics; in other words, does Powerbook performance rigor mortis ever piss you off too, or am I just living in the body-bound past? Jacob: Yeah, and it's still a small faction in the techno scene that feels that way, since people are getting more and more into using laptops and just clicking a mouse, but there's a few of us who are still trying to make it more of a show... I guess it's just about finding the right equipment to use, and making a mess of yourself onstage... Mike: The thing is, with Jacob and unfortunately not too many other people, if you're actually making the sounds somewhat manually instead of programming it, you get different results, and people respond differently... Jacob: You just have to get over yourself and have fun... Bringing me to draw another comparison between the techno and free-improv worlds, in that in both genres there's this clichŽ of an overriding humourlessness... Mike: For me, actually, the biggest compliment would be to see someone laughing, because I associate laughter with enjoyment, not derision or insult. I don't understand why people don't more often; it's kind of ridiculous... I mean, if there's a guy scraping a piece of metal or attacking his guitar or doing something that looks funny, or a guy with a synth bobbing his head, it's funny stuff, it's expressive stuff, so to associate it with expressionlessness is stupid... Jacob: Or to think that something can't be humourous and serious at the same time... Mike: Yeah, exactly! It's really dumb, especially with this trend in avant-garde music right now of going back to the Cage school of expressionless, cold academic sound music, where you shouldn't "play" your instrument, and you can't sweat or be in any way human... Jacob: There's a similar movement in techno, with people moving towards stuff that's "tasteful" and very safe... Which is also echoed fashion-wise, with clean, functional clothes that can never get wrecked, that can never be tarnished... Jacob: Yeah; it's boring, and it makes for boring music that attracts safe people. I mean, it's great that nobody's barfing on the floor, but at the same time, that's what's exciting! Mike: It's just repression... I mean, accidents are so important... Yeah, especially when a mistake is made but then gets incorporated into the music and the whole piece becomes something unexpected... Mike: That's the whole thing; that should be the whole thing... I mean, safety is for other music.
	GESUNDHEIT WAVELENGTH #78 August 26, 11pm Purveyors of: METAL!! e-mail: you must be kidding web: DIE!! Collage by Brian Cram Wavelength hails the local debut of Gesundheit -Êa supergroup containing members of GUH, Do Make Say Think and The Co-operators, who are rumoured to be unleashing - you heard it right - METAL. We turned to trumpet player/vocalist Brian Cram to set the record straight. Is Gesundheit a heavy metal band? Dictum ad Factum. Said and done. Is heavy metal the music that Gesundheit plays? The compositions are heavy metal, hence they have infinite stylistic influences. If Gesundheit were a metal, would it be of a great weight? Gesundheit is not vertical. No up, down, heaven, hell. It's horizontal. It's forward motion. Drive. Where would you place Gesundheit on the periodic table? Can we start these questions again? Is Gesundheit a heavy metal band? You tell us after we kick your lame ass. Is heavy metal the music that Gesundheit plays? Visit us backstage for the answer to that shit. If Gesundheit were a metal, would it be of great weight? We don't have many questions left, do we? Where would you place Gesundheit on the periodic table? Right over your mutilated moronic corpse. What would you like to weld to Gesundheit? Next. Could Gesundheit be cut with a bandsaw or would you have to use a plasma arc welder? It's easy to cut Gesundheit, but be prepared to hemorrhage. Does the band that welds together stay together? I always thought intelligence was overrated. Now... I can tell you something we're together on. You should listen to the lyrics on our CD Vier. Pay particular attention to the ones about bullshit. - interview by Buddy Whatshisname
	BRASILIA WAVELENGTH #78 August 26, 10pm Purveyors of: Keyboard-driven drone-pop e-mail: unovis_yeah@hotmail.com web: www.unovis.org Pictured: Jen and Roy Brasilia are a pop group from Gainesville, Florida. They sound like what's in your head when a nice song emanates from your clock radio in the morning and you're still dealing with the dreams. Sure beats Howard Stern waking you up. They have a sweet keyboard-based sound and lovely, swoony vocals just to keep it all human. They were kind enough to answer my ever-so-formal questions. Please tell me a bit about yourselves (When formed? What inspired you? Names and instruments, etc.) Brasilia is Jen and Roy on vocals/organs/bass, with Ivy playing drums. I guess we formed about three years ago this summer... that seems right, but it was about a year before we figured out what it was all about. We were actually inspired to start the band after wasting too much time trying to be involved with other people's projects. Fed up, Jen bought a keyboard and started to teach herself to play, then we were simply inspired by the fact that we were creating something that we really liked and three years later we both feel the same. Most "shoegazer" bands aren't as keyboard-driven as Brasilia (with maybe the exception of Rocketship), tell me all about your keyboards and that crazy sound. We don't really consider ourselves a "shoegazer" band - our songs are structured a little differently and there's no guitar. Jen chose the keyboard as the instrument she would learn on because it seemed so approachable; it's just so straightforward. Anyone can sit down with a keyboard and pick out a tune - instant gratification. We've owned several old organs (in differing states of disrepair). We'd love to drag a Hammond organ around to shows, but we have to settle with an old Kurzweil for now. As for our sound, it completely evolved from our collective love of bass (Roy really wants to do some booty bass remixes of our songs). Jen uses only the low-end keys and Roy plays his bass with lots of distortion. Roy recently got an old bass pedal synth that we're trying to incorporate into some of the songs. I couldn't hear the lyrics too well (that's OK), but tell me about the kind of things you write about. We're glad that is OK with you because it is actually one of the complaints most often fielded by Jen. We want the vocals to simply be another musical element, not the focus. As for the subject matter, the lyrics are mostly politically inspired, by our own political work and by watching the state of modern society unfold. Since the lyrics are sometimes hard to decipher, we always include lyric sheets with our CD and at our shows. What music has been turning you on lately and what are you going out of your way to tell others about? Jen's been listening to lots of Chemikal Underground stuff. She just lent all of her MogwaI records to a kid who lives downstairs from her and he lent her a whole bunch of really cool experimental electronica - another thing she's really into lately. Roy's really into IDM/electronic music and electro - especially pop-influenced and minimal/dub influenced music; like I Am Robot And Proud, Solvent (both Toronto musicians), Hermann & Kline, Kit Clayton, Pole, B. Fleishmann; there's too many to list... The inevitable "What's your real job" question. Jen is a teacher of three-year-old children, something she has done for the past ten years, so she thinks that counts as a real job (but then she feels like that might be admitting adulthood). Jen has also worked as a union organizer. Roy wears a brown uniform and sorts and delivers packages. He is also a union member. Oddest/coolest experience with Brasilia. (And why did you change it to that paricular name?) Our coolest experience was playing at the last show at the Hardback Cafe (the Hardback was the only Gainesville punk/hardcore club for about ten years). During the night, the club was basically torn apart. Our first name was Le Tigre (we think we were first). Well, after the other Le Tigre released a record, we changed our name to Brasilia. It is the capital city of Brazil that was built by a visionary president around his political idealism - so basically it applied. What's the scene like down in Florida? Gainesville has a pretty tight-knit scene that is very comfortable and easy, but Jen has recently moved back to New York, which is anything but easy. There's numerous punk/hardcore bands around Gainesville, so it's a little hard to get noticed since we don't fit in. Gainesville was a great place to evolve but New York is a constant source of stimulation and inspiration. Are you into Brazilian music or culture? Yes on both counts. Jen's stepmother is half Brazilian so that culture has always been a part of her life. She has traveled through Brazil several times and it is her belief that there is no distinction between Brazilians and their music... Brazilians are their music. And the big rock geek question... Will My Bloody Valentine ever put out that album or will Kevin Shields be like Brian Wilson and have to spend 30 years answering questions about what might have been? Discuss. Jen: Regardless of any sense of reality it is always good to hold on to dreams even in the face of contradictory evidence. This may very well be one of mine. Roy: I personally don't think I want to see a new MBV album. After ten years of expectations getting higher and higher, I just don't think any record could live up to the hype. A new album could only be a disappointment. Maybe he'll prove me wrong one day though. - interview by Smokey Campbell