Here he is again, Sean Reveron, harbinger of the awesomely vile clothing line CVLT Nation, returns to the Bloglin, not in the form of a brutal Blackened Everything mixtape, this time in the flesh. Sean is an entrepreneur, underground music enthusiast, and purveyor of all that is heavy. Fortunately, he was able to answer five big ones on the intent of his new brand, the creative process that brought him to this point, and the state of metal in general. Escorting the public into a new epoch of foulness, this guy is on the cutting edge of fringe culture. Listen up.

Is Cvlt Nation something you do all on your own? You put out a lot of material outside of the design stuff such as mixtapes, album reviews, and all-around media articles, I can’t imagine you do that all by yourself?

Sean Reveron: No way…I couldn’t do it all on my own! My wife, Meghan, and I spearhead the project and do the majority of the blogging, like 60% of it. But we also have contributors from all over the world who are a part of the metal and punk scenes in their own areas, like in Ireland, Germany, Indonesia, England, New York, Texas, Cali – so we get a wide variety of coverage.

We don’t micromanage our bloggers at all, so they bring a lot of different perspectives and opinions to the blog. It’s really amazing that we have been able to connect with so many awesome and talented people from around the world, whether in music or art. The metal communities worldwide have been so supportive of what we are doing, and we see the site as a way to support creative people in the communities as well.

So I know you were working previously with Rockers. What happened with that? Was Cvlt something you’ve always wanted to do or a new concept that rose from the ashes of Knights of The Vampire Killers?

Sean Reveron: Working with Rockers NYC made up some awesome years of my life, but it was time to move on, and it was just natural for me to gravitate towards punk and metal imagery and music because of my background as a part of those scenes in the 80s. CVLT Nation is a culmination of ideas I have had for years, all wrapped into one brand, and the first season we paid tribute to KVK with one of our shirts, Legion. KVK will always have a special place in my heart, but it was more of an art project than a real clothing brand.

Yeah, I’ve heard you’re a veteran of sorts in the early L.A. punk/hardcore scene. Did you grow up listening to the SST guys like Black Flag and The Minutemen or skate punk type stuff like Suicidal Tendencies or The Adolescents? Had any interesting experiences with the bands themselves or at the shows? I mean you must’ve seen some shit.

Sean Reveron: I was into all those bands as a youth…it wasn’t either or for me. Being that I’m a Venice local, when we all got into punk in the 80′s it was natural that I became a Suicidal Boy. They were our local band, so we had to rep our hood. More than that, everyone in Suicidal Tendencies were our homies. Some of my favorite moments happened hanging out at Suicidal Park (Mar Vista Park) before shows, plus all of the leagues we had, like the Suicidal Golf Club, Suicidal Softball League & Suicidal Bowling League. One of my favorite memories was New Year’s Eve, 1983 – Suicidal played a house party in Santa Monica & played all Sabbath covers. It was a huge kegger, and the cops came & tried to smash our heads in, but we escaped, jumping over fences, running wild in the streets!

I saw Black Flag play mad times in all sort of places. I remember seeing them at their reunion show at the Santa Monica Civic, that was rad…everyone who was ever in the band performed that night, it was pretty epic, & The Misfits opened up. The next day, The Misfits went into the studio in Los Angeles & recorded their last album, Earth A.D.. Another gnarly Black Flag gig was seeing them perform outside the federal building in Westwood. What made this gig extra special is that for once the L.A.P.D. could not fuck with us because we were on federal property, so we could do whatever the fuck we wanted to do. I was super lucky to have grown up in the LA punk scene, but one thing I want to stress is that we were the outsiders, the weirdos, the freaks – & we were one huge punk rock family.

I’m a hardcore punk and metal nerd myself and love the fact that you post reviews of underground releases that a lot of so called “headbangers” would have no clue about otherwise. Is extreme music just as much a part of the brand as the t-shirt designs and diy items you sell? What do you think about those who don’t listen to the music but embrace spikes, leather, and satanic imagery as a fashion statement?

Sean Reveron: I have always been into underground music; I think it stems from supporting my local bands and artists as a kid. Plus, one of my favorite things to do is to look for and listen to new or obscure music on the internet, and I am so happy I’ve been able to incorporate that into my blogging. CVLT Nation is all about heavy music, art, clothing & cultures, so heavy is pretty much integral to the brand.

For the CVLT Nation clothing brand, we work with artists who have ties to the music community through their artwork on albums and band merch, so the clothing itself is inextricably tied to the music. It’s really important to us to make clothing that speaks to people who are into the blog and the music and art we cover. As far as the “fashion” of looking dark, I try not to judge people for it, but I think maybe they should give the music a try so people don’t mistake them for posers.

Fair enough. If you could name one artist/band, or even a few, that are currently performing and putting out new material as an inspiration for the work you do now and how your musical tastes have evolved over time, who would it be and why?

Sean Reveron: The rad thing about CVLT Nation is that through our blogging, we are finding so many inspiring bands and artists. The underground is literally teeming with creative people, so it’s hard to point to just one or two. With music, we have some projects we are working on with bands that we find inspiring, like our Sonic Cathedrals mixtape series, where a band curates a mix of the music they find inspiring. We put one out last week with Altar of Plagues, and we have some in the works with bands like The Secret, Young And In The Way and Coffinworm.

As far as art goes, when we find artists that inspire us, we find a way to work with them on graphics for the CVLT Nation clothing brand. There are so many talented artists out there in the world, and we are trying to provide another platform for showing their work through the clothing and the blog. The great thing is that we have gotten so much good feedback from artists who want to be a part of what we’re doing.

How have my musical tastes evolved? I’ve always listened to dark music, I am just allowing more of it into my life than I used to. I still like a huge variety of music, but I am exploring heavy music and finding out how many different layers and textures there are.

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Thanks again Sean! Go on over to CVLT Nation, you can get the apparel right here as well, and get a fistful of blackness punched into your mind’s eye, you’ll be grateful you did.

In his latest Fling A Ding webisode documenting his world travels, Trent Harris is wandering alone out in the salt flats of Utah. The particular region he’s walking through is a restricted area belonging to the U.S. Air Force. It’s also a bombing range. Trent states, “I had a promising career at one time. I lived in Hollywood. I knew Sean Penn and Madonna. Warren Beatty actually called me up and asked me out to dinner. And now…I’m out here.” He questions whether, along the way, he took a wrong turn, or possibly a right one. I’m certain everyone familiar with his work would agree that Trent took a right one; a turn that has helped Trent make the films he wants to make and, as a result, unintentionally create a cult following.

Trent is best known for 2001′s The Beaver Trilogy, which is made up of three films shot at different times, 1979, 1981, and 1985. Critical acclaim rained down upon Trent after Beaver‘s premiere at Sundance; he was called “a genuine maverick” by Times London and the suits at Sundance stated “Of all the films that have been or ever will be, nothing compares to Beaver Trilogy.” He also made the cult favorite Rubin and Ed starring Howard Hesseman, Crispin Glover, and a water-skiing cat. Infamously, Glover appeared on Letterman as his Rubin Farr character and tried to kick a bewildered Dave in the face. His fiction work also includes the Mormon sci-fi wonder Plan 10 From Outerspace and the dystopian Delightful Water Universe. Trent’s work in the documentary world runs deep and lately he’s been recording his travels on his YouTube channel, as he sets out to find out the meaning of life, the universe, and why “Joe’s a Nut Licker.”

While taking a break side-stepping land mines in Cambodia and checking out the graffiti at the Enola Gay Hangar, Trent was generous enough to go a round of 5 Questions with Мишка!

1) You’ve only made a few feature-length, fictional pieces, but hundreds of documentaries. Where or from who do you feel you draw most of the inspiration from for your fictional pieces?

My inspirations come from many places: the newspaper, my travels to about 40 countries, people I know, people I like, people I dislike. When something makes me really mad, or makes me laugh, or leaves me in wonder, I consider those things as muses. I try to pay attention to what effects me most and then I keep notes and files and I use the stuff later in different ways that I never expected. Frozen cats, success seminars, Mormon space stories, conspiracy theories, they all come from real life and they all end up in my movies. I also look to the paintings of Outsider artists for inspiration. Other people’s movies seldom act as a springboard for anything. In general I am much more interested in paintings than I am in films.

2) Deserts seem to be play a major part in some of your work. From Rubin and Ed to your travel documentaries. What appeals to you about these landscapes or is it just something that comes with being based in Salt Lake?

Landscapes are like characters, mysterious, warm, and sometimes unforgiving. Landscapes can force people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Plus, deserts look really cool and I like to film outside when I can.

3) You travel to some really off-the-beaten-path kinda places on your Fling A Ding travel series. There are some beautiful places and there are some really fucking scary places that most wouldn’t dare to set foot (see: mine field). Has there been any moments or particular places where you found yourself thinking, “Why am you doing this, Trent? WHY?”

I usually know why I am doing what I am doing; I just don’t know how to get out of there. Cannibals in Sierra Leone, buffalo kills in Sumba, landmines in Cambodia, scary border crossing in Congo, are actually fun at the moment I am doing them. When you are looking through a camera things seems distant and safer for some reason. I am posting Flingading 18, which will give a clue to the answer of your question. I love making those webisodes. I really love the idea that I can produce work and show it and I don’t have to please some dumb as a rock movie critic or some chicken shit celebrity worshiping festival programmer. I make it. I show it. If somebody wants to watch, they can.

4) What kind of feedback have you gotten from the Mormon community concerning Plan 10 From Outer Space?

Truth is a lot of Mormons liked the movie. Contrary to popular belief Mormons are like everybody else. They don’t have just one worldview. Some took offense but not many. I did not set out to make fun of Mormons. I like Mormons. Many of my family are good Mormons along with many of my friends. Most of what is in my movie is actual Mormon doctrine. I can’t make that stuff up. It is just too wild.

5) I watched an interview with you that was shot in your office and I kept pausing to soak in all the crazy stuff you have in there. Do you have any items in there you’re particularly fond or proud of?

I have a Timbuktu cross, which is like a token one used to use to get water from the well in Timbuktu. If you didn’t have one, no water. If you stole the water you got killed. Also I keep my best friends ashes in an oyster jar on my shelf. Perhaps my favorite things are a collection of head hunting swords I picked up on the island of Sumba. They are carved to resemble men riding horses. On Sumba they have a ritual called Pasola where hundreds of men on tiny horses get together and throw spears at one another. Hell of a lot more interesting to watch than a football game.

Below: Trent’s thoughts on documentary filmmaking and more about the existential “Joe’s a Nut Licker” question.

Yesterday we were proud to present Ninjasonik’s Darth Baño mixtape, today we’re going to sit down with Darth Baño himself, Telli Federline AKA Bathroomsexxx to do a little five questions.

5 Questions with Telli Federline AKA Bathroomsexxx

1) Tell us how you got down with Ninjasonik your role in the group and how the hell you got the nickname “Bathroomsexxx”?

While I was drummin’ in my uncle’s band I met DJ Teenwolf who used to hangout ‘n tha rehearsal space. He let me hear “Tight Pants” and I luved it! I went and wrote a verse ‘n tha bridge after I heard it. When I went 2 let it I had met JahJah a couple weeks earlier. It was at a Go Skate Day through a mutual friend, but had seen him skaten around for like 4 years! So it was crazy! Then wolf would call me 2 do some shows and then tha rest is history,just meant 2 b! Tha stars aligned as Wolf always say! Now I’m tha rap element of tha band and  bring tha chariama or so I’ve been told! Our energies combined make us tha raddest!

Tha bathroomsexxx is self explanitory! LMAO! We r tha kings of parties and having bathroomsex is tha epitome of partying. We r that! Not 2 mention when I was like 12 I went on a trip 2 Disneyworld wit my whole family and on tha way back I had had sex n tha Amtrack bathroom wit a lil’ babe I met! LOL ‘n she had tha condom! Real rap!!

2. For those of us unknowing, can you tell us how to go about getting a blowjob from behind as per your song “Holla For a Dolla”

Gittn’ ya dick sucked from tha back is only 4 us big dick mafuckers! It’s when tha babe from behind pulls ya dick between ya legs ‘n sucks it from tha back! I’mma put out an intsructional dvd! BTW gittn’ ya dick sucked from tha back my lead 2 gittn’ ya salad tossed so b prepared!

3. You guys have dealt with some internet hate for being different as you’ve risen in exposure and popularity, how doe sit make you feel?

I cant stand tha internet hate because most of these dickheads r just lames talkin’ shit because they aint got no life! ‘N then when I catch ‘em in traffic they aint got shit 2 say!!!!! Like really u fuckin’ doucheburger dont talk shit if u cant back it up! We (Ninjasonik) r real rad guys… We really give a fuck about tha kids that care about us! Wat U C is wat u git. There’s so many ova mafuckas u could hate on that derserve it! If u dont like our music, oh well! But dont say nuffn’ on no blog that u cant defend when we catch u!

4. What’s your take on people categorizing you guys and your music as “Hispter”?

Man I’m yet 2 know wat a hipster really is! I git called it so much I gotta b 1! They say I’m a gangsta Hipster on tha internet. LMAO! My homie mikey told me that a hipster is someone cool as U but U dont know them so U call them a Hipster! But when y’all become cool everybody else is tha hipster then! LOL! ‘N I feel tha industry categorizes us as Hipster cause we’re a new wave of music… we’re tha next thing ‘n so instead of embracing us, ‘n fuckin wit us, they outcast us and call us all “Hipster”. Try 2 play us! Put us ‘n a box! Well fuck u old niggas! Y’all git ready 2 put ya shit ‘n a box ’cause we movin in!

5.  If you could be in any band which would it be and why (besides your own)?

Tha Wu-Tang Clan or tha Jimi Hendrix Experience.

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If you haven’t yet download the Mishka Presents Ninjasonik: Darth Baño Mixtape!

Hopefully Kid Congo Powers doesn’t need an introduction to those of you reading this, but I’ll give one anyway. Born Brian Tristen in El Monte California, Tristen  lived the ultimate dream of going from avid champion of what was a burgeoning punk to an influential member of The Gun Club, The Cramps & Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds in their prime of their careers. More resecntly Powers has embarked on a solo career and been a member of the Knoxville Girls and Michael Gira’s Angels of Light. He remains not only a living legend but a testament to the power and legacy of Punk Rock.

5 Questions With Kid Congo Powers

1) How did you go from President of the Ramone’s Fan Club to guitarist in 3 of the most the influential bands (The Gun Club, The Bad Seeds & The Cramps) of the last 30 years? What were the circumstances that brought you to each and why were tenures only for an album or so?

This is a funny two pronged 30 year long question. My journey in music has been a natural progression from a young music fanatic and record collector, to music journalist know it all, to putting my money where my mouth is by picking up a guitar and making music for others to enjoy and judge.

The circumstances of my entry to these bands has been about : like mindedness of the band leaders and members, right place right time, sense of humor, romantic ideals, good vintage clothing, willingness to relocate and unorthodox guitar stylings. My exit from the bands have been facilitated by musical differences, bad drugs, alcoholism, apathy, and,in one case,  it was “just time to move on…”  Those bands are all too explosive to keep the same line ups for too long. You can match those to which ever band you choose as they all apply.

Kid Congo (right) with Lux Interior (left) and Nick Nox (center) of The Cramps

2) I’m curious which of the albums you’ve worked on is your favorite? The one you’re most proud to have your name associated with and why?

My favorite album I’ve made is actually my latest one, Dracula Boots by Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds. I know it’s a cliche to say that, but it is actually true in this case. It was/is the most satisfying record to and listen to,  and to play live. It is all the lessons of things I learned from all my previous bands boiled down to the essence of what I love in music. It is funny, sexy, noisy, smart, dumb, modern and primitive simultaneously. I guess I am in a great place!

As for the past, Almost all the records hold great work which has music that differs from each other. I refuse to put them in a competition ever.  I am proud to be on The Cramps Psychedelic Jungle album (1980) because it is the most different sounding from the other Cramps records. For Nick’s records, I am partial to Tender Prey (1988) because it was my first recording with the band and it was such an ear raising experience as I had just moved to West Berlin and got to really spread my wings musically and twist my wig personally. That recording was done in Berlin, London, and Australia in a most tumultuous time in all our still young lives. For that, I love Tender Prey.

Of all the Gun Club albums I am on I like The Las Vegas Story (1984) as it was my return to the band and a totally great work by Jeffrey Lee Pierce. When we started that band in 1979 I would never have guessed we would pull off such a masterwork.

Kid Congo with Siouxie Sioux photo by Debbie Schow

3) Did Lux’s passing take you by surprise? He wasn’t all that old and last I remember he was still doing his thing on stage.

I am still taken by surprise and saddened, it was only a few months ago.  There is so much to say. I wrote an obit for Lux on my blog if you’re curious to read.

4) Besides being one of the few Mexican-Americans in Punk you’re also openly and proudly Gay. Did either or both ever pose any sort of uphill battles for you establishing yourself within the 70′s and 80′s punk community?

Well, I came into punk  out of the mid 70′s  glitter rock scene as a teen in LA, which was not necessarily homosexual but definitely homosexual looking. Bowie, Lou Reed, Marc Bolan were all  flamboyant  and gay acting in appearance and in song lyrics. I believed it at the time and it was really liberating to me at the age of 15 . Also I had a local neighbor who befriended me and got me into all things underground, as in records, comics, films. Being a minority only helped with the identification as a outsider. Los Angeles is mainly minority, Mexican or Chicanos, so it was not unusual. Alice from The Bags, and bands like The Zeros were Chicanos and some of the first local bands to gain popularity.

Punk in the beginning in Los Angeles was full of gay men and women out of the music and art scenes and schools. Anything that bucked the system was not only welcome, but required. The LA punk scene starting in 1975 influenced by  Patti Smith, Blondie and The Ramones  was also equally informed by fashion, old Hollywood, and new films like Pink Flamingos  with Divine as , shall we say, a HUGE influence.  The Mumps with an openly gay Lance Loud and Kristian Hoffman very early came from NYC and made an impact on LA-ers. My first bands with Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Cramps were beyond freaky friendly, so, really,  being gay was actually a plus in those bands, I was practically a drag queen and they helped encourage it.  Funnily enough, the mainstream gay community never takes much notice of my music. I guess I am still an outsider.

5) I know you’re  DJing a bunch, you’ve got your band Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds and I hear you’re working on a book? Get people up to speed with what you have going on nowadays.

Currently I am concentrating on my band Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey  Birds and promoting our new album, Dracula Boots on In the Red Records. We have been enjoying touring in Europe and are planning USA dates in October. Keep an eye our for our myspace and blog for tour and DJing dates.

I’m also currently working on a memoir which is untitled and unfinished, but have been doing public readings and will be doing one in NYC on August 8 at Santo’s Party House. Here is the blurb for that:

August 8, 2009, Chronic Youth presents Heartworm Press #37 at Santos Party House in New York City. Featuring the first live performance by NON in many years, and the negative hiss and out-of-body-bliss of supporters Prurient and Cold Cave. What makes this event unique enough to merit a Heartworm catalog number is the fact that all of these death-cheaters and dangerous thinkers will be (somewhat) contained under one roof for the first time. In between the three acts there will be spoken word performances by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps, Gun Club, Bad Seeds), Chris Leo (The Van Pelt, The Lapse), Eric Paul (Chinese Stars, Arab On Radar) and renowned tattoo artist and underground journalist legend Jonathan Shaw- A man who seeps old New York. and was wolf enough to run with the likes of Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, the Manson Family and Charles Bukowski. This will be Shaw’s first reading in New York City.

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A big thanks to Kid Congo Powers! Those of you unfamiliar with the bands and albums mentioned should do yourselves a favor and track them down!

Adam Tensta is one of Sweden’s biggest Hip Hop stars who has been making waves internationally. He’s the subject of our latest 5 Questions and is also playing tonight in NYC at Webster Hall. Hopefully these will entice you enough to check him out!

5 Questions With Adam Tensta

1) Your name, Tensta, is the name of the project where you grew up. How big part does the projects and urban music coming from there play in Swedish street culture?

I wouldn’t necessarily say that coming from the projects is an essential part of the street culture in Sweden, but just as in the U.S. you have all facets of society represented in urban music. We do rep in some of it. Taking Tensta as my artist name, have definitely put us on the map. The fact that we are the underdogs, artists or all of us from the projects, I think represents an exotic element to the otherwise pretty homogeneous Sweden. We are the contrasts and you KNOW people can’t help but think that’s intriguing. Fashion, music, whatever, yes, we might not be the main influence, but we’re definitely there leavin’ our mark.

I remember this one time, when the booker refused to put my full name up on the posters for this one specific urban event, leaving out the part “Tensta” because he thought that it would attract the wrong type of clientele…

You do know that most of us living in the projects in Sweden are first- or second generation immigrants, right? Think color.

Around the world, people still expect a tall, blond dude when they hear a Swedish artist will perform at so and so.

2) We’ve heard that you’re interested in trends and fashion. What inspires your music and your style? And, how big is your imprint on Sweden, both style- and music-wise?

What inspires me as an artist are many of the same things that inspires me as a man, period. I don’t part one from the other, everything I see going on around me I try to put in my music and expressions, as unfiltered as possible. I actually was asked this very same question yesterday night by a kid who spotted me on my way home to Tensta. I told him that real life and the people in it inspire me, everything from sitting on the subway, just observing people from a distance to playing a football match on the PS3.

For me inspiration is a kaleidoscope, colors, forms and feelings that I try to put down on paper. Most of the time it’s unplanned and not so well thought through.

At first I didn’t think of myself as a trendsetter, but I’m slowly beginning to grasp the level of my influence on pop culture back home. My initial thought regarding my sound was that it was tailored for a very specific audience, but it ended up becoming so much broader than that. I got a kick when I heard that someone had said “I’m from Tensta. It’s A Tensta Thing” as a pickup line to a chick.

3) We understand that you’ve been around quite a bit this past year after a jam-packed Scandinavian tour last summer – Africa, California and now New York. How has that changed, inspired, improved you and your music?

As an artist I’ve grown. I have gained so much experience being in the public eye, from standing on stage basically every night for a year straight, to doing 10-15 interviews a week. I’m more honest, more direct, more confident. I think this even reflects in how I write my songs today. Now I know that people actually listen to what I have to say, I guess that the notion of that boosts me during my sessions.

As a man I’ve gained memories to last me a life time, I’ll never forget standing in front of an audience of 10.000+ people in Dakar, Senegal, or opening up for Jay-Z at the Globe Arena, the same arena I saw some of my favorite acts perform at when I was a kid

4) There’s an international version of your debut album – It’s A Tensta Thing – in the works. When will it be done and what we expect from that?

As of yet, I don’t have a deadline on the closure of the “album”, I don’t even know if I believe that the album concept is something I wanna do. Right now I’m just in the studio knocking out joints as often as I can, and scheming on how to really make an impact when we decide to go international. I can’t even begin to tell you what you can expect, cause I don’t even know yet. All I can say is that the sound is on fire and the lyrics reflects that kaleidoscope I mentioned earlier, it’ll definitely be material worth your time

5) You’ve said your lyrics are socially conscious. What are some of the things you rap about and how do you think New Yorkers can relate to that?

As I said before, I touch on subjects related to my reality. I call it like I see it, and I believe that honesty is a trait that’s instrumental in touching people past that first listen. If I manage to do so, I believe that you will understand that the struggle is the same all across the world. We all go through disappointment, injustice and heartbreak, so I would be surprised if you can’t relate to what I’m speaking on.

Arik Roper is probably one of the best illustrators alive today who when all is said and done, will be mentioned among the ranks of Riggs, Repka & Pushead. Over the course of this decade, Arik’s work has formed visual language of a new generation of Doom and Stoner Metal, a language as powerful and symbolic as the music itself.

About a year ago we got the chance to work with Arik for the first time which resulted in Summer in the Swamp Rot T-shirt from our Summer 09 collection. We have a few more things in the works with Arik but in the meantime you’ll just have to settle for these 5 questions with him!

5 Questions With Arik Roper

1) You’ve made a real name for yourself as this generations preeminent metal illustrator, defining a while generation of Stoner Metal art… Who/what were your inspirations growing up?

I was into underground comics mainly Vaughn Bode, Crumb, Dave Sim and others.  I also had a lot of Mad magazines from the 1960s when I was young , around 10 years old, so I got these doses of deviant art and inspiration from sources like those at an early age. Later when I started buying music I got into the album art especially the Iron Maiden covers. Those really blew me away, the detail and the way Derek Riggs created an entire world for the music. I bought a lot of  records back  then  just for the cover art, a lot of metal records, often the art was better than the music. I was also into the old  concert posters by Rick Griffin etc. Also, animated movies like Heavy Metal, Wizards, Fantastic Planet, The Wall all that stuff was formative.

2) You have an ongoing relationship with Matt Pike that spans from Sleep to his current outlet High on Fire. How did you two first meet and what lead to your continued collaborations? How do you feel knowing that your artwork is basically the visual identity of two of the most beloved Stoner Metal bands of all time?

Matt and met in 1994 at a Sleep show in New York when  they opened up for Hawkwind. We had some mutual friends in the band Buzzoven and I think I met him through those guys. We weren’t in touch during the next few years when Sleep was having music biz problems so I didn’t see him for a while. When Matt started High on Fire we somehow got back in contact as I started doing some art for them. It was a fairly natural connection we made since we have a mutual respect for each others craft, and share some similar interests.

In my opinion, Sleep was one of the best things that’s happened in modern music. Their aesthetic matched where I was at in a perfect way, same influences, same imagery, similar ideas , only they were doing it with sound and I was doing it with visual art. I felt like the art i did end  up doing for them was a result of basically  coming from the same head space. I can say more or less the same for High on Fire. Matt took that in another direction, but it was a natural progression which I related to. His sources of inspiration are pretty much on track with mine, so I think that’s why the art works with the music. Both bands are monumental, I’m glad we could work together.

3) What music are you listening to when you’re creating your pieces? Are you a fan of a lot of the bands you do work for or do your musical tastes lie elsewhere?

I like different kinds of music, as long as there’s feeling to it. I like most of the bands I’ve worked with, especially these days. I do listened to the material I’m working on during the art process for ideas, but I also listen to a range of other music. I’d say the majority of it was made before 1975. A lot of old psych rock stuff, drone noise, dub, folk, heavy stuff, etc.

4) Where you ever involved in making Music yourself or were you strictly a pencil and paper guy?

I play music also. I always thought I would have pursued the music path more if I hadn’t decided to focus on the visual art. since music is a big part of my soul. As it is, I do it as something I enjoy as opposed to professionally. I’ve played with a few bands, and projects the most ongoing is something called Matta Llama. Our disorganization has allowed us to keep playing together for years.

5) Acid, Shrooms or Mesc? What’s your trip of choice and why?

That really depends on what I’m going for. Acid goes well with music and art, and can lead to some real revelations. Mushrooms would probably be my choice, they’re smoother and more organic feeling, they put me in touch with the world, last just long enough and come down easy. I feel cleansed after mushrooms. But I would never turn down some real Mescaline… Got any?

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On that note don’t forget to check out Arik’s new book Mushroom Magick! A trippy and rich book of 100 paintings of your favorite fungus.

If you’re reading this, there is probably no need to introduce Diplo. I would call any Bloglin reader a straight-up liar if they told me they weren’t familiar with Diplo. As his collaborative project Major Lazer nears release, Diplo took time out to answer a few questions for us. Here’s what he had to say about lazers, dreadlocks & sissies…

5 Questions With Diplo

1) I’ll start this off with something major… What’s up with this Major Lazer jam? We know it’s you & Switch & a whole cast of characters (including Andy Milonakis) getting wild in the studio on some twerked out reggae shit, but can you drop a little knowledge about the project that all the blog nerds DON’T YET know about?

Its basically a reggae album that me and Switch had concieved from about a year and a half ago (I voiced the first track 2 years ago) and since then its finally came to be finished. As its two white producer doods… we created this hero – Major Lazer to be the artist and hes like a terminator soundboy vampire killer guy and it represents the whole immediate madness, ragga sound and crazy apocalyptic ragga we made for the album.

2) Mad Decent & Mishka have worked together on a variety of graphics and events, but it’s not well known that you and Greg knew each other in college. According to Greg, you rode to Philadelphia on a bus he chartered to protest the incarceration of Mumia Abu-Jamal, but ended up spending the day skating around Philly. What influenced your move to Philly & will you ever grow dreads again?

I’ve been trying to grow back my dread for the last 10 years but its hard to really go out and not get a few unkind words… back when me and Greg were tryin’ to free Mumia, I never thought I would end up takin’ Greg to eat cheesesteaks at the racist Pats king of steaks 10 yrs later.. but yes, Greg’s home “the hippy hole” was a good place to get alternative news about animal slaughters and make custom punk band buttons which I would wear proudly. I really can’t believe how much crew from Florida high school, middle school and college have gone on to do shit later. For me Philly was just mad cheap and i was attracted to its more challenging aspects; true it took time to really get any attention here but what we developed was very home grown.

3) Although a lot of fans may only know you as a DJ, you are involved with a wide range of projects. Grammy nominated producer, label owner, philanthropist… you’re definitely not just playing parties. Can you offer a little insight to the future of Mad Decent, as well as what direction you see yourself going as an artist?

Well as a label, I hope that people like the progressive stuff we put out.. from Bonde do Rolê to MIA and Santigold mixtapes… to bands like POPO and a dubstep full length from Rusko. We definitely are tying to do things other people arent up to do and we do it pretty good. We hope that its more than just the music and parties culture ’cause we represent a punk aesthetic as far as a do-it-yourself attitude and saying that nothing is off limits to try. The only common thread is that everyone is excited about music 100 percent in the bulding. On the philanthropy side, yes, I think that doing something beyond music is important too, like what we do for Heaps Decent. Our first one in Australia, which consists of workshops for aboriginal children all the way up to collabs in London and Rio with Red Bull to reach out to kids and music is important, and it makes websites like Hipster Runoff and Pitchfork have a harder time making fun of me and my label.

4) Anyone that follows you on Twitter or keeps up with the Mad Decent blog knows that you are constantly touring & traveling the world. Do you have any particular stories from the road that stand out as more than memorable (some real preview of the Matrix 12 shit)?

I’m in New Orleans right now filmin’ a pilot for TV about traveling and music. We spent a day with sissy bounce rappers, Sissy Nobby and Big Fredia, and this is really whats poppin’ in New Orleans’ music. You really cant have a party here in the city without one of these girls (gay men bounce rappers) hosting. It just doesn’t pop-off. Its kinda mad… This is what I did yesterday. Now I’m on the way to ATl to play with my girl Muffy (a new rapper on Bangladesh music label) so everyday is something more mad that we are trying to give some light to at Mad Decent. I can write for days on weird shit. Thats why I got Twitter in the first place.

 

5) You’ve been working with Lil’ Jon lately, and Mad Decent is promoting Rusko as he tours the U.S. What impact do you see dubstep having in regards to U.S. hip-hop in the upcoming years? Will UK producers begin to make waves in the commercial rap scene or will American producers simply interpolate the dubstep sound into their own style?

I doubt about UK rappers ’cause it just doesn’t work that way, but with Rusko… like we are workin’ on getting Gucci Mane to finish voicing a beat for him and getting Lil’ Jon to do dubstep, someone established to really take a chance. Thats what works and thats where we are at in music right now. Kids really need to have something that stands out to get attention, even if you’re a superstar. Everything has been done to pieces in hip-hop and thats when people call us up. Even as dubstep is gonna be a blanket term that groups a lot of sounds and kids together, we promote Rusko… as well as Benga and Skream because for us they are bigger than dubstep. They are gonna be around for a long time to come making music that is BIG and more importantly having ideas that change the game.

I’m sure you’ve all heard his name mentioned about a million times on this blog and our website. Lamour Supreme is an illustrator, sculptor, toy customizer, track bike rider, and just all-around awesome dude to know. We’re truly honored and blessed that his gifted head & hands are executing so many of our twisted ideas. Now we’d like all of YOU to get to know Lamour a bit better and so we present…

5 Questions With Lamour Supreme

1) Give the people some history about you… you know why the hell your name is L’Amour Supreme and how you got started drawing & sculpting.

The name Lamour Supreme came about from me being such a big fan of Coltrane and his album, A Love Supreme. Supposedly he had this spiritual awakening while recording it. Not in the traditional Christian or Islamic sense, but more of an overall revelation of the connectedness of all beings. I definitely feel that listening to his music and that’s something I wanted people to feel when they view my art. I just added a Francophile spin to it.

As far as the history of Lamour Supreme as an artist… Well I got started in the arts pretty early on but got my first taste of exposure when I was 16. I had sent in a letter to Thrasher Magazine with a zombie Batman on the envelope hoping that it would get published. Out of the blue, I got an envelope back from Pushead.  He was doing a column in Thrasher at the time called Puszone and basically said he wanted to feature my art in Puszone. That blew my mind as a kid because Pushead was already a legend back then. So I did two drawings for him. One of a zombie Batman swinging from a rope doing a judo air which he published right away, and a second drawing of a zombie Batman & Robin which he published at a later date. I’m still trying to get a hold of those issues as I lost my originals from ’86-’87.

In the late 80′s I started airbrushing tees and denim jackets at the now gone UNIQUE clothing warehouse (Broadway off of Astor Place) to put myself through college. I think I learned more there than I did going to SVA. We had a good tight-knit crew of artists that would always hang out after work, kind of similar to how you guys are over at Mishka. So all those things coupled with my graffiti days of growing up in the Bronx gave me a pretty solid art foundation.

I remember that through Unique, I got hooked up with a band called Low Meato. I believe they described their music as “Cock Rock”. Their logo was a dick with balls wearing an MC jacket playing a guitar. Oh, the stories and fun times with them.

2) So most people don’t realize that you used to illustrate Zen The Intergalactic Ninja. First of all, explain to everyone under 25 who the hell Zen, and how you got to be involved with a character who in the early 90s could have been (but ultimately wasn’t) the next Ninja Turtles.

Zen The Intergalactic Ninja was basically an alien ninja mercenary comic character from the early 90s. He was also my only real taste of the Comic industry. When I was of 22, I had a job airbrushing at the Green Acres Mall. One day Zen co-creator Steve Stern stumbles upon me and asks me to airbrush Zen for him. Being a comic book nerd back then, I knew full well who Zen was and told him that not only could I airbrush Zen, but that I could illustrate the comic as well! Well he took me up on my offer and I started drawing Zen. Although their page rate wasn’t that much, Steve Stern and Dan Cote were great to work with and basically gave me all artistic freedom to pencil and ink the book in pretty much anyway I saw fit.

At the time, Image was just getting started and my drawing style was really influenced by McFarlane, Lee, Silvestri, Liefeld, all the usual suspects. I was also heavily influenced by Manga which I liked to throw into the mix. Remember that this is the early 90s, so the Manga thing wasn’t a household name in the West. Me using it really gave the book a unique feel which everyone seemed to like.

At that time Zen was bought by Surge Entertainment which is the huge licensing giant that took Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles from an obscure black and white indie book to the multimillion dollar  property it became. Zen was supposed to be the encore performance for them that never really happened. Aside from some Action figures and a Nintendo game, Zen mostly was relegated to small licensing properties here and there. Zen just never rose beyond being a cult indie comic character. I haven’t worked on Zen since ’95 but Heavy Metal magazine just recently published a Zen story I did back then. Kind of ironic how Heavy Metal is currently owned by Kevin Eastman.

I can’t say I ever regretted working on Zen or comics in general because of how much fun it was, but I can’t see how people would still want  to be a comic book artist with pay rates these days. I rarely read any new books but I still love the older stuff from the 70-80s. To me, that was the pinnacle of comic books before the crash of the 90s. After my stint in comics I went on to doing architectural design, which I still do.

3) How did you get from doing Comics to Streetwear and toys!? And how did you build up this impressive army of fanboys? Since opening, we’ve had multiple people come by our shop with “gifts” they’d like us to give you.

When I took on the name Lamour Supreme back in 2004,  I had all this inspiration to create art but no solid idea of what I wanted to do nor the audience I wanted to do it for. That was around the time of the vinyl toy explosion in the U.S. which was open and receptive to new blood. However I, nor my work, ever really clicked with the Western toy scene that was sprouting up and I sort of found my niche with Japanese Kaiju vinyl.  Super7 was among those at the forefront of bringing Eastern vinyl out West. I practically lived on their messageboard, Skullbrain. Through Skullbrain I was introduced to the likes of RealxHead, Gargamel, Secret Base and Bounty Hunter whose toys were not only rad, but great inspiration. It’s like the toys you couldn’t buy as a kid so you drew them.

After a while I started posting my artwork on Skullbrain and all of the toy collectors were really receptive to it! So I started trading my artwork for toys. The forum was very international so I was meeting some really cool people all across the globe. And they would tell their friends about my work, and so on and so on. Not only did it spread my work but I made some really amazing friends because of it. It’s funny one of your employees bought one of my paintings before I even knew who you guys were. Shout out to Henrik, Skinny Digital!

The Streetwear aspect is something really accidental but very similar. I discovered Mishka through an old client (for architectural design) of mine who used to print your tees. I loved the art and themes you guys were working with as it reminded me a lot of the Japanese Kaiju I was inspired by. This is where John Prolly comes into the picture. He was one of my Flickr contacts who also knew you guys and thought my art would be a perfect fit. This was around the time he first started designing your retail space. He introduced us at your old closet of an office and we all had so much in common that we just clicked!

4) You’re having a pretty busy year with toys. You’ve conceptualized our Mishka x Cure Boogieman, our Mishka Bootleg Kaiju and then of course the Super7 Mongolion (releasing on Friday 4/10 at our shop). What was the process in developing the three and what’s next for you?

So far, ’09 has been a very good year. I always knew it would be though. I’m one of those weird people that believe in the significance of numbers.  I just read the Format interview with Joseph JK5 where he mentions how he got the name JK5 and it’s significance. If I had to add a number to the end of my name, it would be nine. Nine is the symbolic reference to maturation and completion. The last single digit number before the numbers start repeating. Nine months that a fetus grows in the mother’s belly. Nine planets in our solar system, etc, etc…  Oh shit, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, toys!  So the three toys that dropped this year were all very different from each other from concept to finish.

The Mongolion was probably the longest in the making, but the conceptualizing of it was pretty easy for me. The figure  was produced by Super 7 for the Snakes of Infinity Line. The sculpting took forever but knowing that legendary sculpter, Cosmo Liquid was going to be doing it was worth the wait. He sculpted that Kaws x Pushead figure as well as a ton of other toys. So the Mongolion is finally being released almost 2 years since Brian Flynn of Super 7 first asked me to design it.  WoooHOOOO!

The Cure X Mishka Boogieman collab was another project that was a lot of fun because you guys gave me free reign for concepts to throw at Tossy (Cure).  By the time we got together to do this, I had more experience when it came to figure design and knew what you could and couldn’t do and so I designed accordingly. Tossy and crew killed it with perfect execution on the sculpt. Tossy also ended up pulling elements from a variety of our concepts that didn’t originally go together which gave the Boogieman a whole unexpected and interesting dimension from what we first were thinking.

The Bootleg Kaiju was probably the fastest and most fun of the three. You guys needed something sculpted on the fly, like within two days of leaving for Asia. I whipped up the figure’s actual sculpt in two days so that you had something to show Eddy from Adfunture. I had full control with that figure from start to finish which was great because there was no way for me to even explain what I was thinking of doing. What eventually came out of me was everything we had bounced back and forth between one another when we first sat down to discuss doing it. I remember seeing the wax molds and thinking that we were on to something pretty exciting!

As far as my next toy project… well WE have some exciting projects we’re currently working on that are going to be great. Hopefully I’ll get another solo shot at producing a figure as well!

On the streetwear tip, I’ve got some sick designs I’m producing for you guys and then a collaboration I did with Nike SB that should be out later in the year.

5) You’ve seen and been part of so many different burgeoning scenes in NYC that it’s astounding. You have hindsight enough to anticipate what’s next in store. So where are we today and where is this current crop of “counter culture” headed?

Dude, you make me sound like I’m  old like the Rolling Stones or something! I’m really not that old but I have seen a lot of music scenes starting and evolving here in NYC. From Hip-Hop to Hardcore, Thrash to House and Jungle all the way to what’s happening now. Damn, I am old.

I can’t say my hindsight can predict the future but I can say that if you’re having fun, creating what makes you happy and are an active participant in furthering any cultural movement, then you’re sure to succeed. Make what you’d like to see made, do it passionately and people will connect with it. Besides, it all ends up in the toilet anyway.

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Hope to see you all tomorrow at The Mongolion release at our shop at 7pm!

Мишка
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Many of our shop visitors have commented on and/or inquired about our chandelier, an aquatic beast of a light fixture meant to symbolize Cthulu. (I don’t think a day goes by without someone asking about it.) Well, that chandelier was designed by a very talented artist by the name of Adam Wallacavage. Besides his masterful chandeliers, he’s also an accomplished photographer, known for his dynamic color & style. After getting his career off the ground by shooting for Transworld, Thrasher, and a host of other skateboarding magazines, Adam began to receive attention outside the skate community, which has lead to him documenting  and working with countless bands, artists, and art/music movements over the course of his career.

5 Questions with Adam Wallacavage

1) Chandeliers aren’t your only medium, you’re also a photographer whose work is constantly in magazines. How did you get your start and what were the things that got you noticed as a photographer?

I got into photography after I started doing skate zines in the mid 80′s, hanging out on the Wildwood NJ boardwalk. I became obsessed with it quite quickly and it led to working in a one hour photo lab and working for Thrasher magazine. I was inspired by the quirkiness of the skateboarders I hung out with, and basically shot photos that were slightly weird in some aspect. Skate photography by it’s nature is documentary photography, for the most part. I always strive to make it a bit surreal so I suppose that is where my style came from. I got noticed as a photographer because of my funny last name.

2) You’ve shot a wide range of bands and artists. What is THE story you have from all of these shoots… you know, the one you tell at parties about how crazy it was shooting so & so?

Some of the craziest stuff I’ve seen was from being around Bam Margera back in the day. You never knew what was going to happen next, from blowing up cars with dynamite with Turbonegro, to Bam and his friends jumping cars over the garage with a 15 foot jump ramp. The best stuff he did wasn’t done for TV, it was done just for the hell of it. One of my favorite shots is Ryan Dunn jumping off the balcony at the Trocadero theater in Philadelphia. Bam called me 30 minutes before it happened and I was in the suburbs. Somehow I got to the city, found parking, and ran upstairs after  getting into a soldout CKY show with a camera bag and no hassles, and literally pulled my camera out of the bag as Ryan jumped. I don’t even remember looking through the view finder.

3) How did you cultivate your relationship with Gwar? I know you worked on album art for them, but were you ever involved with their costumes or any other visual/creative aspect of their identity?

I met GWAR with Metal Mulisha during the time Ryan Deegan almost died after backflipping over the band on a motorcycle. I became friends with the slave pit guys, mainly over my curiosity about mold-making since I make the chandeliers. They liked my photos so I started shooting for them down in Richmond. I was just there last week working on the new cover to their 25th anniversary album. They invited me to photograph them live on stage, but I would have to dress up like a gimp and shoot with a water proof camera.

4) Ok, so photos and chandeliers… odd mix. Is there any relationship for you between the two mediums? And more importantly, why octopi & other tentacled creatures? And why the recent shift to include snakes and Medusa?

I got into the chandeliers through fixing my house up, basically dressing it up to be an elaborate set for my photography. One thing led to another, and now I make a living with the chandeliers. The octopus is because of my 20,000 leagues under the sea dining room and because it is a fun form to make. My friend, artist Jodi Rice, came up with the Medusa, and she sculpted the snakes and we cast her face for it. It’s a fun one. I’m not sure what I’m making in the future, just waiting for the inspiration to strike.

5) Much like us, you have a fascination with masks, bootleg toys, novelties, and just about anything that could be viewed as a “low-brow” collectible. Have you always been fascinated with this variety of eclectic stuff, and how does it fuel your own creativity?

I believe it comes from hanging out on the Wildwood Boardwalk in NJ. That was a wonderful place to grow up. I personally love things that have no real ties to what it is or where it came from. I like mysterious things over common, safe things, I suppose. I tend to gravitate towards things and ideas that have endless possibilities and leave room for imagination and creativity.

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For more on Adam, be sure to check out his fantastic book, his blog Monster Size Monsters, or his page at the Jonathan Levine Gallery website.

Photograph by Lee Allen

Toronto’s Fucked Up not only make some of the best Hardcore music in over a decade, they transcend the genre while trumpeting its edicts. 2008′s The Chemistry of Common Life wasn’t just the best Hardcore record of that year, but easily one of the best records period of the year.

Our pal, Fucked Up frontman Damian Ford (a.k.a. Pink Eyes), was more than gracious to take some time from touring Asia for the first time to be part of this installment of 5 Questions! As always, it’s great talking with the outspoken Damian, because as you’ll soon notice, he’s not only one of the most interesting people you could ever meet, but one of the most genuine.

1) So you obviously didn’t major in Rock ‘n  Roll in college. I always found it interesting (though not surprising) that you were a Gender Studies major while in school. Has anything you learned or studied as a Gender Studies major found its way into the challenges involved with not only managing but being the frontman of a Hardcore band?

I think Women Studies really changed my outlook on all of life, and certainly band stuff. I had always thought of myself as a leftist that knew it all; but at the same time, I was really resistant to the idea that certain elements of our world are not natural but are constructs that are directly tied to conditions of power. I think, after being exposed to certain writings and certain professors, I was forced to examine why I felt the way I did. I was afraid to admit that my liberal world outlook still had me maintaining these systems of power and I was nowhere near as open minded as I had held myself up to be. And this wasn’t just issues of gender but issues of race, sexuality, class, etc. I think Women Studies allowed me to change the way I thought, so lyrics, the way I try to interact with people, also all changed. I started to admit my own short comings.

2) What/Who is “selling out” has always been a point of contention in all counter-culture movements. I’m sure you’re faced with similar problems as we are… getting your work the exposure you feel it deserves and into the hands of as many people who would appreciate it, without alienating your original supporters. How do you cope or juggle with it? Are you ever concerned that the next move you guys make as a band may be the one to really put a wedge between you and the people who got you to where you are? Or is this something that you never think about at all?

Oh, I think about it.  From day one, I never thought of this band as being anything more than a distraction from real life. I never thought it would change the world and I certainly knew that it would never get popular, so it has always been about doing as many things as possible with it to make my life more interesting. The TV appearances and other gimmicky stuff that we’ve done has never been about exposing our music to more people or trying to gain more popularity, it has been done simply because it is weird and funny. The vast majority of people watching Fox News or MTV are into shit like ringtone rap or Toby Keith or both. They certainly aren’t going to be into a fat dude screaming over punk-shoegaze-faux-psyche-hardcore songs. The same goes for the music we write. I think people honestly think that we are sitting, trying to write a “hit”, but all we are really doing is writing stuff that we find interesting and, 8 years into this band, trying to write the same song over and over again wouldn’t be that. But both of these things get us accused of being sellouts. Which is fine, people can feel that way if they want.

To me, selling-out is when you try and alter what you are doing to find a way to make other people happy. All the stuff we do is still fine by my sell-out standard. I think if I started to worry about keeping other people happy that would really be the sell-out. But by the same token, it is really weird to have this thing become the way I’m making a living. It has changed the way we approach things like touring. Before it didn’t matter what we did because this wasn’t real money, so gaining or losing it was the same thing. Now if we lose money, I can’t pay rent or my kid won’t eat. So, maybe we did sell-out when we went fulltime, because that is really the only thing that has altered the original goals.

3) Name a band or artist that you absolutely loathe and tell us why. And don’t give me an easy name that people will expect from you. And while you’re at it, name a guilty pleasure people would be surprised to know you love.

I had to really think about this and I don’t really think I can pick a band. It sounds bullshit but I look at stuff as being more just not my thing. I hate fans of bands and scenes more than any band. Stuff like fans of Springsteen-Punk, Twee-Pop revival, Celtic Rock all drive me more nuts then any of the bands in the genres do. I think it is the fact that people think the stuff they like matters and the reality is it doesn’t. All that being said, I saw Animal Collective last year and I threw-up a bit in my mouth. The dude was rocking a bucket hat and sandals but even then it was more the people watching it; they seemed totally oblivious to the fact that they are like Neo-Phish fans. I really hate that band Protest The Hero though. Their music is like a headache but I guess that is an easy one.

I have no real guilty pleasures. The rest of the band is mortified that I still listen to all the same pop punk I grew up on. I still love AFI, NOFX, Five Knuckle Chuckle, etc.

4) You’re known for getting near naked or completely naked during your live sets… is it a purely confrontational aspect of the performance or are you making a statement?

I think it is more of a comfort thing. I take off my shirt because I get hot. I’m 300 pounds and when I’m moving around under those lights I get heated like a motherfucker. For years I was ashamed of my body: like I would leave my shirt on during sex ashamed. But at one show in Texas, I got so hot that I couldn’t bear it and I took off my shirt. After the show, a friend of mine (who is a “bear” ) told me how great I looked without my shirt and that was all the push I needed. I guess now there is an element of statement to it, like: be proud of who you are no matter what you look like, but that was secondary.  The moons and “mangina” stuff is a part of performance. Shoving my balls between my legs is not comfortable in the least.

5) Where do you see the music industry in 5 years? You’re clearly way into uncharted waters because of the internet and file transferring. Can bands/labels still put out albums in the same way they used to and hope for financial security from them? Do they go back to mostly releasing singles? Or does the album now become a promotional tool for tours, merchandising and licensing opportunities?

I have no idea. I mean the vinyl comeback we are in now is just a trend but I think there is a core that will always support bands by buying music. If you look at mainstream music most of the focus has turned to writing ringtones, jingles, etc. so it is obvious which way the wind is blowing there. I hope it levels out for the selfish reason that I love to go to record stores, and if they go away, where will I hang out?

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If you’ve never seen Fucked Up live, do yourself a favor and do everything in your power to make it their next show in your area. Trust me, it’ll be an experience you’ll likely not soon forget! Check out The Chemistry of Common Life, out now on Matador Records.

P.S. Damian, you’re always welcome to hang out in our shop.