Sunday , June 13, 2010
the nogoodforme.com Interview: Shock Cinema
Essentially Shock Cinema came to Brooklyn via Atlanta, but with their stylish, dark, unapologetically arty sound, the band fits right into their adopted hometown's gritty yet sleek milieu. From the immaculate production of their records to the tautness of their songwriting, their brand of noise is supremely poised and even a bit mysterious, but this never gets in the way of tantalizing pop hooks or real human emotion. While I wouldn't call them raw (in the sense of wailing-shards-of-brutal-noise-and-agonized-screaming raw), there's certainly a controlled ferocity behind some of their songs, especially on a track like "Wax Wings," off of their excellent debut full-length release, Hell and High Water, which came out earlier this summer on Kanine Records. In a town where half the bands are more concerned with perfecting their look than writing a masterful song, Shock Cinema's sense of craft stand out. (Although, don't get me wrong, they're certainly quite stylish -- they thankfully sound as good as they look.) It's this care and precision that seems to be emerging from their earlier, rougher sound, making them more cinematic and expansive. I caught them earlier this summer at a show at The Annex in Manhattan, and even with some fairly dodgy sound and live mixing at some points, the strength of their musicianship still came through loud and clear: stellar guitarwork (care of Autry Fulbright) that's equal parts New Wave, Krautrock and straight-up rock, along with stately, intriguing vocals courtesy of singer Destiny Montague. Shock Cinema are playing a few shows in NYC in the next few weeks, including one this Friday at the former Club Midway space in Manhattan (now called Rehab) and next Monday at Santos Party House with ...Trail of Dead. They put on a great, energetic live show, and they're super-cute as well -- don't miss them! And they were sweet enough to answer our usual cheeky mix of questions.
Tell us a little bit about Shock Cinema: who does what, how did you guys get together?
Destiny: All four of the members are multi-instrumentalists but primary duties are:
Autry - guitar, effects
Destiny - vox, keys
Miyuki - bass, effects
Paul - drums
We're also joined for many shows by Conrad Keely on piano.
Autry and I met in Atlanta where we both lived, and formed an early version of the band. We met Miyuki when he was on tour with his former band, The Rogers Sisters. When we decided to get serious about the band, we asked Miyuki to join. Shortly after this, we moved to New York and we started writing songs and making recordings together.
How did you come up with the name of your band?
Autry: I thought of the name way before the band came along, it seemed to fit eventually with the aesthetic of the band. Also, a lot of our shows had early projections of actual shock cinema films.
What were your first experiences in making music?
Destiny: I remember having this miniature acoustic guitar when I was a kid, which I never knew how to tune.
Autry: I was raised a Jehovah's Witness, and one day when I was going from door to door in LA preaching to people with my mom when I was 2, some guy asked me what kind of music I listened to. I said "Rock and Roll" and started singing "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen.
You guys are based out of Brooklyn now but originally came from Atlanta. How do you think the change in location affects your music? What are some local bands that you're into (either place)?
In Brooklyn we can record with a lot of our friends and it's more spontaneous since people are around and can pop in and out of the studio. But now we do most of our recording in San Francisco with (The Fucking Champs guitarist) Tim Green.
Destiny: In Atlanta: Supreeme Supreeme. In Brooklyn: Gang Gang Dance, Apes and Androids
Autry: In ATL: SIDS, Snowden, Zano. In NY: Telepathe, Callers
We're all fans of Ghostface Killah, Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear.
What music have you been listening to recently? And what are some of your all-time music favorites?
Destiny: Recently: Steely Dan, Orion Rigel Dommisse. All-time: Kate Bush, Moody Blues (acid era), Serge Gainsbourg, Tom Waits, Portishead, Mars Volta, Spacemen 3.
We've all been listening to Fleet Foxes, Fleetwood Mac, and some other Fleet related band.
Who is your all-time number one music crush?
Destiny: David Bowie
Name a record that you loved as a little kid that you still love today.
Destiny: Queen, A Kind of Magic
Autry: X, Los Angeles
What do you like to wear onstage?
Destiny: I've been known to wear headdresses and masks. Paint across my face is pretty much a constant, even when not on stage - somehow it feels like that's more me than my face without it.
Name one item you always take on tour with you.
Destiny: iPod!
Autry: Reading material .
What's the craziest/weirdest/most random show you've ever played?
That weird show in South Carolina, or that other show where half the band quit.
If you could choose any locale in the world to play a show, where would you play?
Destiny: I want to be the first band to play in space. I can settle for on board a blimp, though.
Autry: Underwater
What music do you like to get ready to go out to?
Destiny: Depends on what kind of night, but usually unapologetic dance music - mashups, and remixes.
Autry: Ghostface
Favorite makeout music?
Destiny: Probably something drone-y like Spacemen 3 or Dead Meadow
Do you have any favorite designers, or any particular people whose style you admire?
Destiny: Bernard Willhelm, Comme des Garcons, Proenza Schouler, Henrik Vibskov, Erica Weiner jewelry, and the Cavern Collection are some of my faves.
Autry: Death Traitors
What's been your favorite outfit of yours lately?
Destiny: Skinny jeans with a loose fitting black shirt with net detail on the sleeves and pockets. Usually accompanied by necklaces and chains - lots of them. Mister T would be proud.
Autry: My 666 shirt. I wear it every day.
What are your favorite music venues (around town or in the whole wide world)? Any other local spots -- restaurants, bars, stores, etc. -- that you're into?
Destiny: Zebulon, in Williamsburg, is one of the last beacons of hope, and somewhere I always feel completely comfortable.
Autry: Zebulon.
What are some of your all-time favorite books and movies? And how do these influence your music?
Destiny: Books: Watership Down, Dune, Rudyard Kipling's Just-So Stories, Choose-your-own-adventure books. Films: David Lynch films, & Labyrinth. I think I was always attracted to the strange, the fantastical, and dreamscapes - I somehow never fully got my head out of the clouds as I grew older and translated this escapism into what I create.
Autry: Books and film influence our music more than other music does. Hitchcock, Lynch, The Illuminatus Trilogy, Divine Comedy.
What advice would you give to upcoming bands?
Don't be in a band.
What upcoming projects are in store for Shock Cinema?
We're almost done with the writing part of our E.P., entitled Animal Familiar (weird you asked abut our spirit animals!) We've got some B-sides, and a 7-inch we're thinking about titling Cult Classics, which will include Charles Manson and People's Temple covers.
What's your spirit animal?
Destiny: It's ever changing - sometimes fox, owl, moth, and I have recently been followed by dragonflies.
Autry: The spirit animal of the band is the Hydra. Mine is the deer.
Tags: Brooklyn bands, music, Shock Cinema
Share | 
| 
| 
|
|
Posted by Kat in Interviews |
Permalink |
Leave a comment |
+ Contact Us
+ HOME
Say something so insightful and witty, it will blow us away. (No pressure.)
Got something to say? We'd love to hear it! Name, email and "type in the weirdo drunken text" thingie are all required to comment; don't worry, we won't email you or anything, we just want to make sure you're not an evil spambot. Keeping in mind the good-times mentality we like to keep going here, we've worked hard to keep NOGOODFORME.COM as fun as possible. We welcome all kinds of comments, but insults/abuse/general bitchery are not tolerated. In other words, we put the smackdown on evil troll posts. If you want to be a hater, please go elsewhere. Now, as Salt 'N Pepa say, "Only the sexy people..."