Zack Stokes interview

Hello Zack welcome to Spazz magazine

So first off,A huge congrats on your song being played on KEXP!(local radio station in Seattle)


Which song was it,and what can you tell readers about it?

A. That song is called "TPFY". It's a song I wrote which was inspired by a combination of the future mayor of Bridge City and Fark. com.


How long have you been writing?

A. I've been writing songs since I was 13 or so... for about 15 years.


Who are you huge influences and why?

A.
Wow... so many to choose from! Zeppelin, Sabbath, The Jesus Lizard,
MIA, Killing Joke, Peter Gabriel, The Beatles, Queen, Dave Grohl,
Botch, Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Soundgarden, Bowie, ZZ Top, Ken
Andrews and oh so many more... When it comes down to brass tax... I'm a
huge Sonic Youth fan... they've always been so far ahead of the
curve... I love Elliott Smith, the Sixth Beatle... Billy Preston was
the Fifth... anyways, Elliott's songwriting is pretty much rivaled by
no other in my book. I also really love Built to Spill... the guitar
work is so tasty! I've had the pleasure of meeting Doug Martsch and got
to briefly chat with Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and
all three were such nice guys! It's such a humbling moment to meet an
influential person in your life... and when they show you that they're
just people too, it shows you that successful people aren't always
douchebags or too cool for the common people. Hooray!


So whats up with performing in spacesuits?

A.
Ha! Glad you noticed the wardrobe! I've got my good friend Matthew
O'Brien to thank for all the great jumpsuits and other such attire. He
picked out my red IndyCar jumpsuit and gold suit! I love dressing
differently for shows... just as there's something to be said for
playing in many styles there is to be said for dressing in many styles.
Sometimes it's a space suit or my favorite t-shirt and or anything in
between!


Where do you shop for such things?

A. I go to Matthew's Ebay store "Ave Vintage".


Tell me a bit about your musical history

Do you have a full length available or an EP?

A. Right now I've got the Faux Foe EP available. Anyone who wants a copy should get in touch with me vis a vis Myspace (myspace. com/faux11foe)
and I'll glady make a copy of it. For the best price ever! Free! I'm
also planning on getting back in the studio to record more in early
spring for a local comp and I'll hopefully be getting to record new
songs for another EP.


How would you describe your "sound"

A.
I'm all over the place. My core is straight up rock, but I like to dig
in to punk, blues, metal, acoustic, psych, noise... I like to keep my
stylings expanding. I get new ideas all the time.


Any weird fan stories?

A.
I'm not sure I would consider this person a fan... maybe she became a
fan after the show... anyhow, she told me that I had a Robin Zander
(Cheap Trick) 'thing' going on... then she proceeded to tell me that
she'd carved his initials on her ankle! Interesting, eh?


Do you have any rituals you do before a show?

A. I don't have any specific rituals right now. Sometimes I do vocal exercises.


SO are you a solo artist or a full band?

A.
I am solo. I write, track and play all the instruments on the
recordings but I have friends back me up when they can... They're the
Scholarly Gentlemen. Right now, mi amigo Jared Groom plays guitar with
me when I perform live and he's a great cohort! He's been through three
incarnations of the Scholarly Gentlemen with me. I also rely on loop
pedals and samples for drums and I pre-record the bass. In my
experience, the loop pedals never drink too much or talk back! It's
really hard finding reliable band members. It's also hard finding band
members who are 'actually' ok with playing parts that have been written
for them to play vs. making up their own parts. C'est la vie... I'll
find the right group eventually, because, honestly I'd rather play with
a live band.


What are a few lines from a song your really proud of? share them!

A.
"and though such essence ran amuck, our grace will idle in the sun,
before it falls away..." From a song I wrote called "Cuatros Caballos".


What are your goals musically for 2009?

A.
My musical goals for 2009 hmmm... I did well last year setting
realistic goals. I've already reached one by getting played on KEXP!
I'm hoping to keep radio play a consistent thing in 09... once I've had
it I'm hoping it will stick. Honestly, I really just want to get out
there and play one great show every month of the year... or as many
great shows get thrown my way! I also am striving to write and record
something better than I've already done and get it pressed and packaged
neatly... the whole nine yards. Anything else on top of those goals is
just icing on the cake!


Dream venue to play and person to play with?

A.
I would love to play Coachella and have an extended jam with Sonic
Youth... just go fucking crazy on a song like "Against Fascism". That
would be so rich!


In your words what is the hardest part of this business?

A.
I'd say the hardest part is finding great band mates. Whether or not
I'm doing all the writing and recording... there's a special kinship
that evolves from having a good and fun relationship with the people
you play music with.


So the spacesuits(I must go back to that subject) Are they going to be a regular thing with your shows?

A. The spacesuits will continually make appearances as well as the suits... I want to keep finding more fun costumes for sure!


Do you think you make a fun front man?

A.
I think I do make a fun front man! I crack jokes, I like talking to the
crowd... I bang my head and freak out... I like being up on stage in
general... It's a fun way to connect with people.


Who are your "front man" influences?

A. I've always liked Bowie, Robert Plant, Freddy Mercury, Thurston Moore.... yet again... so many to choose from!


What are some musical genres you wish would go away right now?

A.
I wish most of what is mainstream to go away. Liberate the artists.
Bring 'real' rock and roll and 'real' music to the forefront of our
culture. But, then again... how would we recognize the good without the
bad.


Ever been compared to anyone?

A. Robin Zander,
by the initials lady. I'm sure there have been other comparisons but
right now all I can remember is the Zander one!


You are on the soapbox,anything you wish to say to Glam Trash readers?

A. Live your life the way you want to, be kind to others... and if you get the chance... listen to Bill Hicks!


Thanks SO much for your time Zack

Thank you Kim :)


Interview by Kim Acrylic 2009

Ken Stringfellow(the Posies) interview

Ken Stringfellow interview
Interviewed by Kim Acrylic

Kim Acrylic: Hello Ken Nice to chat!

Hi there! Thanks for tracking me down. Not everyone makes the effort!

Kim Acrylic: :So most people would know you for being in the Seattle band "the Posies"
can you tell us a bit about that experience?

Well, we have been playing for 21 years now--most of my life. In fact, Jon Auer & I started playing together in 1982, so my bio and the story of the Posies are pretty much the same thickness. For a band that was making incredibly unfashionable music, and dressed very uncool and were pretty much products of small town America, we had some incredible opportunities, and used those to grow into what I feel is a very accomplished group, in a few short years (but they felt long at the time!). We grew a very decent following around North America, Europe, Japan, Australia...and delivered a really powerful show. And, as nerdy as we might have been at the start, we actually have very little about us that's cringe-worthy after about 1990. I think the experience of that band runs two-fold as for what I gained from it the most: I was able to travel and discover the world via touring with the Posies; and I learned a hell of a lot about human relations by working with the same cohort for some 27 years...to say the least!

Kim Acrylic: When did the Posies form and then when did they call it quits?

Well, as I mentioned I started playing with Jon in the early 80s, in little bands in Bellingham when we were in jr. high and high school...but in 1987, when I was going to University in Seattle and Jon was in his last year of high school, we sort of shed
all of the people we had been playing with took a serious turn at writing memorable, melodic songs. In the summer of 87 we started to record what would be our first album, 'Failure', in Jon's home studio. In 1988 we released the album and put together a live band and started playing shows. Ten years later, after 5 albums and almost a thousand shows around the world, we were burnt out and not getting along. We parted ways, which felt severe at the time but turned out to be short lived. In fact, in 2000 we did a tour as an acoustic duo and put a new
live band together in 2001. Eventually we released a sixth album, 'Every Kind of Light' (2005) and toured like mad for it. We still play shows now and then, quite a bit last year for our 20th anniv. and hope to make another album at some point.

Kim Acrylic: You went solo,How was that after being with a band for so long?

Well, I did many thing in parallel. I released my first solo album, 'This Sounds Like Goodbye' in 1997, but the Posies were still carrying on to some degree. I started playing with other
bands--Lagwagon, R.E.M., and made solo albums here and there. My last full length album, 'Soft Commands' came out in 2004. I'm still touring for it! But, I felt like I only really got really good at being a pure solo performer, i.e., no band with me onstage, about 3 years ago. I played a lot of solo shows where I felt disappointed and unfulfilled, it's really, really difficult to hold an audience's attention in that situation. But, know, I have, after doing this hundreds of time, gotten pretty good at it, and my solo shows in recent years have been really, really intense and cool.

Kim Acrylic: You were also in R.E.M what was working with such amazing musicians like?

It was a great experience--R.E.M.'s working methods in the studio introduced to me a level of confident spontanaeity that forever changed the way I work in the studio--i was blown away by how UN-meticulous, even unprepared R.E.M. were when they went into the
studio--it was what made the results so lively and exciting--and that level of laissez-faire takes real balls when a label is giving you millions of dollars per album and all concerned are hoping to remain in the heavyweight category. Writing in the studio always sounded so
boneheaded to me, when I was starting out--and now, I write tons in the studio. The studio becomes a place that puts me in my best focus, and all the thing sbubbling around inside me have a forum to come into existence.

Kim Acrylic: How different was it being in REM than being in the Posies or other bands?

Well, the Posies were a band that were all about preparation--we assumed that was the 'proper' way to make records. Demo all the songs, work out all the parts. And we didn't understand why our early records didn't stack up to the records we loved. R.E.M. was
making, in the early days, more than one record a year, and they were all cool and different and..alive.

Kim Acrylic: Tell us a bit about you being in Big Star?

Alex Chilton is also a musician from which I've learned a lot. He's also spontaneous, and self confident. Of course I love the songs of Big Star, I had been completely in love with those songs from the the first time I heard them. And, I still get a thrill playing them, after 16 years of performing them around the world. When we get to the guitar solo in 'Way Out West' it's still just gorgeous and majestic--even when Jon & Alex don't tune their guitars!

Kim Acrylic: How were you able to go from one big band to the next?

Well, I have always tried to broaden my skills and interests. I love the 60s session guys like Earl Palmer or Larry Knechtel (Larry played on 'Soft Commands')--doing rock, jazz, TV show theme songs, etc--all in the same day! I would love to have the skills to be that versatile.

Kim Acrylic: Which band was the most challenging for you?

Well, the Posies was hard because I had to learn to SHARE. My destiny was linked with Jon's and vice versa, so we were each subject to each other's moods, whim's and missteps--as well as benefiting from our successes. And then, on the opposite side of the coin, performing solo has been its own mind fuck and a half...traveling, performing, alone night after night--sometimes to indifferent audiences--I learned to find some real inner strength from that.

Kim Acrylic: Is there any one certain band you miss being in the most and why?

Well, my band The Disciplines (see below) did some shows with R.E.M. last year, and it was great to play with them again--plus they were going to all those fabulous places that are difficult to get to--South America, Turkey, Eastern Europe--and I was feeling a bit
jealous! But, I will get there on my own (in fact, Im touring South America in March). I hope the door is open for me to play with them again should they need a keyboard/bass/guitar/..accordion/tambourine player once more!

Kim Acrylic: So now your in new band called The Disciplines ,what can you say about this project?

Well, this is my main focus this year. It's me and three musicians from Norway--I was a fan of(and collaborator with) their former band Briskeby, and when that band was calling it quits we thought to do a little side project together--which ended up growing into something much, much bigger--our album 'Smoking Kills' has been released in Scandinavia to great reviews and more. In Norway we had two hit singles and have been playing some very big shows and festivals. The album comes out in Spain next month, South America in March, and the US in April...it's a super fun show--the music is simple, very singalong--and down and dirty. There are elements I take from the punk shows I grew up seeing--the closeness of band and audience--but it's not punk, really. Or maybe it is, I dunno?

Kim Acrylic: Is there any rituals you do before a show?

I do vocal warmups. Yes, it's true. I try not to eat too much and only protein if so. Show days are the only days I wash my hair and shave! Plus for Disciplines shows I paint my nails black. It's like my lucky charm, I can look down at my nails and say the game is on.

Kim Acrylic: What are some of your most memorable live experiences?

Oh, so many. I was playing with White Flag, the satirical anarchists from Riverside CA, in the Faroe Islands in this little fishing town--and it was all kids 10-13 years old--anyone older was working or married or whatever. These kids were doing all the teenage
rituals--getting totally drunk, screwing in the toilets--but they weren't even teenagers. And this gig was chaperoned! As we were playing, we had a wall of like, 12 year olds- drunk off their asses- in front of us...they started licking my hands while I was playing the
bass! Aiyee!

There are many, many things like that--playing a very intimate solo show in a pub in Tasmania while bikers were literally beating the shit out of each other.

and then, just some great shows, where I managed to not choke but rise to the occasion. My solo show in Helsinki in 2004 was one of those--700 people, all super into it, and I managed to play a great show instead of panic.

Kim Acrylic: Do you have a favorite place to play?

For rock shows, I think Spain is the greatest. I play there quite often--Posies, solo, Disciplines and Big Star all have shows coming up or have played there recently. Austria, Croatia and Serbia have been great for my solo stuff.

Kim Acrylic: :So you moved from Seattle to Paris,correct?

Yes, I have married Dominique, who is French, in 2003 and we have a daughter, Aden, who was born in 2004. Since that time I have been based more and more in France, making the transition, which has been fully realized since I sold my Seattle home in 2006.

Kim Acrylic: Was it a huge culture shock for you?

There has been a learning curve. I have been touring more and more in Europe since I first went there with the Posies and Big Star in 1993, to the point that by this decade, most of my touring happened in Europe. I was ready for a change, and Europe was in my comfort zone at that point. Having said that, there have been lots of little things to learn in France, not insignificantly the language, but also all the bureaucratic practicalities--opening a bank account, finding a plumber, whatever--there are different systems in France for these things and you sort of need a cultural translator to learn how to navigate them.

Kim Acrylic: :How a like or different is Disciplines compared to say the Posies or Rem?

Well, the Disciplines: It's all about me, right? He said, speaking like a true lead singer. Well, I am the focus of the show, and I can't really have a bad day--I have to be on, or there's practically no show. In the Disciplines I am also the manager and tour manager (most of the time) so I am in control to a level that is not possible elsewhere. I still have to share of course--my bandmates' input is important, musically and otherwise. But, I can execute my vision to a high degree in the Disciplines.

Kim Acrylic: I read you did stuff with sky cries Mary,what was that like,they are an amazing group of musicians.

In fact, the first SCM album 'Until the Grinders Cease' is Roderick with just Jon & I as the band. I met Roderick in college, we became friends and worked on some performance art pieces that led to this musical project.

Kim Acrylic: You did some stuff with fellow Posies member Jon Auer,How did that go and what stuff did you do?

Well, when just Jon & I play together we still call it the Posies--the band started out as just the two of us, we made 'Failure' as a duo, etc. We play shows without our rhythm section (bassist Matt Harris and drummer Darius Minwalla') and tour that way from time to time.

Kim Acrylic: Plan on doing anything more with him?

I'd like to do another Posies album. I am taking care of the Disciplines for most of this year tho.

Kim Acrylic: Any chance that you might do some stuff with the Posies again in the future,or any of your other bands for that matter?

Big Star has a show in Spain this spring; I will tour South America in March (but promoting the Disciplines album, confusingly enough!); and the Disciplines have shows coming up in
Finland, Spain...and hopefully we'll tour in the US in summer. The Posies have no shows coming up but I am sort of holding back on that until we make another album.

Kim Acrylic: What kind of music does the Disciplines play?

It's punky garagey rock with out the posing or the cliches. It's quite...sexy.

Kim Acrylic: :Any videos or tours coming out of this band soon?

We are making a new video next month...there's some insane live footage on our myspace. OUr next tour is in Finland at the end of January!

Kim Acrylic: Favorite musician you have worked with?

Larry Knechtel is amazing. He's played on records for just about every 60s band, Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Simopn & Garfunkel--he played keyboards and bass on my last album. He's one of those guys that can hear a song once and then record a perfect take of
piano or whatever along with it on the next pass.

Playing with Neil Young was really intense. The place he accesses when he is in the moment is very deep--it's the place I try to get to and draw from...but that frequency is really transmitting from Neil all the time.

Kim Acrylic: Any weird fan moments?

Not really. My fans are always cool.

Kim Acrylic: What/who inspires you to play or write?

Hahaha, necessity! I keep myself active as a producer, mixer, and musician so that my best is contstantly required.

Kim Acrylic: :Anything you'd like to say to readers?

Look for the Disciplines album in April.

Kim Acrylic: Your such an amazing musician,thanks for your time Ken:)

Aren't you sweet! thank you for your interest!

Adam Ficek of the babyshambles interview

Adam Ficek (Babyshambles) interview
Interview by Kim Acrylic

Adam,Thanks for your time and talking with me.

So you were with the Band The Babyshambles with infamous Pete Doherty,tell
me a bit about how it is being in a band with someone who gets so much
negative publicity?

A lot of the hype and press you read is fictional, we tend to just not
react to most of the press we get, I think's important to not let these
things bother you. We ignore it all..

Are you still playing with them or have you gone completely solo?

Yes, I'm still very much a part of the band, I have just finished helping Peter with his solo record then I'm on tour with him. We then start the Babyshambles sessions for the new album. My album was just something I needed to get out and it seemed the perfect time.

Your band Roses Kings Castles,How and when did that begin?

It's not really a band ,it's all me, I play most of the intruments. It's
just a formation of the songs I have written over the years. i started
a myspace and things blossomed from there.

Can you tell people a bit about your sound and how it differs from Babyshambles?

I think it's a lot more gentle and melodic, it's not very punk rock. the production is much simpler also.

What bands inspire you at the moment?

Attic lights, Everly Brothers, Morrissey

What about as a child?

I was very much in to Britpop bands like blur, oasis and also lots of
60's soul stuff, alongside the obvious - smiths, beatles, syd barret.

Most insane stage moment?

getting knocked out with a wine bottle in Rome, I didn't see it coming and it
wiped me out...it's on youtube, I just collapse during sedative.

Do you have any crazy fan stories?

some things are better left unsaid

So with RKC do you plan on touring much?

here and there, nothing too strenous, I'm on tour at the moment playing 25
dates across the uk, it;s hard doing it solo, I miss being with the band..

Weirdest place you've ever has sex?

I don't have sex..I make love...

How do you feel about drug use in a band?

I try not to judge such things, everyone has their vices. Who am I to judge.

Did you ever do anything with the Libertines?

No, I didn't I played on some demos for Peter whilst he was in the Libs, he used to use the same studo as me.

What are Adam's vices?

I like to gamble here and there.......Casinos...wel used to.

Who were your favorite 90's britpop bands?

Blur / Oaisis / Longpigs / Shed seven

Why do you think bands such as Pulp and the charlatans U.K didn't cross over much in the states?

I think the lyrical content was far too British sounding, I think the Charlatans crossed a little.

What are the perks of being solo v.s being in a band?

I dont have to worry about arrangement, I can make mistakes on stage and
quite easily hide them by playing a double chorus etc...a band has more
power though, it's hard solo as sonically I can't compete with bands.

Are you going to come to the states?

was in LA last Month played 3 shows.

How was it for you when Pete was going through his drug troubles?

It was hard for the band as we kept getting police problems, every gig was
busted and it became a real chore, but we got through and here we are
today.

did any other the negative stuff inspire your writing?

Just the negativity that life can throw at you, it can be a real depressing
place the music industry,you realise it's corrupt, especially when I
released this album myself..

What is a favorite lyric on your solo album?

'Oh you're a singer, was once a sinner, oh it's so simple Daddy make me a
star' - was aimed at all these children of celebs becoming 'indie
artists'

Thanks so much Adam for your time,anything you want to say to anyone?
Buy my album please. It cost me loads to make.

Spazz Magazine Intro #1

What exactly IS Spazz Magazine you ask?
Well I'm not going to pretend its completely original it is indeed another online music/art mag HOWEVER, this time I have to be upfront,more butch,dominate what have you...and say NO FUCKING DRAMA!
I've worked for several Mags now and quit them all due to weirdness.
I want this one to be strictly about the creativity and music.
No games,lies,drama or jealousy.
It's NOT high school,Its a future in music journalism and a passion for art,music and writing.

So if you can dig it and bring it all the time well then welcome aboard writers,musicians and creators.

Kim Acrylic www.kimacrylic.com