There seemed to be a hype about Black Cat #13 even before you had released anything. What are your comments about that?  

we had nothing to do with it. people were just offering up record deals because of our website. it was dumb. it felt like it was too easy. also i think we were in the right places at the right times. also, people didn't know that much about us and there were a lot of rumors going around so i think it added to the mystery.  

Being hyped and all, did you ever feel a pressure of having to perform at your very best in order to live up to the expectations that surrounded you? 

maybe if we were different people we would have felt pressure. we don't really care what people think of us. like, if we play really badly at a show, we don't get upset or anything. we don't care about that stuff. we can get pretty anal about our records as far as artwork and sound etc. we remixed our latest record, the experiment vol. 1 12", about 8 times.  

Has the transition from Standing 8 to Black Cat #13 in any way affected you as a person?  

no i am still the same person i was in standing 8 and the crimson curse etc. i am addicted to being in bands and making music and i take that personality with me into whatever i am doing. standing 8 was different because i wrote a lot of the words for the 10" and all the songs we ever played. so it was a big release for me where black cat is really just something we do for fun. if it stops being fun, we wont play anymore 

How do you explain your addiction of being in bands?

  i have to play music all the time. while doing this interview i am working on some remixes with my drum machine. its just how i am. i cant stop making music nothing else matters to me and i neglect everything else in my life because of it. i would say that constitutes an addiction.  

How does the personal chemistry work in the band?

  its ok. we are a band, but we don't ever hang out really other than for practice and on tour. its probably better that way. it allows us to focus more on music when we do get together. there are things i wish were different, but its dumb to think that everything will be perfect all the time. there is always a little tension and i don't think any of us trust one another fully. that sounds worse than it is... i hope 

Which bands have you been compared to?  

dumb bands mostly. i think people see our record covers and saw we sound like bands with similar record covers. i hate band to band comparisons because they are never accurate... and if they are then the band is probably shit anyway 

Which has been the most outrageous comparison between Black Cat #13 and another band?

  the locust i think. its like people haven't heard our records if they are saying that. our bands have nothing in common except that we are good friends. we sound a lot more like the crimson curse then we do the locust, but people never make that comparison. also being compared to le tigre makes me sick cause i think they suck 

Being a band from Canada, how do you feel about being dismissed as another San Diego band?  

it doesnt happen much, but it does happen. i dont care. i dont like much of what is happening right now in our music scene. i think its all very dissapointing with the exception of a few original bands. if people want to dismiss us because of where our record label (for one release) is based, then that’s fine. people should think what they want... because it seems not many people do.

 Who has done the artwork for your records? (As from what I can tell, you really seem to dig faces. ) Is the artwork totally separated from the music or do you see a connection between them both?

mark and i did the artwork for the first 7" and lindsey found the pictures. lindsey does all the inserts. i did the cover for the 31G 7" and the casino steel vs. black cat #13 7" coming out soon on the electric human project. i do like faces because they can make people uncomfortable for no good reason. its not totally seperated from the music. its connected more to the band than the music we put on that particular release.

 What made you play the music you're playing right now?

 i have no idea. we just wanted to make a dance/disco band that had no guitars because guitars are not a disco instrument. we got in a room together and this is what came out. we are getting more divided now though. like we are putting out breakbeat records with drum machines and shit and then when we play live, its all punk rock.

 Please tell me some more about the breakbeat stuff you're doing?  

under the name casino steel (a name i stole from lead singer in the 70's punk band the boys), i have been making electronic music that isnt really breakbeat, although the first record i have coming out is pretty straightforward shit. what i am doing now is really fucked. i am trying to make beats with totally new percussive sounds and make beats that challenge your brain at first, but as you start to feel it they become more intuative. i want to keep it sort of lo-fi but not 4-track quality. i have been taking vocals from anything i can get, although i dont like to use them too much. i have also been working with some house DJ's on some new tracks and remixes of obscure disco shit. its really fun for me. i am hoping to do a casino steel LP early next year. i guess you could say i am working on the tracks right now. of course that assumes any label will actually put it out. it is pretty strange shit.  

According to me you have achieved a very unique sound. Is that something you've always aimed for or does it come natural?  

no it really happened by accident. we are all just playing the instruments how we play them. nothing is forced or awkward. its the easiest music to play for all of us. i guess that means it came naturally.

A bunch of Black Cat #13 songs have been released on various labels, and you still have a lot of songs which are going to appear on different records. It doesn't seem as if you've had any problems finding labels to release your stuff. Do you think that the fact that some of you were in Standing 8 and The Crimson Curse (some shows from what I can understand) has anything to do with labels finding your band interesting and would want to release your songs?  

maybe it did at first but no one ever put out a record by us because of ex member shit. like, mike genz of KOTM was hanging out with me and the curse in a hotel room and i had a black cat demo tape and gave it to him. he listened to it in his walkman and said he would put out whatever we wanted. justin asked if he could put out a record for us after he saw us play for the first time in philly with all the crazy shit that happened at that show. i like to think we have earned it now. i suppose people put out our record now because of the hype that has been built up since these records have come out and after our tours etc. i hope we are still popular by the time we get to europe in may 2001. 

So, when is the full length coming? You've put out a bunch of 7"s already.

 in january or febuary 2001. i think its going to be on a label called radio one from australia. they put out the split 7" with ISF. three one g is too busy and radio one has the same distribution. also i think we want to get away from being seen as a san diego band and such. i don't care what label we are on anyway. as long as they get our records done properly and do what we ask, then that's awesome. it sucks if a label starts messing with your creative control.

 Do you see yourselves doing something original with your music?  

i think with the new stuff we are working on, and also with the general concept of our band wanting to make dance music, there is going to be some interesting shit. i think we are like a lot of other things, just assembled in a new way. but hey, t rex was just updated country music and he was fucking awesome. 

Having no one on guitar, how has that affected the process of writing new songs?

  when you consider the fact that most music is written on a keyboard anyway, its actually far easier then on a guitar. you can make up bass lines and melodies at the same time. music written on guitar usually falls into musical traps and conventions. it can be done right but usually isn't 

According to rumors (correct me if i'm wrong), Jesse and Robin are a couple and Mark and Lindsey are also a couple. What's it like being two couples in one band? Do you all do double-dates too?  

all true. its ok, but its like we are two teams. robin and i are from a different scene than mark and lindsey and so its easy for us to pair up and separate. none of us have very conventional relationships from a traditional standpoint, so it's not like most people imagine. like, robin and i will check out girls together all the time. 

The 7" on King of the Monsters was recorded at Sound Capture by some guy named Al, and the I blast off! 7" was recorded at Signal Noise by Rob Sanzo. What made you change studios from one 7" to another?

 sound capture closed down and moved to new jersey, and also it was only 8 tracks and signal to noise is 24 tracks. we used all 24 tracks on the 31G 7". al helped with both records though. 

What's Rob Sanzo like to work with? I mean he has recorded stuff for both the Swarm and Black Cat #13. Did you have any problems in trying to explain which certain sound you were in search of?

 he's ok. he is an old man who has a good ear that's all. he records reggae bands etc. he likes us a lot but it was very business like with him. he did a good job on the mixes but that's all he did. pat from my-lai actually recorded the record. 

What question(s) did I forget to ask you? 

that's the question you need to answer.  

What question(s) are you glad I didn't ask you?

 i'm trying not to think about them. 

Is there anything you'd like to add?  

arab on radar is the best band in the world and have no competition from anyone. also, don’t be afraid of house music. pay attention to the use of handclaps in 60's pop and soul music. that's all.

Tillbaka till Intervjuer | Kolumner |  Personliga skriverier | Noveller | Länkar