Who from the KC area are you listening to right now?
Ghosty, Scammers, Nature Boys, Ssion, Fag Cop, Pizza Party Massacre, Witch and Hare.
What national/non-KC acts are you listening to?
La Dusseldorf, Pangea, John Maus, Toupee, White Fence, Tame Impala, Polyrock,
Why is Kansas City a hip-hop town?
Why is Kansas City a hip-hop town?
Every town is a hip hop town. Every town has local music of all sorts. Hip hop wise, I like Stik Figa, Team Bear Club, Tech N9ne, Pocket Change. . .
What aspect of Kansas City shapes your music the most?
What aspect of Kansas City shapes your music the most?
Resources: like available venues, record stores, musicians, scenes to play with/at. Also, the time to work. KC is relatively inexpensive to live at.
What gear are you using live in both projects?
Brock - A yellow Danelectro 59DC guitar with a Fender Front Man 212 amp with Electro-Harmonix big muff and a cheap chorus pedal from Target.
Zach - A sunburst Fender P bass with vintage Sunn Coliseum 300 and Electro-Harmonix big muff.
Sarica - An Epiphone SG Cherry Red with Fender Front Man 212.
Billy just got a new drum set. I think it's from C&C Custom Drum.
Zach - A sunburst Fender P bass with vintage Sunn Coliseum 300 and Electro-Harmonix big muff.
Sarica - An Epiphone SG Cherry Red with Fender Front Man 212.
Billy just got a new drum set. I think it's from C&C Custom Drum.
What's the cassette scene like in the area? Could you talk about your relationships with Whatever Forever and Manic Static?
The cassette scene started for me in Lawrence. Lillerne Tapes started there in 2006 by Gabe Holcomb, who later moved to Chicago. He made a few tapes and zines and it was inspiring. Shortly thereafter I, along with Drew Gibson - who is in Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk, Boo and Boo Too, and Katarina Stoneheart - started Solid Melts Tapes in 2008 in Lawrence, KS. I got too busy to do it but Drew moved to Chicago where he keeps it up. As time goes on I found out about other local tape lables, like Overland Shark, Beer on the Rug, XO Press. I think that people started to notice cassettes as more than a kitsch market and they saw the potential of its medium as a cheap and viable product to make. As for Whatever Forever and Manic Static - They were both interested in working with us. Whatever is from Lawrence and Manic Static is from Chicago. We have worked with other small run tape labels before too, like the Tape Machine. They all work hard at what they do, and have a passion for it. It's definitely more than just home dubbing.
Does the live setup for South Bitch Diet include extra people?
All South Bitch Diet shows have involved more people, with the exception of the last Psychfest. That was the first one I performed alone. Members of Lazy come in and out for the performances depending on availability. We've performed as large as a four piece before.
The South Bitch Diet songs seem to focus on big change ("New Job Blues," "New City Blues," I guess even the name "Lottery Money" implies either a quick payout and dynamic shift, or spending your money to hopefully win and make a quick change). Which end do these fall on: wanting to change or changes you've made?
Neither. They are not about change, but about longing and the understanding of place. New Job Blues is about labor laws or hating your boss. New City Blues is about dreaming of a better world to be a part of, and Lottery Money is about knowing when to move on or build up. Also, if this may be helpful for understanding, I formed the release on a country theme. Most of the song titles are references to classic country albums/movies/songs, as is the design and layout. I was playing with themes like loneliness, lost love, new love, fights for justice, giving up, good times- The songs lyrics may or may not match the song titles at all. The titles are there to create a cohesive package visually and contextually within this outsider country idea that I had.
I'm glad FOKL is doing it and I'm happy it's coming into fruition. It's influenced, in part, by the Austin, TX festival of the same name. The Monta at Odds guys are doing a ton of the planning too, so props to them. There have been local showcases like this in the past - to name a few: Center of the City Fest, Troost Fest, North By North West, Noise Fest, Chomp Womp Fest. There have been house show festivals like this in the past in both Lawrence and KC. And yes, I do think that South Bitch Diet fits it. To me, Psych is a varied term with multiple applications of meaning - like drone, experimental, lo fi, noise, chill, electronic, industrial, shock, so forth. It also means whatever you think it does, but that's how I feel about it.
For being recorded fairly lo-fi, I think Lazy's Obsession sounds pretty big. In general [I think] it's a more fun album than SBD, sound-wise. Does the lyrical content fit that?
Would you say the style of Lazy is based more around retro-fitting a style and asthetic or personal nostalgia?
The cassette scene started for me in Lawrence. Lillerne Tapes started there in 2006 by Gabe Holcomb, who later moved to Chicago. He made a few tapes and zines and it was inspiring. Shortly thereafter I, along with Drew Gibson - who is in Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk, Boo and Boo Too, and Katarina Stoneheart - started Solid Melts Tapes in 2008 in Lawrence, KS. I got too busy to do it but Drew moved to Chicago where he keeps it up. As time goes on I found out about other local tape lables, like Overland Shark, Beer on the Rug, XO Press. I think that people started to notice cassettes as more than a kitsch market and they saw the potential of its medium as a cheap and viable product to make. As for Whatever Forever and Manic Static - They were both interested in working with us. Whatever is from Lawrence and Manic Static is from Chicago. We have worked with other small run tape labels before too, like the Tape Machine. They all work hard at what they do, and have a passion for it. It's definitely more than just home dubbing.
Does the live setup for South Bitch Diet include extra people?
All South Bitch Diet shows have involved more people, with the exception of the last Psychfest. That was the first one I performed alone. Members of Lazy come in and out for the performances depending on availability. We've performed as large as a four piece before.
The South Bitch Diet songs seem to focus on big change ("New Job Blues," "New City Blues," I guess even the name "Lottery Money" implies either a quick payout and dynamic shift, or spending your money to hopefully win and make a quick change). Which end do these fall on: wanting to change or changes you've made?
Neither. They are not about change, but about longing and the understanding of place. New Job Blues is about labor laws or hating your boss. New City Blues is about dreaming of a better world to be a part of, and Lottery Money is about knowing when to move on or build up. Also, if this may be helpful for understanding, I formed the release on a country theme. Most of the song titles are references to classic country albums/movies/songs, as is the design and layout. I was playing with themes like loneliness, lost love, new love, fights for justice, giving up, good times- The songs lyrics may or may not match the song titles at all. The titles are there to create a cohesive package visually and contextually within this outsider country idea that I had.
In regards to the SBD tape having a country theme: Is the entire project confined to that country-aesthetic, or do you have different overall themes planned/foresee different themes for future releases?
Art wise, album layout wise, I was going for a country inspired them. Musically, it's all over the place, being garage, lo fi, synth pop, psych, punk. I love the designs of classic country records, by their simplicity and I was going for that.
With Lazy, all the members have great creative art directions, so it's hard to say what future Lazy releases will look like. I can say that a great deal of thought will go into it!
Art wise, album layout wise, I was going for a country inspired them. Musically, it's all over the place, being garage, lo fi, synth pop, psych, punk. I love the designs of classic country records, by their simplicity and I was going for that.
With Lazy, all the members have great creative art directions, so it's hard to say what future Lazy releases will look like. I can say that a great deal of thought will go into it!
How exciting is KC Psycfest? Have their been any other local-centric showcases like this, and do you think it fits SBD pretty well? [note: our asking/answering period overlapped Psychfest. Greg at RiotOnThePlaza.com had great coverage]
I'm glad FOKL is doing it and I'm happy it's coming into fruition. It's influenced, in part, by the Austin, TX festival of the same name. The Monta at Odds guys are doing a ton of the planning too, so props to them. There have been local showcases like this in the past - to name a few: Center of the City Fest, Troost Fest, North By North West, Noise Fest, Chomp Womp Fest. There have been house show festivals like this in the past in both Lawrence and KC. And yes, I do think that South Bitch Diet fits it. To me, Psych is a varied term with multiple applications of meaning - like drone, experimental, lo fi, noise, chill, electronic, industrial, shock, so forth. It also means whatever you think it does, but that's how I feel about it.
For being recorded fairly lo-fi, I think Lazy's Obsession sounds pretty big. In general [I think] it's a more fun album than SBD, sound-wise. Does the lyrical content fit that?
Obsession was recorded/mastered/produced professionally in a studio with Ashley Miller, who also plays in Ssion, Snuff Jazz, and a list of other projects I can't keep track of. It took a week to record, three weeks to mix, and one to master. All the songs on Obsession were made within the last year. I don't think that Obsession is as "fun" as SBD. SBD to me, is more whimsical and has more humor than Lazy. South Bitch Diet [the self-titled album] was all recorded on a Fostex Four Track within a five-year timespan. I write a lot, and I record nearly all my songs on a four track first. Where they go from there varies. All the songs on Obsession were made on a four track first. The SBD [album] is a compilation of some of my favorites that didn't make it into the Lazy sound bank - and I have a large amount of songs to choose from. To re-record them in a studio seemed unfitting for the South Bitch Diet style I desired. I purposely wanted South Bitch Diet to sound Lo Fi to an audience cause that's what it is. I write nearly all the material for Lazy and all the material for South Bitch, so I'm sure they have same lyrical themes. I create lyrics after I write the song. And usually, I just try to find a theme and make it fit the structure.
Regarding Obsession's studio recording: are you happy with it? I think it's great, but I know musicians who have a hard time calling a recording/album "done." Are you like that, be it with Lazy or SBD?
I think that what has been recorded and mastered thus far for Obsession is done. We do what to add more songs to it though. But take all the Obsession songs and add it to another six or so to make it a full length. With that said, Obsession is basically an EP released as a LP.
Recording for Lazy isn't as hard for us as mastering and mixing. We can do that forever. It comes to point though where enough is enough!
South Bitch Diet is on the inverse. Recording can take a long time but editing is hardly an issue.
I think that what has been recorded and mastered thus far for Obsession is done. We do what to add more songs to it though. But take all the Obsession songs and add it to another six or so to make it a full length. With that said, Obsession is basically an EP released as a LP.
Recording for Lazy isn't as hard for us as mastering and mixing. We can do that forever. It comes to point though where enough is enough!
South Bitch Diet is on the inverse. Recording can take a long time but editing is hardly an issue.
Would you say the style of Lazy is based more around retro-fitting a style and asthetic or personal nostalgia?
I've gotten this question before - and neither. When people ask what my band sounds like, I say X, Crass, Germs, and Pere Ubu. All artists have influences, all take and form from old styles and place them into new styles. All is regenerated. Lazy has punk influences, but it's not a punk tribute band. I'd like to think that it has it's own fingerprint.
Huge thanks to Brock again! I appreciate his patience with this. Go pick up the Lazy and SBD stuff on your preferred physical or digital media, and check out the Whatever Forever and Manic Static releases, as well.
Huge thanks to Brock again! I appreciate his patience with this. Go pick up the Lazy and SBD stuff on your preferred physical or digital media, and check out the Whatever Forever and Manic Static releases, as well.
