The Estranged

The Estranged have managed to hitch the cold, brooding atmospherics that are associated with bands like Wire or Joy Division to the hard driving vehicle of punk rock. This marriage is, as most may think to the contrary, not an easy task to accomplish. The qualities that exist in punk and post-punk take a certain kindred spirit or a particular frame of mind in a person to fully appreciate what each of these genres has. So the binding of these two sounds doesn’t produce the most palpable form of music for most. It’s not power pop, or bubblegum, The Estranged play a type of music with a seriously dark and unforgiving side to it. I think many people don’t like to be reminded that these aspects are part of the very essence of what makes one human and it exists in everybody, in some more dormant than others. Once you come to this realization and let this band’s music sink into your soul, you’re gonna wonder where they’ve been your whole life. 

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start out with some introductions. Can you tell me who is in the band and what they do in The Estranged?

MARK: We just added Evan to our roster this year. So this is our current lineup:

Mark Herman - guitar/vocals
Evan Mersky - guitar
Derek Willman - bass
Keith Testerman - drums

I would like to get a bit of a musical resume from you.  Have you guys been in other bands and/or does anyone have any side projects going on?
MARK: Keith, Derek and I were in a band called Remains Of The Day that existed 15 years ago. It was more of a hardcore punk band. We put out 2 LPs and some 7"s and split up after that. Keith, Derek and Evan have and are currently playing with other bands. 

Can you pin point the one person that’s influenced you musically the most? If so can you tell me a bit about him or her?
MARK:  That's probably the most difficult question to answer but if I had to choose I would have to say David Bowie. What is there to say that hasn't already been said? He's amazing. He's been making music prolifically since the mid ‘60’s. I own almost every album he's released. He went through some weird phases in the late ‘80’s/early ‘90’s with the whole Tin Machine side project and Black Tie White Noise album, but I love everything else and I can't wait to hear his next album if there is ever going to another one. It’s kinda weird, but I've even had dreams about him. I once had a dream that I was at one of his shows and I gave him a hug after the show and the pinnacle of the whole dream was smelling his back during the hug and it smelled like a bouquet of flowers. Although, I don't have any preconceived notions about which single musician is going to drive me to write songs. I like to go through phases of listening to artists that suit whatever mood I'm trying to convey in my music and I also think its just nice to keep up with what’s new in the world. 

When first starting The Estranged, was this the sound you were looking for and envisioned in your head or did it just take on a life of its own over time?

MARK: I think I would've liked to have been a bit more experimental sounding in the beginning but our first couple of records were recorded really fast and ended up sounding pretty raw instead but honestly, I don't think we even had a clue as to what we were trying to accomplish when we first started writing songs. We all liked a few of the same bands, but that was it really. We never talked about any sort of specific direction our band was going to head into. Also, like I said earlier I tend to drift into phases of listening to sounds of whatever inspires me at whatever present time and I'm glad that we do that because the notion of pursuing a singular unequivocal direction to me seems fairly fruitless. So I'm sure that doing so changes our coarse stylistically but I will say that only until recently has it felt to me that we're actually capturing something coherently that's been in my head, although I may always say that about any of our new material.

You guys have had a long association with Dirtnap Records; they just released your third LP.  How did that relationship begin?
MARK: Ken from Dirtnap came to one of our shows and he must've liked us because he asked us shortly after if we wanted to sign to his label and we said yes. I don't think there's much of an interesting story behind it.

There are a few reviewers that have described your music as being hard to absorb at first but worth the repeated listens to really sink in. What do you guys think of that comment?
MARK: I think that is a good thing. I don't really enjoy listening to a whole lot of one-dimensional spoon fed type music. Their needs to be something below the surface that on first listen you may not be able to understand (or maybe not even hear). There needs to be something in music that is intrinsically linked to you and no one else and that proves your intent wholeheartedly without artifice but that is a very complex goal to achieve and I've heard a lot of bands flail at it but every once in a while you see or hear a band that succeeds at it and that is without end, the most inspiring muse to me. We often choose to play the way we play on purpose. If I'm writing a song and it sounds great by the masses' standards but if I think it’s cheap, I will scrap it. I'm not saying that I won't ever put my heart into a song that is easier for some sort of public to absorb. It just has to have the right context of representing whatever it is that I'm trying to embody in a song.

On your new self-titled album that came out earlier this year, there is a song called “Mark of Sin.” Was this song influenced by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter? Do films and literature often inspire lyrics for you?
MARK: No, it was not influenced by the Scarlet Letter however, we've had a few songs that were inspired by books/films that may a bit too aptly titled: The Subliminal Man and Wicker Man to name a few. I do like to get inspired by films. I think certain moods of soundtracks can be hugely inspiring. Morricone, Francis Lai, and John Barry are a few of my favorites. 

Where can people go to listen or to buy your music?

MARK: I would hope that you could find our records in most independent record stores but if it’s not there you can always order it from any of our labels. (Dirtnap/Sabotage)

What lies on the horizon for The Estranged, any new releases or tours coming up?
MARK: We have an Australia tour that we're currently setting up for sometime in February and
we have a few 7" singles coming out in a few months as well but aside from that we're probably going to start working on writing material for our next album. Thanks for the interview!

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Miscalculations

     Miscalculation’s bio reads like the opening of a sci-fi film “dark, asbestos-lined basement[s] . . . and a towering loft overlooking the concrete, steel and flesh of North London” or a graphic novel that poses an overarching question such as “When the earth dies how will life as we know it sustain itself?” Besides the pondering, what Miscalculations does bring to their songs, is not just a group of talented NFT members (Gaggers and Ladykillers), is a mixed cocktail of ’77 UK punk and ’79 post-punk drank by deft individuals who might wear turtlenecks, but hide razorblades in the garment’s neck folds.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Marco, lead vocalist

Where is the band from?

The band is from London, but we all have roots all over the place. I was born here, but am Italian, Mauro is from Chile, Bobby is Swedish and Shaun is English.

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?

I sing and play synth, Shaun plays drums, Mauro plays guitar and Bobby plays bass.

In between Ladykillers, Gaggers, No Front Teeth Records and the other bands you guys are individually a part of, Miscalculations gets started. How did the band start?

Shaun and I are both in the Gaggers so we see a lot of each other and Shaun told me he was working on something a bit different and played it to me so I wrote some lyrics and Miscalculations was born. We both listen to a lot of post-punk and electro like Wire, The Units, Screamers and stuff like that and both love Scandinavian punk like Masshysteri, Invasionen, Tristess, Hurula, Vanna Inget and the Vicious so we knew exactly what direction we wanted to go in. We didn’t want to have too much of a definitive structure with this, we just wanted to see how these songs would organically develop. It was new territory for both of us.

Do you think music can still be a vital force in such a disposable age?

Definitely. I still think music is one of the most powerful things that will never go away. Every generation will be defined through music. I think the way people listen to music has changed for sure – it’s much more disposable now – but it’s also way more accessible and I think more people are listening to music now than ever before.

Miscalculations seem to dance the fine line between ’77 UK punk and ’79 post-punk like Wipers and Wire did. What were some of the ideas and bands that influenced both Miscalculations and the songwriting for the band?

Well, the most important thing was that we wanted to do something completely different to all the (many) other projects we are involved with. As well as the bands I mentioned earlier, we also love contemporary stuff like the Mind Spiders, Radioactivity, Bellicose Minds, The Spits, Generacion Suicida, Nicole Saboune, Shocked Minds and stuff like that so we naturally merged all the stuff we love without stressing too much on a particular sound or objective. We let it weave it’s way instinctively both musically and lyrically. The lyrical scope is so wide with Miscalculations which is something so refreshing for me.

The Miscalculations LP was released on Dead Beat Records. Was Dead Beat Records chosen because of the previous relationship The Gaggers have with the label? Did other labels coming asking to help with the release because of who is in the band?

I have known Tom for years so we had a relationship a good decade before the Gaggers LP even came out! I think Tom really has his ear to the ground and can spot stimulating punk very early on. He has great radar for invigorating music and truly does release what he loves and what he believes in. He puts his whole heart into the label and into each release so we knew we were in good hands. Tom approached us after the first 7” and as a band we thought it was a no-brainer to go with him and Dead Beat - we were very happy with the Gaggers LP and are very happy with the Miscalculations LP too. Yes, there were and are other labels interested in releasing Miscalculations records and we are currently talking to a few for some upcoming stuff. We are also starting a Miscalculations / NFT sub-label called Glass Eye Records for Miscalculations records.

50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects music in any way?

It means that music is everywhere. It’s so easy now to instantly get whatever music you want either for free or at very little cost. That’s a great thing but the downside is that it does cheapen it too. Music wasn’t just about music when I was growing up, it was a commitment and, sadly,  that’s no longer a necessity – kids can now just delve into bands and scenes without pledging anything. Today its punk, tomorrow hip-hop and something else on the weekend. That wasn’t the case before because there wasn’t all this easy access – you belonged to a scene and a sound and that was it and that was so important. You searched for magazines and instantly connected with people who were wearing a shirt or a patch of a band or whatever because you knew that they had to search for those items – it wasn’t easy. There was no e-Bay, Discogs, Amazon and all the web stores that make it all so easy now.

On North London Bomb Factory’s website it states, “Miscalculations capture the cynicism, obscurity and perplexity of their surroundings and filter it down to the purest punk form” and with song titles like “Asbetos City” and “Preaching Individuality to the Masses,” how much of the lyrics have both social and political commentary? Do you feel cynicism can be used to help bring some change at all?

With Miscalculations, my approach to writing lyrics is totally different to how I write for the Gaggers or Botox Rats or Teenage Tricks or whatever. I have very specific ideas that I want to interpret in a very vague and angular manner. I put all the clues there but then it’s up to the listener to decipher and build the narrative. I always liken it to a painting. A painting is one static image that generates a thousand different reactions and sentiments from a thousand different people. They all read it differently and that’s what I aim for with Miscalculations lyrics. They are the most personal lyrics I have ever written. There is definitely some social commentary, maybe a little political too but I’m certainly not aiming to change anything or anyone.

To piggyback off the last question, there is a quote that acts like a bio/history of the band, which is “Miscalculations were formed in a dark, asbestos-lined basement in Harlow and a towering loft overlooking the concrete, steel and flesh of North London. Absorbing their environment, watching, analyzing and calculating. Miscalculating.” For those of us who don’t live in North London can you give us what that part of London is like? How did much did North London directly or indirectly affect the band’s lyrics?

I have lived in North London my whole life and Shaun has lived in both East and North London as well as Harlow in Essex. Bobby lives in East London and Mauro in South London. My environment has definitely shaped my lyrics. I am hugely influenced by the aesthetics and architecture of my surroundings. I wouldn’t say that you can instantly tell that I am from North London, or even London in general from my lyrics but the roots are there for sure and subconsciously manipulate the words.

What are some bands and/or records you are listening to right now?

Current stuff - Dino’s Boys – that LP has hardly left my turntable in months. Nightmare Boyzz, Average Times, Nicole Saboune, Buck Biloxi and the Fucks, Gino and the Goons, Criminal Code and then always listening to Crime, The Fast, Jo Squillo, Screamers, Teenage Head and stuff like that.

What’s next for Miscalculations?

A new 7” that is going to press in the next week or so and then the second full-length in the not too distant future!

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Father Figures

     Father Figures play a distinctive brand of tightly coiled, aggressive, trapezoidal post punk rave ups. If you compare Rock N’ Roll to a cannon ball and punk rock is that cannon firing directly at your head, then Father Figures take that cannon and aim it at you at an angle. As their music fires away it wildly ricochets, gaining momentum so you can’t tell where and when it’s going to hit. Way back when piano pounding wild man Jerry Lee Lewis earned his nickname “The Killer.” If you want to compare rock musicians to assassins then Father Figures aren’t the boorish thug hit men with the big loud guns, they’re cold calculating ninjas you won’t ever see coming. Razorcake magazine says they “meld urgency with intelligence, catchiness with dissonance, and sophistication with blunt force.”  Now if that’s not the poison dart into the ocular cavity I don’t know what is!     

Interview by Jay Castro

Please introduce yourselves and how you give to The Father Figures

Tom Reardon, bass and vocals.

Michael Cornelius, guitar

Bobby Lerma, drums

You all have quite extensive musical resumes. Care to give us a brief synopsis of your musical careers including bands you are involved with now aside from FF?

TOM: All of my other projects are in various forms of retirement/death. Most recently, I did a show with Pinky Tuscadero’s White Knuckle Assfuck, which was active from 2001 to 2009. I also did Hillbilly Devilspeak from 1993 to 2005. Both of those I was the primary vocalist for, as well as playing bass. From 2002 to 2008 I played bass in North Side Kings and sang back up. I was there for the Danzig punch. I have also been involved with several other projects (Bourbon Witch and Son of Crackpipe) and filled in on bass for a few stellar local acts like Blanche Davidian and Mob 40’s.

MVC: The first band I played in that made a record was The Jr. Chemists. They were an arty punk band I was in with some college friends. I started JFA soon after that ended. In the late ‘80's I played guitar in a punkish slightly funky band called Zuwal for a few years. During the heydays of the late ‘80's and early ‘90's Tempe music scene I played bass in Housequake three nights a week in Tempe clubs. In 1997 or so I played bass in a hip-hop, jazz, funk group called Suite Number Three. We started The Father Figures in 2009 after I had a long hiatus from playing in a band. 

BOBBY: Some friends at Sunnyslope High School and a thirteen-year-old version of me decided to start a punk band called The Joke in 1983. Later that year, I joined the guitar player and bass player/singer from No Real Attitude and we formed Kluged. Funny, my current band mate Michael Cornelius, produced our tape all the way back then. Then I played with Sticky Thang at the very end of that project, and then moved on to The Voice in 1990. From there I played in the first incarnation of Jeff Dahl’s band here in AZ and (maybe) simultaneously, played in a re-formed Grant and the Geeers. Finally, played in a band called Forty Watt Las Vegas for about six years of so and then formed The Father Figures.

I read that part of the reason you guys named the band Father Figures is that you are all actual fathers. With all of you having a history in punk/hardcore, did any of you guys go through the Other “F” Word syndrome when you had kids? Did you think: “I liked irreverent music and people but I’m not sure I want my kid around that kind of stuff?

TOM: On the contrary, I’ve always hoped my kids liked the weirdest, craziest music possible. I fully support their interest in music, though, in any capacity, even if they like stuff I really don’t enjoy.

BOBBY: I have a six-year-old daughter and she is learning to play the drums and piano.  She also wants to learn to play the guitar. I’m covertly, gently trying to expose her to good music and that includes punk rock. A little piece of my soul dies every time I hear her listening to something radio oriented (although this conduit is filtered by us). I want her to be in bands and experience the thrill of creating real music with other real humans.  I promised myself I would not force my culture on her, so I just try and plant the seed and step back and see what happens.

MVC: I didn't have kids until I got married in 1998 and by then my teenage stepdaughters were already listening to music that I found offensive. My music was just noise to them for the most part. My granddaughter is a big Father Figures fan. 

Both of your albums are on AZPX, a company that is better known for Skateboards. How did you hook up with those folks?

TOM: They are good people to know, even if you aren’t in a band or a skateboarder. The Locker family pretty much rule, so I’m just honored to consider them friends. This would also have to include Pat McG, as well, who is an amazing dude.

MVC: Rob started AZPX to show some love for the local skate and music scenes. I have known Rob for a long time and looked to him to help us out with graphics and t-shirts and it evolved from there.  

On the your second LP, All About Everything you gave a song called “Crosstown” that’s about keeping your bravado amongst all the shootings there has been. It reminded me of this article that I read that basically blamed the fact that in society males are told to bottle up their feelings and always be the “strong” ones and it’s these repressed feelings that are causing them to act out in this way. Do you feel there is any truth to this, if not do you think there is any solution curb gun violence?

TOM: Great question. I wish I knew what made people snap and do awful things. This song is more about the idea that somewhere out there is a person who would like to assassinate the listener and how it feels to know that, yet still go about their daily business. I think there is a solution, sure, but it really needs everyone to be open to the idea of increasing budgets for mental health care, increasing empathy, decreasing the availability of guns in general (especially to the mentally ill), and increasing acceptance for people who are not just like you.  

MVC: America is a violent society. We accept and glorify violence in so many ways. It's hard to consume any form of media without being confronted with an endless stream of all kinds of violence. There is stuff that's popular that should be totally abhorrent to people like the gory crime shows or Dexter. Gun violence is a direct result of the violent nature of our society and can't be looked at as a separate issue. Until America as a whole is willing to reflect on what a nonviolent society would look like there will continue to be instances of extreme violence. 

You guys play music that to me relies more on musical precision and less on ol’ fashioned Rock N’ Roll chaos. As a band, do you guys prefer making records so you can tinker with the songs more and get them to your liking or do you actually prefer the unpredictability of playing live?

TOM: We seem to be more comfortable in the studio and with the whole process of getting ready for the studio. We are a band that needs to practice and “winging it” has not really worked to our favor in the past. Personally, I love the idea of experimentation with sound and just going for it live, but with The Father Figures, that’s not really our forte.

MVC: We all like songs that are concise yet have a lot of movement to them so that steers us to very set song structure. 

BOBBY: This is a tough question because I love both. Playing live is a release on multiple levels- plus you get instant feedback for your effort. I love the studio because there’s nothing like hearing your ideas and all the hard work from practices balloon themselves up, the way they (for this band) were meant to be heard – big, loud, and precise. We try and keep the songs repeatable in a live setting, so we don’t add much more instrumentation than what we do in the rehearsal room. We do spend a lot of time on the production side, though (probably 75%). You can hate the songs on a Father Figures record, but you can’t deny that they sound good.

MVC: Thanks to Byron at Villain Recording.

You guys have played with some pretty big names (X, P.I.L.), what’s been the Father Figures most memorable show good or band and what made it so memorable?

TOM: We played show at the George and Dragon during our first year as a band that was really gratifying. The crowd was really into what we were doing and it sort of cemented, at least for me, that we were on to something that I liked doing, and we liked doing, but also something that the crowd seemed to get something out of as well. The PIL show was very memorable as longtime fan of that band, as was our second time playing with X and getting to meet John and Exene. Both of our CD release shows were really great, as well, just being with all of our friends and fans and having a good time.

MVC: I'm really glad we had a chance to play at Hollywood Alley a few times before it closed. Our show in San Pedro with Saccharine Trust was pretty special to me since Joe Baiza is an influence on my guitar playing. 

BOBBY: For me, probably the second time we played with X (at the Crescent Ballroom).  We were jacked up, the crowd was jacked up and it went off like a gross of bottle rockets in closet. 

The band is obviously influenced by the post punk era in rock music, stuff like Gang of Four, Wire etc. In your opinion, what is the most underrated band from that time and why do you feel these people deserve more recognition?

BOBBY: Early “Modern English” is rough edged, jerky, creepy and noisy, killer beginning for a one hit wonder – ultimately, known for the wrong song.

TOM: I think a lot of these bands have gotten their due, especially over the last few years with all of the books and documentaries that have come out celebrating the topic of punk and post-punk. For me, I’d probably have to go with the Proletariat as being one of the more underrated bands from this particular era. They rocked and deserve to be checked out. I only recently gave them any focused attention and I’m glad I did.

MVC: Recently I dug out my turntable and rediscovered a band called Spike in Vain I used to listen to a lot. I also have to agree with Tom on the Proletariat.  

There have been reports that the U.S. Government has used songs by Skinny Puppy and Van Halen to torture prisoners and detainees. If you were a government agent, what music would you use to torture your enemies?

TOM: Prove that I’m not a government agent. Typically, I use a combination of the Best of Burt Bacharach and Milk Cult.

BOBBY: “Wham,” or “Flipper.” Same band different approaches.

MVC: Man, I can't even joke about government torture. 

If Father Figures could be remembered throughout Rock N’ Roll history for one song of your songs, which one would it be and why?

TOM: Very difficult to choose just one. There are several that still make the little hairs go up on the back of my neck. Right now, I’d have to go with one of our new ones, “The Truth is an Odd Number” because I just love its power.

BOBBY: A really big “if” here. I’d bridge the old and new with the two songs that best personify our sound and what we do: “We the Battery” for the new and “Butterfly” for the old. Yes, I know I didn’t follow the directions.

MVC: I can't pick just one either. I remember the feeling I got when we first played the intro to “Switch.” It felt really right and I knew the band was headed in the right direction. I also have to say that “Fix You” is one of my favorites because it really expresses what I want to do on a guitar. 

  

What does the band have in store for us, any tours or new albums?

TOM: We are working a new album right now, which is our third. No title yet but we’re kicking around a few things. We’d definitely like to get out to the coast again and play some more in California. Other than that, though, no definite plans.

MVC: We are still deciding if we want to release the album this July for our 5^th anniversary or wait until the fall when we can play more shows to support it. We are releasing an album of studio outtakes and cover songs for Record Store Day on April 19^th.  It will only be available at Stinkweeds records and we are only making 100 of them.

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-father-figures

Band web site: www.thefatherfigures.com

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