Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Our Interview with Bone Dance: "I could really give a fuck about what 'tastemakers' think about the music scene in a city they've never been to." / LJ-World Rant of the Week


Readers, our interview with Boise, Idaho's Bone Dance was easily our most terrifying so far, but it turns out the guys were actually quite nice, and did not stab us even once during the interview.  They'll be bringing their mayhem to the Bottleneck next Monday, June 25, along with KC's Canyons, so bone up (get it??) by enjoying our chat with Bryce about rock and roll violence, fickle music fans, and the assholes over at Pitchfork.  Check out their official website here for all the links you need into the world of Bone Dance, and we encourage you to read the terrific description of their sound over here (below is a short excerpt from that bio):

"By deconstructing typical sludge breakdowns, by retooling blast beats into searing grooves, by inverting a biblical poetic into a sinister manifest of their body politic, Bone Dance forges a musical dialogue exemplifying the clash typical of the liberal/conservative head-butting seen throughout misleading media; however, the band seems to reject even mainstream leftist views in favor of an utter desert-driven nihilism."

 To paraphrase a famous Lebowski quote:  "No, Chip, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
 


Chip:  Your Facebook page biography promises that you will “fuck up any room we can fit our equipment in” and your band interests are listed as “stabbing and burying.”  What are the chances I’ll survive your Bottleneck show if I dare to attend?

Bryce:  If you're like any other person who is "passionate" about music, you'll stand at the back of the room with your arms folded and avoid eye contact. So you're probably safe. Then you can go tweet about how shit didn't live up to your expectations, and you had hoped there was more crowd participation.


Richard:  Where did the name Bone Dance come from and do your fans actually perform “bone dances” during the sets?  Or do they just push and shove each other?

Bryce:  Fucking IS pushing and shoving, is it not?


Chip:   Your song titles terrify me, with names like “Birds Singing (Wolves Licking Blood)” and “Your Kind Eat the Young.”  Tell us about your songwriting process and your musical influences.

Bryce:  The songwriting process, like most other bands, starts with a few basic ideas and riffs, and then after a long, torturous process of rearrangement, arguing, and nightmarish levels of introspection and reflection, we end up with a finished song. I think a lot of the frustration of trying to craft the absolute best song you possibly can comes through and is reflected in our music.


Richard:  Those snarky bastards over at Pitchfork recently trashed the Boise music scene after seeing a Boise showcase at SXSW, leveling this verdict:  "based on the couple of Boise bar bands I heard leading up to Youth Lagoon's set, it's probably not set to be the Next anything anytime soon.”  But can you give us the real insider scoop on Boise music? 

Bryce:  If I recall correctly, Built to Spill was the headliner, not Youth Lagoon. So I guess that goes to show that journalists are lazy and don't really do their research. I could really give a fuck about what "tastemakers" think about the music scene in a city they've never been to. Boise is home for several influential bands like Built to Spill, Caustic Resin, Septic Death, etc. Of course there's going to be mediocrity, but you're going to find that all over the fucking world. Few bands find themselves aligned with the perfect storm of a creative original sound, and the drive to go somewhere with it. I think there are plenty of good bands in Boise, but I also don't find myself paying attention to the bands that played that aforementioned showcase, so I couldn't really weigh in on the music scene that Pitchfork concerns itself with.

Chip:  I’m guessing you guys have seen all manner of crazy shit at your shows.  Can you share with us a particularly wild tale of rock and roll debauchery?

Bryce:  I got my tooth punched through my cheek in Texas. The rest of the band fought the audience, and we were, essentially, run out of the city of Dallas. We've seen black eyes, broken noses, etc from playing live. Shit happens. We play aggressive music, so I guess it's pretty fair to expect aggressive actions and reactions. We haven't shoved a fish up anybody yet, so if that's the kind of "rock n' roll debauchery" story you're looking for, you might wanna make a stop at the market before you head to The Bottleneck. We're from the northwest, so Salmon is probably a good choice.

Chip: What kind of animal is staring back at me (with one eye) from your June tour poster and why did you choose that image?
Bryce:  It's a goat. 'Cuz goats are evil and shit, dude.

Richard:  Tell our readers what to expect and how to prepare for your Bottleneck show.  Also, what else is on the horizon for Bone Dance in 2012 in terms of music and touring?

Bryce:  I'd much rather tell your readers to come with an open mind and ready to have a good time. Having no expectations keeps you open-minded, and keeping an open mind is what punk rock is all about, right? Seems like something people forget all-too often…

We're playing through the west coast / northwest region this August with the San Francisco based band Tigon ( who are fucking phenomenal, and I can't wait to be able to watch them every night. 

This October we'll be playing The Fest alongside some amazing bands like Torche, Coliseum, Capsule, Red Fang, Baroness, Former Thieves, etc. It's 3 ridiculous days with 150+ bands in Gainesville, Florida, and we've never been there before, so we're all really looking forward to getting our Florida cherries popped. Tour plans around that haven't been fully finalized but they should be shortly, and I'm sure we'll be going through the Lawrence area around that time as well.

We have a full-length record coming out this fall.  Details on that are being finalized as well, but you can stay tuned to www.bonedance.net  for any and all news updates. We're also on various social networking bullshit, and on the website we have links to all of those things.


 


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We haven't looked at a rant from the LJ-World opinion page in awhile, and today brings some thoughts about loud music that fit quite well with our Bone Dance interview. The editorial is from a bus driver who has had just about enough of the "boom basses" that today's young whippersnappers are blaring from their vehicles:

"These boom basses stimulate the ire of everyone aboard the bus I drive and causes them all to respond in a very negative way...The boom basses shake the windows in the bus and therefore shake the very body of each and every person there...What right does a person have to destroy the sounds in my car, bus, truck or whatever for the sounds of their horrible “music”?.. Can’t I enjoy what I am listening to without being interrupted by these loud, annoying and disruptive missiles of sound?"


The talkback award goes to Liberty275 who retorts:  "Mr Omar, it isn't too loud, you are just too old."

Anyone know the true origin of that famous music quote?  We thought it was The Who?  Wikiquote says...Ted Nugent (doubtful).  Other sources say Dee Snider (also doubtful).



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