| Interview by Burt Wolf with Kevin, guitarist, the guy who handles the interviews, most of the artwork, answers the mail & does the promotion for DEADFOOD. Interview done on March 29th, 2002. |
I GUESS WE CAN START FROM THE BEGINNING. PLEASE GIVE SOME BACKGROUND
INFORMATION ON DEADFOOD & HOW YOU CAM TO BE?
Ross, Erich & myself have known each other & played in a few bands together since high school. At one point,
we were drummer-less & liked it that way; all we did was record songs with a drum machine & an 8 track. This
helped in getting ideas out & developing a style. We then wanted to start playing live, but with no drummer, it's
kinda...well... Something was missing, so we placed an ad in the RECYCLER, (this was around 1995), received
one response, & have been arguing with him ever since.
WHY WAS THE NAME DEADFOOD THE CHOICE FOR THE BAND NAME?
Before finding Dutch, we were called SLURP (we released one 6 song demo). We then found a band in New
York who was called SLURP. We checked 'em out, & surprisingly, they were in the same vein as us (music
wise) but still, they had a CD out, & we had...nothing. We were sifting through Ross' lyrics one day & came
across the word "Deadfood". We all kinda looked at each other & said "No one is stupid enough to call their band
DEADFOOD." Except us. So, we started using it.
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & WHY ARE SOME OF THE THINGS TO INFLUENCE YOU IN LIFE &
CREATING THE SOUNDS OF DEADFOOD?
Who: John Zorn, MR. BUNGLE, MELT BANANA, SLAYER, BLACK SABBATH, James Brown, THE
RESIDENTS, BOREDOMS, BRUTAL TRUTH, the movie GUMMO, the list could go on forever. What: A
desire to create music that doesn't sound contrived or commercial & whatever sounds cool to us, with no regard
as to what anyone else thinks. Where: Our practice space... Why: Everything has already been done. We're just
doing what we think sounds cool. At this point, nothing is original, it's just a blender full of sounds set on chop &
then mince.
DEADFOOD IS IN NO WAY AN EASY BAND TO EXPLAIN. HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE
YOUR STYLE & SOUND?
Short attention span world music played by 3 stoners, 1 heart patient, with a heavy dose of sarcasm & a Grind
aesthetic.
INFORMATION ON DEADFOOD & HOW YOU CAM TO BE?
Ross, Erich & myself have known each other & played in a few bands together since high school. At one point,
we were drummer-less & liked it that way; all we did was record songs with a drum machine & an 8 track. This
helped in getting ideas out & developing a style. We then wanted to start playing live, but with no drummer, it's
kinda...well... Something was missing, so we placed an ad in the RECYCLER, (this was around 1995), received
one response, & have been arguing with him ever since.
WHY WAS THE NAME DEADFOOD THE CHOICE FOR THE BAND NAME?
Before finding Dutch, we were called SLURP (we released one 6 song demo). We then found a band in New
York who was called SLURP. We checked 'em out, & surprisingly, they were in the same vein as us (music
wise) but still, they had a CD out, & we had...nothing. We were sifting through Ross' lyrics one day & came
across the word "Deadfood". We all kinda looked at each other & said "No one is stupid enough to call their band
DEADFOOD." Except us. So, we started using it.
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & WHY ARE SOME OF THE THINGS TO INFLUENCE YOU IN LIFE &
CREATING THE SOUNDS OF DEADFOOD?
Who: John Zorn, MR. BUNGLE, MELT BANANA, SLAYER, BLACK SABBATH, James Brown, THE
RESIDENTS, BOREDOMS, BRUTAL TRUTH, the movie GUMMO, the list could go on forever. What: A
desire to create music that doesn't sound contrived or commercial & whatever sounds cool to us, with no regard
as to what anyone else thinks. Where: Our practice space... Why: Everything has already been done. We're just
doing what we think sounds cool. At this point, nothing is original, it's just a blender full of sounds set on chop &
then mince.
DEADFOOD IS IN NO WAY AN EASY BAND TO EXPLAIN. HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE
YOUR STYLE & SOUND?
Short attention span world music played by 3 stoners, 1 heart patient, with a heavy dose of sarcasm & a Grind
aesthetic.
TELL A LITTLE ABOUT EACH OF THE RELEASES YOU HAVE OUT?
Well, excluding the 2 demo tapes: "ME TIME" CD, 19 songs of pure selfishness. It has everything from Lounge
Jazz, Punk (& I use that term loosely), Hardcore, Country, Improv, Children's songs, Ska, Noise. It was made
over a 2 year period, & (to me) it doesn't sound like it was made to listen to. It makes you feel kind of
uncomfortable. "WEIRD FELLINGS", a much more focused album, 13 songs that start to come into focus upon
repeated spins. It's much more listener friendly, but that is not to say that it's easy to listen to. We learned a lot
from the "ME TIME" recording & "WEIRD FEELINGS" is a more cohesive album that moves much smoother,
but still jumps around as far as genres of music go. We just released a split 7" with IRRITATE from Finland.
They do Sludge Grind, while our side is a weird Jazzy-Cartoony-slightly Grind enthused spy song, as well as a
children's song being raped by GORE BEYOND NECROPSY.
YOUR CD "WEIRD FEELINGS" IS THE ONLY RELEASE OF YOURS I HAVE. IT HAS BEEN OUT
FOR A WHILE NOW, HOW WELL HAS THIS ALBUM DONE SO FAR IN THE UNDERGROUND?
I have sent "WEIRD FEELINGS" to a ton of zines in the underground & we have received a lot of positive
feedback on it.Yet at the same time, it's still an album that a lot of people don't get. Some reviewers have said that
they don't like it, but still respect what were doing. On the other hand, reviewers have said that they aren't sure
what were doing-because the music tends to jump from Grind (which they like) to Ambient-Jazz-Video game
stuff, which they can't handle-but it's just an opinion. We've played gigs with full on Grind bands & Death Metal
bands & some of the crowds dig it, while some don't. The people who don't like have come up to us & said that
what were doing is really weird or fucked up & that they don't like it, but still respect it, because it takes a lot of
"talent" or what ever to pull it off. The music we play is not for commercial radio & will never be popular on a
large scale. There is no real outlet or "scene" for what we do. I love Grind, Death Metal, Noisecore, etc., & some
people in these scenes have open minds & some don't. I feel we have just as much to offer to the "extreme
underground" as anyone. In this scene, there are no rules & bend em so much that you become disoriented &
frustrated. So much so, that you (hopefully) kill yourself-the world needs fewer close minded people.
HOW DO YOU FEEL THE BAND HAS CHANGED SINCE YOUR FIRST RELEASE UP TO "WEIRD
FEELINGS?
Well, the song writing has gotten better & the songs have gotten shorter. We're starting to get...not well known,
but our name is out there. We've done just about everything we ever wanted to do: put out CD's, toured, pressed
a 7", received radio airplay, done interviews, got reviews in magazines I've been reading since I was 15. Now we
just need to keep the ball rolling & continue to do all of that. Other than that, were still the same 4 guys who hate
popular music & argue all the time.
COULD YOU EXPLAIN THE CD COVER ARTWORK A LITTLE BIT? WHAT'S WITH ALL THE
MUSHROOMS, HUH?
That started out when we were searching for artwork for the album. I came across a picture of a train wrecker
fungus, it only grows on railroad tracks & derails trains. It looks like a mushroom that grows into itself, plus I
liked the concept. In a perverse way, it kinda fit in with the music we play (figure it out yourself)-but no one else
in the band liked it. Then, one day, 3 of us did some "magic mushrooms" & taped the ordeal, the laughing, the
unbelievable things we were seeing, etc. We used some of the laughter on the CD. Our drummer went to Japan
& found this cool book on mushrooms & it just sorta feel into place. I know that doesn't make sense, but in the
end it just looked cool. There is this underlining sexual feeling to the artwork, plus our music is so fucked up (so
we're told) that's it's like being on drugs.
SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT TUNES ON YOUR CD & I KNOW IT'S HARD TO PICK, BUT
WHICH DEADFOOD SONG IS YOUR FAVORITE & WHY?
Thanks Burt, glad you like our stuff. My favorite is "Eximo", because it's got a Grind aesthetic to it, though it's so
disjointed: but some how sounds like a song with structure, it's like a ball of energy moving towards you at light
speed & right before it hits you, it disintegrates. Perfectly-haha. The rest of the guys like "Colostomy Grab Bag" -
which is like BLACK SABBATH raping THE RESIDENTS.
DOES DEADFOOD PLAY OUT A LOT? WHERE HAVE YOU PLAYED? WHAT BANDS HAVE YOU
PLAYED WITH?
We play as often as we can, but in Los Angeles, it's hard. There is so much to do, so many clubs, so many
bands (that all sound the same, shitty Rap Metal & crappy poppy Punk or Rock n Roll. C'mon people, it's all been
done before, do something different, fucking challenge yourself, challenge the listener, you fags.) We've played
with MELT BANANA twice, (an insane Japanese band that makes most bands look incredibly stupid-for sheer
power, intensity & precision), BANYAN (featuring Mike Watt & Stephen Perkins). We toured the S.W. United
States last year & played with CATHETER & VEHEMENCE (a band that had members of IRON LUNG). We
haven't played with that many "well known bands" because our music tends to push promoters away, although I
think we can hold our weight with just about anyone.
JUST FROM THE SOUND OF YOUR CD, A DEADFOOD SHOW SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE A FUN
TIME & ALSO A DISTURBING TIME. HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE A DEADFOOD SHOW?
Like a TROMA movie with out all the gore. Comedy, anger, chaos, stupidity & astonishment. Sometimes you're
not sure weather to applaud, or run for your life.
Well, excluding the 2 demo tapes: "ME TIME" CD, 19 songs of pure selfishness. It has everything from Lounge
Jazz, Punk (& I use that term loosely), Hardcore, Country, Improv, Children's songs, Ska, Noise. It was made
over a 2 year period, & (to me) it doesn't sound like it was made to listen to. It makes you feel kind of
uncomfortable. "WEIRD FELLINGS", a much more focused album, 13 songs that start to come into focus upon
repeated spins. It's much more listener friendly, but that is not to say that it's easy to listen to. We learned a lot
from the "ME TIME" recording & "WEIRD FEELINGS" is a more cohesive album that moves much smoother,
but still jumps around as far as genres of music go. We just released a split 7" with IRRITATE from Finland.
They do Sludge Grind, while our side is a weird Jazzy-Cartoony-slightly Grind enthused spy song, as well as a
children's song being raped by GORE BEYOND NECROPSY.
YOUR CD "WEIRD FEELINGS" IS THE ONLY RELEASE OF YOURS I HAVE. IT HAS BEEN OUT
FOR A WHILE NOW, HOW WELL HAS THIS ALBUM DONE SO FAR IN THE UNDERGROUND?
I have sent "WEIRD FEELINGS" to a ton of zines in the underground & we have received a lot of positive
feedback on it.Yet at the same time, it's still an album that a lot of people don't get. Some reviewers have said that
they don't like it, but still respect what were doing. On the other hand, reviewers have said that they aren't sure
what were doing-because the music tends to jump from Grind (which they like) to Ambient-Jazz-Video game
stuff, which they can't handle-but it's just an opinion. We've played gigs with full on Grind bands & Death Metal
bands & some of the crowds dig it, while some don't. The people who don't like have come up to us & said that
what were doing is really weird or fucked up & that they don't like it, but still respect it, because it takes a lot of
"talent" or what ever to pull it off. The music we play is not for commercial radio & will never be popular on a
large scale. There is no real outlet or "scene" for what we do. I love Grind, Death Metal, Noisecore, etc., & some
people in these scenes have open minds & some don't. I feel we have just as much to offer to the "extreme
underground" as anyone. In this scene, there are no rules & bend em so much that you become disoriented &
frustrated. So much so, that you (hopefully) kill yourself-the world needs fewer close minded people.
HOW DO YOU FEEL THE BAND HAS CHANGED SINCE YOUR FIRST RELEASE UP TO "WEIRD
FEELINGS?
Well, the song writing has gotten better & the songs have gotten shorter. We're starting to get...not well known,
but our name is out there. We've done just about everything we ever wanted to do: put out CD's, toured, pressed
a 7", received radio airplay, done interviews, got reviews in magazines I've been reading since I was 15. Now we
just need to keep the ball rolling & continue to do all of that. Other than that, were still the same 4 guys who hate
popular music & argue all the time.
COULD YOU EXPLAIN THE CD COVER ARTWORK A LITTLE BIT? WHAT'S WITH ALL THE
MUSHROOMS, HUH?
That started out when we were searching for artwork for the album. I came across a picture of a train wrecker
fungus, it only grows on railroad tracks & derails trains. It looks like a mushroom that grows into itself, plus I
liked the concept. In a perverse way, it kinda fit in with the music we play (figure it out yourself)-but no one else
in the band liked it. Then, one day, 3 of us did some "magic mushrooms" & taped the ordeal, the laughing, the
unbelievable things we were seeing, etc. We used some of the laughter on the CD. Our drummer went to Japan
& found this cool book on mushrooms & it just sorta feel into place. I know that doesn't make sense, but in the
end it just looked cool. There is this underlining sexual feeling to the artwork, plus our music is so fucked up (so
we're told) that's it's like being on drugs.
SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT TUNES ON YOUR CD & I KNOW IT'S HARD TO PICK, BUT
WHICH DEADFOOD SONG IS YOUR FAVORITE & WHY?
Thanks Burt, glad you like our stuff. My favorite is "Eximo", because it's got a Grind aesthetic to it, though it's so
disjointed: but some how sounds like a song with structure, it's like a ball of energy moving towards you at light
speed & right before it hits you, it disintegrates. Perfectly-haha. The rest of the guys like "Colostomy Grab Bag" -
which is like BLACK SABBATH raping THE RESIDENTS.
DOES DEADFOOD PLAY OUT A LOT? WHERE HAVE YOU PLAYED? WHAT BANDS HAVE YOU
PLAYED WITH?
We play as often as we can, but in Los Angeles, it's hard. There is so much to do, so many clubs, so many
bands (that all sound the same, shitty Rap Metal & crappy poppy Punk or Rock n Roll. C'mon people, it's all been
done before, do something different, fucking challenge yourself, challenge the listener, you fags.) We've played
with MELT BANANA twice, (an insane Japanese band that makes most bands look incredibly stupid-for sheer
power, intensity & precision), BANYAN (featuring Mike Watt & Stephen Perkins). We toured the S.W. United
States last year & played with CATHETER & VEHEMENCE (a band that had members of IRON LUNG). We
haven't played with that many "well known bands" because our music tends to push promoters away, although I
think we can hold our weight with just about anyone.
JUST FROM THE SOUND OF YOUR CD, A DEADFOOD SHOW SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE A FUN
TIME & ALSO A DISTURBING TIME. HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE A DEADFOOD SHOW?
Like a TROMA movie with out all the gore. Comedy, anger, chaos, stupidity & astonishment. Sometimes you're
not sure weather to applaud, or run for your life.
DEADFOOD SURELY CROSSES THE WIDEST
SPECTRUM OF MUSICAL STYLES I'VE EVER
HEARD IN ONE BAND? WHAT ARE SOME OF
THOSE STYLES MIXED IN YOUR SOUND & WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE SPECIAL SOUND EFFECTS
USED?
Styles? Hmmm... Grind-Fusion-Ambient-Electronic-
Country-Satanic-Cartoon-Golden Showers-Noise-Sludge-
Egyptian Video Game Jazz. Effects? Well-Ross & I just got
guitar synths which have hundreds of instrument sounds,
so the new stuff were working on sounds kinds like what a
Jazz ensemble would sound like if the were playing
CEPHALIC CARNAGE songs.
SPECTRUM OF MUSICAL STYLES I'VE EVER
HEARD IN ONE BAND? WHAT ARE SOME OF
THOSE STYLES MIXED IN YOUR SOUND & WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE SPECIAL SOUND EFFECTS
USED?
Styles? Hmmm... Grind-Fusion-Ambient-Electronic-
Country-Satanic-Cartoon-Golden Showers-Noise-Sludge-
Egyptian Video Game Jazz. Effects? Well-Ross & I just got
guitar synths which have hundreds of instrument sounds,
so the new stuff were working on sounds kinds like what a
Jazz ensemble would sound like if the were playing
CEPHALIC CARNAGE songs.
THERE HAS TO BE A FEW BIZARRE DEADFOOD LIVE
STORIES? COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME?
Nothing too outrageous. Most of the time, people just kinda
stare at us, cuz they don't know what the fuck is going on.
They hear all this crazy shit & kinda just sit there shitting them-
selves. Sometimes the sound guys don't like us & cut our set
short, when that happens, we just go full on MELVINS style.
Let the feedback destroy everyone's ears. We've also made
fliers that pretty much warn people not to attend these clubs
because of illegal wrong doings involving several small children
& cocaine. This questions is better for FETUS EATERS.
STORIES? COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME?
Nothing too outrageous. Most of the time, people just kinda
stare at us, cuz they don't know what the fuck is going on.
They hear all this crazy shit & kinda just sit there shitting them-
selves. Sometimes the sound guys don't like us & cut our set
short, when that happens, we just go full on MELVINS style.
Let the feedback destroy everyone's ears. We've also made
fliers that pretty much warn people not to attend these clubs
because of illegal wrong doings involving several small children
& cocaine. This questions is better for FETUS EATERS.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY LABELS WITH ENOUGH GUTS TO SHOW SOME INTEREST IN
DEADFOOD?
Haha, yea right. What fucking label would have the nuts to sign a band that can't decide on what kind of music to
play, much less stay within one style of music in one song? I mean, I hear some of the RELAPSE bands doing
Grind & then noodling with a tad of Jazz or something, but that's about it. Besides, who would we tour with,
how do you market a band with no definite style?
YOU ARE ALSO IN THE BANDS FETUS EATERS & WATCH ME BURN. WHAT DO YOU DO IN
THESE BANDS?
Yea, Ross & Erich are in FETUS EATERS as well (guitar & bass respectively), while I do the screaming &
assorted noises. We have a different drummer for FETUS EATERS. For WATCH ME BURN, I play guitar & do
some back up screaming. My girlfriend Sarah is the lead screamer in WMB. She did a vocal track on the first
FETUS EATERS CD & I liked her voice a lot, so we started joking about starting a band. The next thing I knew,
I was calling some old friends, asking them if they wanted to start a Sludgy Grind band.
DO EITHER OF THESE BANDS HAVE RELEASES OUT?
FETUS EATERS: "DO YOU WANT TO GET PREGNANT" demo tape & "WE WIN" split 7"/demo tape. Both
of these were later released by HAMMERWERK RECORDS in Austria on a 7" 1000 copies pressed.
"VOMITCORE" CD-we put this out ourselves. "MEDIOCORE" CD-which is coming out as a split CD release
with SANITY'S DAWN, RSR RECORDS is putting this out. Recently, we have been approached by another
label in Europe about putting out the "VOMITCORE" CD as a split release with a band called BRAINCHOKE.
HOW DOES FETUS EATERS & WATCH ME BURN DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER & DEADFOOD IN
STYLE, SOUND, ETC...?
DEADFOOD runs the gamut of sounds (that I have crassly detailed previously). FETUS EATERS is just simple
Grindcore, with the added bonus of saxophone, bike horn, train whistle, kazoo, or anything else I can get my
hands on to make an extra noise to break up the monotony of typical Grindcore. You know, 1-2-1-2 stop,
scream, grunt, blah blah blah. Some people hate it, fuck 'em...scumbags. WATCH ME BURN is more serious as
far as song writing goes; but it stays within a genre: Sludgy Grindcore with a hint of psychedelic melody. Tons
of screaming. In WATCH ME BURN's short existence, we've had the luck of opening up for CATTLE
DECAPITATION, PHOBIA, PIG DESTROYER & VULGAR PIGEONS. We've been getting great responses
everywhere, which is really tripping me out, cuz...well...I am not used to that-haha!
ARE YOU INTO ANY OTHER STYLES OF MUSIC BESIDES WHAT YOU PLAY? WHO ARE SOME
OF THE BANDS YOUR CURRENTLY INTO?
I love Jazz. John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, KOTO (a Japanese percussion
group), Sigur Ros has been in my CD player as of late. TRIBES OF NEUROT, David S. Ware (he is picking
up where Coltrane left off), Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, THE LOCUST, MELT BANANA, Christoph
De Babylon ( a great sound scape & digital Hardcore kat), along with BRUTAL TRUTH, CEPHALIC
CARNAGE, CRIPPLE BASTARDS, HIGH ON FIRE, JUCIFER, GASP, YACOPSAE, CHEWABLE CYST
& JUD JUD.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A GREAT MUSIC SCENE IN CALIFORNIA. WHO ARE SOME OF THE
BETTER BANDS, LABELS, ZINES, ETC...YOU WOULD SUGGEST?
Well first of all, Los Angeles sucks; everyone wants to be someone else-fucking scumbags. But anyway...Bands:
RADIATION 4 (amazing technical-emotional Hardcore/Jazz/Noise), N.O.Y.F.B., THE LOCUST, SHIVA,
ANUBIS RISING, BAD ACID TRIP. Labels: DEEP SIX, AGITATE 96, SLAP-A-HAM, NUCLEAR BBQ.
Zines: SHORT FAST & LOUD, SKRATCH (even though they mainly cover shitty Punk bands, they still do a
great job at it).
DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE & WHAT YOU WERE DOING WHEN YOU 1ST HEARD
ABOUT THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN NEW YORK ON 9-11-01? ANY COMMENTS ON THIS
TRAGEDY?
I was house sitting for a friend. I had the radio on all night & when I awoke I thought what I heard was a joke. It
sounded like War Of The Worlds part 2. My friend's mom's girlfriend called & started telling me what happened.
I flipped on the shit box (TV) & was blown away at what I saw. Comments..."Can't we all get along"
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS & MOVIES?
TV: The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Howard Stern. CNN late at night when the Middle Eastern chick is on
there-dude, she is so hot, she reminds me of this chick I work with. Movies: Boogie Nights, Gummo, Kids,
Julien Donkey Boy, Magnolia, Little Big Man, Texas Chainsaw.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: SEX, DRUGS, RELIGION, RACISM, THE
MUSIC INDUSTRY?
Sex: I wish I could hit every chick I thought was hot, at least, for a week. Drugs: Legalize-all of it. Religion: It
kills more people than drugs do & it's stupid. I hate religion, if your gonna believe in something, believe in
yourself. Racism: ignorance, it's pathetic. Don't hate someone cuz of the skin color or racial background, hate
them for the pathetic individual that they are. Music Industry: It's called "the music business", not "music art".
There is no art end of it, at least on the mainstream scale, once in awhile something slips through the cracks, but
it's mostly watered down music of yesteryear. Maybe I am bitter cuz I've been doing this shit for 12 years &
don't have much to show for it-haha.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE NEXT FROM DEADFOOD?
Well, DEADFOOD is doing a month long U.S. tour this summer. After that, we will record a new CD. We have
9 new songs ready, by the time we get back from tour, we will have a few more. Also, we are talking with a few
bands about doing split 7"s.
THANX FOR ANSWERING MY LITTLE INTERROGATION. ANY LAST COMMENTS OR WORDS OF
WISDOM YOU'D LIKE TO ADD TO FINISH OUT?
First of all, thanks goes out to you Burt, for interviewing us. I wish more zines, online or printed, would have the
nuts to interview fucked up bands such as DEADFOOD, MR. BUNGLE, ESTRADASPHERE & MELT
BANANA. Take care everybody & don't be so fucking pig headed, listen to different music!
DEADFOOD?
Haha, yea right. What fucking label would have the nuts to sign a band that can't decide on what kind of music to
play, much less stay within one style of music in one song? I mean, I hear some of the RELAPSE bands doing
Grind & then noodling with a tad of Jazz or something, but that's about it. Besides, who would we tour with,
how do you market a band with no definite style?
YOU ARE ALSO IN THE BANDS FETUS EATERS & WATCH ME BURN. WHAT DO YOU DO IN
THESE BANDS?
Yea, Ross & Erich are in FETUS EATERS as well (guitar & bass respectively), while I do the screaming &
assorted noises. We have a different drummer for FETUS EATERS. For WATCH ME BURN, I play guitar & do
some back up screaming. My girlfriend Sarah is the lead screamer in WMB. She did a vocal track on the first
FETUS EATERS CD & I liked her voice a lot, so we started joking about starting a band. The next thing I knew,
I was calling some old friends, asking them if they wanted to start a Sludgy Grind band.
DO EITHER OF THESE BANDS HAVE RELEASES OUT?
FETUS EATERS: "DO YOU WANT TO GET PREGNANT" demo tape & "WE WIN" split 7"/demo tape. Both
of these were later released by HAMMERWERK RECORDS in Austria on a 7" 1000 copies pressed.
"VOMITCORE" CD-we put this out ourselves. "MEDIOCORE" CD-which is coming out as a split CD release
with SANITY'S DAWN, RSR RECORDS is putting this out. Recently, we have been approached by another
label in Europe about putting out the "VOMITCORE" CD as a split release with a band called BRAINCHOKE.
HOW DOES FETUS EATERS & WATCH ME BURN DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER & DEADFOOD IN
STYLE, SOUND, ETC...?
DEADFOOD runs the gamut of sounds (that I have crassly detailed previously). FETUS EATERS is just simple
Grindcore, with the added bonus of saxophone, bike horn, train whistle, kazoo, or anything else I can get my
hands on to make an extra noise to break up the monotony of typical Grindcore. You know, 1-2-1-2 stop,
scream, grunt, blah blah blah. Some people hate it, fuck 'em...scumbags. WATCH ME BURN is more serious as
far as song writing goes; but it stays within a genre: Sludgy Grindcore with a hint of psychedelic melody. Tons
of screaming. In WATCH ME BURN's short existence, we've had the luck of opening up for CATTLE
DECAPITATION, PHOBIA, PIG DESTROYER & VULGAR PIGEONS. We've been getting great responses
everywhere, which is really tripping me out, cuz...well...I am not used to that-haha!
ARE YOU INTO ANY OTHER STYLES OF MUSIC BESIDES WHAT YOU PLAY? WHO ARE SOME
OF THE BANDS YOUR CURRENTLY INTO?
I love Jazz. John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, KOTO (a Japanese percussion
group), Sigur Ros has been in my CD player as of late. TRIBES OF NEUROT, David S. Ware (he is picking
up where Coltrane left off), Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, THE LOCUST, MELT BANANA, Christoph
De Babylon ( a great sound scape & digital Hardcore kat), along with BRUTAL TRUTH, CEPHALIC
CARNAGE, CRIPPLE BASTARDS, HIGH ON FIRE, JUCIFER, GASP, YACOPSAE, CHEWABLE CYST
& JUD JUD.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A GREAT MUSIC SCENE IN CALIFORNIA. WHO ARE SOME OF THE
BETTER BANDS, LABELS, ZINES, ETC...YOU WOULD SUGGEST?
Well first of all, Los Angeles sucks; everyone wants to be someone else-fucking scumbags. But anyway...Bands:
RADIATION 4 (amazing technical-emotional Hardcore/Jazz/Noise), N.O.Y.F.B., THE LOCUST, SHIVA,
ANUBIS RISING, BAD ACID TRIP. Labels: DEEP SIX, AGITATE 96, SLAP-A-HAM, NUCLEAR BBQ.
Zines: SHORT FAST & LOUD, SKRATCH (even though they mainly cover shitty Punk bands, they still do a
great job at it).
DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE & WHAT YOU WERE DOING WHEN YOU 1ST HEARD
ABOUT THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN NEW YORK ON 9-11-01? ANY COMMENTS ON THIS
TRAGEDY?
I was house sitting for a friend. I had the radio on all night & when I awoke I thought what I heard was a joke. It
sounded like War Of The Worlds part 2. My friend's mom's girlfriend called & started telling me what happened.
I flipped on the shit box (TV) & was blown away at what I saw. Comments..."Can't we all get along"
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS & MOVIES?
TV: The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Howard Stern. CNN late at night when the Middle Eastern chick is on
there-dude, she is so hot, she reminds me of this chick I work with. Movies: Boogie Nights, Gummo, Kids,
Julien Donkey Boy, Magnolia, Little Big Man, Texas Chainsaw.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: SEX, DRUGS, RELIGION, RACISM, THE
MUSIC INDUSTRY?
Sex: I wish I could hit every chick I thought was hot, at least, for a week. Drugs: Legalize-all of it. Religion: It
kills more people than drugs do & it's stupid. I hate religion, if your gonna believe in something, believe in
yourself. Racism: ignorance, it's pathetic. Don't hate someone cuz of the skin color or racial background, hate
them for the pathetic individual that they are. Music Industry: It's called "the music business", not "music art".
There is no art end of it, at least on the mainstream scale, once in awhile something slips through the cracks, but
it's mostly watered down music of yesteryear. Maybe I am bitter cuz I've been doing this shit for 12 years &
don't have much to show for it-haha.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE NEXT FROM DEADFOOD?
Well, DEADFOOD is doing a month long U.S. tour this summer. After that, we will record a new CD. We have
9 new songs ready, by the time we get back from tour, we will have a few more. Also, we are talking with a few
bands about doing split 7"s.
THANX FOR ANSWERING MY LITTLE INTERROGATION. ANY LAST COMMENTS OR WORDS OF
WISDOM YOU'D LIKE TO ADD TO FINISH OUT?
First of all, thanks goes out to you Burt, for interviewing us. I wish more zines, online or printed, would have the
nuts to interview fucked up bands such as DEADFOOD, MR. BUNGLE, ESTRADASPHERE & MELT
BANANA. Take care everybody & don't be so fucking pig headed, listen to different music!
