zoog von rock and kelsey bowen, bar sinister 12/8/2012

There are very few bands where you talk to the lead singer, and they inspire you on the spot to become more then you are right now. I have had the privilage to interview many people who have the affect, and many who don't. Zoog Von Rock of Angelspit is one of those people and I am proud that he will be my first interview as editor/owner of my own web-zine. The energy and drive that Zoog has is contagious and the fact that he ended the interview with a hug and a "don't give up" only shows that he is not only a talented man, but a person who gives a shit about the underdog artist trying to survie in a coorprate world.

H.S.- You and I are friends in Facebook, and I’ve noticed that you love Wal-Mart.

Zoog- It’s awesome!

H.S- I know isn’t it? It’s awesome to see the people in spandex and wheelies.

Zoog- I do like it; it’s a really amazing observation on people. I really love it. It has nothing to do with people, but watching people is endless amazing to me.

H.S.- Have you gone to the 24 hours one yet?

Zoog- Those are the ones we go to.

H.S.- Those are the best ones.

Zoog-Whenever we park the van, we have to park it in a Wal-Mart, more often then not. Some body has to stay with the van for security, sometimes that’s me.  Whenever I do it, I love to watch people. It’s great.

H.S.- I was looking at your blog from a while back about soft snyth, and how it is changing the sound of industrial. Do you think it is making people less creative because they are not using actual instruments anymore? I’m not saying it doesn’t create music but it’s not the same organicess.

Zoog- It’s not really about orgaicess, nice word by the way, when you go to synthess or whatever, or a Photoshop plug in brush that is so awesome, it doesn’t push your imagination to try something new or build something yourself. There is experimentation and a unique in art that is kind of disappearing. The thing about Angelspit, we are all about people. If you don’t know anything about a synthesizer, play around with it and learn and come up with something new. Don’t do dubstep again, don’t do EDM again.

H.S.- Do you think  lately the new bands that have been coming out, are all about the auto tune? Look at Kesha, she is really auto tuned, do you think that our industry is going down hill from that or do you think it is kind of a mix right now?

Zoog- You have to remember that Skinny Puppy did some amazing things with auto tuning. It’s all about what you do with it. The thing with like Kesha is they are aiming at audience X. And audience X is all about errrrrr and they like it like that. Audience Y, us crazy kids, we like it like that. Same technology different application.

H.S.- It seems like you tour with a lot of older bands, do you think that is a commentary on the industrial world and how you prefer to stick with the older bands?

Zoog- Usually with a band it is anyone who asks us if we are interested, we will try them out; that’s why we went out with Blood on the Dance Floor, they were something new. They have only been around for five or six years. I think industrial music, or any genre of music, is going to be just fine as long as you remember that music is all about having fun and throwing yourself into an experiment. That’s what it’s all about.

H.S.- I have noticed from the first couple of albums you guys have done you have produced them yourself. Do you feel you have more freedom to put something out that’s your marketing?

Zoog- Yes. But also a really cool thing about getting someone else like for our new album, Hello my Name is, by Alan Labiner, the man is a wizard. The really cool thing about him is that you can through an idea at some body else and they can come back with something totally different. Control is good up to a degree. Once again it’s about playing. When one person is playing with a ball it’s juggling, when two people are playing with a ball its basketball.  You like that one?

H.S.- I do it’s a good one. So what have you been listening to lately?

Zoog- A lot of a band called Trentemoller, he’s kind of a dj producer, he’s worked with bands like Bjork. A lot of funk,  I love funk, Booty Collins, Bernie Worrell, James Brown obviously, Stevie Wonder. I usually put spotify on random and just go with it. The new Devo, I fucking love the new Devo album its fucking brilliant.  The same with the new Jane’s Addiction album, fucking awesome. Best album they have ever done hands down, for both bands.

H.S.- I haven’t heard it yet but I love them and I love Stray. It was so well done. I’ve noticed with a lot of your songs are about Politics, you guys live New York, and in London, do you like to compare? Does it influence your writing?

Zoog- Yes it does kind of. The thing that really interests us is not about politics as in a government but about the politics of a human being living in this century. The world we live in is dehumanizing us. It is forcing us to go to a job and lose ourselves.  Our music is about finding yourself and art is about remembering who you are. We are working on the new album now and we are pushing a lot of new ideas like that. We are trying to make it as personable as possible. I’m really excited about what’s going to be coming out; it is a really good time for Angelspit. It’s all about trying new shit.

H.S.- I’ve noticed in songs like Cold Hard Cash you make references to Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, do you like to take other literary novel’s to make references?

Zoog- Yes, all the time. Especially with nursery rhymes. Nursery rhymes are really awesome because they have been so censored. All from the ancient times in Europe to when the Grimm brothers got them, then to when Disney got them it’s gradual decline. It’s the kind of thing I find fascinating. The censorship has been around forever.

H.S.- I’ve noticed that you are really into talking to your fans after the show.

Zoog- Shit yeah! It’s an Australian thing. The philosophy behind Angelspit is that it isn’t just a gig, it’s a party and we host the party and as the host of a party it is your job to go around and talk to people. The thing that I have always found is that you go out and you meet some guy who says ‘I’m a bass player and I’m looking to be in a band’. Twenty minutes later you’re talking to a drummer who says ‘I’m in a band and we’re looking for a bass player’. Ca-ching! You put them together. It is really amazing how much networking you can do on behalf of other people. The people who come to the show encourage us and we and encourage them back. We are all a big creative community and that’s how it is.

H.S.- Do you do anything outside of music creative wise?

Zoog- Yes, I design, I do half the design for Angelspit and I’m doing more and more increasing. I do all the new fashion stuff for Angelspit, I design a lot of the merch, all the jewelry, I’ve built 90% of it.  I also manage Angelspit. There is other things I do as well like I have a list of club and radio Dj’s, like 200-300 DJ’s from around the world who play Angelspit stuff that I send new material. I also send them other bands that they might be interested in. It is really important to really give other people a leg up. Plus I have a bunch of younger bands that I through remixes at, like if a remix comes my way and I can’t do it, like some big band wants it and I can’t get to it I hand it off to my Padiwan’s.

H.S.- It’s different to see someone who wants to support other bands rather then viewing them as competition. It’s refreshing. I don’t know if that is something you have noticed.

Zoog- Yes it is and I think America desperately needs a collective of bands. We had one in Australia called Crash Frequency and they did miracles. Everyone banded together and we did gigs. If there was a promoter who sucked we all avoided him and if there was a promoter who was awesome we all looked after him. We made completion cds, back in the day of cds, we would send cds to press, we shared contacts, and because contacts are the most valuable things any band has. They don’t share them and we got to stop that shit. Come on.

H.S.- It’s the same way for us writers. No body wants to help you.

Zoog- I really think their needs to be a magazine collective. I think magazine and web blogs; I had this situation in England, we played Manchester, and you’re doing an interview with this guy who has a magazine, and I used to print 100 magazines but I don’t print 100 anymore because I can only distribute 30. Then you go to the next town, Birmingham same thing. If you are doing a print run, the minimum is 100. Then you go to London and you hear the same thing. I said to these three guys, each of you guys print 100 zines, then you send 30 to each other and you group them all together in a bag and it comes with three zines. Then you sell thirty of them, charge a little bit more whatever and there you go. You have just spread your stuff from Birmingham to London.