The second album by Bangkok indie rock band Hariguem Zaboy is out Wednesday February 1st in Bangkok. Recently I contacted HZ singer and guitarist Jar to discuss the new music, the punk rock influence, and Yo La Tengo. Overall, the band has gotten a lot heavier in the late two years - the equivalent of going from a 6 pack of beer to a full on smack habit. I have only heard "Semi-Sec" released as audio on Youtube on December 23, 2016. Think they opened their set at Stone Free 4 (2016) with it - it's deliciously manic, melancholic, and fast and their real challenge is to capture on digital record the intensity of their live sound. As with My Bloody Valentine which I have often compared them, I am sure the band spends some time soundchecking. Enjoy the Q and A.       

How has the band evolved since the beginning?
We have grown up with more tension. It's the happy tension. We spend more time thinking about music. Enjoy the variety more than 5-6 years ago.

What is different on the new album Kart compared with the last album Thick Mink? Who produced it and how is it being released?
We try to put more psychotic feeling on our new songs. Still beautiful but more insane. Faster and noisier. We produced it ourselves with proper help from Monte Vallier and Wannarit Pongprayoon. It will be released with Panda Records in Thailand, and maybe connected to USA and Japan in some way. We will know exactly about it soon.

We’ve had some chats about punk music. By listening to Hariguem Zaboy I’d have no idea of some of the punk bands we’ve talked about. Bad Brains (Washington DC/ NYC) and Operation Ivy (Gilman St/Bay area) come to mind. How has punk rock rooted in either American East or West Coast influenced you?
A lot of punk bands influence us honestly. I'm a long time fan of Fugazi and Mission of Burma. V.S. is always on my top list. I have adored it from the bottom of my heart. That's why we always play on the stage as loud as we can.

Do you prefer 70s punk music from the USA or 70s punk music from the UK?
-I love both. No one is like Ramones. That's why they are so special. Buzzcocks, Wire, The Damned and The Clash are on that standard too. They give me the clear picture about madness with beautiful melody.

You recently saw Yo La Tengo perform in Bangkok. Can you give me a little review of the show? 
Yo La Tengo is the main influence for us. To be honest, they are number 1 in my mind. Watching them live was one of the wonderful moment in my life. Ira's guitar sound on that night is like the falling sky. My real jaw-dropping moment.
You opened for Marching Church at Jam recently? How was that? Were you a fan of Iceage?We are not the fan of them. But they played great that night.

Someone asks you to recommend a few Bangkok bands they should check out. What would you tell them?
Summer Dress, Bobkat (Chiangmai), Lowfat, Degaruda and Triggs and the longest day

Imagine your house is on fire and you don’t have time to save your entire music collection. What would you attempt to save?
All I have about Yo La tengo and GBV. And all the punk stuffs
You can attend a dinner party with any 3 musicians living or dead, who would be there?
I want to talk about arts with Rob Pollard, Aggi and Georgia Hubley

For 6 months, you can tour anywhere in the world with any bands you want. Where would you go and who would you play with?
Getting drunk with GBV in States is what I'm looking for

If you could live anywhere in the world outside Thailand for one year where would you live?Japan

As a musician and songwriter what do you obsess about the most? What keeps you awake at night? Does imperfection bother you?
Sleeping late is my nature since I was a little kid. I am so fine about it. I spend most time to build up songs with group of fine chords. And imperfection is what I always look for.

Do you hear music before you create it or do you give birth to it by accident?
Both ways

​There is a philosophical question: If a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound? I will ask another similar question. If a song is written, but no one hears it does it have a sound?
For me, there is no silence outside our mind

Thanks Jar!

Join the Hariguem Zaboy CD party for Kart at Art Space Thong Lor here.
Special guests include DJ Gon, DJ Tat, DJ Tokin and ThirdPerson.  

​DC

Bryan Beller’s resume is extraordinary! Bass playing for Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dweezil Zappa. He's done everything in the business from writing bass columns to working at Fender. But what I find most remarkable is what he can do with a few rubber chickens. If you have not seen Bryan's band The Aristocrats performing “Erotic Cakes” which originally appeared on Guthrie Govan’s album Erotic Cakes, you should watch the Youtube video and marvel how musical poultry could be used acapella in front of a live audience. It is the most obscenely brilliant thing I have ever seen. 

Bryan took time from his busy schedule to answer questions about his career.  

​Do you think it's becoming more unrealistic to aspire to be a musician? 
I don't think it's ever been "realistic" anyway. It's a passion thing. You have to really want to do it, and have both the talent and the determination to stick with it when things get tough, which they will. Circumstances will always change, and it will never be as solid as, say, working in the health care industry. But for those who really want to do it, they will, somehow. 

Your career in music includes performance on the stage, in the studio, making educational DVDs, teaching online, working for an amp manufacturer, managing, writing - should a young musician intent on a career expect to be doing a lot of these things?
I think a young musician should be open to anything that inspires them, and even sometimes something they don't, just to try it on. I couldn't have predicted I would do all of those things when I was younger. I just wanted to play bass. But everything contributed to the player and person I am today. I think "expect" is a loaded word anyway. You know what they say: Expectation is the mother of all disappointment. I'd say, be "open" to any of these things, then see what comes your way. 

What is something musicians/bassists overlook in their development that you wish they focused on more?
Tone! Everyone practices scales, groove, time, improvisation, etc etc. In my view, there should be equal time devoted to the development of *your* sound. This means trying out a lot of different gear, playing along to tracks in headphones, then loudly in rehearsal rooms, then live. It takes time and experience and commitment. In the end I think it's worth it. Do people remember what scale John Scofield played in his solo on such and such tune, or do they remember that he sounds like John Scofield?

How essential do you think your time at Berklee College of Music was to your career now? In what ways?
Berklee showed me that I wasn't as good as I thought I was just because I was good for where I came from. It showed me the best of the budding talent from around the world, and it kicked my ass in terms of doing what I needed to do to keep up at that level. And it was a priceless networking opportunity. I met the guy who got me the audition who started my career. If that's not essential, I don't know what is. 

You play some very demanding music with some of the world's top musicians, do you ever feel like you've lost touch with more straight forward music? Do you ever feel like you should go back to a prior phase of music appreciation?
I feel like that me just being me - a fairly "rootsy" player in the world of high flying fretboard pyrotechnics - is a way to stay grounded with what you might call "straightforward music". Every song, no matter how complex, needs a groove, and a grounding. That's what I try and provide. That's why I play bass. So I feel like I can stand in the world of simplicity and complexity at the same time, as long as I remember the root and foundation of all music, and use that context to make it better. 

I’ve watched a lot of interviews with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Guthrie Govan. Are they musical geniuses that have dropped out of guitar heaven or is their extraordinary skill more about practice, dedication and/or simply the joy of playing?  
Yes. :-)

Do you have a checklist of things you do before you go on stage? 
No. Though it's always good to pee before a two hour show. TMI?

Do you notice dramatic differences between audiences around the world? 
Well, sure. Finland and Japan are more reserved; Mexico and Argentina are not. Every culture's distinctions have a way of showing up on show day, and vive le difference.

Do you prefer the huge festivals like Hell Fest or the smaller amphitheater shows?
Honestly I like clubs the best. Give me a 400-500 capacity packed club, and that's heaven. I've only done a few shows in my life like Hellfest, the outdoor 30,000-people thing. It's weird and wonderful, but I'm glad it's not all I do. 

What is the most misunderstood thing about playing bass?
Our impact on music is underestimated by those who don't understand that the bass is the fulcrum between the rhythmic and the harmonic elements of music. We sit at the nexus of it all. Misunderstand us at your peril, Nameless Musician! ;-)

Thanks Bryan!

Bryan will be performing with Joe Satriani in Bangkok this February. For info, click here.

Recently Bryan returned from a tour to discover his bass gear was stolen from a storage unit. Read the riveting caper here.   

Check out The Aristocrats next time they are in Bangkok!
http://www.bryanbeller.com/

Along the same lines as the License To Kill interview Van from Degaruda facilitates recently, this interview was just something that had to be done. A punk rocker named Sophie arrived in Thailand nearly two decades ago and started fucking shit up. I met Sophie last year when she brought her politically minded punk band The Elected Officials to Bangkok - they smashed it. And now they're back supporting the legendary Millions of Dead Cops on an Asia tour starting in China, hitting several cities in SE Asia and finishing in Japan. - DC    

You lived in Thailand at some point in time and were around for the early years of Thai hardcore, right? Can you describe in vivid details your experience with respect to the early bands, people, venues and influences? What brought you to Thailand?
In 1999, I came as a body piercer & backpacker and stayed to work in a tattoo shop in Chiang Mai and learn how to do traditional Thai handmade tattoo. I started studying Thai language and found that all the music consisted of sappy love songs until I ran into punks Od, Khiaeng, and Gee and from the Hang Bar, a punk bar with a skate park in a abandoned construction site around the corner. We didn’t speak the same language but I went to the bar often and started making flyers for their shows, then patches of their favorite bands - there was no punk stuff in the market in 2000 – we had to make all our own gear. (Khiang and Gee went on to careers in design and screen printing). We used furniture fixtures and construction studs as spikes and studs. Funny stuff.

The Hang Bar got shut down and we opened Chaos City Bar and Tattoo Shop in Chiang Mai with the help of some punks from Jatujak Market. They all moved into my house in CM and we opened the bar – it was a 3 ½ floor building and we had a fireman’s pole to go from 2nd to 1st floors. Punks from all over the world scrawled their name on the wall at Chaos City. There was a tattoo & piercing shop upstairs and a bar downstairs. We booked shows at the bar but it was across from a Wat (holy temple) in the old city and loads of old people lived near by so that was often difficult.

People threw bottles at us from 3rd story building across the street to get us to stop. We started booking shows at the walking street where people bought hand made souvenirs from hill tribe women and ate traditional street food. They were also treated to a free show of Decay of Thailand, Prachamban and other early CM punk bands. It was not uncommon to see Ton (Nasty of BKK Alcohol and Decay of Thailand) pulling his pants down to his knees (underpants on) and screaming while writhing on the ground. The audience consisted mostly of unassuming northern Thai people and tourists. Thai folks gathered around standing utterly still with their mouths open in awe and shock.. Good times. Then we started booking shows at my fabulous friend Lee’s gay nightclub - The Fan Club – where once a month we would takeover and the overweight German tourist dudes were replaced by metal heads and punks – we had fire breathing, pole dancing and very mixed genre shows. We had nu metal, black metal, hardcore, pop punk all together in our little scene back then.
​
I was always influenced by political music and the scene in Thailand was not really politically charged at the time. I think that has changed in that there are a lot more bands and more issues to talk about that matter to people. I started a band called Atomic Influx with Oddy from Hang Bar on drums who was more of a stoner rocker ala Jimmi Hendrix with a tall blonde fan mohawk) and New (Who was a seriously technical black metal guitarist) from Carried the Weight. We had two Farang (white) Math Teachers; Josh and Jerome. Half the band spoke Thai and the other half spoke English, so I did a lot of translating.

I booked shows with Oddy – we put on a music fest called Water Fight Fest during Songkran at an old skate park/squat called the Seti complex. That was epic but we found that booking shows during big festivals was not good for attendance.

“X”, a metal dude from Chiang Mai University who was a killer artist and looked a bit like the predator (big and dark with dreadlocks) started working with me to put on larger shows. We put on a show with Yos at the Cultural Center in Bangkok that was the biggest Punk show as of year. We had over 20 bands in this sweet amphitheater – it was great until we were playing and a small riot broke out between the skinheads from Bang Kabi and a group from Jatujak Market. Hundreds of kids running across the amphitheater with broken bottles and hurling big pieces of wood. Not good man, not good. The night ended with only one guy being sent off with a bloody head to the ER.

We booked shows at the Mad Max Bar - “The Drunk Studio” that was made of recycled metal run by our friend Sua - a rocker dude with a thing for metal art. There were school busses you could sit on, a coi pond, and at one point we put the mic in the end of an old gas pump which was silly but fun.


How has Austin evolved over time and do you like its status as a music city with global recognition? Do you miss days when it was sleepy town?
I like living in Austin, There is a punk show at least every week, usually more than that. We have loads of venues we can book at and a huge crowd of punks. A lot of people play in more than one band. We just helped put on the Punk Rock Olympics in Late November – it is a music fest with silly sports and good times. Yeah there is good weather, good music, good food in Austin… but for me, nothing beats Thai food……
I have not lived in Austin very long so I can’t really speak to the small sleepy town, but does feel like its growing too fast. I hear about too much money turning old cultural mainstays and cool old bars and record shops into condominiums for people moving in. Anyway, Austin is awesome, and its great to come home too now and then, that’s for sure.
What bands out of Austin should we be watching out for?Well, there are so many, but for Thai punks they would probably like Punks on Parade, Starving wolves, Sniper 66, 13th Victim, the Hormones, The Stabbies, Splatter, there are so many really, I can’t get close to naming all the killer bands.. We suggest you browse the flyers on the Facebook page: Austin Punk Rock, to get a glimpse of what is going on around here.

If Bangkok bands were coming to Austin, where should they play and what zines or publications should they be reading?If Bangkok punks came to Austin they would see shows at Kickbutt Coffee, Bull McCabes, The Lost Well, Spiderhouse Ballroom, Grizzly Hall, Sidewinder, Beerland, Texas Mist, The Grand and others. They might listen to Stig Stench’s radio broadcast and read the alternative weekly paper – we don’t have any zines that I know of – seems like people are busy playing and recording around here..

You are touring Asia with MDC? Where are you going and how did you book the tour? Do you enjoy booking tours?
We are going to China, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan with MDC in January. We talked to them about it when we were planning some other shows with them in New Mexico and they were into it, so off we go. I’ve known a lot of these bookers and organizers for over 15 years so it just took filling in the gaps and asking around. We are especially excited about playing Libertad Fest where the Pyrate Punx rent a tropical island for a 4 day fest near Jakarta. We are playing with The Restarts for that one and then travelling with them for 5 other dates in Jakarta, Singapore, Batu Pahat at The Wall which is a great DIY venue and to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Rumah Api, a very cool venue, distro, info shop. Booking tours? It’s fun but exhausting. There are a lot of details – sleeping arrangements, flights, timing, etc. But it is incredible to have a plan come together through community efforts and punk rock ideas, you meet so many great people along the way. The Chinese visa process almost gave us all a heart attack though...

If you had to explain punk rock to people in Asia how would you explain it?
Oh man, I have done it so many times but not for a while. I have always been inspired by political music and that is why I got into punk rock, so I would say this is music that speaks out about things that need to be said, socially, politically. Punk can also be about camaraderie and brotherhood, a safe place to be yourself, the opportunity to live in a world outside of pop and consumer culture. Oh, and making great music that makes you want to thrash around with DIY ethics of integrity and helping others that are in need. And great fashion – depending on who you are talking to.
I did run into a problem with my old band Atomic Influx where we had a song called Babysitter’s Harem, which was about child prostitution in Thailand and people came back and said – “you can’t talk about that” and I said – “in case you didn’t know this is Punk rock and that is exactly why we do this.”

What is one song by The Elected Officials everyone needs to hear?
I like “The Lobby” it is about money in politics and corrupt government, kind of the essence of what we talk about

What is the relevance of a punk rock band today in 2016-2017?
Political music is like political art or photography – These mediums give us an opportunity to interpret the world in a way we see as true and real, not how the advertizing establishment wants. Songs and images can inspire and educate, save millions of lives as with an image of famine in Somalia or a little dead boy on the beach in Syria – people are inspired by the truth and seek it whether they know it or not.

Do you have any closing comments about the show in Bangkok on January 27th with MDC, Cold Black Vines, License To Kill and Lord Liar Boots?  
I am very excited to play with License to Kill! I think the last time we played with them was at that riot show at the cultural center in 2002! I love those guys – Gop was always the biggest guy in the mosh pit and I was the only girl. Good times then, good times ahead! I am excited to check out the other bands too. In terms of bringing MDC to Thailand, I can’t wait to introduce them to Muang Thai.

Thanks Sophie!

Go to the fucking show! I wish I could.
The Elected Officials are playing with MDC, License To Kill, Cold Black Vines, and Lord Liar Boots on January 27th at Sou Sauce Factory. Sign up here. 
Also note, The Elected Officials should be at the Dave Dictor acoustic show at Mezzanine on Soi Rangnam on the 26th. Sign up for that event here.
​Read the Dave Dictor/MDC interview here. 

Featured photo of The Elected Officials courtesy of David Brendan Hall Photography.  

Recently we connected with Golf from pioneering Thai hardcore band License to Kill. Degaruda's drummer Van was recruited to write and translate. Golf gives us band history, the early days, influences and the philosophy of hardcore. 

Interview by Van

Can you give a brief bio of License To Kill?
We started around 1998 when Daeng, Keng and Golf decided they wanted to form a band and started to practice covers.  Soon we met with P’Ef of the band Plahn who gave us some pointers and encouraged us to start writing our own songs and find our own style.  From there we started writing our own music but at first we couldn’t find a stable bass player and would have Pom (Daeng’s friend) jam with us but after that Phang, our second bassist, joined and stayed with us for 3-4 years before finally quitting to join Lacerate, a Brutal Death band that was more his style. While Phang was in the band we wrote 3-4 songs.  After changing bassists from Pun to Pluak we finally ended on our current bassist Max but then Keng, the guitarist, decided he wanted to spend more time with his family so we brought on Arm, formerly of the band At Time.  Our present lineup is Daeng on drums, Arm on guitar, Max on bass and Golf on vocals.

Where did the name License To Kill come from?
At first we were going to call ourselves Ravage with all the meaning that entails but one day Golf was wearing a shirt with the text “License to Kill”, which elicited some taunts from his friends of, “Ooh, look at these killers! They even have their license printed on their shirts!”  That gave him the idea to make the phrase the name of our band and after talking it over with the group we decided that from that day onward we would ‘kill’ everything that we saw as wrong and unrighteous.  From that day on we were License to Kill and fortunately in the middle of 1998, a James Bond movie with the same name was released!

What year did License To Kill begin and what venues would you play?
After getting some pointers from P’Ef of Plahn we started writing our own music and we got invited by P’Ef  to join in a music festival called Power of Screaming, which became our very first live show.  After that we got regular invitations from friends and fellow members of the underground community and were able to play both our own songs and covers of New York hardcore punk bands.

What challenges did you face at the beginning?
An obstacle we faced early on was practice spaces because the music we were playing didn’t really sit well with the operators of jam spaces who were like “What is all this noise?”  For me actually this wasn’t a major problem because after we played Power of Screaming, which was organized by A of the band Ko Kamram with P’Ef inviting us to open, I like to think it was all part of what made us who we are today.  We made friends, brothers and sisters and developed our musical ability and understanding.  All of that came from those first few days and our intention to have fun, using music as the catalyst to bring together our attitudes, ideas, lifestyles and perceptions on living in the human race.

What made you want to adopt punk music?/What connection do you feel to hardcore punk?
The straightforwardness of what the songs are about and the lifestyle as well as all the behaviors that make up hardcore punk have become an essential part of my life.  Just by realizing that I should love others and not infringe on them, that I should find happiness in living life how I want responsibly, I think society would be a much better place and that’s just the beginning of this happiness!  Ask yourself, if you could experience such happiness, how could you deny it?

Which hardcore punk bands influenced you the most?
sick of it all/the misfits/machine head/sepultura/the ramones/minorthreat....hardcore&punk....

Before you started listening to hardcore what did you listen to?
I started by listening to Nirvana and Green Day then moving on to hardcore/punk, funk, nu metal, some death metal and some grind but I’ve been most into punk music.  I listen to both Thai and foreign punk bands as much as I can.

How do you view the scene now? How has it changed over time?
I think the underground music scene here is like a bipolar person, sometimes it’s down and sometimes its active depending on if people are into it and what to support it at the time.  Actually, I wish there was some kind of regular activity or event that was an expression of who we are and our stances so there could be more continuity for the type of music we play.  I think it’s more important than all the more peripheral aspects.  We should think and act in  way that reflects our Hardcore Punk culture.

What does it mean to be hardcore?
 For me it’s being straight forward, expressive, standing up for what is right and being a true friend

While other genres of music change, hardcore does not seem to change? Why is that?
Good and bad are in a constant loop.  No matter who you are, you can do good and you can do bad, but if you don’t learn from the mistakes you make then you’re no different from everyone else, you’re not truly hardcore.  Those who are hardcore are always considering their actions.

Do you think there are any adaptations needed for hardcore music to be more accepted in Thailand?
We should be more selective of who is considered “hardcore”.  The lifestyle is already awesome.

Is there a message to the music?
Thanks for this question.  It’s about the true nature of people, temptation, war, the corrupt bureaucratic system, actions both intentional and unintentional, we’re ready to kill it all, because we are License to Kill!
 
Golf. License to kill. Big thx

License To Kill are performing with Millions of Dead Cops, The Elected Officals, Cold Black Vines, and Lord Liar Boots January 27th at Soy Sauce Factory. Sign up here. 

This is an email interview with Dave Dictor of the punk band MDC or Millions of Dead Cops. DC ​

What is punk Mr. Dictor? 
Well punk to me is name chosen by those that lived in the seventies... about our reaction to the way society would want you to conform to their rules and norms. Dress a certain way, follow a code of behavior, behave the way society wants you to behave. Believe in their gods and their goals. Fit in to society and its rules.

Have you ever felt there was a strong difference in the early days between punk emerging in the USA and punk emerging in the UK?
I believe both sides of the pond (Atlantic Ocean) took cues from each other. I can say I lived that era and witnessed the hippie culture just combust. Consumerism collided with the ideals of hippie culture. The rock star leaders went for the big bucks. So there we were, aware of this and we were still angry about the rules of society. Riches for some, hunger for others for one.

I think I read somewhere you are a teacher. I’d love to take your class! What did you teach and where? And did your students know or care you are a punk rock singer?
I have taught Special Education on and off the last 15 years. My students were in general, developmental disabilities students with emotional challenges. I went where the need was greatest and actually found preparing students with lower IQ's the opportunities to get and hold employment to be very satisfying. If you don't work your life as a someone in an adult home in that situation you can find your life to be very limited. With work people can be out in the world and interact. They can buy presents for loved ones as well as themselves. I love my work in education. The only grief from my job was from fellow teachers who I worked with finding out I sang for Millions of Dead Cops. Particularly after 9/11 -World Trade Center terrorism and all the death of police and firemen.

I must admit I still have to buy your book and read it (I am awaiting cataract surgery - once that happens will get the book). Is it easy to write about the punk rock past?
Well the stories that are memorable are easy to retell, but weaving it into a way that entertains and makes good reading is the knack. I like to have a beginning a middle and an end with a punch line that ties it all together so the reader is hungry to go on and on. As well, I want any reader, a house wife for example, who doesn't know Jello Biafra or Minor Threat to relate to the story and to me. That is a trick... I get bored easy. I want more than say... this happened and then that happened and this is what the final outcome was. Everyone is different, I had these goals besides telling of the events. 5)Remembering this,

I will miss your Bangkok performances as I’m in home in Jersey a while but just noticed a new solo show for you at Mezzanine on January 26th before your show at Soy Sauce Factory. How would you describe your solo acoustic show? 
Well it's not solo, it's with my bassist Mike Smith and we have been doing it slowly for 10 years. Our music and performance tries to capture the punk message in a harmonic, acoustic and easy way that anyone can hear and be able to relate too. I really love it. Some are suspect of it like it's a sellout of "loud, hard, fast" but well too bad.

 In an interview I saw, you talked about how you came to join a punk band. Do you wan to tell us how you got into punk? Is punk for everyone? Do I need to dress a certain way? Is it OK if I have some pop music in my head? I am thinking about friends of mine who play hardcore punk but also like Taylor Swift - it sounds inconceivable but is punk defined by a set of rules?
 Well I was a musician and at the right age (early twenties)... I showed my songs to many types of people. The punker types were enthusiastic from the beginning others less so. That was easy. I have found there are different types of punks. I have recently discovered literary punks from my book reads. Some are 70 and more. Punk can be for everyone. Clothes don't mean a shit or if you like Taylor Swift. I love Bjork, Lou Reed, and my present music collection has many non punk forms of music.
 
Does it get more difficult to perform with MDC as you get older?
Having the stamina of a younger person makes it easier to perform etc. Now having said that we did 97 gigs last year. I like to go and go. I like having my lover with me on tour. It has worked out that way in the last year after meeting up with someone and her liking the road with me.

If anyone is on the fence coming to see you solo or you with MDC in Bangkok, what would you tell them?
I try to show them what the lyrics and thought behind the songs are. I don't want to beg or over ask people to come. Check it out, try it or don't.

Besides anything remotely punk, what music are you a fan of?
I've always liked an array of music and styles. Very into soul, rhythm and blues, old country, rap, classical, Irish music, really open to all of it.

​Thanks Dave!

Bangkok performances
Dave Dictor and Mike Smith are performing at Mezzanine on Soi Rangnam on January 26th.
MDC is performing on January 27th at Soy Sauce Factory with The Elected Officials, Cold Black Vines, License To Kill and Lord Liar Boots. Sign up here.

​Check out Dave's memoirs here. 

DC

Choose 5 of your favorite albums or CDs of all time. - OK, you can pull out question 7,8 and make another interview out of em. I will pick what’s come up to my mind right now. Not by order and not saying it’s the most favorite……..Foo Fighters - There’s nothing left to lose, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Southern Accents, Against Me! - White crosses, Angels and Airwaves - We don’t need to whisper, The naked and famous - Passive me,Aggressive you.

Your house, condo or apartment is on fire and all your possessions are inside. After making certain all people and pets are safely out of harm’s way, you have time to grab one thing? What do you grab? -
​My laptop and Harddisk with all the pictures from my last 15 years in it. Le Last 2 years my car got jacked and the bastard took all my stuff, Laptop, iPad, my notes, guitar(If you’re seeing a white Gibson firebird anywhere just let me know)….back then i was so upset about the guitar but later on i realize what sadden me the most is all the pictures in my Laptop hadn’t been backed up yet. There’re picture of my wife, my trip, my dog and else which I can’t recall it.

If you were reading a reviewers scathing critique of your guitar playing what is the worst thing they could write? - “The dude didn’t turn on enough volume”

In three words describe the music of Cold Black Vines? - Fast, Hard, Crazy

If you could describe the music or personality of each of your CBV bandmates each with only three words, how would you describe them? Ed is “Punk Rock Attitude”, Aaron is “Big Bad Monster”, Monster is “Loud Polite Bomber”

If audiences only heard one CBV song what would it be? - “Cold Black Vines” Not saying it’s our best song but it’s the one song that tells you everything we’re about.

Are you stoked to be playing with MDC, Elected Officials, License To Kill and Lord Liar Boots in January? - Sure, It’s our first show after Ed’s coming back from US too. I love the vibe at Soy Sauce and the line up is so great.

Join Mick and Cold Black Vines as they perform with Millions of Dead Cops, The Elected Officials, Lord Liar Boots and License To Kill at Soy Sauce Factory on January 27th 2017. For information click here.

Look out for a new official Cold Black Vines video by Jake Carvey. Stay tuned for an interview with the pioneers of Thai hardcore punk Licene To Kill conducted by Van of Degruda. Millions of Dead Cops have not responded to my message. Waiting to hear from Sophie from The Elected Officials. I am gonna miss the show on the 27th of january and a whole lot more. Maybe you can be my eyes and ears? - DC  

Who are your three favorite singers of all time?
David Bowie, Nick Cave and Scott Walker.

If you had to replace your entire band because they spontaneously combusted, who would you replace them with? You can choose anyone from music history dead or alive.
Mani from The Stone Roses on bass and maybe John French from The Magic Band on drums. If I could get another guitarist in it would probably be Eddie Hazel. Don’t know many trumpeters. I suspect Miles Davis might be overqualified.

Choose 5 albums to bring to an island where you will spend the rest of your life in solitude only with these 5 albums and a listening device.
Choosing just 5 is really tough but let’s go with...
Low by David Bowie
Henry’s Dream by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Forever Changes by Love
The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One by Yo La Tengo

You are walking through the jungle with your bassist Gary and your drummer Iman - all three of you are bitten by a poisonous snake but there’s only anti-venom for two people. Tell me Greg, who’s gonna walk out of the jungle alive?
I alone will emerge, having taken both doses to make doubly sure of my own survival. (The others will understand.)

You are playing on the 26th with one of my favorite Bangkok bands, Hariguem Zaboy. Do you personally have any favorites in the local bangkok community?
Hariguem Zaboy are great. We’re really looking forward to playing with them. Probably the most impressive live act I’ve seen are Degaruda. It’s not really my kind of music, but boy do they do it well.

Thanks Greg!

Check out The Pillers with Hariguem Zaboy and Marching Church Saturday, November 25th at Jam Cafe in Surasak. Tickets are limited to 70 on the door so get there early or be left standing outside on the street, Thanks to Matt Smith of Popscene and Dhyan Ho at Jam for making it all possible. If you're at the show say hello to Adrian Heron covering the event for this blog. For event details click here.

- DC 

Post rock instrumentalist My Empty Phantom comes to town on September 17th all the way from Austin, Texas! This is particularly exciting as this one dude creates music live with drums, guitars and keyboards - I don't know how he does it but will learn no doubt. Jesse from MEP was nice enough to take time to answer questions via email about the music, Austin and a bunch of other geeky stuff.

Please note the amazing photos courtesy of Alejandro Compean 

Can you give some biographical information on yourself? I’ve read you are based out of Austin, started My Empty Phantom as a kind of art project and are into film. What else should we know about you?
Hi I'm Jesse. Nice to meet you here. I'm 29 years old and have been touring/performing concerts since I was 20 years old. I make all kinds of music and am working on some new projects but my instrumental music My Empty Phantom is what I'm most comfortable putting out there right now.

How long have you lived in Austin for and have you always lived there or did you move there for the city’s legendary arts community? (Also how has it changed since you have lived there?)
I've been living in Austin, Texas for ten years. I grew up in New York City and a small Texas town. I was born in Miami Beach, Florida. My birth parents are from Nicaragua and I was adopted.

I've been visiting family in Austin my whole life. I moved here to live a creative life. Austin is always changing but I feel good people come here to live relaxed lives and support creative arts.

Do you feel that today’s technology is helping or hindering artists?
I think if certain technology helps people be creative I'm all for it.

 Are you able to make a career from performing and recording your original music?
Music is more my career than ever right now. It's still a process but I feel I'm always working on a music licensing project, performing a concert, recording or getting ready for tour.