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13walls · 6 years ago

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Drawing from garage rock, experimental and punk music, the Intelligence Service deal out heavy psychedelic vibe that is entirely their own. With ground-shaking organ, pounding drums, hypnotic bass, roaring guitar and a critical artist approach, the Intelligence Service mash dark neo-psycehdelic tones befitting of the Black Angels with the raw punk rock energy of Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees. Speaking with singer/songwriter Alex Penn, A Love That’s Sound talk about the Intelligence Service’s approach to experimental punk rock, recording straight to tape with famed punk rock recording engineer Chris Woodhouse, critical art and the purpose of leaving an creative wake.

The Intelligence Service w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show @ the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: What are the origins of the Intelligence Service? Why did you create this particular project?

Alex Penn: I used to do art, that was most of my life. I got tired of it. I pursued art as a philosophical pursuit as a way to understand my own life, what am I doing here, how do I interact with others, ethics and all that kind of stuff. I got to the point with these questions, “why produce art”? Why keep making things? Maybe our society produces too much and we keep producing and producing and a lot of the time it’s crap. I started to think we produce things because we are afraid of death to keep busy to distract us from that notion and to leave behind something that outlives us, a memento of us being here on this planet, a permanence.

Alex Penn and Heather Campbell

The Intelligence Service @ the Cobalt, Vancouver 2017.

For two years I wasn’t making visual art because I thought we shouldn’t be making stuff. I’ve always loved music as a collector and show goer. I was with my girlfriend Heather and we saw Moon Duo. And I thought “why don’t we start a band, these guys are old.” It was a great show at the Electric Owl with a wicked digital light show. Knowing the history of punk rock, all you really have to do is learn three chords. I picked up a guitar and started to learn how to play and it was great to be creating again. Most people spend a lot of money on a burial, I made Transgressors. It’s my tombstone. The only reason to produce things is to leave them behind so I thought I’ll just make a vinyl record that will encapsulate what i’ve spent my life doing, visual art, writing and music. As I was learning to play, I was writing songs and that became Transgressors. After about two years, that album was out. It was great. I’ve only been playing music for 3 or 4 years now.

The Intelligence Service w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show @ the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: The Intelligence Service has a heavy synth element. How did you come to include that instrument in your overall sound?

Alex Penn: It was Heather and I. Heather played Keys and Synths. She could play guitar too but she had some pretty wicked guitar sounds. I would push her, she would push me, we had a good working relationship that way. A lot of the time I would experiment with weird sounds on her Moog and ask “can you try and do this thing?” I really love 60’s garage rock with a lot of organ in it. The Intelligence Service has more organ now, earlier on it was synths and things like that. We didn’t used to have a bass player so Heather and I used to write bass parts that would be played on synth, which would sound better. My love of music and my influences go to weird shit like early Devo and earlier punk bands that used synth in their sound. I also used to listen to Industrial music which has heavy synth.

Alex Penn, 2017. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: The Intelligence Service has a very punk-rock edge along side the keys. Why aren’t there more synths in punk rock music?

Alex Penn: There’s so many different punk bands and they all do different things. Klenex had a saxophone, cause that’s what they had. Synths are expensive. When punk was developing, I imagine most people learning to play punk music were not expert musicians when they started, that was part of the deal, they were a DIY culture. Synths were expensive and complicated and not as easy to carry around or punk rock looking as a bass or guitar. But there are some really wicked punk bands with synths.

The Intelligence Service w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show @ the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: You recorded with Chris Woodhouse down in Sacramento for Transgressors. How did you come into contact with Chris? What was that recording experience like?

Alex Penn: He was awesome to work with. I have found out since that not everybody feels that way but I got along with him great and he’s super intense and awesome. We actually recored twice with him. Recording is an art form. When I set out to make my “tombstone,” I thought about who I wanted to record with, so I started to go through all of my favourite records and bands and the one thing that I noticed was that there was a tendency of certain bands to have the early albums, the energy was there but the recording quality was terrible and there was no reason for it to be on vinyl.

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What I noticed was that one of my favourite bands, the Oh Sees, their sound always had this live energy and the albums started sounding better and better. His name kept coming up “Chris Woodhouse, Chris Woodhouse…” I thought, okay, he’s the guy. I love this sound and the energy is always there on all of his records, from A-Frames to Sick Alps and his band mayors. Ty Segall with Manipulator and Slaughterhouse, his own band Mayyors, Fuzz, Meatbodies… all of these insane, awesome bands. It was really hard to track him down. I found his manager but Chris Woodhouse only records bands that he likes so we had to go through all of these screenings. We recorded a demo specifically to put by Chris. It turned out that he really liked us, we talked on the phone and then we headed down to Sacramento to record with him. The Intelligence Service was the first Canadian band to record with him, which is kind of cool.

The Intelligence Service w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show @ the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: I understand that studio was next to a fruit ripening warehouse.

Alex Penn: Yeah, it used to be a banana ripening room. He records live off the floor onto two-inch tape. Chris kept saying, “you know we only record onto tape, right?” and I was like ‘yeah that’s what I want, that warm, crazy sound and all of the cool thing you can do with tape.

The Intelligence Service (Alex Penn, Heather Campbell), 2017. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: How would you gauge the 80s wave of psychedelia (Spacemen 3, the Jesus and Mary Chain) compared to the ‘60s psychedelic music?

Alex Penn: I love those bands. I never used to listen to Spacemen 3 but Heather liked them a lot and I gave them a closer listen. There’s also bands like Marshmallow Overcoat, that was the Paisley underground scene. There was some cool shit going on but the ‘60s stuff…. I like the Kinks overtop of the Beatles or Rolling Stones. Or Iggy Pop over David Bowie. Not that you have to choose these things but that’s my preference. That stuff is a little bit heavier, a little bit weirder, a little bit edgier and pushes the social norms a little bit more. David Bowie pushed enormously in a big way later on, they were friends and song collaborators… but with the 60s it was the underground stuff. Compilations like Back From the Grave or Pebbles. Stuff that is crazy and unhinged and there’s lots of mistakes and raw energy.

Alex Penn, 2018. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: The song distraction takes up an entire side of Transgressors. How did you come to record such a long song?

Alex Penn: Our first drummer was in town on a work visa from Ireland. He had a wicked and diverse taste in music. He wasn’t officially in the band at that point, I asked him to make a drum piece up as practice. He played it to me and it was fantastic and had all of these influences that I liked. I had something I was working on and we put them together, the whole song is basically four chords. I’m a huge fan of really long songs like “Sister Ray” by the Velvet Underground or Wooden Shjips, who have some songs that are 14 or 20 minutes long. Or Spaceman 3’s three hour concert that was one chord. That stuff is based on John Cage and La Monte Young. Those long, drawn out songs that you can get lost in… you just get lost in sound.

The Intelligence Service w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show @ the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: Lyrically, what is happen on that song? What inspired the spoken word vocals on that track?

Alex Penn: It’s a prose poem that I wrote. It draws from the Iliad and also contemporary society in a stream of conciseness moving in and out of time periods, in the earth and sky, moving around space and time. Lyrically, there’s a lot going on, it’s a poem so I leave people the freedom to gather what is happening there.

The Intelligence Service w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show @ the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver. Photo: David Lacroix.

DL: What direction will the next Intelligence service be taking for the next record?

Alex Penn: The second record is already done, we recored with Chris Woodhouse a second time. We are still digesting it. There’s a song that is 18 minutes long and takes up the entire side of a vinyl record, one chord the whole song. There’s a lot of movement, there’s some crazy noise stuff that happens kind of as a tribute to “European Son” by the Velvet Underground. The overall tone of the album is kind of dark, it’s a conception album that follows a protagonist through a story parallel to Dante’s Divine Comedy, where Dante wakes up in Hell and the poet Virgil moves him into purgatory and then heaven and earth. There’s a lot of hardcode heavy punk sounds, really energetic and there’s also some dark, psych groovy bass lines. It’s hard to explain.

The Intelligence Service w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show @ the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver. Photo: David Lacroix.

Listen to more music from the Intelligence Service or buy a copy of Transgressors, Recorded by Chris Woodhouse, on vinyl from band camp.

Interview/Photos: David Lacroix Artwork: Marie Ingouf

the Intelligence Service – “Leave Something Behind” Drawing from garage rock, experimental and punk music, the Intelligence Service deal out heavy psychedelic vibe that is entirely their own.

#Alex Penn #canadian music #Chris Woodhouse #interview #Light Show #live music #Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show #music #Psychedelic Music #rickshaw theatre #the Intelligence Service #transgressors #vancouver music #vinyl records

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13walls · 7 years ago

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Holygram - “Nothing has to be Black and White"

“Nothing has to be Black or White” Artwork: Marie Ingouf.

Holygram, a lush five piece band craft dreamy and contemplative rock. Drawing from a multitude of historic styles Holygram deliver dreamy, texturally thick rock music in a new fashion that defies traditional boundaries. Using gorgeous and elaborate synth textures balanced with noisy, shoe-gaze inspired guitar over krautrock-inspired…

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#Germany #Holygram #interview #live music #Modern Cults #music 2018 #post punk

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13walls · 7 years ago

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Saturday Morning, Lake Perris.

The 2018 Friday night experience of Desert Daze campers , many hailing from sparsely rained-on south Californian communities is something unlikely to be forgotten. For thousands, it was an extremely difficult night in a camp ground yet, for those who endured, it was a hazing for one of the most memorable and interactive artistic events in memory.

By Saturday afternoon, the California sun was back to shinning.

For all the hunger, soaking shirts and blown-over tents, those who survived came out stronger and would be rewarded with an irreplaceable artistic experience. After all, power and amenities were just a short drive away in the city of Perris. For all of the inconvenience, Desert Daze got back on its feet within half a day on their own accord. Touring schedules ultimately forbad any of Friday’s evening artists from making up their sets but Saturday’s lineup provided plenty to sink one’s teeth into.

Jjuujjuu w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Lights

Saturday afternoon, Mercury Rev’s performance of Deserter Songs sounded absolutely epic, reverberating over the lake Perris beach. Jjuujjiuu crashed through a particular bombastic set, which despite one or two sound issue no doubt due to the rain, cranked in at full intensity out intensity as large, inflated space balls which launched through to the audience, bouncing through the colored beams of the Block Stage projections of the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show. Jjuujjuu’s continued multimedia experimentation and (not to mention recent touring with Primus) make the band’s set a particularly crazy and rewarding time.

Chelsea Wolfe

On the Main Stage, Chelsea Wolfe and Slowdive each crafted their own vibrantly different atmospheres to an audience dampened in size by the previous night’s storm but warm in spirit. Back on the Block Stage, Kikagaku Moyo, a forward thinking 5-piece from Japan that utilizes an electrified sitar and profoundly dynamic instrumental shifts, delivered a set nothing short of phenomena.

Kikagaku Moyo w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Lights

Visually highlighted by the exquisite changing artwork of the Mad Alchemy Light Show, with drifting pastel colors accenting Kikagaku Moyo’s drifting fluid, jazz-rock infused journeys meandered from pleasing bouncing melodies to exquisitely fiery instrumentations. Kikagaku Moyo are a band that has clearly and confidently defined its own genre while continuously surpassing their best efforts on each release.

Kikagaku Moyo is playing at their best and can only be expected to get better. Wooden Ship’s following set, displayed a similarly confident yet diverse style of modern psych rock to a back panel of mostly black and white projections. The Block Stage offered continuous artistic payout throughout the entirety of the festival as so many talented artists interacted with Mad Alchemy’s ever-changing, hi-def oil projections and projected canopy; even the Main Stage, with its massively impressive video wall, could not compete with the awe-inspiring Block Stage visual art.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, the best rock and roll band in the world, launched through a meaty set of career spanning psych rock. Performing favorites such as “Rattlesnake” “I’m In Your Mind” “the River” and “Robot Stop,” Stu Cook & company especially upped their festival game with a raucous rendition of “Crumbling Castle,” which was trailed off for several songs before a vicious reprise jam that would make Jerry Garcia himself proud.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

King Gizzard have played Desert Daze for three years in a row; nobody will be disappointed if they play again next year. Having blown up themselves from afternoon-performances at psychedelic music festivals, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard remember their roots and continuously reward their faithful fans.

Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show

Back on the Block Stage, Shannon & the Clams knocked out some unexpectedly killer vibes and articulated the thoughts of the festival. “I’m sure glad to be here. Aren’t you?” quipped Shannon in a laconic and deep cutting remark. The band’s set, which included a particularly timely cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” seemed of particularly elated spirits.

Shannon & the Clams w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Lights

Performing a late night set, Wand battled against My Bloody Valentine‘s particularly high volume sound check in the deep hours of the morning. The Block Stage, complete with projections, continued well into early morning daylight with a diminishing audience until literal sunrise. No doubt, more attendees would have stayed out for the late night sets if there had been less weather drama the previous day. Nonetheless, the beachside party at 5:00 am under the swirling canopy of lights was a more than curious scene.

Wand

Desert Daze @ Lake Perris, Moreno Valley, California, 2018 – Part 2. The 2018 Friday night experience of Desert Daze campers , many hailing from sparsely rained-on south Californian communities is something unlikely to be forgotten.

#Desert Daze #Desert Daze 2018 #Desert Daze Caravan #jjuujjuu #kikagaku moyo #King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard #Moon Block #Psychedelic Music #Shannon & the Clams #wand

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13walls · 7 years ago

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Desert Daze 2018 @ Lake Perris State Park, Moreno Valley, CA.

Desert Daze hits a stormy high during the festival’s 2018 edition @ Lake Perris, California.

Art is about peaks and valleys. This year’s Desert Daze Festival, hosted by Moon Block last weekend at Lake Perris State park, was all about peaks and valleys. The gorgeous, beach side festival grounds set the scene for a festival unforgettable in more ways than one. Featuring some massive headliners (Tame Impala, My Bloody Valentine, Death Grips, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard), festival organizers Moon Block set out to draw in new fans to the world of boutique art festivals.

Sugar Candy Mountain w/ Bill Gazer

Friday afternoon’s performances, wasted no time showcasing talent. Sugar Candy Mountain, a dreamy rock outfit with dazzling melody, extended a bright and otherworldly jam on their closing song “Tidal Wave.” Snapping back into the song’s melodic hook, Sugar Candy Mountain’s brilliantly matched musical turnaround triggered a collective howl of appreciation from the crowd, in time with the bright video wall curated by lighting artist Bill Gazer . The If you make it out to Desert Daze, try to show up early because the afternoons sets can be absolutely mind-blowing.

The Moon Stage, standing on the shores of Lake Perris, carried a high-powered video board that had no qualms about competing with southern Californian sunshine. Desert Daze’s commitment to visualized music is one of the qualities that sets this festival apart from the regular; high-powered visuals would occur throughout the entirety of the weekend. That being said, Yothan Ghat had no issue leaping offstage during their set to jam on a drum kit and instruments in the crowd, amongst the sand, one of the most ferocious sets of the whole festival.

Marry Lattimore

Pond

After sets by Pond and Chelsea Wolfe, JARV IS, a new moniker and project from the legendary Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, was introduced to the North American world on the Block Stage, an impressive yet intimate collection of curved screens and colored canopies. Jarvis Cocker basked in the swirling lights, sauntered about and offered his quintessential poetic and philosophical ramblings. Warpaint played to growing audiences trickling in from the LA traffic. At sundown, the interactive art instillations started to brighten up the commute between stages.

JARV IS w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Lights

As the sun faded into complete darkness, silhouettes walked onto the Block Stage amongst a light of twisted, fiery red. English rockers Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, performing their sole North American 2018 concert, presented this generation’s effective redefinition of metal. Playing without stage lighting, clad entirely in shadow, Uncle Acid & the Dead Beats stated that they would destroy the audience and they made good on their promise. Juxtaposed against the swirling, ever changing light collages of the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show, Uncle Acid & the Dead Beats crafted a hell-fire inspired scene that would impress Dante himself. Washing through mammoth tones worthy of Electric Wizard and riffs befitting Pentagram, the lightning crashing through the sky on their final song “No Return” seemed as if the skies themselves were crowning Uncle Acid & the Dead Beats the new kings of metal.

Uncle Acid @ the Dead Beats w/ Mad Alchemy Liquid Lights

The audience optimistically overlooked the storm clouds moving up in the distance for an optimistic 15 minutes in which Tame Impala played three songs from their latest record and fired off several large confetti cannons. The sold-out audience teased themselves with a short-lived atmosphere of euphoria before mother nature intervened and an emergency announcement was made by the band; lightning could be seen in the distance and hard rain was coming in; festival goers were obliged to evacuate the ground to avoid harm from any lightning strikes or electrical issues.

Tame Impala

The severity of this emergency shut down, a legal ‘act of god’, was well appreciated by the organizers, who held out till the end but made the call before the worst of the rain hit. Storms are the ultimate music festival complication and have significantly affected events such as Levitation 2016, but ultimately the safety of the audience, artists and crew is top priority. Concerning this highly unlikely weather incident, the Moon Block team made the right call at the right time and did a commendable job getting the weekend back on schedule. Even the arid inland valleys of southern California can be hit by the occasional significant storm; for festival goers only set on seeing Tame Impala, Desert Daze would be understandably disappointing. Those attendants who stuck it out all weekend were more than rewarded by Saturday’s offerings.

Desert Daze @ Lake Perris, Moreno Valley, California, 2018 – Part 1. Desert Daze hits a stormy high during the festival's 2018 edition @ Lake Perris, California. Art is about peaks and valleys.

#Desert Daze #JARV IS #Jarvis Cocker #Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show #Moon Block #Music Festival #Psychedelic Music #Sugar Candy Mountain #Tame Impala #Uncle Acid & the Dead Beats #Warpaint

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