Night Wounds Interview

Here’s an Interview with one of my current, favorite L.A. bands, Night Wounds. They are a bunch of young kids, who make great music, adding elements of no-wave, and spastic punk rock to concoct something fresh and fun. Visit their myspace page to listen to tracks, view photos, etc. They are currently on tour, so if you have a chance to see them, DO IT! They put on a great show.

This interview was done over e-mail, a few days before they left on their coast-to-coast tour.

Interview & photos by Heather Klinger from Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom III.

Out of Order: Los Angeles seems to be embracing young artists with venues like the Smell, and you guys are no exception. Another young band that comes to mind is Mika Miko, another favorite in this area. How do you like Los Angeles? Do you think there is a supportive scene for the kind of music you guys play right now?

Night Wounds: I think there definitely is. Visiting Los Angeles prior to moving here, everyone seemed to be very tight knit no matter what kind of music they played. It wasn't strange to see a bill with a band like us, a band like Mika Miko and a solo noise project. I think that still exists, but doesn't seem to happen as often as it used to. Regardless, everyone can be super supportive. Bands kind of have three or four cliques of people they can play to and get different reactions from all of them, so it's not like you play one show and you've been exposed to everyone. Bands have many opportunities and it's great that there is not one but several solid diy show spaces and it seems like everyone gets a chance to play if they want to.

OOO: Who are your favorite locals to play with?

NW: Abe Vigoda and Knit Witch.

OOO: You are going to the east coast, and back. It looks like a pretty grueling tour schedule. Has anyone else in the band toured in other bands? How have you prepared for this tour?

NW: Ryan has roadied a couple times. Jamie has not explored a lot of these places so it's probably most scary/exciting to him. Our first tour was a 40 day road trip as a two piece a couple years back and we played all over, but it wasn't a solid tour. We played about... 15 shows. Preparation has been beyond frustrating. My world has kind of collapsed prior to leaving so I've been dealing with huge helpings of everyday bullshit mixed with intense drama. It'll all pay off though!

OOO: What kind of vehicle are you guys touring in? How did you acquire it?

NW: We are touring in a small SUV and will carry the drumset. Hot Girls Cool Guys are touring in a minivan with all the amps/guitars. Jamie's parents gave it to him (lucky) so we're going to bow to them!
OOO: Where's the weirdest place you've ever played?

NW: Oh man! Ryan booked a show at his old friend's house for New Years Eve. We showed up and I could see a dude warming up on his trombone from the street. Turned out to be a straight up hippy party and I felt like I was from a different world as them. By the time we played, everyone was on the roof and we played to a mix of punk rock locals, girls in huge skirts and our two or three friends and everything broke one song in so we stopped and tried to sleep, but not for long as the hippies moved the dance party into the living room and ended up puking all over the couch I wanted to sleep on.

OOO: How did you like playing at KDVS' Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom III festival?

NW: Man that shit was a blast! I think we made a wise choice by playing where we did. Ettrick, Clip'd Beaks, Eddie the Rat, Erase Errata and pretty much everyone was awesome. I'd have to say it was firmly planted in between a great time and an experience, because it definitely was weird, but we have no regrets for going up there! Sacramento-area is always good to us.

OOO: You guys have had your music released (or being released) on a variety of medias- vinyl, CD, and even cassettes. Do you think cassettes are still viable? What is your favorite media?

NW: Cassettes are great, aesthetically. I think it's a rad medium but at the same time I think it's something most commonly thought of as a part of noise culture and not punk rock again. But there are plenty of labels making that no longer the case, suck as Fuck It Tapes. I still love cassettes I just dont know where to play them because tape decks seem like these ancient artifacts you have to search out now! That is bizarre to me, how vinyl survived decades and decades but tapes disappeared. My favorite format is the vinyl LP.

OOO: Were there any key bands that really impacted you, and made you pick up instruments?

NW: Yes, there are so many. The Ex, DNA, Red Transistor, Swirlies, Crass, Screamers and Lydia Lunch are all immediately influences. I think those are aparent, but what also really pumps us up is DJ Screw (the late Houston DJ who slowed down rap records) and personally speaking, lately all I can listen to is the "dud" T-Rex albums like "Futuristic Dragon". That record blows my mind!

OOO: Both Davis and Sacramento have been supportive of Night Wounds, and come out for your shows. I also hear lots of people talking about you guys, too. Besides your hometown, have you found this to be true anywhere else?

NW: Another place that comes to mind is Phoenix, AZ. Sacramento and Phoenix are two cities we will probably drive to do one off shows at. That's a good sign considering they are both five or six hours away from us!

OOO: Thanks for doing the interview! Have fun on tour, be safe, and we look forward to seeing you guys on your way home at the end of July!

NW: Thanks a ton! See you soooooooon.

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myspace.com/nightwounds
Official Website

Night Wounds 2006 Summer Tour

06-19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts @ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Kiosk, Finally Punk, Soft Shoulder
06-20 - Tucson, AZ
06-21 - El Paso, TX @ The House of Rock N' Roll w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
06-22 - Odessa, TX @ Einstien's Revenge w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
06-23 - Austin, TX @ The Parlour w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Assacre
06-24 - Denton, TX
06-25 - New Orleans, LA @ Big Top w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
06-26 - Montgomery, AL @ Picklefish w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
06-27 - Atlanta, GA @ Lenny's w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Airoes
06-28 - Asheville, NC @ Goldwood's Nilbog w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Look Up!, Kiosk, Finally Punk
06-29 - Greensboro, NC @ Spazzatorium w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Ultra Dolphins, Order
06-30 - Baltimore, MD @ Charm City Artspace w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Human Host
07-01 - Philadelphia, PA @ Danger Danger w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
07-02 - Brooklyn, NY @ Goodbye Blue Monday w/ Hot Girls Cool GUys
07-03 - Easthampton, MA @ The Flywheel w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Greyskull
07-04 - Portsmouth, NH @ Chutney Flatz w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
07-05 - Providence, RI
07-06 - NYC @ The Cake Shop w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Fxxxing Lion, Kiosk, Finally Punk
07-07 - Pittsburgh, PA @ TBA w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Japanther
07-08 – Cleveland, OH @ the Church
07-09 – Buffalo, NY @ the Kitchen Distribution
07-10 - Chicago, IL @ the Ex-Nihilist Gallery
07-11 - Iowa City, IA @ Cave of Spirts w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
07-12 - St. Louis, MO
07-13 - Columbia, MO
07-14 - Kansas City, MO @ The Pistol w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys
07-16 - Denver, CO @ Monkey Mania w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Zs, This Song is a Mess, Pretty Thigh
07-17 - Salt Lake City, UT
07-18 - Boise, ID @ Area Code w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Pretty Thigh, Pussy Gutt
07-19 - Portland, OR @ Foodhole w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, Ikebana, Archaeopteryx
07-20 - Arcata, CA @ Placebo w/ Hot Girls Cool Guys, The Paislies
07-21 - San Francisco, CA @ ATA w/ Abe Vigoda, Hot Girls Cool Guys, Shearing Pinx
07-22 - Sacramento, CA @ Mission & El Camino w/ Abe Vigoda, Hot Girls Cool Guys, Shearing Pinx
07-24 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell w/ Shearing Pinx

Updates (Sale, plus others)

MAIL ORDER SALE

You've only got two more days to enjoy the Out of Order Mail Order Sale. We're talking cheap 7inches (including imports!), LPs and CDs! Take advantage of this while you still can. View it all here!

I'm making room for some new stuff that will be posted this week!

TRASHIES SOLD OUT

If you didn't already know, the Trashies 7" has been sold out for a few weeks now. Sorry to those who have tried to order it, but luckily, if you act fast, you can still grab it from one of our awesome distributors which include Know Crap, Underground Medicine, Plastic Idol Records, Green Noise, P-Trash Records, Florida's Dying, Puke N Vomit, and Razorcake.

DISSIMILARS

The "Jimmy's Room" 7inch, the release that launched Out of Order is almost gone as well, so if you want one, you can get one here, or some of the distributors above.

BLOG / ZINE

The Out of Order Blog is updated regularly with record reviews, label news, radio playlists, interviews, and more. Look for all this and more to be added this week, including an interview with Night Wounds! The print zine is still available, more info here.

Thanks for your support!

Out of Order

Videos

It's a very warm June night here in Northern California, and it's too hot to sleep, so I'm straying from record reviews, and posting some awesome videos I just found, or have known about on you tube. I can't believe some of this stuff exists! It's pretty amazing...

Tall Dwarfs "The Brain That Wouldn't Die"
This song comes off a great New Zealand compilation entitled Tuatara. I first heard this song a few years ago off of that record, and it's been one of my favorites since. Other greats on that comp include the Gordons, the Clean and the Verlaines.



The Clean "Tally Ho"
Speaking of the Clean, they have a couple video's up. Here's "Tally Ho". Not one of my favorite songs- I'm more prone to "Getting Older", "Billy Two", "Anything Could Happen" and "Platypus", but still a neat watch.



The Boys "Weekend"
Another one of those cheesy power pop songs you can't help but love...



Beat Happening "Cry for a Shadow"
Another older, influential band. Here's one from Beat Happening!



Chrome "Meet You in the Subway"
This is hands down one of my favorite Chrome songs. This was taken from one of the Target videos. If you've yet to see any of those, they are a great series made in the Late 70s and 80s by Joe Reece in San Francisco who ran Target Video, and later covered punk, no wave, synthpunk and hardcore around the world, and got footage of several great bands including Devo, the Mutants, Bob, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, The Screamers, Tuxedo Moon and countless others.
(I wish there was more info on the internet about Target Video...)

Big Mail Order Sale!

CLICK HERE!

Record Reviews #5

Bright Ideas
Saturdays and the Turning Tides
Rocket Science Alliance

Great pop from Sacramento! Features Scott Miller (Bananas, Nar), Marie Davenport (Bananas, Karate Party) and Tim White (Knockoffs). “Cut My Hair” and “I’m Getting Ready” remain two of my favorites on this CD, along with the crowd pleaser “Casanova’s Memoirs” but I can’t say a bad thing about any of these 8 songs. Limited to 100 copies and produced by the infamous Chris Woodhouse, this is destined to be gone before you know it.
www.myspace.com/thebrightideas

Digital Leather
Monologue
Shattered

My first experience with this band was the Arizona Incest compilation, and then came some CDr releases, and then the single on Plastic Idol, which floored me. Digital Leather does some great, dark, synth punk. You could easily fool someone that this band was from the early 80’s, and maybe put out by Survival, Mute or 415 Records. I’m prone to “Black flowers from the future”, “I tell my sorrows to the stones”, “These Patterns” and “Fantasy boys”. Comparisons to the Normal, Units, and contemporaries Angry Angles are not far off.
www.myspace.com/digitalleather

Standard Tribesmen
4 Song 7”
Borox

Comprised of all the members of the Sores, this caught me off guard in a good way. It’s been sitting in my to-listen-to pile, and I regret letting it sit so long. Spray-painted sleeve, blank label, simple insert; the music is as raw and primitive as the packaging. Four bluesy garage numbers that will get constant rotation on your turntable. Standouts: “Riverside Strangler” and “Headache”.

V/A
Killed By Trash Vol. 1
P-Trash

Another record I’d really been waiting for. This Contains 20 Killed by Death covers! Being the Killed by Death freak I am, I had to have this. Standouts include Jeffery Novak doing the Mad’s “I Hate Music”, Carbona’s doing “Don’t Hide Your Hate” by Filth, Feelers doing the Gizmo’s “Amerika First”, Digger and the Pussy Cats nailing “Better off Dead” by the Wipers, and my favorite, Black Time and their “Son of Sam” cover originally done by the Chain Gang.

Great modern punk and garage bands doing trashy killed by death covers. This is one of the best compilations to come out so far in the 21^st century. I can’t wait for volume 2!!!

Won't Leave My Turntable

In no order...

Records that won't leave my turntable...

Ocs “Songs About Death & Dying Vol. 3” (Yik Yak)
Sic Alps “The Soft Tour in Rough Form” (Mt. St. Mtn.)
Digital Leather “Monologue” (Shattered)
V/A “Killed by Trash Vol. 1” (P-Trash)
Country Teasers “The Empire Strikes Back” (In the Red)
Carbonas “S/T” (Raw Deluxe)

Reviews coming very soon. I've got a huge stack of stuff to review, as well as a couple interviews I'm working on. New stuff coming soon to the mail order as well.

Trashies Sold Out!

Yes, Trashies records are sold out. Thanks to all who ordered, and made this record very successful. And no, there are no plans to re-press.

To get your hands on this great piece of wax, you can get it through:
Florida's Dying
Green Noise
Know Crap
Party's Over
Plastic Idol Records
P-Trash Records (Germany)
Razorcake
Underground Medicine

I'm not sure what is up next on the Out of Order plate, so stay tuned.

Also, I just re-stocked Angry Angles 7inches (repress) on the mail order page.

News on Trashies 7"

Folks,

I literally have only a handful of Trashies 7"s left. If you've yet to pick one up, you can get one by mail-order through me for a limited time only.

They are/or will be available shortly through Underground Medicine, Razorcake, P. Trash Records, Plastic Idol Records, Know Crap, Green Noise, and Florida's Dying just to name a few.

Thanks so much for your support!