Chmcl Str8jckt Interview
Q: Chmcl Str8jckt played together fifteen years ago and broke up. What led to the band getting back together?
A: Now that I look at it, Mike Cairoli (guitars) and I were in an industrial band together 26 years ago! Time flies! We had a different singer back then. It was when we were in college and the industrial scene was blowing up. Ministry's The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste had just come out and we were all blown away. I played keys and programmed. College and careers pulled us apart. A year ago, I went to see Mike's indie rock band Bradykynin play at a club. Mike and I hadn't seen each other in about 15 years. It was so great to be together again. He said, "Let's do it again. Let's pick up where we left off and play old school industrial again." I hadn't played in decades and said that I was too far out of the loop; "Thanks anyway". The next day I started writing and programming. Our old singer wasn't interested so I took up lyrics and vocals as well.
Q: Industrial is a genre that arguably saw its height in popularity in the early ’90s? What is the reaction to your music like from people today who may have never heard of the genre before?
A: Too true! Industrial has been limping along for many years now, but with some of the classic bands releasing great stuff recently (PIG, KMFDM, Klutae) and some good new acts (3 Teeth, Spit Mask, Chrome Corpse) there seems to be a bit of a resurgence. When I play it for people unfamiliar with industrial they are generally confused because it doesn't fit a genre they know. Is it metal? … but there's a lot of keyboards. Why is your voice fuzzy? Ha Ha! I've been surprised by how many people that don't know industrial end up liking it. Now, those who know industrial (especially the late ’80s and early ’90s) generally like it right away! That's our sweet spot.
Q: All things considered the album is diverse with different tones and textures. Can you give some insight into the creative process?
A: We decided that we would really try to capture the essence of the early industrial surge...ranging from the metal-ish industrial straight through to the keyboard dominated stuff (Ministry to Nitzer Ebb). Kind of a tribute to the era. I write the lyrics and do the initial programming (sometimes the lyrics first, then music to match them, sometimes the music first and lyrics to fit the groove). My hope was that someone familiar with the genre would hear it and think "Did I miss this release in 1991?" So I even use some sounds from my Ensoniq SQ-1 that I played in 1990 (completely unaltered). I then send the demo to Mike and Scott. They give feedback and Mike writes all of the guitar parts. We meet in the studio to record the guitars and Scott adds some backing vocals and learns the keyboard parts for live shows. The exception was "One Last Salute" which I programmed around a guitar riff that Mike sent me. Next time around we will collaborate more in the writing.
Q: Chmcl Str8jckt played together fifteen years ago and broke up. What led to the band getting back together?
A: Now that I look at it, Mike Cairoli (guitars) and I were in an industrial band together 26 years ago! Time flies! We had a different singer back then. It was when we were in college and the industrial scene was blowing up. Ministry's The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste had just come out and we were all blown away. I played keys and programmed. College and careers pulled us apart. A year ago, I went to see Mike's indie rock band Bradykynin play at a club. Mike and I hadn't seen each other in about 15 years. It was so great to be together again. He said, "Let's do it again. Let's pick up where we left off and play old school industrial again." I hadn't played in decades and said that I was too far out of the loop; "Thanks anyway". The next day I started writing and programming. Our old singer wasn't interested so I took up lyrics and vocals as well.
Q: Industrial is a genre that arguably saw its height in popularity in the early ’90s? What is the reaction to your music like from people today who may have never heard of the genre before?
A: Too true! Industrial has been limping along for many years now, but with some of the classic bands releasing great stuff recently (PIG, KMFDM, Klutae) and some good new acts (3 Teeth, Spit Mask, Chrome Corpse) there seems to be a bit of a resurgence. When I play it for people unfamiliar with industrial they are generally confused because it doesn't fit a genre they know. Is it metal? … but there's a lot of keyboards. Why is your voice fuzzy? Ha Ha! I've been surprised by how many people that don't know industrial end up liking it. Now, those who know industrial (especially the late ’80s and early ’90s) generally like it right away! That's our sweet spot.
Q: All things considered the album is diverse with different tones and textures. Can you give some insight into the creative process?
A: We decided that we would really try to capture the essence of the early industrial surge...ranging from the metal-ish industrial straight through to the keyboard dominated stuff (Ministry to Nitzer Ebb). Kind of a tribute to the era. I write the lyrics and do the initial programming (sometimes the lyrics first, then music to match them, sometimes the music first and lyrics to fit the groove). My hope was that someone familiar with the genre would hear it and think "Did I miss this release in 1991?" So I even use some sounds from my Ensoniq SQ-1 that I played in 1990 (completely unaltered). I then send the demo to Mike and Scott. They give feedback and Mike writes all of the guitar parts. We meet in the studio to record the guitars and Scott adds some backing vocals and learns the keyboard parts for live shows. The exception was "One Last Salute" which I programmed around a guitar riff that Mike sent me. Next time around we will collaborate more in the writing.
Q: You mention that you wrote twenty-five songs. What do you plan on doing with the remaining songs?
A: We do have a bunch of advanced demos that we are excited about! We are either going to make a second cd in mid 2018 or just release songs in sets of two as on-line singles every few months. We aren't sure yet. We ARE sure that we will be recording these songs and more in the future though. We are having too much fun to stop.
Q: The band has a number of live shows planned in the near future. How do the songs translate live? Are their notable difference between the album and live versions?
A: At present we have five shows lined up. We are totally psyched to start doing these songs live. I think we sounds a bit heavier live, which is cool. We are adding some intro's and a bit of variety to the songs as well. We are also doing an industrial cover of a non-industrial song at each show, which is fun...Interpol, Aldo Nova, etc.
Q: What else do people need to know about Chmcl Str8jckt?
A: Just that we love industrial music and are trying to make it more fun and less technical. To us, when industrial first came out it was digital punk....a bunch of people using technology to make dark, harsh and fun music with a touch of camp. It was about attitude, energy and having balls. We don't want to spend a week synthesizing the perfect snare sound....we just want to use that digital snare to make you bounce...or shake your fist...or nod your head...or shout along with us!
A: We do have a bunch of advanced demos that we are excited about! We are either going to make a second cd in mid 2018 or just release songs in sets of two as on-line singles every few months. We aren't sure yet. We ARE sure that we will be recording these songs and more in the future though. We are having too much fun to stop.
Q: The band has a number of live shows planned in the near future. How do the songs translate live? Are their notable difference between the album and live versions?
A: At present we have five shows lined up. We are totally psyched to start doing these songs live. I think we sounds a bit heavier live, which is cool. We are adding some intro's and a bit of variety to the songs as well. We are also doing an industrial cover of a non-industrial song at each show, which is fun...Interpol, Aldo Nova, etc.
Q: What else do people need to know about Chmcl Str8jckt?
A: Just that we love industrial music and are trying to make it more fun and less technical. To us, when industrial first came out it was digital punk....a bunch of people using technology to make dark, harsh and fun music with a touch of camp. It was about attitude, energy and having balls. We don't want to spend a week synthesizing the perfect snare sound....we just want to use that digital snare to make you bounce...or shake your fist...or nod your head...or shout along with us!