PressSaltHow and when did you meet and decide to form Croatan? Mark: We met when I got in touch with Jenny to see if her band wanted to play a show with my band. We hit it off okay and I wasn't really happy with the band I was in, so it seemed like a good idea to try something new with Jenny since she and I both had some similar obscure musical tastes. Jenny: The show turned out to be kind of a disaster to put it bluntly and I think I quit my band before I got kicked out but I'm really not sure. Mark and I decided to start our own band that night although we didn't do anything about it for a while. A friend was having a benefit for a local public radio station and after a night of heavy drinking, assigned us 2 songs to play at a show. We did and the rest just kind of happened after that. What bands were you in before this point? Jenny: I've been in a few local bands besides Croatan but none of them did anything to merit any mention. Mark: Croatan is the first band I was in that ever played any shows outside of Cincinnati or released any recordings so I doubt you've ever heard of any of them. The only band I'll admit to was called Tripper Gore. Is Cincinnati a good place for musicians? What kind of scene do you have going there? Jenny: Overall I'd have to say Cincinnati is not a good place for musicians, at least those that are trying to do something different and especially heavy bands. Mark: Yes, I would say it's pretty tough to be a musician here, but then I think it's pretty tough to be one most anywhere. Jenny: There are a few bars that do shows but we don't get a lot of touring bands here too often except the really huge ones. Unfortunately, I think this is really important to a scene and I hope it can change. I know people are trying to make things happen - there's an all ages space fighting numerous battles with the city and I hope that works out. There's also a decent underground basement scene that has lots of life from time to time. Mark: Cincinnati has a very strong conservative element that tends to feel oppressive, which can be both good and bad. It's bad for the obvious reasons, like venues getting closed and so forth or the way the media is. But, it's good in the respect that the people who aren't a part of the conservatism tend to pull together for the important things and also tend to appreciate one another more than other places where folks don't have to work as hard for it. Jenny: Everybody everywhere seems to think their scene sucks and that's because they see it more and they know the ins and outs - it's easy to be impressed by something from the outside until you see what's really going on. Still, I really don't think a lot of the venues here would have the same battles to fight if they were in other cities. But, there are some good bands here despite all that and some people trying hard to overcome this crap. Were you a guitar/drums line up from the start, or have there been other members? Jenny: Our very first line up was actually me, Mark and another guitar player. That didn't last more than a few weeks. We've had people playing bass from time to time and recorded that way some but it's been the 2 of us for the last 5 years. Well the 2 of us and all the amps! What is God Inc.? Mark: That's the logo I made up to put on some 7" records we sell. We don't work too hard at it or anything and our distribution is not particularly consistent, to say the least, but if anyone is interested in any of the records they can contact me. What inspired the duo line-up? Did the amazing Japanese group Ruins play a part in this at all? Jenny: I wouldn't say Ruins inspired us to become a duo because we already were a duo when we first heard them. They are an influence to me though in terms of what 2 people can do. Mark: Well, I'm a big fan of Ruins but I can't say they were any part of it. Jenny: We became a duo after coming to the realization that when we had a bassist playing along, they were generally just following me anyway. Occasionally adding something I suppose, but in all fairness there really isn't a lot of room in what Mark and I do for anything else. Mark: I would say that we arrived at the conclusion that we would be a duo because of the freedom it gives us to be able to play the way we do. It's difficult to explain, but with just 2 people everything is streamlined so we can each do what we do best. Jenny: We both try to cover a lot of ground and like Ruins, tightness in quick changes is key. The way we set things up now there are still plenty of low tones, thanks to my SVT, but more cohesiveness since I'm making all the guitar sounds, high and low. There's also a lot of flexibility and freedom because we know the other person will be where they need to be pretty much at all times. Mark: There's no need for filler parts with no feeling that serve only to get both the listener and all the players on the same wavelength. It makes the equation simpler with only 2 variables, so it gives more flexibility and the structure doesn't seem rigid. Or not. Jenny, how did you develop your fierce noise-guitar attack? And how has the interplay between your sounds and Mark's drumming changed over the years? Jenny: My sound has gradually developed over time - touring will tell you real quick what you're missing and thanks to gear breaking/blowing up periodically I've had to try some new things. It's actually harder for me to reproduce what I do live in the studio than the other way around so there's been a great deal of experimentation in that respect. I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing now though with the Sovtek Mig 60's and the SVT. I'm not sure that the interplay has changed - if so, it's not something that I'm conscious of. I suppose, like anything, we've gotten better at it with time but it's not something that we think about. Do you value texture over melody? Mark: I never thought of that, but I guess if it's an either/or thing I would say yes. Jenny: Sometimes. I think my sense of melody might be a little screwed though based on what people have said about me. I really do try to incorporate both, definitely in my vocal parts but I'm not sure if people get it. Melody isn't really a prominent thing in the type of music we play and at super high volumes it may get lost but I still think it's important at certain times. I'm not saying there should be a hook or anything silly like that but it's nice to have something to hum. It gives you something to take away from the song and helps out immensely when someone says "I really like that song, you know the one that goes like...". My problem with melody though is that it generally has to fit a certain way and then that gets back to texture and things not being readily apparent. Mark: Sometimes you need melody, if only to smash it into oblivion with
the next thing. Jenny: Well, early on we had a lot of people holding their ears, often times leaving when we didn't have the luxury of playing with bands that resembled us in any way. Playing on "girl night" at a club for us was pretty much going to be disastrous. People wouldn't understand the concept of there only being 2 of us - sound guys getting impatient with me and telling me to get the rest of the fucking band and such. Mark: I seem to recall that some confusion was apparent. I do remember getting asked where the bass player was a lot. Some folks thought there was someone playing bass who was hiding off the stage or something like that. Your early 7" singles are ferocious - were they a way of trying to call attention to yourselves, or just a demonstration of your live power? Jenny: Most of those songs were already being played when they were recorded so we were trying to reproduce what we were doing live. I suppose we were trying to be obnoxious too but in a funny way. Mark and I were both huge Butthole Surfers fans and listening to stuff like that and Crust. When we wrote most of that material, we were also coming off a big learning experience with the first record label we worked with and that tends to bring out aggression. We definitely were not happy people. Mark: That stuff all came during a pretty difficult period for us and I think our general disdain for life surfaced a lot on those. This year hasn't been a particularly good one for me, so I expect the things we're working on now may present some similar elements as well when we're finished with them. Do you know if Devo have ever heard your version of "Jocko Homo"? Jenny: I don't think so but I hope they'd like it. It's based on a cross of the original and their acoustic version on a live album. Mark: I hope so, and I hope they find it interesting. I would hate it if they thought I sucked. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them, and living in Ohio I can imagine what it must have been like for them early on. They were pioneers who blazed a trail that no one can walk down. Are you still as interested in the more sociopathic ideas you wrote about in songs like "Split The Image"? Jenny: This sounds like a trick question to me Kevin! That song is based loosely on the "Boston Strangler" movie starring Tony Curtis as Albert DeSalvo who has since been cleared pretty much of the charges. I tried to present a picture of what might have happened to a person to make them behave as he does in the film. The guy in the song has a pretty hard time psychologically I suppose having to deal with sexual abuse, work and family stresses and the resulting confusion of gender roles. At the end of the movie, the DeSalvo character is pushed into a catatonic state and that scene just sends chills down my back. The movie is so well made; I really wanted to do some sort of tribute to it. How important is it for you to be touring unit? What could I expect to see/hear at a Croatan show? Jenny: We love to tour and miss being on the road right now. Mark: Touring is a big part of what it's all about for me. We put a lot into our shows. Jenny: Normally we do 2 US tours a year and we hope to get back out in the Spring. Right now we're working on our new CD and I'm excited about it! What you would expect - 2 people, 3 amps. Mark: We don't go for theatrics and whatnot, it's all about the sound. Our set is pretty concentrated in that we just roll from one song to the next without stage banter or anything. We try to fit as many songs into our allotted time as we can, and it makes for a sense of urgency, at least it does for me. Jenny: Once we start we like to keep on pummeling until it's time to stop. Lots of sweat and feedback and hopefully lots of energy in the room. Who are the best/worst bands you've played with since you started? Jenny: Eek. Best - Thrones, Ruins a very close second. Hubris, an immensely powerful band from Texas also comes to mind. But there are so many great bands I could say! Worst - I doubt most of them are even bands anymore really. Bands that play for much longer than their set time and are rude are the worst in my mind. You don't break down drums on the stage ok?!!! Mark: Well, I agree, but I think the worst by far is Korn. It's worse when you hire someone else to break down your drums on stage, are rude, and really play with no real emotion or intellect. I'll agree with Jenny about the best being Thrones and Ruins, but I have to add Cavity. We've played with a lot of great bands worth mentioning, but all of them can't be the best, so I'll just leave it at this. How did you get involved with Man's Ruin? Mark: We had some recordings that we felt pretty strongly about so we sent them to Frank and Lydia and they liked them enough to waste a few years on us. Jenny: We initially contacted them about doing some vinyl, which is what they were doing at the time, and kind of went from there. What were your thoughts about the label's collapse? There seems to be some confusion as to whether it is still running in some form or not over here. Mark: Well, we're pretty much in the dark about the whole thing. We haven't had much communication from them, but does it really matter? We spent quite a while working with those people and it's definitely a shame the way things turned out. I'm sorry that things aren't like they were but life keeps hammering away. Just like it says on the lighters at the Flying J, "shit happens". Jenny: I've seen our cd's for sale still through various distributors so somebody is still doing something but we really have no idea. I'm glad they're available I guess but just wish I knew who was making the money so they could at least buy me a beer or something. In your press kit there a review by MAGNET's Fred Mills that discusses your vocal style and lyrics solely with reference to period pains and mental illness, as if the link between them was blindingly obvious(which it isn't). I wondered what you felt about this kind of negative gender stereotyping in the music press, in regard to yourself and in general? Mark: If Fred Mills were on "South Park", he would be Timmy. Jenny: This is true. I've never read anything where Fred Mills said the guy from Guided by Voices sounds like he does because he got kicked in the balls!! But seriously, I would expect that form of misogynistic "girls are weird, run away" type bullshit from a 14 yr old boy. It's just idiotic. The sad thing about this is that I think he intended to compliment me in some way. Well I did get a laugh out of it (obviously or it wouldn't be in the press kit) so maybe it's not so sad. I get annoyed by negative stereotyping certainly, but I don't think it's a big conspiracy or anything. I just consider the source. I'm going to do what I do regardless of what anybody says anyway. Mark: Well, you know, when you see something like this you have to consider the source. MAGNET tends to write most about bands from labels that are heavy advertisers. I'll tell you, though, if I was paying what they asked for an ad I'd be pissed when they put it opposite a page where they were writing about my band. For the most part, I doubt he really even listened to the CD, but rather felt like he had to write something because the label this CD came out on was an advertiser. This was probably the best that poor fellow could do. Why did you take the bold step of deciding to build yourselves a home studio? Mark: I'm not sure it was so bold or anything, but basically we had reached a point of a lot of change both in our lives and with the band. When the Man's Ruin thing happened, it was obvious to us that we had the opportunity to slow down a bit and make some much needed adjustments. We had spent so much time working so hard on touring that we hadn't had the time to really think about much besides how to keep the van running and when we could record again. Among some of the new things we came up with was the excellent opportunity to get this studio together. It's something I've always wanted to do, but never could. Now, with the affordable technology available it seems like an obvious choice. So far, I'm very happy with the outcome and we're getting some excellent results both for us and some of our friends. Jenny: We just decided that we wanted to be able to do even more things
on our own terms. I don't know if bold is the word I'd use, maybe insane
would be more like it. Did you notice that Marilyn Manson stole your title "Rebel From The Waist Down" for a lyric in his song "Disposable Teens"? Mark: So that's why I came home and found him rifling through my desk drawers that night. Marilyn Manson stole most of everything he did from someone, didn't he? It's not like he's particularly original or anything. Jenny: No, I didn't notice it. I don't suppose I get a credit for that, hmm? At least mine is a true story. What have you been doing musically besides the studio-building? Jenny: We've been playing a few shows here and there but mostly working on the studio and then in the studio. I was involved in another project over the winter/spring that was interesting but I don't know if I'm going to continue in it due to time constraints. Mark: Well, like Jenny said, just a few shows here and there but nothing major. For the most part, I've been using this little hiatus as a chance to regroup mentally and physically and prepare for whatever is to come. As I said before, we spent so long going at it at warp 5 that this chance to clear my head has been great. A lot of time has lapsed since we concentrated on things so heavily that it's important to get a new perspective. I've been jamming with some new folks, recording some other bands, and working with Jenny on some things we might not have tried before, and I think it's going to pay off. Do you have any recommendations:books, music, films that I may have missed out on? Jenny: Kevin, I don't think I too much music gets by you! I've been reading Doris Lessing and Phillip K. Dick mostly. Getting pissed off over another crappy adaptation of one of his stories. Last 3 good movies I saw would be: "Funny Games", "Steal this Movie", and "Twin Warriors". I can't wait for the "Mr. Show" movie to come out!! Mark: I haven't had a chance to sit and read a book in quite a while. If you haven't read "The Plague", you should. For music, I highly recommend a band from Austin called Crust. Definitely check them out if you haven't already. Their records are tough to find, but a member of the band has posted a lot of their material in mp3 on their website. I've been enjoying Michael Moore's movies, "The Big One" and "Roger and Me". "The Big One" is a documentary of his book tour for "Downsize This". Even though you don't have a comedy category, I have to mention Bill Hicks. What do you want to happen in the future of this new phase of the band? Jenny: I'd like to finish the cd we're working on in time for a Spring tour. The rest gets played by ear. Mark: It would be nice to parlay all of this fun I'm having right now into more chances to travel a bit, see some folks, and play some of these new things we're working on. Reviewed by Kevin McCaighy |