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BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About LOTD
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Washington D.C. funkified dance punks, Q And Not U, have been making music to shake to for a good six years now. With the release of their third LP on Dischord Records, Power, theyve hit the road again. I caught up with them between their stops in Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah to pick their brains about their music, being a part of the D.C. scene, and whats in their stereo right now. Read on LOTD: Did you grow up immersed in the D.C. punk scene? How has it changed over the years? Chris Richards: Indeed, we all grew up in the D.C. punk scene, and it runs deep in our collective bloodstream. Like any scene, theres an ebb and flow to the music coming out of Washington. I feel like were right on the brink of a powerful flood with bands like Manhunter, Horses and Food for Animals. John Davis: [Washington D.C.] is a place that really encourages a healthy kind of music: experimenting, energetic, and wide open. Its kind of changed over the years as far as bands, people and venues coming and going. But the core of the scene is always solid. LOTD: What are the pressures and perks of working within the D.C. punk scene? JD: Its hard for me to say, [be]cause Im so involved with it. I dont feel any pressure, thats for sure. I suppose that perks would be that youre part of a vibrant and relatively supportive scene. CR: Its not a pressure as much as its a privilege. Considering the scenes history, the major perk is that people outside of D.C. are going to lend you their ear[s] without having [them] chewed off by the media first. LOTD: Whats it like working with Ian MacKaye? CR: Ian is a saintly figure to me, a real mentor and a man with an unflappable sense of humor. He puts so much energy into this world; its just good to be around him. LOTD: A few weeks ago, you were featured in Entertainment Weekly as a hot band/song to download. How do you feel about being featured in the mainstream media? CR: I have no reservations about trying to get into peoples ears. Were never going to compromise the music we make, so we have no reservations about trying to pimp it. I think the punk scene has lost the plot in recent years, and the culture has really created a ceiling for itself. I think this world needs to hear wonderful music, so why should all these wonderful bands sequester themselves away in the basement to play for an underground of cynics? That might be a drastic point of view, but I feel that music is made to be shared and if you care about it, you shouldnt be ashamed to work hard and get it out there. Lets convert some people and let them know we exist. Plus, Im a fan of Le Tigre, Lil John and Beyonc (all of whom were featured with us in that section of Entertainment Weekly). Im not a fan of 99 percent of the bands you read about in some fanzine. LOTD: What inspires you to make the music you do? JD: So many things. Other music, people, films, books, politics and the many things that happen in life. Our music is really an extension of who we are. CR: Impossible to answer you there. What makes you breathe oxygen? Why do you take a shit everyday? Its just a part of who we are as humans. LOTD: Who do you consider to be your peers? CR: I think our most obvious peers would be other bands from the District: El Guapo, Horses, Manhunter, Food for Animals, Apes, French Toast and on and on. JD: Ted Leo, Aloha, Et At It, Shy Child, Erase Errata. LOTD: How did you prepare to record your latest album, Power? Considering the progression of your sound, how was it different from previous recording experiences? CR: We wrote the songs really quickly and developed a lot of the textures in the studio. A lot of the rhythms were there before we recorded, but much of the electro-layering and vocal tomfoolery were the results of a very collaborative recording session. JD: We recorded outside of the Inner Ear Studios for the first time. We recorded at our friends studio, The Love Story. It was a much less traditional space and session, but it was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed it, and I know Im really happy with the record. LOTD: Can you speak about your influences? CR: So many! Miami bass, gamelan, afrobeat, nu-soul, British soul, glam, tropicalia, electro, power pop and anything involving Brian Eno. LOTD: Now that youre out on tour again, do you feel that the D.C./indie scene carries throughout the U.S.? CR: Its hard to say. I think when our band started, our affiliations with D.C. and Dischord preceded us, but now I feel like people are just coming to see our band. A lot of the new listeners weve been meeting on the road have no idea where were from and have never heard of Dischord. Thats wonderful for us, because we always want to bring new people to the table. LOTD: Whats in your stereo right now? CR: Well, Im on tour, so how about recent record purchases? George Harrison, Dizzee Rascal, Wrangler Brutes, Gloria Scott, Robert Gorl, R. Kelly, Erykah Badu, Bjork, Wet Confetti, Jadakiss, Swervedriver, a bunch of Nonesuch Explorer Series recordings, Brandy, John Frusciante, Ghostface Killah, the System, Al Green, Gap Band, Slits, and a copy of the new Shy Child record. LOTD: How do you feel about your audiences, so far, on this tour? CR: I think our record is different from our previous work, so were losing some ears who are faithful to guitar rock, and gaining some new ears who are feeling what were up to of late. JD: Its been mixed. Some nights theyve been great, other nights theyve stood there like a brick wall. Different cities have really different personalities. LOTD: Where are you heading next (both on this tour and musically)? CR: We have a European tour booked this December and designs on Japan, Australia, and the greater United States in 2005. If I have my shit together, Ill spend January in a Black Flag knockoff band with my friend Michael, as well as pass the cold nights in bed with my new drum machine making bed-dancing music. There you have it, my dearest LOTD readers. The Q and Not U tour wraps up this month; so catch them while you can. And if theyre not headed your direction anytime soon, you can always check out the sublimely energetic Power.
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