It Came From The Basement

RIYL: Surf Curse, The Replacements, Snowing

I had the opportunity to talk with my friends in North Jersey power-pop outfit Goalie Fight about their new record, On Ice! We discussed the writing, inspiration, and role that Craigslist had to play in its inception. Come into the penalty box and have a listen!

RIYL: Twin Tribes, Creux Lies, The Cure

I recently had the pleasure of hanging out with Boston synth-pop outfit House of Harm before their Synthecide appearance at St. Vitus. A band that beautifully toes the line between brooding and shimmering, their songs range from longing motivational pop sugar to brooding cynical goth ragers. We spoke about their experience in the Massachusetts DIY scene, songwriting influences, and more. 

RIYL: Creux Lies, Deafheaven, Bauhaus

On January 6, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chicago post-wave outfit Bleached Cross before their midnight show at Brooklyn metal mecca St. Vitus. Made up of members of Frail Body, Crowning, and Pains, Bleached Cross takes all the bats and ghouls of goth infused post-punk, and pairs it with explosive and cathartic screamo choruses. In our interview, we talked about their unique sound, arrival in their current incarnation, and even Silent Hill 2. 

RIYL: Deafheaven, Alcest, Oathbreaker

Staten Island post-metal outfit Strega Nona writes sprawling, politically charged, vibe-seeking metal ballads. I had the pleasure of meeting with 3/4 members of the band; unfortunately, drummer Nick Gutilla could not make it. The band is part of a contemporary movement of pairing what used to be one of the most abrasive sounds, black metal, with post-rock influences, crafting songs that are as cathartic as they are dramatic. We discussed influences, their songwriting process, and the importance of community in songwriting. 

The interview took place in November 2022, when they had just finished recording their upcoming album; learn more about it in the episode!

This is the third and final installment of my interview with Max Rauch, Mauch. So far we have discussed his career as a musician, producer/engineer, and now we cover the most conceptual project of his at the moment Pizza Bagel Records.  

He and frequent collaborator John Cozz, came together to create what they both described as a content farm, the duo release their records via the imprint, as well as crowdsourced music for complications, geared towards raising money for different social causes.  

Tune in and learn more about Pizza Bagel Records. 

This is part two of my interview with Max Rauch, Mauch. Last episode we covered his musical career, starting as admiring younger sibling, to national touring musician, and back to wholesome artistic philosopher. In this episode we will talk about his start in audio production.  

Mauch has recorded many artists I’ve covered in this column, John Cozz, Wizard Brain, his own band LKFFCT, and he brings something different to each of his projects, acting as songwriting collaborator and not just a sound technician.  

Listen to the birth and rise of Domestic Bliss Recording. 

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing a very prolific member of the NJ DIY community. Max Rauch, also known as Mauch, has been heavily involved in the scene for the last 20 something years. First as a musician, then an engineer, and now as one half of the artist imprint Pizza Bagel Records, Mauch has done it all. 

Our interview went on for a whopping two and a half hours so this will be broken down into 3 sections, his career as a musician, his start to music production, and the formation and idea for Pizza Bagel. 

This is episode one, listen as we chronicle Mauch’s  journey from little drummer boy to national touring musician, and back to Essex county folk hero. 

RIYL: The Jesus Lizard, Korn, Shellac

Oklahoma sludge outfit Chat Pile made their east coast debut at the Brooklyn metal mecca, St. Vitus. I had the pleasure of talking with them a bit before their show. Outside the venue, the line stretched down the street as several people had gotten to the venue early in the hopes of securing one of the eight remaining Grimace Smoking Weed figurines the band was selling.  After we went inside, we met up with the band at the bar, and they led us downstairs to the green room, which was bustling with friends and fellow performers floating in and out of the room to say hello and share excitement about the band’s upcoming performance. In the interview, we talked about film scores, 90s alt-rock, and their new record out now via The Flesner, God’s Country. 

Chat Pile’s performance was as ferocious and untethered as the recorded material suggests. Drummer Cap’n Ron donned a one-of-a-kind Chat Pile hockey jersey and slammed into their pummeling single “Why.” The room immediately opened up and became a human meat processor. Vocalist Raygun Busch was in his world, pacing back and forth across the stage like an animal stalking prey. The audience wanted to scream the lyrics back like a typical NYHC show, but this was not that. While the music calls for some movement, if you don’t take a minute to watch the band’s onstage energy, you’re only getting half of the show. I was winded, bruised, and begging for more by the night's end.

Watch "Tenkiller" on Netflix and preorder the soundtrack, written and performed by Chat Pile here

RIYL: Pyrrhon, The Body, Mizmor

New York post-metal duo Scarcity played their first show as a band at St. Virus a few weeks back, opening for label mates Chat Pile. I had the pleasure of Speaking with their vocalist Doug before the performance. We talked about influences, loss, and even a bit about the rising Jewish presence in post-metal, a topic I love.

Scarcity’s debut record, Aveilut, is a crushing confrontation with our universal mortal abyss. Equal parts tremendous and unfathomable, the record sonically dives head first into the mist and leaves you there. This mist came through with their live performance. While standing in the back of the room with plenty of space around me, I still felt claustrophobia of the music. Impossibly loud and sonically overbearing, Scarcity trapped me within their wailing guitar walls. By the time they had finished performing Aveilut in full, I had forgotten I had a physical form, as I was transported elsewhere. Aveilut is a musical experience for a universal horror. It is uncompromising, gives you no answers, and every glimmer of hope and despair is momentary. The record is its own internally combative organism. 

I first discovered the Milano-based screamo band Øjne maybe six years ago. I was still in college, and the heat of my screamo awakening. I was looking for something that fused the chaos of Pageninetynine with the melodic tendencies of Touché Amoré. Øjne’s Prima Che Tutto Bruci fell into my algorithm, and I had found exactly what I was looking for. 

Fast forward to last year and a meme I spent maybe 3 minutes on. I used one of their songs, “Ogni Inverno,” in a video of me cooking pasta with the caption, “Italian Skramz, icookadapasta,” really high brow, I know. Their singer Gian Luca reached out to me to tell me he loved the video, which I was more than elated to hear. This sparked an internet friendship where we would periodically text back and forth, sharing memes, projects we were working on, and music. Around April this year, they announced they were playing New Friends Fest in Toronto. I needed to see if they were touring the states and if they’d be interested in chatting for a bit. Now I can thank Frail Body for helping me see and interview one of my favorite bands of all time. 

August 4th was a sweltering day in Brooklyn. I was working from a nearby cafe, trying to dodge the sun as it moved across the outside patio like a magnifying glass over ants. After I had wrapped up for the day, I slung my backpack on and headed to Gold Sounds. I got there a bit before the band, so I ordered a drink and sat for a few minutes, futzing with my field recorder. 

I stepped back outside as their van rolled up; Gian Luca greeted me warmly as he introduced me to the rest of the band. He had a great energy about him, where you just get excited listening to him talk about the things he’s passionate about. We talked about movies and music over a few beers as the other bands came up to introduce themselves and join the circle. Little by little, the venue started to pack up with screamo enthusiasts and some locals who happened to just stumble onto a moment in skramz history. 

The wind had started when we went back outside, which was a much-needed respite from the overbearing heat. We set up shop on the side of the street in Gold Sounds’ little gazebo-ish drinking area they have. We crowded around the microphone like a group of penguins trying to keep an egg warm in an attempt to protect the sound from the bustling city street and the unpredictable wind. It was an absolute pleasure getting to hang out with the band and pick their brains about the music they’re making and their plans coming down the pipeline. 

Grazie mille Øjne, amo la tua musica, e ritornate a New York presto per favore!