Primarily trashedy is music, though not party. For me music is more a kind of expression of anger and frustration than fun, but latter isn't necessary excluded. It's just that i am serious about things i think and sing about. Ofthen i'm lost for words when i see what's happening all over this world and having awareness this is really happening, so i make use of musical instruments. Though i emphasize that anger and frustration isn't ment to restrict itself only to music, though also shall be concentrated on our oppressors and anyone else who is responsible for what is happening on this world. I not only feel as artist, though also as activist to bring around a change. I would like to thank everyone who is taking part.
I have been making music since the end of the 90ies, though it isn't really worth mentioning. I feel it first has become meaningful recently. Neither Edwina nor me ever have taken lessons in playing an musical instrument, we have teached ourselves. So we might not always strike the note, though that way we developed something that i can call our own and i am happy with it. I not even feel i need to publish it, though people who listen to and interessted in it always are welcome. It's difficult to describe it to anyone who hasn't heard it before. Not that i mean to be diffrent than anything that was beforehand. Explainig it to someone is simply beyond my ability.
Unfortunatly i hardly find time and strengh for our music, bacause my job takes up a lot of capacities. Also i have the feeling to have become mentaly fucked by it.
Up till now we have done about 5 or 6 concerts. Though our performance is far from perfection, like described in the "songs"-section. I heard people shouting "turn down the sound" or "stop the madness". I am so sorry for that and ruining peoples good times. I am aware that our music isn't suitible for party. But i never invited to concerts to party. Something that really annoys me with concerts is cigaret smoke. I don't know what people find so enjoyable about smoking cigarets. Tabaco stinks. Anyway, they are free to do whatever they like, but they should be aware that their borderline of freedom is the freedom of another. And i think everyone should have the freedom to breath fresh air. Cigarets are a real pest.
I use only electronic musical instruments, most of their sounds don't measure up to the instrument they are based on. So they sound rather bad, but i love it and amplify them by using various effects suchs as distortion guitar-pedals. Most of the instruments i bought second hand for little money and am rather pleased with them, exspecially those from casio, although they sound like rubish. Though it isn't what gear you have, though what you make out of it.
members:
Edwin - keyboard, vocals, rythm programming, sampling
Edwina - keyboard, really cheap guitar riffs, backing vocals
gear:
Casio VL-1, Akai S3000XL, Casio SK-1, Casiotone 101, Korg MICROKorg, Boss SP202, Boss MT-2, Boss SD-2, Boss CE-5, Boss FW-3, Lexicon MPX 100, Behringer UB502, Laptop running Cubase LE
trashedy interview featured in italian fanzine
I am very honored to be featured in the italian d.i.y.-punk-zine of my friend Andrea, who also plays in the band ANXTV and translated the interview into italian. The fanzine is entitled Cerchio-A, which can be translated into "A in a Circle" i think. This is my first interview ever and i hope i was able to bring accross my ideas. Here is the english version of the interview.
Also i meanwhile have been asked two or three times to play italy. A tour through or including Italy would be awesome... haha...
01- Let's start to say that Trashedy is a "one man band": how did you get the idea to start and why you decided to do things this way? Is there someone else helping you or it's just only you?
Years ago, at school i hadn't much friends as a lot of children in my age thought i was strange because of my uncommon hair-color, not eating meat (i was the only one at school who didn't) and didn't speak much. So i spend a lot of time by myself. And within that time i started playing keyboard and experimenting with it's sounds to progress with my feelings. I saved up for a simple software midi squenecer and that's how i got startet. I made a lot of instrumentals at first and progressed with what bothered me by improvised keyboard-solos. Back then it wasn't that ideologically, but then more and more: anything i did, i wanted to make a contrast to the music that was widely spread amongst the teenagers in my age and empathsize my overall rejection of their standards: Eating meat, caring about looks and their carelessness towards the problems of the world. Meanwhile i also try to put this into lyrics, though i find it difficutlt to express myself in a language that tells me to shut up. I play nearly every day to play my pain away and always carry a piece of paper and a pen with me to write down words that i come accross and could express my feelings.
There also were attemps of playing in a band, but the ohter members didn't share my ideas and weren't that passionate about making music, though only making music for the sake of making music and being celebrated on a stage. So i prefered to stick to my own ideas and make music by myslef which i can identify myself with.
02- I see that you have some cover-songs (I really appreciate the Joy Division's one) but I suppose that you also have your own ones so what your lyrics are mainly about?
Sure i have songs of my own. As i mentioned in previous question, my early songs were instrumentals and i feel that my music has first become reasonable meaninfull since i added lyrics. A lot of my songs are about daily terror, at work for instance, but also i have songs speaking out for others, in particular animals. I will send you lyrcis to the one or other song to give you an idea. I must admit i am they are not poetically profound, though i am proud of them anyways, because it was hard finding lyrics for what i feel.
03- Please describe your music and what do you use to release it to all those who have never heard about you and your stuff...
Well, the most caracteristic of my music is, that i don't use any common instruments as guitar, bass or drum-kit. The main piece of equitment is the Casio VL-1, a vintage keyboard from early 80ies. It's more a toy keyboard, because it has tiny keys and only plays one note at a time - so no chords. I made a keytar out of it and hang it round my shoulders like a guitar. It's connected to severeal guitar effects pedals, as for example distortion, wah wah and delay. Last is very important, because i use the delay to reproduce the note i just hit on the keyboard, since the keyboard cant play two notes at the time. My left hand plays the bass part usually. My right hand the melodie. So after releasing the trigger of one key, its sound is reproduced by the delay and i play with my other hand another tone which lays over the reproduced sound. The hands take turns and the delay effect repeat the note hit previously. This way i developed a own technique. I don't want to sound too technical as i think the people more want to know about the ideas behind it then about technical crap. However, i have a drum machine accomponing me or chop, rearange and loop drums i sampled from punk records. The Drums on Crisis is a mix of Oi Polloi, Cress and Crow Songs. In addition i programm bass on a software sequencer. Usually i do an instrumental on a multitrack recorder and add another track for the vocals which i record under a blanked since i don't have a studio or simular.
04- You had some gigs and some are coming soon too, what kind of problems do you have being just a single person doing everything?
The main problem is, that i neither own a car nor a drivers license. So i am dependend on somebody driving me, but since i only have few friends i don't always find somebody who will and have to cancel my show. Also i have little live experience and need a lot of time to set my gear up the way i had it when i was practicing at my place, so concerts usually end up a little chaotic, because it needs a lot of setting and sound-check done to it. Ofthen i skip a song or two, because i am afraid it will sound shit.
05- Which kind of relationship runs between you and the "crowd" (who usually is more interested in classic stereotyped bands than something different) during your gigs?
Haha... most people can't make up their mind if i am cool for daring to play as a one-man band or i simply am making a fool of myslef. More likely the latter thing. So when i start to play they move away from the stage. The thing is: one can't really dance to my music, because it's neither electric, with a rythmic beat, nor punk enough to bang your head to. Sometimes i hear some shout: quiter or to quit. Though i barely am aware of the crowd because i have to pay so much attention to what i play and to the lyrics. 90% of the show i have my eyes shut. But i also had some pleasant experiences and individuals comming up to me after the show to let me know how much they liked it or requested to play in their city.
06- What have you released until now and how we can get your stuff? there's something you're working at, at the moment?
Well... the last tape i made was in 2000. Ever since i had an apprentanceship and acceded to work, i lacked both time and energy to implement my ideas and record anything new. I have some melodies composed and lyrics written but are yet to be arranged for a demo, hopefully still this year. Though if i am particular uppset with something that occured the day, i just start a session and record something to capture my current mood. Crisis for example was recorded on a day i experienced police brutality. I spontanious recorded, even though i hadn't arranged the track.
Recently i have contributed a track to the Cress cover compilation entitiled "Same Shit - Different Arse". The entire compilation can be downloaded for free at: http://cress.angerandfrustration.de Check it out!
07- Tell me a little bit about your city and the kind of "scene" (music but also anarchist and so on...) that is there...
My city is ofthen refered to as a dead city. Sadly there is barely oportunity for youth to spend their time in a self-determined and non-commercial way. The independent youth center where a lot of anarchist concerts took place and i too played a couple of gigs was evicted in Summer 2005 by a special police on demand of the conservative city government. This special police force was used to fight terrorist. They climbed trough the roof and pulled peaceful youngster out of their place. This is kind of scary. What will happen when we there is no space left for a independent movement? This city turns grey. You still see Punks in the city, but these take more importance in the looks and drugs than in politics. A view who "survived" (in the figurative sense) the eviciton still make and go to concerts in a city suburb. But it's not like we are pleased with it. Also i have the feeling that some of the people who are visiting the concerts are rather arrogant and care far too much about looks. I've been to other cities were people were a lot more open and did anything to live by their own standards. And i want more hugs please! People are far too cold these days.
08- Do you feel "close" to some other bands/people/collectives? who they are? why?
Well there isn't anyone in particular, because i have a been a looner most of my life. But basically i feel close to anybody who cares about this world and work together to make it a peaceful and equal place. A important issue to me is DIY, too. I really don't feel i have anything in common with any of the Punks who spend so much money on shit record, patches and stuff, but never speak out about what their records and patches actually say. Why can they gather for a festival but barely any of those punks turn up on a demonstration? Is it because they ran out of hairspray or still are on drugs from the day before? Okay... okay... maybe i am too embitered...
Anyways: if there is a band i feel close to, then perhaps it's Cress. Even though i never have meet them in person. But considering they also used a drum-machine and keyboard, it is very encouraging to listen to them. They are rather connected to mother earth, too. And a lot of lyrics express what i feel. I am always glad to come accross punk music with electronic elements and having just as much engagement in political matters.
09- Books, movies, art and anything else you're interested in, I want some suggestions eheheheh
I can be interessted in a lot of things as long as it has a independently artistic claim and a non-commercial background. Works leaves me little time and energy to delicate myself to interrests, however now and then i enjoy a movie as for e.g.: Dead Man. A really beutiful and poetic film and a lot of scenes i had to laugh about it's macabre humor. Another great movie is "La Haine" ("Hate"). The film is a dark urban thriller about three teenage friends in an urban ghetto that has recently been the site of a riot. The film explores themes of poverty, racism, violence and disaffected youth in modern suburban Paris.
Recently i listen to a lot of Keith Jarrett's Solo Piano Concerts. Actually more than to punk. I just like to sit on my bed, staring at a wall and listen to piano concerts to rest my mind, in particular to the "Köln Concert". The most beautiful piece of music i have heard in my life. Well not much else... i am no good at sugessitions is suppose.
10- Tell me about your future plans (if you have some) and then add whatever you want cause the interview is over but there's plenty of space still...
The future... hm... a difficult thing as i ofthen avoid thinking about it... i do make plans but i am not that optimistic to be alive that long, due to my illness. And it makes me sad to see, that i so far only was able to implement few of my ideas and fullfill my life. Well i really need to exit work and get this fucking demo ready. Not so much to pass it on to others, though to have progressed with my feelings and achived something. Still it would be great to give shows in other cities, perhaps even other countries. But i am not sure if it will be welcome with my uncommon music. Though wether with music or without, i need to leave this city and go somewhere nice. Somewhere where there is no one to ciritize me or threatening my life.
Another idea is to make a fanzine and a d.i.y. distro. There are a lot of things i am disgusted with and like to express towards the people who contribute in my disgust. Also i want to collaborate with people who want to exchange any music (temporarily my distro is at: http://tapes.angerandfrustration.de) and don't want to pay any ridicoulous collectors prices. Punk belongs the punks, not pretentious record collectors assholes. Punk is for social exchange and not profit of in selfish ways.
Alright probably i reduced my circle of fans with this interview... haha... anyways i was honored to be interviewed for your fanzine which i am very keen to hold in my hands! Thank you very much! This was my first interview. Oh yes and one more thing to all: People spend far to much time infront of the internet! We must reclaim the streets! The revolution will not be transfered via network cable or wireless LAN! I'm looking forward to meet you at the baricades! Cheers! And remember: Hugs not drugs!
TRASHEDY // electro-peace-punks