Let’s start with the basics. The sassified spazz-rock union known as An Albatross is made up of 5 young lads from the geographical location of Pennsylvania. Two of them live in Wilkes-Barre, the rest in Philly. They practice once a week, which doesn’t seem like incredibly much or incredibly little for a band that tours at least once a year, but some amount of dedication shows in the two hour drive those in Philadelphia make to W-B. ‘Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder’, their first release, was put out by two units, on record by When Humans Attack! (http://www.comcat.com/~beaudk/wha/) and on CD by Bloodlink (www.bloodlink.com), in 2001 (the record has just been repressed on red and black vinyl, as opposed to the pink first pressing). The time frame for the 10 “song” record runs roughly about nine minutes long, though a couple of the very short tracks are unlikely electronic interludes that actually emit a more candy-downtime air than the cheeky retro keyboard mockery most “tight pants hardcore” bands are infamous for (not that there isn’t plenty of retro keyboard goodness here, too). An Albatross isn’t exactly another carbon copy. The “full” songs (with ALL instrument players and vocals) are bits and pieces of styles, butchered from various points of the musical map, strewn together into its own chaotic soundtrack of circus music, metal, old rock N roll, a new blend “punk” and “rock”, all under a rather glam makes a baby with white trash sensibility. Edward Gieda’s high pitched scream, over the streamlining gasps of Japan meets metal meets Alegbra in the guitars and bass, the switching between retro organ and atmosphere synth, and spastic speed-injected drumming completes the concoction. YUM, YUM!
It’s of course not hard to find yourself entertained by the full version of noise. A personal flashback meets an explanation of the “live show”: in 2000 at Squaresville (a West Atlanta house show location), there is suddenly a powerful explosion attacking every crook of the kitchen, and red lights flashing. Somehow the music is more than listen-able (quite surprisingly) from the outside terrain. The second time around, the C-12 warehouse (probably 4 times bigger than the previous showplace) is jammed with slim fitted baby children, hair big as can be. You can’t get anywhere near the front of the crowd. A rare energy had taken over the room, an energy unknown to most Atlanta D.I.Y. shows. There are rebel girls with cap guns, firing off their toys in between songs, something like a form of applause. Boys are shaking their asses, much to the dismay of the straightedge hardcore tough guys. Enthusiasm is certain, and there’s some kind of unspoken encouragement to not be a statue, to actually have fun. But actually being able to stand up front, Atlanta show #3, there’s more than meets the ear. The eyeliner/scarf/wearing “front man” is shoving his hands down his yeast infection tight pants, a shocking display of punk rock burlesque. Us timid purist types cup our hands to our mouths, blushing, disgusted, squeamish. Some of the girls, decked out in sailor accessories and cow boys boots, seem to be duking it out, with their dance moves, not their fists, competing for the Iggy Pop reincarnate’s attention. But the mathematic equation, the draw bar organs and picky robot guitars, the stern bass solidity and pounding drums, all without mess or hesitation, blot out the lesser things, my embarrassed/enjoying inner-arguments, the girls’ boobs, my friends falling over one another, thrown back and forth from the ground, then barely skimming the ceiling. And so we were barely standing, in front of five boys who probably didn’t talk to hardly anyone in high school, witnessing more than just the audience, full of kids who usually cross their arms, don’t clap, somehow starting to dance when each song starts. What a very, very bizarre thing indeed.
Questions below answered by An Albatross guitarist, Jake Lisowski:
Q: Who is An Albatross?
A: An Albatross is mostly drugs, and sometimes sex... it’s five young men (sometimes more) that do very inefficient things to be able to do this... it's good for your skeleton... it's what happens after you carpet the sun... sometimes it’s happy when I am sad, and that makes me happy... it's 69ing by the octopi tank... sometimes it's not nearly as fulfilling as it is frustrating... it’s a pepperoni pizza... it's also an esophagus... it's yours to prefer it..... it's getting ridiculous, isn't it?..... it might be a few other things too....
Q: How, where, and when did the An Albatross creation birth itself?
A: An Albatross started in the minds of 2 young men from Wilkes-Barre, PA and then infected a few others. It was shat from its own fark chunnel... this happened almost 3 years ago. It used to be different, but now it’s the same, but it’s also better now. We have slightly better equipment now than when we started; now we rely on higher technology. We're all trying to build bigger space ships.
Q: Generally, who/what are the influences for the band? Who/what are your personal influences, as far as guitar playing goes?
A: Influence for this band comes from all 5 members, and we all listen to different things. Some often participate more than others, but that always varies from song to song; they’re all different equations. While some of us wear our influences on our sleeve a little more clearly than others, generally the whole combination is a mess made of at least a few different things all at once, but that’s subjective to ones' frame of reference; it’s not intended for those with lower spectrums. As for personal influence, it was a pretty steady evolution into what An Albatross (well, at least the portions that I contribute) sounds like these days. When I first started playing (around 11), I was really into old thrash metal (Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer). I was also soon exposed to “alternative” stuff (Faith No More, Nirvana, Sonic Youth). Over the next few years, I was getting into a lot of death metal/grindcore (Brutal Truth, Carcass, Morbid Angel, Fear Factory, Acid Bath), punk (Misfits, DRI, Corrosion Of Conformity), as well as more experimental stuff (Devo, Mr. Bungle, Frank Zappa/Mothers Of Invention and the Boredoms). Within a few years I discovered some hardcore bands that struck my interest (Spazz, Man is the Bastard, Locust, and a little later Mohinder, the VSS, etc)… as far as guitar playing, those are some good examples of my roots. Lately, I typically listen to lots of horror movie soundtracks (Goblin!), prog rock, new wave, some black metal, and as much Japanese stuff as possible, lots of Skin Graft bands, too, and almost anything involving Mike Patton, William Shatner or Crispin Glover. I often play with synthesizers more often than guitars these days...
Q: Where and what was the most fun show you’ve played thus far? The most bizarre? The most uncomfortable?
A: The show I'll mention is, oddly enough, a pretty good combination of all 3 things. During our summer tour, we had a day off in Columbus, Ohio, during the weekend of More Than Music fest. We hung out and watch bands all day, and afterward we were invited to play someone’s backyard!, which was basically a gravel driveway. It was totally fun cause there was an enormous amount of kids for such an unruly event; it was really bizarre because it was taking place outdoors, illegally at 1am; and it was uncomfortable because there was lots of dust and lots of drunk kids and I chose to play wearing only my skimpy undies. Also, playing anywhere that I need to rely on “monitors” for sound is often uncomfortable.
Q: What is the next release going to be like, and about when shall it be available?
A: Hopefully, it will have a more cohesive sound (as far as the sound of the actual instruments, and the way they interact together) yet vary, and stay somewhat interesting throughout, though I don’t like to think too much about it. Let's just let it happen, okay? We're going to record it once we are done writing it. Also, I'd like to give a shout out to Blow Up from Columbus, OH (y'alls my jam, keep it up... fuck, email me sometime!), the Sick Lipstick, the Holy Fallout and Daughters, and of course the mighty Camaro Crotch! - thanks for keepin' it real this year....
For more info on An Albatross, check out their website: http://www.analbatross.com
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