GARAGE ZINE scIonav.com vol. 2 Human EyE · natural CHild · King tuff JaCuzzi Boys · HEx dispEnsErs · Cola frEaKs SCION A/v SCHEDULe APRIL 2011 27th Scion garage Show in Austin, Texas 28th Scion garage Show in chicago, illinois CHECK IT OUT! MAY 2011 3rd Scion garage 7”: King Tuff / hex dispensers JUNE 2011 7th Scion garage 7”: cola Freaks / digital Leather STREAMING NOW AT now AvAiable SCIONAV.COM Scion gArAge 7” Scion GarAge 7” The Strange Boys / human eye / natural child Sex Beet STAFF CONTAcT Scion ProjecT MAnAger: jeri Yoshizu, Sciontist For additional information on Scion, email, write or call. WATCH! ediTor: eric ducker Scion custoMer exPerience MuSIC VIDEOS creative direcTion: Scion 19001 S. western Avenue ArT directION: mBF Mail Stop WC12 BLAcK LiPS Davilla 666 TYVEK ProducTion direcTor: Anton Schlesinger Torrance, cA 90501 “Modern Art” “esa nena nunca regresco” “4312” conTriBuTing ediTor: Brian costello Phone: 866.70.SCION AssistanT ediTor: Maud deitch Fax: 310.381.5932 graphic deSignerS: nicholas Acemoglu, cameron charles, email: email us through the contact page located on scion.com ASK Kate Merritt, gabriella Spartos hours: M-F 6am-5pm PST SCION online chat: M-F, 6am-6pm PST CONTRIBuTORS Question: wriTerS: christopher roberts, Adam Shore Scion garage Zine is published by malbon Brothers Farms. For The range of types of artists that Scion works with on garage rock projects is pretty broad. PhoTographerS: Miguel Angel, clayton hauck, Leslie Lyons, more information about mBF, contact [email protected] what classifies a group as “garage”? Kara McMurtry, Stephen K. Schuster, rebecca Smeyne AnSwer: garage rock isn’t an aesthetic and it isn’t a fidelity.g arage rock is just straight up, no chaser rock & roll. it’s just guys and company references, advertisements and/or websites listed in this publication are not affiliated with Scion, unless otherwise noted through disclosure. girls getting a band together and having fun, conveying as much emotion as possible in as little as possible. it’s that simple. Scion does not warrant these companies and is not liable for their preformances or the content on their advertisements and/or websites. — christopher roberts of VICE Music © 2011 Scion, a marque of Toyota Motor Sales u.S.A., inc. All rights reserved. Scion and the Scion logo are trademarks of Toyota Motor corporation. 00430-ZIN02-GR if you have a question, email us through the contact page on scionav.com COVER PHOTOGRAPhY: Stephen K. Schuster Danny Gonzalez of the MiaMi-baseD trio Jacuzzi boys recalls soMe of their Most MeMorable shows so far. San Francisco, California In 2008, while on tour with King Khan & the Shrines, we played the Great American Music Hall. The show was great, the people enjoyed it, the Shrines killed and the next thing we know Jello Biafra’s hanging out with us backstage. At that time, the Shrines would always finish it with “Rebel Rebel,” and we’d go onstage with them and I’d play percussion. It was this whole experi- ence of playing San Francisco for the first time, and ending it with Jello Biafra and Gris Gris, on- stage singing “Rebel Rebel.” New Orleans, Louisiana Bloomington, Indiana On our first tour in January 2008, we get to On our last tour, we played Bloomington. It New Orleans and there’s no one at the show. No was the summer and usually with college towns, promoter, no nothing. Our friend Matt shows when all the kids are gone, it’s sleepy. We play this up and tells us the show wasn’t promoted and pizza place, and the kids keep showing up, and nobody knows what’s happening, so we decide we’re in the corner playing and everyone goes to leave. As we’re on the highway, we get a text bananas. Afterwards, we drive up to this house from Matt telling us to come back because he and inside is the ultimate dance party. Michael got people to come out. We play for like seven Jackson’s on, everyone is sweating, people jump- people, which was fun, but as it turns out, LSU ing on the couch. First we’re dancing with one is in town playing for the national championship girl, then another. Then we walk three blocks to of college football, and then it becomes the most a pool and everyone starts jumping in the water, insane partying on the street. and we’re like, this is absurd. Miami, Florida as told to brian costello Some time last year we were gonna play a show in Miami at a place called the Electric myspace.com/jacuzziboys Pickle. We had never played there before, so we show up and they don’t have a sound guy hear “coral Girls,” Jacuzzi boys’ contribution to and there isn’t really a PA. And just our luck, the scion a/V Garage 7” series at scionav.com/ Gabriel’s amp breaks and my bass amp breaks. garage www.ScionAv.coM/FiLM/newgArAgeexPLoSion We don’t play a single song. Instead we play 15 to 20 minutes of noise with Diego’s drum- beat. There’s this homeless dude we call Little Richard who introduced us, and he gets so ex- cited he doesn’t want to give up the mic, so it’s him screaming and us making noise until they tell us to stop. It was an ultimate disaster. Talk about the new Human Eye album, They Came From the Sky. Sacred Bones is putting it out. It’s the same sound—heavy, freaked out psych- punk—but not as noisy as the other stuff. Some songs are more in a classic-style psych. It’s my favorite record that we’ve done, even though all bands say that. It’s interview: brian costello how a third album should be: really loud, Photography: rebecca smeyne really broad, like how we sound live. We can all agree that the word surreal gets How do you come up with your lyrics? thrown around way too much, but if anyone’s Do you free-associate or write a bunch making it mean something again, it’s of verses and pick your favorites? Hamtramck, Michigan’s reigning King of Lately I’ve had writer’s block. I don’t want Weird, Tim Lampinen, a.k.a. Timmy Vulgar. to write about the same things. I start Vulgar is a visual artist and musician known writing about stuff like salamander brains for his part in bands including Human Eye and I’m like, I already wrote about that. and Clone Defects. In the following interview, Usually I come up with the music and jam Lampinen gives clear answers that make mind to it. I don’t know if I even have my own the song, then some inspiration comes total, rational sense… on Opposite Day. guitar sound. It’s awesome people think I do. into my head and I’ll scribble down a few I’m just going for something raw and loud and words and go from there. It’s usually pretty You seem to have always had this fascination spontaneous. outrageous. Like the Kinks, I used to poke holes with planets, even going back to your Clone in my amp back in the Clone Defects days. You timmyvulgar.blogspot.com Defects days. What’s your favorite planet in don’t want to use too many pedals. I try to keep the solar system and why? myspace.com/humaneyedetriot it minimal. I don’t want ten pedals on a board The planet of Venetia. It’s a planet of women. I’m and not know what they all do. hear human eye’s contribution to the scion trapped on it, and I’m the only dude there. My a/V Garage 7” series at scionav.com/garage You were recently awarded an arts grant other favorite, I’d have to say, is the sun. through the Kresge Foundation. How did In 2006, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf that come about? planet. Do you agree with the scientists who A local artist friend of mine told me I should made this controversial decision? apply. I looked into it and followed the directions I think Pluto is still a major planet if you think it is. on their website: filled out the questionnaire, Those scientists are jerks. Mr. Know-It-Alls. I submitted two letters of recommendation, an wrote a song called “On the Surface of Pluto.” artist statement, a bibliography, write-ups and It’s also a planet full of ladies, like Venetia. interviews. I submitted four songs—two Human Eye songs and two solo songs. I got it in fifteen What effects pedals are your favorites to use minutes before the deadline. They called me to get that distinctive Timmy Vulgar guitar four months later and told me I got it, and I was space noise? blown away. It’s touching to be appreciated for The phaser gets the atmospheric sound, the something musically. You don’t think a reverb brings out the sustain, and I won’t tell sophisticated arts foundation would support what the other two are, because I won’t give out what I’m doing. I’ve never felt like I’ve struggled my secrets. But if you’re searching for a crazy with punk rock, but it has been trying to keep guitar sound, and you’re into any kind of weird jobs while sustaining a band. This helped pay for noises, I’m sure you can find it if you set your the album. story: brian costello Photography: Miguel angel & clayton hauck When describing the essence of the Hex Dispensers’ sound, vocalist/guitarist Alex Cuervo says, “Take the most basic punk rock traditionalism and tried-and-true garage punk maneuvers and inject just this tiny bit of dissonance or discomfort into them so they’re recognizable and fun, but there’s some kind of darker underbelly going on.” Indeed, over the course of two albums, three 7-inches of their own and a split 7-inch with Haunted George, Hex Dispensers have delivered instantly accessible, ridiculously catchy garage rock in two to three-minute bursts.