As his second album “Stratum” is about to be released through Daydream Generation Records, I caught up with the enigma that is WARCHALKING and put some questions to him to find out what he, and his music is all about.

Q1. Tell us a bit about Warchalking – where are you from? How long has Warchalking been going?Its a shade complicated. I’ve been in big loud rock bands since around seventeen. Membership and names have come and gone through the years, and a lot of focus had been placed on volume and complication. That’s all fine and good, but there was always these other philosophies of rock music that kept rattling around in my music collection. Attempts had been made at moving in that direction, only to be relegated to side notes and weird songs that never fit in the larger picture. Every few years or so a full record of these would amass. One is still floating in the ether by the moniker ‘Shadow Puppets’, which is by no means out of the picture but still waiting to materialize for a myriad of reasons. After several years of this cycle, a batch of songs inspired by a nasty bout of reality set a new process in motion. Taking all the lessons reaped from years of building these big modern rock sculptures, these songs were shaped around the same axioms, only using the limited skills available to me. Those were dense vocal work and over-simplified guitar spread tenaciously thin to cover the same expanse as a full band. The intention initially was to form these into a band format later on, but the deeper it got, the more it started to take a new pulse. The winter of 06-07 was a strange time in my life, and it all got syphoned into this funky new critter. It all was forged on a cheap-ass tape recorder, then expanded on a Roland VS-1680 in a kitchen in a cloud of cigarettes and resin, ultimately to be mixed on a laptop. By the time it was done, the band I was in fell apart, so I started playing open mic sessions and opened for a lot of local bands mostly to keep the connections fresh, but also to see how this new idea went over. Results were mixed. Myspace proved to be the biggest asset, as the worldwide community was far quicker to pick it up than the fickle cover-loving crowds of balmy Southeast Missouri. Humped it for about eight months, then went overseas for the first time in the fall of 07. Came back to the States completely fucked up. I couldn’t relate to anyone and was entirely upset with where I found myself, so I did what came natural and holed up in my apartment for record #2. More or less that puts us where we are now.Q2. That’s funny you should describe your early songs as “rock sculptures” – I’m writing a review of your new album “Stratum” and at the top of my notes is written the word “Sculptor”, as in your songs sound like they have been built or crafted. You even go on to use the words “shaped”, “spread”, and “syphoned” solidifying (ha) the idea of you being more of a songsmith than a convential musician. Even the name Warchalking seems subconsciously stone in nature. So what’s in that name? Where did it come from and what does it mean?During the early days of wireless internet networks, the only places that could afford it were the large corporations. The entire building would be the network. Hackers would work through the security measures, then scrawl those specific measures on the side of the building in chalk, using hobo-like symbols to tell other hackers how to break into the network. Warchalking is a handmade code that reveals what others must get through to gain access to knowledge and information. The highest aspiration of this project is to do that exact thing in practice and philosophy.Q3. “Stratum” – how happy are you with it and what’s it all about? How long did it take to write it and what are your favourite songs on it?Overall, ‘Stratum’ turned out pretty good. There are things on it that could be better, but I come from the school that wears its mistakes. I feel its very accessible, concise, and relevant to some of the indie undercurrents in modern music. Thats always been the goal is to add to the overall scope of all these badass records I keep finding day after day. ‘Stratum’ is the result of one of the most insane years of my life. Not that it wasn’t fun, but it was a period of high adventure and heavy shots of what it is to exist in this day and age. It only took three months from start to finish, December to February, but it took over all aspects of my life during that period. I got lucky in that I had a lot of help during the later stages of the record from an outside source that shall remain anonymous due to conflict of interest. Anyone that’s tried to put together a record by themselves is well aware of the importance of an outside listener.I feel the highlights are ‘Big Dumb American’, ‘Steady The Hand’, ‘I Know Your Name’ for its simplicity and longevity as that was the sound check song forever, and ‘As We End’ because its simple a fun song about really depressing things.Q4. You’re releasing it for free via the Daydream Generation – why the dg? And why for free?The Daydream Generation is the only reason this project is still going. Cape Girardeau, Missouri is an awful place to play music, which I’ve come to realize is its strongest asset for reasons I’ll go into later. I made the decision while making the first record that I would pack it in and make records for myself in my kitchen if didn’t make any waves. Turns out it did; there were people from places I’d only read about that were taking notice of these bizarre little pop-rock songs. It was a bit freaky, but very redeeming. The post-Napster recording industry has changed significantly, and places like the DG are the new guard. They find the fresh pulses and mark the ground for curious diggers to plumb for themselves. Giving it out is really the only way. Bands I’ve played with in the past tried to sell records, only to make five to ten dollars on the night. I’d prefer strangers to take these things and listen to them free of guilt. When you charge, there’s an expectation: if its good then that money was well spent, if it sucks then there’s no reason to ever see that band again. With free records, even if its just okay, you didn’t pay for it, so you’re more likely to listen to it again. Plus, these records are self produced, so aside from the initial investment the only cost was time.Q5. Yes, you coined the term “mining” for new music which describes perfectly what the DG is about. I think the almost organic growth of musical communities or collectives like this is an inevitable by-product of the internet as suddenly bands and guys like you are able to be heard on the other side of the world, but there’s a struggle for identity and an audience. It’s a noble if somewhat kamikaze way of promoting your own songs by giving them out – how do you feel about bands that continue to charge for their music and possibly see what you’re doing as somehow “devaluing” music as a whole?Music is so subjective. You can play a song for two seemingly similar people and get two very different responses to it. For those that create it, there is an equal amount of diversity. Like most artforms, its expensive to make things. Any means of recouping some or all of the expenses must be explored, and the appropriate actions must be considered on a case by case basis. What works for some won’t work for others. Bands that charge have the right to charge, but its far from the rule. Plenty of bands have carved their way with and without selling records. Value is not determined by the price tag, those that see it that way won’t have money for long. My little record is just another in a vast sea. What happens to these works will only change the ebb and flow only so much. As for the recklessness, anything anyone does is a leap of faith. I find it far better to throw it out there and have it ignored than to keep it locked away for some pristine and unattainable condition.Q6. Playing live sounds like a vital part of the Warchalking package – can you describe a prototypical Warchalking gig?It’s highly venue-dependent. Coffee shops are far more supportive, but I’m always the loudest asshole there. I’ll get squeezed on a bill between a couple of quiet and intimate acts, and the set is unapologetic and a little crude. Lyrically I don’t like to pull punches, so the subject matter is normally about grey taboo subjects that you can’t get people to talk about until you get them REALLY intoxicated. One can only imagine how that blends with soft, arty songs about love and peace and all that. Bars are where I’m comfy. Prep for shows is two bourbons, and I carry one on stage with me. I usually open for people way louder then me, so the set generally involves a lot of yelling at the crowd and a broken string, late in the set if I’m lucky. I don’t get a good groove until I get at least one heckler to make fun of. Shows are usually big loud drunken messes, and its generally entertaining, so I hear.Q7. You mention “grey taboo subjects” of your songs. It’s pretty clear that lyrics and poetry are as much a part of what you do as the acoustic-sonic sounds that carry them along. What are your songs about? Where do you draw inspiration for your song and lyric ideas? Which writers would you say have influenced your lyrics, or are your influences mainly other songwriters?I write songs about my life. Times and places and situations that my reactions and emotions were conflicted yet harmonious. Sometimes strange, sometimes ugly, I like writing about life shit. Its so funky. So messy. And its got a lot of bad words and mean things in it. The most beautiful things usually have some offensive aspect. The offensiveness contrasts the awesomeness and makes it pop. The approach is to start from some broad idea that anyone could relate to, then pull it into a specific and uncomfortably intimate place without them knowing exactly where they are. The details are there, in code and honest, and keeping the broad angle helps me make sense of these things after they’ve happened. Lyrically, writing for me is like working out math proofs. Its systematic and meticulous. I like records like that, where you have to examine every piece of information given to you because they all relate to some central axiom. Tom Waits, U2, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and the like make records like that, and that’s part of why they’re so classic. How I use words comes from a lot of poets and novelists. Walt Whitman, Tom Robbins, Charles Bukowski, even Chuck Klostermann.Q8. Rumours are that you are putting together a Warchalking “band” – how’s that working out?Tis no rumor. Three fellas I used to play with about three or four years back weren’t doing anything. The drummer approached me first, and the bass player followed suit. We played a show in March as a trial run, them switching instruments and trying to follow my drunken cues as best they could. The guitar player joined up the following week. As expected, the songs aren’t mine anymore. They’ve made them ours. There’s only one rule: of you’re in this band, you have to sing. Something. Anything. As long as its in key, you gotta step up to the mic.Q9. Considering your songs consist of mainly your voice and an acoustic guitar, you somehow manage to build and incredible wall of sound – how do you do that?Multi-tracking. It always starts with one guitar line and one vocal, but there’s only so much dynamic that can be done with that. In the past, I always wanted to do more vocally, but there never was enough time and space. Not so in this case. If it still sounds thin with four or five layers of vocals, then the guitars get piled on. I think the nastiest one is ‘Song of Place’. There are a total of eight acoustic guitar tracks, half of which are run through an amp simulator at different gain stages, again for dynamic, and eight more tracks of vocals. The beauty of that is the kindergarten effect: pack 20-30 little kids on a stage and have them sing. Each one is slightly out of key individually, but as a group they all sound in tune and angelic. Same rules apply to adults. Heavy doses of delay and reverb and crafty bit of EQ does wonders.Q10. I sometimes threw around the words “low-fi revolution” when describing the rise or sudden accessibility to songs being made on the kitchen and bedroom floors, but lately I’ve started to realise that just because it’s home-grown, it doesn’t have to be “low-fi” (I think your music is a great example of this). Actually its much more of a “DIY revolution”, being able to make your own records and CDs without much outside assistance. Have you got any tips for young bands and songwriters who are starting out re technology or how to go about making a DIY record that sounds so professional?Record, record, record. The more you do it, the more you learn. Most of my tricks came from older cats. I’ve only paid for one mixing session, and watched that dude like a hawk. Talk shop with as many people as you can. Make friends with people at music stores. Not only do they see a lot of gear come in and out, they get to play with it, and if you’re super cool, get discounts or used equipment. I always buy what’s best for the money, something that can be used for two or three tasks. Read a lot. Get familiar with terms and ask tons of questions. It took three years to finally figure out how to use a multiband compressor correctly. Be humble. I’ve heard absolutely gorgeous songs done on four-track tape players that make large scale recordings sound half-assed. Always serve the song. Some sound better ultra clean, some songs need passing traffic in the background.Q11. There seems to be a pretty happening music scene in Cape Girardeau – any other bands or artists you can recommend? Anybody you’ve worked with previously or are working with?Don’t be fooled. Cape is in a horrible trough at the moment. The asset referred to earlier is the fact that only a few people care what you’re doing. So every crowd is hostile. The best shows are ones that people don’t walk out of. What this does is takes away any expectation. You lug all your shit downtown and play for yourself. It keeps you honest. Normally there are about two to six people impacted by what you do. The other twelve are so drunk they’ll love anything you play, and the rest of the 50-100 are trying to get laid. There are a handful of old scene-sters that are taking advantage of the vacuum and making some things happen. Fists of Phoenix, Fill, Tipping Holly, Moodminder, Thorlock, My Bicycle Emergency are a few of the names making some relevant waves these days, there are a couple more. If I haven’t worked with them on something, then I’ve played a show with them at some point over the last ten or so years.Q12. What else can we expect from Warchalking this year?A full band record. Things have changed up so much with the new members that its too easy to put in the time to work up a record of the more stand out tunes from the previous two. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a whole new record by the end of the year. Depends on how weird this year gets.Interview by Smally

CATEGORIES:INTERVIEWS, QUIXODELIC RECORDS, WARCHALKING