Depoyster
Depoyster’s music is a gumbo of influences mixed haphazardly, but with pleasant results. Band members say they take everything they’ve heard, “throw it all at the wall and see what sticks.” What sticks seems to be a combination of early- and mid-’90s alternative, especially early Radiohead, and indie rock plus Led Zeppelin. Depoyster will perform their unique tunes at Petrus on Saturday. Their new record, the Hoffman EP, will also be available.
LEO: If you were Mayor, what would you do to help promote people like you in this city?
Jon Harrod: It would be cool to possibly have some kind of huge festival on the Great Lawn one weekend a year with just local acts (known and unknown, not just the “stars” of Louisville), and promote it like they would a national act or something, kind of like LRS Fest or the LMIA Six Flags deal but without any bias or fee for the bands, just let any local act come out and play for 30-45 minutes and promote themselves. Kind of a Louisville local music showcase/conference? In other words, a pipe-dream.
Tommy Sanders: I would outlaw pink shirts. That wouldn’t help music, but I just think it needs to be done.
Nate Depoyster: I think that Louisville is actually a great place to be active in music. We just aren’t a town that’s known for it like Athens, Memphis or L.A. Louisville could possibly do a bit more to advertise the fact that we have a great arts scene, and build a reputation for it.
LEO: Which Louisville musician needs to get more attention?
JH: Spacehooker (“you ever hooked up with a donut that smokes?”), Surviving Thalia (“THE” metal band in Louisville).
ND: Damn Ramblers (great, great rock songs).
Donnie Arbuckle: Sol 17 (because Tommy thinks Ray looks like a Russian terrorist), Teneia Sanders (a beautiful and amazing voice).
TS: Butch Rice, Scott Truman and Lucky Pineapple.
LEO: If music were food, what kind would yours be?
DA: A pepperoni and cheese pizza with chocolate chip cookies on the side and some leftover chili.
JH: Sushi and peanut butter.
TS: I guess like Chinese food. No matter how much you have, you will still want more in a few hours. Not that it doesn’t stick with you! It just, well, never mind.
ND: We are just like a fried Twinkie from the Fair — at first you think, “Who the hell thought of this?,” but in the end it is sorta good.
LEO: Tell me about one of you favorite works of art aside from your medium.
JH: My father is a painter/sculptor and does amazing work, www.michaeljharrod.com. Off the top of my head, I’ll say “Clerks II” — just saw it the other night and it was great to see Kevin Smith return to form. “I’m sorry, Jesus.” I almost puked on my feet, that was so great.
TS: Josh Smart is one of my best friends and a great artist. You can check out his work at the IUS galleries or at www.myspace.com/joshsmart. Alex Grey’s “Progression of the Soul” paintings (www.alexgrey.com). Also Failed States by Noam Chomsky and “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu.
ND: All that a person needs to know can be learned from “Huckleberry Finn.” The artwork of Wes Freed is brilliant. Google it.
LEO: What do you want to say that you know you shouldn’t?
JH: I really wish that certain bands and musicians in this city would realize that by acting like arrogant morons and treating other bands like complete garbage, they are only hurting themselves. If every band in this city would put aside the ridiculously competitive mindset and that my-band-is-so-much-better-than-yours idiotic attitude that many of them seem to have, just all work together in a way, this area could make a real mark nationally. Though there are a lot of great musicians in this town that have been great and are great people, the constant presence of certain douchebags make this city hard to take at times.
ND: Donnie is actually a beer-fueled robot. Also, I really hate commercial radio, MTV and Wal-Mart. They all deserve to be gone.
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