I’ve gone off about Kowloon Walled City many times. I spoke about Turk Street and it’s influence on my aural sensitivities. In anticipation of their pending releases, I did a special Nine Circles Ov… where I amassed what I believe are their Top 9 songs. I also reviewed their new album Grievances.  I have been heaping praise on Kowloon Walled City since roughly 2008 so it’s no surprise that I leapt at the opportunity to actually interview the boys in what is one of my very, very favorite bands.

Many, many things are special about Kowloon Walled City. Their downtuned guitars and generally morose sound is completely unique and instantly recognizable and engaging. Their progression as a band has been logical, pragmatic and beyond fun to witness. So click play on the album below and enjoy the band as real people.

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The sonic progression of Kowloon Walled City seems to have focused on a turn towards space and atmosphere. While Kowloon’s early work like Turk Street was a bit more in your face and assaulting. Your music, especially on Grievances (which I think builds on Container Ships) you reveal, as a band, a tremendous amount of patience. Allowing cadences to form naturally and letting spaces hang open. It makes for a good amount of tension. Has that progression been inspired by age, the passage of time or other bands that you guys might be listening to or just life changing and evolving?

Jon: That thin, slightly gainy guitar tone we stumbled upon while writing Container Ships dictated a lot of the creative decisions on Grievances. Often the answer to “how can we make this part work better?” was to give everything room to breathe and die out.

Ian: Patience is definitely a watchword. I was listening to “Grievances” (the song) recently and realized just how long you need to stick with it until the payoff of the huge outro. That’s not to say the initial parts aren’t good or worthwhile – they are, I hope – but they all serve to set up the big finish. There’s no immediate gratification. The listener needs to invest a little time and energy in order to get the returns. God knows we have to as a band, too.

You guys are in a few projects together. I imagine this means spending a lot of time together. The relationship of bandmates can be a tough one, sort of like an enhanced version of a marriage. How are you guys able to stand each other for such extended time?

Ian: Scott and I have been working together the longest, but Jon’s been in the band for about half its lifespan now. As far as band interpersonal dynamics go, this one’s pretty easy. We’re all adults and there’s no (or very little, at least) ego bullshit. Communication is straightforward, and we generally have fun together.

Jon: Yep. We’re friends and we like hanging out and working with each other.

The song “Daughters & Sons” that closes Grievances is quite emotional and, at least guitar-wise, a departure from your more sludgy, bass heavy work. Are you guys parents now and how does that change how you view the intersection of life & music?

Scott: I’m the only parent in the band. For me, music has helped me keep my sense of self. I’ve watched friends lose their personal identity after having kids. But music is a big part of me that I’ve managed to keep alive, and hopefully that’s a good example for my kids to grow up with. Parenthood has also given me a longer-term perspective on the world around me, and I guess music provides an outlet for some of the anxiety and tension I feel because of that perspective.

You guys have said that your songs are “bummed out.” What is bumming you out so much that you want to write all these bummer jams?

Ian: I’ve referred to our music as “bummer jams” for a while, but when I say it, I’m being a little facetious. The songs are mostly slow and intense, but there are definitely moments of catharsis, especially on the new record. For me, the music isn’t not gloomy or depressive, it’s slow and intense.

Scott: I agree with that. I think any specific explanations I give would sound trite. I’m fairly “up” from day to day. I’m glad I’m alive. But it’s not that simple. I don’t know. This is what feels right to us right now.

You guys went hella punk with the themes on Grievances. All this employer/employee relationship stuff is not only introspective (as your work tends to be) but also quite socially relevant. What thinkers, writers, friends, politicians or personal experiences inspired such a revolutionary theme? (I’m hoping for some awesome work stories here wink wink)

Ian: Scott wrote the vast majority of the lyrics – I think I contributed an idea or a concept here and there, and Jon may have too – but I’m pretty way out on the left, politically. Discovering David Graeber, the anarchist anthropologist, was major for me. His writings, especially Bullshit Jobs and Debt: The First 5,000 Years, have done a lot to inform my thinking on labor.

Jon: I’d recommend the Labor sections of Zinn’s People’s History as a primer on labor and Chris Hedges & Joe Sacco’s Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt as a recent book that has shaped my thoughts on Capital.

Scott: Howard Zinn, there’s some zany work stories for you, right? A lot of the lyrical ideas came from watching my friends, my family, people I’ve worked with over the years — then applying their experiences to a bigger picture. In the last couple years I’ve read lots of short things as I dig through topics. Some of People’s History, old Eisenhower speeches about the military-industrial complex, some interesting things about Huey Long and his “Share Our Wealth” speech, and some good fiction too.

I wrote an article a while back about how much I hate heavyweight cotton. It’s really a plague upon the metal scene that people are forced to wear such ill-fitting and uncomfortable clothing. In that article I suggested that people look at your merchandise because you make terrifically soft shirts. What prompted you guys to be so forward thinking in marketing? Do you often wear Kowloon Walled City T-Shirts despite being in the band?

Ian: There’s no reason to print on bullshit heavyweight cotton blanks like Gildan when there are so many better, and better-looking options available. I especially love a 50/50 shirt. I wouldn’t want to sell something I wouldn’t wear myself.

Being a bit of a gearhead, I’m wondering, equipment wise, how you guys think. There aren’t many superfluous and gaudy effects on any of your recordings. Reminds me of the Joey Santiago or Brian May who actually used their amplifiers, guitars and a maybe a single pedal to create new sounds. Do you guys switch equipment frequently and what are you playing these days that you’re excited about?

Ian: My rig has been pretty stable for a while. I change basses every so often, but everything after the bass has been the same for a while. I did, however, just buy a bass I’ve been lusting over for years. We’ll see if that makes it into the KWC arsenal. Not every bass works in this context.

Jon: I don’t like having a ton of gear options. The fewer the channels, knobs, pickups and pedals the better. But we all love old Japanese equipment, and that means we have to accept some of the limitations that come with 30-year-old instruments. I’m forever battling intonation issues with my guitar which wasn’t built to be tuned this low in the first place, but fuck it, it sounds cool. My guitar is a ‘70s Greco Les Paul Goldtop and it’s the only piece of equipment I can whip up any excitement for.

Instrumentally, you guys use some seriously down-tuned guitars? You still playing in Drop A#? Now that the vocals are a bit cleaner is it tough to hit your notes in that tuning?

 Scott: Yes, always drop A#. What are “notes”?

I always conclude my interviews with a fun one and, since you guys seem fun, I would like to know what the most memorable or funniest prank you ever pulled on each other (or someone outside the band) was.

Scott: No pranks. We’re not fun.

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Thanks very much to the boys of Kowloon Walled City!

– Manny-O-War

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Grievances is available October 9th on Neurot Recordings. For more information on Kowloon Walled City, visit the band’s official website.

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