Scar Tissue

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02 April, 2000

Scar Tissue
Steve Watkins & Phil Caldwell

Interview with Scar Tissue via Email
and conducted by
Mike Santarpia
in January, 1998.

Mike: Where are you from originally?

Scar Tissue: Steve was born and raised in Walnut Creek, CA.... 40 minutes east of

San Francisco. Phil is from San Diego.

Mike: Did you go to college? If so what was your major?

Scar Tissue: Steve has a BS in Physics from UC Santa Barbara, and Phil started college in Arkansas, moved back to California, and is now finishing his BA in Conflict Studies / Social Theory / Political Science at UC Berkeley.

Mike: What bands did you enjoy while growing up?

Scar Tissue: Steve's favorite bands went this way (chronologically from earliest memory thru high school): Henry Mancini marching music, Barry Manilow, Chicago, The Beatles, Rush, Genesis, Peter Gabriel Phil sped thru all the guitar / metal bands then right into the goth scene in high school, then all the early industrial / WaxTrax bands.

Mike: What bands do you like now?

Scar Tissue: We like: Seefeel, Scorn, Dive, the Electric Ladyland and Macro Dub Infection compilations, zoviet france, Rapoon, Lustmord, early Severed Heads, Helium, Speedy J, Ice Cube, Wu Tang Clan, Pharcyde, Tom Waits, Beastie Boys, Illusion of Safety, Tribes of Neurot, Disjecta, Bailter Space, Shelac, Oval, Microstoria, Land of the Loops

Mike: What were your influences to want to make music? What bands influenced you?

Scar Tissue: hmmm.... it wasn't particular artists that influenced us... just our own need to do it. We never decided to "make music like THAT artist, 'cause THAT artist is cool!"... we just make what we make because we HAVE to.. and whatever comes out is not controlled by what other artists we're listening to.

Mike: What instruments do you play if you play any? Which one(s)? which is your favorite? Which is the easiest? Hardest?

Scar Tissue: Steve is a trained percussionist, and Phil is a self-taught guitarist. Those are really the only instruments we "play", and we're both very comfortable with them.

Mike: What other interests do you have besides music? Do you like any other aspects of the music industry like engineering or producing etc..?

Scar Tissue: Steve loves producing / engineering. It's the "control" thing. Plus there is so much creativity to be unleashed in thos activites. Phil loves reading... he reads A LOT... mostly classic literature and political / social / philosophical theory.

Mike: Is there anything you would like to accomplish in the music industry that you haven't yet?

Scar Tissue: Well... we really don't have any "goals" in music that we're actively striving for. We're both amused that its gotten THIS far. We've done the tour thing, the CD thing, the remix thing. What else is there? Jus more and bigger versions of those. I think what we'd like to have more than anything is to have a broader audience.. not just "industrial" fans but ambient, techno, trip hop, etc. fans. Our music appeals to a much wider listening audience than it is being marketed to, and we'd like to see the marketing / distribution of it change. But that's something that we have little control over... there's a lot of luck involved in it too, in my opinion.

Mike: Have you played with any bands previous to this one? If so which ones?

Scar Tissue: Steve was drummer for a Cocteau twins-like San Francisco band called Orange (I still have some CDs of that band if anyone wants to buy 'em). That lasted 2 years.. we headlined shows in San Francisco and had a CD on a small label but the band fell apart around the time Scar Tissue started picking up speed, so I started focussing on that.
Then I drummed for another SF band called Blue Period, just to keep up the drumming skills and for the fun of playing shows (something Scar Tissue was rarely doing). Blue Period is releasing a CD soon (with the new drummer), produced by the bass player in Pansy Division.
Phil and I were in a band together a few years ago, prior to his "joining" Scar Tissue. I was drumming, he was on guitsar and a friend was on bass. We played some shows... it was lame. Scar Tissue started really taking off, so I "stole" Phil from that band and gradually got him involved in Scar Tissue... first by just playing live shows with him and then by actually writing songs with him. He's now firmly entrenched in the whole Scar Tissue thing.

Mike: How did the band meet? And where?

Scar Tissue: A mutual friend introduced me and Phil, saying we should play together. He was right.

Mike: Why did you choose your name? What does it mean? Did you have any other names in mind before choosing this one?

Scar Tissue: My first Scar Tissue partner (Dofino) came up with it a half our before our first performance ever.... in my parents' living room, for a bunch of friends. Before that we had a DUMB name that won't even tell you.

Mike: Do you have any other albums that were releases on other labels? Or is the one you are on currently your first? What other labels did you pursue before signing to this one?

Scar Tissue: We were on a bunch of compilations before releasing "Separator" and "TMOTD" on 21st Circuitry. See the "Releases" section of our website for the full list. We sent demos to OffBeat, 21st Circuitry, Metropoplis, Projekt, COP... only 21st was interested. Steffan at OffBeat did call me from Germany to say he liked "half of the tape". I never heard from Metropolis or COP, but got a nice rejection letter from Projekt saying we weren't goth enough.

Mike: How long did it take to record Separator?

Scar Tissue: Separator is a compilation of songs recorded over the 5 year period before we were signed.

Mike: Which is your favorite song on Separator? Why?

Scar Tissue: Off of Separator, my favorite is Powerclone. It has a special place in my mind, since it was the first song I recorded after splitting with Dofino. I remember thinking "Well hell, if I can do THIS I don't need anyone else!" And we both really like our live version of Choking on Fate, which will be on the Cyberbabies compilation. Much better than the version on Separator. Off of TMOTD we really like A Million Screens (favorite), Membrane, Cascade and Crashtime.

Mike: Is that also your favorite song to perform live?

Scar Tissue: Yeah, those are also the most fun live. [listed above].

Mike: Were you ever asked to do participate any soundtracks?

Scar Tissue: We'd love to do soundtracks.. no one's asked yet though (well, we had a little interest from a producer, but nothing's happened yet).

Mike: Have you made any videos?

Scar Tissue: Just live recordings of some shows. Nothing that looks good though.

Mike: What is you favorite city to play? Favorite venue?

Scar Tissue: Trocadero in San Francisco is great for performing... awesome sounds system. On our tour we had great responses in Salt Lake City, Denver, Columbus OH, New Haven CT, Baltimore MD, Phoenix AZ, La Cross WI and Kalamazoo MI.

Mike: What bands have you toured with?

Scar Tissue: 16Volt and Luxt. We also had a great opening band in Minneapolis called A-Pod. We solicited a remix from them for our remix CD.

Mike: Which was your favorite band to tour with?

Scar Tissue: A-Pod was the most "fun", though 16Volt certainly brought in great crowds. And drumming for 16Volt is always fun.

Mike: What is in the future for your band? When can we expect to see another album?

Scar Tissue: Remix CD out in April, full length CD out on July or August. Both on 21st Circuitry.

Mike: Do you see the band staying with the current label?

Scar Tissue: see above. They're still the only label that's really interested in us. And they treat us very well. I really like how they do business, and how hard they try to push us.

Mike: What do you think about industrial music in general?

Scar Tissue: we don't really care. We're just doing what we like to do, and whatever "scene" latches onto us, well, we can't help that.

Mike: What do you think about the "mainstream" bands like NIN, Marilyn Manson Filter, Gravity Kills and Stabbing Westward? What do you think about MTV and the music award shows?

Scar Tissue: They're all lame, except NIN... I don't own any, and I'm not a "fan" but Trent is, to me, a very good sound artist.

Mike: Is there anything you would like to add to any of your fans or future fans who might be reading this?

Scar Tissue: hmm..... just that there is A LOT more music out there than you can ever listen to, so please don't be a passive participant in what music you listen to. Go and hunt for what you hear in your head, and if you can't find it, make it yourself. That's what we did.

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