Earth Dies Screaming -- Independent Artists -- Kalamazoo Michigan

I was lucky to have witnessed a performance of Earth Dies Screaming at Harvey's in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan in late July. They played their noisey beat, beer driven, working class punk rock on synthesizers, guitar and drum machines to a full house. I was invited to a BBQ they were having with friends on a warm (and "damn humid"), midwest summers night, and was able to catch them for an interesting and delightful in-person interview.
The band consists of three members:
Vladimyr Victory: Keyboards, Programming, Composing, Vocals
Deadboy: Loudmouth vocals, Bass Guitar, Rallying The Troups
Glitterboy Valentine: Guitar, Drunken Rants, Vibes Manipulator

Last Sigh: When I heard you play a couple weeks ago, I was pretty amazed by the sounds I heard, as I have never heard anything quite like what you played that night at Harvey's. How would you describe the sounds of your performance that night?

Vladimyr: It's agressive, and it's positive.

Deadboy: It's a big "Fuck you" to all the deadass's in Kalamazoo, pretty much.

Vladimyr: I wouldn't say that. I think the big thing that we have going for us is we're eclectic, we don't want to be painted into a corner. It seems the music industry and eMpTVy just want to slap a label on every new band that comes out...

Glitterboy Valentine: .. and sell it to frats. We're taking all the things we love of rock and roll and digitizing it.

Deadboy: It should be loud and abrasive.

Last Sigh: If you could define your music as a crossover of other bands, whhat bands would they be?

Deadboy: The Ramones, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Sex Pistols...

Glitterboy Valentine: ... and Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

Vladimyr: ...Psychic TV, The Jesus and Mary Chain... Any thing with beats, bass and noise. It's an amalgamation of many things. We're too pop/mainstream for the hardcore kids and too hard core for the ultra-conservative alternative pop scene. If you come to an Earth Dies Screaming show be prepared to have fun.

Last Sigh: That leads me to asking you about the local scene here. What peeves you most about the music scene in general in Kalamazoo, Michigan?

Glitterboy Valentine: Any venue in this city, they all either book cover bands, blues bands, freeform and rock bands. There aren't very many places where we can play. Five years ago, there was a surplus of venues for the "alternative" scene, The Warehouse was one of them. Gwar, Insane Clown Posse, Acumen Nation, 13 Mg, Fragment, Crash Worship, Heavy Water Factory and 16 Volt played there, among others. [The Warehouse closed in 1997 after a tumultuous time trying to stay open.]

Vladimyr: 99% of the music in Kalamazoo is derivative garbage. I don't understand why these kids are listening to their parents nostalgic rock and roll. I don't think you can point fingers at the scene, you can do something about it...There isn't anywhere for us to play here. Club Soda isn't an option, and local bands aren't much help either.

Deadboy: You can do something about it. You can start a band. That's why we started our own band. We were fed up with it...with the scene. I think we are sent by GOD to Kalamazoo. No one promotes here. They just expect people to show up. We give out stickers and glow necklaces, and free admission. If people don't have the money we let them in anyway. I'd just rather play to as many people as possible and make sure they have a good time, and make them think at the same time. An example: We played Liquid Room in Grand Rapids on Halloween, 1998 with Amaranth. We paid people at work to take our shift for us to do this show. We showed up and *Sprockets from Saturday Night Live* (the owner of the venue)....we had to pull teeth to get complimentary coffee (it's a coffee shop), the kids couldn't dance because of a coffee shop rule of no dancing, they left the house lights on during our show, and they accused us of stealing equipment, when we had brought our own. Not to mention we never got paid. And "that" in a 'nutshell' is the problem with the scene. It's all these art shitheads who are so stuck on themselves that they got "so and so booked" here they don't give the up and coming bands a chance. We support other up and coming bands that play here. If you want to play with us, we'll support you !

Vladimyr: We were tired of the rock and roll formula, of every band sounding the same. Most of the frat boy bone heads who go to the hippy shows here are going to them to try to score on the frat/hippy girls. This is a frustrating time to play, the people here seem to go [to shows here], to show everyone how they dress or look and to gossip about each other. Some people who we worked with in the past who support us don't have much in common with our music such as: Brent Oberlin in Thought Industry, who has pointed us in the right direction, and Oz of Big Sam. They understand the same ideals we have in terms of success here. They're nice guys. They have no ego about it.

Glitterboy Valentine: Yeah, I want to have a good time at a show, not get kicked in the head by someone's boot. I don't have a problem standing off to the side and see the show from that perspective...

Vladimyr: I don't know if the problem is the kids or the music. The last couple shows I have gone to, there are a few drunk people who are friends of the bands, and no one is dancing...other than the raves, which is a trendy thing... fuck the ravers too...I want honesty at a show. I would welcome getting kicked in the head at a show, at least you know something is going on...

Last Sigh: Where did you get the name: Earth Dies Screaming?

Vladimyr: I am glad you asked this actually. A lot of people come up to me after our shows and say "cool, you're a Tom Waits fan?" Apparently Tom Waits wrote a song called "Earth Dies Screaming." I don't know anything about this song, I don't listen to Tom Waits, I don't have anything against him, he seems cool from some of the songs I have heard. It's not from Tom Waits, it's actually from a 1970s Sci-Fi/Horror film "The Earth Dies Screaming." If it hasn't been used for a Mystery Science Theatre episode, it should be! It's just a cheesy title. There isn't any meaning behind it, other than it's self explanatory, it's just a name. The only drawback with the name is it has a "hardcore/deathmetal" ring to it, of which we aren't death metal. Our music is high energy and aggressive, and it's all about having a good time. After the shows, some people do come up and talk with me. They tell me they were a little intimidated at first, but once they listened to what we're saying, they realize we're on their side, forcing them to have fun. That's not to say we're "Greenday", but you will *not* find any lyrics about girlfriends, teen-angst, or your parents not letting you dye your hair green or pink.

Last Sigh: Where do you want to go with your music and the band?

Glitterboy Valentine: To quote Bowie: "We could be hero's for one day." I want to look at the people I play for and them be able to relate to me. Not that I am above them, but a part of them.It's a unifying thng. It's not the money.

Vladimyr: I want people to pull the cucumbers out of their asses and dance. Life is short. Have a good time or get the fuck out of the way.

Deadboy: In the immortal words of Jim Morrison: "We want the world and we want it now." And if you don't like where we come from, then piss off. To quote Bauhaus: "But we love our audience."

Last Sigh: If you could open for any band of your choice, who would that be and why?

Glitterboy: Valentine: David Bowie because everyone would be there to see us. Then I could be the Master! He is like the Beatles, but just one man.

Deadboy: Sigue Sigue Sputnik. They [The Beatles] embody the pure spirit of rock and roll and everybody else falls beneath.

Vladimyr: The Ramones. Too bad they broke up. That's when rock and roll died. It would be fun to see how many people were left standing at the end of the show. Between the Ramones and us we could kill a whole stadium.

Last Sigh: Are you going to cut a CD in the future? How may interested persons get ahold of it?

Vladimyr: We are going to start recording a CD in a month or so. It shouldn't be any longer than this winter [1999] to get it done. We have a web site in the works and we have a single. Once we get the EP out we'll be able to release that. Email us at Sonic Distortion for more information about us or if you would like us to open for you in the future. We can travel to Detroit or Chicago to play with bands who come through Michigan or Illinois. If any bands want to come to Kalamazoo to play with us, just get ahold of us. This is what we are about, networking with others and having a good time playing.

Last Sigh: Are there any last words or advice to other upcoming bands or your fans you'd like to express here?

Vladimyr: Stay off the dope, dance for once in your life you fat bastards!

Deadboy: Keep the faith you fuckers! All in all, stay tough.

Glitterboy Valentine: You can't stop the rock.

Last Sigh: Thanks for doing this interview and inviting me over for the BBQ!

Deadboy: Thanks to you for taking time to work with us.