4.52am Issue: 041 6th July 2017 The Nancy Kells Issue

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Now.

Welcome
Welcome to Issue 041
I raved about Spartan Jet-Plex the other
week, and quite rightly too, so it seemed
natural to have a chat with Nancy Kells,
the genius behind the magic.
From there we have a couple of
comebacks with Starsailor and Bronski
Beat, new music from Andreas S Jensen,
Will Hessey and Cymbals, whilst REM’s
‘Monster’ gets the Taped treatment.
Guitar-wise we take another look at Equitz
Guitars and a certain Mr Gilmour’s Strat
and then La Contessa take us back to the
‘70s and ‘80s for a little Police.
Have a fine week
All at 4.52am

Contents
NANCY KELLS
EQUITZ GUITARS
FENDER DAVE GILMOUR SIGNATURE STRAT
STARSAILOR
WILL HESSEY
ANDREAS S JENSEN
CYMBALS
BRONSKI BEAT
TAPED: REM ‘MONSTER’
LA CONTESSA PRESENTS… THE POLICE

FEATURES

NANCY KELLS
Spartan Jet-Plex
Lord knows I raved about Spartan Jet-
Plex’s ‘Get Some’ album the other week,
and I’ve yet to do much the same about
Nancy Kells’ latest Spartan album, ‘Al The
World’ – but it is only a matter of time.
As I’ve said too many times now, Nancy
has that elusive quality that very few
artists possess, ad that is a breadth of
vision that let’s he (prolific) musical
output work in many different genres,
and with an array of collaborators, but
always has this thread of *something*
(as in, I really should try and think of a
way to define just-how-special) that sets
her apart from all but a few of the artists
out there at the moment.
I’ll apologise ow for the length of the
interview, but I really wanted Nancy to
explain who she is, where she came from
and how it informed her work so that she
is, for me, one of the most special voices
out there at the moment. The fact that
she would laugh at me for saying so, only
makes the truth brighter.
Anyway, I asked the usual mundane
questions, and then I’m happy to leave it
to the talent, as it were.
I caught up with Nancy for a while, and
this is what she had to say.
Can you introduce yourself to our
readers?
“Thank you so much for giving me this
opportunity! Spartan Jet-Plex is my home
recording solo project, and I have several
other side projects with friends which
are also home recording projects, and
then I also play improv with two
different collectives that do avant
garde and noise type improv music in
Richmond.
I am from Reading, Pennsylvania. I
went to art school in Philly at Tyler
School of Art. I have a BFA and
majored in sculpture. I moved to Los
Angeles in 1996. I thought I was going
to pursue being a showing artist but
became jaded by the art scene and
gallery system and basically got
disgusted by a lot of that and started
becoming more and more interested in
making music instead. I still do art, but
music became my first creative outlet
over time. I received a MS is Special
Education while living in LA and
became a teacher. Prior to that, I was
doing organizing work and canvassing
for California Peace Action and before
that I worked a slew of crappy jobs to
make ends meet. I left Los Angeles in
2008 to a super rural part of Virginia
about an hour or so south of Richmond.
It is probably the exact opposite of LA
in almost every way you can think of,
which is what I really needed at the
time. I taught for 10 years in LA and 4
here in rural Virginia. I resigned in 2012
from teaching and am now a Vocational
Counsellor/Job Coach. My job is kind of
difficult to explain, but essentially, I

assist people with disabilities in finding
and maintaining employment.”
When did you realise that making
music was important to you?
“It happened gradually over time and
music has always been a running theme
in my life since I was a kid. I sang a lot
as a kid. Sang at church and in glee club
and did a few musicals in school. Singing
always made me feel a certain way that
was freeing and special. It has been a
great way to express myself over the
years and get out all the bad crap and
demons that sometimes take over my
mind. That urge grew as I got older. I
sort of neglected singing, though,
through my high school years. I tried
joining drama club in high school, but I
didn't enjoy it and stopped after
freshman year. I was kind of a misfit
weirdo in high school. I was into goth,
new wave and punk stuff, and although
I had some friends during high school,
my school in general was super straight
laced and preppy and I didn't fit in there,
but nor did I try or want to either. I
couldn't wait to get out of my home town
and did right after I graduated. I started
buying records in 4th or 5th grade. Music
and discovering new bands was always
one of my favourite things. My brother
was a big fan of music too. He is 6 years
older than me, but I listened to a lot of
classic rock and metal type music
through him. My dad and mom also both
listened to music growing up. My dad
listened to the Beatles, Elton John, Leon
Redbone, the Grateful Dead, all sorts of
stuff. My mom liked stuff like Dolly
Parton, Cher, Tom Jones, and lots of
oldies. So, I had a huge mix of different
types of music growing up. Some of it I
didn't fully appreciate at the time, but I
surely do now. I started getting back into
singing and music in college, but not
seriously. The sculpture department at
Tyler was hugely supportive of
experimenting and I did some sound
pieces back then. It was nothing I took
seriously though. I think the main reason
for that is a combination of thinking art
was my future along with the fact that I
didn't really play any instrument well
enough. A friend gave me a toy bass
around the mid-90s, and that really
opened things up for me. I started
playing that and got a bunch of different
toy instruments and a couple of Casios
and I started recording stuff on a portable
Tascam 4-track. It was just for fun, but I
discovered I loved it so much that
everything just progressed from there. I
bought a guitar and proper bass and
started teaching myself chords and
overtime got a bit better, and what I got
out of it was the same thing I got out of
making artwork, but on a much higher
and greater level than I had ever
experience previously.
I would make tapes and pass them out to
friends. A lot of the music was
spontaneous and off the fly. Several
friends were receptive to what I was
doing and it gradually became something

I took much more seriously, and then I
started putting more time into writing
and creating songs that were planned
out and reworked over time. I think I
always had all these songs inside me,
but it wasn't until I had the confidence
to play the guitar and keys that the
music was able to truly come out of me.
With the music I do now, I try to
embrace and combine the
experimentation that comes from just
messing around and finding happy
mistakes along with planned song
writing and working and reworking a
song many times over until it is where I
want it. I think you can hear both things
in my music now.”
So what instruments do you play,
and when did you learn?
“I play guitar and keys and sometimes a
little bass. I also use a drum machine
and toy instruments sometimes. I took
piano lessons as a kid and learned notes
and chords that way, but I didn't learn
how to play guitar or bass until I got that
toy bass and then a guitar, but really I
just know chords and play by ear. I don't
know my scales or anything. I think I am
a better songwriter than I am a guitarist
for sure.”
Which instrument feels the most
natural to you when it comes to
writing?
“I usually write songs on my guitarusually
my classical- at least these days,
but sometimes it happens on keys.
Your music is so varied, who would
you consider has influenced you
most?
“Thank you so much for saying that. That
is such a tough question because I listen
to so many different types of music, but
probably a lot of the foundation comes
from the music I was into as a kid and
teenager. I think you can hear the new
wave/goth/industrial/punk influence at
the base of what I am doing, but I am
definitely influenced by a large range of
different stuff. I also got into some
rap/hip-hop, jazz and reggae as a teen
and of course classic and psychedelic
rock, and then later in my 20s I got into
some other stuff like the indie music of
that time and also oldie stuff and 20s
through 40s type music.
The first band I got really into was the
Go-Go's back in 4th grade. Cocteau Twins
and This Mortal Coil are likely two you can
hear in my music. Wire and Nick Cave
have been two long favourites of mine
since I was a teen. I was hugely into
anything Will Oldham did for many years.
I still am but started to lose interest after
‘The Letting Go.’ I am still in love with
that early Palace Brothers/Palace Music
and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy stuff. I think the
older I got, the more I became more
interested in learning and listening to
women musicians of all genres. I think
most of the music (not all, but most) of
the musicians or bands I listened to
growing up were mainly male centred or
mainly made of men. It really wasn't

intentional but I did begin to notice that
as I got older.
I have so many musical heroes and
many of them are women for suremusicians
like PJ Harvey, Dolly Parton,
Loretta Lynn, Kate Bush, Diamanda
Galás Malvina Reynolds, Elizabeth
Cotten, Stevie Nicks, Peggy Lee, the
Raincoats, Jana Hunter, Bessie Smith,
Sheila Chandra, Queen Latifah,and more
recently Aimee Mann and Alice Coltrane.
There are too many to name. I really am
kind of all over the place with the music
I love though. I love discovering new
music and old music that's new to me.”
Do you hear them in your work?
“I can't really say that I hear anyone
specifically and none of it is intentional.
Like I've never thought to myself- I am
going to make a song that sounds like...I
think some people do that, but for me, it
usually starts out as an idea or a few
ideas that morph into a song. Thinking
about what it will sound like really never
enters my mind, but of course how can't
the music I am listening to influence me?
I don't know.
I have had people say they hear Cocteau
Twins, This Mortal Coil, and Siouxsie.
Someone compared me once in a review
to Frankie Cosmos and I haven't listened
to her yet or know what she sounds like.
I think she is pretty young though and I
am sure she is awesome. I just haven't
had a chance to check it out or dive into
it. It did sort of surprise me to be
compared to a much younger well
known musician though. I took it as a
huge compliment, though, and I am
pretty sure I could easily be Frankie
Cosmos' mom haha! I am 44. Hey that's
not old but I think most people assume I
am much younger.”
You have released music under
many names, how does this help
you?
“They are all different projects. All my
solo music is put out under Spartan Jet-
Plex and has for a long time now. When
I first started recording music, I didn't
take myself seriously and approached the
music more with a sense of humour. I
think I often do now too, but back then I
wasn't as confident in what I was doing
or in what I wanted to do. I called myself
classylady as a tongue in cheek joke for
a brief period of time. Then I thought I
would go with Late Night Dreams but
there was already a band with that name
and so I came up with Spartan Jet-Plex,
which is basically a combination of names
from a list I kept back when I was doing
data entry temp work and would write
down names and parts of names of
companies I thought would make good
band names. I was really bored doing
that work and making these lists was my
way of entertaining myself. The other
names are projects with others-
Noxon Light University is an
electronic/trip-hop project with my friend
Brian. We have a ton a music on our
Bandcamp. We sort of slowed down
recently but are working on a new album.

Legendary Thunderbirds of Death! and
Pony-Ups are folk and folk covers
projects with my partner Jon.
Zilla-Plex is another electronic/trip-hop
project with my friend Dan but on the
experimental side. We are working on
putting out an EP.
Kept Caves is a dream pop type project
with my friend James who runs Fox Food
Records. We have done a few songs and
may eventually put out an EP.
I am in process of working on a song
with a friend I met doing those Friends
For Equality benefit compilations. I am
working on a track with Berko Lover
(Tiaira Harris) and am excited to hear
what we do.
Berko Lover makes awesome hip-hop
type music. She also makes music with
a friend under the name So Nice
Yesterday. I am excited about what we
might come up to together. Both
projects have Bandcamps.
I am always looking for new
collaborations, especially with
women/femmes. It seems I have mainly
collaborated with men, which again was
never intentional.
I would love to do something with my
friend Mistina La Fave of the Prids. We
have talked about it so hopefully we will
one day.
Then I do the improv stuff with
collectives in Richmond. That is the only
music I play out. I have been asked to
play my music out a few times, but I
don't think I am interested in that, but I
absolutely love doing the improv out or
even just getting together with them and
playing for ourselves. I cannot get
enough of it and I always make my best
effort, despite work, to play those shows
or make any jam sessions with them if
possible. I never thought I would ever
consider playing out. I have a lot of social
anxiety and stage fright, but I was invited
to give it a try and discovered I love it.
As a kid, I was kind of a ham so it makes
sense. I sort of lost my hamminess with
age, but I am trying to embrace
performing again.
Womajich Dialyseiz is collective of
women, femme and folks who are nonbinary/non-gender
conforming. My friend
Sarmistha (who by the way makes
outstanding music under the name
Tavishi) started the collective and invited
me to join. She invited me to a jam
session this past winter and I fell in love
with playing with them. It is a pretty large
collective and when we have shows or
jam sessions, anyone who is available
just shows up. It is completely open.
Every single person is also incredibly
talented and has a million of their own
projects as well. I feel beyond blessed to
have met them. Meeting these people
improved the quality of my life tenfold.
My whole life I have never really had a
collective of friends who I felt safe and at
home with until this past year. I never
was much for that kind of thing and am
foremost a loner and a homebody. And

then, my friend Erik (who is so incredibly
talented too and collaborated with
Edward Ka-Spel! That blew my mind
when I first met him as I am a fan of the
Legendary Pink Dots.) invited me to join
another collective in Richmond. We go
by LUNAR. It is also improv and on the
jazzier side. I am also hoping to do some
collaborative songs with Erik in the near
future. I also credit him (and Sarmistha)
with giving me the courage to try improv
and playing out. He and Sarmistha really
helped me grow and stretch myself as a
musician and try new things.”
Blimey! That is a lot of things you
have going on. You are are creating
and releasing a lot of music, do you
find the fact that the whole
commercial side of things has died
in a way to be freeing?
“I have a love of all music and even like
some pop and commercial type music. I
appreciate all types of music, but that
kind of stuff has never been anything I
have ever been interested in doing. The
internet and initially Myspace made it
possible for anyone to put music out into
the world for others to hear. The internet
also made it possible to collaborate with
others all over the world. I think all that
is freeing. On the other hand, I know it
has really hurt musicians trying to make
a living at it. Many bands who had a
decent following and made a modest
living at it suffered with music being able
to be downloaded and easily stolen. I am
someone who still buys records but most
people I know listen to Spotify or other
streaming sights. But for people like me
who have to survive by working a regular
job and embraced that, the internet and
sites like Bandcamp allow me to put my
music out there, and I occasionally can
make a few dollars that I can invest back
into what I am doing. It works for me.”
Listening to your Spartan Jet-Plex
work, it does feel like you are
creating the greatest albums 4AD
never released. Is there any regret
on that side of things, that record
companies don't take chances on
new artists in the same way that
they used to?
“On my gosh this is the hugest of
compliments!!!! Another friend, Trev
Elkin (He writes for GoldFlakePaint), who
has been super kind when writing about
my music made this comparison once
too.
Things were so different back in the 80s
and even 90s. There's no regrets. I grew
up listening to that music, especially as a
teen, so it makes sense that you hear
something that could maybe be on that
label, although I would never dream that
I achieved that!”
I’ll ask that horrible question
nobody wants to answer - how
would you describe your music?
“This is difficult. You have to pick tags
and so forth when posting on Soundcloud
or Bandcamp. I usually pick experimental
folk, dark folk, alt-folk, synth folk, dream

pop, bedroom pop, low-fi, fuzzy folk, etc.
If people ask me, those are things I
usually say.”
Who do you think is listening to
what you release? What do your
listeners/fans look like?
“A bunch are my friends being good
supportive friends haha...I think I have
a very tiny group of people (probably
>10) who actually follow me and listen
regularly. I think a few might be here in
the USA and some in UK or like Australia
or New Zealand. Again, I am talking like
probably 10 people here haha.
I have no idea what they look like or how
old, etc. outside my friends. I am always
super honoured when anyone buys my
music on Bandcamp, even if it is just $1.
Everything I have except my newest
release is Name Your Own Price. I see
lots more download it so I suppose I
have some other fans, but if they don't
buy it, I would have no idea who they
are, etc. I am always excited to see
anyone downloading my music, even for
free, but am super thankful when
someone purchases it. I always send
them a thank you email. It really does
mean a lot to me. I would be doing this
music even if no one was listening, but
it really means a lot to see that it speaks
to others.”
You definitely seem to have music
as a part of a wider artistic
approach - does the fact that
creatively you can quite literally do
as you wish appeal?
“Yeah, for sure. I also approach my music
the same way I make sculpture. I usually
start with an idea and then experiment
with that and build on or around that
idea. I sort of build and patch different
bits and pieces together- either literally or
figuratively. That is exactly how I
approach my songs as well.”
Would you swap that freedom for a
big advance and a gofer”
Hell yes, haha, but no, not really. I don't
think so. I have had this conversation
with several friends who make music or
art. On one hand, I dream of just being
able to make art and music and not have
to worry about going to work to survive,
but on the other hand, I think my work
life in many ways fuels my artistic life.
What would I have if there was no
struggle and the challenges of having to
work for a living or in helping others
through my work? I am not sure what
that would be like. I am sure I would still
make art and music, but would it suffer
as a result? I think it might.
I resolved a long time ago to having to
work. When I went to art school I was
super young and naive, and how I was
going to survive never occurred to me. I
had parents who took care of me and
made sure my needs were met, so once
on my own, reality slapped me on my ass.
I worked a slew of crappy minimum wage
jobs and it sucked. I hated what I was
doing. I did retail (clothing/drug stores
and a one hour photo place) and temp
work (filing and data entry) and it was

horrible torture. I also worked once for
an artist, but that sucked too. He made
the worst kind of art, mainly for the
Roman Catholic Church and
government, and it sucked working on
his stuff. All of it was for the pursuit of
scraping by while making corporations or
some jerk or jerks wealthier. I figured
out pretty quickly that this was life, and
I was miserable. I have also suffered
from depression and anxiety since I was
a kid and back then it was severe. I
moved to Los Angeles thinking I would
try and pursue art there and I ended up
getting an organizing job with California
Peace Action. I did that for my first two
years there and that work helped me
realize that in order to survive, I needed
to do work that helped people. It had to
be more than just a paycheck. I was
barely scraping by doing that work
though.
At that time (this was late 90s), LAUSD
had a program in which you could teach
while going back to school. I first
became a paraprofessional to see if I
would enjoy being in a classroom and
discovered I loved it. I entered the
program and that allowed me to put
myself through grad school and actually
afford it. Over time, I was able to save
money and not just be living paycheck to
paycheck. The salary was more than I
ever made, but honestly, most of the
teachers I knew had families and kids
and were living paycheck to paycheck. I
luckily only had myself to support so I
did better than just scraping by and that
helped me be able to buy more
instruments and equipment, etc. I think
that teaching and what I do now as a
Vocational Counsellor greatly influences
my music. As much as I get stressed and
tired or feel like I am overworked or that
I don't have enough time to do my art
and music, I think it helps my art and
music in an immensely positive way. So
yeah, in theory it would be great not
having to work so hard and to have more
time to make my art, but I am not sure it
would actually be great in reality.”
When did you start gigging - what
was your first gig like?
“I never have done Spartan Jet-Plex out.
I have been asked a few times, but I don't
think I am interested in that. I do want to
get together though with some friends
that are singer/songwriters and do a jam
session together where we all take turns
doing our own songs for feedback and
experience of playing in front of others.
Maybe if I do it in a safe and judgmentfree
space, I will feel differently and want
to give it a try in public. I am thinking
about asking if anyone in Womajich
Dialyseiz would be down for that kind of
thing.
So, my first gigs were this past winter
with LUNAR and Womajich Dialyseiz. I
think I have played twenty some shows
since. I am estimating. There usually are
1-3 or so monthly and I try to make as
many as I can.”

So your focus on recording rather
than playing live?
“Yeah, Spartan Jet-Plex is completely a
home recording project. Who knows if it
will morph into something live. Again, I
never say never, but I am not sure that
is something I want to do.”
Tell us about the big gigs you’ve
played and how did you enjoy
them?
“No festivals! Haha - Small fries here,
but LUNAR and Womajich Dialyseiz has
opened for a lot of terrific and bigger
bands. LUNAR opened a few months ago
for Crown Larks. They are a jazzy
experimental noise and psychedelic rock
band from Chicago. They are
outstanding live, and just last night
Womajich Dialyseiz opened for Ships in
the Night. That is the project of Alethea
Leventhal from Charlottesville, VA. She
was great live and is doing her own thing
but also she also reminds me of old Clan
of Xymox. Mainly, we have opened for
lots of local bands in Richmond.
Richmond has an amazing music scene.
There are so many great musicians and
bands here. I couldn't possible name all
the ones here or ones I admire, but
several I love and have played with or
seen are Private Cry, the Talkies, dave
watkins, Madison Turner, Elizabeth
Owens, Tavishi, Bad Magic, Sammi
Lanzetta, the Smirks...so many more. It
seems like there is a great show going
on almost every night there.
Often there are multiple awesome shows
going on at the same time and it is
difficult to pick. I live about an hour south
of the city so I don't get to shows as often
as I would like because of work, but I do
my best.”
Can you tell us about the first thing
you recorded?
“I was in college and just used a cassette
recorder and tapes to do it so maybe 19
or 20 years old. My first 4-track
recordings were when I was around 25.
But if you really want the FIRST it would
have to be me and my brother tape
recording ourselves singing along to KISS
songs when I was in kindergarten and 1st
grade haha This also reminds me that as
a kid I would go around recording stuff
with my tape recorder for fun- like noises
outside or around the house or
conversations. I wouldn't do anything
with them though other than listen back
to them though. If only I had that stuff
now. I would totally be using that in my
music! College was Philly at Tyler School
of Art and first 4-track recordings were in
Los Angeles in my apartment at the time.
College was 1990-1994 and 4-track stuff
was 1996 or 1997 through early 2000s
and then I switched to a computer
program.
I don't remember (how long it took) but
recording usually took less time then
because I was less experienced and
didn't labour as much over getting things
exactly how I want them like I do now.

Was it what you expected/what
would you change now?
“I never really had any expectations and
don't think I do now that much either. I
have an idea of what I want and keep on
working on it until it seems right. I don't
think I would change anything because
it all led to where I am today and I am
pretty content with where I am and hope
to keep stretching myself and improving
as a musician.”
You have collaborated with so
many, but how have you found
working with producers?
“I guess you could say Brian with Noxon
Light University and Dan with Zilla-Plex
are producers. With Brian, he sends me
a completed track and then I actually
play instruments on it and also sing and
the parts I do, I produce. Dan probably
does more production with me than
Brian. I send Dan tracks and then he
creates a new song. Essentially
everything that I send him are tracks
from completed songs I wrote and he
creates something new with them.
As far as Spartan Jet-Plex, I do
everything myself, including any
production.
With collaborative stuff, that end of
things generally is also collaborative. I
will admit that I am kind of like a
mamma bear with SJP. Those songs are
my babies and I am not letting anyone
change or influence how they sound as
finished pieces in the end.
Collaborating is a whole other thing
though. With that, there is give and take.
I have a desire to do both and get
different things from doing solo and
collaborative work.”
Thinking about your approach to
songwriting - which comes first -
words or music?
“It is a mix of both. Often one leads the
other and sometimes they come at the
same time.”
How did you learn to write a song?
“Probably just from listening to music. I
haven't had any proper classes on
songwriting. A lot of it is trial and error
and just experimenting and trying
things.”
Which one are you proudest of?
“That's difficult. I think any of the songs
that make it onto an official release are
ones I am proud of. Of course, there are
ones on each album I like most, but in
order for it to have made it onto the
album, I had to have had some kind of
fondness for it.”
Can you tell us more about how your
collaborations actually work,
collaboration with Brian Piccolo,
Noxon Light University?
“Brian sends me a completed song he
created and then I play instruments over
it, usually keys, synth, guitar, and also
vocals.
We have made a few songs with me
sending him instrument samples or tracks

that he worked with to create the song
he sent back to me and then from there
I played and sang on the song to
complete it. It is a completely different
way of working (to Spartan Jet-Plex.)
A lot of the way we work is due to
constraints he has on his end. He makes
his stuff on an iPad and is limited in what
he can do and so the way we work kind
of adapted itself to those constraints.
It is a lot of fun for me because it is so
different from how I normally make
music. And really constraints are fun.
Part of what I loved about my old 4-track
was that I only had 4-tracks. Since
switching to a computer program, I now
have almost endless tracks. Having that
definitely opened things up and changed
my music, likely for the better, but I do
like working with constraints too.
By the way, Olden and Backwards on my
Bandcamp are all songs from my 4-track
and those earlier years.
Backwards is strictly from my 4-track
and Olden has a couple created on the
4-track and the rest were the very first
songs I recorded with my computer
program.”
You have been really active with
Friends of Equality, can you tell us
about that?
“It started out as just one benefit
compilation I organized with my friend
James Smith of Fox Food Records right
after the US election to raise money for
Planned Parenthood, ACLU and
Southern Poverty Law Center. He is from
the UK so between the election here and
Brexit there, we were both sickened and
wanted to do something.
From there, I have worked to grow it into
a music and zine collective and record
label comprised of artists from all over
the world to raise money and support
social justice and civil rights organizations
locally and around the world.
I organized a second compilation and am
collecting submissions for issue 2 of the
zine right now and throughout the
summer.
I am working on doing physical releases
too. I hope to put the first one out this
coming winter. The goal is to put out
benefit releases, primarily by women,
POC (Person of Colour) and queer/nonbinary
musicians, and the musician or
band would choose the organization it will
raise money for.
We would price it a bit above cost so that
all proceeds could go to the organization.
I plan to do the first release on lathe-cut
of my friend Elizabeth Owens' first full
length. Elizabeth is super talented and
has been a huge help with organizing an
upcoming benefit show we are having
August 5th at Strange Matter in
Richmond.
We are doing a vendor marketplace in the
day and show at night to raise money for
Nationz Foundation in Richmond.
Elizabeth is also in Private Cry who I
mentioned earlier and also Womajich

Dialyseiz. I love Elizabeth's music and
also Private Cry. Both are playing the
event along with other local bands, The
Skin, Sammi Lanzetta and Dave
Watkins.”
I can’t get over how many things
you have going on. Clearly
collaboration is important to you,
so was doing SJP alone an
important balance to that?
“Absolutely! I love both equally and have
a strong desire to do both but really have
the need to do my own separate solo
thing that is all just my vision my way. I
need both, but SJP probably would be
last to go if I had to pare down for some
reason. I would miss collaborating
though so I don't see that coming to an
end.”
Bandcamp seems to give a perfect
freedom to artists (as long as they
aren't relying on it to eat) - what is
the attraction for you of it?
“Yeah, I love the format and look of the
site, It works for me. I started using it
just to release songs and not really
albums. ‘Thoughts & Others’ on my page
isn't really an album.
After having the account for several
years, I put out ‘Cross the Line’ and then
shortly after, ‘My Time.’
I honestly never really expected anyone
other than a few friends to hear it. I was
surprised when people started
downloading it, let alone paying money
for it.
Trev Elkin found it on there, and like I do
everyone who buys it, sent him a thank
you email. We got to talking and he asked
to write an article on it. I was so
honoured and frankly surprised that
anyone would want to do that.
From there, James heard my music and
asked to release some it. I feel pretty
lucky to have met so many supportive
people into what I am doing. James really
helped me reach even more people. He is
a super great guy, and he not only
supports a lot of great people making
great music through his label Fox Food
Records, but he also makes really great
music under Good Good Blood. “
I love the fact that you are happy for
your work to come out on
cassette/vinyl in small numbers,
rather than just as downloads. Do
you think the physical artefact is still
important?
“It is to people like me. Like I said, I still
buy records. I usually don't buy cassettes
or CDs anymore unless that is the only
type of physical release available, but I
try to buy vinyl of my favourite bands and
musicians whenever I can. Of course, it is
more expensive, but it is my preferred
way to listen to music. I listen to mp3s in
my car and records at home.”

You have talked before about
recording in your living room, can
you take us through your
equipment?
“I have a pretty simple recording setup.
I record on my laptop using a really old
(early 2000s) Cakewalk program, Home
Studio 2. It is actually made for XP so I
had to find drivers online to keep using
it each time I changed operating
systems. I use an old interface, Tascam
US-122 to run mics through to
computer. I almost always mic
instruments except for my synthesizer
which I plug into the interface. I mainly
use my Cordoba Cadete classical for
guitar. Sometimes I use my Squire bass.
My old stuff has an acoustic and electric
guitar on tracks that I rarely use now for
recording, but almost everything from
‘Cross the Line’ on is all my classical
guitar.
I recently got a new amp and a loop
pedal and I recorded with my Telecaster
so perhaps future releases will feature
electric guitar again. I use that for the
improv stuff I do though.
I have 5 different Casios I use and my
synth is a Korg MS2000R. I often use my
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-770 for making
beats, etc., but I usually mix that with
different percussion sounds on some of
the Casios as well. On more recent
recordings, I used the loop pedal with
them as well to create the
beats/percussion for my songs, but I
often also mix in hand held percussion
as well. Almost always there is a blend of
the three or at least two of them for
percussion, especially more recently.
My old stuff would just use a standard
beat from the Casio or drum machine, but
since ‘Touch Tone,’ I have experimented
with creating my own beats and
combining beats- the drum machine,
Casio, and hand held. The beat on
‘Uncaused’ off ‘Get Some,’ though, is a
beat from an old toy keyboard I have. It
totally has that old computer game
sound.
I also have a few pedals for effects and
also use the effects from my Home Studio
program. Samples come from field
recordings and old children's records I
have had since I was a kid that were
passed down to me from my mom. They
were the first records I ever owned and
listened to them all the time on one of
those 70s portable suitcase record
players. I have several toy instruments as
well- a melodica, toy accordion, a
Glockenspiel, and a bunch of toy horns
and keyboards as well.”
You have just released 'All The
World' can you tell us about it?
“All the songs on it were written in the
aftermath of the US election and were
heavily influenced by all my thoughts and
feelings about that and the state of our
world since then. Music has always been
a way for me to process my thoughts and
emotions and usually they come from
dark places or negative experiences, but
it is my way of turning it into something

positive in order to cope, deal and
process those emotions or experiences.
For example, many of the songs on
‘Cross the Line,’ ‘My Time’ and ‘Touch
Tone’ all were heavily influenced by the
loss of my mom in 2010. She had
lymphoma and lost the battle after 2
years of fighting it. All three of those
albums have her picture as the cover.
She was only 68 and I was 38 when I
lost her. Grief of all kinds, loss, past
traumas, depression and anxiety are
probably my biggest motivators and
influence on my music. A lot of my songs
come from that place.”
Who do you think I should go and
listen to next?
“I would say you could check out some
of the local Richmond artists I've met or
discovered this past year- Private Cry,
Madison Turner, Tavishi, Gemtone, Erik
Schroeder, Bad Magic, Elizabeth Owens,
Dave Watkins, Sammi Lanzetta, The
Talkies, Kenneka Cook and Sam Reed
and I know there's more.
My friends, The Prids, just put out a new
album. They're in Portland.
If you want to discover lots of great
music by lots of great people, just go and
check out volume 1 and 2 of the Friends
For Equality compilations.”
And there we were. Nancy Kells is
genuinely a one-woman renaissance,
creating as Spartan Jet-Plex, some of the
most intriguing and important music
around today. With her collaborations
she is able to expose more of her talent
in different ways and yet while the scope
widens the quality never falls.
This really is somebody you need to
know, and I can’t help but feel that there
is a lot more to come.
Find out more:
Spartan Jet-Plex
Legendary Thunderbirds of Death!
Noxon Light Universirty
Womajich Dialyseiz
Friends For Equality
Fox Food Records
Good Good Blood

EQUITZ GUITARS
Rayburn
We looked at a gorgeous single pickup
Goldtop Rayburn from Equitz Guitars a
few weeks ago, but I didn’t want to miss
out on showing you the double-pickup
version they are also happy to create.
To recap, Equitz make guitars properly,
by hand and the Rayburn is a starting
point which you can have tailored to your
own specification within reason.
To this end, the body is available in alder,
mahogany or pine, the neck is maple and
the Telecaster influence is pretty clear
just looking at the bridge. I’ve loved these
cut-off bridges for ages and it works
perfectly here.
This is very much a Fender influenced
guitar, so has the standard 25.5” scale
and maple neck. Pickups and hardware
are again something you can specify and
the nitrocellulose finish is beautifully
applied, as you would expect.
So a simple, hard working guitar made
by a master craftsman, which is
something to remember when you take
a look at the price tag. Because that is
something we didn’t mention before,
for a U.S made bespoke built electric,
the Equitz guitars are surprisingly
reasonable – well worth a look if you
are in the market for a “lifer.”
I mentioned before that we have an
interview with Kevin from Equitz in our
second Guitar Quarterly, but until then
you really should check out his work
HERE

DAVE GILMOUR
Fender Signature Relic Strat
Never having being a Strat fan in
particular, but somewhat keen on Pink
Floyd and a certain Mr Gilmour’s playing
generally, it was interesting to borrow
one of his Signature Strats for a week or
two. You never know, it *might* convert
me.
And I have to say, it was really rather
good. Out of the luxurious case, it is
quickly obvious that the standard of the
build is top notch. A nice nitrocellulose
finish that had been given some tasteful
‘relic’ attention which I presume is along
the lines of the wear on Mr G’s own, is
perfectly applied and then faultlessly
battered. You can’t ask for more.
Saying that, you do get a choice between
doing your own relic finish the old
fashioned way and buying the premade
one, so you pays your pennies and take
your choice.
From the top it is pretty standard fare. A
lovely, thin maple neck, again worn or
not, but feeling divine either way. This
has the vintage correct radius of the
original, and that suits me. Body is alder,
hardware is vintage style and other
than the shortened tremolo arm and
penguin suit colour-scheme, it is a top
quality Strat whether you like the man
or not. As I think all signature guitars
should be if they aren’t to end-up in
glass cases.
One area that is of course more
personal is the choice of pickups, with
a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 Single-Coil
at the bridge giving a bit more oomph
when required, a (pretty nondescript)
custom wound job in the middle and a
(much, much better) Custom Shop Fat
'50s pickup at the neck.
Does it sound like Gilmour? Not when I
play it, but it is a good Strat and I’m
sure it would in his hands, your
experience may vary – but that is true
of every signature guitar.
All in all, it is a beautiful, perfectly
finished and specified Strat. Whether
that is for you, only you know.
Me? I’ll stick to a Jazzmaster I fear.
Find out more HERE

STARSAILOR
Listen To Your Heart
A new album on the horizon, the first
since 2009, it is all kinds of cool to see
that Starsailor are on such good form, still
producing some wonderfully well-crafted
and intense songs, not least the lead
track from the album, ‘Listen To Your
Heart’ which has just been released.
Lead singer & guitarist James Walsh
describes it as,
“an energetic, emotional song. I think in
doing what we do, you have to be
emotion and instinct lead. If every
decision was sensible, practical and
mulled over, we'd never have done
anything or got anywhere. It’s not always
easy, so you have to keep reminding
yourself.”
Speaking about the album and recording
process he continues,
“Recording the album was an intense and
rewarding experience and we're excited
to get it out there. There's a good mix of
the aspects of the band people know and
love, and a few changes in direction.”
Hopefully we’ll get a chance to have a
chat with the band before the album is
released in September, but you can get
your pre-orders in HERE and get early
access to tickets for the forthcoming tour
while you are at it.
Starsailor were always a seriously cool
band, and time is definitely treating
them well.
FESTIVAL APPEARANCES
June 30th – BST @ Hyde Park, London
August 5th – Hope & Glory Festival,
Liverpool
UK HEADLINE TOUR
12th Oct – Cambridge, Junction
13th Oct – Norwich, Waterfront
14th Oct – Bristol, Bierkeller
16th Oct – Leeds, Beckett Students’
Union
17th Oct – Birmingham, O2 Institute 2
18th Oct – Sheffield, Leadmill
19th Oct – Liverpool, Academy
21st Oct – Newcastle, Boiler Shop
22nd Oct – Glasgow, O2 ABC
24th Oct – Manchester, O2 Ritz
25th Oct – Brighton, Concorde 2
26th Oct – London, KOKO
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Pre-Orders

WILL HESSEY
On Our Way To L.A.
The regular reader will remember that we
were more than partial to a previous
release by the utterly brilliant Will Hessey
last year, so it was great to hear that he
has recorded and released a new E.P. ‘On
Our Way To L.A.’ that totally lives up to
his previously high standards.
Hopefully we will have a proper chat with
Will in next week’s issue.
Since we last spoke Will has been getting
some serious attention from Radio 6, and
recording-a-plenty, both with his solo
work and his ‘other project’, The Dukes of
New Yok, but more on that soon.
Will is definitely somebody you will want
to check out, and plays a mean guitar
while he is at it.
Top chap, and a writer of cool songs,
what isn’t there to love?
Check out Will,
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter

ANDREAS S JENSEN
Trust Is My Anchor
This week I seem to be spending a lot of
time telling you that ‘we’re going to be
having a chat with..’ and in the case of Mr
Jensen it is the case again, as he has an
album due for release in September and
it is something that having heard the
trailing single, ‘Trust Is My Anchor’ from
it, I think you will too.
And it has to be said that Andreas is an
interesting guy. For a start if you think
you don’t know him, the fact that he cowrote
the mega Armand Van Helden hit
‘My My My’ – and trust me you *know*
that one – is quite an eye-opener. Then
of course you might know him as he plays
with the brilliant Dub Pistols in between
everything else. Apart from that he has
co-written songs with the likes of Kevin
Lyttle, Nate James and Stefanie
Heinzmann, selling the odd million or two
along the way.
Did I mention he has worked with Dido,
Rizzlekicks and Beenie Man - amongst
others too? Not too shabby then.
None of which matters to me at all, to be
totally honest, as the important thing
here is just how good this album is going
to be and the fact that the single gives
me goosebumps is a promising sign.
Andreas has that knack for creating the
simplest of acoustic guitar songs and
turning them into something truly special,
something that feels as though it
matters. There are elements of Peter
Gabriel or early REM here (although he
has a better voice), but also that way
of tapping into your emotions that I’ve
only really seen with Jeff (and oddly
Tim) Buckley, Roger Chapman in
Family or even Christy Moore in
Planxty. Not tonally, but the feeling and
the effect he manages to produce, it is
quite profound.
One to look forward to then, and in the
meantime, you can find out more
below,
Web Site
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

CYMBALS
Car Crash
Two years on since the band’s ‘The Age
of Fracture’, everything seems to have
changed for Cymbals with the band
reduced back to original members Jack
Cleverly and Dan Simons and the
imminent release of new album, ‘’Light In
Your Mind’ being trailed by the brilliant
new single, ‘Car Crash.’
Writing the album has come after some
serious times as Cleverly explains,
“When the band cut down to just me and
Dan, and we stopped trying to find more
people, I remember that it was scary at
the time, and we didn’t know if we would
keep going. We agreed to a few
rehearsals together and see where it
went. We had a great surprise: it felt
great, the writing was easy. It was if
together we gave up trying to be
anything other than what we are. We cut
any bullsh*t between the two of us and
talked honestly about the last few years.
We found that when we started writing
together, we were going faster towards
the feeling that had given rise to
CYMBALS in the first place.”
As for the song ‘Car Crash’ Jack explains
what it is about,
"This song is about impossible love, like a
slow-motion car crash, or a river that is
always moving. It was written quietly on
acoustic guitar, in a confessional way.
Dan then reworked it, putting that
emotional vulnerability inside this
bigger electronic sound, exposing it,
turning negative energy positive."
You can Pre-Order the Album HERE
and find out more,
Twitter
Facebook
Web Site
Soundcloud

BRONSKI BEAT
Age of Reason
It is hard to explain to our younger
viewers, just how important Bronski
Beat’s ‘Age of Consent’ was back when it
was launched in 1984, and how shocking
it was for a band to be talking about gay
issues in such an open way. You have to
remember that back then the idea of ‘Out
and Proud’ went as far as freedom
fighters like Boy George claiming to
prefer a cup of tea and Elton John
marrying Renate Blauel, and certainly in
my neck of the woods, “gay bashing” was
up there with “paki bashing” and football
hooliganism as entertainment for the
local skinheads and it has to be said most
of their dads.
Those that knew them anyway.
To call Steve Bronski brave then was
probably an understatement, and in
managing not only to get an album
recorded and released at that time, but
then somehow up the charts quite so
often, was more miracle than luck.
Not that Steve got a lot of credit even
from the band’s fans at the time –
everybody always thinks the singer writes
the songs, after all – and Jimmy
Summerville’s unique vocals naturally
caught the public’s attention, and when
he left the band so did a lot of the
publicity.
For a lot of bands this would be the end
of the story, but for Bronski Beat the
band carried on with new singers and
given the quality of Steve’s writing
have continued to flourish.
All of which came to mind when I saw
that the band are releasing a reworking
of their debut album, their first new
album in 22 years, to be released on
July 28 th , and I must admit I had a few
nerves as the original was an album
that has stayed with me.
Plus I’ve seen too many versions of the
Real Thing, each with different
members, not to be concerned about
bands that ‘regenerate.’
I needn’t have worried though.
Teaming up with singer Stephen
Granville and programmer Ian
Donaldson, Bronski has done more
than re-record the album, creating
something new and special without
losing any of the impact or power that
the subject matter held back then and

perhaps has a new relevance now. In a
lot of ways, it matters more than ever.
The obvious focus will of course be on
Granville’s voice, and I have to say that
whilst he nails the notes, he has a much
more interesting tone – more depth -
than Sommerville ever did and brings a
lot more to the table than a simple retread.
The songs all over the album have
been reimagined at times and totally
refreshed in every case, and it was a
treat to see that the album contained
some new work too, and more
importantly that it easily matches the
strength of original songs.
This is in many ways a new album and
creating it from what many will regard as
a certified classic is a step not lightly
taken.
There are many treats to be found in
what is now two hours of music across a
couple of CDs and it was cool to see Rose
McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade
fame appearing on a remix or three of a
new track, ‘Flower For Dandara’, which is
poignant and unsurprisingly important
given that it is a tribute to the Brazilian
Transvestite Dandara dos Santos who
was murdered – lynched – in a horrific act
that shows that maybe the world hasn’t
turned as far as I maybe presumed.
So a brave album, but then this is Bronski
Beat, what else was it going to be?
You can Pre-Order a copy of ‘Age of
Reason’ HERE and you really should.

TAPED: REM
Monster
If we are talking REM albums, and in this
case we are, I have to say that ‘Monster’
is for me, their best.
OK, on another day ‘Life’s Rich Pageant’
may edge it, but tonight as I write this,
‘Monster’ it is.
Don’t get me wrong, I know it isn’t
everybody’s cuppa, and after the
commercial cartwheels ‘Out of Time’ and
‘Automatic For The People’ must have
caused their record company, it probably
didn’t go down too well with ‘ver
management,’ but it was the one where
Peter Buck put away the mandolin,
squeezed into his leather trousers and
remembered that he was a total,
bonafide guitar slinging rock god and that
was a joy to see.
Not that I got to see it, as it was of course
the tour that never happened in the UK
due to Bill Berry’s aneurysms, but
forgetting that (which is probably easier
for me than him) the album was a total
revelation.
Opening with the lo-fi extravaganza
that is ‘What’s The Frequency
Kenneth?’ ‘Monster’ threw away any
notion of the chaps being ‘Shiny Happy
People’ and must have come as quite a
shock to the punters expecting
‘Everybody Hurts’ part deux.
For me the stand out track has always
been ‘Crush With Eyeliner’ where Sonic
Youth’s Thurston Moore joins in on the
fuzz-ladling and helps create one of the
most special songs in REM’s career.
All in all, this is a brilliant album that
took the band back way before they
were a band, removed every inch of
gloss and polish and revived something
in Buck that his solo work celebrates to
this day.
A great album, well worth your time if
you have never listened to it.

THE POLICE
King of Pain
This week La Contessa D’Jook whips us
back to the Late-‘70s and ‘80s, where it
wasn’t unusual for every member of a
band to have matching highlighted hair
and a three-piece was allowed to be
musically brilliant and exciting rather than
making a virtue of their ineptitude. (OK,
long day on the submissions coalface, I’ll
admit it.)
And it is the Police who we are checking
out, which if you can get past Sting’s later
love of preaching about all things Tantric
and Rainforest-y, were without a doubt
one of the most interesting and talented
bands of that – or any other - era.
Stewart Copeland’s drumming was
always intricate and perfectly placed,
the guitar quite simply unique in both
tone and note selection – surely Andy
Summers is one of the most underrated
guitarists ever? – and of course Sting’s
bass and singing were always on the
money.
The songs too stand up well, unlike a
lot of their contemporaries who have to
rely on a rose tinted nostalgic glow
these days.
A great band, with great songs, it is as
simple as that.