Alice Magazine Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7
VOLUME 2
JULY 2017

“I’d rather be dead than cool.”
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana - 1992
Alice doesn’t put celebrities on our covers. We don’t put supermodels
on there either. We don’t care about how many Instagram followers
you have or how popular you are in the LES. If your music
makes us want to dance, fuck or punch someone in the face, we’re
listening……..

Editor in Chief
Melissa Rodwell
Art Director
Richard Ray Ruiz
Managing Editor
Kris DeVito
Digital Director
Jan Klier
Digital Supervisor
David Neilands of Solstice Retouching
Cover Photographed by MELISSA RODWELL

DAVID
STRANGE
Photographed by ANDRES BURGOS
Styled by TAMARA BARKLEY
David Strange is a character. Long wavy hair, lots of eyeliner and an equal penchant for
ladies’ blouses as well as tech “gear”. He’s the type of guy you’ll stare at on the subway
only to realize you’re wishing you knew where he bought his lariat necklace (definitely
vintage). A style all his own for sure, but in no way is it smoke and mirrors to the savant
level talent that takes center stage at their shows. Close your eyes and you’ll feel like
Jimmy Paige just inhabited his body.
I met him and his drummer Brian at their rehearsal space in Williamsburg for a chat
about the fight/alliance between technology and music; what’s next for them and as
much information as I can digest about his signature double neck guitar.
Alice: How would you describe your live sound and style?
David: Live is a little bit different than the recordings I have out, but right now my
sound is really defined by limitations because for a while I was kind of like, there are so
many tools available to musicians today with all the technology. You can get GarageBand
and they’re like “wow you can get all these drum machines and samples and different
virtual instruments” and really the palette of colors you can use to create music now is a
little bit daunting. So, when I was kind of getting my sea legs I was experimenting with a
lot of different things and to not a great effect, in my opinion, and I came to the realization
that I am a guitar player because since I was a kid I’ve been doing this since I was 11
years old. I was obsessed with playing guitar as a teenager I would play for like 8 hours a
day and I got really good at it. So, I decided to stick to what I know, not step outside into
these shortcuts that have been invented through different technology companies that
are making programed drums, and you can get a guitar sound but clicking this mouse
over here. So, I decided to stick to guitar and let that dictate where I go. Because the

guitar is a very, very deep tool. You can spend your life studying it! And I feel like playing
it for as long as I have, I’m still scratching the surface on a lot of things and it will
give back to you. It will give back to you as much as you give to it. It’s a very mutual and
reciprocal relationship which I can’t say for most other things or people. You give to it X,
you get back X, you give 2X you get back 2X and that’s a great thing. So, I’m just going to
limit it to that. For my EP we had a full studio full of toys that created great sounds and
textures and it was all analog and it came out sounding great but when we came to applying
the sound of the record to what we do live, I was still daunted by, “how am I going
to pull this off? I need a 5 or 6-person band to do it!” and I thought, that’s going to be
a fucking nightmare because even if we can all get on the same schedule for one show,
we are never going to have a chance to rehearse together and that’s just based on bands
I’ve been in in the past. The most important thing to me was perfecting my craft as a
guitar player and that’s my strongest suit and I wanted to lead with that. The way I did
that was limit what I was going to do to each song on guitar. I never meant to do it this
minimal, always the idea was when I met Brian, we will rehearse on guitar and drums to
learn the song and get it down and maybe add a bass player and a keyboard player but
once we started rehearsing as the two of us and our “bromance” began and we realized
what a dream it was logistically to just have two people as well as financially since there’s
not as much cake to cut. It was then I started getting obsessed with gear, using different
devices to get lower frequencies out of my guitar and one of those is using really big
amps. Nobody does that anymore especially in New York because they’re so heavy. The
big amps have the most low end to me and in order not to have a bass player it’s what
we do. That’s the geeky definition to my sound. The aesthetic definition of my sound is
very much akin to the classic rock guitarists of the 60’s and the 70’s that I gained a lot of
influence from and lyrically I get a lot of influence from poetry like Leonard Cohen, RIP.
A: How did you a Brian get together? How did the bromance begin?
D: We met 10 years ago through a guy named Joseph Parker and we didn’t see each other
for a while and then one day he was working at this local music store I came in to geek
out in one day and he was like “I play the drums, here’s some videos” which happens a
lot in music. But I was like wow this guy is amazing and that was it! I’m his second wife
now.
A: Is your onstage persona different than your real-life persona?
D: No, not really. In a lot of ways, I am freer to be myself onstage because unfortunately
I’m not in a position in life where I have “fuck you” money or power, and if I did I’d feel
much freer offering my “fuck you” opinion more often than I do. But in order to swim
with the currents I have to swallow the “fuck you” and say the things I have to say in
order to get by. My life is a much younger and more bohemian version of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.
I do enjoy performing a lot and get I get to be myself onstage. I really have to
fight for that hour onstage, it’s like 23 hours dealing with other stuff to get there.

A: Strangest gig you’ve ever played?
D: That’s a really good question because there’s been a lot of them. The strangest is
probably been we played at an advertising agency on Madison Avenue right by Grand
Central Station. They were just this big global billion-dollar advertising agency and one
of the guys there came and sauce play and became a big fan and he was like, “we have
this bar in our building we would love to have you come and play at.” It was such a fiasco
because also we have a friend named Emily Shepherd who is a fantastic performer, she’s
a burlesque performer and an actor and model and she’s just incredibly talented and
she performs with us sometimes. And she was going to do our show with us, and just
one of the many fiascoes if she came and got ready, all dolled up ready to go with hair
and make-up and about two minutes before we were ready to perform they told her she
couldn’t do it because some people might take it the wrong way if we have a burlesque
dancer perform here. But before I even get to that, it’s one of those massive buildings in
Midtown and they have so much money, and they’re like “we can pay you for the show
and will pay for all of your expenses and all that” so we get to the show, we load in and
it’s just super weird because it’s all just these business people in this very weird lounge
it’s kind of like a bar you would find in an airport hotel. And here I am an eyeliner, wearing
a Stevie Nicks hand me down and we go and play the show. Also, just to walk in the
door we had to get this crazy insurance that cost like $600 just to carry equipment into
the building. They told me not to worry that they were going to pay for all of our expenses,
so we played and it was super weird because nobody knew what to do. Also, the
song we opened with his one that we open with often called “Propaganda” and I don’t
think it really connected with people being at a whole agency. It went over their heads
they didn’t really understand the irony. We played fine. It was kind of like being on one
of those dates where you’re really not getting along but you have to get their dinner so
you’re going to the motions. So, at the end one guy just said, “you know you guys really
well but I think we should’ve said something like there was free pizza, more people
come when there’s free pizza” and I was just thinking to myself, this is so weird. We left,
and they ended up not paying for the insurance so the insurance company is coming
after me because my name is on the thing and they’re sending me all these letters saying
they’re going to report it to the credit agency. It was just a fiasco being the middleman
between this giant corporate structure and trying to explain to them how I got asked
to do the show so I needed to get paid back for the insurance. So that’s definitely the
weirdest one we’ve probably had.
A: Did I read correctly that you used to tour with Courtney Love? What was that like?
D: I did yeah, it was really awesome. We didn’t see Courtney too much because she’s really
busy doing other things but I got to play in front of some of the biggest audiences
I’ve ever performed in front of. Even though I’ve been playing all my life it’s just a different
thing being on stage in front of 10,000 people. However complicated or simple the

piece might be, it becomes more of a mental thing or psychological like playing golf or
something where it’s like, it’s not hard to hit the ball from here to over there but it’s the
focus or mental game that is complicated.
A: What made you realize you wanted to be a guitar player? I mean, the double neck guitar
is really impressive.
D: That’s a common misconception, you don’t play both necks at the same time, one is a
12 string and one is a 6 string and on the 12 string you press down on two strings at once.
So, it’s kind of double the sound. Its great though because there are no other musicians
in the band, if I break a string I can just switch over to the other neck. It’s so not cool
and nobody is doing it and every great guitar player is known for their guitar like Jimmy
Paige definitely did it from Led Zeppelin so he had it on me, but since then nobody else
has a double neck guitar as their signature guitar. Whenever I see one I buy it, I definitely
have a gear sickness, but a new strain of the virus is now I want to buy multiple
versions of the same thing.
A: How did you end up in the rehearsal space you’re in now?
D: We had a space behind the Crown Victoria which is this awesome bar and restaurant
that was two blocks away. We had a secret door that led to the backyard there and in the
summertime, they’d have free movies and in the winter the bar had a fire and food and
drinks and stuff. It was an amazing situation. It was home! We could rehearse, grab some
food and a drink and then they sold the entire block to this boutique hotel and they
knocked down everything so we were the classic gentrified case of our spot. It’s [gentrification]
a double-edged sword though, because I really like nice cheese and coffee and
then I’m like, “fuck these prices! But I want!” (laughs).
A: Next steps?
D: Yes! Our album. We have a LP that we recorded basically the entire thing for and it’s
pretty magical. We played our songs from start to finish and if it didn’t sound good, we
just started playing it over again. We are in the process right now of mixing it and finishing
the vocals and the next step is figuring out how to put it out because the medium of
the album is kind of obsolete because people listen to singles.
David Strange is the in rigorous process of writing and recording their full length album,
but until then, catch them playing around NYC. Tell them Alice sent you.

Leather jacket MACKAGE
Bra PERILLA at BRIGADE MONDAINE
Leather belt ZANA BAYNE
Leatherette legging CALZEDONIA

FRENCH
CONNEXION
Photographed by SYLVIE CASTIONI
Fashion editor FANÉLIE PATRAS
Model MORGANE WARNIER @HEROES MODELS
Make up Artist OCÉANE SITBON GHOULA
Hair Stylist MASSANORI YAHIRO

Tulle dress NADIA ACIMI
Leather harness ZANA BAYNE

Leather jacket VICTORIA THOMAS
Tank top DRYCLEANONLY
Suede short MAJESTIV FILATURES
Ring and bracelet UNO DE 50
Spartans VIC MATIÉ

Silk bombers IKKS
Bra ELISABETTA FRANCHI
Leatherette legging CALZEDONIA
Varnished heels ELISABETTA FRANCHI

Leather jacket FRENCH DEAL

Fringe jumpsuit & Leather jacket ELISABETTA FRANCHI / Leather bracelet ELF ZHOU at BRIGADE MONDAINE

Lace body PALOMA CASILE
Tank top ELISABETTA FRANCHI
Foal belt THE KOOPLES
Short ELISABETTA FRANCHI

Net body ELISABETTA FRANCHI
Bra GOD SAVE QUEENS at BRIGADE MONDAINE
Leather & silver necklace ZANA BAYNE

Cotton jumpsuit PAUL & JOE x COSABELLA
Necklace with pearls THE KOOPLES
Silver ring UNO DE 50
Suede over the kneels CESARE PACIOTTI

Photographed by DYLAN PERLOT
@dylanperlot
www.dylanperlot.com
Creative Director / Stylist DINA VIBES
@dinavibes
BLACK
STAR
Model RYAN FOSS @theskiftesvik
Prop designer RACHEL ROSEN @rachelarielrosen
-

Fishnet NASTY GAL
Short Pants: KONUS
Choker BOWENERO
Underwear SINGLE

Snake Skin Trench Coat BRADLEY BAYOU

Underwear: SINGLE

Snake Skin Trench Coat BRADLEY BAYOU

RAPTURE
Photography by PAUL GISLE
Styled by VALISSA YOE
www.valissayoe.com
Hair by NIKO WEDDLE
Make-Up by RACHEL TOLEDO using MAKEUP FOREVER US

Dress CALVIN LUO
Rings, Earrings & necklace LARLARUICCI

Blazer & Pants DZOJCHEN
Top FYJ by DANI BEAD
Vest HARRISON MORGAN
Shoes MARC JACOBS

Dress JYPSY SPORT
Jacket DZOJCHEN
Underwear NASTY GAL
Shoes UNITED NUDE
Neclaces LAURICCI

Swimsuit CHROMAT
Jacket LAUREL DEWITT
Belt worn as necklace CADIEUX
Necklace HAUS OF TOPPER
Shoes GIANVITO ROSSI

Top CHROMAT
Pants & Shirt DZOJCHEN
Jewelry LAURICCI
Shoes UNITED NUDE

Coat & Blouse CADIEUX

Dress GYPSY SPORT
Bodysuit TRUE ROCK
Jacket YOU AS
Shoes STEWART WEITZMAN
Sunglasses THIERRY LASRY

Top pants & Blazer CADIEUX
Necklace & Rings LAURICCI
Scarf BURMA BIBAS
Shoes KAT MACONIE

FLEUR
DU MAL
Photography by SAM M. ESTRELLA
Styled by LENA LELU
Model MARINE FRANÇOIS @Karin
Make up & Hair EDEN TONDA
Assistant LOUANN CORÉ
Studio A CIEL OUVERT STUDIOS

Top H&M
Trousers VINTAGE

White Coat CONBIPEL

Jacket MARYSE CEPIERE
Belt VINTAGE

Coat PHILIPPE LE BAC
Shirt URBAN OUTFITTERS

White Coat CONBIPEL
Trousers JENNYFER
shoes ZARA

THE SHE

LTERS
Photographed & Interviewed by KRIS DEVITO

I’m in Greenpoint Brooklyn pushing myself through a bunch of Governors Ball
vrevelers, cursing the first summer heat we have had. It’s rained the day before so air
today is thick, sticky and muggy and its 10pm. I’m wearing all black and Doc Martens,
my typical rock uniform, and already regretting it in the crammed subway where the airconditioning
has already broken (good luck NYC summer!).
The venue, Warsaw, is an unusual one. It’s a Polish-American hall that sells kielbasa and
pierogis in the back with a cash only bar in the front that looks like an afterthought. The
mainstage reminds a little of my high school dances, but without the teen angst. As I
enter, I’m hit with the delicious smell of cooking onions and saddle up to the bar for
bourbon. I’m here to meet Josh Jove, lead singer and guitarist for The Shelters. He’s
got a cool throwback look with hair slicked back into a mini pompadour with stovepipe
jeans and a huge belt buckle. The Shelters hail from Los Angeles and I already imagine
those jeans being hot in Los Angeles like the subway I just was on.
Just this past June their debut album was released and co-produced by the one and only
Tom Petty. As you listen, there is no mistaking their musical influences and California
swagger. It’s rock music with a beat you can dance to, just like our parents had. American
rock music nostalgia with just a cheeky sprinkling of British Invasion. Perfect summertime
BBQ music, exquisitely California.
After I grabbed my drink, Josh obliged me to sit down for a quick chat before they
opened for Royal Blood.
Alice: Pick your poison.
Josh: Makers [bourbon] is it. I can only speak for
myself.
A: How did you guys get together as a band?
J: Our band got together by always being in different
bands in the LA area. It’s kind of incestual in
different areas of LA on the west side where a lot
of these guys are from where I live now, we kind of
all met and started playing together. Yeah, I mean
I joined a group that they all played in besides our
bassist, Jacob. I joined that playing guitar and the
band sort of fizzled out and we started this next
band. We have been together for three years now
years as The Shelters.
A: Inspiration behind the name.
J: Oh wow. It wasn’t a very inspired name. We
came up with a huge list of names.

It’s actually really difficult to come up with an original
band name now and all of our favorite rock band are
“The- something” especially when you get down to
the one word. That’s really hard. What’s the word that
hasn’t been used? I don’t know, The Shelters. I guess
we got kind of lucky with that. There wasn’t much inspiration
behind it to be honest. Coming up with shit
bad names is the easiest. We had a huge list of really
funny ones that we would go around joking about but
those could never actually work.
A: Are all of you from California originally?
J: Yeah actually. I grew up in Florida myself but was
born in Northern California. We are all Californians.
I’ve been there for about eight years myself.
A: Did music bring you out to California?
J: Yes. I’m 28 now I moved out there when I was 20
years old to do music and not necessarily to have a
band on my own, but just to play guitar. It’s way less
work to be a guitar player and get really wasted before
a show and just bop your head around. Now that
I have to sing and do everything else, it’s a lot. I’ve bit
off more than I can chew.

A: I’ve read that California plays a large part in the inspiration for your song writing process.
Explain.
J: The history of California music is so deep. I like thinking that we’re a part of that just
that a later time. For me music is very geographical when I moved to LA I kind of enveloped
myself in California music so once at the opportunity to start an original band
I kind of thought, give a tribute to California pulling from a range of influences like the
Doors, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, there’s so much great music, especially from the 60s,
in California. Even in present day, even as we were growing up there’s always been great
music coming out of California. So, for me especially a part of my songwriting I consciously
like California influence everything I do especially, because this is our California
rock band.
A: Is it mainly California bands that inspire you?
J: I wouldn’t limit influences to anything in particular that way, but it just happens to be
a lot of California. And a lot of people here too so we also love British Invasion music.
There’s a lot of crossover stylistically between the British Invasion music and California
music. There’s a lot of similar sounds and things so we let all of that influence us. We
don’t limit ourselves and would like to be influenced by basically anything we hear. Every
band that we go on the road with also influences us in one way or another. We tend
to be the opener at this point in our careers so we watch these bands that are successful
play after us to figure out what they’re doing that’s making them so successful. How are
they laying out there set list, how are they doing all these other things. So, we take inspiration
from everybody.
A: Dream collaboration?
J: We’re pretty lucky with whomever we’ve been able to collaborate with so far, but
there’s lots of people. Any great producer, that is out there now would love to work with.
Obviously, Dan Auerback we love his production style, that dude Foxygen, he’s a really
talented force you can tell. For some reason, I’ve always wanted to work with Beck, making
a record with the Beck would be really cool. We’ve been lucky enough to work with
Tom Petty so that’s why it’s kind of hard to think any dreams situation because we’re
already in a dream situation. We are lucky, I feel guilty putting another one out there.
A: Do you notice a difference between West Coast and East Coast music scenes?
J: I know a bit more about the California music scene. But truthfully, I’m a bit out of
date on current music, I listen to a lot of 50s and 60s music myself. It takes a lot for me
to hear about a band but if you hear a lot about it from a bunch of angles, I’m like “alright
I’ve gotta check this band out”. I’ve done that recently with the band The Lemon
Twigs. That’s a great example of a New York band that is the same influences as we do,
and they sound totally different, but they’re also very different from the California scene
in general. But there’s a lot of overlap, a lot of people with good musical taste, love the
same stuff. People Love British Invasion, Garage rock. But to answer your question, I
don’t have a firm grasp on the current situation between East Coast and West Coast music
myself. I feel like with the Internet things are all sorts of mixed up now days because
it’s coming from all different places.

A: Any pre or post show traditions?
J: None that I can repeat (laughs). Actually no, none for me personally. I like to have a
sip of whiskey.
A: Plug away!
J: We just put out a new video for our song “Gold” that’s on our album that was directed
by Mark Pellington and features the actress Juno Temple. And obviously check out the
records that came out last June. It’s a full-length album. We’ll be coming out with a second
album next year we have about half of it written and recorded. Record a little here
and there, tour on the road, then record a little here and there.
The Shelters are touring all this summer if you’re lucky enough to catch them, but fear
not! They begin their major tour in autumn where they will be with Dandy Warhols and
Bronch.

STRANGE
DAZE
Photographed by STEVE ROY
Styled by JESS MEDEROS
Model SIAN OSBOURNE @ RED MODEL MANAGEMENT
Make-Up RACHEL TOLEDO
Hair DAVID HARRINGTON
Shot @ NEO STUDIOS NYC

Jacket,Top & Shorts QUEENIE CAO

Pant LIANA CAMBA
Top MR.LARKIN

Top BLAKE HYLAND
Jean LEVIS

Suit KENNETH COLE
Top LEVIS
Sunglasses ILLESTEVA

Jacket KELSEY RANDALL
Hat SENSI STUDIO
Bolo THE SHINY SQUIRREL VINTAGE

Top BLAKE HYLAND

CREEPOID
Photos, Intro and Interview: @ghost_lenz (BILLY HENRY)
Beautiful accidents happen. Maybe in the bedroom
(that’s how I was born), or the crockpot, or in a
photograph. Or in music. With the right bits sometimes
some sort of nonchalant savage combustion
occurs and the result is a phenomenon. So it is with
Creepoid. A hard-nosed band with brash
backbones and warm hearts and a gritty lifeblood that
is so Philadelphia. Over three albums and three
EP’s, including the newly-released “Burner,” the band
plays a wide range of style and sound that
cannot be bogged in the goo of a cheeky music
category. Creepoid is layered, loud and charmingly
deviant. Moving in and out of atmospheric haunts and
fast, hazy heaviness with subtlety and lean
aggression. They’ve shared the stage with numerous
powerhouse acts including Dinosaur Junior,
Drive Like Jehu, Against Me and Best Coast. And
through a rabid work ethic and a relentless push of
their music’s possibility, Creepoid has
unassumingly kicked the door open and
invited themselves into the party of great
rock n roll. Lovebirds Anna (bass and vocals) and
Pat Troxell (drums), guitarist and
vocalist Sean Miller, and slide guitarist
PeteJoe Urban know how good they are. Yet through
their
playful demeanour and authenticity they reveal their
refreshingly high level of gratitude and humility.
And when they chose to cordially walk away from a lucrative
record label opportunity, after the label’s
primary angel investor was unveiled as an immoral
scumbag, Creepoid showed their integrity. Here is
a band making music and handling business: their way.

Alice Magazine: Sean you said you felt uncomfortable when we were shooting photos
earlier. When
Creepoid first started, how many shows did the band do with the bleached sheet covering
the stage?
Sean: Three or four. I was still playing acoustic. Anna hadn’t picked up the bass yet.
Anna: I was playing the tom drum.
Sean: And the tambourine.
Anna: We were all sitting down.
Pat: We didn’t want anyone to know who we were.
Sean: We were silhouettes against a projection onto a sheet that was bleached. It was a
confidence
builder. It was cool. I kind of forgot about it. Let’s do it tonight.
Alice Magazine: It’s going to make it difficult for me to shoot photos.
Pat: We took it on the road in front of people and it felt great.
Anna: Yeah it was just fun to do something different. We were all in other bands and this
was just our
side-job at the time. So it was just “Let’s be weird and play behind a curtain because it’s
not really a
band it’s just like an experiment.”
Alice Magazine: An experiment that came from forming a band by accident.
Pat: Yeah. There was no “Let’s get together and start a band.” It was literally “Let’s hang
out and play
with some stuff.” That’s how the band started. Sean came to hang out and jam. We grew
up together
but never played in a band together. Sean got snowed in for the weekend and we ended
up writing
the entire 7-inch.
Alice Magazine: With no intent of making a 7-inch.
Anna: Sean was in a band and we were in another band.
Sean: We were running in the same circles for awhile as far as playing shows. But we
hadn’t played
in the same band.
Anna: And then Creepoid seemed to pick up speed quickly on its own. We had the Best
Coast show,
and the Kurt Vile show, just within the first six months of being a band. So it just felt
like “This is cool,
this is getting momentum, so let’s keep it up.”
Pat: Seven years later.
Alice Magazine: And it’s been non-stop touring for a couple years now.
Pat: Yeah. We all left our jobs to do this band. Total commitment. We jump off the cliff
together. The
first couple years being a band, we didn’t tour at all. We played weekend tours here and
there. When
we finally had the full opportunity to go out there and give it our go, we were like “Fuck

yeah.” It’s awesome. Not saying that the road is the easiest thing in the world. It’s very
hard. We’ve learned a lot and grown as people and how we deal with things...from this
experience of this band.
Alice Magazine: Some cities stake claim to a signature sound. Is there a “Philly” sound,
and if so, do you think Creepoid does or doesn’t reflect it?
Anna: It’s less of a sound and more of a...
Pat: The way we hold ourselves.
Alice Magazine: Attitude?
Anna: Yeah. Attitude. I think Philly bands work very hard in general. All the ones getting
noticed are the bands working hard, and aren’t sitting around waiting for a good show to
come to them. They are out there going to shows. Talking to people. Promoting.
Pat: I can’t think of a single Philly band that is out touring that isn’t busting their ass. I
can’t think of a single one that it was just handed off to them. Every one of them are out
there grinding. It’s aworking-class city.
Anna: Yeah it’s definitely fast-paced. Work hard.
Pat: I go to a lot of shows in West Philly, the DIY venues, local punk spots. I like going by
myself and watching these younger bands. It’s inspiring. That is exactly what I was doing
when I was their age in that exact same neighborhood on that exact same street. I think
that it’s cool that no matter what happens in Philadelphia, West Philly is still the same.
It’s still go to a burnt-out row home to see a punk show. It’s beautiful. Philly is a great
place for music. Especially to be in between New York and Baltimore.
Alice Magazine: The music, at least the way I’m hearing it, seems to weave in and out of
cerebral darkness and then jumps out into the light. I love beauty and light within darkness.
Is it reasonable to think that’s going on with Creepoid’s music?
Sean: Yeah, that might be our version of where we’re from, with the Philly thing coming
through. How we interpret it. Philly is gritty and ugly but we still love it so that helps us
see...that thing you were talking about...the beauty within the ugliness. When you think
too hard about things, the world’s really fucked up. That’s definitely coming through. But
it’s hard to imagine what that would sound like so we try to take it and ease it, maybe.
Anna: I think we pull from our own experiences, our understanding of our reality, for
inspiration for lyrics. While those experiences could be dark, what you’re experiencing
right now, or the past, or what you’re anticipating for the future, you’re still hoping that
it’s going to be good, or learning from something that happened that was shitty, or
understanding that situation wasn’t the best but I can take something from it and move
forward. So there isn’t an intent to teach people about darkness. But more like, “Nah,
step back, be bigger than that.”
Sean: Yeah unless the mistakes you’re making are teaching you something, you’re a total
fuck up. We can draw from negative things in a positive way and harness that.
Anna: Yeah, harness the power that comes from that.
Pete: Whatever I do is for myself but I also do it in hopes to...even if we just reach a few
people, that’s all that really matters to me. Making a small difference. Putting a spin on
something where someone can have a different perspective about it.
Alice Magazine: Let’s talk about your hashtags on Instagram for weed and mushrooms.
Pat: It works

Anna: We started it two years ago when we first went on tour full-time. We were suddenly
in the situation where for three months we were in a different city everyday. For Pat,
who needs to smoke weed all day every day, it’s not ideal for getting an illegal substance.
You don’t know someone in every town.
Pat: I do now.
Anna: It was just something Pat started doing on all our Instagram and Twitter posts, as a
joke, and then it started working. People come up to the merch table and....
Pat: We get the craziest shit. Last night someone tried to give us a bunch of acid. It’s like
the floodgate opened up. It works. People definitely do it. Weed is expensive. We put it
on our rider. Some clubs will give it to us.
Alice Magazine: Some guy appeared during our photoshoot earlier and gave you a huge
bag of grass.
Pat: The cool dude.
Sean: That’s the dude.
Pat: We have a lot of dudes like that. The boomers one is always welcome. Micro-dosing
mushrooms is amazing. For performance and for songwriting. We really get stoked when
people bring mushrooms to the shows.
Alice Magazine: How about some insight with the psychic vampires stuff.
Pat: Oh yeah. I love that.
Alice Magazine: Are you the only one in the band rocking that?
Pat: Pretty much. Yeah. I’m into that.
Sean: I am.
Anna: What, like people taking your energy?
Pat: Me taking their energy.
Anna: I believe in that. I think that’s a real thing.
Pat: I fucking love it. As a kid I was super into punk, read tons of books like Malcolm
Mclaren, and the whole idea of punk making you confident, and proving that in any chaotic
moment...it’s a beautiful thing. The idea of going out on stage and pulling the vibes
off everybody, sucking it up, turning whatever is going on in your life, and whatever it is
when you’re out there doing that...you’re a whole other thing. It’s a positive world to be
in and I love being in that spot. Touring especially...I could hate everyone around me,
because I’ve been fucking fighting in the van for five hours. But sometimes you go in the
right club and it’s the best feeling. You’re like “Wait, why am I being super mad? This is
great. Everybody here is super happy to see us.” Their ready to hear the songs we care
about and I turn that into a different thing and try to be more positive in my life. And
it’s helpful from that.
Sean: Or you play the pissed off set and then afterwards it’s totally over. That’s the other
alternative.
Anna: Yeah everybody’s mad at everyone and you’re still mad while you’re playing.
Sean: Yeah waiting for someone to fuck up.
Pat: We’ve gone where we’re totally hating each other, go on stage and we’re still hating
each other,
and then we walk off the stage and we’re all happy as shit, laughing, like “That didn’t
happen.” It’s definitely a family vibe too. But I don’t think that everyone knows the psy-

chic vampire thing is real as shit. Especially for touring bands. They have to embrace it.
The bands that show up to a club and go hide in a room and don’t talk to anybody, it’s
“What the fuck is that? What’s the point in that?” I like talking to people. We have to be
out there hanging out and showing them records, talking about music, seeing what’s up.
That’s what we’re out doing. It’s definitely part of that.
Alice Magazine: It is part of the job description.
Pat: It is. But you’d be surprised how many people don’t want to talk to people or do
things. It’s so funny being on tour with bigger bands and watching how that all goes
down. And then watching how surprised people are when you’re so easily like “Yeah
I’ll take a picture with you. Fuck yeah I’ll smoke that joint with you.” And they’re like
“What?” So many times on bigger tours people are like “You’re so nice.” No we’re how
people are supposed to be. It’s not nice. This is normal.
Anna: Everybody’s got to deal with tour in their own way. Some people really need to
protect their space. I get that. But when we were out with Against Me, it was cool to see
how they, how Laura, went out every night after their set and talked to people that were
waiting for her at the bus, and would play guitar with them and hang. That was really
inspiring to me. You could totally be like, “I’m big enough to be like fuck ya’ll, I’m going
to bed, I don’t need to be out here hustling.” But she was still out there giving the love
back that they’d given her on stage. It was cool to see. Someone that’s really established,
has made it...but is still giving it back to the people. Very grounded. Such a great
experience.
Alice Magazine: If you could be haunted by the ghost of anybody, who would it be?
Collective sighs
Sean: Thinking about all the people I know about in the world...
Anna: Is it mean, is it a bad ghost?
Alice Magazine: It’s up to you.
Pat: I go straight to “Who do I want to hang out with?” instead of “Who do I want to be
scared by all the time?” So does it haunt me all the time, like in present day it’s just going
to show up?
Alice Magazine: It’s your ghost, your call. But you’re being haunted by this ghost consistently.
It’s a thing.
Pat: Ben Franklin.
Alice Magazine: That’s the Philly in you.
Pat: He’s sat in on shit and watched shit and was like “I’m not going to participate, you
guys are crazy.” I want to hear what that dude has to say. Also he’s fat as shit. I’d get away
from him quickly. I’d hear his wooden shoes clanking.
Anna: He’s a ghost. He can do whatever he wants.
Sean: I’m having a hard time thinking about it.
Pat: Could it be a puppy? Sean would pick an animal.
Alice Magazine: Fine. It can be an animal.
Sean: No I don’t want an animal ghost. You can’t trust a ghost animal.
Pat: What about you Pete?
Pete: Chris Farley. He’d just party and laugh. Have him close the fucking hood of a car
on his thumbs and shit. Funny shit. Breaking tables.

Anna: Ian Curtis maybe?
Pat: Oh you wanna be sad with that dude?
Alice Magazine: Back to you Sean.
Sean: What’s the missing link primate? Bessie? Lucy? I want Lucy.
Alice Magazine: That seems reasonable. So you’re in the middle of a big tour. Going back
to Philly after this. What’s the plan?
Anna: Possibly going out in August. Hitting the West Coast, which will be fun. Because
we’re not going all the way West this time. Get to California. And just keep working on
the new material. We’ve got a lot of new material. Some of it’s more finished than others.
It’s kind of nice, trying to think of it as a positive...even though we’ve got all this stuff,
and we want to put it out and can’t right now. But it’s good because it’s giving the songs
time to develop and mature. We haven’t always had as much time to let material evolve
on its own through touring it and playing it live.
Sean: It’s in that crock pot. On the slow-cooker.
Anna: It’s on the slow-simmer. Gonna be tender.
Pat: Dripping.
Anna: Falling off the bone.

The
Sweet
Things
Photography by MELISSA RODWELL
Words by KRIS DeVITO

I grew up in New York. In my thirty-something years in this city, so much has changed.
As a teen, my mom used to drop me off at the train station with a couple of dollars and
tell me not to get on the subway, which was exactly what I used to do. I would walk up to
the teller with my money and get a fistful of subway tokens which are now equally obsolete,
and have now been downgraded to flaccid foldable pieces of plastic. I loved that a
subway ride would transport me somewhere totally different, but within a safe distance
to home so my mom wouldn’t find out I was getting my navel pierced underage at St.
Mark’s place (sorry Mom!). The Lower East Side might have had one of the most wild
transformation of them all. In the mid-nineties, it was a haven for artists, bohemians and
rampant drug use, heroin in particular. When Mayor Giuliani vowed to clean it up, man
did he ever. Sure, he cleaned up the streets, removed the drugs (as much as one can obviously),
and made a family friendly NYU dorm extension, but in doing so displaced so
many longtime residents that could no longer afford the rising rents. Longtime vendors
like Trash and Vaudeville even fought the good fight before recently moving elsewhere. It
became exactly the opposite of what it was before, sterile, missing the grit and dangerous
charm it once possessed before.
My editor and I are on our way to interview and shoot The Sweet Things, a new band
that’s been compared to New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders so we were curious to
find out. As we pass what used to be my favorite cocktail bar (RIP White Star), we come
to Clockwork where we are meeting them. Clockwork, a bar that seems to have defied
the odds of gentrification. It’s dive-y, it’s gritty, covered in graffiti, it serves beer and shot
specials, it is unapologetically LES. I’m in love.
A night with The Sweet Things is bound to be a party. That said, that usually means the
night is going to be a blur. From what I recall (thanks bourbon), lead singer Dave arrives
first. Straight out of 1974. He’s got yellow sunglasses and long hair, pure rock. Next to
arrive is Sam, Dave comments on how he’s unusually punctual as he orders a whiskey
he settles in, although his demeanor just exudes settled as a general rule, he’s definitely
the cool kid of the group. As the rest of the crew arrives (Lorne and Darren respectively)
we settle into the graffitied back room for a session over some whiskey and dumplings.
The band, created through pure kismet (and you guessed it, lots of alcohol), has quite
the energetic dynamic. Three of the four are native New Yorkers with Lorne as the lone
Californian. While Sam is definitely not old enough to remember the way the LES used
to be, his knowledge of that time period through the eyes of music is absolutely impressive.
There is a familial love/hate respect between their band, and they like the get their
digs in as much as they possibly can. “He had this low hanging t-shirt, he was dirty and
smelly and just plain annoying.” Lorne’s says laughing at his first impression of Sam.
When asked about their songwriting processes I get specifically; “I like to go to the bar
with my notebook, and get drunk and write.” Perhaps it’s how they came up with Cocaine
Asslicker Blues? With a name like that, it could only have come up in a bar! “It just
can’t be forced ya know, much like sex- if it’s forced, it’s just not good!” No truer words
my friends…. No truer words.

The Sweet Things have been touring the west coast and now the east coast since the
early spring and has no signs of slowing down. If you’ve been feeling the void since Iggy
left The Stooges in 1974, this is your band my friends. And don’t forget, tell them Alice
sent you!