PART 1
Who are you?Someone that nobody knows yet. (Luke)
Can you define yourself in 5 words?
uncompromising unpredictable uncanny understanding unstoppable
What is your Art Hustle? I experiment with most art forms: music, sound, visual arts, poetry, gig posters etc.
What is the name of your band?
Alien Nation. We picked it because it might offend Americans/it can also have many meanings that are individual to the person reading it.
How was the band formed? How did it develop into what it is now?
The big bang of 1782 occurred and we are the nuclear fallout. We started out Myself, Joey Flanagan, Sean Lynch and David Williams, wrote a few tracks, played a show at the Catch Club in Shoreditch and it was going great until Sean left, which left us in a bass-less position. Luckily my mum had two children, so Krist photosynthesised some bass lines and we've been happy with it ever since. The sound is constantly evolving - we like to keep it "fresh".
Who is in the band and what instruments do they play?
Well there's myself on vox and geet, Joey also guitaring and singing, David drumming straight out of the Tough Guyz Club and my brother Krist on bass manoeuvres.
What is your role in the band?
My duties include sing-boy and guitar-man, but I plan to branch to the ranks of Mac-boy, bass-brethren and even drum-dude. I also like to think myself as somewhat of a novice producer. Usually, Joey and I get together with guitars and continually write new songs - almost daily - but I spend an evening checking emails, booking gigs for the band, designing logos/posters/album art, getting various people to collaborate and even organize photo shoots. Could do with a manager really.
So What have you been up to creatively?
I don't stop creatively - if its not a guitar or any other instrument in my hand, it's a pen so the words can come out too. I've also learned a lot about mixing an album.
Are there any places, exhibitions, shows, gigs that you have been to (recently or in the past) that have influenced you creatively, or you just really enjoyed?
The last show I saw was Interpret at the Railway Hotel, Bromley. They were fantastic as usual, I'd recommend them to anybody. Their sound is quite metal, but with a funky twist, and we've been trying to be as metal as those guys.
The last show I saw of a professional band was Sonic Youth. They have always been a major influence in our sound, but more so in our band politics. They have been together for a long time, and have done so with minimal quarrels. That's our goal, too.
Sonic youth, great band. So they've been the main influence, are there others. must be right? There must be soo many bands/icons that you draw your inspiration from.
Yeah I mean Sonic Youth for their experimentation, songcraft and band ethics; Beatles for their experimentation and songcraft, Mudhoney for their raw aggression and fuzz boxes, Dinosaur Jr. for J Mascis' guitar shred, Allen Ginsberg for his beat-poetic imagery, Beck for his "who gives a tram" lyrics and genre-fusing skills, Trilok Gurtu (he's truly amazing) for his genre-fusing skills, Minutemen and Crucifucks for the hardcore punk ethics, my favourite Japanese bands Afriampo & Boredoms for the same reason (white noise) and finally (but not least) James Hoare - he's the greatest unsigned bass player in the world. There's literally hundreds of bands I could've put here.
Have you got any upcoming gigs?
We have 3 shows booked so far this year - a live audition for RaveLive's Talent Showdown in Chistlehurst, an opening slot at the Scream Lounge with a couple of other bands and our first headline show of the year at the Half Moon Pub, Herne Hill. Having been cooped up in studios for the past 7 months, we're itchin' to blow yer fuckin' MIND, man.
PART 2
Who are you? My name is Kristian "Krist" and I am I am the newest member of the band...the humble bass player...the background of the foreground if you will.
Who are you Music icons inspirations and so on?
I have 2 main inspirations for my bass playing. The first and most important one being Paul McCartney of Beatles fame. I believe his baselines to be some of the most amazing written pieces of music I have ever heard, with simple-yet-complex rhythms that don't necessarily follow the guitar parts. It sounds really good and that’s the kind of sound I've been trying to achieve. My other inspiration is Krist Novoselic of Nirvana. His pretty complex, yet catchy and deep baselines are also a big focus I'm trying to incorporate. So, my style is pretty much a mix of the two, I like to think anyway.
How do you get on as a band? Do all your creative ideas blend well together?
So far so good. The music, in my opinion, sounds amazing and it's all thanks to the chief songwriters Luke and Joey. Me and Dave work very well together keeping the rhythm section pounding and enjoyable. We all get together regularly and are very happy as a band.
What is your all time faveourite songs? If any why?
All time favourites? That's a hard question. I mean, there's most of The Beatles catalogue right there. While My Guitar Gentle Weeps, I Want You (she's so heavy) etc. But, I also really love Pearl Jam songs like The End, Black, Why Go. Then there's The Smashing Pumpkins with songs like Tonight, Tonight, Song for a Son, Bullet With Butterfly Wings. And also the more obscure InMe, with the songs Master Storm, A Toast to Broken Glass and In Loving Memory. I just love music in general really, it's hard to pick....
To Check out Alien Nations sound, learn more about them and see when they are next
playing go to their myspace page @ HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ALIENSUPERFUCK
Check out there tracks on their recently re-released album Deluxe Edition plus a "trailer" of their newest EP coming in; April called Hypernova.
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