Kane Hodder
http://www.hodderrock.com
With: Andrew
Interview by Dustin
Kane Hodder recently released a full length entitled "The Peasure to Remain So Heartless." I did an email interview with Andrew (vocals) in September 2004.
Hello. Let's start things off by having you say who you are and what you do in Kane Hodder.
Hiya. I'm Andrew and I sing in Kane Hodder.
How did the band form? What was the purpose for you to get together and form Kane Hodder?
We all knew each other either from playing in bands or playing with each others' bands. The purpose when we initially started was just to get playing again, as most of us were somewhat idle at the time, but even from the
very beginning we knew we wanted to start trying something a little different than what we were all used to. It became aware that we all listened to such a wide variety of music and it would be a shame if we didn't try and incorporate as much of it as possible. So I guess you could say that the current purpose of the band is to try and bridge gaps and blur lines between genres.
What message are you trying to get through with your music, if any? I noticed your lyrics are very stream of conscience influenced, but what mainly influences your song-writing?
Lyrically the songs are heavily satrudated with metaphor. Being also very influenced by movies, it seemed only natural to include that aspect into the songwriting as well, so a lot of the lyrics use movies as metaphors for the
things we wish to convey. In no way are the songs about the movies themselves. And also, it is very hard for me to just come out and say what I am feeling, so the deeper I can hide the meaning, the better. But if someone asks, I'll be more than happy to tell them the story behind a song. Most of the songs deal with everyday observations and personal evaluations. The
unseen connections between love and hate and where the line between the two starts to fade. Emotions are a fickle and elusive thing and we try to include everything to paint a proper picture of each situation.
What's up with the rather strange cover art for "The Pleasure..."? It doesn't seem to fit your sound at all, and it's extremely hard to read. I first got the impression of an overly political punk band when I saw the cover.
When we were talking to the person who did the artwork, he and I began talking about the art in communist propaganda and how it sets up a defiant and confident picture while being very stylistically simpistic. The
cover, to me, is very defiant. A lot of the songs can be very political at times, but even songs that are small and personal can be just as defiant. We are not the only ones by any means to be making the kind of music we do and who are rebelling against the verse-chorus-verse formula, but it's time that more people became aware of it and know that there is another way and you don't have to accept what is given to you.
Has feedback been very good outside of your hometown yet? Do people seem to be taking interest in what you're doing?
Feedback everywhere has been really good. A lot of times when people first see us, they see these five shy, somewhat dorky guys explode into a franzy on stage and I think that really strikes a chord with them. We are trying to show people that if you like hardcore, you can also like dance music and rock and roll and indie rock and so on and so forth, and it's very flattering
and amazing that people are into what we are doing. There is no greater compliment.
What makes you guys so different from everyone else? You seem to combine a little bit of everything, which means that anyone can really get into your band if they give you a try. Do you all come from different musical backgrounds?
While each of us have different kinds of music that we are definitely influenced by, we are all very into numerous types of music and we really try and get that across in the music we make. I don't think we are completely different from a lot of other bands. There are quite a few who are doing what we are doing and I think it's great. What makes these bands different is the willingness to admit that it takes many emotions to make up a human existance and that is definitely the philosophy we subscribe to and are trying to convey.
Word association:
Music - life
Love - important
Computers - evil
Kane Hodder - Jason
Vinyl - glorious
Punk - groundwork
Stagedive - fun
Hardcore - label
How'd you end up on Cowboy Versus Sailor? I had never even heard of the label until I heard Kane Hodder. Is it hard to get your name out there when you're on such a relatively small label?
We got on the label because our manager introduced us to Tom, a co-owner of the label and Tom came to one of our shows and became very intersted and soon re-released our 6 song EP and then had us go into the studio to record the full-length. The relationship between us and CVS is amazing. They are really into what we are doing and believe in it whole-heartedly, which is always a plus and they are all the nicest people you will ever meet. They have really worked very hard to promote the record and have really gone the extra mile for us. Plus they are an imprint of a bigger indie label, Suburban Home, who has also kind of adopted us, which give CVS great distribution and advertising capabilities.
What's your favorite cartoon(s)?
Family Guy
Futurama
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Thanks for the interview. Do you have any last words to finish this thing off?
Thanks a lot!!!!
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