Interviews: Interview with Avacate (11th August 2009)

by Gary Smith

GigReviewer.com managed to catch an interview with Avacate before the release of their new single, Magdalene and their tour of the Netherlands. We will be reviewing their upcoming single, and their current album, Ghost Of A Former Self very soon so check back!

Please introduce yourselves, and how you take your place in the band.

Kay: Hi, I’m Kay Sense and I’m the Vocalist/Lyricist
Marco: Hi, I’m Marco Polo and I’m the guitarist/FX

How did you meet and what is the story behind you forming.

Kay: Marco and I met at a music college in Bristol. We came together because we were frustrated with working in generic bands with members who weren’t really motivated or after the same goals we were. We really wanted to forge a sound of our own tastes, not directly emulate another artist or follow a trend. Also, we all had a strong DIY get up and go ethic.

How did you come up with your band name?

Marco: Avacate came from playing a stupid word association game, the ‘A’ can stand for what ever you want - Anger Vacate, Asshole/Apathy Vacate : to leave, to go, move on.

Who takes the biggest role in the song writing?

Marco: Basically the main song writing is between Kay and me. I usually come up with a demo of a song using a drum machine. Kay then writes lyrics and melodies over the top, we might develop it a little and then we usually take it to the musicians we’re working with to let the song grow in the rehearsal room.

Who were your biggest influences?

Kay: I was really inspired by people like Patti Smith, Jehst, Gill Scott Heron and Ani Di Franco, who are all fantastic descriptive story tellers with intelligent layers and metaphors. I also greatly admire their political stances and socially conscious attitudes and the way their lyrics and melodies combined are so expressive.
Marco: Guitar wise I’d say Keith Levene (Public Image LTD), Jimi Hendrix, Dr Know (Bad Brains) and Bernard Sumner (Joy Division). But overall I was mainly influenced to start playing and writing by a massive punk collection somebody gave me when I was younger. I feel the true concept of punk taught me to be myself and believe anyone can do it. Nobody is better at being you than you are, so be yourself and mix all the influences that you like! This has carried through my entire career.

Name your top 5 albums by other artists

Kay: Evolve – Ani Di Franco, Portishead – Portishead, Horses – Patti Smith, Quixotic – Martina Topley-Bird, Consent to Treatment – Blue October

Marco: Dirk Wears White Sox – Adam and the Ants, Dub In The Roots Tradition – Scientist, Roots – Sepultura, Bitches Brew – Miles Davis, Dub Plate Selection Volume 1 – More Rockers It was 3rd gig with a new drummer and in the heat and passion of the moment I threw my guitar into the drum kit! The drummer looked like he wanted to punch me! I tried to convince him it was a sign of respect! (He didn’t believe me)

Who did you dream of being when you were young?

Kay: Myself

Who has the worst habits, and what are they?

Kay: I sneeze quite a lot!
Marco: Mine is not sleeping!

What was your craziest moment on stage?

Marco:

Have you written any songs with hidden meanings or about anyone in particular?

Kay: Well, the song ‘Us and Them’ is about our feelings of isolation being quite introverted musicians in this dazzling consumer focused TV ogling society.
Marco: I think a lot of people believe what’s fed into their veins from the mainstream media and don’t think about sourcing information for themselves so they always have a distorted picture of reality.

Have you ever had any stalkers?

Kay: Ummm…..NO! (and I don’t want any!)Marco: Ummm…..YES! (and I don’t want any!)

Which one song would you say "defines" your band?

Marco: I think at the moment ‘Magdalene’ sums up our sound. It’s over all atmosphere is quite dark, it can be mournful, hopeful and yet aggressive all at the same time.

Have you ever had to cancel a gig?

Kay: No, but we almost had to cancel an entire 2 month European tour once because our then Bass Player (I use that term loosely) decided to quit 10 hours before we departed! That was stressful. Luckily we had a road dog on hand to fill his shoes and had to learn all of the bass parts in the back of the van in 36hours!

Who were the best and worst bands/artists that you have played alongside?

Marco: The best would be F.U.K.T. (Denmark’s best D&B band). They really knew how to work the crowd and had a fantastic stage show (and drummer!)
Kay: The worst would be a local charity event we played in conjunction with the college where we met. The headline act decided to ignore the noise curfew and almost got the college banned from the venue – we thought that was pretty selfish and inappropriate.

Do any of you have other hobbies/day jobs?

Kay: Hobbies not really, we just make lots of different types of music under various alter egos and we both help run a local co-operative record label.

Can you tell us about your tour of the Netherlands?

Marco: Well it’s really exciting to be touring in the Netherlands. We’re doing a 5 day - 5 date consecutive tour. We’ll be promoting our album ‘Ghost Of A Former Self’ and of course the new single ‘Magdalene’. We have got some fantastic local Dutch bands opening for us who we have been befriending over the last few weeks. The reception has already been phenomenal for us so we cannot wait to get over there and play some great shows! (Of course Holland has its benefits…I really do enjoy Dutch coffee..!)

Which set are you most looking forward to play?

Kay: Well to be honest all of them! We’ve never been to any of the venues before but they all seem to have a good reputation, so you’ll have to ask me again when we get back!

Tell us about your new single, Magdalene.

Marco: Magdalene was inspired by a book I read, a true story written by a woman who suffered appalling treatment at the hands of the nuns at the Magdalene laundries in Ireland. The last one only closed in the 90’s and they are still discovering mass graves that have been kept secret for years now. I basically wrote the music as a kind of sound track, I think the song is dark and menacingly violent and ugly but I think the chorus holds a sense of hope and positive revolt against such horrific atrocities. The release is dedicated to Kathy O’Beirne who wrote the book that inspired Kay and I.

What advice would you give to anyone that wants to form a band?

Marco: Don’t work with other humans if you can help it. Get a drum machine.
Kay: Just be yourself and see what happens. The most important quality of any good band/artist is to be a good listener. Practice as much as you can and play with as many people/styles as you can to gain experience in being adaptable.
Marco: In all seriousness, just work hard at it, stay true to who you are if you want something, DIY is the only way, just go get it!

What advice would you give to anyone that is in a band that wants to try and get ahead?

Marco: The only way now is to do it yourself. Manage yourself, release yourself, be your own worst critic. Erase the phrase ‘that’ll do’ from your vocabulary. In the current climate a major label isn’t just gunna turn up at some bar and sign you. You have to establish your own fans and communicate directly with them. Build your own networks. This way you can create something really personal, respectful and special between what you are creating and the people who emotionally relate to it, whilst maintaining your artistic integrity.

What are your favourite lyrics in your songs?

Kay: All of it is from the heart so it’s really hard to choose a favourite! Of course I love the guest lyrics from MC Shadz on ‘Talk’ (track 5 on our album) as he always manages to impress me with his creative perspective.
Marco: I really like the lyrics on ‘Us and Them’, they’re actually on our myspace in the blog section if anyone is interested in reading them.

At what point would you stop and think - "I've made it!"

Kay: My dream is to own a little campervan and be able to sustain it indefinitely on the road by playing shows – when I’ve achieved that, I’ve made it.
Marco: When we have made an album with Steve Albini.