Interview: Oderus Urungus (GWAR)

I was recently granted once-in-a-lifetime audience with Lord and Master of the Universe, Oderus Urungus. In our time together, we spoke of murder, metal, Republicans, and the various sexual predilections of NFL Quarterbacks. This interview is most definitely NSFW.


The Milk Carton: This is Jeremy with Oderus....

Oderus Urungus: BRAAAAAAAAA!

TMC: ...Urungus of GWAR. Thanks for not killing me yet.

...

Recently, I was given the good fortune of interviewing Scott Hedrick of Skeletonwitch as the band brought their tour with 3 Inches of Blood through Iowa City. We talked about the band's upcoming album, European Open Air Festivals, beer, and more:

TMC: This is Jeremy here with...

Scott Hedrick: Scott from Skeletonwitch.

TMC: You guys are out on tour with 3 Inches of Blood right now, and it seems like a dream tour for you guys, how’s the tour been going so far?

SH: Yeah, it’s been killer. Today would be the fifth show, and the first four were awesome. Lots of people came out, everyone’s been crazy, really energetic crowds. It’s been great, and like you said, the writing’s kind of been on the wall for a long time, for us and 3 Inches to tour together. We’ve actually talked about it several times over the past few years, and it just didn’t work - one of us had something going on or the other. One...

Local Natives have blown onto the scene, in a huge way -- and for good reason. Hailing from sunny Los Angeles, the up-and-coming quintet are redefining the word "collaboration" with their debut album 'Gorilla Manor'. By bringing together wide ranging influences and tastes, they've managed to create some of the freshest, and most unique sounds hitting he airwaves in a long time. But their efforts go beyond that. TMC was able get Local Natives multi-instrumentalist Ryan Hahn on the phone yesterday for a brief discussion of their music and process before they run across to Europe to festival hop for the rest of August.

TMC: You guys played a show last night in Montauk, NY. How was it visiting and playing in a small town that's a limelight for pop culture references?
Ryan: (laughs) It was pretty cool, it was pretty interesting. Honestly, we’d never...

Roc Nation's got a gem on their hands, waiting to be unveiled. The fact of the matter is their newest member, Hugo, is about to break out big... but he's waiting for the right moment. Raised in Thailand, Hugo's perspective of the world and the music that surrounds it is one that hasn't been experienced and shared in the Western world of 'Pop.' Although he maintains his humble and reserved mannerisms, Hugo is quietly cooking up a storm and getting ready to spread his special brand of butter all across the airwaves. We had the time to speak with him over the phone last month and get his full story.

Interview by Charlie Weingartner

TMC: Hey Hugo, how’re you doing?
Hugo: Doing fine, yourself?

TMC: I’m doing well. Staying busy. So where are you at right now?
Hugo: I am in the rehearsal space in Queens. Around where Long Island City starts to become Queens.

TMC: Very...

Dream Cop is Tommy Davidson, a multi-instrumentalist artist out of Blacksburg, Virginia. He frequently makes shoegaze-ish, hazy tunes for those in need of hypnosis and musical healing. We think he has a bright future. We posted about him here. Yeah, we kind of like him. So what did we do? We fucking contacted him. Read below as staff writer Jacob Corbin interviews Dream Cop here at The Milk Carton.

JC: Where did the name “Dream Cop” come from?
TD: I guess, I was trying to think about an appropriate name after making "Marooned" and the "Beach City" track and I was sifting through a copy of Naked Lunch my friend gave me..

JC: Great...

I recently had the chance to sit down with Will Noon, drummer for Straylight Run at a copy shop, of all places, in downtown Iowa City. What follows includes thoughts on politics, major label shenanigans, and marching drums:

TMC: This is Jeremy from The Milk Carton, and I’m here with Will Noon from Straylight Run. Can I have you say hi?

Will Noon: Sure, hello, this is Will from Straylight Run, even though that’s redundant now.

TMC: So how’s the Mile After Mile tour treated you so far? I realize it’s only been a few dates, but…

WN: It’s been good, it’s been cold with a lot of driving, so we haven’t had too much of a chance to hang out with the other bands, but the little time we’ve spent with them has been good. I’m pretty excited to tour with Lydia, I feel they’re one of those bands that’s always been mentioned, and...

Lubbock, Texas' own Yele definitely have their own unique style. This may seem like generic cliche, but given the band's inventive style of all-encompassing indie-isms on their first EP, The Potential, it's clear that the five-piece have carved their own niche in the dusty nights of West Texas. Armed with Beat Happening-esque vocalist and songwriter Travis Pope, keyboard player and singer Katy Brizendine, guitarist Ryan Young, bassist Philip Secrest and drummer Travis Maret, the band certainly have a future as a bright spot in the underground outside-Austin Texas music scene. Stream their Potential EP and check out a wonderful interview conducted by TMC collaborator Kacee Boswell right here!

TMC: So I'm here with Yele, and the members are; Katy Brizendine, Travis Pope, and Philip Secrest.

Travis: No relation to Ryan Seacrest unfortunately.

TMC: My first question is about the name Yele. What's the story there?
...

Back on February 13th that just so happened to be Friday the 13th, I had a chance to sit down with some fellow Iowans, Radio Moscow. They're a psychadelic blues rock band out of City, IA with only one member [Parker] that can legally drink. When you're in a psychadelic band from the middle of nowhere, who needs alcohol? Read on to find out how they got their start and their new record, Brain Cycles.


TMC: Alright, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of our readers have never heard of Radio Moscow before. Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up on one of the best independent record labels in the country [Alive Naturalsound Records.]

Parker: It all kinda started by giving a demo to the lead singer of the Black...

Like so many bands before them, The Yelling emerged from an abandoned warehouse turned rehearsal space in downtown Los Angeles, CA. Nathaniel Cox (vocals/guitar) and Robert Davis (guitar) founded the band when they moved to LA picking up drummer Michael Judd and bassist Chris McKee along the way. Last October, the band released a 5-track EP with a full-length LP slated for release in the near future. So far, the quartet has played mainly in the LA area but hopefully a broader tour will be setup after the release of their debut record.

For a limited time, TMC is offering a stream of the entire 5-track EP AND a free download of the last track, “Blood On The Steps.” Stay tuned to TMC for more information on the upcoming album and check out our exclusive interview with the band below.

TMC: It’s hard to believe a name like The Yelling hasn’t been claimed before now, how did you guys land on that particular name?

We wanted something...

New Orleans is living and breathing again; teaming with life. Music is exploding out of the rebuilt city like never before. But don't get lost in the mess of noise, Hurray For the Riff Raff is a big supporter, and part of it. With her outlaw style, Alynda Lee's songwriting will make you feel like she's your long lost twin. Filling the noise between her light banjo picking, she's supported by the rest of the Raffers who wield accordions, fiddles, toy pianos, double bass, saws, and autoharps. Not only have they specialized and crafted a homely sound, their stories will craft a deep place in the home of your music collection.

Interview by Charlie Weingartner

TMC: Hey there Alynda! I guess I’ll just ask you to do a brief autobiography on yourself, since you’ve got a great story that people might not know about.

Alynda: Ok, I was born in the Bronx in New York. And I grew up in New York City. When I was 17 I left...

Based in Austin, TX, Jonathan Christ and Chase Gorman of Machine have been flying under the radar with their fascinating IDM and live electronic creations that are heavily influenced by bands like Aphex Twin. Kacee Boswell had a chance to sit down and get an interview with Jonathan and Chase and wrote a bit of an introduction to her experience as well. Check it out below. For more about the band and to hear their music, check out their MySpace page.

On the night of Christmas I went to Jonathan's house to do this interview. Jonathan and Chase showed me their set- up:



All the buttons glowing were beautiful; blues and oranges, flashing in their respective patterns. It looked like a laboratory of some sort, the machines and wires and all sorts of...

In August 2007, Anberlin switched from independent label Tooth & Nail to Universal Republic Records. After taking some time to get comfortable, they finally released their new album, New Surrender, and launched a headlining tour in support of the record. Along the way, The Milk Carton had a chance to sit down with drummer Nathan Young before their show in Omaha, NE, the 12th stop on the tour with Madina Lake and Between the Trees.

TMC: First off, you guys have toured your nuts off since forming in 2002. How does it feel to be headlining yet another tour?

Young: It feels great. You know we’ve been the supporting band all these years so it’s nice to be on the other side of that.

TMC: Does the constant touring ever get to you?

Young: It’s always nice to go back home to see family and friends and rejuvenate but this is what we set out to do. I don’t know what we’d be doing if we weren’t making music and...