Regen Magazine February 26, 2006 Interviews and articles from 2004 and earlier. The Lodge, Portugal | Febraury 27, 2004. Sam: There is about 50 minutes of material in various stages of being complete, from all done and just in need of a mix ('Damn Swan!' and 'Your Love Is Sweeter than Wine'), to very rudimentary structures; but it's a process of building upon parts and working towards the final album. mid 2002 ~ second batch of the scavenger bride interviews premonition.fr | Black Tape for a Blue Girl Architecte des temps modernes et maitre d'oeuvre de chantiers sonores toujours plus ambitieux... find the interview in the "Actualites" Section. deliriummag.com | I have been patiently awaiting the eighth release of the new black tape for a blue girl record and when I received the scavenger bride, I was blown away by the near perfection of this opus. From the opening song, "the scavenger bride" to the final thirteenth track "bastille day, 1961," black tape for a blue girl take you on an aural journey to the foyers of the past to early 1900s era Prague, and it feels like you are being literally drawn into the romantic and mystickal lush landscape they have brought to life. Letting your emotions run wild, lighting your favorite scented candles, drinking absinthe or red wine will surely add to the experience you will journey into. I can't get enough of this album and black tape fans, will be enthralled and newcomers who are into ethereal, darkwave, and gothic music will be pleasantly delighted by the powerful sonic assault this album delivers. - Sophie Diamantis-Fry Maelstrom Webzine | April 19, 2002. rocknetwebzine | March 7, 2002. This interview was done by phone! early 2002 ~ first batch of the scavenger bride interviews INK19.com | a lengthy interview with sam by Dave Aftandilian the scavenger bride | Shorter, January 2002, interview by Dave Aftandilian Syth Webzine | November 30, 2001 interview with Sam Rosenthal. The writer asked a bunch of questions about Oscar Herrera and the early days of the band and label. Majestia Web Zine | March 2001 interview from this French webzine. Go into "Lord's Interviews" and use the gray pull down to go to the interview which is near the end of the list. 1999 ~ As one aflame laid bare by desire - era interviews Ink 19 | April '99 interview (this one is very in-depth) Under The Volcano | January 1999 Sonic Net | September 1999 Progression | Winter 1999 Amazon.com's article Paradigm Shift | January 199 with Lisa and Sam. Willamette Week | June 23, 1999 Philadelphia City Paper | May 20, 1999, album review Propaganda Magazine | early 1999 Legends Magazine February, 1998 feb 12, 1998 ~ post-remnants / pre-aflame... on the road QRD Magazine, you can tell this one was live, rather than by email: QRD -- what kind of monster would you most like to be & what kind do you most identify with? Sam -- I am not very knowledgeable about monsters. probably one of the big ones that can destroy cities. that'd be the funnest monster to be. QRD -- & the kind you most identify with? Sam (snooty goth voice) -- the Phantom of the Opera (laughter). QRD -- what's the most punk thing you've ever done? Sam -- I stole an extension cord from one of the clubs on this tour. 1996 ~ Remnants of a deeper purity - era interviews Charnel E-Zine 1-4-97 Daily Illini 10-03-97 Revolt (10/96) Ram Samudrala (10/96) Interviews from the archives: Page 1: The Shadowed Sky (7/98), Youth Weekly (8/96), Alexandre Silva (7/96), Sidhe (9/95) Page 2: Morbid Outlook (7/95), 3rd NAIL (4/95), Nursery (10/94), Undercurrents (1/94) Page 3: Totengräber (7/93), Propaganda (1/93) Page 4: Elegia Interview (9/92), Diamond Hitchhiker Cobwebs (3/92), Concept: Personality Fanzine (6/91), Isolation (6/91) The Shadowed Sky July 8th 1997 - conducted by Andi (email Andi for info on when the next issue will be out). What is the current line-up? The band has been in flux lately . . . the studio line-up is Julianna Towns (vocals/guitar), Oscar Herrera (vocals), Vicki Richards (violin), Lisa Feuer (flute) and myself (vocals/electronics). The live band will be a paired down version of that: Julianna / Lisa and myself Black Tape recently toured the US, what was it like performing in all those different cities for the first time? It was really nice, actually. It was a new experience meeting fans of the music, trying to win over some people who were there to dance, and getting to drive around the country. Naturally, being cooped up for two weeks in a van (and being away from home) did get a bit trying, at times . . . but it beats being here in the projekt office!!! This time, we are taking a laptop with us, so we can answer our email and get work done in downtime (like sitting backstage after soundcheck). Were there any interesting or memorable moments on the tour? The tours have been really nice experiences! A girl in Houston kissed the window of the van, so we had a black lipstick souvenir for the rest of the tour. It's nice to spend a few minutes hanging out with people before the shows. I guess they always expect something from me . . . and I probably don't live up to that, because I am just some normal guy. Of course 'normal' like they are . . . but I suppose they expect me to be a 'fuckin rock star' or something, which I am not. The first live performance was at the projekt festival in Chicago '96. What memories do you have of that debut performance? It flashed by so fast! The show seemed over seconds after it began, and I have very little memory of it. When I watch the video tape we shot, I repeatedly think "Man, why didn't I NOTICE all those flash bulbs going off???" But I was so deeply concentrating on getting it right. Now, I can relax at the shows, because I have done more of them... What are you currently working on with BTFAGB? I am currently working on a new album, which will be called "As one aflame laid bare by desire." I have been working on it since late last year, and it will be out in January of 1999. Everything is recorded, except for two flute parts . . . and I will mix it when we get back from the tour. I guess it's about the point of transition, and desire being an illuminating force to get you there. I am excited by this album. I finished my musical parts of 'Remnants' in 1995 -- so it's nice to get back into the recording process with Vicki and Oscar and all... What is the most difficult aspect of creating music with BTFABG? Generally, it has been finding the time to do it . . . I always get so caught up with my obligations to Projekt, that I don't take the time off to get music done. How does the theme affect the sound of the new album? And how does the sound differ from past albums? I don't know if the theme actually affects the sound. It is more like the theme is wrapped within the lyrical content, and the 'sound' goes where-ever it wants. That said, I would say that the sound of "As one aflame" is different from "Remnants" in that it has a lot more melodic content. "Remnants" was intended to be sort of dense, sonically, more like a tone cluster . . . while the new one has melody lines. Perhaps this is the result of me getting a bit more skilled at songwriting? Perhaps I have learned a bit, as a result of working live with musicians and touring . . . How do you expect listeners to relate to certain themes and concepts in albums and songs, considering that they are so personal to you. If the words are well written they can be intensely personal and yet still have a universal quality so that people can say 'hey, I have felt that as well.' That is what I think good art achieves: it is an intimate personal statment that is relevant to others as well. People tell me that they get that from my work, so it means I am achieving what I set out to achieve . . . Are there any personal experiences you could share to help your listeners relate to this new album? Hm? Let's say you are riding on the train and you see a very attractive member of whichever sex you are attracted to. You imagine going home with this person and having an experience that you would find enjoyable . . . you awaken out of your fantasy world and see that they are gone --- maybe they got off the train while you were lost in your imagination? That thought you had, begins your mind on a tangent . . . perhaps a new realization about what you have wanted in your life, or what you feel is missing in your current relationship. This sort of erotic imagination could be an underpinning theme on the new cd. Black Tape has anything but a traditional and static band lineup. How is the working relationship with band members at this time? What is the process in which you create music with the rest of the members? Do you still use tapes to rehearse or record with the rest of the members. Yes, for the most part we still get ready to record using the ole 'demo tape' method. I record the music, and lay down guide vocals . . . then I send that tape off to Oscar; but it's not that he is stuck with only one line of vocals he can record. On the song "Russia", Oscar came up with a really great 4-part vocal for the song. I don't know how much of it he planned out in advance and how much he sort of improvised on the spot. But he created something really luscious and beautiful from something that was pretty simple, in it's original form. Both Oscar and Julianna are really good at that: embellishing and fleshing out my one dimensional melody lines. Vicki, on the other hand, is given a tape of the song without any 'violin guide.' Then she comes in and improvises something amazing. I think the new album has a lot of spontaniety in how the three of them worked within my restrictions. For Lisa, I write a melody line on the keyboards, and then she plays it on the flute -- a lot like my original, but with flourishes that are natural for her, but things I would never have thought of. As far as HOW the working relationship goes, I think it is functioning really fluidly. Everyone involved in the band is really great at what they do, so I feel a real spark of creativity when we are working on material. It is a very nice experience . . . And speaking of Black Tape's line up why does it change so often? It would seem that Oscar is the only permanent member. (in a sad-sack voice:) "Nobody likes me . . . " No, it's just what seems right for each cd. Sometimes band members leave and I really don't want them to go . . . and sometimes it's a natural progression. Sometimes it's nasty bad feelings, and sometimes it's not that there was anything wrong at all. I noticed your current band line up does not include Lucian. I have to ask why she is not involved in the new recordings, seeing as she is one of the more notable components of Black Tape. Well, I think that each vocalist is a notable component, while they are involved in the band; and when they are gone, somebody nicely fills there shoes . . . I don't have a problem with this sort of change, so long as the next cd still reflects my idea of what black tape should sound like. As far as WHY she is no longer involved, I could give you a number of logical sounding 'refined' answers . . . but basically we just weren't getting along. I also see that you have added Julianna for vocals. Tell us a little about Julianna's Background. Why was she chosen for Black Tape? Julianna had a solo project in the late 80s called "Skinner Box". Years ago, a fan suggested it would be cool if she sang for me . . . I got in touch with her, and eventually we recorded her vocals for 1991's "A chaos of desire." Then, because she lived in Tucson, and I was in LA . . . I started working with Lucian who lived very close by . . . so it was a progression without malice, it just seemed to make sense. In the beginning of 1996 I moved to Chicago, so they were both equally far away. When I decided I wanted to work with a different vocalist, I called Julianna and it just so happened that she was looking to get back involved in music . . . so it just flowed really naturally . . . You mentioned that Oscar will not be with the band on tour - why is that? How will that affect your shows? Basically, life goes on. Out of the 50-off shows we did in the last year, Oscar was only involved in five of them. He lives in Miami, and has obligations to his family, job and his own band . . . so he doesn't have time for black tape, the way Julianna does . . . I don't mean to sound snotty when I say "life goes on" -- I mean it in the way you say "C'est La Vie" -- that's life. Other things come up and work naturally. Oscar is still involved in the albums, the recording; But as he doesn't have time for the live work, it is a challenge that I have to resolve. I like those sorts of things . . . Just like Lisa's involvement. I never would have intentionally looked for a flute player for the band. But it turned out that Lisa (who is my lover) plays flute, so I was presented with the challenge: 'Look, here is a very talented musician, how will you involve her in your music.' It has caused me to rethink certain things, and to arrange the songs a bit differently. And why not? It's good to have some self imposed challenges ('Involve the flute') or restrictions ('Oscar won't be there, so you have to learn to sing!') . . . that's good. I like change . . . When people think of ethereal music, black tape and the Projekt label are usually the first to come to mind, how do you think ethereal music has progressed in say, the last 10 years? I think that more people are aware of it, and there are certainly a lot more bands performing it. In 1986, there really were NOT many ethereal bands . . . Cocteau Twins, of course . . . but you didn't have Faith & The Muse or The Changelings when "The Rope" was released . . . so it is great that there is a lot to chose from, these days... What direction do you foresee the genre taking? Hmm? That's a hard one. I think it is always growing and changing . . . and that's what keeps it vibrant. It isn't a dead-end street, like (let's say) Punk Rock. That revival couldn't survive, because most of the bands are stuck in a certain place . . . Youth Weekly, Hong Kong August 27, 1996 1. Please talk about the underground music scene of the usa. I was just talking about this last night with my girlfriend Lisa, my cello player Mera and her boyfriend Drew. It seems that the "underground" scene is being BOUGHT UP in America. So it's becoming very competitive and commercial. It's unfortunate, because when bands are independent, I think their main focus should be art . . . not "will this sell?" Certainly there are still interesting bands, but I think a disease has set in. 2. On black tape for a blue girl's latest release remnants of a deeper purity, you once again invited Vicki Richards to play violin. Will you please say something about her since i like her solo album very much. I first heard Vicki play violin, because she plays on an album from my friend Stephen Nester (his "band" is SLAP - he has a reissue on RELIC). Vicki and I got in touch with each other and I distributed her solo album in my mail order catalog. When I was recording A Chaos of Desire (in 1990) I asked her to play on it. I was very very impressed with her work. Her violin is definitely the lead instrument on the songs she played on. I wanted her to play on This Lush Garden Within, but she was having a baby, so it didn't work out. Besides, I think that album would not have been as right for her playing as the new one. When I was planning for her parts on Remnants, I realized I had created a layer of drones, for the strings and vocals to work over . . . so there was lots of room for her and Mera to create a dense realm of string sounds. I am really pleased with the way it works out. Because the strings are the main instrument you hear. 3. To me btfabg is your very personal group since all the songs reflect your own mood and feeling. Do you agree? Yes, because black tape for a blue girl is where I realize my own thoughst and vision in art. All the people who work with me know it is my concepts and themes they are helping to realize. It isn't like the standard "band" where everyone gets together and puts in ideas. I think that approach waters-down the vision. With Black Tape, each person comes to it adding their own talents, but knowing I have decided where it should be headed. In that sense, it is like a play. And I am the director, and have the final statement. answer to a letter from a guy named Alexandre P. Silva July 19th, 1996 Are you related to some religious group or secret society? i think that your strength comes from within. your belief in the self, and your ability to overcome through your own ingenuity and emotional core. therefore, religions and secret societies hold no charms for me, for they seem to be about control, domination, stagnation and death. i would proabably say that any large group believing in any one thing (without questioning and challenging) is probably a bad thing. Is your music influenced by literature, writers? Who? i think that the main influence on my work is the people who i know, and how interacting with them has influenced my life. There is some literature that has been inspiring, such as kafka, sartre and anais nin. thanks for your interest. Sidhe, England September 26th, 1995 Could you give us a brief history of projekt and black tape for a blue girl? Back in 1983, I was making a fanzine in Florida called Alternative Rhythms, and I decided that it would be fun to put out a cassette of what local electronic and experimental bands were doing. That was the humble beginnings of Projekt. On this tape were a few of my own electronic experimentations . . . through the next two years, I released about eight cassettes of my music, exploring and experimenting and learning. In 1986, after 13 releases from Projekt, I moved to California to finish college. It was a very bleak period for me. I felt very isolated and lonely and depressed. Out of that grew the music of black tape for a blue girl. Let's step back for a minute. Would you ever consider releasing these early recordings as a compilation cd? I sort of doubt it. Most of it can be looked back upon as a learning process. Like school work. A lot of it is tedious. I can see that some of the ambient instrumentals were worthwhile, and maybe I will excerpt some of that onto Before the Buildings Fell, if I ever release that as a cd. This is a tape of instrumentals recorded during the rope . . . it is available from Projekt. So you started the label mainly as an extension of the fanzine? Yeah. I never really thought about it as a "future." I was a journalism major back then, so the fanzine was more of an outgrowth of my "career." And music was just something I started doing, I don't even know why. Elton John had this ad for a Moog/Radio Shack keyboard. And I was suckered into buying one! I have to get that thing back from my folks, and see what I can do with it! How would you describe the progress of black tape . . . From these early days . . . To the first projekt release the rope and finally through to the music you are producing now? Personally, I seperate my pre-the rope music from the post rope music, which is when black tape really began. The early stuff, like I said, is mainly experimental noodling. It was a bit cold, I think. Even at the time I knew that, there wasn't really a passion behind the music. It was figuring out what could be done. But the isolation of moving away from everything I knew, and also falling into love/obsession for the first time created the passionate inspiration to begin black tape for a blue girl. I think that from the rope in 1986 through today is an intriquing progress. I am very pleased with all of it. What were you listening to before you began creating you music, and have these tastes changed through working with other musicians. Like most kids from the '70s, I listened to a lot of Rock-n-Roll. My favorite was Alice Cooper -- though I don't really see much of an influence there, do you? But I began getting more experimental. Kraftwerk, Eno, Philip Glass, Tangerine Dream . . . and then I discovered Attrition! So that's where my more electronic approach to music was born. My tastes have changed somewhat, I guess. My favorite artist these days is probably John Cale. I hardly ever listen to Marc & The Mambas anymore, though I really like Torment & Toreros. What would you say influences your song writing the most? Is it possible to spot a "happy sam song" or an "unhappy sam song?" It's quite easy to spot the latter, just put on any song! The influence has always been my personal experiences. The people who I love, and how that effects me. The growth of the music reflects my experiences, it is a slow fluid process -- it isn't all that easy to say THIS ONE IS HAPPY!!! Because life is generally a lot of slow ups and downs. People tell me that this lush garden within is washed with a feeling of love. And I know that was one of the emotions I was feeling at the time, but it was so intermingled with bittersweet depression, loss and pain. Anyway, there is really NO song that I would say is a HAPPY SONG. Even though "through sky blue rooms" (off ashes in the brittle air) sounds like a happy song, it ends on a sad note. It's really impossible for me to write something happy. Oscar and I were talking about how impossible it is to write something possitively happy. We aren't into that Paul McCartney-like denial of the realities of life here . . . I have been writing a new song for the new album, and even though it is about something positive, I have the line "but will you leave before the night ends?" There is always some fear and regret intertwined, sorry to say! As with love spirals downwards and lycia, it seems the lyrics often come secondary and the music invokes the necessary emotions and feelings within the listener. Do you find lyrics to be the secondary aspect of your song writing process? I take it as a compliment that you say the music can convey the emotions of the songs, without the words. But for me, the lyrics are a very important aspect of the work. And I place them on an equal level with the music. Because, in a reversal of what you say, I think the lyrics can stand alone and convey a lot of emotion. So I think they work together to create the piece. Factually, the music is created before the words are collaged onto the songs . . . but I think of it as one thing, when it is all finished. What is it that you require from your vocalists when interpreting your songs. I want them to be able to create a powerful emotional performance that will capture the intensity of the words and the feelings of the characters that I have created in the lyrics. Sometimes it needs a subtle sensuality or sometimes an intensely screaming performance . . . Has it been detrimental to your own music that you chose to create a record label for musicians? Have you ever regretted the fact that sometimes running a business interferes with your own creativity? Oh yes, probably every day! I grumble and complain, because I would much rather be working on music all the time. But if I didn't have Projekt, then I would need a regular job to pay my bills, and I probably never would have been able to put out my music anyway, so of course it is a circle. And in the end, I have to be pleased that I have my own company that supports me as an artist. But yes, I feel I would have had more energy to create music in the past few years, If I was not so obsessed with PROJEKT. Last year, projekt released a compilation of cover versions of your songs which was very well received. How did you feel about the idea in the first place, and how do you feel about the interpretations of you music? Initially, I just thought it was a really fun idea. Not as an ego trip. I was curious what other people would do with my songs. How they would interpret them. In the end, I kinda patted myself on the back and said "Damn! I didn't really think I was writing the sort of music that people could cover..." Just because I don't write any of it down. And I am such a musical dunce, that I wouldn't be able to figure any of it out again . . . and then there's Conrad who even figured out the ambient songs! That makes me feel pretty humble. What are your favorite versions? Hmm! tough question. I think that Love Spirals Downwards did a better version of "through sky blue rooms" then I did! They captured more of the original spirit, the real folky approach to the song. It's hard to say, I really think I like them all . . . I asked mike van portfleet about his feeling towards the internet and in a broader spectrum, the impact that technology is having on music and of course the individual. As a musician and as a "businessman" how do you perceive the "benefits" of technology? Does the seemingly unlimitless possibilities concerning communication intrique you or concern you? I think unlimited communication is wonderful, for it lets everyone into the realm of thoughts. However, the internet is a big burden for me, because it is a small group of dilletantes -- who use it as their personal soap-box to spread false information and viscious gossip. naturally, you cannot ask for a control over that. but it is annoying to me, personally. These people sit in their little dark room and churn out vicious stuff. This communication can be made without having to face the people they are talking to / about, and something healthy is lost. They will spend time chatting about how I have sold out and about my personal life, and spreading a bunch of false information . . . and it is plain annoying. Why does projekt lack an individual distributor in the uk and are you aware of how difficult it is to obtain projekt releases over here? The problem is a continuing one: the distributors feel there isn't enough interest to warrant their attention to the music of Projekt. I am as frustrated by the problem as you are. The solution, at this point, is that Martin (of Attrition) is starting a mail-order service for Projekt cds. As an outsider, how do you perceive the british music scene? I don't really think about it. Just a few bands, now and then. Do you see projekt as filling the gap that 4ad left vacant so long ago? Well, people do say that. And I take it as a compliment. It wasn't my intention to fill a gap . . . I just release the music I enjoy. How do you see projekt progressing? Would you like to see a large distribution network, or are you happy with the level of distribution and exposure projekt currently has? I am always working to increase our distribution and exposure, so I am never happy with the present situation. Some people cry foul, and say we are selling out. But I think the music reveals that Projekt is still true to the vision. It is important to me, as an artist, that my work is enjoyed by all the fans who seek it out -- and also that I can expand my boundaries, and have new people experience what I create. So, for that reason, I want to get the best distribution network possible. I have obligations to my artists, and the goal is to be enjoyed by an audience. Once again, Internet (and other) people complain about Projekt getting bigger. They would prefer to keep it trapped in a dormant and secretive stage. But that is not going to happen. Because I believe in this music, and I want people to hear it. Do you plan to concentrate more on your own music now and allow someone else to take the helm at projekt? 1996 is going to be an amazing year for black tape for a blue girl, I think. I am well underway with the next cd, which I believe will be called remnants of a deeper purity. I hope to have it out in may of 1996. It will be a busy year for me, with the album, a concept video, and touring. As far as someone "taking the helm" at Projekt -- I cannot see that happening, because the label is based on my vision. But I am getting in people who I trust, who take the load off me. Padraic takes care of promotion and booking, Charles deals with distribution and business. And I hope to hire someone who will run the production end of the label, getting titles into print and working with artists. All of that will make it possible for me to concentrate more on my own art. Pat Ogl said that if you were a pasta dish you would probably be a rigatoni . . . Do you agree with his assumption? (He would be a cheese ravioli in pesto sauce minus the pine nuts!!!!!!!) Although I often rely on Padraic's expertise on a wide variety of subjects including the matter of foodstuffs, It would not be best of me to let him designate exactly which pasta best exemplified my personality. If anything, I would say I'm a refrigerated Thai pasta in peanut sauce.