ALEATORY #24: Jeepster

What happens when a trio of alt-rock outsiders that formed in San Francisco wind up getting signed to a French record label prior to releasing their recorded-in-a-Lake-Tahoe-cabin debut? Why, you get Jeepster, of course.

The band -- consisting of singer Jonah Wells, drummer Justin Goings, and guitarist Kyle Marcelli -- just barely released their first album, What If All the Rebels Died?, and it sounds like the distillation of all the 90s alt-rock giants you can think of through a lo-fi aesthetic. It's impossible not to hear the spirit of the Smashing Pumpkins surge through tracks like "Sweet 1:23" or the Radiohead-by-way-of-Harvey-Danger keyboard waltz that is "Fiction Fiction". Though tracks like "Ex Oh" perfectly capture that sense of pre-millennial Modern Rock nostalgia that is so tragically lacking on the airwaves these days, the group still proudly exists in the present, coming soon to a town near you but not before each member participated in Globecat's 24th Aleatory, revealing that not only can the group teach you how to smurf, but also that you should avoid playing at Days Inn Motels and that you should be afraid of "The Man" ...

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19. Favorite foreign film?

KYLE: Alejandro Joradowskys Fando y Lis; before Jeepster, I wanted to name my next band Tarr after the fictional city portrayed in it.
JUSTIN: A woman is a woman.
JONAH: Brazil.

22. Favorite vice?

KYLE: Cigarettes, they're fast, relatively inexpensive, and they don't subdue, damage nor hinder human interaction. If anything, they're a catalyst to human interaction, which on a good day, I support.
JUSTIN: Jamming.
JONAH: Soft drugs.

27. Favorite chord/chord progression?

KYLE: The ones invented by myself that don't have names, and the ones that don't have names made by other musicians.
JUSTIN: I play drums...
JONAH: Chord/chord? ...progression? ...favorite?

32. Best thing you learned this week/month?

KYLE: I learned about the sanctity of life, the various depths of love, and how relavent I feel my art is. It's been a busy month.
JUSTIN: Don't do drugs.
JONAH: "...Gods favorite color is purple."

33. What's something you could teach anyone in an hour or less?

KYLE: How to dance, how to tie a shoe, how to negate the obvious, how to point out the obvious, how to forgive, how to forget.
JUSTIN: Don't do drugs.
JONAH: How to smurf.

38. What is your family like?

KYLE: Very important, very practical, very logical, very loyal, and vey supportive.
JUSTIN: I love them.
JONAH: R e l i g i o u s.

43. What's the road ahead look like?

KYLE: Imagine the road as a collection of variables co-dependent on other varaibels, and that this road has never been driven before. It looks very strange in a very endearing way.
JUSTIN: Worldwide.
JONAH: Worldwide Travel.

45. What's the best lie you've ever told?

KYLE: It wouldn't be a good lie if I acknowledged the truth.
JUSTIN: Nothing good.
JONAH: I can't remember any I'm proud of.

47. Biggest fear?

KYLE: Flying, this is a new fear, one only relavent after a realization of the science behind an airplane.
JUSTIN: The man.
JONAH: Loneliness, though I think I'm finally getting over that one too.

48. Biggest moment of triumph?

KYLE: In the midst of it.
JUSTIN: So far, finishing What If All the Rebels Died?
JONAH: Boogie @ Midnight.

52. At what point did you realize that music was going to be your full-time occupation?

KYLE: It's not an occupation. When you realize it's an occupation, it's not art, and you've lost focus from why you started making music.
JUSTIN: When I was born.
JONAH: I've been high my whole life.

55. You're curating a festival. If you could choose any two bands to open for you, who would they be? To open?

KYLE: Warren Ellis from the Bad Seeds doing a solo effected violin set, followed by some smooth dancey fun band like the Whitest Boy Alive or Phoenix.
JUSTIN: The Walkmen, Dr. Dog
JONAH: Ratatat and The Flaming Lips.

56. Have you ever considered writing or producing for other artists?

KYLE: Everyday, I will be as soon as Nate Pendry gets out of jail and Sham Ulrich learns to compose his drunken piano banters into incredibly complex pop songs.
JUSTIN: Occasionaly.
JONAH: And how.

59. Worst venue you've ever played?

KYLE: The Casbar in Santa Rosa, it's a venue inside of a Days Inn Motel, but feels like a skating ring.
JUSTIN: Cafe Coda.
JONAH: Those are some big shoes to fill!

61. What's the best advice you could give to a young, upstart band?

KYLE: Realize the difference between a record and a live show, but keep in mind it all coincides to a listener.
JUSTIN: Quit everything in your life that takes time away from the group.
JONAH: Practice/jam/record.

70. What is a personal belief you hold that you would fight for to the death?

KYLE: Love.
JUSTIN: J E S U S
JONAH: Only love.

79. Best concert you've ever been to?

KYLE: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds two nights in a row at the Warfield in San Francisco. Those guys are over fifty and have more energy than most bands I see in their twenties.
JUSTIN: Tie between Radiohead and the Mars Volta at Coachella.
JONAH: Deerhoof @ UC Davis a few years ago.

85. What's the biggest mistake you've made that you inadvertently learned a great lesson from?

KYLE: I don't feel that if I've learned a valuable lesson that the actions that caused it were actually mistakes.
JUSTIN: Not drinking enough water.
JONAH: I've made many mistakes but have no regrets.

87. Ultimately, you will want to be remembered as …

KYLE: A sea shell in a sea of shells that encompass the most beautiful mosaic of culture and art the world has ever seen.
JUSTIN: "That dude can jam."
JONAH: A lover.

90. Sexiest thing about you?

KYLE: My winning personality obviously.
JUSTIN: Probably my tunes...
JONAH: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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Visit Jeepster's official MySpace.

ALEATORY #22: Fuck Buttons

Though it's a little late to say it, as everyone knows by now: Fuck Buttons, the experimental duo of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power, are intense. Even their name is intense. While probably a noun, Davecat has always hoped their name was an imperative, or a declaration of dissatisfaction with traditional clothing fasteners. With a sound somewhere between blistering noise and epic post-rock, the two electronically shredded their way into our hearts with their debut full-length Street Horrrsing last year, and it's been zippers and velcro ever since. Both gentlemen took time out of their busy schedule to be the subject of our twenty-second Aleatory, and we are, as always, extremely grateful.

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AH = Andrew Hung
BP = Benjamin John Power

1. Favorite word?

Musk (AH)
Transparent (BP)

7. Favorite composer?

Arvo Pärt (AH)
Jon Hassell (BP)

11. Favorite music video?

Gihm's "Green Grass of Tunnel" (Múm) cover (AH)
"Window Licker" Aphex Twin (BP)

12. Favorite band when you were in high school?

Portishead (AH)
Nirvana (BP)

16. Favorite campfire story?

The one about the girl's pet python that starved itself to eat her. (AH)
I don't know any good stories about campfires (BP)

18. Favorite pick-up line?

I bet you've got a fanny. (AH)
You and me and a bottle makes three (BP)

33. What's something you could teach anyone in an hour or less?

How to emotionally manipulate your mother. (AH)
How to deal with being emotionally manipulated by one's mother (BP)

34. What's the best joke you heard recently?

I went to a seafood disco last night... Pulled a mussel! (AH)
What did the 0 say to the 8? Nice belt! (BP)

38. What is your family like?

Slowly deteriorating (AH)
All over the globe (BP)

40. What was your best/worst subject in school?

Maths/History (respectively) (AH)
Science/art (BP)

43. What's the road ahead look like?

Wonderous. (AH)
Exciting (BP)

46. Where do you keep things hidden? What do you keep hidden there?

Under my ball sack. Peanuts. (AH)
I have nothing to hide, but if I did it would probably be down at the bottom of my bag. I'm pretty sure there are things in there that I didn't even know about (BP)

52. At what point did you realize that music was going to be your full-time occupation?

I still haven't come to that conclusion. I believe that will be an answer that awaits me on my deathbed (not to be too morose, but it's true). (AH)
I knew this was wanted to do this for a living ever since I was young so to be able to do this is a priviledge (BP)

60. What's the worst show you've ever played? What would you have done different?

The one where we played to an end of year student party. I should have cried onstage not off it. (AH)
We played to only our support band once in Birmingham and if I could do things differently I would have made sure there were at least a few people there (BP)

66. Worst song you've heard recently?

The whole set of one of the bands I heard last night (AH)
That X Factor winner's cover of Hallelujah by Mr. Leonard Cohen (BP)

76. Dream collaboration?

Kate Bush (AH)
Suicide (BP)

79. Best concert you've ever been to?

Sonic Youth Roundhouse 2008 (AH)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Camber Sands (BP)

91. Which single album should be in everybody's home?

Hounds of Love (AH)
Raw Power by Iggy & the Stooges (BP)

99. Licensing your music out to companies for TV ads: good or bad?

I could write a book on my thoughts on this issue... but basically, 4x4 car ads = good, ethical companies = bad. (AH)
Uggg. It depends. Leave me alone (BP)

100. Even with the gradual decay of the B-side, most artists still have vaults of unreleased songs. What's in yours?

Peanuts. (AH)
Some of our first ever CDr's will probably never see the light of day. Just for me and Andy to drag out sometimes on reflect on how things have changed (BP)

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View Fuck Buttons' MySpace.
View Fuck Buttons' bio at ATP Recordings.

ALEATORY #21: dj BC

Mashup King? America's favorite DJ? A man who is just grateful to do what he loves on a regular basis?

It's hard to come up with a good title for Bob Cronin (although he's more affectionately known as DJ BC). Yet Mashup King isn't a bad start. As the post-millenial craze of musical MP3 mashups was gradually turning into a ceritifed phenomenon, it was DJ BC who quietly began leading the pack with some innovative, controversy-stirring releases, starting with "The Beastles" (a famed Beatles/Beastie Boys mashup album) and -- shortly thereafter -- the innovative Glassbreaks release, wherein rap artists found their words mixed in with beats created solely from Philip Glass samples. Though both projects have long been unavailable, this hasn't stopped Bob from becoming one of the most notable mashup DJs this side of Girl Talk, and his latest release -- a fully-legit remix collaboration with Big D & the Kids Table -- has even given him some rock cred as well. Now of course, comes his greatest challenge: mixing and matching up some answers with the latest Globecat Aleatory, here talking about his desire to play the piano, being disappointed by Freddie Hubbard, and, of course, the sexiest thing about him.

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5. Favorite piece of equipment?

Pioneer CDJ 1000's (X 2) . These babies allow scratching and turntable-type manipulation of CDs (and hence any digital sound I can burn to Cd) which means the world to someone who works with CDs rather than vinyl. I also find them much easier to work with than vinyl on many levels. And they do more. Speed up with no pitch change ftw! (this is where I get endorsed by Pioneer and get free gear).

12. Favorite band when you were in high school?

The Replacements! I loved 'em. I was trying to be a punk rock type, generally. I liked gothy, punky, skater-y bands. The Cure, The Sex Pistols, Ramones, Bowie, The Smiths, The Clash, that sort of thing. But the 'mats were probably the top. I also was WAY into 60's music, like Led Zep, The Doors, The Beatles, CSNY, The Byrds, and so forth.

13. Favorite Shakespearean play?

Probably Hamlet? That's the one I remember the best. And it has ghosts. This is a strange question to ask a DJ.

19. Favorite foreign film?

Withnail and I. It's British, so perhaps not as foreign as some other choices. But it is truly wonderful and a cult classic in Britain. All Americans should watch it. Use the subtitles or turn it up, those muttering Brits are brutal to understand.

28. What instrument would you most like to learn to play?

Piano.

29. Who do you wish more people were listening to?

Me, and Big D and The Kids Table. We deserve massive success, free steaks and Abita beer.

38. What is your family like?

Loud, funny, large and kinda goofy. With a new layer of babies sprouting.

46. Where do you keep things hidden? What do you keep hidden there?

If I told you, they would no longer be hidden. Duh!

48. Biggest moment of triumph?

Opening for Coolio's Boston date, and the release of "Strictly Mixed and Mashed" - a 100% legit album.

55. You're curating a festival. If you could choose any two acts to open for you, who would they be?

Sheesh... ANY 2? and they are opening for ME? This is a difficult question. I am tempted to pick sucky acts, and then I would look better. But then everyone would leave. I would have to say...here's four that I would love to even see perform live. Being on the same stage with them would be mind blowing.
-Stevie Wonder
-David Byrne with the Talking Heads
-P-Funk
-Reform the 1990's Brand New Heavies with all the guest rappers, ie Black Sheep, Pharcyde, Edo G, Kool G Rap, etc.

56. Have you ever considered writing or producing for other artists?

Yes, and I have done so - www.remixrevolution.com features two records I worked on with Big D and The Kids Table. Strictly Mixed and Mashed is a remix/mashup album I did with their music. Rude Remix Revolution is a collection of others remixes and fan mixes and the like, which I compiled with the help of Dave McWane. I've also done officically sanctioned remixes for Heaven 17 (formerly Human League), The AKAs (feat Gym Class Heroes), Uncle Shaker, VBMN and Sonic Boom Six.

Basically I want to do whatever I think will be fun, and hopefully win some listeners. And I hope that at some point, I will get a little interest and I can make my own record a la Mark Ronson.

66. Worst song you've heard recently?

The Free Credit Report bullshits. I want to kill them.

70. What is a personal belief you hold that you would fight for to the death?

Free Credit Report.com commercials suck massive donkey balls. I will defend that with my life. Please do not provide any links to their horribleness. They should not in any way benefit from my hatred.

76. Dream collaboration?

Collaboration with any of the rappers I admire would be a dream come true. Public Enemy, De La Soul, Q-Tip and/or Fife Dog, KRS One, Kanye... or any of my "opening acts" above. And being able to pull a sample or two from a classic rock song (or a funk classic) without fear of being sued into the stone age would be quite gratifying!

80. Worst run-in with the law (to date)?

Sort of getting busted with weed. The campus cops snagged me late one night. Brought me to like a trailer/substation on campus. Pushed me to narc for hours. I told them nada. They finally released me at like dawn. No charges. Still proud to have not narced.

84. Most disappointing concert you ever attended?

This is a tough one. I am tempted to say Freddie Hubbard in Manhattan, 1992-3 ish. You may know him as the player of the horn riff (from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island") the 1990s rap group US3 used in their one hit song "Cantaloop." He was terrible. He could barely play. But his band was great- basically, they were respectful replicas of Hubbard's former contemporaries. There was a Coltrane-looking guy in a grey suit who dressed and played exactly like Coltrane. A Miles-looking guy, dressed in a red suit like Miles, with Miles' old trumpet, playing like Miles Davis. A piano player in a dashiki playing like Herbie Hancock. The only one who couldnt keep up was Freddie Hubbard, even though the young guys were carefully structuring everything around his pitiful, barely-able-to-make-a-note solos. And Hubbard was pretty angry about it. And the trainwreck was something to see. His band made him look worse, if anything.

90. Sexiest thing about you?

My penis.

91. Which single album should be in everybody's home?

The White Album (Beatles, natch). This record was formative for me. The range of styles, the dark patches (Helter Skelter, Piggies, Revolution 9), the Manson 'connection,' the sheer beauty of the more mellow tunes like "Blackbird" and "Mother Nature's Son"... there is so much here to love, scratch your head over, or both.

95. Do you ever read your own reviews?

Yes! If someone cares enough about me to review something, I care enough to read it!

96. The one thing that no one knows about you (yet)?

I am wonderful, yet I totally suck. I derserve large platters of cash to be brought to me by naked ladies. I like cats. My back hurts.

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Visit DJ BC's website here.

ALEATORY #3: Masaki Batoh of Ghost

Since 1984, Ghost has been a staple of Japan's incredible psych-rock scene. Led by Masaki Batoh, and featuring legendary guitarist Michio Kurihara (who played with Boris on 2007's incredible Rainbow, as well as with Damon & Naomi), Ghost's sound is ever-changing, and as such, impossible to pin down. From blistering hard rock to acid folk to sparse, spacey instrumentals to banjo-centric jams, Ghost does it all. Last year, they released their eighth full-length, In Stormy Nights, as well as Overture: Live in Nippon Yusen Soko 2006, a CD/DVD set chronicling a completely improvised show held in a warehouse, with the band separated from each other and the audience locked in for the duration.

Just back from a visit to the states, where he was touring with Helena Espvall of Espers and Damon & Naomi, Batoh gratefully agreed to take part in our third Aleatory questionnaire, in which he shares his love for the classics and displays a humble charm throughout.

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1. Favorite word?

"Monarch takes no heed of this miracle
But his hands are only used to persecute us on this ground"

— Agrippa d'Aubigné ["God"]

2. Favorite board game?

I don't do it. But a little Igo or Shogi.

5. Favorite piece of equipment?

Acoustic guitar, banjo.

10. Favorite lyric?

Seneca, Dante, Saisei Muroo, Rohan Koda, etc.

11. Favorite music video?

I don't have TV or DVD system.

15. Favorite exhibit or subject at the museum?

Hokusai at British museum. Buddhist statue at Japan national museum. Goya, Bruegel and Bosch in Madrid.

27. Favorite chord/chord progression?

I don't have any correct musical name on chords. Actually I don't play in standard tuning. Sorry, I'm very bad at musical knowledge.

31. Other than musician, what career would you most enjoy?

My occupation, acupuncture and moxhibation to cure people in sickness.

32. Best thing you learned this week/month?

How I love American people very much. But how I hate their government. "Honk to impeach!"

38. What is your family like?

Very ordinary, peaceful one outside of Tokyo.

46. Where do you keep things hidden? What do you keep hidden there?

Hide nothing. Drainage only.

60. What's the worst show you've ever played? What would you have done different?

In 1984 we were arrested because we played in front of [a] police building.

64. Weirdest promotion you've been a part of?

Oh Buddha, in-store show[s are] always very weird to me......

65. Ever see yourself penning the score/soundtrack to a TV show or film?

Soul is desertful*, directed by daughter of movie director who [did] Suspiria.

71. How well do you feel your music lends itself to remixing or being covered?

None did it, maybe.

74. Better to burn out or to fade away?

Better to cure everybody, hopefully by music, too.

79. Best concert you've ever been to?

In 1988, Live Temple show at Seiryu temple.

90. Sexiest thing about you?

No idea.

93. What was the longest show you ever played? What was different?

We always play very long in Japan. In foreign countries it used to be very short, at least 2 hours, because we usually play improvisation.

98. Would you say that there's somewhat of a political undertone to your music? If so, what motivates it?

Maybe yes. Because politics is ours, not for politicians who let slip the dogs of the WAR. If we say [we] agree to WAR, there's no insist[ence] for music.

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Visit Ghost's website.
Visit Ghost's page at Drag City Records.

Photo by Hiroyuki Ishii.

* DAVECAT: I'm not sure what film Batoh is referring to; I can find no reference to it online. I suspect the title he mentions is the result of translation from something (Italian? English?), to Japanese, then back to English, or (as is frequently the case) that one of her films was given a different name for its foreign release.

ALEATORY #2: Gotye

If you live outside of Australia, chances are pretty good you haven't gotten to hear Gotye—yet. At home, Gotye (the one-man act of Wally DeBacker) is an award-winning indie pop star, pulling down an ARIA (the Aussie Grammy) for best male artist in 2007 and a Most Outstanding New Independent Artist award in 2006 for his album Like Drawing Blood, which went gold.

Now Like Drawing Blood is hitting Europe and Japan later this year, behind lead single "Hearts A Mess," a track Davecat has been putting on pretty much every mixtape he's made since it came out. Everyone needs to hear this song (no, really), and now, soon, you'll be able to get the album without the hefty import fees (assuming you don't live on the left side of the map). Wally was kind enough to take some time from rocking the rest of the world to be our second Aleatory interviewee, and we couldn't be happier.

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9. Favorite song to start (or end) a mixtape with?

"In My Pants" by The Reddings. Defies description. Everyone should find outwhat this song is about.

10. Favorite lyric?

Well, I might as well elaborate a little on that Reddings track.

"There's a girl name [insert garbled name that rhymes with, um, something like "blurl" here], who took me round the world- every place she thought I should be. I said "hey- wait a minute. My rank as a lieutenant- in the army of the freaks". No sense. Absolute gold.

22. Favorite vice?

Nutella. With a side of nutella.

23. Favorite natural oddity?

Metamorphosis. CATERPILLARS TURN INTO BUTTERFLIES PEOPLE! HOLY SHIT!

27. Favorite chord/chord progression?

The one from the chorus of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". And also Urban Cookie Collective's "The Key, The Secret". And 65.37% of other pop songs ever written. It's something like C, G, Bb, F.

31. Other than musician, what career would you most enjoy?

Highway toll collector. Every day's different.

32. Best thing you learned this week/month?

CATERPILLARS TURN INTO BUTTERFLIES PEOPLE! Wait... I found that out last month. Hmmm... I learned about Iran's history (from a graphic novel called Persepolis). It's bloody terrible. And I felt both intensely thankful and guilty for the luxurious, safe and wasteful existence we enjoy/exploit in Australia and other parts of the western world.

34. What's the best joke you heard recently?

Apparently the shortest joke ever. Very American. Not very funny. But here it is: "Pretentious? Moi?"

35. What's the best place you've randomly discovered while on tour?

Having a roll of toilet paper on you at all times is incredibly helpful. Particularly when preparing to go on stage and beset by a last minute toilet call in a venue whose toilet you haven't checked out beforehand.

38. What is your family like?

Brilliant. Loving and inspiring and supportive. I'm incredibly lucky.

46. Where do you keep things hidden? What do you keep hidden there?

On my hard drive in a folder called "BoringSoftwareDriversYouWouldn'tEverNeedToLookAt". In it, there are LOLcats.

47. Biggest fear?

Someone discovering my LOLcats collection.

51. What are you currently obsessed with?

The newest record player I bought. It's a tiny model of a Volkswagon "combivan" (I dunno what folks outside Australia call this particular model of van) with a stylus attached to the bottom. It drives around vinyl you place on the floor, and has a little built in speaker to play the music. I bought it in New York and although it warbles, skates and has a terribly tinny sound, it's still the best record player ever.

54. So far in your career, what's been your proudest accomplishment?

Getting the first copies of the "Hearts A Mess" 7" single on vinyl. It's not really like I manufactured them, but it felt great to see my first vinyl release. The artwork looked brilliant, the vinyl master and cut was pretty good, I'm proud of the song, and I felt proud all over.

57. Most rock star thing you've ever done?

Admonishing the audience for yabbering loudly in the front row during a show. As it turns out, they were yabbering about how they wanted to bonk me. But all I heard was distracting chatter. Wait... the most rock star thing I've done is brag in an e-interview about fans discussing wanting to bonk me in the front row of one of my shows.

64. Weirdest promotion you've been a part of?

Promoting myself. It gets stranger every time I speak. Did you know I was born in an airoplane that crash-landed on the tip of K2? I crawled down the peak (at age 0, yes) and was raised by villagers until I left my adopted parents to become a world-famous pastry chef. Where did I go to begin my brilliant career? Antarctica of course. Great weather there.

68. Favorite interview you've ever been a part of (aside from this one, obviously)?

One in Japan where the fellow tried speaking English for an hour. He couldn't speak English. I just replied in Japlish-isms. Things like "YOU OUGHT TO GET DO SOME A LITTLE EXERCISE .EVERYDAY" and "ERIC CRAPTON".

71. How well do you feel your music lends itself to remixing or being covered?

It's fine I guess. Depends on who's doing the reworking.

86. With Radiohead's In Rainbows release and Nine Inch Nails doing boffo business with his online releases, do you see yourself ever doing some alternative kind of release for any of your future projects?

It's something I've been thinking about for the next record. Not that I've got the massive profile and existing fan base to be able to support such adventurous and progressive release strategies. But you gotta think big, and original, to get places.

88. What's your deepest source for musical inspiration?

The deep, deep boom of an 808 deep kick drum on the bottom of the deepest deep house track you've ever deeped. I mean heard. It's so deep I almost experience brown note response.

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Visit Gotye's website.

Photo by James Bryans.