The Frequency

It's Wednesday and I am still barely recovered from the 1st Big Frequin' Weekend. Thank you to the bands, people who came out, and venues (great hosts). Looking forward to year 2.

Thank you to everyone that came out and watched Hottt Probs, Pink Frost and The Giraffes destroy the stage at Crucible.

Tonight is evening 2 @ Gamma Ray Bar!

Today we meet the man behind the drums, the most important part of the band imo. Dec and Madison Drum Makers - MDM are providing the backline drums for this year's fest. Dec kicks a lot of ass.

MADISON DRUM MAKERS

1) Where are you from, Dec?

Originally from Green Bay. Moved to West Bend after High School to go to MPTC for Screen Printing in 1995. The next year moved to Madison to go to MMI. Have been in Madison ever since.

2) What is the MDM origin story?

Andy Roemer had the idea of making drums for him and his bands. He was playing with a band that was playing FEST is Gainesville, FL so he asked if MDM could sponsor the FEST and they said yes. We needed to build 6 drum kits for them in about 6 months time. We ended up sponsoring FEST for 3 years.

3) How long have you played drums?

I have been playing drums since I was 10 when my Mom got me a drum kit for Christmas. She tried to keep it hidden in her room until Christmas, but I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and saw it in her room. When I woke up the next morning I asked if it was a dream seeing a drum kit in there. I ended up getting the kit earlier than Christmas Day.

4) How many bands have you played with throughout the years, and what bands are you in currently?

From High School I’ve pretty much always been in a band. Starting off with a band called Bee-Knees and Weenies, we did an unsuccessful midwest tour in which our van died and we had to rent a U-Haul to get home. Then was in a band called The Monos as well as a band called Lantz Lamour. Both bands did a short run out to California and back. On this run, we lost a wheel on the trailer and the driver kept driving with it gone. The hub ground down to nothing and we had to ditch the trailer and put everything into the van. After that I was in Things Fall Apart releasing 2 CD’s on Crustacean Records. We also did a few small tours. I am currently in the Warhaks, a working class punk band as well as Iron Metal Jackson, a Thrash Metal cover band.

5) You have a ton of live sound experience. Do you prefer indoor or outdoor venues for drums?

I would have to say I prefer indoor venues. There is no issue of weather, so the show should be able to go on. As far as sound, I think if you have a good sound engineer, they can make the drums sound good indoor or outdoor.

6) Why is the drummer the most important part of the band?

I have heard on multiple occasions that “Your band is only as good as your drummer.” If the band has a good drummer, everything else will fall into place. The backbone of music is the beat, if you have a bad backbone, it won’t stand up.

7) What's the best drummer joke you have ever heard?

What do you call a person that hangs out with a bunch of musicians? A drummer.

8) Are you prepared for a zombie apocalypse?

I am completely prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse, but I cannot disclose any further information.

9) Do drummers care about AI at all?

I asked the AI overlords what they thought and this is what they said. Drummers have complex and varied feelings about AI, ranging from concern about their future to using AI tools to enhance their practice and creativity. AI's effect on drummers is not a simple "care or don't care" issue but a nuanced mix of opportunities and threats. Overall, the drumming community views AI as a powerful tool for musical production and education, rather than a direct replacement for human talent. The general sentiment is that while AI can replicate patterns and enhance efficiency, it lacks the unique human elements of emotional depth, creative improvisation, and stage presence that define a real drummer's contribution to music. The most forward-thinking musicians will likely be those who embrace and adapt to these new technologies, using them to expand their creative toolkit rather than viewing them as a threat.

10) Give us a reason to have hope in these weird times?

A good reason to have hope in these unprecedented, crazy, hectic, exhausting, and frustrating times is to remember we are all community. Music brings all walks of life together, gives us a healthy outlet for emotional expression, and fosters resilience. Go see live music, talk to people, stop hate.

Today, we observe the last band performing the 1st Big Frequin' Weekend, Government Zero. We waited until the last minute, the band would probably say it's About Time. Which happens to be the title of their new CD. You can get it tomorrow at Gamma Ray Bar! Thanks to Tim for putting up with me pestering him to play.

GOVERNMENT ZERO

https://govzero.bandcamp.com

1) Verified band members and function?

Grampa Chris - guitar and vocals,
Timothy Zero - lead vocals and guitar,
Conners - bass and vocals,
Jonny 5 - drums and... vocals?

2) Where does the band hail from?

Madison, WI

3) How long has the band existed?

20 fu**in' years!

4) Do you have new music you are promoting?

Yep! Our brand new album, "About Time," available on CD and vinyl (soon)!

5) Did the band ever perform at The Frequency?

Did we EVER! Sorry about the smell.

6) What is the band reading / watching?

T - 80s commercials on YouTube
C - Nerdy sci-fi
J5 - Classy p**n
G - Facebook memories

7) Give us 5 bands we may not know but should?

1. The Takeaways
2. Brash Menagerie
3. Old Goodbyes
4. You First
5. Eddie Ate Dynamite

(Shameless self promotion? That would involve having SHAME)

8) Which band member will survive a zombie apocalypse, and who will be the first to go?

Jonny 5 says he's the first to go. He doesn't want to *gestures at America* but WITH zombies.
Tim will die second. He'll try warding off the zombies with a polite chat.
Conners and Gramps will both be bitten immediately. So.. I guess that counts as surviving?

9) Will AI (not A1) destroy civilization?

(Insert gif of Stephen Colbert crossing his fingers)

10) Give us a reason to have hope in these weird times?

"Life on this planet is rough
So help out the weak if you're tough
And maybe someday man will color the gray
And we'll say to ourselves 'That's Enough'"

Today we meet The Giraffes. I won't blather on and on about how great this band is. Come see for yourselves tomorrow night at Crucible!

THE GIRAFFES

1) Verified band members and function?

Damien Paris: guitar.
Andrew Totolos: drums.
Hannah Moorhead: bass.
Aaron Lazar: vocals.

2) Where does the band hail from?

Giraffes were formed in 1996 in Brooklyn, and we are all still hanging on to life in the ever-gentrifying NYC.

3) How long has the band existed?

1996 with Damien and Drew playing with Tim Kent on bass. Aaron joined in 2000 on vocals.

4) Do you have new music you are promoting?

We released Cigarette this last year on vinyl. It's been called "thickly compelling," so I guess that makes it more like a camel wide or something?

5) Did the band ever perform at The Frequency?

Oh yes, nothing but love for the Frequency, and I think Damien and Drew still wear their Freq shirts.

6) What is the band reading / watching?

I am finishing Yuri Slezkine's The House of Government, an exhaustive book examining the lives of a few generations of soviet artists and functionaries who all lived in one housing complex in Moscow dedicated to the elect of the soviet Nomenclature. It's amazing. Highly recommend.

7) Give us 5 bands we may not know but should?

Lollygagger
Oomasooma
Fumaca Preta
Last meal
D'NT

8) Which band member will survive a zombie apocalypse, and who will be the first to go?

Damien would for sure survive, I think he'd be stoked for a zombie flood of stumbling gore to come his way. Drew would survive through sheer Greek will and firepower. Hannah would survive by creating a large community of followers and acolytes that will defend her to the death. I am already undead, so....

9) Will AI (not A1) destroy civilization?

No but Sam Altman might.

10) Give us a reason to have hope in these weird times?

There are maybe 900 or so people on earth who truly want things to be this fu**ed up, and there are 9 billion of us.