Frequencies of Power and Pain: An interview with Petheaven

Anya and I were supposed to meet at Gaylord’s coffee on Piedmont ave, but to make a long story short that location didn't happen. I ended up sitting in a quiet corner of a Chinese restaurant with pink table cloths and sipping tea waiting for her with an extra cup.

“The concept of Petheaven is more of a ritual ”. They are these sort of spells we cast out to survive in this world.” describes Anya, founding member of Petheaven.  In May of 2013,  she started out as a solo act doing guitar and vocals, doing one-off shows and doing bedroom recordings. Just a few years later she invited her musician friends Izzy and Rory from Spit Tips to create a three-piece formation, at least until they both relocated to Portland. For the next few months the project returned to it’s original solo state until Dec of 2016 when ungraspable events occurred in Anya’s life as well as friend and drummer Zoe Stiller. Losing both of their partners in the Ghostship fire, they banded together in music to help them cope, heal and tell a story. 

     Their live shows makes you feel like you are being taken into an esoteric catacomb of the human spirit, where they fill the dark stone walls with resonating guitars tinged with “sweet 90’s PJ Harvey grunge rock dreams” (maybe even a little reminiscent of early Hole), jazz ruled drums, and haunting lyrics that touch you to your innermost fiber. You may be surprised how moved you feel by this self-described “singer-songwriter” tour-de-force. Petheaven provides "gaps and moments to take a look and see into yourself”  and that’s all they want from this project….

“I mean I guess we COULD do the interview here, but doesn’t that feel like a scene out of some 1970’s documentary interviewing Richard Hell about NYC punk?!” I stated while we were cracking up sitting at the table  drinking our lukewarm Oolong tea and waiting for the check.   Our punk rock fantasies  faded as they were about to close. So we headed to the sanctity and privacy of my living room kitchen across the lake, where it was just us, the fishes and their water filter bubbling in the background. 

“Which color candle do you want to light?” I asked her while lighting some moon incense. 

“Let’s light this one, it's Cash’s favorite color” she said as she picked up the dark blue tapered candle.  Sitting by the open window to the backyard I found myself honored to have her peaceful, mindful presence in my company,  to be invited to hear about her musical “diary” and the depth of her tribulations on creating and “being” in this world.  

 So I heard you are coming out with new stuff. I’m really excited to hear more material from you. Tell me about what you’ve got coming out!

Basically the new stuff will be kind of the culmination of what Zoe and I have been doing together as Petheaven. Our new stuff is cool, not only is it a studio recording (Skot B)  that we are really proud of but its what each of us brought to this project- rather than it just being my solo project.

 I really love the way you both sound together. You wouldn't expect something to sound so rich and full just using guitar and drums.

 We use a lot of pedals on my guitar to create the soundscapes and also a little bit of magic. I know we are kind of haunted in a way so I think it makes our sound a little bigger. 

 Yes, I remember you actually saying that in between songs at Oakland Secret in February of this year, that you are kind of “haunted” in a way.  That was a magical set. I think you played four songs…  I totally cried. I was moved in a whole new way. That doesn't really happen to me at live shows, even if it is a truly sad song or something like that. You hit me in the deepest realm that no one really gets too often.

 I’m glad that you can access that part of yourself. People come up to me a lot and say that “I cried and I wasn’t expecting to”. I’m glad. Maybe you were seeing a different world or a different emotional realm. That is why that band exists now. At first it was a place to put all of my stories, all the ghost stories in my mind; all of the anger and all of the trauma that I have experienced. For Zoe and I, this is our outlet ever since what happened in December (Ghosthship tragedy). It’s like channeling a frequency of pain and of power. Casting your own protection spells and being honest with your own emotions. The different layers of instrumentation can work to present itself in a way that lets you access that point if that makes sense. It makes me want to cry when I hear that other people cry (listening to our stuff). All I can hope is that someone can access our stories. 

 You mentioned gathering this “power”. That’s exactly what I was thinking about you today as I was listening to your older material. There is this raw power and strength in this beautiful sadness that kept coming up for me. That’s a really potent combination. Your vocal range and intonations sometimes remind me of a Diamanda Galas.It’s wild, deep sad, powerful, angelic. How is this all happening at once?

 I don’t think it is mutually exclusive. I don’t think it is different things. I just think it’s total expression. I appreciate that comparison. Cash always said (my voice) had a Kate Bush/Diamanda sound. I was thinking “Wow, that’s a pretty big comparison”. I've never felt "here". I think my voice is some dead lady that lives inside of me that tells stories. I Use the voice as an instrument. Im a guitar nerd. we have a lot of jazz elements it too. It’s like a cloud, rather than a genre

 Going back to that show I saw earlier this year (Oakland Secret feb. 2017) Oh god…. Being so soon after December,  I thought some of those songs were directly related to you and Zoe both losing your partners ( Cash Askew and Feral Pines). Some of those songs felt like they were created out of this huge unimaginable loss. Then I found out these songs were written previously, in 2013.

 Yes! Previous. Yes I think a lot of that has been solidified in losing her. Cash was (and this went for either one of us) she was right in front, the first person there at the show. She gave me the love and strength to perform.  that was preventing me from going up there and doing it. I was in a very dark head space, in a very dark body space and she was my light. She was so proud of me. I am so proud of her. all the love and music we hold together. I just just hope I keep making her proud.

Yes…..I remember that…… You were saying you were coming from a dark space in your early Petheaven days. In a sense your early stuff was based in a much more solitary view. How does it compare now? What’s the view like? Is it more focused on your relationship with Cash now?

 It’s not all Cash. But she will be a part of it forever. She will be in every band I’m in. She will be forever tweaking my pedal boards. She will always be doing my sound. Because that’s what she did. She was everything to me. Music, for each of us, was our most important thing. As musicians (music) is one of the only ways we communicate and one of the ways we have found solace. The only other way to find a sort of therapy is to find your other half. Then to have them taken from you is totally uncharted territory. I can't even really explain it. 

Right, like “Fear of Dark Water” sounds like it could be written about your experience losing your other half, yet it stems from a different experience. That was one of the songs I heard at that O.S show that I thought was directly related to the fire. 

 My previous songs were more like ghost stories. That song “Fear of Dark Water” was written one night I woke up in the middle of the night. It was like a gash into my psyche. It is definitely a ghost story. This song is about someone who opens up a photo album and sees her great grandmother.she sees her face in her face. she knows her story. she never met her great grandmother, but she knows she took her own life a long time ago, and her family looked at it as shameful. She was deeply abused. She ends up being put in an asylum because she won’t keep quiet about what has been done. So, there, in the garden she takes her life because she couldn’t choose how she lived, she could only choose how she died.  Oddly enough, the lyrics (to “Fear of Dark Water”) kind of correspond to what my life is at this point: “ I will choose how I die”........ It’s subconscious. Petheaven is like the ephemera of the mind…how are you going to deal with the shit and come out strong in the end…

That’s exactly how I feel when I listen to your material.

I'm so glad. (The)  “I will choose how I die” (is something that I)  hope is true for all of us, figuratively.

Those lyrics really hit me hard at that live show. 

We all have strength, and for me, sometimes that’s the only thing that keeps me going. I was blessed to have the most amazing person in my life. cash is heavenly.  I just wish she could hear it.

She’s always at your shows…….( candle warmly glowing)

(teary laughter) She’s always at my shows! I would hope she would be there! ...... I miss my loves, I miss my heart. So the music is the only way to fill the void……. We are a two-piece but we might be a four-piece. We might have some beautiful ghosts in the band. 

 What are some of your favorite tunes to listen to? 

One of my favorite is Charles Mingus “Myself when I am real”. It’s a piano piece. If you are ever alone, light a candle, listen to it.  That song is how I feel. It dances and it cries and it speaks to spirits in the room. Another recommendation for the readers is Gloria Ann Taylor “What’s Your world?”  It’s some haunted crackling soul. Those were my friends when I was young. Jazz is where my heart is. and of course stuff like Klaus Nomi, Kate Bush, Diamanda Galas. There’s so many.

Where did the name Petheaven come from? By the way,  I love the font! It kind of reminds me of The Dick Van Dyke show font!

( All of a sudden we thought we got a blast of some old school heavy duty cologne through the open window. It was truly overwhelming and distractingly funny)

Damn, is that cologne? Somebody's got some Old Spice up in  here!! DRAKKAR NOIR!

That is some Old Ass Spice!!!!  Someone is going on a hot date!

(Room mate comes into living room to admit it was his incense and apologizes sheepishly)

So, yes the name…I was once at this pet hospital and on the ceiling was this panel of a sky with all this pets looking down on you. It was really depressing and I got obsessed with this idea of a pet heaven. I’ve always had this intense connection to dogs. I just like the name, I think it’s endearing. Plus i’ve always felt like more of a pet than a human anyway. Petheaven is one word for us! People always think it’s two!

So in your future albums what format do you think you'll release it on? Another cassette? vinyl?

I think vinyl! Plus I’ve got some original Petheaven art by Cash. So yeah, we gotta do it.

 We will release an EP. 2-3 songs.  “Spellbreaker”, “My house” and “Fortune” will be on there- so stay tuned!

You think you'll keep it a two-piece between you and Zoe?

Yeah! I think its working! We could sample bass some day if we wanted…  Zoe is such an incredible talent and I am thankful every day that we met and that we can do this project together doing shows and showing people our heart. at the end of the day we can be Petheaven together. We can’t be molded or changed sonically.   

Make sure to find yourself at the next Petheaven show!

Give the Noise a Beat! Machina #2 is here!

   Devyn Saturnus of Esomoprhic records rematerializes this friday 6/16 with his curated  Machina night “a multi-sensory night of esotronic//dungeon acid//industrial tech//modular synth and evilutionary visuals”.  This is the second one that he has curated and involves musicians from his own label as well as musicians from the bay-area based electronic collectives Katabatik and 5lowershop. Devyn tells us about the featured artists, his musings on our Oakland scene and remembering Obscura Machina. Listen to this teaser track while you read!

********* In this interview the events of Dec. 2 2016 that took place in Oakland are mentioned. I am still very sensitive to this subject and wanted to let you know what to expect  before reading*******

So Machina #2 is underway! Tell me more about musicalfungus as he is on your label Esomorphic records.  

I met Chris (musicalfungus) in passing at “that one thing in the desert”, many a past life ago. At the time, all I really knew of him was his affiliations with certain crews in the west coast bass culture. Essentially I found through social media he started collecting and building modular synths, which always piques my interest, and its been fun watching him explore these machines, getting to a point where he was ready to explore this in an album. I forget the initial communication we made (the sea of faces on social media can do that..) but he shot me what is now DEMON CORE. Instantly I fell in love, threw it up on Esomorphic Records and booked him a show. You can also consider this Machina as MFungus’ cassette debut show. Be sure to pick it up! He’s from Santa Cruz, so catch him while he’s in town!  I’m confident his modular magickal conjurings will be quite the treat, improvised through real circuits and currents, experienced and released into the aether, audio spore frequencies settling into the fertile dirt of our senses .

You've also got some guys from 5lowershop and Katabatik that night as well.

Yes, not to be missed is Hakuin, the pseudonym from Justin Rafferty from 5lowershop who will be starting the night off with his signature brand of psychedelic hardcore IDM, an alchemy of styles and aesthetics revealing machine whispers and warnings from beyond.. He is an absolute genius and I’m very excited to see what he has in store for us. 

Hakuin

And if this doesn’t already sound like the show of the summer, we have Scarford. It felt like a long shot asking a Veteran from Katabatik to perform at this very new event, but the timing was apparently perfect for Scott Arford to deliver unto us a new beast, Scarford. Recently released is an EP under the newly formed Katabatik record label. "Who You Are" is a funky, dark, and fresh approach to EBM and industrial. He's definitely standing out from a style that is easy to rely on "what has been done". It's obvious that Scarford is a beast that only Scott can tame with hard beats, stabbing bass lines in a sinister mid tempo range that personally grips my rib cage and shakes me....I can't wait to hear it on the system at The Night Light and if anyone had an second thoughts on attending Machina the chance to see this new entity should change your mind.

Scarford

I love the "dark disco" notes that Scarford is doing, plus I haven't seen any 5lowershop sets in awhile so this should be pretty interesting. 

Yes, quite the variety show. ((((((******TRIGGER WARNING********)))))) It goes without saying that our rather tight-knit community took a blow half a year ago and i’m doing my best to fill in the void we now face from the comrades we lost. Im extremely inspired by my band mate and good friend Micah Danemeyer. He pretty much paved the way as I worked with him under his label Discarded and as a semi-regular performer at his monthly Obscura Machina shows, where, in case you were wondering, is a direct nod and tribute to his energy before us, not stealing, but reminding us who brought our “scenes” together under his mutant vision.  My intention is to continue the platform for all of us weirdos to get our stuff out there and have it be heard, guided as a new label and collective entity. The unofficial “theme” of Esomorphic is “””bringing the underground... above ground”””, considering our DIY spaces are all at risk right now. Our options from my observations are very small house shows or trying to convince venues that people will actually come to these shows to subject themselves to such challenging outsider electronics. I have to thank Jason Kick over at The Night Light for his continued support and understanding and for giving us weekend dates. I knew that Micah had been booking and promoting shows for years and it took him so long for him to finally break even. I have to thank him for his tireless effort doing the good work for all of us, a gift that we should never take for granted. He set the stage for us to pick it up and to keep the legacy and tradition alive.

That was everything I would have wanted to have said about this situation, and you worded it so eloquently. It's still hard for me to write the right words about all that has happened. I'm so happy that this is still going on. It really carries an essence of him. 

   Everything everywhere is different now as far as what our culture is like. There is a time before the event in question and there is the time afterwards. Everything was different before and now its different after it. We have to somehow find it in ourselves to manage the harsh realities that we have before us and try to make the best of the situation.

Red Cellar

I think that is all we can do at this point. 

We got a lot of very mixed attention to the event that happened a year ago. So many media outlets from corporate media to small personal blogs. To some it was a tragedy and to some it was a bunch of stupid ravers that got what was coming to them. Although I can spend time just feeling absolutely SICK about that I want to transmute that energy and push it further into the mainstream attention and show them we aren’t just a bunch of stupid raver kids. We are doing something unique and special and we have the ability to transform culture. Such as Wax Trax! ...Some of the artists on there looked like a bunch of rag tag junkie criminals and you wouldn't think they would create a whole subculture and make an impact world wide. If you did, you probably would have been laughed at. But now you have Ministry, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, KMFDM all these bands which have defied all mainstream logic and have gotten to tour world wide and ultimately transformed peoples’ lives. I think that the culture that we have here in Oakland has the ability to achieve similar things. I’m going to try my best to make that a reality and I invite anyone to join me on this potentially crazy ride. Make some thing real and impacting happen,together, and see where it takes us. 

You've got the drive and the spirit. So this is your first self promoted show as Red Cellar. Are you still doing Regretamine?

Yes, I have a pattern of splintering projects. Regretamine started off as an outlet for underground hard acid techno, ultimately dance music. Something I had never tried to do. But after moving to Oakland and going to Katabatik parties I realized how much of an impact electronic music can have and of course putting you down dark spin on it to reflect the very strange times we live in- yes, even techno can be social commentary!

There’s definitely a place for it!

Red Cellar happened was a collaboration with Micah. So then I had two outsider “dance” music projects going- of course the term “dance” music is used very loosely here hahah! Give the noise a damn beat basically! So I got inspired to do electronic music songwriting with more tradtional song structures. At this point I’m working on a full length album for Regretamine, which is me doing synth and keyboard and vocals. That’s being cooked up in my Regretamine lab! 12-13 tracks in progress but I'm going to keep it a secret until I can unleash it. I also have the noise outlet Neural Eunuch in the Esomorphic catalog. That’s a much looser project with the intention of having revolving artists- whoever wants to come in and make some noise. I have hours and hours of music to sift through. I probably have enough for four or five EP’s right now but of course I have other things that are more pressing with deadlines.

How Does Red Cellar compare to Regretamine? 

Red Cellar's mutant vibe is undoubtedly the mark of Micah’s work. It’s less improvised than it used to be with the two of us jamming out, but my approach is to collect an arsenal of sound to appease whatever spirits I happen to conjure during the live performance ritual. The circle will be cast beyond the cellar door and I invite you all for these incantations and ecstatic dances that follow.......

The Original Red Cellar Line up- Devyn Saturnus and Micah Danemeyer

Transport yourself over to Machina this Friday 6/16 !!!!
The Night Light at 311 Broadway St. in Oakland

Dj Sailor Saturn will be spinning in between sets too!

Visuals by Sinest

OK, this is the POPTONE! An Interview with Kevin Haskins on his post-Bauhaus revival tour

Kevin Haskins needs no introduction. This year the legendary drummer for Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, and Tones on Tail has reunited with former bandmate Daniel Ash (vocals and guitar) and his daughter Diva (bass) to form the supergroup Poptone — referencing the Public Image Limited song "Poptones" — who will be performing a career retrospective of his bands' songs. 

For many this is a dream show, as Tones on Tail hasn't performed since the early '80s. I remember  listening to "Rain" and "Lions" while languidly laying in the folded-down backseat of my 1982 Dodge Aries woody station wagon, staring out into a 2 a.m. sky through the rear windows and writing in my composition notebook all the lush poetries that come from the nocturnal stirrings of youth. Let us not forget the afternoon bike rides while singing to the Love and Rockets album Express and glimmering on the inside with verve and a sense of mystique. 

I was curious to know more about this long-awaited resurgence from Kevin Haskins, as I always sort of viewed him as a wallflower in terms of his other more vociferous bandmates from the past. A quick and humble interview prior to their Regency Ballroom show in San Francisco is what I got from Mr. Haskins, and I couldn't be more pleased to experience this sonic rarity live. 

Poptone

I read in different interviews that Daniel Ash had a revelation in the early hours of morning about how he wanted to do live shows again after a decade in hiatus. What was your reaction when he wanted to do Tones on Tail again? To me, the Tones on Tail fans I know have been dying to see you tour once again and always wondered why it didn't happen sooner. 

Basically [Daniel Ash] wanted to play songs that he had written and sang on, so that really formed the set list. However, the majority of songs are TOT. I am very pleased that we are playing predominantly TOT songs. I know from talking to people I bump into at shows that they have been anticipating hearing Tones on Tail music live for a long time. I really love the music of TOT and it's very exciting and fulfilling playing those songs again. 

Tones on Tail was such an incandescent and dynamic project. It's still so evocative and fresh today. Why was it so short-lived and close-kept back when you first started? I know you only toured Europe and the U.S. once. 

It was down to musical differences for the most part.

The Poptone tour seems very well received so far! The footage I've seen looks like it's a really well-executed show and there has been so much excitement buzzing about it. How does it feel performing these Tones on Tail songs live after 3 decades? 

It's a great deal of fun and I'm happy that people who were either too young, or missed seeing our various bands, get to hear the songs live.

What is [original Tones on Tail bassist] Glenn Campling up to these days? Why was he not interested in resurrecting these songs? How did your daughter get involved in the project? I know she was in Blackblack.

I'm not sure what Glenn is up to. I think that he's working as a graphic artist. He designed our current Tones on Tail shirts, which I think look fantastic. We didn't approach Glenn or David J as it felt more appropriate to have a neutral bass player. I couldn't really picture either of them playing each other's basslines. Diva also brings a different dynamic to the table, which is fresh and exciting.

Tones on Tail: Glenn Campling, Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins

It must be a truly unique experience playing these career-defining songs with your daughter. You must get along very well! What's the dynamic like?

It's quite surreal at times, glancing to my right and seeing her play on stage with me! We get along really well and share similar interests. She has a beautiful old soul and inspires me almost every day.

Returning to your older material, how does it feel in today's music scene? Does it feel like the "scene" used to be better years ago? Are there any newer acts you are into these days? 

Thankfully our music feels very fresh and relevant still. I'm really into our current support band called Pow!

Love and Rockets

What do you like to do in your off time? What does a day in the life of Kevin Haskins look like?

It depends what I'm doing career-wise. Poptone has completely absorbed all my time for the past three months. It's incredible the amount of work it takes, especially as we're very hands-on. 

Has there ever been a moment when you have been out in public and one of your songs from your previous projects comes on and it becomes a surreal moment for you? 

Not really, although [I was] surprised to hear our songs in Urban Outfitters.

You've been composing for film and video games for quite some time now, since 1998. Are you working on any projects right now?

I placed the composing on the back burner for the last two years to work on my coffee table book. It's coming out in October and is called Bauhaus Undead. It's a lot of photos, drawings, writings from the band, and assorted memorabilia. The content is exceptional and unique. I'm very excited that it's finally being published! It will be available on Cleopatra Records, Amazon, and selected book stores.

It seems like every major city in the U.S. is suffering from gentrification or a homogenization in terms of the arts and subculture. What is your take on the current scene/mood in L.A. these days? 

Not happy about the current urbanization of Hollywood.

What are your favorite songs to revisit on this tour?

Mainly the Tones on Tail material because it's so eclectic and unique.

I've read that Bauhaus and the like didn't set out to make necessarily "goth" music, but it just sort of placed in that category. How does it feel to be a part of so many people's romantic memories of "goth" music?

It doesn't really concern me as to which category we are placed in. I feel blessed to have had and to continue having such an incredible career. I feel truly blessed and grateful every day. 

A young Kevin and Daniel in the inimitable Bauhaus

Poptone is currently on tour! Make sure you get out there to see them! 

GO!