Akaname Interview

Akaname, pronounced Ah-kah-nah-meh, for those who are unfamiliar with the band's moniker, is in the process of recording the follow up to "Filthlicker", a new EP entitled "Faith And Other Evolutionary Obstacles". This will be their first release as an instrumental band. I was recently in contact with Otis, the bands drummer, about the bands past, present, and future.

[Background (2002-2006)]

For those who are not familiar with Akaname, when and how was the band formed?

Otis: I originally crossed paths with Matt and Ben while on a holiday in Australia in 2001. I was scoping out Melbourne with the intention of moving there and met them randomly at a local cafe. They were awesome dudes and we were into a lot of the same bands. I’d been playing in jazz groups back in NZ but wanted to do something heavier, so it seemed like there was a potential golden triangle for something new with these guys. But when I returned to Wellington I got stuck back into the old trappings and the Melbourne plan never eventuated. Later in 2005 they both materialized in Wellington with all their shit - amazing! I'd been chipping away at some guitar/drum ideas on an old 4-track in the years between, so there was already a starting point. In retrospect, my choice of residential country seems arbitrary - the golden triangle was an inescapable fate. I'd met Swampy at a show up the line in 2004, but a year later he turned up in Wellington with his bags looking for a room and there was one going in my building. We all met Kallie a little while later at the final show of her d-beat band, Sparkle Motion. She was keen to get involved and it all kinda fell into place from there... that was the birth of Gomorrah.

What inspired the name change from Gomorrah to Akaname?

Otis: The name Gomorrah was never going to be a keeper. We decided to do our first live show at a house party at the warehouse we were living in - this was before we'd even given thought to a name. That show crept up fast. We'd thrown some names around at the time but they were all pretty bad. We put Gomorrah on the poster because it was the least crap in the pool and we simply couldn't agree on anything better at the time. It stuck for a lot longer than it should have. A little later on (as the Filthlicker recording was nearing completion) it became obvious that we weren't that psyched on Gomorrah, plus it turned out there were already a few bands registered with the name. We needed something original and we needed it before the ep came out. I don’t remember how we arrived at Akaname exactly, but we'd been passing around Japanese Yokai names and it seemed to fit.

Can you explain what Akaname means, and why the name is significant to you?

Otis: An Akaname is a creature in Japanese mythology that inhabits bathrooms and feeds on human waste. The ep title - Filthlicker is the literal english translation of Akaname. We always knew our music was going to be a broader mixture of sounds so it made more sense that any potential name should be more esoteric and not leaning too heavily in any particular direction. Akaname seemed to fit our vibe. We definitely didn't want a wanky 3 word phrase-name like "Breaching December's Anus" or whatever. (Really though - a lot of those haircut band-names are ridiculous).

[‘Filthlicker' Release (2007)]

In January of 2007 Akaname entered Inca Studios to record their debut EP entitled ‘Filthlicker'. It was later mastered by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio (Cephalic Carnage, etc.). What was the recording process like and how do you feel about the way the recording turned out?

Otis: Inca was our first real lesson as a band. We failed to have a pre-studio game-plan and it showed as the recording session progressed. Our music has always developed slowly over fragmented periods, so we'd often get polarized over how some parts should be played and end up with 3 different versions of the same part. This factor caused a few decision-making headaches as the clock was running. Also Alex was so fresh to the fold that he was still learning riffs during the recording. His guitar tracking for the ep actually preceeded his first live show with us. We were swamped with choices and everyone had varying opinions and expectations. Mike Gibson (the chief engineer) was a totally zen and helped us simplify and isolate what was necessary to the songs. He was one of those less-is-more engineers... more interested in getting natural tones than cookie-cutting a certain genre sound. The final mixes were big, rounded and warm. They didn’t have a metallic quality to them until they got to Dave Otero. In the end, it was our debut release and we were pretty stoked with the results we got for the price we paid.

‘Filthlicker' was released on Debello Recordings (Destroyer Destroyer, S.W.W.A.A.T.S., Zatokrev, etc.) on December 18, 2007. How did the opportunity to work with Debello Recordings come about?

Otis: I wanted a Destroyer Destroyer tee but didnt have a credit-card. The Debello site encouraged people to conceal cash in the order so I taped it to the inside sleeve of a shitty demo cd and sent the payment as a demo-submission. I was never really expecting anything other than the shirt in reply. Months later we got a message from Debello saying they liked the demo and about the possibility of doing a release with them. We were still waiting for Dave Otero to complete the Filthlicker mastering at this point. It seemed like a good idea to have label-support outside of our own territory. We were planning to release the ep on our own but it was rad to be approached before we'd even released anything. It felt like there was little to lose so we rolled with it.

What kind of feedback have you received about ‘Filthlicker' and are you pleased with the response it has had thus far?

Otis: When you are a metal band based on an isolated island in the South Pacific, it's hard to know the true scope of any external response, especially without touring that country. Our unfamiliarity with the US has left us with a large question mark over our heads in regards to the actual impact of the ep over there. We know it did well in New Zealand because we took it directly to local audiences and got rid of most of our allocated copies at shows. But NZ is a self-contained microcosm - it's not hard to connect with your fans in your own backyard, especially when the population is so small. But aside from online feedback, we've been unable to grasp any kind of tangible perspective on US promotion/distribution. Evidence has been fairly limited (excluding torrent sites in the Soviet Republic haha). Since Filthlicker's release we've been restricted by location and lack of funds which has prevented us from touring beyond our home territory. In any case - label or not - we believe good promotion and touring would be the true acid-test. This is something we've yet to pursue outside of Australasia, but we have our sights set on US and European tours in the near future.

Where did you draw your influences from musically for this record and what was some of the lyrical content about?

Otis: When we recorded Filthlicker, we were a lot more anchored in the abrasive end of the spectrum. The initial bass/gat/drums triangle always wanted to be more dynamic-sensitive and multi-dimensional, but the writing and work shopping disciplines as a whole weren't fully developed at that early stage. Alex was from a straight-up grindcore background too, his playing and Kallies vocal style put a definitive fence around the early sound. We're all fans of most heavy styles to varying degrees; but for Filthlicker we were trying to achieve a sound in line with our more unusual influences; bands like Kobong, Thordendals Special Defects, Cephalic Carnage, King Crimson etc. The weird shit. We weren’t trying to be all straight blast beats, trill-picking and squeelies. Although the sound on Filthlicker wasn't as pummeling as a lot of the bands we admire, I think we found a common ground within our individual influences. As for lyrics, I don’t think Kallie ever imparted them to us aside from the lyric on the back of the ep sleeve and a line she doctored from a Napoleon Dynamite coffee mug (Liger). She was always quite reserved about them. It was like "as long as she keeps sounding like that it doesn’t matter what she's singing". We were always more concerned with the instrumentation and that's the way I always perceived the vocals. I have a hunch that a lot of her phrases were merely amorphous phonetics. We may never know.

Since the time you recorded the material in early 2007, you have had a lot of time to listen and play tracks from the record. If you were to record this release over again, is there anything that you would do differently?

Otis: I don’t think we could ever try to approximate Filthlicker again. We've actually been listening back on a lot of earlier material lately; the apparent differences are pretty major. It's a different animal now. Since the first ep we've experienced more changes than most bands might expect between releases. Our writing disciplines have evolved and we've whittled down to a 4-piece. We are musically united by progression and this requires us to be looking forward.

[The Shift (2008)]

During and after the release of ‘Filthlicker', Akaname encountered numerous different obstacles. First, was the announcement that Kallie would be stepping down as the vocalist of Akaname. At that time, how did you feel the band's future as a result of her departure?

Otis: With all due respect to Kallie - as an incredible human and amazing vocalist, her approach to the band after the Filthlicker recording became more of an obstacle in itself. Her involvement behind the scenes was always quite hands-off, but she began to exclude herself more as the band developed. She would rarely rehearse with us and would often require a lot of liquor to perform. This would go awry as often as it went well. In the end Kallie became more of a co-exister, than a unified part of the band. Things went this way for a time and when it was finally addressed, her departure were already set in motion, yet without ill-feeling... it was mutually liberating. Our paths just led us in different directions creatively. We are all still great friends. She's doing her d-beat crust thing up in Sydney now.

Initially, after Kallie's departure, there were plans to write material for a collaborative project involving (three) 7 inch records, featuring guest vocalists. While preparing for this project, you ended up adding vocalist Gareth to Akaname, resulting in the abandonment of the 7 inch record project. Shortly thereafter, Akaname announced that they decided to stay an instrumental band. What were some of the decisions and discussions being made behind the scenes that lead Akaname to your current transformation?

Otis: We thought we needed to fill the hole left by Kallie - there were shows booked and recording plans... though ultimately that thought was a knee-jerk reaction. We found ourselves at a crux where we could see the benefits of Kallies departure, but after 2 years with her we were doubting our ability to be convincing as an instrumental unit. The pool of vocalists in NZ at that time was pretty dire. We'd been playing shows with our peer bands: Dial, Ulcerate, Strangers among others - all amazing bands with incredible complimentary vocalists. Those singers were the vocal contributors for the intended 7" projects - there was a certain caliber to maintain so we couldn’t just recruit anyone with a half-decent bark. At the same time there was a growing uncertainty about the context of a vocal element in the newer material... did we really need a vocal personality? We tried out Gareth but he was more brutal than we were, a great grind vocalist but not exactly complimentary to the direction we were heading. We canned the 7" projects in the end and most of the intended material was deconstructed or shelved. Finally, we arrived at the decision to not waste time trying to find a vocalist in NZ and instead focus our attentions on composition. At this point we were beginning to incorporate improv, noise-art, vocal samples and slower dirging atmospheres. Ultimately, we hacked up some Filthlicker material and merged it with the new stuff into one continuous piece. The way we'd developed the set between Kallie's departure and our first performance as an instrumental act - the need for a vocalist pretty much dissolved.

Also during this time period, the band decided to move to Australia and announced that Alex, who played guitar on ‘Filthlicker', would be relinquishing his duties. What were some of the reasons why you decided to move to Australia and how do you think the move has impacted the band?

Otis: As said - New Zealand is a microcosm. There is a low ceiling for everything to do with being a musician there. How many times can a band play the same venues to the same audiences? We had to go somewhere and Melbourne was bigger and close. Also, Matt and Ben had lived there previously so it seemed like the next natural step. But there were also individual personal lives going on - the whole band relocation was staggered over 6 months. After we finally all converged in Melbourne, there was more time expended getting jobs, finding places to live and organizing a rehearsal space. It took more time than we'd anticipated and we lost a lot of momentum. This idle period was a cause of much introspection, anxiety and frustration. Alex found himself in a similar place to where Kallie had been before her departure and we all became increasingly aware of his disposition, the effect it was having on him and the band's greater functional processes. His eventual decision to leave was sad, but ultimately mutual, amicable and positive. There's never been any grudges in Akaname - our friendships have always come first, band issues have always been secondary. With general regard to the Melbourne move, it may or may not have been the right decision for us, but it has revealed much of our strengths and weaknesses.

How would you describe the current incarnation of Akaname to someone who hasn't heard of the band before, and how does it compare to what your description would have been with the material written in 2006?

Otis: We've always had problems with adjectives, bio’s and the whole genre thing. Recently Akaname has resigned our summary to instrumental/ experimental/ post-metal, but in reality any kind of labeling comes with a grain of salt. Apparently music lovers need a reference point to determine whether they will like a band or not, before they even listen. Points of difference are often insignificantly fractional at the sub-genre level. Personally I don't like applying reduction-theory to musical styles. As for Akaname - simply put, the earlier material was more metallic and condensed, where-as the newer material is more expanded, layered, musical. We still enjoy playing with numbers and rhythms.

[‘Faith And Other Evolutionary Obstacles' Release (2009)]

The new album ‘Faith And Other Evolutionary Obstacles' is being recorded as we speak. What can fans be expecting and what do you want to accomplish with this record?

Otis: There was 11 months between the Filthlicker recording and its official release date. 11 fucking months! 2 years ago!! We were over it by the time it came out. We just want the next release to be a more relevant snapshot of the band. The new ep has more continuity on the whole, and in spite of being an instrumental act we are still trying to impart ideas and messages to the listener. There are loose themes about consciousness, spirituality, metaphysics, the misuse of religion etc. We're not proclaiming to be experts in these areas, but we do hope those who are paying attention will be inspired to think more about them.

How do you think fans will react to the new material?

Otis: I’m sure there will be expectations for anyone who heard/liked Filthlicker, but when compared to the new material I think there is as much similarity as there is difference. Dimensionally, the new stuff has more depth, so perhaps those who favour a constant barrage of sonic destruction may be disappointed in parts, but we hope most listeners will be able to register the new ep as a whole, not just a sum of different parts. We'll have to wait and see.

What are some of Akaname's biggest influences musically this time around?

Otis: I've been listening to a lot of King Crimson, Crowpath, Amenra, Knut, Tool, Blotted Science, Magma, Meshuggah - these are bands we all admire and I’m sure the others have their own various inspirations in there as well ... though this time around we're also finding influence in non-musical aspects like sacred geometry, quantum mechanics, consciousness etc. We've been applying some of these concepts onto our instruments and into our writing. As humans, we are living in an exceptional point in time. Once you become aware of that it's hard to be ignorant of it...even in the context of being a musician.

Do you think your plans of self-releasing your upcoming material have any effect on the way that you want the new CD to be perceived?

Otis: We came to the realization that we needed total independence, fidelity of our music, and the choice to be able to make our recorded material available to anyone who wants it - free from monetary constraints and markets. We want to cut out the middle-men where possible and separate the accepted element of commerce from the music. We are content to remunerate by means of our own endeavor (merch, door-takes, personal funds, etc) but we feel that charging people for music is a fundamentally flawed concept. We make music for personal enrichment and to positively affect others. All due respect to the indie labels but they are still intertwined in the greater industry. In terms of being a band, the self-managed DIY approach produces a more genuine and positive experience for us. We'd hope people perceive the new ep based on its musical content and emotive value as opposed to it's method of release, but then I don’t think it's a bad thing if people see we're doing it our own way. The perception that a band has to be signed to be good/ significant has held weight in the world for a long time, its kinda bullshit.

Based on the name chosen for the new EP, what is your view on religion and science?

Otis: We're not trying to condemn or point fingers at anyone, that's counter-productive. The title refers more to the current point that humanity has reached in its conscious evolution. As a species, we are capable of sentience, rational thought and spiritual maturity. We know more about our universe/reality than we ever have, but many of us still freely give ourselves over to the rhymes, reasons and remedies of others - without inner reflection. The ep title is not directed solely at theistic religions as there are many other forms of self-diminishing faith that we might subconsciously subscribe to on a daily basis. Mass-media, advertising and governmental institutions are examples. It can be said that people focus and engage these systems with the same reverence that some do with religion. Consequently, these systems request and desire your constant attention, your adulation, your obedience, and/or your dollar... but how often do they engage your personal growth, wealth of knowledge, or true spiritual fulfillment? We are neglecting the full human experience by chasing the "carrots-on-sticks" of the world... that's mostly what the title of this ep is driving at.

[LIVE]

How would you compare the metal scene in New Zealand to the metal scene in Australia?

Otis: It's still too early to make any real comparisons yet. There are a lot of cultural similarities between Australia and New Zealand in general, but the only tangible differences so far seem to be population-based.

What is one of the most favorite shows you've ever played and why?

Otis: Everyone in the band would have a different experience. I always liked the house-party vibes most. Also one of our last Wellington shows with one my drum mentor's band's; The Village Of The Idiots. They were the yin to our yang, but it worked perfectly. It was rad to play a split-bill with a personal hero/educator.

[MISCELLANEOUS]

What would you consider to be the most rewarding and most frustrating aspects of being in a metal band?

Otis: Doing something you love is most rewarding. I can’t see the bad experiences being genre-specific, but under-managed egos are always a buzz-kill. For everything else you just build a bridge and get over.

What are some of your favorite albums and what bands would you say have had the biggest impact on Akaname as a band?

Otis: I'd say Sol Niger Within (Fredrik Thordendal) would have the top spot. We all love Meshuggah too but the Special Defects album is transcendental. Kobong, Cephalic Carnage, Discordance Axis, Isis, Nyia, Breach, King Crimson, Isis, Tool, Zatokrev, Knut ... there are literally too many. I've written 90% of the material to date (drums and gats) so my influences probably stick out the most. Though the others are injecting more of their essence into the writing process these days - if they were here I’m sure they'd probably drop a whole lot more names.

What are your feelings about illegally downloading music?

Otis: Its a two-edged sword for artists and labels... sure they are losing revenue as a result of "unsolicited" downloading - but they gain a wider audience, virally. So what is more valuable; money or listenership. I’m sure most artists and their labels would offer differing answers to that question. I personally don’t know many people that play in heavy bands for a prime source of income. Personally, while I do download music quite frequently, I also make a point to buy/support the stuff I like.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry?

Otis: Potentially redundant. The greater industry in 2009 appears to be full of "painted rust".

Aside from playing music with Akaname, what are some of your hobbies?

Otis: I also play guitar with Swampy in Ornithologist. I make art for a living (paint, illustrate, design etc), that chews up most of my non-musical time, and I love to skate, read, cook, and hang out with my girlfriend.

You designed the artwork for ‘Filthlicker', will you be designing artwork for the new EP, and where does your inspiration come from?

Otis: I do most of the bands artwork. The Faith ep illo is a weave of barbed vines. It’s basically a nod at all the stuff I previously mentioned regarding the title.

Do you have any final thoughts or comments?

Otis: Brutal thanks, Namaste!