I first heard Pineal Ventana when they sent me the picture-disc 12" of LET THEM FUCK, one of the most exquisitely deranged slabs of psychosis ever to emit sound waves down here in the Hellfortress Beneath the Ice. That was about midway through their evolution into the current beast responsible for the new CD on Unit Circle, MALPRACTICE. While they have gone through some lineup changes and their sound has evolved further, their talent for ominous sounds and psychotic improvisation have not diminished one iota. Ergo, DEAD ANGEL found it necessary to probe the inner recesses of Pineal Ventana's mind through email with drummer Mitchell Foy about the state of all things non-stagnant. Buckle your seat belt... secure the rolldown bar... here we go....

DEAD ANGEL HOPES ITS MALPRACTICE PREMIUMS ARE PAID UP: BLABBING WITH PINEAL VENTANA

DA: First things first: A brief history of the non-stagnant Pineal would be most useful....

MF: PV began life in early 1993 as my former punk/psychedelic/grunge band King-Kill/33 - for which I was the frontman/vocalist (and whose biggest claim to fame is a mention in the forward of Feral House books' 'Cult Rapture') was falling apart. Clara and I had already pretty much figured out we were stuck with each other and decided to start a project with the express intent of doing anything we wanted to. It was in the original plans to be completely unhinged and unrestrained. It wasn't too long after that I came up with the slogan "STAGNANCY IS REVOLTING" which we've turned into a mantra. The idea is to rebell against the common urge to fall into musical habits or imitate accepted musical norms.

Kim was the next person to join and has basically been with us from the begining. Currently the rest of the line-up is completed by Jason, who we met a few years ago playing in an industrial band called Diety 5000 next door to our practice space, and John who logged time in an Athens-based Throbbing Gristlesque unit called Damage Report in the '80's. Shane has fallen from the ranks permanently and we seem content as a five piece. Certainly we're more unified than ever.

DA: I notice over the albums there's a steady movement toward a more "cohesive" (i.e., less free-form) sound... is that happening by design or more by the nature of playing together for so long?

MF: This is an interesting question as we've noticed how many reviews refer to, for example, the BREATHE AS YOU MIGHT CD as lacking in structure, which is only partially true. While we're by no means offended by this, it is but one element of our modus operandi. Is it a case of our songs seeming structured to us but chaotic to outsiders? A lot of it seems to be down to the listener's orientation (and this points up a very real situation). For some everything we do is just noise, and unpleasant noise at that -- simply unbearable. These people stay away in droves and for the better as far as we're concerned. Then there're the people to whom we're not weird or extreme enough (one reviewer refered to us as "college rock"!). This is something I can relate to a little more, though we all know about some of those noise/art snobs with their rigid terms of acceptance. Nevertheless I have a deep interest in musical extremes and that's where I like to try to push the group. But I'm speaking only about the *PV* extreme -- an unknown variable that keeps it interesting and exciting.

Massive all-night improv sessions have been a part of each CD project. And these invariably end up as one big sonic clusterfuck. I am also quite fond of chaos that erupts in the middle of a more structured piece. If we seem less free-form now it's probably due to the fact that we've been playing together for so long and have thus tightened up. The first disc LIVING SOIL reflects an innocence (and in my case, lack of skills) that could never be duplicated. Where MALPRACTICE beats BREATHE is overall cohesion, as the latter contains songs left over from an old line-up mixed with the current.

DA: I'm curious: does the band have a set method for initiating these improv sessions or is it just a matter of someone comes in with some squiggly bit and everybody just sort of piles on top of it?

MF: The most anyone will do during improvs is suggest we, for example, try to quiet it down a bit and do a "soundscape." This usually happens after we've been blowing it out for an hour or two and need to prod a new direction. Other than that it's a complete "come-what-may" process! It's a purely mental, non-analytical realm which is quite nice.

DA: You mentioned the insular nature of the rock/noise axis -- what does PV find overrated/underrated in the noise/art scene? (bands or "sound tricks" or both, etc.)

MF: I consider "soundtricks" like magick. In magick, as I understand it, the idea is to convince (i.e. trick) the mind of something to the degree that its energy works in that direction, whether it or not it is "real". If the ceremony or ritual is successful/effective the transformation takes place and you have a permanent or lasting effect on the brain, which transfers out to your surroundings. Sound tricks, gadgets, gimmicks, whatever you want to call them are best when they're so potent that you don't know they're there -- they're simply working. It's sort of like the difference between a movie effect that makes you think "wow, cool effect" and one that melds with the rest of the action so well it's just "happening".

As far as underrated/overrated bands I must honestly say that I've been listening to more Metal (particularly Black) than anything else lately! But I'm always looking for the ones that experiment like Pan-Thy-Monium. The reissue of the GRAND PSYCHOTIC CASTLE CD (Necropolis Records) by the Emperor keyboardists' Tartaros project is incredible, with some nice suprises. Sort of like if Goblin (circa SUSPIRIA) went BM. My favorite live band for the past year and half has been Providence, RI maniacs Arab On Radar. Pure psychosexual adrenalin! They must be seen.

As for any of the jerks in the so-called "scene," who's got time for 'em? They draw their own rope eventually. We've never been screwed by anyone so there are no sour grapes here.

DA: So how much of the studio work comes about from pure improvisation? I notice on all the albums i've heard so far that it's a mix of both improv and crafted material.

MF: We have thus far included roughly two improv pieces on each full-length disc. Yet each improv session has yielded anywhere from 6 to 12 hours of material, the bulk of which is crap. Yet there's decent improv material dating back to '95 that I'd love to one day mix down and release. Part of the fun of these intensive sessions is the shock that anything worthwhile comes out of it at all. For the most part we only have an inkling of an idea if a "jam" that errupts is really any good. It's not 'till we listen afterward that we truly discover stuff we're excited about. The improv that resuted in "Crack In The Light" on MALPRACTICE was the biggest shock of all. Clara and I were on opposite ends of our practice space, where we record, and couldn't hear each other over the din. Yet somehow our vocals seem to trade off deliberately, even using some of the same themes!

DA: How does the band go about working up material, anyway? With five people in the band, i would imagine sorting things out can be a bit of a trial sometimes....

DA: Jason, John, and Kim are the real "musicians" of the bunch, i.e. they've been playing their instruments for years and know a lot about notes and so forth. This is very fortunate because they can quickly get things in order and have little trouble translating an idea into music. Plus I'm always learning from them. I've only been playing drums since the band started and Clara and I have always had a sort of "punk rock" approach -- grab anything you want and make some sound come out of it.

DA: So are some band members "more equal than others" in this process?

MF: As it turns out Clara and I usually are the most opinionated about which direction we want something to go in and so are the most vocal about it. We really tried from the begining to set up a general democracy amongst members so as to eliminate any negative mental strains that might hinder creativity. No one gets more credit or is due more money (if it ever comes in!) than the others.

DA: So how did you end up hooking up with Unit Circle? That kind of took me by surprise, although i certainly can't fault the results.

MF: Years ago Clara took the initiative and started contacting any label that looked interesting. Here we run into the same problem mentioned earlier -- not fitting into any category. Kevin at U.C. was one of the few that replied, and one of the only ones that suggested we keep in touch. So we kept sending him anything we put out -- t-shirts, records -- everything. After he heard 'Breathe As You Might' he said he was ready, which worked out great because Ichiban (owned by the husband of the team who, before the divorce, formed Sky records, responsible for some of the Swans output) was falling apart. Kevin has done more for us in terms of promotion than any label before and he's very easy to work with. A friend and fellow musician.

DA: What did Martin Bisi bring to the table while working on MALPRACTICE? I definitely hear his influence on the drum tracks.

MF: First of all let me tell you it was great working with him. We had so much to do in such a short period of time that it got pretty tense at times with very long hours. Yet he never lost his mellow demeanor or showed even a hint of annoyance. That's experience for ya. We practically shit our collective pants when we saw all of the projects/ bands he's worked with -- the results of which cover a couple of walls. Laswell, Ruins, Cop Shoot Cop, S.Y., Swans, Zorn, Live Skull, Foetus, not to mention lost jewels like the first Rat At Rat R record. The history! It's tough to figure out exactly where his influence came in. Certainly we chose to work with him for his experience with the aforementioned groups. It was nice not to feel like we had to try to explain where we were coming from for once! He easily latched onto our vibe and we all went from there. That said, we had the songs down pat before entering the studio, which was a good thing considering the time restraints. We definitely want to go back.

DA: Since i am among the uninitiated who have tragically never seen Pineal Ventana live, describe the live show for DEAD ANGEL's amusement. I'm imagining it as something akin to Crash Worship only with better-looking half-naked participants....

MF: Well we've always tried to make the live show something more than just a performance of the songs, as important as that may be. Clara and I have always been sorta "performance art" minded and so enjoy using the stage as an arena of sorts. We drew the line, so to speak, locally back in '96 when, upon learning that half the band was stuck in another town we recruited some friends to make a racket while I watered Clara like a plant before dumping two pounds of flour on her (a picture of this turned into the poster for our second 7"). Some people who have never seen us still refer to us as the band that pees on each other. But we retired that idea long ago - we're not into repeating ourselves. More recently, at the release show for the EXPEL EP I constructed a 15 foot high female torso and legs out of wire fencing, paper mache, and masking tape. This hung at the front of the stage. During a particularly raucous and turbulent improv Clara reached up between the legs and ruptured a sac of fluids situated in the torso and was subsequently menstruated on. A photo of her shortly after is in the MALPRACTICE booklet. Now obviously we can't do things as involved as this every time, especially on the road. Nevertheless we almost always make fire an element of the show (your Crash Worship connection). We really find it inspirational. As for half naked people, well, the more the better!

DA: Does the band actually see Clara as the "secret weapon" i (and other reviewers, i'm sure) have described her, or more as just one more instrument in the mix of things? [incidentally, Clara's singing style often reminds me of the late Dawn Crosby of Fear of God.]

MF: "Secret weapon" is good. People that don't know anything about us see this petite woman and are rather shocked to hear such a large voice come out. She's a great focal point and multidimensional offset to my monaural grunts.

DA: So now i'm wondering if there's anything else you'd like to add to what you've already said....

MF: I'd like to invite any interesting and different groups to come play in Atlanta. I can set up shows and I also write for the largest free weekly in the SouthEast. Send me material to review or just get in touch. We love hooking up with cool bands and like minded people who are into their art!