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There is always something wild & wonderful happening in the Seattle underground community. Beyond the high-rise hype exists worlds of pure inspiring imagination, which brings us to the new super-group Advertisement who just released their debut EP This is Advertisement available now from the prestigious DIY purveyors at Help Yourself Records. A PNW based group comprised of members from Nasti (courtesy of Iron Lung Records), Vacant Life (also Iron Lung Records) & Big Bite (courtesy of Pop Wig Records); the collective creates the kind of music your parents might agree with-or politely ask you to turn that racket down. Wearing an unabashed love for slippery 70s shred-fests like a button or badge displayed proudly on their sleeves, jean jackets & vests; Advertisement brings the world a bastion of bright & creative chords that shines a light on what guitar-geared pop music still means in the current era of 2018.
Advertisement is not some billboard or pop-up ad sent to annoy or disrupt your listening experience. The group winds back the clock on “Past is Alive” that resurrects the meaningful aspects of previous audio aesthetics that still resonate today. The commencing cut arrives like a storm, as “Talkin’ Shit” keeps the vibe kicking hard & strong like a bar-brawl scuff-up between hot-heads that occurs in between sets like rivaling egos in a battle of the band situation. The mood becomes a bit more subdued & reflective on “Seesaw Valley” that allows the chords to gently grace along the pastoral paths of pensive lead passages of memories. The amplified antics carry forward on the cautionary warning of “Don’t Let the Day Go to the Dogs” that leads to the the EP closing cut “Cryin’ Wild” that places all emotion out on the line that rages against hard times & reckons with senses of loss that are drowned in a blizzard of charged skronk to hold us over until Advertisement releases their full-length.
We caught up with Advertisement in the following interview session:
First question off the bat; describe how all your collective experiences from work in Nasti, Vacant Life & Big Bite would congregate powers together to form Advertisement.
I don’t think there’s any significant common ground between Advertisement and our other bands. It’s meant to be a self-representing group of its own, although I’m sympathetic to the desire to find a larger narrative at play. I just don’t really trust the notion of music communities or scenes.
In a world that is obsessed with consumerism and the like, what lead to choosing the moniker of Advertisement?
We stumbled into it, really. Someone told me a few months ago it was a bad name because it’s hard to Google. There’s probably a half-baked joke in there in response to your question, but neither of us needs to hear that drawn out.
We want to hear nitty-gritty stories about the making of the album This is Advertisement over the course of the past two plus years.
I don’t know if I have any interesting stories to justify taking so long to put 5 songs out. We’re all very busy people and it’s getting more expensive to live here, so things are slow going sometimes. We’ve had a couple lineup changes. It’s only been in the last five or six months that Advertisement has really taken a front seat in our lives.
A lot of folks have talked about the 70s obsessions involved with the making of this album. Be that as it may or whatever, what classic records over the course recording the album to even now are you all really into?
Marcus Garvey—Burning Spear, Two Sevens Clash—Culture, Satta Massagana—The Abyssinians, La Düsseldorf, everything Alice Coltrane.
Seattle and the PNW at large remains a crucial epicenter for underground aesthetic & artistry. Who are some other local artists & activists that have everyone’s attention right now?
Nikkita Oliver, No New Youth Jail, and Milk Music.
What excites you all about the future of music and culture?
It’s getting easier to mail yourself hallucinogens off the internet—I don’t trust it personally, but it’s probably good that someone does. Also Iron Lung and Toxic State Records.
What frightens you all about the future of music and culture?
The obsession with creating something new or novel.
As a group from many different acts, imprints and the like; what are you all working on right now elsewhere?
Vacant Life just finished our final record, it’s the best thing we’ve done I think. Hopefully it’ll be out by the summer, I’m not sure though. Big Bite has an LP coming out on PopWig. Most of us also play in a country group called The Berries that’s touring in March with Advertisement—Matt just finished recording the first Berries LP, it sounds amazing. Between those groups and meeting the living wage in Seattle we stay busy.
What can we expect from Advertisement this spring/summer?
We’ll be doing some dates on the west coast in March. Beyond that, we’re going to continue to write and put more music out. Hopefully we’ll be touring again in the summer.
Closing thoughts and mantras?
I try to avoid mantras if I can.
Advertisement’s debut EP This is Advertisement is available now from Help Yourself Records.
