Everyone is Dirty
Having just headlined & rocked San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall last night, we feel very honored & privileged that Oakland’s own Everyone Is Dirty decided to celebrate their Royal Oakie Records release of their Banana Split cassette with us as we present the world premiere of “Wax Mannequin Mode”. The EID story began about three years back with leader Sivan Lioncub arranging new forms of violin stringed songs with recruits Chris Daddio on guitar, bassist Tyler English & percussionist Tony Sales to push the aesthetic possibilities of song. Sivan and company create collective alchemy/chemistry that breaks the proverbial mold, discarding the conventional paint palettes that make even descriptors like art-rock seem like a pejorative when attempting to describe their sound. Everyone Is Dirty are the group that dropped out of art school, or defected from the music conservatory to start their own warehouse commune where their audio illustrations hinge off ideas of new renaissances and musical movements that have yet to be labeled, tagged, titled, named, & marketed for the media hungry masses.
“Wax Mannequin Mode” reminds me of a mime performance made in a department store among the company of display window dummies that show off the latest seasonal apparel fashions. Like something out of the retro Canadian television show “Today’s Special” (which revolved around a department store mannequin that springs to life after business hours are over), Everyone Is Dirty move in graceful progressions to tempos that resemble a dance that they conduct & choreograph. Sivan draws from a hospitalized experience where the feelings of medicated stillness that plays about the threads between life & death, where the rhythm section provided by Tyler & Tony is measured along with Chris’s arpeggiated chords—coupled by Lioncub’s own sliding violin strings. Phosphorescent feelings bubble up in a pantomime act where we imagine the entire EID crew & fans occupying a department store (either abandoned or currently functional) where all the mannequins are dressed out in pawn-shop fashions of mixed & matched colorful textiles that would make for an epic art installation/performance. Following the debut of “Wax Mannequin Mode”, read our entertaining interview with EID’s brave & fearless leader Sivan Lioncub.
Talk to us about the making of your new songs “Banana Split” & “Wax Mannequin Mode” and how both fruit sundaes and department store textile-dummies became creative fodder.
That question makes me think of wax fruit in a bowl at my grandpa’s house.
“Banana Split” happened fast. Tyler started it with that bass riff. I was coming off of methadone after a near-death experience had me hospitalized and I was pretty obsessed with ice-cream. I just started singing lines over Tyler’s riff, and my vibe made Chris start doing that evil guitar line. Then Tony went all MC5 on that shit. Then I did this crazed electric violin arpeggio lick. We brought it to Donut Time Audio and it was a one take thing. It’s the story of a love affair between an evil politician and a euphoric mental patient.
“Wax Mannequin Mode” on the other hand has been mystifying me for about a year now. The lyrics rolled around and around in my head. What is wax mannequin mode? A catatonic state? Being alive and dead at the same time? I just like the sound of it. Seems like a cool place to go. Especially when you are laying in a hospital bed high on Dilauded. Like “Banana Split”, the recording happened quickly and spontaneously. Our cellist friend Yair Evnine paid a surprise visit to Donut Time from New York and luckily brought his cello. Wanna hear a song? I said. Yair is a quick study and immediately started playing these magical parts. So Chris set up a mic between them, guitar facing cello, I pressed record, and the song was finally born. I like the calmness and simplicity juxtaposed against the frenzied “Banana Split”. As we were finishing the song, David Bowie died, which hit all of us incredibly hard. I dedicate this one to him. RIP. He’s succeeded in being dead and alive at the same time. He’s in wax mannequin mode for sure.
Describe the creative fusion that you all abide by in the Everyone is Dirty camp.
For us, music is drama. We are a rock band. Our recorded music and live show is totally psychedelic. Not like the 1960s revival psych folk rock movement that’s all the rage over here out West right now. Our inspirations for EID are more Pink Floyd, less Quicksilver Messenger Service. We like to go on strange psychedelic trips and take our listeners with us. Psychedelic as in unnerving and illogical. Psychedelic as in surprise! Psychedelic as in, you are inside of a weird dream and things are getting weirder by the minute. All of our songs tell stories. Listen to the lyrics and feel the vibe and you go can most definitely go on our ride.
Our setup is also what makes us different. Chris Daddio holds that shit down like a rhythm ninja with his beat up acoustic guitar. Tony Sales stretches far out on drums, channeling as much MC5 as Elvin Jones. Tyler English brings in these super cool melodic bass lines. And me, I float on top with my electric violin as lead guitar.
People don’t know what to make of us. We’ve been described as art-rock, party punk, garage rock, grunge, indie-pop, orchestral rock. We’re a freak of nature I guess. Not a new feeling to me.
My bandmates are also my best friends. There’s no one I’d rather hang out and talk about music with. Daddio and I live in our recording studio, Donut Time Audio. It’s Daddio’s lean and mean creation. We’ve recorded everything we’ve done in it to date. This process gives us freedom to create and experiment in our own little bubble without the pressure of the clock running out. Daddio’s recording style is an ever-evolving search for organic hi fidelity. Both tracks on Banana Split were mostly recorded live as opposed to our debut LP Dying Is Fun which had more layers of overdubs.
Oakland has always been one of the underground hubs for new arts, music, culture, and the like; what continues to excite you all about the East Bay right now?
Oakland is this unassuming city full of secrets, idealism, and acceptance. Lots of backyard vegetable gardens, murals, house parties, and a killer cemetery. The food’s good, the coffee’s strong and the weed is cheap. There are record labels that give a shit about representing local music in a very personal way like Royal Oakie, with whom our collaboration is artistically super satisfying. KALX, my go to radio station. 1,2,3,4, Go Records where tapes cost 50 cents. And alternatives to clubs like Scandinavia & Santo Studios as well as more traditional venues like Starline Social Club and New Parish. Shoga, a yoga class with live music. The stairwell on the stage at the Golden Bull. The mural of The Warriors on the backside of Oakland’s Very Own Tavern on MLK. And If you wanna really trip out, eat mushrooms and go up to the Mormon Temple.
What else have you all been working on behind the scenes?
Because we live inside our studio we are constantly writing and recording new material. It makes my head feel like its going to explode how many songs we need to finish. I wish we could add a few days to the week because sometimes I get completely overwhelmed and anxious about time and all the work there is left to do. We’re running out of time!!
We have a full length album set to come out later this year.
And we are working on a concept album called Journeyman Plumber.
And a mixtape.
Favorite media items that you all are really into at this moment?
Facebook. Just kidding. “It’s funny because media outlet used to translate to editorial voice. Now it all gets aggregated through social media capillaries.” -Ryan Hoguet, Philosopher
When it comes to the news, I read it and oscillate wildly with fear and rage.
I like word of mouth.
I like books.
I like murals.
I like interpretive dance.
I like live video clips of bands.
I like radio. KALX all the way.
Shout out to all the local media outlets that help keep our music scene vibrant: DotheBay, The Bay Bridged, SF Weekly, POW mag, The Deli, Impose, and so many others that I can’t think of right now cuz I’m too high on mellow yellow…
Further thoughts on the Bay Area scenes, causes that you want to draw attention to, scenes that you all would like to spotlight, etc?
Message to the Greater Universe: the Bay Area has a great big music scene, a community of musicians, artists, poets, photographers, filmmakers, writers & thinkers who are all collaborating. We play shows. We go to shows. We write about them too. We care a lot. We fight for the right to create on a daily basis. We are here and we are working hard. Media outlets like dothebay, the bay bridged, sf weekly and POW Magazine are doing a great job of covering local music. Promoters like Sea Witch and Wave Dweller are constantly hustling to put on awesome shows. We need more national and international space stations to support our cause. We need to continue to encourage people to stop using computers and phones as their only form of entertainment. Fight the lethargy brothers and sisters, get off your asses and go be impacted by live music.
Also, Legalize Gay Pot.
Everyone Is Dirty’s brand new cassette Banana Split is available today from Royal Oakie Records.
