Band Portal

Meet the Panic Attack Pills...Rufus Ahnphire interviews the band members.

Rich

So tell us about this new project and how it came about.  

It was time I made music with Joe again. It was just time. In 2005 he came down and recorded the Fiskadoro demo. And we had a great time when he visited. I guess it was shortly after that where the idea of the band originated. I’m pretty sure I emailed him with the idea. And he bit. Then nothing happened with it for a long time... one day he mailed me CDR’s of various tracks he was working on at home which I really dug, and the song ‘Victory’ was among them. So I threw some overdubs on that (the first Panic Attack Pills song) backing vocals and dub effects. Soon after, Jen and I started begging him to come down to Texas and finally he gave in and we recorded at the 423 Gallery, where Jen and I live.  

What is Panic Attack Pills approach to songwriting?  

I don’t think there is one. The songs just happen.  

How did the band name originate?  

I don’t really remember, but I think it was:

a) A shout out to the band Public Image Ltd.

b) A statement on anti-depressants.

Not sure if either of those have anything to do with the music. Not sure if those are the correct answer either?  

Talk a little bit about each of the songs.  

Hell – along with 'Victory' are the only songs where the main parts were written in advance. Hell takes place in a Ballardian near future where food diseases will force the populace to stop eating meat. Think of a bird flu or mad cow disease and where could they take us? I am convinced this will happen in time. It’s prophecy.

Hey Duane – shout out to Duane Larson who most recently was in the legendary Decline of the West. He also was in several bands with Joe over the years including The Belfast with Joe and I. Duane is very important to me as I may not have figured out how to play guitar if it wasn’t for him. In the early 90’s Duane, Joseph P. Munoz and I started Winfreesex, this is when I started playing guitar. We were a band that played live but never recorded. Actually Rowan Bishop who is now in By Blood Alone was due to record us for a possible EP, but we broke up the week before the recording session. Come to think of it this was the band where Duane learned to play bass. So the guitar player and the bass player didn’t know how to play? But we had an amazing drummer so....

Illustrious spies – this song is about location. Location...location. Yeah.

Victory – Joe wrote this so he should comment on it. But I will say this song was what started the band. It was just a name and an idea until he wrote this. I don’t think he realized it was a Panic Attack Pills song at the time. 

Is there a specific direction the band's music is aiming for?  

We’re world music. We’re punk rock. We’re all about freedom.  

You and Wilford haven't worked together for over a decade. How does this effort compare to other projects you've collaborated on?  

It’s the best thing we’ve ever done. When Joe and I played together in the late 80s I didn’t play an instrument. So now I feel more a part of the band than I did before. Plus Jen adds a whole different dynamic. 

You head up the 'Groovy Times' record label - what other releases do we have to look forward to?  

First there will be a website debuting (groovytimes.net). Hopefully this will happen soon. There is a shortage of time these days. Upcoming on Groovy Times sometime this year will be the debut album by Fiskadoro (Jen and I) which is almost done. Also a guitar and drums band with Tom Burns and I called Solid State. This band was named for us by Rashied Ali who was the drummer on the John Coltrane album ‘Interstellar Space’. Tom met him at a show in New York and told Mr. Ali that he was in a band that was influenced by ‘Interstellar space’. And Mr. Ali proceeded to name the band for us. Oh, also something from Pablo Unidos and the Sound of Revolution. That’ll come out this year as well.  

Why is the solar system a rave?  

Cause it blows a hole in the radio, when it hasn’t sounded good all week.  

It is rumored that a 'Hell' video is in the works as well. What can we expect from that?  

I’m hoping Brandon Owings does this for us. I had an idea that I emailed Brandon with. It turned out he already had a better idea for a short film done Sesame Street style but about factory farming with little kids. His film idea was called ‘Where do hamburgers come from?’ I’m hoping the song ‘Hell’ could soundtrack the film. Anyway…we’ll see happens. 

How has living in Texas affected your musical vision?  

Texas really hasn’t but getting married to Jen and showing her how to play bass certainly has. Her bass-lines are changing up the way I play guitar. And her increased proficiency changes the way I play guitar daily as well. Playing music is this weird line that is always changing and developing. In the end there will be this pretty massive drawing of everything there is. Actually, I think that’s why the solar system’s a rave. 

 

Jen Kimball

Why the bass?

 

It's easy, and the guitar confounds me, otherwise I would play guitar. I am not musically inclined. It's like math to me.

 

What have you been reading lately? What's on your bookshelf that you plan to re-read?

 

I just finished "The Other Hollywood," an excellent oral (no pun intended) history of the adult film industry by Legs McNeil and others and I highly recommend it. I re-read "Naked" by David Sedaris several times a year. Funniest book ever. Excellent entertainment for any kind of waiting period - doctor's office, airport, beauty salon etc. where you don't want to shell out for a shitty magazine.

 

Describe Panic Attack Pills making use of the word: 'asymptote.'

 

Once upon a time there were three musicians, one of whom had no idea that she even was one. Two of them made groovy sounds for years before the third entered the picture. Little did this non-musician know that she would be the asymptote to the boys' curve that would result in Panic Attack Pills. And now they are here to rock your world.

 

Band you're most embarrassed to admit you like and why.

 

Honestly, none - I will stand by any band that I like. There are a million 70s bands that I could say but they're my history, dude, and if I say that a band sucks, I don't listen to them. I know you were hoping I would say Journey but you can forget about that.

I am an eternal New Kid with no secrets. I can't even remember the last time that I was embarrassed by anything. If anything I embarrass other people or make them embarrassed for me.

 

We hear you're quite a culinary queen. What's on the menu this week?

 

Indian delights. I've been getting creative with Lord Krishna's cuisine, to rave reviews. Although FSK [Fiskadoro] are going out to dinner twice this week for our anniversary so I'll have to plan accordingly.

 

Guinness or Chardonnay?

 

Holy crap - literally - they will both put a serious hurt on you. I'll have to say Guinness because it tastes a little bit better and isn't as conducive to just sucking it down indiscriminately.

 

Give us some 'buy these now' CD selections.

 

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique, Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures, New Order - Movement, Cure - Faith, Smiths - Hatful of Hollow, Bauhaus - anything really and (you know it was coming) - My Chem - Welcome to the Black Parade. Gee, age myself much?

 

What do we need to know about Texas/Texans?

 

One word: ENTITLEMENT. Don't even think about trying to change any minds. If a mind's gonna be changed, there's about a zillion to one odds that you're going to be the one to do it so just fly under the radar and feel superior.

 

What's the deal with every band in the universe except Panic Attack Pills having a 'My Space' page?

 

More access to the internet? Lack of day jobs? Wanting of friends? Just guesses.

 

Quick! Random thoughts on movie star Thora Birch?

 

Boobs. Her name was mentioned when Mr. FSK [Rich] and I were in Sitges, Spain, casting the movie of our lives. As playing me (hey, I was young and cute once). (As Mr. FSK - Jude Law. It totally works.)

Ask us about our cast for the Joy Division/New Order movie one of these days. Sometimes we can even remember it.

Rich and Jen Kimball reside in the 'City of Enchantment' Lake Jackson, Texas with their two cats, Lenny and Louie. Aside from their work on a variety of musical projects, a children's book entitled: 'Phone Calls from the Cats' is forthcoming. That is, if they can edit out all the profanity.

Joe Wilford

 

Who should play Joe Wilford in the Panic Attack Pills movie?

 

Isn’t it obvious? Johnny Depp, of course. Okay you can stop laughing now.

Why Panic Attack Pills? Why now?

 

That’s like questioning quantum physics. It’s best not to try and understand it – just accept that it is.

Are there any good Iowa bands?

 

These days the Iowa City music scene is especially thriving with really great bands. Death Ships and Sleeping Planes come to mind.

What will Panic Attack Pills do differently than your other bands?

 

Pretty much everything. This band is all about diversity.

What’s it like recording at the 423 Gallery as opposed to ICE-9 studios as opposed to a traditional recording studio?

 

The 423 Gallery is an awesome, eclectic, Deep South treasure of a recording studio. It has an amazing on-site kitchen (chef Foxy-J serves up some unbelievable gastronomical delights) and a library of punk rock records and books galore, (well, really ALL kinds of books and records, but I’m partial) and those cats that run it really know how to turn up the hospitality.

ICE-9 is (like its name) cool, dark and definitely the place you want to be when you’re recording in tornado alley.

The traditional recording studio is already going the way of the dodo. These days, all the recording equipment you need can fit in a suitcase. Though the ICE-9 ‘studio’ currently resides underground, there are really no walls, because it has that added feature of easy mobility.

What can we expect from Panic Attack Pills in the future?

 

You can expect that P-Attack will remain diligent in being different, experimental, and always consciously striving towards what appeals to us creatively. That’s about it. Don’t expect a ‘My Space’ page.

If Panic Attack Pills were forced at vegan knifepoint to cover 'Panic' by the Smiths, who gets to be Morrissey?

 

At the risk of an all out throw-down between Jen and I, it would have to be me. I do a great Morrissey. [Sings] "Hopes may rise on the Grasmere, but Honey Pie, you're not safe here…"

How seriously should we have taken the controversial '10 Band Commandments' you and Rich Kimball co-wrote a couple years ago?

 

Very seriously. It’s our Bible. Or rather, it’s our cookbook. Come to think of it, we should post that on the web-site.

When having fresh tattoos becomes a requirement for donating blood, what will your next tattoo be?

 

The New York City skyline, because you cannot stop New York City. I’m up for suggestions on where to tat it.

Tell us about your ICE-9 label.

 

ICE-9 has been one of the most satisfying endeavors I’ve taken on. It is the impetus of the Art Never Dies website. Look for a plethora of releases this year. We’ve got a Latin-esque EP coming out in June, [Santiago] and late summer should see those dead-metal icons ‘Black Acid Vampire Girl’ unearthing their long-awaited ‘Black Angel’ record. There is also a ambient drone project in the works. Some days I just can’t believe I get paid to do this! Oh wait a minute…

Duane Larson, legend?

 

Hands down. The solar system IS a rave.