NASALROD - Harsh, Catchy and Defying Category ! (Usa - Art-Punk - Interview with Chairman).

Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music?
I grew up in a very musical family. My dad plays trumpet (he was in the Cleveland Orchestra), my mom's a singer, my older brother plays guitar (progressive metal kinda stuff), my twin brother plays various instruments (but mainly the drums while we were growing up, and we played in our first band together). I didn't really think about wanting to get into music back then. Our family was already so immersed in it that I just got into music without thinking about it. For me, it all started with tinkering around on the piano that we had at the time, and my involvement with music kept growing from there. I barely took any piano lessons, as I was always more interested in doing everything by ear (I didn't have the patience or the proper discipline for lessons). The music in movies always fascinated me - the way that it would compliment the visuals on screen.  I remember being obsessed with Bernard Herrmann's score to 'Taxi Driver' at a young age.  

What if I told you that you have to leave for a desert island in 5 minutes—you have no choice… except to take three albums with you… which ones, and why? Would you say that these were game-changers at some point in your life?
I don't know exactly which three albums I would take, but I can tell you that Cheap Trick's 'Live At Budokan (The Complete Concert)' would be one.  I'm obsessed with Robin Zander's voice, his vocal delivery, and just the overall attitude of that band.  They never took themselves too seriously, yet they still hit the stage with tons of aggression.  And yes, game-changer.
 
Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
I was at my friend Julie's house for a party back around 2008, and her roommate Katherine Krajnak (a bass player; now Katherine Juengel) wanted to jam in the basement. We started jamming with a drummer named Matt Ashman, and people thought that we were a real band already.  We wrote a few songs without guitar, and we played them for some folks at another party. Katherine's guitarist friend Mustin Douch was there - and he liked what he heard. We eventually recruited Mustin to play with us - as we realized that we desperately needed an electric guitarist in order to rock harder. We wrote some more tunes, started playing more house parties, and we would often play at a now defunct (but legendary) spot in Portland called The Know. Drummer Spit Stix (from FEAR) saw us, and he started coming out to our shows - as he dug what we were doing.  Sometimes, we'd be playing at a dive without a real sound person - so he would run the sound for us and do crazy shit with the vocal effects and stuff.  It was hilarious. Our drummer (Matt) moved to Seattle in 2010, so we were in the market for a drummer.  Katherine asked Spit to join, and (much to our delight) he was all about it.  We wrote some more tunes with the new line-up, and did a bit of touring (including a west coast tour with the now defunct Stag Bitten, one of the very best Portland bands ever). Katherine eventually decided that she wanted to focus on other stuff (she had occasionally hinted at not having a real serious need to keep playing in bands), so we parted ways in 2013. Fortunately, the timing of all of this worked out quite well for us. Mustin had been friends with bassist Mandy Morgan since their high school days, and Mandy just happened to have an interest in playing heavier music again (her projects around that time had been more mellow in comparison to her very first Portland band Berzerk). Mandy started jamming with us about a week after Katherine left (and Katherine was kind enough to let us continue practicing in her basement for quite some time). We all clicked immediately, and we've been rockin it ever since.  We needed to form this band because we all need to play music. We need to play music to keep ourselves at least slightly sane - it's therapy for us - and hopefully we can provide some musical therapy to others in the process as well.  

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
I was on Lydia Lunch's podcast, and during the episode I thought that she described our sound quite well...so well that we asked her for permission to use that description on the hype sticker for our 7" record (The "Friends" 45) that Alternative Tentacles & Nadine Records are putting out.  She said that we're "harsh, hard...catchy, weird, arty", and a "very unique blend" that "defies category". Coming from her, these words mean a lot to us (especially since we've always attempted to go for a 'genre-bending' kind of thing within our music). So you should listen to us at all costs because Queen Lydia is talking about us (I'm kidding).  
 
Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
Lyrics are very important to me.  Lyrically, I'd say that I'm just as influenced by movies as I am by musical artists. The movie 'Blue Collar' from 1978 is huge for me. Richard Pryor in a dramatic role for a change. He should have won all the acting awards - he seriously got robbed.  Anyway, the movie is extremely angry and political. Changed the way that I look at the world. Definitely too angry for the mainstream at the time of its release. Neo-noir meets the struggles of the working class. It only feels more important with each year that goes by. It's a movie about the working class that actually sides with the workers - that's rare. It's about the counterinsurgent strategies that a company will use to control their workers (and pit them against each other), and it's also about friendships getting completely destroyed. It really makes you question who your real "friends" are.  These are the kinds of things that we're discussing on this new 7" record of ours, The "Friends" 45. In our song "Behind Friendly Faces" (featured on our new 7"), we talk about how your closest friends can sometimes be the most toxic people in your life. It's partially about how some folks think that being close to someone gives them a pass to be cruel to the person that they're close to. I think just about all of us have been through this kind of crippling experience at some point with friends. We basically just write about stuff that's on our minds and hopefully folks relate. 'Blue Collar' is quite nihilistic.  I'm very influenced by the movie (it's pretty much my favorite), but I also do feel that nihilism is poison, and that it's incredibly important not to give in to it. As we all know, times are heavy. With the band, we aim to provide some inspiration for folks (even if some of our influences are coming from art that's more on the pessimistic side of things). It's always the best feeling when we're playing and people are screaming with us.


 
About the band's discography... Imagine someone who doesn't know your band at all and wants to get interested in.. Which release would you recommend to start with, and why?
I would recommend this new 7" release of ours, The "Friends" 45. It's the best recording quality we've ever had.  We recorded with Tape Op Magazine's Larry Crane, and he's a fucking legend. It was mixed and mastered by Stephan Hawkes, who also totally killed it. 
 
About your latest release ?
This new 7" release of ours, The "Friends" 45, was recorded at Jackpot! Studios here in Portland, Oregon (with Larry Crane, as mentioned previously). We recorded it around the end of last year and the beginning of this year.  I spoke about some of the content earlier, but it'll be our debut release on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles record label. Plus, it's a co-release with our bassist Mandy Morgan's beloved label Nadine Records as well. We're super stoked and honored to say the least.  Jello appeared in the epic video for our song "The Maker" last year too. Mandy had the idea to use the image of a BFF hearts chain/necklace somewhere within the artwork. We expressed this thought to our amazing artist friend Vo Minh McBurney, and he came up with a beautifully twisted and humorous illustration (incorporating a BFF necklace) for the cover. Our great friend Mara Appel Des Lauriers knocked it out of the park with the layout and design - she even painted all of the letters that appear on the cover as well. The "Friends" 45 will physically be in stores on Friday the 13th of November. However, the tracks will not be released digitally until Friday December 11th (aside from the clean 'radio' edit version of our song "What Are Friends For?", which will digitally be released on Friday November 6th).  

Future plans ?
We just played a couple of shows with another band on Alternative Tentacles called Kultur Shock. Our new label mates. They were amazing, so we're planning on doing some more stuff with them next year for sure.  
 
Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
That would be a dream where we're playing a show and some huge crazy fucker grabs my foot and all the sudden I fall from a high stage down to the dance floor so then I try to kick the guy while he's drunkenly rolling around on the ground and then I finally get free and get back up on stage and finish the song.  Oh wait, that happened at Bottom of the Hill in SF.  
 
Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ?
We played with the Alternative Tentacles legends Alice Donut and Victims Family at Brooklyn Monarch in NYC last year. It was magical, probably the best live sound quality we've ever had, playing to a new audience who loved us (kind of a tie with the show that we played with The Jesus Lizard shortly after). We also played a show once where I was super sick but didn't want to cancel. Before the pandemic in Portland. My throat hurt but I sang anyway. I was completely wiped out afterwards and it must have taken me a month or so to recover after that - that was the worst one for me.


 
Next live-appearance(s) ?
Our official PDX hometown release show for The "Friends" 45 will be on Friday December 18th at Mississippi Studios.   

Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ?
We're great friends with Gaytheist, who'll be joining us at our show on Friday December 18th at Mississippi Studios. There are too many others to mention but off the top of my head there's a band called Obedient who I really dig. Altar Girl kicks ass. It's a great scene here, I could name many more but I'd be going on and on for quite some time.
 
What’s the question you’ve always dreamed of answering but have never been asked? Just a heads-up: I’m also waiting for the answer that goes with it...
I've never been asked how I got everyone to agree with naming the band Nasalrod.  I have never been religious in my life, but back then I did pray for exactly one entire day that everyone would agree on the band name.  It paid off.  So yeah...I guess we are also on a mission from God.    

Well, the interview is coming to an end… Is there anything else you’d like to add? Anything I didn’t think of? Something important, funny, silly… It doesn’t matter!
I just want to add that it's an honor to be here with ya. Thank you for having us! I also want to say that I love this band, and that I feel incredibly lucky to be playing with Mandy, Mustin and Spit. Peace.

Credits : 
Band photos : James REXROAD
Live photo : Annie SEAGULL