Recently I found myself in a small room, wearing paper pajamas, and kinda doped again. I was in yet another institution, this time for running out of my home and attacking the garbage men with a rubber pepper from Taco Bell. It’s weird, I know, but apparently the boa I was wearing matched the coloration of the pepper, so at least I know I looked good. Anyway, while I was in there I met these guys from Canada. They looked kinda weird -but it may have just been the Thorazine --and said they’re in a band. Apparently, the story goes, they got in trouble for the things coming out of their mouths and the ‘Authorities’ automatically assumed they’re crazy. When you speak out about change, about escaping from the brutal technocratic society of Governmental controlled idiocy that we labor under, people tend to look at you strangely. However, Vancouver, BC’s LEFT SPINE DOWN does it poetically, and with the addition of raw, riveting music, projects their ideology into the cosmos without fear of reprisal.

As soon as I got home, rubbed myself down with teriyaki beef jerky -the pepper stuff just doesn’t sit right with my skin -- and got the meds out of my system, I looked them up. I was surprised; they weren’t just a hallucination AND they make great music. You may have seen my recent review of their work by blog for FANGORIA MUSICK.  In addition to that, the voices encouraged me to get in touch with Kaine Delay, Denyss McKnight, and Jeremy Inkel. Respectively, they’re the singer, guitarist, and programmer/keyboardist of LSD, and the interview (performed by email due to the constraints of space and time) below introduces you to their take on things in great detail. It was a pleasure to do it, and I’d like to thank Mark at Synthetic for making it so easy to swing… and hitting on me like a strange, homo-erotic machine bent on ruthless promotion and exploitation of my fragile masculinity.

BENNY HELL (FANGORIA): So I was turned onto LSD through my friend Deathwish from VampireFreaks.com. When I first encountered your work I was totally knocked on my ass. It’s raw, it’s visceral, and it doesn’t hide behind tons of electronic bullshit. That said, the place to start is your influences. What music first got you guys interested enough to start creating your own? How old were you?

KAINE DELAY: I've been into the idea of making or writing music all my life, really. I think the first real step in realizing that was when I quit high school. My parents asked me what I was going to do and I said I wanted to make music for a living. At first they laughed. I was offended, but I kept on going. Fast forward a bunch of years and I'm still broke. I get the joke now.

I was about just getting pubes when I first heard INFORMATION SOCIETY’s self-titled debut (1988). Star Trek samples, out-of-this-world synthesizer programming, strange clothes, and stranger hair. And hooks in their songs! I think it was right then and there that I fantasized about starting an electronic band. DEPECHE MODE's ‘Violator’ album 2 years later cemented the deal for me. Now I began to envision myself in an electronic band.

Fast fwd to 1997: Many musical trends come and go, many CDs and tapes slip in and out of my fingers, and I come across this ad in the local paper: "If you like DEPECHE MODE and NIN, this band is the shit for you. Come check it out at (Vancouver's) DV8 tonight." The band was URCEUS EXIT, and the one show gave me serious hope: "Local electronic music CAN happen" was the message. I was hooked.

By about 1999/2000 I began DJing for the local all ages scene. Getting to know everyone from local bands to promoters to the kids frequenting our nights, somehow I befriended Matt and Jeremy and by 2003 LEFT SPINE DOWN became a living breathing musical entity. With our various influences ranging everywhere from new-wave to metal to grunge to trance to DnB, we felt like we could mold that into something. By end of 2002, ‘Policy of Hypocrisy’ and ‘Fighting for Voltage’ were in their embryonic "demo" phases.

DENYSS MCKNIGHT: I'd say that inspiration usually starts as a teen, so I'll start there. I got into punk from an early age, and that's mainly what I've been playing since. First show I ever saw was BILLY IDOL. First record I ever bought was from SNFU. Punk has been my mainstay.

I was 15 when I joined my first band, I played keyboards in a weird cross-over band. I ditched that and started a hardcore band when I was 16 and started playing guitar.

I really got into the whole 90's hardcore thing, SICK OF IT ALL, STRETCH ARMSTRONG, REFUSED etc. I played guitar in hardcore bands up until I was 22 then I joined the BLACK HALOS. At the time I had delved deeply into rock & roll roots after being turned onto the MURDER CITY DEVILS (who are still one of my favourite bands). Ultimately, it's safe to say that punk rock and it's branch offs that have mainly influenced me. For the past 3 years or so though I've really gotten into the dirty rock & roll sense of playing guitar. My friend Justin Hagberg(3 INCHES OF BLOOD) calls me the Johnny Thunders of electronic music. You figure it out.

JEREMY INKEL: I'd say my main influences for writing ‘Fighting for Voltage’ were, LARD ,THE PRODIGY, DEAD KENNEDYS, ATARI TEENAGE RIOT, MINISTRY, SLAYER, MINOR THREAT, NIRVANA, SEX PISTOLS, THE STOOGES, KMFDM, FLA and SKINNY PUPPY. I also used to frequent and throw a lot of punk/hardcore shows when I was a teenager so I've always had an affinity for punk bands; I loved all the old Nitro bands and Epitaph groups, as well as a love for electronic and industrial.

FANGORIA: When you started creating music, what were your initial goals? Also, what were your first efforts in music like?

KAINE: I think my first attempt was 4 major key chords on a Fender guitar thru a shitty little amp. I have a 4-track recording of it somewhere. It was named after a short story I read in a punk fanzine. "I am a Cliché" was the title. Pretty self-explanatory. I had no goals when I started aside from getting a good 4 track demo tape mix to play in the car, and maybe, if we got lucky, a stupid little gig in a disused country bar. I think the blond ambition came a little after 2003.

DENYSS: I just wanted to be up on stage. I still do. I played in hardcore band after hardcore band at hall shows for 6 years of my life.

JEREMY: I was about 17/18 when i got into playing with gear.  I had a groove box RM1x and a Yamaha Cs6 X and a mini Akai sampler,  I played with those a lot and started going to random gear parties with other electronic types. We'd stay up all night, do various drugs and just make the strangest sounds and jam out, sometimes record it. It was great fun, soon after I started doing live PA at raves and parties. About 2 years later, when I was about 18/19, I met kAINE.  I guess my goal was just to be playing music in any way possible, whether it was on my own or with a band. I've always loved to perform.

FANGORIA: Denyss, you used to play with THE BLACK HALOS. Do you think that experience contributes to the punk aspects of your sound?

DENYSS: At this point, I'd have to say no. I came into LSD while they were still recording the first album, so the songs were already written. My influence is a little more obvious I think on the newer stuff, but I have to tip my cap to the other members for how the initial incarnation turned out. I did learn a lot while I was with the HALOS and I never take it for granted or downplay what I got out of that. I learned how to be a performer and to do it genuinely. When you take that stage, you have that 40 minutes to make your mark. So, yeah.

Thank you to everyone in the BLACK HALOS camp. It was an important step in me becoming who I am today. No hard feelings. 

KAINE: I always made fun that ‘Last Daze’ was kind of a tongue-in-chic nod to "Tight" by the HALOS. Listeners, you decide.

FANGORIA: Jeremy, how do you think the experience of working with Bill Leeb has effected your approach to music:

JEREMY: I think working with him, Chris and Rhys has been great overall. FLA is a challenge, and with such a huge body of work already, keeping it fresh is a task on its own.  So it's really forced me to up my ability in programming and learn new technologies in creating sound.  I started working with Bill and Chris on a Noise Unit album when I was 21/22 and ended up joining FLA shortly after that.  Bill and I also did an MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE remix for the "Straight to Video" single.  Also, working with Greg Reely (mix engineer) has been a real eye opener as well; he's amazing at what he does and I've always been a fan of his work.  I was very happy to have Greg record and mix us for this remix album.

FANGORIA: Would you say that aspects of the sound you helped to create w/ NOISE UNIT and FLA add to the audio environment you've made for LSD?

JEREMY: While the styles are different, many aspects of the technical side stay the same, so I'd say as I became a better writer with FLA, the same went for LSD, just getting better at what you do by experience.

FANGORIA: How does that approach compare to what you do now, Denyss, in Left Spine Down? I pose the same question to you Kaine; how does your early work compare to what you’re doing now?

KAINE: Well, I still make sound collages that everyone hates, lol! Really though, the "punk" influence was always there, so to speak... besides, who was it that said all you needed were 4 chords and the truth? I believe it wasn't a punk at all. Hell, I think it was a hippie!

DENYSS: As I've mentioned in other interviews, it's like comparing two different people. Denyss Halo was an obnoxious, alcoholic egotistical fuckwad. Now I'm just an alcoholic fuckwad. With LEFT SPINE DOWN, my goal is to give our audience as intense of an experience as possible, aurally, visually and intellectually. It's an entirely different monster, a quote I've taken from Billy Hopeless. In the studio, I learned a lot from working with Jack Endino, and I have the Halos to thank for that. I have incorporated a lot of the things I learned from him into the production for LEFT SPINE DOWN as far as organic instrumentation. Not to mention I certainly take my tuning a lot more seriously these days!

FANGORIA: How did the band come together and where did the name come from?

KAINE: Despite how many people think my name is Christian or how many times I may have been injured in the head, the official story goes like this:
In 2023 War was beginning.
What happen?
Someone Can't Stop The Bomb.
We get signal.
Flat Screen turn on.
It's Bill Leeb!
"How are you gentlemen?" He asks.
"All your beats are belong to us," I reply.
"What you say?" He asks.
I reply: "You are on the way to Civilisation. You have no chance to survive make your time. Ha Ha Ha."
I then fell into a wormhole, kidnapped 4 people and formed a band. I have video evidence of all this. You'll see most of it someday. On Television.

JEREMY: hahahahahahahahahahaha.

FANGORIA: I’ve read that you guys worked pretty closely with Chris (Peterson of FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY/NOISE UNIT) on ‘Fighting For Voltage.’ Do you think FFV would have the same sharp edges if he hadn’t produced the album?

DENYSS: Absolutely not. Chris is, and will always be very much a 6th member of the band. Without him, FFV would not be what it was, not to mention the members would not be who they are. Chris is a rare breed and I consider myself lucky to work with him and call him my friend. He fed k4INE so much rye during the takes to get the best performance out of him, and we still continue that tradition to this day.

KAINE: The guy's in DECREE. Have you heard the ‘Wake of Devastation’ record? Long before the band itself was around I always thought that to be one of the most dangerous sounding albums ever released. So naturally, when the band formed and he became our friend, A few spiked drinks at the bar helped convince him that we were in fact dangerous enough to make something really bombastic and catchy all at once, and we sealed the deal. I think the record owes a lot, sonically and conceptually, to Peterson's contribution.

JEREMY: Chris had a huge part in the development of this band and it's sound.  He really encouraged us to try new things and taught me some amazing tricks on programming, so as we wrote the record my programming got a lot better.  Chris is a very drums heavy kind of guy so that’s what gives him "the sharp edge". He also really helped Kaine become a better session singer.

FANGORIA: How does working with a guy from a band that one of your members (Jeremy Inkel) is involved with translate? Does it ever feel incestuous?

KAINE: Vancouver's middle name is Incest. Well the scene, anyway. lol. Fact is, Leeb heard some of our noises in the studio (Hang Up, Reset) and was immediately calling up Jeremy to join him on the NOISE UNIT album ‘Voyeur.’ A year later he was on the FLA album and tour bus. It was a natural progression, although when the boy texted me from Russia I admit I was a little jealous.

FANGORIA: I’ve seen the critical acclaim for FFV all over the net. Hell, I even reviewed it myself for FANGORIA MUSICK. I know it’s only been out for a month, but how has your remix album, ‘Voltage 2.3 Remixed & Reloaded’ fared so far?

KAINE: People either don't know what to make of it or absolutely love it. The remixes we play live (Reset, Flip the Switch) have been receiving rave reviews. Our covers have been tested out on the stage before we cut them to CD, so we already knew they'd be crowd pleasers. We hope to pimp it more with an expanded digital release of 2.3 very soon.

DENYSS: Honestly, people are just starting to catch wind of it now. Part of me thinks we were naive and thought that the artists that contributed on it alone would bring attention to it, part of me wonders why it hasn't done it after all. We're starting to realize that we'll have to work just as hard to promote it as we did the debut album. At the end of the day though, all the feedback we've gotten on it so far has been incredibly positive, and it's really cool to see that people have been paying attention to our original tracks on it just as much as they are the remixes. It gives me a really warm feeling about the upcoming full length.

JEREMY: So far the feedback has been really great, we are so happy that we managed to get all these artists involved, we had no idea we would end up with the roster that we did.  It's the perfect way to follow up Fighting for Voltage, and it's equally great to hear artists you love giving you their spin on one of your songs.  We even started performing some of the remixes live.  We picked the Seb Komor mix, and the KMFDM mix to play live, the artists hooked us up with the session files and it was REALLY fun playing the different versions live, and giving the audience a live demonstration of what the disc sounds like.  Electronic music is great for that because you can totally remix your songs and change it up.

FANGORIA: There are some insanely talented people reworking your songs; Tim Skold and KMFDM remixed you for fucks sake! Of all the artists that contributed to it, what are your favorite remixes and why?

KAINE: I've always been the biggest SKINNY PUPPY/DOWNLOAD fan, so naturally when we received the mix of ‘Policy’ I was hooked. I also love the impact of the KMFDM and Melt mixes. They translate very well live, almost better than the originals. THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE's version of ‘Last Daze’ floors me. I'm so beside myself hearing someone else sing my lyrics.

JEREMY: My absolute fav track is the DJ ACUCRACK remix, I'm a sucker for those DnB songs and Jason really brings the pain :) (Ed. Note; that’s Jason Novak, also from one of my fav. Bands, ACUMEN NATION) I was also blown away by the DOWNLOAD mix, I've been a HUGE DOWNLOAD fan since I was 16 so it was a real honor to have them on this.  I also LOVE the KMFDM version of ‘Flip The Switch,’ I think it's actually better than the original. THE REVOLTING COCKS remix has a great sort of old school industrial sound that that is unmistakably theirs.

THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE gave us a cover instead of a remix and it blew everyone out of the water, and it's great because we already do 2 cover songs on the album, so having another band cover us as a remix is really original, I love it!

Man, to tell you the truth, I could just keep going on at this point, I'm very satisfied with this disc :)

DENYSS: Hmm, now do I be consistent with other interviews or do I drop some new ones...

Fuck it. I love them all, I'll spread it around. We previewed them as they came in, so we didn't get that same first time listen through that the fans did. The two that really struck me out of the gate were DOWNLOAD's version of "Policy of Hypocrisy" and BAAL's "Reset". You can fuck to that DOWNLOAD remix. I should know. The BAAL remix… Essentially, we befriended these guys online and really liked them. So we sent them a kit. They came back at us with the ultimate Japanese version of "Reset". Seriously. That track is sick. As a band, we really loved the MELT(Seb Komor of ICON OF COIL and ZOMBIE GIRL fame) version of "Reset" and KMFDM's "Flick the Stitch". So much in fact that we learned them and incorporated them into our set. They gave the songs so much more definition and a way that we hadn't heard them done before. But if Steve White is reading this, contact me. I'd love to yell at you for how long it took me to nail that solo. You're too good motherfucker.

FANGORIA: You guys did some surprising covers on there. Of all the songs to hear, NIRVANA’s ‘Territorial Pissings’ was probably one of the last I’d expected. Why did you choose to cover that song, and what did you try to do differently than the original to make it your own?

KAINE: We were asked a while ago to appear on a NIRVANA tribute album. We did Pissings, and took that to the stage as well. Again it was one of those natural things where it sounded just as good live as we recorded it in the studio, so we decided to release it on the album. We're all big NIRVANA fans so to do this was more than an honor, it was a dare to make it sound as loud and as aggressive as possible. Lyrically, I totally believe in the song. Social and sexual equality is something we all believe in and would like to see more of in society. Musically we were asked to update it so we did, in our own way. We added breakbeats, gave the Youngbloods sample a bit of a modern twist, while still retaining elements of the original, and even paid sonic homage to Kurt Cobain using the (Cobain-designed) Jag-stang guitar by Fender. It really shows, at the end; that feedback almost SOUNDS like a sample from "Heart Shaped Box" or something.

DENYSS: As Kaine said, we're all huge NIRVANA fans. This was recorded when Jared Slingerland was in the band, and to his credit, he did a killer job on the guitar takes. Essentially, we tried to stay as close to the original as far as arrangement and composition went. Jeremy totally outdid himself with his programming and really transformed it into something cool and unique. At the risk of pissing off NIRVANA fans, I would go out on a limb and say that we made it sound even more angry than maybe was intended.

JEREMY: Well, we all really like NIRVANA, and I guess we were listening to Nevermind one day in the studio taking a smoke break, and the song came up, and one of us (I think it was me but I'm not sure) suggested it as a cover.  Then we found out about this NIRVANA tribute compilation online, and decided to enter it.

When I do a cover song, I really like to keep some aspects very true to the original, and other aspects completely different.  In this recording we defiantly stuck with the same arrangement as the original. We stayed very true to the guitar playing, even to the point of recording with the Kurt Cobain designed guitar [Fender's Jag-Stang - specifically designed to pump out the BEST feedback, and it just sounds so raw and dirty, we all took turns on that bitch;) ]; Denyss decided to play the bass line different and go for the low note in the chorus, which really makes it sound heavy.  Where we took the song a different way, was to do all the drums electronically, except for the snare roll - thank you Tim:) .   Add heavy/glitchy DnB loops (super distorted), and a heavy distorted synth so the song retains its energy, and it puts more of an LSD spin on the track.  I don't like the idea of re-creating a cover and having it just sound like the original, it sort of defeats the purpose in my opinion.

FANGORIA: Another major point on interest on the remix album was your cover of JOY DIVISION’s ‘She’s Lost Control.’ You guys did a great job on it, keeping some of the original threads while weaving in your own. Everyone that is into JOY DIVISION seems to have some story of what led them to their music and how it’s influenced their life… What’s the back-story on that? Also, what led you to cover it, and what did you try to do or avoid to make it an homage?

KAINE: First of all, thanks, I know it's kinda scary when a band covers such a historical act. We're huge JOY DIVISION fans. I found out later that the Halos actually covered ‘Warsaw,’ so having Denyss in on LSDs version of "Control" was kinda funny in hindsight. It was another natural progression: the more I heard the song, the more I envisioned us doing it. So after sharing the idea with Jeremy he shows up to the studio with a killer pre-program on his laptop, I laid the vocal right then and there, added some real aerosol can tracks for authenticity, and the rest just fell into place. By the end of it all we realized it sounds more like a LSD song than most LSD songs right now. Our execution was more natural than anything. I think the only real anticipation we felt was when we recorded the aerosol can. I just felt like "wow, this is so fucking COOL".

JEREMY: Well, we all loved JOY DIVISION , and I'm sure as everybody knows the movie ‘Control’ just came out, and we loved the movie. I think the name Control got us listening to the song... It's a great song and we loved the scene (in the film) where you see the band recording with the spray air can into the mic to make that snare hit.  Kaine was really into the idea so we got to work right away and by the end of the week we had everyone's parts recorded.  I think the difference between ours and the original lies in the arrangement.  The original plays out like a loop over and over as the guitars and vocals build, where as ours is more of a rock structure with a defined sense of the verse and the chorus, as well as solo/breakdown at the end.  Yes we did use the aerosol can we had to:)  We also effected kAINE to sound more like the original. So yes, the best parts of the original were preserved in this one.

DENYSS: It was a daunting task in retrospect I'll admit. At the time we were so pumped on our new material that we were feeling pretty unstoppable. We were musing on the idea of covering JOY DIVISION and were throwing around possible song ideas. THE BLACK HALOS covered "Warsaw" before I was in the band, so I was also a tad worried that people would think we were stealing the idea. But when I got the first draft from Jeremy and k4INE, I knew it was something we had to finish. We kept in the vocal effects to a degree and twisted them, as well as the famous aerosol spray can percussive hits. That was our homage to its production brilliance. In the end, I'm really proud of what we managed to do with it, and it has become a favourite for us and our audiences in our live set.

FANGORIA: What do you guys have coming up in the remainder of 2009? I’ve read a lot of hints about a coming US tour, but heard that you’ve had issues with your Visas. Any closer to invading your materialist southern neighbors?

JEREMY: Yes, oh yes, its coming;)

KAINE: We have plans, Top Secret plans. In color coded and numbered manila folders. Right now I'm picking folder #2. We're not allowed to look in there until 9/11. That's my story and you're sticking to it.

FANGORIA: In the past you’ve played with a number of notable bands. Of course, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY comes first, but there is also BELLA MORTE (by the way, Andy Deane says Hi (read our recent interview here), 16 VOLT, CHEMLAB, and SNFU. Of all those bands, who has been your favorite to play with thus far?

KAINE: ANDY!!!! Well hey! It's been what almost a year since the 16VOLT tour? Hope all is well, and yes, my time machine is still active.

DENYSS: Hi Andy! Sorry about missing the tour! So far for me, my favourites are RABBIT JUNK and SNFU. I was a huge fan of THE SHIZIT and basically anything JP Anderson has done, getting to meet him and share the stage with him was amazing. And thanks for the AC cords dude. You saved my ass. On to SNFU. SNFU was the first punk band I ever got into. I mean, I fucking worshipped them. Now, they're not only my tour mates, but they're also some of my best friends.

On tour, one of my happiest thoughts was, "As soon as we get out of this van, I'll get to hang out with the guys." Christ, I haven't even mentioned ohGr. As a huge SKINNY PUPPY fan, his solo project was an easy sell for me. Seeing him live was an epic experience. Opening for him was a religious experience. Hm, two Vancouver bands and a Seattle...must be something about the West Coast huh?

JEREMY: The 16 VOLT/BELLA MORTE show was a really fun show to play, and touring with SNFU was a blast.

FANGORIA: How many of the bands I listed have influenced your sound or thoughts on what you do directly? What was it like to meet them and obviously have their approval by playing with them?

KAINE: I think (opening for, and) having Ogre hug me at sound check in Vancouver was one of the most memorable and honorable moments in my career. To have someone of that stature love your gift of vodka and t-shirts that much... WOW. Plus I heard he likes our music too, so we're all still very beside ourselves about that one.

JEREMY: Its great to meet other musicians you like and perform with each other, one that you missed in your list there was the Ohgr show we did late last year. Being able to play with him was an amazing experience,  we had so much fun.  Chi Pig is also a maniac on stage, since the tour I always go on stage at an SNFU show and sing the chorus for "Better Than Eddie Vedder" through (Ken) Goonie's mic.

And Eric from 16VOLT is a fucking great person, and very talented; I really like 16VOLT and since then, I have collaborated on a new song for the upcoming 16VOLT album, due out sometime this year.  The song is called "To Hell", and I can't wait for everyone to hear it.  We also played with the legendary punk band DOA, that was an honor as well.

DENYSS: Having Mr. Chi Pig of SNFU telling me he loved my band was an honour. I think I responded with something stupid like "Are you kidding? I've loved your band for half of my life." Then I ran away. As far as influencing, bands you love will always influence your writing. We've been fortunate enough to play with some really great bands. Again with SNFU, I find myself writing songs that could very well be SNFU songs. It's just going to happen.

For the record, I would really love to play with ANGELSPIT. Cyberpunk from both corners of the planet unite. Seriously.

FANGORIA: Working and performing with so many significant bands is a feat not too many acts on their way up can really claim. Do you think that seeing so many seasoned hands display their art through music has influenced any aspect of the way you guys are evolving?

KAINE: I think seeing bands like SNFU and FLA operate up close and personal have really given us as a band a lot of perspective on this industry. I bonded with Ken Fleming a lot on the SNFU tour we went on, and that guy has seen almost everything, I think he was on his 5000th gig when we were in Ottawa last fall. But yes, Ken Fleming, the same Ken who played bass on ECONOLINE CRUSH’s ’Devil You Know’ album, Ken from SNFU, is the shit. He taught me a lot about life, or lust, or was it love? I think I already know more about it than this old man in the room next door. HE, hasn't got a clue.

DENYSS: Definitely. You can't play with the bands we have and not be touched by what they do. Especially watching crowds react to certain things, learning what can captivate an audience. Not that anyone should tailor make what they do to fit anything, but I think it's good to study what other artists do and take a lesson. We are, by standards, a new band and we're still developing. I'd like to think that we've basically nailed what we're all about, at least live, but if someone I respected professionally gave me any constructive criticism, I would totally take it to heart and reflect on it.

JEREMY: Oh yes, for sure, you're always going to get some influence from doing shows like that. It gives you perspective, we are very lucky to have played with so many great bands, so early on.

FANGORIA: In Canada you work with Synthetic Sounds as your label, and then went through BitRiot Records for your American distribution on FFV. I’ve know Eric and Tanya from BitRiot personally, although we haven‘t spoken in a while. They’re hard working people (who didn‘t pay me to say this)! What has your relationship with them been like so far, and what led you to go with them versus someone else like Metropolis Records?

KAINE: We haven't spoken with Eric and Tonya in a while either. LOL! BitRiot are a fresh new label out of Chicago, and we were lucky enough to get involved with them at the right time. I think they offered us a lot in the realm of Artist Development, something I know most labels don't do. As far as the Metro thing goes, ask them. They never return my calls.

DENYSS: We agreed mutually it would be beneficial to part ways after the release of FFV. We can be a very hard band to work with at times, and certainly the trial of getting a Canadian band across the border is a huge one, especially at a time when free trade was very much discouraged. As a team we just couldn't pull it off. Eric and Tanya are really great people and I wish them all the best. It was their passion and love of music that led us to work with them in the first place, and I still feel that they have that. We want to work with people that do what they do because they love music and the people that make it. That will probably always be our standard.

FANGORIA: BitRiot is a very DIY label, in the same spirit as the old Wax Trax! approach used to be. Since you’ve parted company with them, I can only presume that you’re looking for someone in the same mode of operation… How do you plan to release the remix album in the US?

KAINE: There are negotiations with an outfit or two about stateside release. Nobody's asked me to sign anything yet, so US buyers can pick it up online for now.

DENYSS: We currently have no plans for US distribution of the remix album. We decided to take a very different approach to it and would like to retain as much control as possible. In this day and age in the industry, I find it extremely important for the artist to have their claws as deeply into their work as possible. If we decide on a label for this album, I suspect it won't be anything anyone would expect. We're entertaining courtships from several labels right now, but we have no commitments to anyone.

JEREMY: Well, we had already released Fighting for Voltage on our own, and we wanted to stay as Indie as possible so we could keep our options open and see what we could do on our own, so we liked Bit Riot for the fact that they are a smaller label, which means more focus.

FANGORIA: What is on your agenda for 2009? Do you have new material going, and if so, when do you foresee another album release?

KAINE: Well I happen to know that someone's out to kill me. I know too much. Can't say much more than that.

DENYSS: Basically, we've worked our asses off so far. Our whole lives for the past two years have been about the band. Myself, I've been between the band and working as Vice President for Synthetic, so it's really easy to get burnt out on the administrative side of music. For the next 5 months or so, we're working on new material for a new album. We've found an amazing chemistry between us as not only band members but as people as well. Touring as much as we have will do that. We're really excited about the ideas that we're coming up with musically and artistically, so we're going to focus on that for a while. After a critically acclaimed debut release and a killer remix album, the pressure is definitely on to follow it up with something that will up the ante. It's not as though we want to let our audience influence our music so much as it is we want to produce something that we're happy to bring to the table and show that we're more than just a one trick pony.

JEREMY: We are working on a new album now and are going to be at it all summer in the studio until we hit the road in September; we are aiming to have it finished for the New Year of 2010.

FANGORIA: I’d like to shift gears a little and dig into some of the stuff I’ve found on you guys. As I’ve mentioned before, your music has a huge undercurrent of philosophical thought that flows through it. If you were to compose an LSD Manifesto, what would it say?

JEREMY: I'll let kAINE handle this one :)

KAINE: We actually DID compose a manifesto once. I wonder if I still have it. I'll send it to you when I find it. It was like from 2003 or something. (Ed. Note: I did receive it via email and dug the shit out of it. They need to post it on the net.)

FANGORIA: You’ve talked about the Cut-up work of Burroughs in numerous places -interviews, your public profiles and the like --what is it about his work that inspires you on a personal/individual level?

KAINE: I've been into Burroughs for years. The infamous cut-up technique is something I take both metaphorically and literally. It's funny how everyone assumes the LSD sample library to come from various sci-fi films and the like, but the fact is: All the dialogue samples you hear on the albums come from my personal tape collection. I rant into a portable tape recorder, transfer that to reel to reel (1/4" tape) and cut it up, only to re-arrange it at random. I do the same to my lyrics, a lot of our songs' lyrics come from this huge pile of otherwise useless poetry I've accumulated over the years. It's helped turn this rather cohesive story I had for FfV into this non-linear time traveling drug trip, which pretty much sums up what the creative process was like for me at the time.

DENYSS: My own would read along the lines of finding your own sense of individuality instead of amalgamating and filtering what you're fed through media. I've always believed that the essence of punk rock has been about doing what you want when you want to do it. I try to live my life that way, and I try to express that through my music.

JEREMY: Burroughs is one of the greatest writers of the 21st century, he can really paint a mental picture of how insane the world around him is, much like Hunter S. Thompson but obviously way before his time. I actually did a book report on ‘Naked Lunch’ when I was in grade 10, lol.

FANGORIA: Burroughs has had a huge impact on me, and my writing. I’ve always believed an unrecognized affinity exists between his work and the Cyberpunk genre just on his premise of language being viral in nature. What about music? As a language unto itself, do you believe it’s viral as well? If so, what insights has incorporating his influence (or influenca (bad pun, I know) into your work given you?

KAINE: Cyberpunk as a genre owes a lot to him. I think he started surfing channels long before it became socially acceptable (or convenient, even), flipping from station to station on a dial rather than a remote control. What he was doing at the time was a form of hacking, if you think about it. Cultural hacking, he'd take anything from news reports to his tax statement to the windpipe chaorchestra that was in Joujouka and make it into a piece. His films dabbled into things we'd all eventually use in advertising, like strobe effects and collages, mirrored text, flashy words and loud colors married with an even louder noise. I think his influence can be felt in almost everything we do, from the samples you hear on the song's bed tracks to the cut-and-paste loops Jeremy plays with to the 23 minute long jam we included on the end of FfV. The Cut-Up is very much alive in this band.

DENYSS: He was a renegade. A literary pirate. We're musicians of the same ilk.

JEREMY: Yes, I think music can translate the same way a book can, it's something you listen to so it has to inspire you to think and understand what your getting yourself into. I think the idea of kAINE using old tapes and cutting the audio up and mangling it to re-arrange the words was a bit of a Burroughs influence.

FANGORIA: A lot of your songs reflect on the sicker aspects of society; Government surveillance, the sense of disenfranchisement that pervades our generation, universal apathy, etc. Do you think the misanthropic future he predicted in so much of his work has come to be? If so, what are the identifying traits of it that you encounter the most?

KAINE: Like Orwell before him, Burroughs kinda had his finger on the pulse, so to speak, when it came to social politics. I think I read on the KLF's manifesto "How to write a number one record the easy way" that one of the MAJOR key points to following the manifesto to the letter and succeed was to remain perpetually unemployed in order to retain a larger perspective on the machinations of society without being bogged down into it. Lucky for him, Burroughs' parents were rich and got him a doctor's note early on stating he wasn't mentally capable of holding down a real job so he was practically on welfare all his life. I believe his amazing amount of spare time allowed him to not only look at the world from an outsider's perspective, but also allowed him the ability to fully pursue this as not just a job but a lifestyle, a career choice. Lucky bastard hardly worked a day in his life to become one of the most revered literary artists of all time. Who said working hard gives fancy results? Fuck him! Lol!

JEREMY: I think growing up with the media the way it is now really fucked with our heads. A more paranoid generation of kids; Great, that's just what the fucking world needs right now.  So in a sense, LSD was a way to get that off our chest, and feel like we are saying "no" to this, and making it very loud and fucking clear.

FANGORIA: It seems like the world is slipping further and further into this elliptical downward spiral. It’s becoming a constant barrage of entertainment and distraction to hide the decay beneath. Your passion is obvious, so let me ask you a question that haunts me often: Of all the glaring injustices in the music and film world today, what juts out the most at you?

KAINE: That I'm still broke. We've been at this for quite some time and I'm still avoiding calls from the bank and my phone company. We all have to have day jobs in order to survive. So, on our spare time, LSD cleans your table, serves you food, takes your phone calls, and puts your merchandise in a plastic (or paper) bag for you. Very Fight Club, now that I think about it, but I'd still love to live the typical rock star life where I can avoid calls from Ashton Kutcher, shoplift with Winona Ryder on Sunset Strip, and get photographed by TMZ.com as I step out of a Lamborghini with no underwear on, but for now I'll stick to my humble nights watching CSI, all hopped up on Red Bulls and Jack Daniel's. And T3s.

JEREMY: I think there was a time where radio stations and music TV shows (media)  paid attention to a more diverse culture, where as now its very select and POP, and apparently alternative just isn't cool anymore.  HELL even electronica in general is taboo on MTV and MuchMusic, it's really sad.  You used to be able to see anything from UNDERWORLD and PRODIGY videos, to SLAYER and NIN, MINISTRY, and FLA vids all in one night, and they still put out lots of pop then, but at least everyone had some place there.  Now it's as if you don’t have any business being on TV unless your fucking some Hollywood slut on TV and your in a band.  Or your just a complete corporate tool loser jumping through every cocaine laced hoop the label throws at you.  It's sad, really sad.

And I quote 50 cent "I got money y’all" ;)

DENYSS: Me? I think playing on peoples emotions for the sake of capitalistic gain is just downright fucking wrong. In my opinion, people are generally scared by nature. They crave being given an answer. Instead of promoting self improvement on a real and human level, they're force-fed quick fixes and distractions so they don't have to deal with the horror of introspection and self awareness. The populous is given enough singing and dancing so that they don't have to spend any time in their heads. Then they're given sleeping aids to help them ignore that nagging voice in the back of their heads when they go to bed. It's disgusting. It's an atrocity. It needs to end NOW. Wake the fuck up!

FANGORIA: Musicians are usually the last people to ask about social change. They live in an often ephemeral world that doesn’t connect to what ‘real life’ is. However, you guys are obviously intelligent and aware. What do you think are the steps needed to correct this collapse we’re in the midst of?

KAINE: A time machine. Like Al Gore said on ‘An Inconvenient Truth:’ We're all screwed, man. Game over. The world is coming to an end, it's just that nobody's gonna tell us when to avoid mass panic. It's done. We're just waiting for the cavalry to arrive. On that note: DeathWish still hasn't come thru with any Plutonium, would you have any Canadian connections to such a substance? Please contact me personally in regards to this. I'm not joking.

JEREMY: Take the hit, you all bought into a system of credit that many said was a bad idea. Many of these huge companies that needed to get bailed out were greedy corporate fucks that just wanted more and more.  And like a bad drug dealer, starts fronting all of the goods on the hopes that they will get it back, as well as get people hooked.  Now your hooked, time to pay, and go to rehab.

So now it's going to suck for a while as things balance out. Many people will lose a lot over this and hopefully will be a reminder that you cant have a million dollar lifestyle when you make under 50k a year.

DENYSS: At this point, the steps needed in order to correct this fallacy that we accept as reality are so staggering that it's almost impossible and definitely idealistic to even approach academically. It would take generations and far too many forward thinking leaders to really right the wrongs. The dollar has become the highest deity. My solution? When I was 16 and an ignorant punk kid my first instinct was to burn it all down and start from scratch. After suffering the false wisdom of my early twenties, my conclusion is the same. Burn it all down. Let Nature take its course and eliminate the vile and inexcusable existence of the human race. I would have no problem sacrificing myself if it came down to it. People fear death. They shouldn't. They should fear their own lives. We are the soundtrack to that event.

The revolution will be televised.

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