Interviews

THE SICK LIPSTICK

Interview by Marleigh Riggins

   For those not familiar with the genre, no wave is characterized by dissonance, often revolving around catchy, dance-friendly rhythms. No wave originated in New York in the early '80s. Thanks to the new-found popularity of the New York scene, no wave has had a resurgence. Formed in Toronto, The Sick Lipstick is a high-energy no-wave band in the vein of Huggy Bear, Erase Errata, and The Rapture. Following two small releases on Sound Virus and Deleted Art and a line-up change last year, their debut full-length, STING! STING! STING!, was released on Tigerstyle Records in June.

This interview was conducted via e-mail with Mark (keyboards).

SKRATCH: I understand that the band underwent a bit of a line-up change before the recording of the new album. How and why did that come about? Are you happy with how things have turned out?
MARK: We decided to change the line-up of the band because Lindsey didn't really feel like practicing and writing songs all the time—which is cool, since she has a lot of other things on the go aside from the band. The earlier stuff on the EP was written by all of us. We would each contribute ideas for different instruments and the overall arrangements of the songs, so my moving from drums to keyboard wasn't too drastic since I already had a hand in writing them before. We are totally happy with the new line-up since Dennis is a better drummer than me—which allows us to try different ideas and because it lets me be the boss since I write the main parts and ideas for most of the songs.

SKRATCH: Your sound has been compared to a lot of bands: Erase Errata, Bikini Kill, The Subtonix, Huggy Bear, The Rapture, Deerhoof, etc. Do you think that those comparisons are valid? Have any of the bands you have been compared to influenced you?
MARK: Yeah, they are all valid. [Those] are all bands that have a somewhat similar sound to us. Being compared to Huggy Bear is always great, since they knew how to rock hard.

SKRATCH: In other interviews, you've mentioned that all the songs that have been released previously were written and recorded long before they were put out. Because of that and the line-up change, do you think that others' expectations for the album are unrealistic?
MARK: It was cool that we took such a long break between each record and had the line-up change in the middle. Right now we are taking a break and are not starting the writing of our next record until sometime in the fall. It is important for bands to take chill breaks so that you don't want to kill each other all the time. Most people who have heard the new album can totally tell that it is a huge step [forward] in the songwriting department from the older line-up's material.

SKRATCH: Since you have had a lot of time between the recording of the songs you've already released and the recording of the album that is about to be released, did you have a lot of songs to choose from when you went into the studio to record this album? Was it difficult to decide which tracks were going to make the cut?
MARK: We actually decided to have fun and rush ourselves to write the entire record in six months. We thought it would be cool to see if we could do it—and we did. We had a bunch of songs that are not on the album, but we were too lazy to get around to record them. We have already forgotten most of them. One was called "Pigeons Eat Birds", but I can't remember the rest.

SKRATCH: Tigerstyle has an eclectic roster, but, other than James Chance, none of the other bands on the label have a terribly similar musical sensibility; and your previous releases were on much smaller labels. What made you decide to release your full-length on Tigerstyle?
MARK: They e-mailed us and asked us to work with them. They have a lot of money and marketing power, so we knew they could help make us no wave stars. And since they worked with James Chance, the Godfather of no wave, we knew not doing a record with them would be wrong.

SKRATCH: How do you divide the songwriting responsibilities? Is it a communal thing, or is there a main creative force in the band?
MARK: We all go to the space and sit down and stare at each other. Then I start messing around on the keyboard until I come up with something that sounds good. Dennis works out some drums, then we play it over and over until Allan works out all his riffs. After that, we do the same type of thing and argue and stuff—until we have a finished song! Sometimes we get in fights writing songs, but it is fun. Lindsey is lazy and never comes to practices ever, but we still love her. I once threw a drumstick at Allan's head a long time ago, and he was not too impressed by it.

SKRATCH: Being from Toronto, you obviously play in Canada much more often than you do the States. Have you found it difficult to establish a wider fan base because of your location?
MARK: Actually, we have been pretty lazy in the past. Aside from playing Toronto on a somewhat regular basis, we have not really played anywhere else. But since we decided to get our shit together and start operating like a real band, I am sure we will do more Canadian shows someday.

SKRATCH: I know you're currently on tour. Do you enjoy being on the road? Will you be touring more extensively this summer in support of the new album?
MARK: We are going on tour in the States in July and August with our friends An Albatross. Beyond that, we plan to tour the States again in the fall, then go to some other places, like Europe or Japan, and spread the love all over the world.

SKRATCH: What bands/albums have you been listening to lately?
MARK: Phantom Pregnancies' THE COMPILATION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A CONTENDER LP on Dim Mak. Everyone needs to own this record now, if they know what is best for them.

SKRATCH: What are your plans for the rest of the year?
MARK: Become no-wave rock stars.

STING! STING! STING! is out now on Tigerstyle Records. Album information and tour dates are available at www.tigerstylerecords.com and www.thesicklipstick.com.

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