If you had asked us a few months ago who Inouk was, we would have stared blankly. If you asked us today, we'd tell you the following...
You cannot not write down what this band "is" and you better pencil it in if you do, because you'll be coming back 2 minutes later to change it. They are an overflow of former descriptions. Their debut album, No Danger, progressively draws you in with its consistently beautiful and consistently changing sound and feel. One second they sound like the Beach Boys...if the Beach Boys were playing in an empty haunted castle. The next they are your favorite Brit pop band, making you dance when you least expect it. They sound like the new old. Vintage, created today. They are prog rock and pop, rattling around in an empty tin can. Their edges are staggering, yet feel smooth.
It does not make sense, because it's new.
Get excited.
Inouk is Damon McMahon (guitar & vocals), Alexander McMahon (guitar, keyboard & vocals), Ian Fenger (guitar), Jesse Johnson (bass & vocals), Glen Brasile (drums). This week bassist Jesse Johnson took some time out to answer our questions...
Let's get this out of the way, where did the band name originate...and if you had to change it to something else what would it be?
Inouk is my middle name. If we had to change the name to something, it would be Dusty Dust.
What is your first conscious memory of living in New York?
When I stepped out of my pod that landed in Times Square
What is your favorite/least favorite memory involving New York?
My favorite memory off the top of my head is walking in the streets on the first snow fall. I had holes in my boots, so my socks were soaked. I then had to stop in Duane Reade, buy some pink fuzzy socks, and put the Duane Reade bags over them, then put my shoes on.
What is your favorite place to drink in NYC? What's the best night of the week to go out in the city?
Anywhere that serves Sparks.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about playing shows in New York? Is there a difference between shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn?
Least favorite thing is the inconsistent sound between venues. Theres no difference, that I know of, between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Do you think your New York connection shows in your music? If so, how?
No
Finish the following statements:
"You know you've made it when "
Your iPod says, good job!
"It'll be time to pack up the gear for good when "
I die!
"I'll never forget the first time "
pimped myself out.
Ill never forget the first time [insert another band members name
here]
Ian (guit.) and glen (drums) made out for the first time
Now for some quick word association. Give me your immediate feelings on the following:
Yankees
whatever
Mets
Seahawks
Britney
Jessica
Bridge & Tunnel
Simon and Garfunkel
the Darkness
whatever
Times Square
future
Bloomberg/Smoking Ban/Noise Laws
inconvenience
Questions inspired by movies...
If you will, a brief justification of the ontological necessity of modern
man's existential dilemma (in 10 words or less). (Reality Bites)
I began reading about bells, discovering the physics of their sounds, and became interested in thinking about what other sorts of bells might exist. My speculations quickly took me out of the bounds of current physical and material possibilities, but I considered some licence allowable since the project was conceived in a time scale of thousands of years, and I might therefore imagine bells with quite different physical properties from those we now know. And as I started trying to make bell sounds with my synthesizers, I got diverted by some of the more attractive failures.
What came first, the music or the misery? (High Fidelity)
music
And a few last questions on the music tip:
What were the first & last albums you bought on the day they were released?
Radiohead's Kid A
Who would be in your ultimate music supergroup, your all-star Olympic team of rock?
Eno/god
If you released a 7 what would you put on the cover?
Buy their debut album, No Danger, here
Inouk plays September 21st @ Tonic w/ On! Air! Library!
