It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine: January 2011

McFadden’s Parachute interview with Darren Thomas Brennessel

Interview:

Thank you very much for agreeing to this interview. Would you mind introducing yourself?

Hi Klemen,

my name is Darren Thomas Brennessel from Rochester, NY USA.

I am the one man band called McFadden's Parachute. I play all instruments, write all songs (except the occasional cover songs I record) I sing all songs, do all the recording and mixing and do all the artwork and graphics for my projects.

So, how did you start your music career?

I began collection 60's music in 1970 when I was 6 years old. After listening to this music for the next 15 years, I decided I could create this kind of music. I felt a need to create the sounds I was hearing in my mind. I had music and lyrics that needed to be recorded. So I first taught myself to play drums, joined a neo-60's garage band called "The Purple Flashes" in 1989. I then taught myself to play guitar, bass, organ and learned how to record multi- track analog and built my own recording studio in a storage facility. I recorded my first "McFadden's Parachute" album there in 1989 called "Physical Culture Sanitarium" and have had 28 official full length McFadden's Parachute releases since then. I also continued to play drums in other 60's garage bands such as "The Quatloos", "The 4 Hestons", "Cousin Al and the New Generation", "The Lost Marbles" and currently play drums for "The LSD Enigma". In 2004 I was in Sky Saxon's Band "Green Forests" and we recorded a full album here in Rochester. It has been sitting idle until our producer can find the time to edit and master the 100 hours of tape we have. It promises to be classic Sky Saxon album and will be quite a tribute to our friend Sky.

What is your main influence? That's probably pretty obvious, but let just say which artists particularly?

I was very influenced by "Faine Jade", Merrel Fankauser, The Cykle The Seeds, The Jefferson Airplane and all obscure 60's garage bands. I must say thought that the 80's neo garage scene was quite good and bands like The Hoodoo Gurus and The Smithereens very much inspired me!

You released Black Fuzz in 2001 and Hammerdown in 2006. What can you tell me about making this two albums? Are you satisfied with how it turned out?

These were very difficult to record, as all self recording projects are where I do everything. But these in particular because I really focused on trying to recreate the sound of 1967-68 using the recording techniques and mix down techniques of that era more so than any previous project. And the complexity of the cover song choices really challenged my playing ability. I don't read music or understand chord structure. I only play by ear. Even when I write my own songs. But I was VERY happy with the results and I think Black Fuzz in particular really captured my idea of what and album would sound like from 1968. I really believe in Time Being Relative, so in recreating the atmosphere of the time, in my studio, to record this album Black Fuzz and Hammerdown, I really feel like I was in 1967-68 while I was creating these albums, so in many ways, I feel they were recorded THEN!

What are future plans for the band? New album? Tour?

I occasionally get my musician friends together to play live shows. In 1999 and I 4 man line up that toured the NE of the US and we were fortunate enough to get booked at CBGB's and had a great show! Damian, the original guitar player from The Third Bardo came to see our show and said he had never seen a show capture the essence of the late 60's like our band did that night.

The live band actually recorded a very good all original album the very next weekend after our tour and it is a very good album. It is self titled "McFadden's Parachute". I will make this available very soon.

I just released a new McFadden's Parachute album this past summer of 2010 called "Living In The 4th Dimension" and it features the sounds of my new Hammond Leslie 125 XL organ for more of a 1969 heavy sound on some songs. The album has 10 original songs and 2 covers. I cover Dave Davies "Creeping Jean" and Jacques Dutronc's 'Les Responsible" which I sing in French. It is getting quite of bit of air play in the US and Europe. I am also working on a new album McFadden's Parachute this spring, as yet to be titled. And I am also recording and producing another album with my other studio two man band. Jeffery Woodruf and myself are known as "Omega Centauri" and we will be recording an album that will feature two drum kits on every song and the Hammond organ on every song, plus some heavy fuzz guitar. I hope to play out live as McFadden's Parachute this year, but it all comes down to the avaliabilty of musicians and whether I can find the time to put that kind of project together. It is very demanding, especially with two full time jobs as a Civil Engineer and a Fine Artist and Photographer.

Do you have anything else to say about the band or yourself, that I didn't ask?

Just that I am dedicated to producing music as best I can in a style of the late 60's psychedelic garage sound using vintage instruments and techniques of recording and time travel so that people who dig the style can have more music to enjoy for now and the future. McFadden's Parachute will be a band that releases 1960's psychedelic music until the day I die. That I promise.

Thanks Klemen!

Peace!

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2011

The Drunk Dealers interview Panayotis Boussios

Interview:

Thanks very much for agreeing to this interview. Would you mind introducing yourself?

We got not serious musical backgrounds.We're just ordinary people who are passionate with music,experimentation,soul searching and having fun!

We're both self-taught musicians who deny to take proper music lessons playing by ear whenever we can, whatever we feel like to play each time.

So, how did you start your music carier?

We started playing music/jamming together just for fun around 1996 and that's the reason we 're still playing together.The fun & excitement of playing together makes us forget the

every day's difficulties and play music at very unusual times (from 23:00 p.m. till 07:00 a.m. !!!!) because we have to work to make a livin.You see we 're not rich !!!

You recorded song called "Lars Ultrex". What can you tell me about your first song?

It's not exactly our first ever song, but it's the first one that we uploaded at our "myspace"page as a sample of what we're doing.

http://www.myspace.com/drunkdealers

We don't like to analyze our songs.We prefer to let them talk to the souls of the listeners by themselves!

What is your main influence? Which artists and maybe which genre?

We listen to many kinds of music and we 're consciously & unonsciously influenced by many artists.We admire Miles Davis,John Coltrane,Can,Popol Vuh,Ash Ra Tempel,Cosmic Jokers,Tangerine Dream, Edgar Froese,Klaus Schulze,Pink Floyd,Heldon,Amon Duul II,The Doors,Ultimate Spinach,Cold Sun.Mandrake Memorial.New Dawn,Guru Guru,Magma,Cluster,Harmonia,Conrad Schnitzler,Vangelis,Iannis Xenakis,Lena Platonos, Edward Artemiev,Igor Wakhevitch,King crimson,Banco,PFM,Mahavishnu Orchestra,Aphex Twin,FSOL...plus many many more

We mostly like electronic,krautrock, psychedelic rock, prog rock and experimental music.

What are your future plans?

To make music that WE firstly would LOVE to hear ! The fact that we 're both fanatic music listeners makes us play firstly for us.If we don't like something we play then you won't see it among our songs.We decided to put high standards for our songs and upload only those that we feel they re great for us to hear.We don't like to make just fair songs or fillers.Only songs that we're proud of and we 're not feeling tired to hear them again and again! A proper CD or LP release is also a future plan of ours.

Do you have anything else to say about yourself, that I didn't ask?

Thanks for the interview Klemen!

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2010

Listening interview with Peter Malick

Interview:

How did the band started?

Listening started as a band called PPMWW. That was for the members: Peter Ivers, Peter Malick, Michael Tchsudin, Willie Loco Alexander, and Walter Powers. I was 16 years old, and Michael had heard about me and invited me to come play with the grownups. Michael met Ernie and reshuffled the lineup shortly after our first gig at The Boston Teaparty, and Listening was born.

What was your main influence at that time? Which artists?

My main influences at the time did not really align with the rest of the band: Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker. I'd started playing when I was turned on to the Beatles, and moved on to blues.

Can you tell me about your life before joining the band.

I was going to high school & playing guitar in a band with friends from school.

Before Listening, were you in any other bands. Any releases (45,tape..) with those bands?

Listening was my first recording. I don't think any of us even had a tape recorder in my first bands.

I know the bassist Walter Powers had previously been in the famed punk band The Lost. Can you tell me more about how did you meet with other members and in what bands they were before?

Willie was also in The Lost. Both Walter and Willie went on to play in the post Lou Reed Velvet Underground. I was just hanging out at high school until Michael called me, so I didn't really know any of them. They were the big boys, sort of out of my league.

You released a debut album in 1968. Tell us about recording it.

The album was recorded at Vanguard Studios in NYC. It was a huge studio that held Symphony Orchestras. The sessions were recorded to 8 track tape, which was state of the art at the time.

How many pressing were made?

I think the record sold fairly poorly. Maybe 40,000 copies. Maybe not that many.

Do you own a copy?

I own 3 copies: an original LP, a re-release by Akarma, an Italian record label. They sent me an LP and a CD.

Vanguard is including a couple of tracks on a new compilation that they're releasing soon.

Does any other recordings exists?

After I left the band, there were other recordings done. I have no idea where they are, though.

How far was the band's touring territory?

The band was essentially local. We played a number of shows around Boston, Mass. I think they played NYC after I'd left.

Are you still in contact with other members of the band?

I am! I'm in contact with Walter and Willie on Facebook. I have had a few email exchanges with Ernie. I hear that Michael lives in South Florida, and claims to have been a Special Ops Green Beret in Vietnam, during the time he was doing drugs and playing rock-n-roll in Boston. Go figure!!

What are you doing these days? If you can tell me about your new music project etc.

I live in Los Angeles today. I have a recording studio that's built behind my house, and do a lot of production. I get to wear a bunch of hats, so I'm writing songs, playing guitar, engineering, mixing, producing, and changing diapers. We have an amazing 5 month old whose name is Uma Mae. She seems to be a fan of my music, which is a good thing.

Do you have anything else to say about the band or yourself, that I didn't ask?

If anyone is interested in what I'm up to, you can follow my blog: http://petermalick.wordpress.com/

I have to tell you that I love your blog, and totally appreciate that you reached out for this interview. At the same time, I must admit to feeling a bit of a fraud.

I had some amazing experiences in Listening. I was a 16 year old kid. We opened for Jefferson Airplane, and they came to our rehearsal space after the concert. I couldn't go because I had school the next day. Jorma left a joint for me, which I never smoked and kept in my dresser drawer for years. It was The Jefferson Airplane Joint.

But, I was never that psychedelic musician guy. When Michael approached me to join the band, I was way into blues. He actually misrepresented what the band was going to be because he wanted me to join. He thought having a kid guitar player would get the band some attention. I think he was right to a certain extent, but after I figured out what was going on (which happened during the recording sessions for the Listening album), I was out of there.

At any rate, I love the music of the '60s, but I don't feel like I was really a part of it. By the way, I loved reading your interviews with The Source people. I toured The US and Canada with the musical Hair in '70 and '71, then settled in Los Angeles. I used to eat at The Source all the time, but didn't know the back story.

Thanks again, Klemen. Keep up the good work!

All the best,

Peter Malick

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2010