“I don’t think we’re gettin’ inside.” Spark a joint outside the Polish Sea League. Finally uncoverin’ the six year mystery of what the fuck this place is on Thursday night with Drew and Brendan. Tried to see Checker and Girl Fight. Ran into Sree. Missed both of ‘em. But ended up catchin’ Troy’s set at the Fowlin’ Warehouse at least. Best not to make a plan for Music Fest. Or Blowout. Whatever name they’re usin’. Same piss. Different pants. Anything to give an excuse to drinkin’ in an alley with the homies. Relivin’ juvenile delinquency. There goes Hentch as ya leave Detroit Threads. Passin’ by as ya hit a joint under the sign readin’ “BAKING COMPANY.” Kaleb laughs as you pass it.
KQ drags at the joint outside Sea League. First set of the night for him. Tried to make it out earlier. But long night last night. We tried catchin’ Corevalues at Bumbo’s earlier. Immediately pressed against the wall. Jo and Jack jammin’ on the Home Depot riff. Sree tryin’ to wheel a cab through the room. Every square inch filled with a body. Calm down. Try hittin’ the weed pen. Ya know how many rock n’ roll horror stories start this way? Don’t talk like that Kaleb. Drew’s gonna freak out. Listen to a song or two from outside before shovin’ off over here to try and see Cam.
“I gotta at least try to get in and see ‘em.” KQ tries breakin’ through the overflow of people in the doorway. Sounds of Zastava fill the air outside. Groups cluster on the street corners. Cops drive by slow to look over the miscreants chainsmokin’. Enjoyin’ the noise without bein’ smashed. Not even worth tryin’ to slip through to the back to see if the room with the pool table is open. Hit the spliff. Check my phone for the time. Gonna miss the Toeboys for 208. KC wanted to check out the Painted Lady. All the homies playin’ at the same time. Gonna be a night of sacrifices. Might not get to see Cam tonight. But at least I can hear ‘em from out here.
A text from Mom. “I need you to know that Joey isn’t doing well.”
Thirteen years ago. Alienated teenager. Lookin’ for a sense of connection. Convinced my mom to let us get a dog. This black lab, beagle mix. Named after a Ramone. What do ya expect from a middle schooler gettin’ into punk rock? The only other friends at the time was the music on my iPod. Isn’t that what attracts any of us to pets? To have a companion through the isolation. A friend without judgment. Givin’ nothin’ but unconditional love when we feel so fuckin’ alone that it just makes sense. Someone to show us how goddamn valuable it is just to sit and savor this time we have to be alive together.
Antonio hops up from the pool table at Painted Lady. Arms wrap around me. I can hear him last time I saw him at Outer. “I didn’t get to give ya a proper hug when I first saw ya!” How important it is to have friends that go outta their way to hug ya. Remind ya how goddamn valuable it is we have this time together. Finally startin’ to break through the years of emotional unavailability. The internal alienation and self-induced isolation. Wonder how many people are still doin’ blow outta vintage porno mag pages in the bathroom? It’d be nice if they still let ya smoke in here. Could use a cig inside with the incomin’ texts about my dog’s oncomin’ heart failure.
Drew is breakin’ all the rules tonight. Smokin’ weed and cigs with us outside. Since Em is in Vietnam. They laugh when Kaleb says this. As if Em would ever tell someone they couldn’t smoke grass. Hangin’ up the phone after Mom calls sobbin’. Gonna have to go over there tomorrow. Pet the dog for what might be the last time before the vet comes. “My dog is dyin’...” Kaleb gets up from the parking block. Hugs me as I hit my spliff. 208 should be startin’ soon. A nice dose of rock n’ roll feedback from your friends will help ya. “It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive…” Been startin’ the mornin’ off listenin’ to Darkness on the Edge of Town. And the Boss is right. Your pets will tell ya the same thing. Nothin’ wrong with enjoyin’ life in spite of it all.
“Take ‘em off!” I yell to Kyle kickin’ his shoes off.
“We’ll get there.” He laughs.
“We got there way sooner than I thought…” Drew’s words wash away under the roar of guitar after Kyle strips the socks. Crouch down. Body draped over the speaker on the floor in front of the stage. Head bowed. Forehead on the stage wedge. Hits the riff. And then a wallop of noise as Shelby beats the drums in. Body seizin’ in time and rhythm. Head flailin’ around on my neck. Veins bulgin’ in Kyle’s throat. His clean, barefeet quickly turnin’ black. Jaw hangin’ open. Fuckin’ mesmerized. Guitar vibratin’ my whole jaw against the wedge. My ribcage rattles like Antonio’s guest tambourine. Shakin’ from the pulse of Shelby’s kick. Feel how the beat vibrates with your heartbeat. This is what sonically spiritual cleansing feels like.
“Cam!” I fall into their arms as I turn around and get off the floor. Post set. If you’re not fuckin’ floored after 208. Ya must’ve gone deaf. But ya should be both after. Just glad I got to see Cam tonight. “I saw you draped over the sonic altar.” Chucklin’ the words as they hold me. Hearin’ still temporarily blown out. Ribcage still vibratin’ from the altar.
“Sounds like Devo…” Kaleb jokes as Fen Fen starts inside Ghost Light. Had to shake him outside of Painted Lady to get rid of his hiccups. Rollin’ spliffs on the stoop as the final set of this year’s Blowout begins. Kaleb still wonderin’ how Shelby looks so sick and hypnotic when she plays drums. A roll of toilet paper flies back and forth over the crowd. Joey next to us gettin’ wrapped up like a mummy. Askin’ Jake to buy him a beer. Derek flailin’ around the pit startin’ in front of us. I may not have heard the Toeboys. But I got to see ‘em for a minute at least. “This is the first of three songs in our set about dogs…” Luke blurts into the mic. Jake arguin’ from his flyin’ V they need some songs about cats.
Dogs. Cats. Fuckin’ rats. Shit. I got a possum livin’ under my bathtub I’m startin’ to think of as a pet. It doesn’t matter. The bond between human and critter is sacred. The purest form of companionship. Showin’ us the importance of just fuckin’ bein’ there for the people we love. Where would ya be today without the love of a pet? The vet will say on Wednesday when we lay Joey to rest. Labs try to hide their pain to continue bein’ there for their people. Showin’ their commitment not to abandon us even as they stare Death in the eyes. Fluid in their lungs.
“Fuck!” Drop a glob of butter on the floor. Makin’ toaster waffles in the fryin’ pan for me and KC after Blowout. Talkin’ about mental health and the human need for unconditional love. And I realize I learned this method in 2017. Goin’ to a friend’s place after my first Hamtramck Music Fest. Shoutin’ “parkour” jumpin’ off the cinderblocks at the rumored Hamtramck McDonald’s. She made us all toaster waffles in the fryin’ pan. Try that shit out if ya haven’t. It’ll change your life. The same way seein’ Caveman and Bam Bam at Paycheck’s for Music Fest in 2017 changed mine. Makin’ me wanna call this city home. Where I’d meet some really far out people. Not only decoratin’ space and time and the whole damn continuum with art and music. But beautiful people that teach you the importance of companionship. Just fuckin’ bein’ there to enjoy this goddamn beautiful time together. Holdin’ each other when it feels like life is gettin’ blown out. That’s what this whole festival is about. Wanderin’ the Earth with your best homies and havin’ a beautiful fuckin’ weekend. Death starin’ in our eyes. Music in the air. Smoke in our lungs. Under the circle sky.
Can you start by telling us how you began playing music?
I started playing music by learning some covers on you tube when I was a teenager, then with the time I just started to play random chords that I learned in different order and I sang some random words on it and that’s it. I thought it sounded cooler then much of the music I listened in Italy, so I went on.
What's your current live setup like, as far as instruments? Have you been playing a lot of shows recently?
The last couple of years I played a lot of shows with my band “Teo Wise and His Mother”.
We are always four people on stage. Usually I’m singing and playing E-Guitar, and sometimes I play also keys and the melodic.
Then we have drums, bass, and second guitar or keyboards for melodies.
You released a great split tape with Busted Head Racket on Painters Tapes. Can you tell us how that release came about?
Actually I got my own label “Spya Sola Records”, and the guys from BHR asked me if I was interested in releasing their singles on tapes.
I Listened to it, and I directly felt home, so I proposed them to make a split. Which came out as a 7” via my own label.
And then we asked Painter Tapes if they would have like to release it in US.
What's the music scene like where you're from?
Where Im from the music scene is weird. I don’t really follow a specific genre, for me art is everything, it doesn’t matter what you do but the way you do it, the principles you follow.
There are some bands that know each other in EU, but I feel like it’s not so open. I live in Germany, but Im from Italy, and especially there I see a big wall between Italy and the rest of the world.
In EU is a bit better it’s hard to find real people that want to share something for real.
I'm not saying they aren't there but it's difficult, and for sure there are cool people taking care of it without taking them self too serious.
What do you do for fun besides music?
For fun I do a lot of things haha I like cooking, I paint a lot. I Like to write, last year I wrote and recorded a spaghetti western short movie, 2 friends of mine were the actors.
I read and try to find people that think like me and get inspired. I watch movies, I like to drink some alcohol and talk a lot.
And even if it’s not for fun, I work to pay my rent and to buy some food, but I do just enough.
What do you hope people take away from hearing your music?
I Hope they feel that this is free music and have some fun, I‘m not stuck in a genre, I just do what I like. I hope they see that Im trying to destroy some walls that we create even in the art.
What are you working on next?
I’m always on the next project haha. I got a new Album, which is currently being mixed by one of the guys from BHR.
But before releasing that Im gonna make a big Europe tour in October with my band and also with Beta Maximo.
How do you feel about the future of art/music?
I don’t know about the future, but I think people should take themselves less serious and have more fun.
Art can be a job, but if you start making art thinking about the Job, you are gonna make only something ugly and uncomfortable.
To make art you have to start watching yourself and transform yourself in something, which can also be music or anything else. Even if you build a house you should know who you are.
And we should look at each other, there are no “Followers” or “fame” we are all trying to express ourselves.
Can you start by telling us how you got started in music?
Music has always been a natural interest to me. Since I was a very young child I was fiddling around with sounds and constantly looking for new music to listen to. I remember probably starting around the age of five I would sit at my grandmother's piano for hours just piecing the notes together by ear. So I guess that was my first instrument, but the guitar was the first instrument I really consciously tried to learn. I started teaching myself guitar when I was about 10. I was really into Underoath and Dillinger Escape Plan back then. As I got into highschool I made other friends who were interested in music and we recorded some improv albums where we’d play really loud and yell about inside jokes. That was really fun. We were all really into Ween. I got Ableton when I was about 16, and from there I got really obsessed with recording. I didn’t really have any equipment, but I got a bunch of free plugins and I’d just lock myself in the basement and go crazy with it. I didn’t really know what I was doing at the time, but I ended up making what turned out to be sort of an experimental ambient synthpop album. It took about 3 years to develop, but that’s what really started it for me. Since then I’ve just been collecting equipment, always seeking to learn, and just spending a lot of time recording. I released my first fully realized project last October called Earthmover, and that was a pretty big deal for me. It’s a conceptual piece accompanied by a short story. It’s also my first solo release with vocals and live instrumentation. Since then I’ve only been getting better and having more and more fun.
Where does the name Buglvr3000 come from?
Buglvr is because I really like bugs. I added 3000 because it’s a really big number. Recently though, I’ve discovered even bigger numbers. There may be a change sometime in the future…
How would you describe your sound?
Probably the biggest descriptors I could put to my music would be post-punk and shoegaze, with occasional electronic elements. I like to include synthesizers quite a bit. A few bands and artists that have sort of shaped the way I look at music are Have a Nice Life, Deftones, Weatherday, Guided by Voices, Melvins, Boris, Fishmans, and Aphex Twin.
What are your thoughts on Detroit?
A depressing portrayal of economic inequality, but also home to a lot of great communities dedicated to things like mutual aid and independent art.
Any favorite local bands or artists you'd want to shout out?
Keep an eye out for Belial, really sick grindcore with a debut on the way. My other band Texas in Heaven if you want to hear some droney sludge metal type stuff. My friends in Clipboards, super nice group of guys who always put on a great show. Stations has some great minimal synthpop/new wave music. Zastava is a great Detroit shoegaze band. They played a mesmerizing set opening for They Are Gutting a Body of Water. Lava also puts on a great show. There’s lots of great music out here.
What are you working on next?
Currently I have a 5 track EP that will be releasing later this year called BUGLVR. I put a lot of work into both the music and the album inserts and I’m really happy with how it’s all turned out. Keep an eye out for that and grab a physical copy if you like album inserts as much as I do. Aside from that I’ve been making a lot of sludge metal, hardcore, some IDM, synthpop, a little bit of nu metal. I’ve just been making music. Some comics too. I’m not totally sure what the future holds. Definitely looking at locking myself away for a while and planning out my next project pretty soon though. Whatever I do I want it to be big and focused. Likely some combination of comics and music. Maybe even some animation involved.
How do you feel about the future of art/music?
I don’t really know. If you’re looking at it from a capitalistic point of view, we’re currently experiencing an artistic drought. The art industry has very little quality art to offer, because innovation no longer affects profit. Independent journalism has been convoluted and watered down by social media. The decline of physical media and the collective obsession of social media has largely removed the meaning behind the ways we consume art. There is a lot that could be said about these things. But, as always, the real quality art takes a little more effort to find. And one positive about the rise of social media, is that communication is a lot easier. There are millions of great artists to be found in every corner of the internet. People collaborating everywhere. Community has always been the best thing for art, and the internet does make that easier. So there are plenty of pros and cons when it comes to these things. One community project that I found really inspiring was A2B2 Radio. That was a really great showcase of talent that caught a good amount of traction. Artists would submit a song or a music video and every month they’d select about an hour and a half's worth and stream it on discord. Lots of great artists got their name spread from that. So I’m looking forward to community efforts like that. I have some ideas of my own. There’s always going to be people looking to express their perspective, and that’s what I live for.
