Remove had the chance catch up with Andrew Bradley and discuss his favorite records, new music, his tattoo, and more.
I play guitar in The Hand. Tambourine in Toeheads. I play guitar in Whip Sock. . . formerly. I’m also working on some solo stuff. Im trying to interact with the creative process more because I tend to start a lot of my stuff but never develop it further.
What bands are you in and what do you play?
Who are some of your biggest influences or musical heroes? And in terms of your solo stuff who’s inspiring your writing process?
I’ve always really liked Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine a lot. Johnny Marr from The Smiths. When it comes to The Hand, definitely Tony Iommi, that’s just known. Those are the big ones.What about some all-time favorite records?
Nervous Breakdown by Black Flag.
Doo Little by Pixies.
Innerspeaker by Tame Impala.
Songs for the Deaf really inspires me from a production standpoint.
Do you have any tattoos?
I have one tattoo. It was done with a gun, but it just looks like a stick and poke. It says ‘Punk’ and its written on my shoulder. The story is that it was 2AM and I was with Joey and a friend. Joey’s friend who does tats told us to come over blah blah. Basically he was bored and asked if anyone wanted one. I said ‘Sure, why not.’
What does punk mean to you?
Be yourself. First time I went to a punk show everyone was just being a goof. Anything goes and everyone’s cool with it. As long as youre not fucking with people, it’s a really positive environment.
I understand you had a stage name when you were in Whip Sock. What is it and what was the story?
It is true. I don’t think I put up anywhere, but my name for Whip Sock was Miss Anthropy. You know, its a pun. It’s great. “A disdain for humanity,” which I definitely feel sometimes. I certainly feel the pull of nihilism and giving into that.
You and Hanania are famously outspoken about your politics. Where do you stand?
I’m a Marxist-Leninist. That means a lot of things. I was drawn to that because Marxist-Leninist revolutions have always yielded really good results for people. That’s the only way we move forward.
What are your goals with music? What are you looking forward to?
The Hand is in the midst of embarking on the recording progress. I’m excited to put that out after a year of not doing anything. Once the recording gear gets set back up Im gonna start trying to do some noisy shoegazey stuff in the basement. Once Miss Eerie’s back in town we’ll get a project going.
Any long term goals with music? Or are you just taking things as they come?
Definitely someone who takes things as they come but I’ve always wanted to make an album of just my music. I believe music is collaborative at heart, but I wanna see what I can do on my own. So, eventually, I’d really like to have an album of just my music. The other thing I’ve always wanted to do, which I feel like is achievable, is have a band I’m in press a record to vinyl. That would be a success to me. It’s certainly very achievable, but you do have to take the steps to get there.
Stylistically, do you have an idea of what that solo record would sound like?
I guess I would want to draw on a lot of noise, shoegaze, post-punk. That territory. That’s what I’ve been envisioning. I have some ideas, now its time to bring them into fruition. That’s sick. I’d love to hear that.
Okay, big question. One pedal on your board for the rest of your career. What is it?
I just got this line-6 DL4. It’s a delay pedal and its got a looper. I think just generally I would pick a delay pedal because it gives you a lot of options. You can make way more sound if you set up right. Delays can give you noisy bullshit, but also beautiful spaced out delays. Actually, when I first went to college and I was in the dorm. All I had was my amp and a delay.
What music has gotten you really excited in the last year?
I really like Craig Garwood’s music a lot. I put him on frequently. I like Rastakraut, it’s just chaos and noise. I love that kind of thing.
You’ve been involved with DIY music since we were in high school. How has it informed your attitude, what does it mean to you?
It’s always been there and it’s always meant a lot. I’ve played shows in backyards, basements, legion halls. That’s just how you do music at the grassroots level. That’s important because music doesn’t always have to be the best. It doesn’t even have to be new or exciting. As long as its happening somewhere and there's a community to support it that's good enough for me. It’s the basis for artistic endeavors.
It kind of comes full circle now that you’re at The Ham House contributing directly to it. It totally comes full circle. I’ve always wanted to run a venue. I don’t know how well we run this house, but people come and listen to music and we're able to raise money and donations for community organizations, I’m very happy about that.
(Interview conducted by Joey Molloy)