Anomaly is an avant-garde sunyata rock band from Detroit. Their most recent album Average odd man out is a wild mix of shoegaze, grunge, jazz, punk, and experimental rock n roll. We spoke with frontman Dorian Turner about music, philosophy, the music scene, art, and more. Enjoy!!
Remove Records: Can you please start by telling us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
Dorian: well first off, this is an interview so we gotta clear the air surrounding me.....
im in this world, and not of it
im an interdimensional being, dropped down on this shithole of a planet for the simple fact of doing nothing other than accelerating our planet's progress towards higher levels of consciousness
i dont give a fuck about rules, because whenever i follow them it turns me into absolute misery
rules were made by dead people for the simple pleasures of controlling and enslaving the human race
you cant look me in the eyes and tell me that you are happy following your daddy's little rule book...
i am a black man that's never really belonged anywhere, so i can, and have, fit in everywhere
i am a mirror, reflecting whatever people want to see in themselves, back to them
i am a humble servant of god.....
i am a pusher, whatever that means to you
a fire starter
the toughest musician in all of detroit, bar a select few who I REALLY RESPECT.....
i am hated for living my truth
i am loved for living my truth
i simply am
i got started in music off of a pure whim, a hunch, i just wanted to be in the 5th grade orchestra at Bates academy on west outer drive in Detroit, Michigan.....nothing more, nothing less
i didn't know it'd turn into this.....
i was an orchestra geek from 5th grade, all the way to when i graduated at cass technical high school, number one second to none.....playing cello and nothing else
then, in tenth grade year, at the height of my suicidal thoughts, i found Nirvana
not that cheap hindu stuff they peddle in front of people like a rotten carrot on a shit covered stick
..... but that small glimpse of pure consciousness kicked out of the skull of a particular Kurt Donald Cobain.....
nobody touched me more as a muscian
as a human being
nobody made me want to live more....
just for the simple fact that i want ro do what he did......
take the guys and gals who are at the bottom of their abyssal dreads, and show them, that even in their own pain filled existences, there is a light that shines like no other....
anomaly is really about all of the broken hearted nimrod freakazoids coming together to find each other's light..... to heal, to help, and to make sure that it doesn't take people as long as it did for me to absolutely go batshit crazy in this world and actually enjoy themselves
ACTUALLY FUKKIN ENJOY THEMSELVES
I’ve seen some wild Anomaly shows, you always put on a good live show. I was wondering if any shows in mind specifically stick out to you?
mmmmm...... idk man I'd have to think on this one
there was that one show at the tplex when it was me, sean Monaghan, and nick s....sorry nick your name is really hard for me to remember...... and we were performing Honeymoon, as the last song of the set, like we usually do, due to the fact that the end of the song honeymoon is where you take anything you have left in the tank as a musician and give it to the crowd by going absolutely batshit crazy.....
and you know sean isn't the type of guy you'd expect to do these type of things....
sean would walk around people at his own inconvenience before he says excuse me
sean has been nice to every single waiter that has came across his path
sean is a pacifistic warrior, a godsend of a human being, and i know the impact of this statement has been dulled and nullified due to grossly negligent overuse of the phrase, a clichè if you will, but this dude would let a fly crawl on him before he thought of doing it harm.....this man wouldn't hurt a FLY!
but ever since that night..... I've never looked at sean the same ever again
I've been a little nicer to sean
a little kinder to sean
a little less pushy to the man
just out of pure FEAR!
this guy Sean took the fender p-bass that he was playing, the one that he borrowed from nick himself, tapped the drumkit's crash, unassumingly of course, for straight theatrical effect, and, to our most resolute astonishment, cleanly shorn the bass headstock into two almost identical pieces
im talking bout the most surgically precise, professional pool player accurate, painless and effortless, zenlike flow state of mind tear of the headstock....
of course.... the universe is a fucking joke..... of course the most tactful, caring, and empathetic person in all of metro detroit had to be the one to get laid that night simply off of pulling a stunt that he had no intentions of doing..... i mean fucking pete fucking Townshend WISH HE COULD FUCKING RIP AXES INTO TWO AS PURELY AS MY MAN'S SEAN DID THAT NIGHT....all touch, all finesse, no more force than necessary, just a simple kachink!, and the big red was ded.....
What’s your recording process like for the band?
man
i am embarrassed to admit it but there's only been two songs recorded with a live band at this point......
je ferai-
recorded at RR HQ on the same day LAMENTATIONS 2.O dropped 06/07/2020.....
oddly enough, sean was the recording engineer for that session
the lineup was chris wilkinson on bass
henry potter.....HENRY MUTHAFUKIN POTTER ON THE MUTHAFUCKIN DRUMS YALL MAKE SOME MUTHAFUKIN NOISE RIGHT NOW!!!
IF U AINT ON THE DANCEFLORRR RIGHT FUCKIN NOW U GETTIN THROATPUNCHED INTO THE NEXT DIMENSION....
............................
sorry
im truly sorry about that folx
i deeply apologize to the infinitude of my soul......
henry just..... he just draws that type of energy out of me whenever the concept of him pops into my head, ya know?
after unprofessionally practicing for 30 minutes, we finally got our shit together and recorded the damn thing....
we did 3 takes, but cam decided, that masochistic bastard decided, that the first take was the best one
i don't agree, or disagree, im just glad to be on the same vinyl, let alone the same plane of existence, as BIG UP MENACE X....
honeymoon-
lineup:
me craig garwood (drums) and dylan marcie(bass)
oh man that was a sick lineup
too bad my egotistical nature made it unravel to shreds......
ahhh to be young again.......
that one took a while to get together
we took like 8 live takes
sean was also recording engineer on that track
maybe there's a pattern here....
everything else has been a simple setup consisting of:
a pair of headphones (sometimes just apple earbuds as in the case of both lamentations)
a 12 inch practice amp
a fender strat
and garageband
i need serious help folx
im so fucked up
i shouldn't even attempt to put out music with my set-up
like its literally so laughable and ridiculous and utterly disgusting
but its really an internal itch that can only be scratched by the things that i produce
anybody who has created anything understands what i mean.....
What are your thoughts on Detroit and the music scene?
bro imma be straight up honest
the Detroit music scene has some really good qualities to it
everybody is super talented, for the most part
everybody is on their own grind
everybody has some type of ambition
everybody has at least one person in the multiple niches of the scene that is trying to build a strong sense of community
and
that's fine and dandy and all.....
BUT WHEN THE FUCK ARE WE GONNA TURN OUR HEADS AROUND AND GET SOME REAL COLLAB GOING
EVERYBODY IS CLOSED OFF FOR NO REASON
THERE IS NO REASON WHY SWOOZY DOLPHIN DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT DIRT ROOM
THERE IS NO REASON WHY BIG UP MENACE X ISNT AN INTERNATIONAL POP STAR
THERE IS NO REASON WHY WE HAVE 3 SHOWS COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER ON THE SAME DAYS, IN THE SAME NICHES....
LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DETROIT
WHY AREN'T WE ATLANTA YET?
WHY AREN'T WE BALTIMORE YET?
WHY AREN'T WE A GLOBAL CITY YET?
there needs to be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy more collaborating going on man
like a shitton more
people are so stuck in their comfort zones
this scene is cliquey as hell
too many fragmented pockets, no true sense of comraderie or community BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL NICHES THAT ARE VERY FUCKING SIMILAR...
but
I can't even blame anyone or anything forreal forreal
because am i describing Detroit, OR AM I DESCRIBING OUR SOCIETY AS A WHOLE?
i guess im going to have to be the man with the cape,
the oddball who is zany enough to ATTEMPT to reconciliate all of the beefs between the major houses of the Detroit scene. i guess i gotta set up the modern day League of Nations up in this piece.....
im not saying we have to like each other
im not saying we have to eliminate what makes our niches special
our individualities
none of that.....
ALL IM SAYING IS THAT WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE GREATNESS IN EACH OTHER, AND TAP INTO THAT AND THAT ALONE....
you might say "well that's using people"
duhhhhh. that's what everybody is doing, but people call it "help"
idgaf about any objective other than this..... PUTTING DETROIT'S DICK IN THE MOUF OF EVERY MAJOR MEDIA OUTLET IN THE COUNTRY SO THAT ANYBODY AND EVERBODY WHO HAS A DREAM OF DOING WHAT THEY LOVE CAN DO SO WITH RELATIVE EASE.....
and please, for the love of god, let's learn from the mistakes of New York..... but the gentries are makin it hard.....
its all about the energy
all about the art... really
and we are just talking about music here
there's so many great artists, dancers, filmmakers, models, photographers, finessers, and swagmeisters in this city man
like dvd city and remove records should be besties at this point, or something along those lines at least......
too much talent here to not be organized into THE ZENITH OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
THE PINNACLE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE
NO WAY DETROIT SHOULDN'T BE A GLOBAL CITY BY NOW.....
and everybody has settled for this filth..... im like bro i can see the future, where nobody is scared to interact with positive people who are just like them
as a natural born outsider..... im able to hop from pocket to pocket, and i cna honestly tell you that WE ARE ALL DOING THE EXACT SAME SHIT IN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MANNERS
WE GOTTA GET THE GROWTH SERUM PUMPING INTO THIS CITY'S VEINS MAN
WE GOTTA JUST PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER, OUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE, AND MAKE HIGH QUALITY PILLS OF EXPANDED CONSCIOUSNESS KNOWN AS ART!
I DON'T GIVE A FUCK.....
IT IS POSSIBLE, AND IT WILL HAPPEN 😤😤😤😤
What's one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
i don't think people are surprised by me anymore
there's nothing you can really put past me at this point
but one thing that people should be surprised to know about me is that...
hmmm this is a very hard question for some reason.....
i feel like one thing people should already know about me, but i never really get a chance to make clear, is that, throughout the majority everything that i do, i really do have the best of intentions....
all i want to do is make it to where everyone has a space to committ to their most highest good
i might be vulgar as fuck, wild, uncouthe, crazy. i say things with 0 tact or consideration involved. i do things impulsively from time to time....
but i do not regret anything really, or i at least try not to
because i know that everything i do is for the betterment of the whole, really......
so that's why im able to allow myself to be so dark....
because i know i could never go there, ever....
its like im parodying everything serious in this world at all times
i am a joker
a jester
a fool
someone who makes fun of the rules
someone who can and cannot be taken seriously at the same time
i don't know whats a facade that i put up, or the real me, sometimes..... all i know is that laughter truly is the best medicine, and i gotta pop these jokes off for all of the heavy-hearted sad saps like me of the past
i am becoming the person that i needed in my life, i guess
Who’s one musician/artist you’d like to collaborate with?
i know u said one but come on cuhhhh, im way too complex for that...
BIG UP MENACE X
nobody can touch him man
nobody
anybody that claims to
doesn't need to lie to themselves so harshly
I don't even think I'd want to collaborate with that man
i don't want to tamper or taint his light, ya know?
big ups to menace x...
everybody else can kick fukkin rocks
SLOPPY JOAL
idk man everything my mother's taught me is telling me to stay clear from that man
making music with him in the right setting would be legendary
we always are talking big ideas, and that dude actually has a fucking imagination on him.....
coyote jungle, that's all ive got to say
craig garwood
idk if craig loves or hates me at this point
but either way
chainsaw is the best melody I've heard in a while
craig has got a real knack for music
I'd think we'd push each other to the next level
but that's neither here nor there.....
caz aglets ppl 00 away
me and caz could be the next kanye and dean
i love his musicality, its a sight to behold
he makes unique music in a overtly oversaturated market, its a sight to behold.....
he's just a sight to behold
beholdeth Cazeth Aglets
jodye
man,
darshae is darshae
i love him dearly
we could make some renegade bangers
i really value his darkness, its beautiful
idk man i get horny for the dark and mysterious types
but i know
through it all
that that man darshae has a good heart
a noble heart
he's a good kid man
fucked up, but aren't we all?
bugbrains
i just want to be around them more and more and more and more ya know?
its as simple as that
we could make some noweeze ya know?
xanderlong
soul mate
he's not at the top if the list because he's at the bottom of my heart
whatever we make is so unprecedented that mere mortals cannot begin to fathom it
pure god essence encapsulated into hu-man form....
Andrew star
idk if he still exists
but it'd be cool to tune up some tunes with them every now and again, ya know?
What are you working on next?
idek man
just getting the resources in order to make something that doesn't sound like it belongs in the rat-infested, needle laced back alley dumpsters of chinatown
not chinatown San Fran,
not chinatown LA,
but......
chinatown new york.....
other than that, im trying to build strong relationships to the point where we can actualize a music scene in Detroit, the way that i, and a couple of close friends of mine, envision it.
the way that it will be.....
How do you feel about the future of music/art?
music is finally getting released from the shackles of old white men and capital greed and is finally able to see its truest forms and expressions
music is getting back to its roots....
of course popular music will always be a joke, for the most part, because our society eats anything packaged properly enough.....even if its dogshitt...... why do you think tv was so relevant for so long.....
but music is and always will be an escape for most people, as it should.....
but we are now at the turning point where music will be used to actually help solve our problems, and not run away from them.....
i feel like thats the common theme with people my age.... the buck stops here
our parents had it so lucky, they never had reached the point of critical mass where solving society's problems meant whether or not we'd survive as a species
but us young people understand and recognize that
that's why we're so fucked up
we have nothing to hold on to really
all of our illusions are slowly but surely being ripped away
no more chairs to sit on
the world is moving too fast for us to handle
but, music is always there
the best part about life is that music is always here for us to beholdeth
the most universal of all human experiences
its always there
and it'll be there way after we blow ourselves up to smithereens
or natural disasters occur
or the apocalypse smoothes itself over
if you really want to see the future of music, the pulse of humanity, the interlocal nonlocality manifolding into itself, then spend a day on soundcloud
i sleep on soundcloud
but that's where our generation is at, really.....,