BATTERY

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE NAME BATTERY?
MARIA: Oh, insert that thing that you put in the Ostrich single (BATTERY's first cassette single).
SHAWN: We chose it after going through all of our comic books, and a whole day of making up names. For a while, BATTERY was tied with Industrial Urban Dance (or IUD Cathedral). We chose Battery because of its many, many meanings. We saw it in a panel of a Mr. X comic book. 

WHAT IS YOUR SONGWRITING PROCESS LIKE?
S: Usually, Evan & I come up with a sketch. We give it to Maria, or we keep it for ourselves. Once Maria gets the tape, she plays with it for what seems like eternity. She then comes to the studio, kicks everyone out, and works on it. We come back. Tell her our thoughts, and we go from there. I am personally unhappy with this method, and we are trying to break out of it. Maria still has a hard time "jamming" in front of people. I don't know why. My favorite song on "NV" is "Deluge." We came up with that song by all sitting around, dead tired, and playing that song in the dark. I thought it was really rewarding. Overall, I would have to say that every composition is a struggle. 

WHAT IS YOUR LIVE SET-UP LIKE?
EVAN: Same. (laughs) 
S: We could have like...(loud Organ music suddenly begins) ...on stage.
M: Let's do the rest in the lobby.
S: Our live set up is our live set up. We don't have like abortions on stage or anything, and I don't think that we have people falling asleep. . .

DO YOU FIND THAT YOU'RE MORE CREATIVE WITH CERTAIN PIECES OF EQUIPMENT?
S: Oh yeah! 
Maria: (long pause, a puzzled look on her face) I don't use equipment.
S: You don't !?!
M: Yes. Actually, I like the good microphone.
S: What about your birthday. You know, at Good Vibrations? 
M: Oh. (laughs)God! Yes, I love my new dildo very much.
E: Are we talking about Organs? Am I more creative with particular instruments? Umm. No.
M: What about that little piece with all the keys off (a $10 Casio whose keys were removed for more expression.)? You're not more creative with that than . . .
E: Than a Wavestation? No.
M: Because you're just ultra creative?
E: I mean...Sometimes limitations can be inspiring. But I have to say, there is no particular instrument.
M: What about the WX (Yamaha wind controller. Obviously Maria is trying to get Evan to say more...)
E: (shakes his head) 
S: Organ sounds don't do it for me, I'll say that much. I would have to say that I do feel more creative when I have a computer around.

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH COP INTL. SO FAR?
M: Pass.
E: Yes and No.
M: Do you want to explain? 
E: They are nice people. The pay is low. 
M: Nil.
E: It's a labor of Love.
M: It's a labor of love
E: It's a labor of Love..
S: Yes, I am happy. I must say that I kind of expected all this to happen the way it has - by not being what I truly wish that it would. 

WHAT MADE YOU GUYS DECIDE TO COVER "SHAME"? (very cool, BTW!)
M: Aw! Thanks! We wanted to do an old Depeche Mode song, spice it up, and we just had to honor them.
E: We covered "Shame" !?!
M: Yes. Now why. Why that song. Why not Madonna?
E: Because you and Shawn wanted to.
M: That's not true!
E: I agreed. I wanted to do "Satellite". We like Depeche Mode.
M: It's a tribute. Yeah, that's it! A tribute.
S: We decided to do "Shame", because it seemed like we could change it. Our purpose wasn't to go out and make a copy of the original, but to change it around. Evan mentioned later that if we ever do another DM song, it should be "Satellite". We may actually do it live or something . . .

BATTERY HAS A VERY DIVERSE SOUND. DO YOU EVER GET CRITICIZED FOR BEING TOO DIVERSE?
M: (Long Pause) It is hard to describe the music to people, yeah. Especially when you're trying to explain it. you're like, "You know, we do some Goth songs, we do some really, you know, hard-core songs, and you know, there are some noise pieces, and you know, and there are some great experimental pieces" and the people are like, "well, uh, but what kind of music is it?" So, when you are trying to explain it to people, it's too complicated. They don't get it. They need a 15 second sound byte. 
E: No. Not yet. Are you criticizing it?
S: Yes, we have. But when people do that. They say "there is no common thread." I immediately shut down, and say "you haven't listened hard enough. On the other hand. I say to myself, "thank God they didn't notice that I used that sound on mutate" I think that our diversity is our strength, and I can't imagine a BATTERY release being different. I hate Homogenization. 

WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOU?
M: Pass.
S: Pass? You already used your pass! What do you do in the morning? M: I wake up. I work out. I take a shower. I feed the cats. I get dressed. I listen to music when I get dressed. I perform my toilet. What? What do I listen to. Well, lately its been Sinead O'Connor. I listen to the same CD for about a week in a row. Its been Sinead. Before, it was Morrisey, now its Bjork. Then I go to work. Then I come home. Then I go to BATTERY practice.
S: But you are the one in the band who has a life. So, what do you do?
M: Various things, I go to double features at the Castro. I go dancing. I read a lot. Read a lot. I read a lot. And I like dancing. Oh, and I write a lot. And I write in my journal. And a pierce myself.
S: I don't usually wake up until 11am or so. Unfortunately, by then, I've already been at work for 3 hours! I sit in front of at least 2 computers. My current employers thought that since I already work too fast for one computer, why not get me another? Any way. After working with PC's all day, I have to go to the studio and hug the Macintosh. I typically work on music for at least 5 hours a day, no matter what. If I am not near a computer, I will scribble stuff down. I would die if I did not have music.
E: Iv(one of their cats) runs around, and wakes us up. Like he's got a bee up his butt. And then I go to work, and sit in front of my computer all day. And just go home and go to sleep. That's about it.
M: (laughs) And he farts a lot in-between.

IS San Francisco A PRETTY GOOD ENVIRONMENT FOR BATTERY?
M: It is better now than it used to be. At least now, there are a couple places that will let us play.
E: Sure. Why? Because we have the Castro theater. . .
S: No. I don't like San Francisco. I would rather live in the inland area. The Bay area has many, many micro climates. Plus, I hate not being able to find parking.

WHEN ARE YOU GUYS COMING UP TO OREGON??
M: Not if we have to drive. I will not drive to Oregon. It sucks. If we can fly, yes.
S: We already went to Oregon. You all ignored us. 
E: We've already been to Oregon.
M: And we are not driving again.
E: Eugene is a nice town.
M: Flat and Ugly and Gray.
E: It is not Flat, Ugly and Gray!
M: Yes it is!
E: Eugene is not. (Evan seems to be finally getting into the interview, but Maria wants to change the subject.)
S: All kidding aside, we might be coming up in November. We are trying to put together a mini-mini-northwest tour (i.e. Eugene, Portland, Seattle). We will see what happens...

WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH DOING THE ALBUM ARTWORK? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH IT?
M: a)Oh, Evan. Evan. b)Oh, Yes. I think it's neat too.
E: I don't know who did it? He is a stupid asshole!
M: Come on Evan! Shawn is going to write these down!!!
E: Alright! I did the artwork, and I am mostly happy with it.

HAVE YOU DONE ANY VIDEOS? ANY PLANS TO DO ONE?
E: Wait! If we say yes, then the second question doesn't count, right?
M: Right.
E: Yes.
M: Do you want to extrapolate a little bit more, and give me some licorice?
E: Here is some more licorice. It was a video for the song "Go." It was all done on the Mac. It took 8 months to make.
M: Evan made it. 
E: And we are going to do a whole bunch more, but they will be on our next release which will be CD+ on a CD. So, they won't be broadcast quality. (Like "Go") And they'll be interactive! That's sort of like a video, right? 

WHAT IS NEXT FOR BATTERY?
M: European tour. A new album. That's it. (Laughs)
E: to finish "Moniker" or "Disorder."
M: Finish watching these movies.
S: Or whatever we decide to call the album.
E: Finish the album. Going to Europe.
M: What did you call the album?
E: Moniker, Disorder, or whichever we decide.
M: Moniker? Really? For the Album?
E: I like it. Shawn is . . . OK with it.
S: I just don't like the "M" aspect of it.
E: The only thing against it is, we've got "MMMeat MMMarket" "MMMutate"
M: and "MMMoniker" and L,M,and N are next to each other.
S: For us, "NV" was a long time ago (In a galaxy far, far away). I think that we have grown even more since doing "NV" I think that our next release will be even more structured and even more experimental. I am really looking forward to it. Usually I am not excited about our new stuff. I usually think that it is crap, but this time I feel good about the work that we are doing. And immediately next, we are watching Cronos...