Assemblage 23 Throughout its three decades of history, it has become one of the cornerstones of the underground electronic scene. Your Creator, Tom shear it has moved throughout the synthpop, industrial and EBM sounds to give its eight studio albums unique variety.
We had the opportunity to talk with Tom prior to his participation in the first edition of the Black Star festival in Mexico City.
The first thing we want to ask you is: when will we have the new Assemblage 23 material?
I just started, so I'm not sure, but I hope I can get something out in 2019.
How do you feel now that you return to Mexico for the Blac festivalkstar?
I am very excited! We love coming to Mexico. People are very warm and friendly, and they really know how to have fun. It is a fantastic audience to play. And of course, the food is amazing. I think I gain ten pounds of weight every time I come to Mexico.
Tom Shear, we know you are on a new project with Mari Kattman. What can you tell us about Helix?
This is what I have been working on for the last year or so. I think people will be surprised. It doesn't actually sound like Assemblage23 and it encompasses a lot of different styles. Basically I worked with the vocalist Mari Kattman in several previous projects and discovered that we really enjoyed working together, so we thought why not create your own project?
Yo hago toda la música y la producción y Mari hace todas las voces y letras. Algunos de ellos son “downbeat”, algunos de ellos son más bailables, pero realmente combina muchas influencias diferentes y es un álbum realmente diverso, creo. Espero terminarlo en abril, lo que probablemente signifique un lanzamiento de otoño.
Vimos recientemente una publicación del remix de Cryos de la canción “control”. ¿De dónde vino la idea y que puedes decirnos sobre el resultado final?
A couple of years ago, I did a side project called Surveillance that was a bit more EBM focused than Assemblage23. I released an album and a complementary remix album that was digital only. Shortly after it came out, a Russian label contacted us to make a very limited physical CD version of the remix album, with a couple of extra tracks. Cryo It was one of the bands that did an extra remix and they did a great job, so I was just returning the favor.
“Ser músico profesional es algo genial, pero muchas veces tienes muy poco dinero…”
You have been living in Seattle for many years. How's the electro scene there?
It is true that Seattle has been my home for the past 17 years, but I was born in Pennsylvania and grew up most of my life in New Hampshire, on the east coast. The scene here is pretty good. There are several gothic / industrial club nights a week to choose from and promoters get really creative with special themed nights. There are also a number of venues that host industrial shows quite regularly. However, it was crazy when I moved here. At the top, there was literally an industrial night out in one club or another every night of the week. Historically, Seattle has always been a great city for music.
America has been the subject these days due to constant school shootings. What would be the formula to fix this delicate problem?
It is a very complicated subject and on which people are very excited. It is not a single problem, but the sum of a series of problems. Chief among them is that guns are too easy to come by in the United States. I am not someone who thinks that weapons should be banned, although I don't need them either. But today it is too easy for people to obtain firearms without being properly examined. In other words, we can make guns available to those who enjoy them, but do a better job of keeping them away from people who are mentally ill, dangerous, inexperienced, or violent.
I would like gun ownership to require a mental proficiency test as well as gun handling and safety tests. Make them more or less like driver's licenses in the United States, where you must pass the exam every four years to renew your license. Additionally, the country's mental health care system has been desperately broken since the Reagan administration, and needs to be overhauled to ensure that people who need mental health help can get it cheaply, easily, and without stigma.
Finally, the American political system needs to be overhauled to remove the influence of money. The NRA (National Rifle Association) is a very well-funded political organization, and they have done more to prevent Americans from having an honest discussion about gun control than anyone else.
Lately you were at the event with cause, to support the difficult financial situation of Claus (Leather Strip) and Kurt before the latter's health problem. Was the answer expected? What is your final impression on the union of the electro scene in the face of adversity?
Being a professional musician is a really cool job, but it's also a job where you won't always know where your next paycheck comes from and sometimes you have very little money. So when I found out about the problems Kurt and Claus were having in paying Kurt's medical bills, I definitely decided to get involved. While it is true that Denmark has socialized medicine, there are limits to what they cover, and Kurt's advanced age meant that many of his expenses were not covered by the government. In addition to that, Claus is donating one of his kidneys to Kurt, so he had to cancel his tour of the United States, which they had to help pay the bills.
Mi amiga Michelle había estado hablando con Claus y dijo que sonaba realmente desesperado y que deseaba poder hacer algo. Tengo muchos contratos de promotores y un seguimiento decente en las redes sociales, así que me acerqué a mucha gente que sabía que era confiable para hacer tanto una campaña de “crowdfunding” como algunos eventos benéficos del club y la reacción fue genial. Todos estaban realmente ansiosos por ayudar e involucrarse. Y los fanáticos fueron muy comprensivos y dieron generosamente. Realmente me hizo sentir bien. Nuestra pequeña escena puede estar llena de mucha negatividad y drama, pero cuando lo necesitamos, podemos unirnos y ayudarnos unos a otros. Creo que ayuda que Klaus y Curt sean dos de los mejores chicos de la escena también. ¿Quién no querría ayudar a tipos tan geniales?
Could you leave us a message for your fans in Mexico who are ready to see you live again?
Mexico, we love you and we can't wait to see you soon! Get plenty of rest to get ready to dance!
