A unique technique with a twist on the drum and bass sound from this live electronic music act Dead P.A. It seems this act won’t let anything hold them back, traversing through this journey, ebbing and flowing with the expedition of life and they’re igniting the fire once more, appearing to have much more in store! A new single brewing, “Advanced Training”, has been unleashed into the wild and believe me when I tell you this is something else!
ADVANCED TRAINING
Riding in on a vibe the nostalgia sends shivers down your spine picking up a melodic flow as it thickens, transforming into poppy synths the beats building in slinking between echoes of that atmosphere winding into the journey the sounds cascading all around. “Advanced Training” is not just sounding but feeling cinematic like you’re part of the action, wrapped up into the tune, that bassline thickening the arrangement is funky and fun. The composition twists into a breakdown but it still seething with sound like a full on orchestra of DNB the sensation is completely unique. “Advanced Training” has soul, it has groove, and it will make the floor move. This is an incredible tune!
I had a chance to ask Dead P.A. a bit more about their unique style and journey through drum and bass dating back to the early 2000’s, let’s check out what they had to say!
INTERVIEW WITH DEAD P.A.
Give us a brief history of the project. What brought the idea of Dead P.A. to life?
DEAD P.A. started as an extension of my solo project “Population Zero.” I was performing DnB as a live act with synths, a sampler and a drum machine but I really missed the band dynamic that I started out in so when an old friend, George Blitch, moved back to town with a Roland TD-10 electronic drum kit I proposed the idea and it blew up into something that really took on a life of its own. This was at the end of 2002 and to the best of my knowledge, we were among the first stateside live DnB acts with a full drum kit outside of the amazing Jojo Mayer (that dated back to the 90’s) and KJ Sawka who hit around the same time. The aspiration for the DEAD P.A. was always bigger than just playing tunes though – or a specific genre. We certainly played sets that were focused narrowly on just music when shows called for that but we increasingly incorporated themes, costumes, and a personality of performance chaos that invited the audience into the fun. Krystal Hardwick and Levon Louis joined the act contributing to live performances and releases. The first album “The Dead will Rise” was released in cd format in 2007. Ironically, our distributor was out of the UK, so our album was an import to the U.S. In 2011, George got married and retired and after a series of shows with other talented performers, I found a great fit with Jordan Kolar who toured with me for several years until he ran away to join the circus (Cirque du Soleil) quite literally. In the past several months I’ve started putting out some of the unreleased DEAD P.A. tunes that were staples in our live sets on the run up to brand new material with my new partner Brooke Williamson. We’re currently using a Roland Handsonic for live percussion elements.
Tell us a bit about your creative process when writing new material:
I find inspiration in experiences and experimentation but I try not to keep a static approach in writing or production. For better or worse I tend to get restless sticking to a formula. I like to treat each tune like a unique critter taking on a life of it’s own and sometimes that starts with a beat, a melody, a progression on guitar, creating synth sounds, or all of the above.
In regards to “Advanced Training” specifically is there anything new or different you tried writing this tune?
In the past several months I have been putting out singles that DEAD P.A. has played live but never got released for some reason or other. Advanced Training is one of the songs from when I was working with Jordan and was almost entirely his composition. I think I suggested a breakdown and key change but that song is to his credit. The process between the two of us was generally working out an idea and workshopping it a bit thereafter together although we would often have multiple versions that allowed for live improvisation. One of the reasons I prefer being in a band to “collabs” is that initial awkwardness of figuring out the chemistry of creativity. Once you’re comfortable with someone it’s easier understand a specific narrow vision they might have, or conversely, to go wild sharing ideas. In live sets, Advanced Training allowed for a lot of freedom for singing or MC style lyrics so we never settled on a formalized vocal track.
What are some of the most notable events you have played and some milestones you are proud of hitting?
I think one of the things I’m proudest of is simply being a part of a community with so many amazing people – folks like Nick Couch (AKA 360 Degrees) out of Jackson, Mississippi or Steve Armstrong out of Dallas have this endless reservoir of enthusiasm and kindness that can completely recharge your battery. Music is a means of empathy and connecting to others and I’m grateful for so many of the people I’ve come to know. As an achievement, I’m proud of having played throughout the United States almost entirely without the aid of a booking agency or record label resources. We had representation by Cyber Groove run by a great guy Scott McCusker for about a year until he went to exclusive contracts. In regard to events, I suppose the answer is contingent on the definition of notable. We played a show at Hog Ridge Hollow in Arkansas with the most gorgeous sounding system bouncing off nearby mountain scenery that was just unforgettable. There was a festival we were booked for in Los Angeles that was moved to salt flats in the desert last minute and the driver responsible for transporting acts forgot to get us from the hotel so we had to find our own way to this remote spot with no actual address. I think it was on that same trip we ended up hanging out on the shoot for Dandy Warhol’s “Talk Radio” and did a brief cameo in the music video.
If you had to describe Dead P.A.’s style in just three words what would they be?
Anyth ing goes.
How do you best navigate the ever changing landscape of the industry, especially as a niche act in DNB?
That’s a question I’ll have to get back to you on in the next life. As an artist I’ve always been a bit of a misfit and any success DEAD P.A. has had has always been because someone was willing to take a chance, or upon seeing us, understood what we brought to the table. Irrespective of drum n bass sub-genres, I think there is a sort of renegade spark we all identify with as music lovers. That was certainly a draw for me going back to the first time I ever heard Mickey Finn but probably plays into why audiences are in our corner even when we stretch the boundaries. So I guess navigating the landscape comes down to persistence through industry cycles and finding your people or making room for the misfits that are open to making room for you.
How do you think the internet and technology has affected the music industry as a whole, and your project specifically, over the past few years?
The revolutions have been dramatic since I started playing out in the 90’s. Admittedly, I’ve been behind the curve on the “artist as a content creator” trend and I haven’t effectively utilized tiktok or reels. I’m one of those weirdos that still makes phone calls and mails stickers and flyers. I feel fortunate to have generated a reputation based on live performance before the spotify era came about because DEAD P.A. is definitely not algorithm friendly. Having a very uniform sound in style, tempo, and feel allows for easier algorithm placement in streaming playlists but I’ve always had a hard time standing in the same spot musically speaking. An algorithm may help you find and audience but a crowd standing in front of you is not an algorithm. The upside on technology is that gear has become a lot more bang for your buck with controllers and table top equipment. When you’re flying out to a show or even just tasked with hauling it around you have to be efficient and pragmatic with what gear you use when you don’t have Daft Punk levels of stage production resources. Another advance is that self releasing music has never been easier and if we want to release, it is as simple as a distribution subscription. As a music fan, I’ve enjoyed setlist.FM to see what songs artists are playing live in their sets. I suppose that can feel like a bit of a spoiler when watching your favorite artist knowing what they’re likely to play but it’s no less enjoyable.
The band seems to have a wicked good sense of humor. Tell us a story about something funny or bizarre that happened at one of your shows.
We’ve had countless fun shenanigans we’ve incorporated into shows over the years from interwoven themes to things incidental to the music… like wearing painter coveralls for the audience to draw on us while we performed. We’ve passed out signs to audiences that protested us. We once hit up a thrift shop prior to a show in New Orleans, bought the random loose records, signed them and hyped up the crowd asking if they wanted free vinyl tossing out Perry Cuomo, Tejano Greatest hits, among others.
There is one absurd thing that happened TO US that comes to mind. For years we’ve had a clause in our contract that refers to an alien invasion which is akin to the green M&M clause of legend. The purpose is to put something absurd and memorable in the contract so that if prompted, we can know for sure if a talent buyer has read the contract. Unfortunately, even if they read the contract, they sometimes dismiss the relative importance of requirements. When being flown out to a show I would ask a promoter to provide some stage equipment like mic stands, keyboard stands, etc. One particular promoter graciously provided everything except a shelf to hold my table top gear on the keyboard stand. Since the stage had turntables, CDJs, and our gear consisting of a full drumkit at the time there was no room for another table for my gear so in a pinch the promoter took me to a closet in the building, asked me the dimensions of the shelf I needed and proceeded to cut it out of the drywall. He handed it to me and headed off to juggle the other stages. The drywall was brittle but actually held my mixer, Access Virus, and a few other pieces of gear. At some point a very drunk girl in rainbow ravewear right in front of the stage grabbed my legs and my mic cable as she danced. I asked her to give me some space and she smiled and shot the finger. As she pulled the mic cable it began to pull the mixer on the drywall and the “shelf” cracked a little. I grabbed a water bottle and poured it over my head hoping she might back away to avoid over splash but no luck. While I had placed the cable out of her reach she managed to stumble knocking a mic stand which fell shattering the drywall collapsing the gear. Nothing was broken but our set ended about 8 minutes earlier than scheduled. Having developed a rapport with the promoter, he had us out twice after that and at one of the shows the same girl (wearing the same outfit) asked if I remembered her. She said our set was her favorite of the night but had no recollection of her part in ending it.
If you could open for any artist currently who would it be?
The only act I would drop everything right now to open for is Rock-afire Explosion. They were the first electronic act I ever saw live.
What is your favorite song from the catalogue to perform?
Most of the time my favorite is the one most recently finished but one particular stand out for me right now is a song called “Coil.” It’s got a really fun hook and a unique breakdown that weaves into a 6/8 time signature and then back into the standard DnB 4/4. I promise there won’t be a math pop quiz at the show.
What is the best advice anyone has ever given you? Musically or otherwise.
It’s not advice per se, but wisdom nonetheless. “…And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
If you could change one thing about the music industry what would it be?
This will probably be controversial – maybe even shocking but someone has to say it. It’s on the tip of all our tongues and I think if only a few prominent voices came forward and took a measured stand to meet the moment, we could see a paradigm shift and feel a collective sigh moving past what seems to have held the industry hostage for quite some time now. I think we need a little less cowbell. All due respect to “The Bruce Dickinson” of course.
As with anything in life the future is unpredictable but what are some goals you have for the project and things you’d like to see happen for Dead P.A. moving forward?
DEAD P.A. was on hiatus for a time so with the new line up, we are looking forward to some upcoming bookings and new material. Brooke and I played our first show together in Arlington, Texas recently and are looking forward to some dates on the books here in Texas and beyond. I still have a number of tunes from back catalogue I intend to release – many of which have been adapted for sets with the new material.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with Drum and Bass Proper!
You can learn more about Dead P.A. and find everything you need for social interaction, give them some likes and follows or jam their music HERE
Grab the new single “Advanced Training” HERE
Something from the archives!