Creeps, Perverts and Weirdos: Creepoid!

Although I had not heard of them until hours before I went to interview them, Creepoid was worth the time and gas. I went to their Manayunk home/rehearsal space to catch up with the creeps and hear them play some tunes. I was impressed by their professional sound and the amount of weed consumed in one hour. Creepoid will be playing a show this Sat 4/17 with Kurt Vile at Beautiful World Syndicate. Should be an awesome show!

HEFF: So tell me a little bit about the band. To be honest I had’nt really heard of

you guys until very recently.

P: Well, Anna and I are married and we are in another band called The G. Pete used to play in it too and he ended up leaving the band. There was a really bad snowstorm this year where we were stuck inside for a couple days and Sean slept over and got real drunk and we had this 1956 reel to reel tape machine and we recorded some songs as like a two-piece and then Anna joined in and Pete after that. We recorded this 7” EP that we just released at our first show last week.

HEFF: Brand spankin’ new! The name, Creepoid?

P: Um… well I mean he’s a pervert (points to Petejoe) and he’s a weirdo (points to Sean) so, like we just figured Creepoid.

HEFF: It works. Very literal.

P: Everybody used to call Petejoe, like all the girls in Austin, called him Creepjoe

HEFF: So, what do you do that is particularly creepy or pervy?

S: You’ll find out (laughs).

P: In high school he used to ask girls out and then drive to an industrial park and be like, “so what’s up?” and just park. And even if they just hung out and talked he is still that creepy guy who took them to the industrial park.

HEFF: Do you have anything to say in your defense?

PJ: I am not denying… I’m just saying the details may have been altered.

A: Slightly.

PJ: I am really not that creepy!

P: It was a long time ago. That’s why we can joke about it.

HEFF: Directed to Sean: So they said you’re creepy too?

P: No No No just a weirdo!

HEFF: My bad. A weirdo.

S: See you don’t have to be worried about me. I am just weird.

A: Well you have to be a little worried.

S: Nah. I don’t know how I am weird. Of course I don’t. If I did I wouldn’t do it.

P: He has a weird collection of photos… animal books. You know he is like in his mid-twenties.

HEFF: Like children’s books?

**They all begin disputing whether or not they are children’s books.

P: He is just a weird dude. Like he was always in those advanced classes in high school.

HEFF: So he is smart?

P: Uh yeah.

A: Sean is weird because everyday at dinner time we go “Sean do you want some dinner?” And he goes, “Nah….well ALRIGHT!” Then we’ll all be eating and he’ll come up and take a little plate and be like, “Is this cool, is this cool?”

HEFF: So, so far you are smart and polite and like animals (laughs)?

PJ: (Laughs) It’s the worst!

S: Oh and I wear glasses!

P: And he plays bass with his fingers… weird!

All: (Laugh)

HEFF: Creepy! What do you label your sound as?

P: We think of a really cool part of a song and then try to play it as slooooow as we can. Slower than as slow as we can and it still comes out…

A: It’s pretty fast.

PJ: Plus it’s easy to grasp the idea of something if it’s slowed down anyway… No matter what we did with computers we always started with these reel to reels that he said.

P: So, I don’t know what those kids in California… like the garage, bedroom pop or whatever the fuck they are calling it now but like we do it with old ass tape machines in dirty basements in the east coast.

PJ: The tapes themselves are old tapes that had been previously recorded on.

P: Like old Christmas music.

PJ: The more you record on a tape… it lessens the quality of it.

A: Everything is supposed to be dirtier.

PJ: We were really careful about how we used the tape that was available first.

P: I wouldn’t say we go out of our way to sound dirty it’s just been shown to us in a way that works well.

HEFF: Cheap and efficient. But it worked out and sounds cool.

P/PJ: Right… yeah.

HEFF: So, say you got signed by a label and they wanted you to make a real recording that didn’t sound so lo-fi, would you do it?

P: We would be so happy because we wouldn’t be paying for it!

PJ: I would like just not have to pay for such an expensive hobby.

P: I would love to mass-produce our music. You know, this has only been our first 7” and we sold out of the test presses, all thirty of them. We just got 300 in the mail and those are already starting to go. It’s all moving so fast. I’d really like to have a label pick it up so they could be like “yo, lets do a whole record of all the singles you have.” They are all home recorded and then from there I would look into going into the studio. I’ll take what I can get.

PJ: Even if we just continued ourselves, and then they paid for the tour.

P: Well touring is kind of a problem because Anna is a college professor at two different schools in the city and Sean has a good job… a real job (graphic designer) and I am a private contractor.

HEFF: How do you guys write the songs?

P: It is collaborative. We do everything together since the band has been a band but the original couple songs on the EP… when Sean was in his louder, more aggressive, guitar rock, noise rock band he would eat mushrooms and lock himself in his bedroom and record songs by himself…

HEFF: Maybe this is why you’re weird?

P: (Laughs) Yeah! But those actually became the really good like hooks and changes on the EP. I am excited to see how the new stuff will turn out. So it’s cool when you have even more people doing mushrooms!

HEFF: What do you guys think if the Philly music scene?

P: It’s so all over the place right now and everyone is in their own little world and especially still being in our other band The G. We play so many different shows. We’ll play at The Ox or something like that and then Kung Fu Necktie. Two weeks ago we played a show at the Barbary with Best Coast and it was sold out but a couple days before that The G played a sold out show with Love Is All and Japandroids. So, it’s like we are still playing the same shows but a little different.

HEFF: Is The G similar sounding?

P: It’s like a complete Sonic Youth worship band.

PJ: It is not to be confused with like a side project though.

P: But the Philly scene is awesome. I know I like that band Far-Out Fangtooth.

HEFF: What are you guys listening to now?

S: Reigning Sound.

PJ: I’ve been listening to Heavy Hands LP.

P: The Strange Boys. They’re friends of ours from Austin but I just picked up their LP. They are a really great band. I’m psyched they are touring with Spoon and shit… Dinosaur Jr. is always on the turntable. I just got a Nintendo…two Nintendo top loaders at a thrift store. It was twenty-five bucks, came with the power glove and 38 games. It’s the shit. Lately, before I go to work and climb on scary roofs and shit I’ll take a bong rip and play Nintendo and listen to Dinosaur Jr. Mario three… I still can’t beat that fucking thing.

HEFF: You could upgrade to a Wii.

S: Oh no, too many buttons.

P: No, we play horseshoes outside.

HEFF: Outdoor kids. What do you guys think of the term Hipster?

PJ: My grandmother told me I was (0ne) a couple years ago. But this was the same lady that wouldn’t let me inside of her house on my sixteenth birthday because I had a Dead Kennedys shirt on and she was like, “that’s a disgrace to our Irish heritage.” She freaked the fuck out and kicked me out.

A: That is such a hipster thing to say. You are such a hipster (laughs).

HEFF: Generally negative feelings toward the term then?

A: (Totally joking) Well I lived in Brooklyn so like yeah. I think everyone doesn’t want to say they’re a hipster but then at the same time doesn’t want other people to NOT think of them as a hipster.

PJ: My drug dealer from Austin, used to call me a hipster. He was like well you’re always downtown and you’re always doing shit. What the fuck does that mean, man? I work downtown!

Friend of Band: Do you like how they never actually answer your questions?

HEFF: It’s true but it’s okay.

Another Friend: I always think about how on Seinfeld, Elaine called Kramer a hipster doofus and I don’t want to be that guy!

P: It is a problem if you are perpetually a hipster.

S: You can only be a hipster for a certain amount of time.

A: We are leaving that time. On our way out.

P: You know how I know I am getting old? I no longer own any His Hero Is Gone records…

A: And you don’t drink 40s anymore.

P: Yeah I don’t drink those anymore. I drink New Castle. It’s my jam! And since I’ve gotten older I don’t collect noise tapes any more.

A: Yes you do! What are you talking about?

P: (Laughs) Eh whatever.

HEFF: So then you’re not that old yet.

A: He just turned 27.

P: Yeah my birthday was yesterday.

HEFF: Happy Birthday!

All: No! It was Monday.

P: I don’t remember!

A: Getting old.

HEFF: Then I retract my Happy Birthday.

PJ: Ohhh retracted.

HEFF: Any last words?

S: Well I am curious. Is it safe to say you haven’t really heard us?

HEFF: Oh no I have… But like a few hours before I came here. I liked what I heard though!

P: Tell everyone to come to our show! Tell them to check out Phonographic Arts, shop at Beautiful World Syndicate and try to get the new Creepoid record, Yellow Life Giver and we’ll have a new tape and or 7” out soon! We will be heading out on tour at the end of May, East Coast tour with Sore Eros from Boston.

HEFF: Anything else?

P: Smoke weed everyday.

Hometown Hero Kurt Vile.

So Nataly and I are a little sadistic (as you know) and we sent out our brand spankin new writer, Dan Newman to a show at The Barbary. A show of two bands he had never heard of in his entire life. A hardcore show none the less. We told him to cover the show, get an interview and take some photos. What better way to get the young ones started? He did it all. Yay Dan!

When I showed up to see Kurt Vile and Fucked Up at The Barbary, I didn’t know what to expect. I was approached by HEFF and jumped at the opportunity. This was my first assignment and I was a bit nervous. I slowly filtered into the club along with the crowd from the sidewalk. I made nervous chatter with a random person in front of me, trying desperately not to look as if I just heard the names “Kurt Vile” and “Fucked Up” yesterday. I sat shyly in the back, doodling in my notebook, waiting for the show to start or for the oddly uncomfortable bench I was sitting on to swallow me whole. However, before that could happen, Kurt began tuning his guitars and I pushed my way front and center to get a better look.

You know how some people seem to have an aura around them? Kurt Vile is one of those people. Although not much taller than me, he seemed to loom like a giant over the crowd, his face rarely peeking out from a thick, messy mane of hair. A gruff, throaty voice checked the mic a few times, not quite content with the echo and reverb. Suddenly satisfied, Kurt began finger-picking his twelve string guitar, and his raspy voice cut through the notes like a ray of sun through fog; in this case audible but lingering. Sadly, I never got a chance to obtain a set list, so I can’t share with you what song he opened with, or closed with, but I can tell you that for about an hour, Kurt Vile wore his heart on his sleeve and shared it with a lackadaisical but interested crowd. His songs were drenched in a bucket of blues, poured into our ears and hung out to dry before our eyes. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it, but there wasn’t much movement, which was to be expected based on the mellow, almost melancholy, mood. The untrained eye would wonder if the audience was bored, but it was quite the contrary. I was lucky enough at the end of his performance to steal a quick picture of that ever-elusive face, which seems always to be hidden behind that lion mane of brown hair.

After Kurt left the audience mellowed and happily sedated, Fucked Up dosed us with some musical-cocaine. I had prepared myself to be dodging fists and reckless moshers, and was wondering how I was going to constantly be on my guard while absorbing the show at the same time. All of that prepping was in vain, though. I didn’t have to dodge a single fist or reckless mosher. Actually, I can sum up the entire Fucked Up set in one word… Unity. The crowd and the band were united, and it was beautiful. Damian Abraham, the lead singer, interacted with the crowd, cracked jokes and barreled through the crowd during one song. He was eager to share a story before each song, which gave me the nostalgic tingling of hairs standing up on my arms. This was music with purpose, these were audio samples of their every day struggles, not just songs thrown together in a few days for a label contract or some cliché emotional bandwagon. There were so many sing-alongs (they just never get old,) that I lost count, at least one per song. Damian was kind enough to tell the crowd the lyrics beforehand so they could participate if they didn’t know them (like me.) He even ended up on the bar for part of the set. A highlight of the performance was the crowd participation during “Crusades”. My camera phone sucks in the dark, but Damian was a great sport and took a picture with me. One lyric kept returning to me during the show, from “Pit of Equality” by Ten Yard Fight: “WE’RE ALL FRIENDS IN THE PIT TONIGHT”.

I was also fortunate enough to get five minutes with Kurt, despite the fact that the bar opened and I didn’t have an ID. I figured my baby face was going to be a problem, but the door guy was real cool about letting me stick around for a few minutes even though he clearly wanted me to go for fear of his job. Thanks, Kurt, and thank you random-door-guy.

Philadelphia sounds excited to have you back in town. How do you feel to be back?

I feel good…I’ve been on tour this time around with just my buddy Rob, who’s keeping me company. We were born on the same day, and we’re both kind of…wild people…so we’re a little tired. It’s good to be back, even just for a day.But yeah its nice to come home in the middle of the tour as opposed to coming home at the end. Today I slept until about 4, we played Baltimore last night and I just drove straight home, man. Woke up in my own bed.

Nice, that must have felt good.

Yup, felt real good.

I read that you were recently signed to Matador records, which was your first choice anyway. What are your new goals?

My goals I guess are relatively the same. I got all the business out of the way, at least for now, so it’s just keep moving forward and putting stuff out. You know we’re about to start on a new record, just keep doing it you know?

What direction do you see your new music going? Psyche stuff like “Blackberry Song”, or more rocking like “Monkey”?

Yeah, I mean there’s always pyschedelic undertones. I don’t see it going too far-out. Yeah, if you like “Blackberry Song”, going in that acoustic direction for the next record, sort of. You know, flesh it out a little, bring in the band. For the next record I don’t really have any like “Freak Trains” or “Hunchbacks”. Just kind of the prettier stuff, I’m going to see how far we can take that for the next record, you know? Just flesh out the pretty shit. Start with the acoustic shit and just take it out there.

Did you ever find that Neil Young album you’ve been coveting?

Yeah I did! I got three copies of that thanks to that interview, but nobody ever got me The Seeds record though. I’m waiting for somebody to find me the Seeds’ “Web of Sound”.

Maybe someone will read this and hook you up with it.

Yeah hopefully, but so far, no dice.

Can you describe the process of writing on the road as opposed to home?

Well, you’d imagine, and I’d imagine, that before I got so busy, that you write as you go…but maybe in Europe, or in a real nice place, and your feeling inspired, you’ll write a little bit. But usually the writing happens once you get home, and you let the set grow as you go on tour. But you know, they are both essential to inspiration. What I’ve found as that, especially lately, on tour you’re busy with a lot of things, and then when you get home, time is still…you start strumming out new tunes and stuff like that.

Which came first, the guitar or the lyric?

Uh that varies. I get that a lot, it varies. I guess a lot of times with guitar your just strumming, and some weird shit will just come out, one line and you just work around it. But other times, at least when I used to work a day job, I’d think up these weird lyrics. So really it depends. Or you’ll listen to a song on the radio and think of certain lyrics that are kinda far out, and you put it in a song you’ve been working on. But really, it varies.

Well I appreciate you taking the time out to talk with me…is there anyone you’d like to give a shout out to?

Sure, its no problem. Uh yeah, I’d like to give a shout out to Fucked Up, who’s standing right next to me.

BY DANIEL NEWMAN

What’s Going on?

Philadelphia has an amazing amount of fantastic live shows coming our way in the next couple of months. Scroll down to find a comprehensive list of our favorite event calendars for around the area.

We wanted to highlight some notable shows coming up.

Kurt Vile and The Violators Philadelphia’s favorite long haired lo-fi experimentalists are playing Wednesday, February 17 at

TheBarbary with Fucked Up: hardcore punk at it’s best.

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Mission of Burma may be old but they are still ridiculously good and pretty much historical figures when it comes to rock as we know it.  Mission of Burma should be on everyone’s bucket list. They will be at The Church Thursday, February 18 with Sleeper Agent.

St. Vincent will be bringing her painfully pretty songs to a seated sanctuary show at The Church Thursday, February 25 with Wildbirds and Peacedrums who also put on a spectacular show.

We are all about Surfer Blood right now! They will be playing The Barbary Monday, March 1. They bring their warm weather, 1990’s pop sounds to our cold, modern, Philadelphia ears.

Rouge Wave will be putting on a seated Sanctuary show at The Church Thursday, March 4, full of harmony, melodies, and choruses to sing to. It’s goose pimple music.

Our muse, namesake  and favorite showmen ever, Man Man, are doing a long overdue hometown Philadelphia show. Oh how we’ve missed them. No more crossing state lines for our fix! They will be debuting new songs galore at the their Troc show on March 5.

Henry Rollins?! Yep, really Henry Rollins is coming to the Sanctuary Thursday, March 11. Sounds nuts but it’s true. The Church is just one of many stops he is making on his Frequent Flyer Tour.

The Ruby Suns invoke big sunglasses, psychedelic swirls, and songs like “Let the Sunshine In“. Check out their 6-piece band at Kung Fu Necktie with Toro Y Moi and Power Animal, Philly’s own experimental wonders on Thursday, March 25.

The xx is sold out and we don’t have tickets and I am pretty much too mad to even comment on this one. If your going and want to do a review or interview for us, e-mail me at andrea@hipsterseatforfree.com The show is at The Church Monday, March 29. We will probably be there begging for tickets.

Fanfarlo is the kind of indie pop that can take over. It sticks around a while and the pay off is more then instant grat. The show is Wednesday, March 31 at The Church. I am guessing this one will sell out.

The forefathers of indie rock Nada Surf will be playing at The Church Thursday April 1. If you haven’t been paying attention since the 90’s, it’s time to see just how much perfection these guys put out this decade.

The Thermals will be giving us an excuse to jump around like madwomen in what is sure to be a sweaty packed Church on Thursday, April 15.

Check out other event calendars here:

• R5 Productions Event Calendar
• The Electric Factory
• Kung Fu Nectie
• Johnny Brenda’s
• Y-Rock
• Tritone
• The Trocadero
• World Cafe Live
• Phrequency