Interview: Animal Hospital
Interview: Animal Hospital
Author: Rich
Date: 23, April, 2009
Slightly delayed, but I am slowly realising that Nothingatall.net is quite good at being unfashinably late... but whatever, I think the end result is worth it. Animal Hospital's sole member, Kevin Micka has been on tour in Europe lately and has found time to give us an insight into his music and mind. Not heard his latest (and quite stunning) album, then you are missing out big time! Memory is a diverse and rich piece of work that is a huge contender for those ever so popular end of the year lists that shouldn't be missed. Anyway, lets get to it...
NAA: Can you quickly describe what you do, your music and sounds, thoughts and anything else?
Kevin Micka: When I perform live I create my music from scratch by recording and looping the live performance of myself playing guitar, drums, objects with contact mics and my voice. It often comes across as anything from a simulation of a full band to more improvised ambient soundscapes (for lack of a better word i suppose).
NAA: Memory is based on memories (duh!), ho did the idea come about?
NAA: Do you feel the album is a personal one for you? Or are the memories more 'good times' as it were?
Kevin Micka: Ha ha, the title actually came to me quite late in the process of this record. My girlfriend Katharine often said to me that the opening piece was very sad sounding. This influenced my cynical choice of title ("Good Times"). Personally I like having room to create my own impression from other music and art therefore I left the music open to the listener's interpretation. That being said, the title "Memory" and the music does represent my emotional experiences over the last few years. This seems natural to me as I often feel it is with others and I believe it has helped me deal with and express what I may not have otherwise been able to communicate with words.
NAA: And can we ask where the title 'his belly bursts' comes from?
Kevin Micka: "His Belly Burst" came from the end of a chapter of a book I read entitled "The Memoirs of Princess Dashkova." The phrase stuck with me. Unfortunately the title does have much more of a deeper connection with the music than that...sorry.
NAA: How did your relationship with Barge recordings begin?
Kevin Micka: I met Ian from Barge about 5 years ago and would talk every so often. A more "professional" relationship began when I was asked to be a part of their first release, a compilation entitled "Innature."
NAA: Do you have any major influences?
Kevin Micka: My initial musical and methodical influences I would say would be Dave Pajo, Tyondai Braxton, Daniel Littleton and Joe Preston. Lately I have been a lot less exposed to new music, which i hope to change. I have been listening to a lot of The Louvin Brothers, Harry Belafonte and occasionally Gastr Del Sol and Captain Beefheart.
NAA: Playing live do you only play guitar, or do you use a live drum set up also? How does it all fit together?
Kevin Micka: I have been a bit more flexible in my live set up lately. For the tour I am now I have mostly been playing live without a drum set and have been using more contact mics for percussion. In the U.S., I often bring and mic up my own drum set to record, process and loop with. Lately I have been trying to incorporate more vocals. Other than that the technical core would be a mixer, effects + looping pedals and my guitar.
NAA: And do you do much improvisation when playing live?
Kevin Micka: I have been a bit more enthusiastic about live improvisation as I get more comfortable with my equipment - I usually make some considerable changes to my set up about once a year or so. I often think of my setup as another instrument that, with time becomes more intuitive to me. Which in turn helps when I improvise with others.
NAA: There seems to be a fair amount of guitar pedals and effects in your music. Do you have any favourite effect/stomp box? (me, too much delay is always a good thing)
Kevin Micka: I was never really into effects before I started this project. To an extent I still am not really interested. It became somewhat of a necessary element to achieve my creative goals I suppose. I think or hope as i go along that I am more into technical limitations helping me creatively. That being said, the one delay pedal I would be most sad about losing is my Vesta Fire Digital Delay. It looks like a Waffle Maker.
NAA: How about the response from memory? Are you pleased with it and how are you finding your current tour?
Kevin Micka: It is kind of surreal to read such positive reviews of Memory. It feels really nice. I feel very grateful to the people that have really taken the time to listen to it and give an in depth opinion. I will always be able to point out aspects of my performance on Memory that I cringe at but for the most part I feel most of the time I spent on it was worth it. The current tour has been really nice. I am not sure the release of Memory has really quite affected turnout or anything but it has been quite enjoyable nonetheless. I really enjoy each show being more of a special event where we often all sit down to dinner together before the concert.
NAA: I guess the main thing is are you enjoying it all? Memory has had some excellent feedback and blown many people away, has it become a little scary or are you finding it all exciting?
Kevin Micka: I definitely feel disconnected from the world at the moment. I've had about 20 minutes of internet access since we have been in Europe. I think I am enjoying it. It is hard to put myself in the perspective of a new listener. Six months ago I was ready to make a handful of copies of this record and move on. So, in that regard it is crazy to think of the exposure it is receiving now in contrast.
NAA: What is currently in the works now that Memory is released? Do you have any other projects or releases?
Kevin Micka: Idealistically I will make time this summer to flesh out some new ideas. See if I can take less than 2 or 3 years to release something. I hope also to compile a collection of recorded improvisations with Agathe Max from Lyon, France.
NAA: Oh and I guess, any musical recommendations?!
Kevin Micka: Beautiful Weekend are an amazing duet from Boston that play rather infrequently. They often remind me of why I love music.
Animal Hospital - Memory
Read review, Buy It
Official Animal Hospital Site
Animal Hospital Myspace
The awesome Barge Recordings website
Chicago's Mutable Sound
Barge Recording's page on Nothingatall.net
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