•
Rating: Their second LP "Wowsers!" (released on Inner Ear Records last May 10th) has been and still is one of the most surprising psychedelic rock albums I've listened to recently.
I'm talking about CHICKN, a band based in the city of Athens, Greece, led by Angelos Krallis, the founder of a project he considers to be a true open collective where each member, including those handling the "engineering" part, contributes significantly to crafting their music.
Influenced both by the West Coast and a whole array of other musicians whose variety is absolutely astonishing, always moving within the boundaries that relate to "rock" music, CHICKN is an absolutely unpredictable band. I would define them as a "crazy group," a definition that somehow contrasts, as you'll see, with the clear and very determined answers from Angelos, who, besides being a musician, is also a painter and who kindly answered my questions in an interview I present both in Italian and, as always, in English.
Approaching the acid sound of the Sonics or Blue Cheer with moments between glam and the Canterbury school, and with elements of the free-form of King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard, CHICKN completed their spring tour last June 9th. However, a new round of dates is already planned from September onwards, which should also reach our peninsula.
Here below are some references on where to find information about our heroes on the "net" and listen to some of their music.
https://www.facebook.com/chickntribe/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCev2QhICjlLQ3TIyK0W_YUQ
https://chickn.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/chickn-gr
EU/UK Promotion + autumn tour: https://www.facebook.com/AGiantLeap.MoniqueM
Enjoy the reading.
"The smell alone was great but the taste - WOWSERS!"
Photo: Eftychia Vlachou.
1. Hello Angels. I am so pleased that you agreed to answer my questions, thank you. As the founder and leader of the psychedelic rock group CHICKN, you have just released your second LP titled "Wowsers!" In presenting the album, you mentioned a series of listens and artists as reference points during the process of working on the album: Grateful Dead, Captain Beefheart, Red Crayola, but also Stooges, T. Rex, and even Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Max Roach! How did you navigate all these reference points during the composition of the album's songs? Did you have a clear idea from the very beginning about what you were doing?
A. If you know exactly what you plan to do, you practically miss almost all the fun! Most of the songwriting work was done by me, then with the band we made a demo version of every potential CHICKN song. But that's just the beginning of things, because afterwards it's the band's energy that completely transforms things. At this point, we are all involved; we add new music, some parts are added or removed, others are stretched or compressed. Songwriting is clearly a fundamental part of the band, but just as much as instant composing and playing together.
2. As with your first LP, "Wowsers!" was released on Inner Ear Records, an independent label from Patras, Greece. I admit I don't know much about the alternative scene in Greece; would you like to talk about it? In particular, I'm curious if you feel somehow connected to a particular musical scene or artistic context that also involves other artists with whom you feel some connection on a conceptual, emotional, ideological level...
A. I have to say we have a great relationship and deep admiration for a lot of artists and bands coming from our country. In recent years, many interesting groups and musicians have emerged that have captured the attention of an increasingly broader audience, releasing records and organizing high-quality concerts. However, we can't exactly speak of a "scene," and in my view, this is for two fundamental reasons. First, it's impossible to obtain a way to financially sustain ourselves in this manner, and consequently, to make music your full-time job. Besides that, I think what could be defined as a scene hasn't gotten past what can be described as a narrow circle concerning genre, race, and class divisions. But if you happen to be in Athens and hear about a concert by Devamp Javu or To Koritsi Koimatai, just to name a couple of the coolest bands, make sure you don't miss it!
3. I read somewhere on the web that you define your music as "Jetzteit rock." I'm curious to know if this definition is somehow related to a conceptual view regarding music and culture in contemporary society. I know you're also a painter. What can you tell me about this other activity? Can we say that your arts somehow develop around the same concept?
A. As far as I think, both visual arts and music are practically involved in the same kind of "poetics." They are part of the same artistic context. But CHICKN is something more than the representation of my personal point of view. It's a work of eight people, including two sound engineers, where everyone contributes to the project with their personal input. My point of view when I formed the band was that it should be the work of a creative collective and should not adopt any predetermined concept or style.
4. I primarily defined you as a psychedelic rock band, but I think it's safe to say that your general orientation is very "free." Each track of your album is practically unpredictable; you never know what to expect. I thought of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard as a band with whom you share this attitude. Do you think this comparison makes sense? I'm curious to know if by chance you know your compatriot and contemporary artist Christodoulos Halaris. There is this musician, perhaps you know him (it's Jakub "Kuba" Ziolek) who has recently resumed his work seeking a connection between the music of ancient Greece and American primitivism and folk psychedelia. Listening to your album and the variety of sounds, I immediately thought of this project. Is there any connection between your music and that of ancient Greece's tradition?
A. Yes, we have moments that could be defined as free-form, but in the end, I would say we are fundamentally a rock band. It is a precise boundary we have set, first of all, it works for us precisely as an "ideal place" to move around to express our need to express ourselves. We're comfortable inside it, so it works. Our album contains a very wide range of sounds, as well as reference points, but ancient Greece is certainly not among them. I can imagine that this type of sound is interesting and even appealing if you're not Greek and don't live in Greece, but, you see, this concept here usually becomes somehow dangerous because it's used instrumentally by nationalists, and nationalism here lurks around every corner. Nowadays, there's a need for almost surgical intervention to separate nationalism from ancient Greece.
5. Last question. Here in Italy, the recent period has been and is very particular because of political events. I think we can draw a parallel line with some situations that happened in Greece after the European elections of 2014 and when your country was practically in the spotlight of the world, especially the European Union. What did and what does the so-called Greek crisis mean for someone of your generation who may have a slightly different point of view, if only because you're musicians and part of a certain counterculture? Would you say things have changed since 2014? Has this "crisis" ended or is it still there?
A. Capitalism will automatically end this crisis when there's no longer a need for it, and when the rich become fewer and even richer. I've grown up in ten years of crisis (happy birthday!), and I can tell you for certain that each year we are genuinely surprised by how things continue to get worse. The situation, in general, is completely out of control, and combined with the rest of the socio-economic situation and the geopolitical context surrounding us, it's created a true bomb ready to explode. In the end, people are the only ones who truly pay for the crisis, not the banks or the state.
As for the possibility of the birth of a counterculture, this can work at best if you are a foreigner, possibly white and male, and have a budget. If any of the aforementioned factors are missing, I guarantee you won't have such a good time. So the end result is that there are a lot of places and artists that take advantage of this situation, but it's not something open to everyone, but dedicated to a narrow circle of people. We are in the midst of a real humanitarian crisis, where people and small children die every day, and in such a situation, talking about art becomes difficult.
Our generation must overcome the slumber and fear that have been implanted within us and reinvent itself, both on a personal and collective level. Change won't come from above, and if it does, we would reject it immediately.
READ IT IN ENGLISH.
1. Hi Angelos. That's really a pleasure to me to have this talk, so really thank you. As the founder and one of the prominent member of the psychedelic-rock group CHICKN, you did just release your second LP that's actually titled "Wowsers!" You the same mentioned several different artists as a reference into the making of the album: Grateful Dead, Captain Beefheart, Red Crayola, but also The Stooges, T. Rex and even artists as Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Max Roach! How did you orient yourself into writing the songs of the LP? Did you realise since from the first time what you were going to do?
A. If you realise from the first time what you are going to do, you loose half of the fun! The main songwriting work is mostly done by me and then the band gets a demo version of every potential CHICKN song. But that's only how the story starts, as band's energy completely transforms the songs. Each and every one is involved, additional music is then written, parts are added or removed, others are stretched and some of them shrink. Songwriting is obviously one corner stone of the band, alongside instant composing and jamming.
2. As your previous first eponymous LP also "Wowsers!" is out via Inner Ear Records, an independent label from Patras, Greece. I sincerely admit to not know a lot about that, so do you consider we can eventually talk about an alternative rock scene in Greece? I mean, if in any case if you generally speaking felt as your music it's some way connected to a determined artistic context and if there were eventually other artists and groups from Greece you got good feelings.
A. We have good feelings and admiration for lots of greek artists and bands. During the last years more and more bands and artists emerge and try to break through to a wider audience, producing albums and gigs of astonishing quality. We are quite far from a "scene" though, in my opinion for two main reasons; First of all it is almost impossible to achieve any kind of sustainability and consequently to make it a full time job. In addition to that, this so-called scene has not surpassed a very wide range of gender, race and class exclusions. If you find yourself in Athens and you catch a gig of Devamp Javu or To Koritsi Koimatai, just to mention a couple, make sure you don't miss it!
3. Read somewhere on the web you defined your music as you play what you defined "Jetztzeit rock". Curious to know if this kind of definition it had eventually also got a conceptual vision related to the way you conceive music and culture into the contemporary society. I know you are also a visual artist. What about this activity? Do you consider there's eventually a main concept you're going to develop with your arts?
A. From my point of view, both visual arts and music are involved in the same context of poetics. But CHICKN is far more than my personal view on that. It's a working case of 8 people, including two engineers, where each and everyone feeds this project with his/hers personal input. My personal vision when I formed the band was that collective creative condition and not a predetermined, stylised concept.
4. I introduced yourselves as a psychedelic-rock group, but could we argue that basically you're a group who is basically oriented as a free-form kind of music? Every single track of the album you don't really know what to expect then. I mentioned King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard as a possible group which has actually got the same attitude. Do you think that comparison does it make sense? I also am curious to know if you ever listened to the contemporary artist Christodoulos Halaris. There's this musician, you possibly may know him (I'm talking about Jakub "Kuba" Ziolek), who reprised his work making a connection between the traditional music of Ancient Greece with American Primitivism and folk psychedelia. Listening to your album and the variety of sounds, I immediately thought about that project. Any connection between your music and what we could define as the music of the Ancient Greece?
A. We have our free-form moments but in the end of the day we are a rock band. It is a limitation that we chose to set as, first of all, it works for us and it's the place were we can relate to our expressive needs. If we fit, we sit. Our album contains indeed a very wide palette of sounds and references, Ancient Greece is not one of them for sure. I can understand that this concept seems to be very interesting and tempting if you are not Greek or you don't live in Greece, but this whole concept here you know can, and usually is, really dangerous as nationalism lies in every corner. One has to perform precise surgery to remove nationalism from ancient Greece nowadays.
5. Last question. Because of themes about politics, these are very particular days in Italy. Think we could eventually make a comparison with some situations happened in Greece following the European election in 2014 and when your country was at the centre of the attention by the whole UE. What did or still does effectively what we defined the Greece crisis actually mean for who is of your generation and who has possibly got a different point of view because an artist and part of what we could define as counterculture? Do you think things changed from 2014? Did the "crisis" end?
A. Capitalism will end this crisis when it will be no longer needed, when the rich get fewer and richer. Having grown up in 10 years of crisis (happy birthday crisis!) I can tell you for sure that each year we get surprised by the ways that things get worse. The situation in general is already out of hand and that combined with the rest of the socio-economic & geopolitical circumstances create a bomb ready to explode. In the end, people are the ones that pay the crisis check, neither the banks nor the state.
Now for the whole arts-thriving-in-crisis thing, it applies indeed as long as you are a foreign, mostly white male artist on a budget. If something from the previous mentioned factors do not apply, I guarantee you that you are not going to have a good time. What I do mean is that art scenes in Athens and Greece in general have been colonized. Local artists do not have any accessibility to any good terms into producing culture or to do so, they have to do specific things, produce art into a very specific context with a very specific content as well. At the time there is a huge so called humanitarian crisis where people and small children die every day and doing art in such alienated contexts is not the way to deal with it.
Our generation has to overpass the numbness and the fear that were planted deep inside it and re-invent itself, both in personal and collective level. Change's not going to come from above, or if it will, we will regret it in an instant.
Loading comments slowly
