Lotus_Style: First of all, congrats on the release of Matricide. Amazing job. After a few years of silence, I was beginning to worry. Why the delay?
Kelly: Thanks, I`m so glad you like the new record! We did a demo of it in November 2001, and sent it to Southern Lord, but Greg Anderson didn`t want to put it out. We were figuring it would have been out in 2002!
Adam: I guess you could say we had “artistic” differences with Southern Lord (which released Unearthed). Not much else I care to discuss about it. If the middleman is making the most money, become the middleman.
Lotus_Style: Did that stretch the recording time out?
Kelly: No, not at all. Originally we were ready to record in January 2002. Then we split with Southern Lord, then Ronnie (Kalimon, drummer) said he was ready to take a break from music. We all agreed it was necessary to lay down the tracks while things were fresh, and with Ronnie being co-writer and co-arranger on some songs, we felt we couldn`t capture what we had with someone anyone else. So in January `03 we entered the Polar Bear Lair studio to get the drums on tape, and then I did a few days on guitars. But everything came to a halt when Bobby from Pentagram came knocking at our door (well, actually the phone rang). Even JD insisted we do the Pentagram project right away, even if the I.V. record got pushed back. (Now that’s a true friend!) We worked on the Pentagram record from September `03 to April `04. Then I jumped immediately back into the studio to finish recording and co-producing Matricide with Chris Kozlowski.
Lotus_Style: You guys already have a dozen+ year history, and judging by Matricide, there’s still plenty of gas in the tank. Obviously there’s serious personal chemistry here.
Kelly: I don`t see the needle pointing to “empty” anytime soon. For starters, we love it, and we`ve always continued writing new material, even in the years between Standing on the Sun and Unearthed, which was also the time we spent searching for the right drummer, until we hooked up Ronnie. (Mike Smail, current Pentagram drummer, is behind da kit for I.V. currently.)
JD: I’d say good friends with an intense passion for music has been Internal Void’s catalyst. Feeding off each other for inspiration, I think, provides the chemistry.
Adam: Aside from blood relatives, it`s the longest relationship I`ve had in my life. There`s a very strong, unspoken comfort and confidence level I have working with JD and Kelly. It`s tough to describe, and something I don`t take for granted.
Lotus_Style: That longtime bond really comes through on the new album. Things swing a bit more, groove a little more. There’s some really inspiring jamming going on, as well as more dynamics, yet everything’s as tight as ever.
Kelly: Thanks, man. Yes, with this album in particular I feel Internal Void really gelled, especially with Ronnie behind the kit. I think we were feeling a lot more comfortable as far as playing as “one unit,” and that enabled each of us to improv but retain the song structure.
Adam: First, thank you very much! This band has always been about capturing the “feeling.” When we`re writing, if something doesn`t feel right, we keep working until we find what works. Sometimes it`s effortless, other times it can hurt your brain.
Lotus_Style: One of the most powerful songs on Unearthed was “With Apache Blood,” which dealt with mistreatment of Native Americans. “Matricide,” the title track, addresses environmental abuse. It seems safe to say the band doesn’t shy away when it comes to weightier themes. Is that important to the I.V.?
JD: Sometimes our songs do deal with serious issues. There are a lot of things in both history and modern times that we all need to be aware of. If a certain message in a song makes someone think, maybe change something for the better even in small way, that’s great. We also enjoy celebrating life in our songs.
Kelly: It is safe to say that, but we certainly don`t want to preach. If we feel strongly about something, it`s gonna come out in a song. JD writes 90% of the lyrics in the band, I`ve always felt he’s a huge writing talent. Whatever truly moves us as individuals – that’s what’s gonna go down on paper.
Adam: While I thoroughly enjoy music about cars, girls, drinkin` and smokin`, etc., it`s always been the more meaningful songs and artists that have really had an impact on me. And I think JD’s also a master storyteller.
Lotus_Style: “What The King Bought,” the eight minute closing track, is another similar epic feeling piece. But it fades out with the jam going full-bore. Damn, I thought it could have gone on at least two more minutes. So the question is, do you have a longer mix and how can I get a copy, hehe?
Kelly: I wish it had gone on longer too. I guess if we were working with Pro Tools, technically we could have extended it, but no, it went to the very end. We used analog tape in the production. It brought out a wider spectrum of frequency in the final mix, which made a world of difference. The song actually had a different end to it when we played live, and that riff was cut even shorter, and the last riff seemed to take too much of a left turn at the end, so we dropped the old riff.
Lotus_Style: “Family Under” is another highlight. It’s got a bit of a different flavor than previous material.
Kelly: Certainly, it`s more of a raw bluesy attack, and with a jazz inflection, too. Blues and jazz are my foundation as a guitar player. Sometimes that is more evident. Other times, the doomier stuff might have a bit of blues/jazz tinge to it.
JD: This tune is about the bands, fans and scene of a certain style of music that we have been lucky enough to be a part of. I am not sure what it is called this month – how about just heavy!
Adam: I think that song was born out of just wanting to write a rock `n` roll song. Stripped-down, dirty, get-ya-movin` kind of groove. The ending jam took on a life of its own.
Lotus_Style: So what’s the deal DogStreet Records?
Kelly: DogStreet is solely my venture. Last year I started recording a solo CD, called Old Stock, of all acoustic and resophonic finger-style country-blues and old-time roots music, and was contemplating putting it out my self. That’s what sparked the whole idea of starting my own label. DogStreet was going to be strictly a blues-based label. But things became a little too hectic, so the solo thing got put on the back burner. By the time Pentagram and Internal Void studio sessions were winding down, I presented the rest of the band (Internal Void) with the idea of DogStreet putting out Matricide, at the same discussing with Black Widow both distribution in Europe for Matricide and DogStreet distributing Pentagram in the USA. All of the things with the labels were in place, so everyone agreed on DogStreet releasing I.V. So it was then I decided DogStreet will cater to both genres Blues/Delta/Roots and Doom/Hard Rock/Metal. Even though they’re two totally different genres, to me they are both some of the truest forms of music, they`re both "REAL." They are both very heartfelt, and come from deep within. If anyone’s into the “Delta sounds,” I have a website about my upcoming solo acoustic CD – www.KellyCarmichael.com.
Lotus_Style: You guys appeared on Black Widow’s Blue Cheer tribute CD a few years back. Is that how you first hooked up with the Italian label?
Adam: The original connection came out of the first failed attempt at the Internal Void/Paul Chain 7". The label that had tried to put it together suddenly disappeared. Through that association we were contacted by Black Widow to do not only do the Blue Cheer tribute but also the Death SS Tribute, which we contributed “Murder Angels” to.
Lotus_Style: How`d you hook up with Bobby Liebling for the new Pentagram album? And will you be touring?
Adam: I had heard that Bobby and Joe weren`t working together anymore. The idea of doing an album had been kicked around before but never got any further than that. When Kelly called me back in June `03 and told me he had been talking with Bobby and that Mike was already on board, well, it wasn`t a tough decision to make.
Kelly: We’re currently setting up some local shows, and will be doing some North East regional gigs too. We would love to be able to tour overseas, but only if the right offer comes to the table. A new album is already being discussed as well.
Lotus_Style: What was recording Show ‘Em How like? Was the process much different than with I.V.?
Adam: The whole process was different from anything I.V. have done in the past. The three of us (Kelly, drummer Mike Smail and myself) worked on the music until we thought we had things pretty close. Bobby then joined rehearsals and we were able to sort of fine-tune the songs. In the studio, the basic tracks were laid down without any scratch vocal track at all. That was something new to me, but since we had been rehearsing that way, it felt comfortable.
Kelly: This being the first Pentagram record that I`ve been on, it was necessary to adopt the traditional sound of Pentagram. There`s obviously a huge difference between Vincent McAllister’s sound and Victor Griffin`s, both of whom I have always been a huge fan of. But they do have similarities, as with that looming "Droned Woof" rhythm. So the whole idea was to kind of bridge the two guitar sounds together while at the same putting my own stamp on it. Thank God Chris Kozlowski was involved in the process. And working along with Bobby L., he’s an extremely gifted musician.
Lotus_Style: It’s yet another triumph for the Maryland-DC scene. Any thoughts as to why that area has produced so much influential stuff?
JD: It’s a top-secret government project involving the water that went horribly wrong. I’m sure all local musicians have a file somewhere.
Lotus_Style: Upcoming plans for Internal Void? Touring?
Kelly: We ‘re currently looking into a European tour in spring of 2005, and are going to set up something for the U.S. as well. As for recording, next year we plan to do a new full length in hopes of releasing it Fall/Winter 2005.
Lotus_Style: OK, I have to ask this question because I’ve been wondering for years - Did each I.V. member ever adopt one of the Middle Ages characters on the Unearthed cover as their own, a la the symbols on Led Zeppelin IV?
Kelly: Very funny you asked this. There were no plans for us ‘”adopting” the characters as our own, but while I was drawing it, each one of us did start come through, and has a resemblance to each us. Kinda freaky. So by the end of it, I found myself saying, “JD needs a little shading here, and Adam and Ronnie could use more color there, and what the hell, I think I`ll give myself a halo!” So for record, it wasn`t planned at all - But from left to right it’s Kelly, Adam, JD, Ronnie.
Adam: Hilarious! I bet we spent a whole practice laughing our asses off about who was who. We really got into why each one of us matched the character. It was one of those times you wish you had recorded the conversation.
