Local Band Spotlight: Video Duct
California by-way-of Missouri band Video Duct keeps a low profile. In March 2015 they released their ‘Anti-Human Hate’ cassette and just a little over a year later, another is about to be released. KCSB’s Spencer vH spoke to the band.
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KCSB: When exactly was Video Duct formed? Have you maintained a regular slate of people performing in the band or have things changed around?
Video Duct: The idea for Video Duct was materialized by pure accident. I was 15 and just moved from Missouri to Camarillo and knew no one who wanted to play music beyond mall-friendly punk cheese, which is the most rotten out of the bunch. My friend Shannon and my dad both pitched on four-track while I was visiting Missouri for the winter and when I returned to California I began to record every little stupid thing I felt was appropriate. For awhile, I would record these really shitty one-off projects and label them as actual bands with completely different members, trying to conceal my insecurities. However, living in an apartment meant no drums or any loud stuff (which also includes vocals) so every other weekend my mom and I would drive up to her boyfriends in Goleta who had a kit. This became a problem though because I would only have a limited window to record and make sure the tracks didn’t come out too noticeably bad (which was the case for most of the early recordings I made). On a very cross-faded and scooized March night in 2014, my brother had left the apartment to pursue on a beer run. In the course of his absence I recorded more than 12 songs in 18 minutes, all of which were heavily riffed based and gave me the freedom of slacking off when drums and vocals came around, making the music process extremely lazy. And that’s how the idiot bastard infant subsequently known as Video Duct was born. Well for awhile the project was only me and existed solely in recordings, but once Anti-Human Belt Buckle came out, my friends in Missouri who played in this band called Pregnancy Test (rip) suggested that Video Duct play their first show in this church outside of Chicago during a brief mini-tour with Animal Teeth (rip) back in June of 2015, with Pregnancy Test being the backing band. And after that there were many attempts to play again while I was visiting Missouri for the summer but every chance fell through and once I got back to California no one seemed interested. I kinda went on hiatus from it for awhile for that reason and also to focus on the Avocado Commissioners (rip). However, after the Commissioners broke-up I decided to give it a second attempt and the first line-up was Zack on drums and me on guitar and vocals, which proved to be both terrible and amazing. And between then and now the line-up has changed tremendously, initially having Nick on guitar, Shayan on noises, Anna on bass and Zack on drums. Zack quit to focus on long-grain experimental farming techniques but dicks around at practice and some shows which left Nick to play drums, Shayan to play guitar and noises (something this boy’s gotta calling for tell ya wha’t!), Anna on bass and synthesizer, and anyone else who wants to play. They’re all expendable though so if you wanna clean my porta-potty or mash some pickled bulbs please call me asap so I can spread my wings and free myself from these knuckleheads! [number redacted]
KCSB: The first tape, ‘Anti-Human Hate’, was released via High Fashion Industries in Chicago, How did that connection come about?
Video Duct: I released the first Video Duct thing on Bandcamp kinda as joke to my town, hoping that anyone who came across it were immediately offended that it wasn’t Rise Against. But the joke backfired when Eric from High Fashion Industries ordered a tape (mind you, the first person outside of my circle of two friends to own such a dog turd, no joke). We corresponded for some months, talking about United Mutations and other 80’s hardcore bands and eventually he wanted more of that dog turd joke tape for his distro. Comes the end of summer 2014 and I’m finishing up Anti-Human Station Wagon, due to be released on Pink Polo Records (my really stupid cassette label handjob at the time/rip) when suddenly he asks me if I wanna do tape for his label. I responded, “Yeah, you better make me lots of money or else I’m leaving hardcore, dude”. Eric reassured me however.
KCSB: Video Duct seems committed to releasing material on tape. What do you like about the medium?
Video Duct: Current punk I feel is recorded with the utmost crystal-clear fidelity then dropped down to cassette, hopefully to follow in the footsteps of a niche crowd, and this really burns my tip. I haven’t had luck recording digitally and I don’t prefer the sound of digital so I stay away from it entirely to focus on cassette-based recording and mixing, because I really do believe cassettes give off a particular curvature that is unique. Also, thrift shop tapes are ridiculously cheap compared to vinyl or even CDr’s for that matter, so it’s half a business venture contributing to the Video Duct college fund.
KCSB: What’s next for the band? Is there a planned release date for your unreleased tape? Any future shows?
Video Duct: I looked deep into this barrel of ash-soaked lemon water and the future events sparks no visions so unfortunately I cannot comment on that at this time. We recently had this show down in Ventura last Friday at the library and that was suppose to be the tape release show but I didn’t make it known so no one was aware. They deserved it though, if those Ventura peeps discard Twinkies like pieces of trash then they don’t deserve to handle Expensive Japanese imports ltd. We’re playin’ this day fest at the library in Ventura again curated by Promblems, one of my more favorite local acts {kiss kiss Lawrence ;)} on the 21st on May, ‘nother Funzone show on the 26th and the Midwestern Video Duct Supergroup Burnt Biscuit Lovers Ball on the 30th of July at Acid Kat Fest in St. Louis. I’m just wishin’ my lil Hot Ham can at least make it to one of these shows. If you believe in her and believe that a world should disestablish these illegitimate forces of oppression, then please send your encouragement to have my lil Hot Hams free from these chains to the KCSB Community Radio Station™.
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Video Duct’s 2015 tape ‘Anti-Human Hate’ can be found at this link (click!). Their next show in town is on Thursday, May 26th at FUNZONE with Phoenix, AZ’s Amadoo’s Crew and local band Comedown. More info about that show can be found at SBDIY.org
Photos by Lawrence Moody