Lemuria, from Buffalo NY, have become
one of the most talked-about bands of 2008
with the release of Get Better, a very early
contender for my favorite album of the year.
While the trio earns praise for top-notch
songwriting, literate and perceptive lyrics,
and propulsively catchy melodies, the real
strength of the group comes from drummer Alex
Kerns and guitarist Sheena Ozzella's shared
lead vocals. With bassist Jason Draper, the
band has earned comparisons to everything
from Jawbreaker to the Pixies. Although Get
Better is the group's first full-length release
(and first for Asian Man,) Lemuria is hardly
a stranger to the punk scene, having released
a string of 7 inches and compilation tracks
which have earned them critical kudos and
a faithful following in the pop/punk underground.
We chatted with the band via email to catch
up on their history and get an idea of where
they might be going from here.
Q: Can you give me the 5-minute history
of the band: When and how did you all meet
and decide to start a band together? What
bands were you in before Lemuria? What was
your first official release?
Alex: I met Sheena my senior
year of high school about 7 years ago because
we both commuted from smaller towns to a little
city called Olean in western New York to go
to shows. We dated for a few years and moved
to Buffalo together, I had a couple bands
going at the time, the main one being The
Young Ones which I played guitar and vocals
in, and that was the band I had put my first
official release out with, it was a 7”
EP on Punks Before Profits. At that point
in my life I didn’t even know how to
hold a pair of drum sticks the right way.
Sheena and my relationship developed into
just being good friends and we ended up starting
Lemuria together in the fall of 2004. Jason
and I were in a hardcore band together at
the time where I was just a vocalist; it was
called Still X Ill, named after the Smiths
song. I really don’t know how I first
met Jason, I think that we were acquaintances
for a very long time, and then I joined Still
X Ill with him through other mutual friends.
Sheena: There you have it.
Except Jason wasn’t originally playing
bass in the band. We had someone else playing
bass before he joined about 6 months after
we had started.
Jason: Adam Vernick was
the original bass player. He was also played
guitar in Still X Ill with Alex and I. Adam
plays on the Lemuria demo, but he left the
band while the first EP was being written,
so I play on the rest of the recordings. I
became friends with Alex and Sheena through
mutual friends and going to the same shows.
We became better friends when Alex opened
up the record store Hey Dude, and he and Sheena
worked there. I also play bass in The Failures'
Union.
Q: In terms of touring, recording,
releasing 7 inches, etc., you guys seem very
committed to the “Do It Yourself”
ethic of underground punk. But your music
– especially on the new record –
seems far more influenced by what people would
think of as “indie rock.” Do you
see any kind of dichotomy between what you
sound like, and the way the band works (for
instance, the bands you tour and play shows
with, the fans you appeal to, etc.)?
Alex: I’ve heard people
mention before that we don’t sound like
a DIY band at all, because our recordings
don’t sound DIY, our artwork doesn’t
look DIY, etc. etc. DIY is about taking things
into your own hands and creating your own
industry, and attempting to create something
that is just as good, if not better. DIY culture
shouldn’t be specific to any genre;
it should be an alternative for all genres.
I released all of our releases previous to
the full length on Asian Man, along with a
bunch of the releases being co-released with
other labels. This album on Asian Man is the
first release I have been on that I didn’t
release myself. I don’t have any specific
reason for that, but until recently, it was
always easier that way. As long as we always
have complete control of our music, we’ll
be a happy band. As for touring, we usually
end up touring with bands that we’ve
played with before and have become friends
with. Our fan base is pretty eclectic, which
is very exciting for us, because it means
that touring doesn’t get too monotonous.
We are constantly playing with different styles
of bands every night. All three of us listen
to a wide range of music. We all have large
album collections consisting of DIY underground
artists, and major label bands new and old.
So that may help us to not be pigeon-holed
into one genre and thrown into the vague cast
of “indie rock”.
Sheena: I’ve always
thought of "DIY" as more than a
specific style of music, but always related
it to being punk, and listening to punk music.
I think we have always been able to fit into
a bunch of different music genres, mostly
being punk and indie-rock. We have always
played punk shows, and always will, even if
we are an indie-rock band. We tour like 'punk
bands' do and we listen to punk bands. All
of this is what makes up DIY.
Jason: As Alex said, DIY
doesn’t have to be punk specific.
Sheena - Photo by Marc Gaertner
Q: I find it fascinating that most
of your songs involve vocals that bounce back
and forth between Alex and Sheena, almost
like a conversation; yet there’s only
one song on the record that the two of you
actually co-wrote. What’s it like writing
for two voices? Do you consciously plan out
which lyric is for which singer as you’re
writing songs, or does that develop as the
band works out the arrangement?
Alex: Every song we write
comes out a little different. Sometimes the
lyrics were written before the music, other
times the music came first and we attach the
appropriate lyrics later. We usually make
a practice tape of the songs, and then Sheena
and I sit down and come up with the melodies
to the recorded demos.
Sheena: Alex and I are a
weird match (in a good way...) for song writing,
just because of how close we are (and have
been for the last 7 years). I could always
sing his lyrics with confidence, and understanding,
and I think that he could sing what I write,
and feel the same way. The lyrics and vocal
melodies are the most challenging part of
song writing for us. We usually have the music
written before we write lyrics. Then we take
them, and write the vocal melodies, and decide
who is going to write lyrics for that song.
We are really honest with each other, so if
there is any word, or any note that we hit,
that one of us doesn’t like, we take
it and change it so that we all like it. There
are a lot of fights in the lyric and melody
process, but it always works out in the end
with something that we are all proud of.
Jason: I’m not involved
in a lot of the early lyric/melody writing
process. In fact a lot of the time I don’t
even hear the lyrics until we are in the studio
recording. The two of them will each record
their parts and then we’ll go through
and listen to it, and change the parts that
we don’t like, or think that could be
a little better. I had never gone about lyrics
in the manner before this band, but it works
really well for us. We always work best under
pressure.
Q: “Get Better” has some
really beautiful songs but many of them are
quite melancholy and full of regret. Listening
to the lyrics, they really sound like they’re
coming from a couple that’s been through
a devastating breakup. Without getting too
nosey about the interpersonal dynamics of
the band, how much of this is simply “songwriting”
and how much is based on personal experience?
Alex: All of the lyrics
to our music are non-fiction. Most of the
songs I wrote for this album aren’t
about a romantic relationship, but they’re
about my relationship with my father who recently
passed away. So you are correct about the
lyrics being about two people with a devastating
break-up, but it was familial.
Sheena: Alex wrote most
of the lyrics for the new record, but for
the songs that I wrote lyrics to, they are
guiltily about the same thing, and same person.
It’s really hard for me to write positive
lyrics, because I always write them when I’m
sad, or angry. I think most people write the
most when they are those two things. With
Alex's songs, as well, the new records lyrics
are the last 2 years of both of our lives.
Jason: The song that I wrote
on the album is directed to my mom. It’s
a thank you/apology for her supporting me
even though my life isn’t what she hoped
it would turn out to be. I’ve always
loved how Sheena’s three songs on the
album are like three different views of the
same relationship.
Alex - Photo by Marc Gaertner
Q: “Get Better” is a
pun, of course, suggesting that the band is
improving and this album is better than your
earlier releases (which almost everyone I’ve
heard from thinks is true.) I’ve got
two questions: First, do you think of this
CD as a major step forward in terms of the
evolution of the band? In terms of time and
studio facilities, how much difference was
there between making this record and recording
your 7 inch and compilation tracks? Secondly,
I’m just wondering, based on the lyrics,
if you also had in mind the idea that the
phrase “getting better” represents
healing; as in, getting over a heartbreak
and moving on.
Alex: I write “Get
Better” on a lot of things. I write
it on my drum heads and my drum sticks. It’s
a reminder to always look forward and to try
harder, and to try to do what you’re
doing better than how you did it yesterday.
Naming our first album “Get Better”
has a similar purpose. Although, we did understand
naming the album “Get Better”
would lead to people thinking that it means
we think we got better, or that it was supposed
to be a “get well” card.
Sheena: The name of the
record is meant for motivation. We thought
people would take the title literally, but
for us it means much more than the literal
meaning. We went through a funk on a tour
we did with The Ergs! last year, and one night
Alex wrote “GET BET TER” on each
of his drum heads, and it for some reason
made us get our shit into shape. It’s
sort of silly, but it was a really motivating
thing for us.
Jason: The
title was never ego driven. It’s actually
the exact opposite. During the point of The
Ergs! tour that Sheena talked about I was
unsure if we were still going to be a band
when we got back to Buffalo. We worked everything
out though, and things are better than they
have ever been with us. “Get Better”
is now just a reminder that we’re going
to have our slumps and we just have to keep
pushing and that things will start looking
up again. As for the album itself, we didn’t
go out to make anything different than our
past records. These songs are just what naturally
came out when we were writing it. It wasn’t
really until we were recording it, and I listened
to some of our older stuff that I realized
that the feel of the songs had shifted from
what we were doing in the past. We recorded
the album in pretty much the same fashion
as we have everything else. We recorded at
Watchmen Studios in Lockport, NY (we’ve
recorded everything we’ve ever done
there, except for the Frame split). The only
thing that was different is that instead of
doing 4 songs in two days, we did 14 in twelve
days spread out over last summer. It was nice
having time off between sessions, because
we were able to take home and digest what
we had done and see where we wanted to change
some things.
Jason - Photo by Marc Gaertner
Q: I’ve been told (by the Ergs)
that you guys are about as “punk rock”
as they come. Joe Erg described a typical
tour day as you guys getting up at dawn, dumpster
diving for breakfast, and then going downtown
to beat up Nazi’s before anyone else
even got out of bed. So on a scale of 1 to
10 (1 being Aaron Cometbus, 10 being Elton
John), how “punk” are you guys?
Alex: Our music attracts
a lot of Nazi’s, so we make it a point
to always show up to venues early to fight
them off. With that being said, I’d
say we’re a 1.
Jason: I think that all
has gotten exaggerated a lot. We had an altercation
once with some suburb kids posing as Nazi’s,
but there was no physical violence just a
lot of yelling.
Q: Alex, besides the band, you run
Art of the Underground Records. I miss the
podcasts you used to do. Could you talk about
your current relationship and involvement
with the label and what we can expect from
AOTU in the future? As Lemuria continues to
grow and get busier, do you find you have
less time to be involved with AOTU?
Alex: The podcasts were
set up by my friend Derek Neuland, and he
was the main host, and I just sat in on a
few episodes. The AOTU podcast was put on
the back burner now that Derek is a full time
student again. We’ll definitely find
time to host more episodes, just not as frequently.
AOTU has a bunch of new releases coming out
including Malcolm Bauld, Robert Blake, Unwelcome
Guests, and of course a 7” from a different
band every month on the Art of the Underground
Single Series. The single series keeps me
pretty occupied. I’m also working at
a record store in Buffalo called Sit and Spin
where I keep all my distro stock, including
thousands of records from other labels. I’ll
always try to keep up with AOTU, even if I
get overloaded with other events in my life.
Q: What’s Buffalo like in terms
of a “scene” – local places
to play, other bands in the area, local radio,
zines, and so on?
Alex: Buffalo is my favorite
city in the US, that’s why I’m
living here. And also because the cost of
living is so low, which allows us to be able
to tour and leave work often. Buffalo is known
for its hardcore scene. It’s a dark
city, and most art that the city produces
is pretty angry. There are a couple great
basements to play, along with my favorite
bar Mohawk Place. Some of my favorite local
bands include The Exit Strategy, The Old Sweethearts,
and Everything Falls Apart.
Sheena: Buffalo is great.
Being trapped in the house for at least 4
months out of the year because of snow isn’t
the greatest, but other places have it worse.
We have two amazing houses that do shows,
on the same street!, and a bunch of really
great bands and people who do a lot for our
punk scene. We have a really nice record store
called Sit and Spin, and a restaurant called
Amy’s Place, that has really cheap (99
cent) breakfast. The most wonderful thing
about Buffalo is it’s cheap as hell!
When bands come through and find out how much
we pay in rent, at least for a second, they
consider moving here. We could never tour
as much as we do if we lived anywhere else.
We wouldn’t be able to afford it.
Jason: Buffalo is incredible.
I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
Even though all people really focus on are
Buffalo winters, it’s great to live
in a city that actually has four seasons.
The summers here are incredible. As the other
two have noted, Buffalo was recently ranked
#1 for the lowest cost of living in any city
in the United States. Due to this Buffalo
is a very arts centered city. We have one
of the biggest art galleries in the country,
and an amazing music scene. We’re a
big enough city so that there can be various
functioning sub genres of music, but we’re
not so big that people become faceless. I’m
actually in the process of teaming up with
Headless Actor Records to release a comp of
all Buffalo bands to help spread the word
about the great things coming out of this
city.
Q: Can you remember when you decided
you wanted to be in a band and tour and make
records? What was the first band that really
inspired you to think, “I want to do
THAT.”
Alex: I think Screeching
Weasel was the first band that really inspired
me. BoogadaBoogadaBoogada ruled my
life, and had me searching out other artists
that were similar. At the time I picked up
the album I was just learning how to play
guitar and I learned how to play most of the
songs on the album. They inspired me to become
a guitarist in bands. I’m the drummer/vocalist
in Lemuria, and it’s tough to pin-point
what inspired me to start drumming and singing.
When I was playing guitar in bands, I would
always sneak over and start playing the drums
with the drummer had to take a piss. Eventually,
I put together a mutt of a drum kit and started
really focusing on what drummers were doing
in the bands that I loved. One of my favorite
contemporary drummers is that Sebastian dude
from Trans Am.
Sheena: Touring is a way
to get out of the place you live, and take
a break. When Lemuria started, I would have
never imagined us touring as much as we do,
but after our first tour, it became an addiction
for all of us I think. Like I said before,
we live in an insanely cheap city, so we can
leave when we want to. I don’t know
what really made me want to tour the first
time we did, but now, I can’t imagine
not touring. I can’t imagine being in
a band, and never leaving the place you play
all the time for a while. Also, now that we
have toured a bunch, we have friends all over
the states, and to see them at least once
a year, or so, is amazing. I think my mental
sanity depends on touring and getting that
break from normal life.
Jason: The bands that first
made me want to play music were probably The
Clash and Nirvana. At that time I never thought
I’d actually do anything other than
play with my friends in my mom’s basement.
It’s been a little over 15 years since
I played my first show at a dance my high
school hosted. I thought that day was going
to be the highlight of my life. Then I started
going to a lot of smaller punk shows. I became
friends with a lot of kids in other bands
who would tour. I realized that if these people
could go out and play music in random cities
for a month at a time then I could to. I owe
a lot to those old Buffalo bands. They made
me get off my ass and start booking tours.
At this point in my life the concept of not
being on the road for a good portion of the
year seems to foreign to me.
Q: Let people know how to reach
you and your merch, and feel free to throw
in anything I didn’t ask.
You can reach us by email here: lemuriapop@hotmail.com
or send our myspace page is pretty updated
with tour dates, etc: www.myspace.com/lemuria
Thanks Jim!
