THE VANISHING March 2005.

Vanishing are such a kaleidoscopic band they are hard to pin down to one genre (many tried and mysteriously disappeared, it is reported). Althought they haunt the darkest side of the musciArt spectrum, this SF band, relocated in Berlin, show punk expert (sic) skills and talented irreverent class. Still Lifes Are Failing, released in Europe on Hanin Elias' FATAL rec were strangely (or was it?) stuck on BiB and OA's turntables for weeks -enthralling. We tried to understand the recipes to their black magics: we sent them an e-mail asking for their secrets..

Babes in Boyland: Where and when did you meet?
Jessie: We met in san francisco about 7 years ago..soon after we started playing music together in a noisy punk band with me on bass and brian on drums, then that led to VANISHING

Babes in Boyland: We know you played in Subtonix, how did they end up to sign at
Vidaloca Records? What are your respective backgrounds?
Jessie: Guilia from Vida Loca found out about Subtonix and wanted to put our stuff out. She is super cool and has also booked an italian tour for Vanishing last year. Subtonix also has an album out on Troubleman Unlimited records. As far as our backrounds, I grew up listening to rocksteady , 80s pop and new wave, Brian was more into hardcore and punk.


Babes in Boyland: Where did you have the idea of mixing dark electronic beats with mesmerizing brass?
Jessie: I've always wanted to make music that mixes free jazz with dance music. Recently I've started playing with other sax players and its been so cool. We've been on this tour most of the dates with Bettina Koster (Malaria!) with me and her both singing and playing sax.

Babes in Boyland: What and who does influence you as musicians or as lyricists? Your music is very gloomy and oppressive: do you consider yourselves as dark persons?
Jessie: We grew up in san francisco , home of Tuxedo Moon!!Chrome!! so I think its very natural to us to have this darker edge. But most of my lyrics at this point are about love. I'm always examining relationships between things and studying human behavior.. I like the juxtaposition between love and repulsion.


Babes in Boyland: Who does what in the band? You started with 3 members and you've lost one on the way. What happened to him? How is the band evolving without him?
Jessie: Our old keyboard player didn't want to move overseas with us, so we decided to let it be as a two piece . At the moment we have a backing track of synths and some electronic beats and sounds that we make together and then play live drums and sax over..
its definitly the most innovative and experimental we've been..mostly because we've stripped it down to what were both best at doing and left the rest out.

Babes in Boyland: Still lifes talks about glamour and beauty. What do you denounce in the mainstream clichis? Anorexia? Other things? In other words, what do you think of the glamour industry?
Jessie:It is a glass display that the public looks into look into to see an illusion of beauty.. white canaries ...everything looks the same,, very young and pure. To have this idea of beauty and perfection constanly dangling in front of the public is an easy way to keep people in line. It makes it difficult for people to come to terms with their own desires because there is the constant outer distraction and stimulation of an ideal with is virtually unobtainable to most people. I am talking about a lot more than the glamour industry. But everything that is projected by the mainstream media...it is a very thick brainwash which is hard to shake because of its subtle quality. And when you are used to absorbing this you find it normal. Personally I have been very detatched from pop culture for years so I find it really horrifying..but also very fascinating.


Babes in Boyland : What is your own definition of feminism? Do you consider yourself as a riotgrrrrrrrrrl? Where does your impulsion of getting naked on stage come from? How do people react to it?
Jessie: I have never considered myself to be a "riotgrrl" mostly because I've never been interested in being part of any group or religion, and i ve always wanted to be free to make up my ideas and agenda. I know this has been very inspiring to a lot of girls, andIi respect that, but I have no interest at this point in excluding men from what I'im doing.. I think its important to work together ..I feel like the imballance between man and women is negativly reinforced by the need to constantly catorgorize gender and sexuality...most of what I write about has to do with being a woman, and this is really the most important to me in life, to express my art and sexuality in a very feminine way.. to unleash it and to realize its potential.. sometimes my clothes fall off! or they get tangled up in the microphone cables and rip off. I like my body and I like to show off

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