Exclusive! Mess Folk Interview Obey Convention

The Obey Convention starts this weekend all over Halifax, and to start getting things drummed up, we have some interviews with a few of the many bands playing this year, the 4th year for the festival.

Today we present Mess Folk - nasty, harsh, emotional noise from Cape Breton, NS.



Thanks for agreeing to our interview! Introductions - who are you, and what do you do?


I am a 23 year old male, I do lots of things.... in the band Mess Folk, I "sing". I used to play everything during recordings but now I just do vocals because there are people in the band now.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard or seen your band before?


Inconsistent, deranged, lower middle class white boy blues, sociopathic, scum noise, annoying, a divine racket of the Gods, drugged out crap. etc


Are there any other bands at the Obey festival that you’re especially excited to see?

Homostupids sound pretty funny.


The name of our blog is Noisography.com. How does noise, noise music, or the concept of noise figure into your music? In a literal, or a philosophic way?


Well, I am a big fan of activities that seem almost pointless and absurd. I also have a kind of nihilistic view point towards life and ideas. I see that at the very basis of life there is something that seems to be purely chaotic and forever changing. I like to relate this idea to people with my music. I like to be free with my music and I like to encourage as much improv and shit disturbing as possible within the band. I've played shows with just sand grinders and sheetmetal before. I don't like listening to harsh noise bands but I like to hear abrasive and dissonant sounds in a structured way... a lot of old 80's hardcore sounds this way and that appeals to me. I'm listening to an old band called Tatuerade Snutkukar right now and they are very noisy and chaotic. I don't like noise cause' it's cool nowadays, it's just that I am noise personified as a human being. I'm not a loud obnxious person but inside me there is this chaotic storm at all times. I think I ate too much fast food as a child.



What’s the weirdest show you’ve ever played?

There was a show once in Sydney in 2009 where we showed up just to cause trouble... Mess Folk didn't jam at the time (we decided against jamming) so we couldn't play the songs we were planning to play (songs from the "this is mess folk" tape) I hit my head off the stage so many times I started bleeding and I threw the drum kit and mic stands at the crowd cause' I got bored. The self mutilation and completely out of tune annoying sounds made everyone very uncomfortable and we got banned from Sydney shows. I was very happy. I've never been respected or treated fairly in the local "scene" here so whenever I get the chance I cause as much trouble as I can when we play shows in Sydney.



Halifax is home to many musicians and they all tend to influence each other in different ways. What kind of scene do you come from, if any, and how has it influenced you and your music?

The scene here hasn't influenced my music at all. My music is influenced by things that are not technically "music" such as sex, drugs, violence, nature, love and hate, life experiences, laughter and whatever is happening in my life at the time.


What’s your favorite kind of show to play? Bar, House show, All ages, Festivals?

I don't really like playing shows, I like recording more. If I would have to pick though, I'd say shows where there is an emotional reaction from the crowd. I get really pissed off when people just stare at me, breathing through their mouths. I have to restrain myself from hitting people like that because I get extremely bored.

I wish my shows were like pow wows or something. That'd be the best.


Best band that (you think) no one else has heard of?

The Index. Weird lo-fi 70's prog-rock kind of band. Fucking cool stuff.


When do you think the world is going to end?

I don't know.


Anything else to add? Thanks for talking to us!

Someone give me a job, I have no money.



Mess Folk plays the Obey Convention Saturday, May 29th:

U.S. Girls (Philadelphia)
Homostupids (Cleveland)
Ultrathin (Montreal)
Mess Folk (Cape Breton)
Meat Curtains
dj please!
Khyber | 10:30-1:30am
$8 advance | $10 door