“LAOTRACINA” interview with Adam Kriney (eng. version)

20 Mag “LAOTRACINA” interview with Adam Kriney (eng. version)

The heavy psychedelic scene was born in your country, from Blue Cheer to Sleep, through Stooges, Grand Funk Railroad, but in recent years seems to have a growing following in Europe. In which side of the world you feel more “understood”?

Well we have been in Europe for 1 month now, and it feels as if people are much more interested to hear the kind of music that we do. I think that generally speaking, Americans are just stupider people and European’s have a greater sense of art and musical appreciation. So, not only are European’s more able to comprehend and be inspired by what we do but their system of cultural/artistic support enables us to get paid much more than in America as well. This might be true for genres outside of psychedelic music as well. But perhaps my perception is flawed by my living in the US. I will say that touring in the EU has been infinitely more enjoyable than ANY tour I have ever done in the US and I have been doing it for 17 years now.

And what if you would have only 3 words to describe the Differences Between U.S. and EU?

– Imagination (US has none, EU has much).
– Friendly (US is not, EU is very).
– Fat (US people are very fat, EU is not so much).

It’s the second time in Italy for you. You know our country quite well as LA OTRACINA featured for years an Italian musician, Ninni Morgia on guitars.
Which is the aspect of our culture that fascinated you most and why the line up has eventually changed?

I do not remember much about the tour we did in Italy. The band was not in such a good place then. The vibe between members was not very positive and the music was not very strong. So I want to forget those times. And I just don’t remember. Ninni was only in the band for 1 year. We wrote some cool music together, but I think we made better band mates when we were only doing improvisation in QUIVERS. I have had a lot of band members in LA OTRACINA, this is part of the story of our music.

Italy has an own “Other Scene”? Is there any Italian band or musician you appreciate most?

I like Osanna and Sensations Fix a lot. And IN ZAIRE are a great Italian band, we just toured with, they fucking rule!

In 2012, Is playing music enough for a living?

In 2012 I play music as a part of my time on this planet, as I always have. I have never earned a living with my music, as this is not a reality that I do not think i will experience in my life. Unless, maybe you saw me on the cover of all the magazines, I don’t know how it is possible to make a living as a musician, this is like a fantasy to me, unless I play some bullshit.

About you out far from the stage. What do you like to do when you are not on tour?

I like to play music, rehearse, make new bands/projects, work on music. I also like to do some artwork and similar projects. I like to cook and read about weird things. I like to see my friends and enjoy good energy and vibrations. Meditation and being silent are also fun.

At what age did you start playing? What prompted you to grab the sticks and understand you could express yourself through them?

I started to play music at 10 years old, playing clarinet in school. Then I learned all the woodwind instruments and piano a little bit. When I was 16 I started to play drums in school. Eventually I start my own bands at 17. I always wanted to play drums, I knew this. I do not know why but it seems to be working for me! But if you are asking me about “expression”, this is a different conversation. “Playing music” and “expression through music” are not necessarily related. Some people are paid money to play music they do not like, for example, so they maybe do not express anything. Some people play music they love but still they have not learned to wield the power of creating music and sound and so they still do not understand how to express emotion and energy through music. I DO know how to do this but I only think that I understand this in the past 3 or 4 years, maybe less, every year I think I know less and less. I know nothing. I want to learn more. I stay humble. But anyway, I probably played drums for 15 years before I understand what it means to be ‘expressive’.

What were the bands and artists who have most influenced you?

Early on I was influenced the early Metallica records and also the original Misfits/Samhain/Danzig catalog…but then as life goes on, many things influence me such as free-jazz and The Grateful Dead.

Do you like Robert Wyatt?

Sure. He is not a direct influence on me, but of course I know and respect his work!

The sound of your band is fluid and may seem totally free and impulsive to many listeners. Indeed there are and there must be schemes. Would you like to tell us some about LAOTRACINA composition process?

Well we have many types of compositions. Some songs are very strict with parts and some have open sections with improvisations and jams. Sometime we only play a section of song live or combine it in a medley with other parts of other songs. We like to keep it loose. This method is based on the live concerts of The Grateful Dead, they were the ones who influenced me to do this. Lately though we are trying to write simpler songs that are easy to play and then we can just change them over time or add to them or jam longer. It is always changing. We have 20 albums of music over 9 years, we have used so many types of compositional methods, we are open to many ideas, that is what makes us different I believe. I think the ultimate goal is to play a concert and nobody ever knows where an idea begins or ends, it just goes on and on, because that is what psychedelic music is, the distortion of the senses, the confusion, the swirling of ideas around.

You will be on tour with the Berliner KADAVAR, a band that has recently signed for Tee Pee Records.
Did you knew them before starting the tour? What do you think about their sound and their label?

Yes we start the tour tomorrow! We met them in Berlin two weeks ago, they are very nice gentleman. We are excited to tour eastern Europe with them! What we have listened to on youtube is very cool, I think they will be a great band to play with as we both approach hard rock/psychedelic music from different sides! We also just had a great tour with IN ZAIRE for the first month of our trip, they are also a fantastic band, and from yet another side of the psychedelic world! Teepee is a cool label, we have some friends also that work with them like Naam, Ancestors, Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound, Titan, Aqua Nebula Oscillator, etc. But anyway if the Kadavar machine is ready rock then we are ready to roll! See you soon everyone!