America has seen a startling trend since the birth of the video-game age. Young adults are finding strength in the cold comfort in electronics. Where else can the otherwise unpopular find the weight of the free-universe resting solely on the dexterity of their trigger fingers. While the Lenore Syndrome borrow much of their sociological subject matter from a technology-driven culture, they're not content to let the machines drive or derive their musical mayhem.

Using technology against itself, the music of Lenore Syndrome is a cold and calculated killing machine programmed with enough unrelenting aural blood-thirst to move the sci-fi enamored soul stop and really think about the world around him. But there are other elements at work here. Between dissonant guitars, backside busting bass, razors-edge keying, and a maelstrom of unconventional beats, we hear the nervous vocal freakouts of The Lenore Syndrome's human pilots. The distance between technology and humanity has never been so dangerously close, yet nakedly divergent within one calculated composition as on The Lenore Syndrome's debut E.P., Your Lips Taste Like Microchips.

When The Lenore Syndrome drops their Gravity-records inspired funk on your nervous system, your i-Mac won't stop the infection. Abandon hope that there's anything your next-generation gaming system can do to save you, and start firing those synapses to your booty. The healing starts on the dance floor!

Interview conducted via e-mail by Tim Anderl. Photos by Lisa Thompson.

Name: Patrick Bowman (guitar)
Band: Lenore Syndrome

Bettawreckonize: Who is the Lenore Syndrome and what instruments do you play?

Patrick: Patrick Bowman, guitar / sing; Emily Balmer synthesizer / sing; Brent Gubatan bass / synthesizer / sing; and David Becker drums.

BW: Is the Lenore Syndrome an actual condition? Do any of the members of the band have a syndrome, phobia or condition?

P: Lenore Syndrome is not an actual condition, it's just a made up name. Umm, I think we are all a little weird in our own ways, but the only person I can really answer for is myself. I "suffer" from chronic anxiety and ADD, but it's not really a big deal. Actually, you know I think everybody is scared to death of clowns.

BW: How would you describe the music you are playing? What factors have influenced the way that you play your guitar and sing?

P:That's a tough one.…I guess we play a sort of mix of new wave, no wave, hardcore and post punk. I feel weird for using a bunch of labels, but oh well. I have been in to Gravity Records type bands, older stuff like bands on the Factory label, and some of the D.C. bands. I would say all of those things have influenced me.

BW: Does your location in Columbus, Indiana work for or against you? Do you have to travel to find people who connect with what you are doing or are the kids in Indiana receptive to you?

P: Actually three out of the four of us live in Bloomington now. Kids in Columbus never really got it. Bloomington is great though everybody seems into it.

BW: Your music isn't really formulaic, but mixes styles like funk and screamo pretty smoothly. How hard is it to do that and not sound contrived?

P: You know I haven't really ever thought about it. We have always just written songs and if we thought they sounded right, we keep them.

BW: Who recorded the Your Lips Taste Like Microchips CDEP? Was it easy working with him?
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P: Dale Miners recorded it in Chicago. He was great. Very helpful.

BW: How did you choose Dale? How long did the recording process take?

P: The guys from Haymarket Riot hooked us up with Dale. Recording took about four full days. We were actually doing vocals at like three in the morning. We got very
little sleep.

BW: Was this The Lenore Syndrome's first time in the studio?

P: No. We recorded with Chris Common in Dayton for the What Else? sampler.

BW: How cohesive is the flow between songs on the E.P.? Are these songs that you've been playing for a long time? How do they compliment each other?

P: The songs on the E.P. are the five of our seven songs. We have been playing the songs on the E.P. for a while now. I think they all the songs have thier own sound, but have a sense of continuity that helps pull the E.P. together.

BW: What are you going to do with the other two songs?

P: We have decided to cut one of the songs from our set, and we want to record the other song sometime soon.

BW: Did you sign to What Else? before or after the E.P. was recorded? What has your relationship with them been like?

P: We "signed" to What Else? A couple of months before we recorded the E.P. I have known Steve for a while now. He is a super awesome guy.

BW: It sounds like you don't have the typical band/label relationship. How did you meet Steve and how did it come about that he'd put out the record?

P: I met him along time ago at a show in Columbus, we started talking a lot and hanging out after that. Then I started doing mail order for him. He heard the band and liked it and decided that he wanted to put out the record.

BW: Do you plan to stay with What Else? for future efforts?

P: We would like to work with him again.

BW: Does the fact that What Else? has such a diverse roster (without another band that really sounds like you) work for or against the kind of distribution it gets and the audience the record is reaching?

P: I'm not really sure. I don't think it really affects it that much to tell you the truth.

BW: Are there other bands on What Else? that you are a fan of?

P: Steve is going to be putting a record out by another Bloomington band called Turn Pale. They are super good. I also like the Stitches and the Measles.

BW: Who is the principal lyricist for The Lenore Syndrome? Where do the lyrics come from?

P: Brent and I write most of them, but Emily writes some also. We have always written lyrics that
seemed appropriate with the music.

BW: Biology, technology and the human condition seem to be themes that run through the record? Are these catalysts separate entities or are they inextricably linked? Does technology and mortality scare you?

P: I would definitely say that they are linked. I mean when you really think about it technology has a major affect on life. Medicine that makes us live longer, other advances through technology. Communication has been drastically effected by technology. The internet for instance. But no, technology and mortality do not scare me.

BW: How have the records that you, as a band, grew up with influenced your sound? What bands continue to inspire or raise the bar for you?

P: I would say a lot of the D.C. and Gravity bands have definitely influenced our sound. I think bands like the Blood Brothers and the Rapture definitely raise the bar.

BW: Wasn't the artwork for the E.P. done by one of the dudes from Le Shok? How did that happen?

P: Yeah, Andrew from Le Shok did the artwork. Steve had worked with him for the Stitches record, and he just asked him if he would do it for ours.

BW: How do you feel that the artwork in the album conveys the themes of the record?

P: The artwork sort of works as a visual for the song "your lips taste like microchips." The artwork
actually came from that song.

BW: Have you toured to support Your Lips Taste Like Microchips?

P: We have played several weekend shows through out the East Coast and the Midwest.

BW: What bands have you played with that you really enjoy?

P: I have really enjoyed Turn Pale, Audion, Denovo, The Bangs, Haymarket Riot, and Hitch.

BW: This summer when we went to see you with The Minus Tide and Denovo in Columbus you had to cancel because of an accident in Cleveland. What happened and was everyone O.K.? Is this the most disastrous thing that has happened on the road?

P: Basically what happened was this woman fell asleep driving in the north bound lane and swerved in front of us in south bound lane. We hit the back of her car. It smashed up the front of our van pretty bad. Everyone had a few minor scrapes and bruises, but came out O.K. This was by far the most disastrous thing that has happened on the road.

BW: Do you plan to do a more lengthy tour in the future? If you were to choose one "dream" tour, who else would be on it?

P: This spring we hope to go out for an extended period of time. If Ian Curtis were still alive I would say Joy Division.

BW: What is the one thing that makes live performance worth it for you?

P: Just playing in front of people that are in to what we are doing. It is better than any drug.

BW: The statement about playing being better than any drug is interesting since a lot of the contemporary new-/no-wave and post-punk bands and their "scenes" seem more involved with drugs, drug culture, and and junk-rock fashion (heroin sheik) than they have in the past. In fact, didn't Camera Obscura and The Locust sell compact mirror at their merch. tables? Does you pay attention to or does the Lenore Syndrome identify with this phenomenon on any level? Why or why not?

P: I have played shows drunk before and everyone else has also, but we don't really identify with the drug/drug culture thing. Although junk rock fashion is a different story. The majority of the band weighs under 125 pounds.

BW: What can we expect from the Lenore Syndrome in the immediate future? What are your current goals?

P: We are currently writing new songs. We hope to release a seven inch and then a full length some time in the near future.

BW: In what ways can we expect your sound to change or stay the same?

P: I think the music will still have the same edge to it. We might try to experiment with drum machines and samples. I am really not sure though.

BW: Do you have a wish list for who will record/master the 7" or full-length?

P: Actually to tell you the truth I would like to record with Dale again.

BW: If The Lenore Syndrome was forced by some evil villain (like Clear Channel Entertainment) to be in a steel cage death match with any other band, who do you think you could beat? Who would work you over?

P: Who could we beat? Umm, any Polyvinyl band, bad pop punk bands. There are a lot of people who could work us over. It could be anyone from Bob Dylan To Swedish black metal bands like Demu Morguir.