Of Dark Pirouettes And Death Disco

Music is an intrinsic part of most of our lives; voices and sounds become a fundamental part of our nature even as early as when we’re in the womb. Look no further than the aisles of your local grocery store and you may glimpse a toddler or early elementary schooler making pirouettes while singing a happy, albeit nonsensical song of her own making. Though she probably isn’t likely to put her feelings into clear and concise language, her movements and vocal quality tell a compelling story.

Bloomington, Indiana’s Turn Pale are old enough to start to come to terms with the chaotic and frustrating forces that are at work in the world. And they’ve chosen to pirouette their reactionary, dark art right onto the dance floor too. Hearing the band for the first time it was clear to me that this was a band rife with complexity and fierce with passion. After repeated listens, Anderson’s lyrics and vocal delivery propel the band even deeper and darker into the true nature of the human psyche. His ability to go from ominous to explosive and from tense to absolutely emotive in the span of a single song aren’t just the hallmarks of good art, music or performance; they’re the hallmarks of a unique connectivity between humans that communicates at our basest, most honest levels.

Don’t even get me started on the band’s live performance, which I found just as uniquely perplexing. From a cover of smoke, Michael Anderson emerges as a vocal contortionist, willing to bring their art to the edge of the stage (or the rafters above your table, or bar stool next to you as he deems necessary). Absolutely instrumental at rounding out this hypnotic and puzzling aural vehicle, bassist Chris Lombardi, drummer Martin Sprowles and guitarist Nick Quagliari conjure jarring rhythms and piercing aural collages that take on a voice of their own.

Naturally, I was anxious and curious to catch up with this foursome. Though the results of this “virtual” meeting was brief, I’m hoping that the results are compelling enough to bring a few BW readers to the blustery, dank heart of the Turn Pale storm.

Interview conducted via e-mail by Tim Anderl. Pictures provided by Turn Pale

Names: Michael Anderson (vocals); Chris Lombardi (bass); Nick Quagliara (guitar); and Martin Sprowles (drums).
Band: Turn Pale

BW: Turn Pale formed in 2000, right? Under what circumstance did you guys start playing together? What changes have there been in your line-up since then?

NQ: TP started as a side project that Marty, Pete (our former bass
player)and myself started while the singer for our other band was gone. Originally it formed as a spin-off of a band called Sway-Kiss that Pete and I were part of. We had asked Marty to play drums for a Sway-Kiss reunion show and that in turn led to the idea of getting the band back together as a side project when the opportunity arose. We were originally going to just change the name slightly and write all new material. I'm a little foggy on
the details, but I know that Marty had suggested that we have this guy he knew named Michael sing for us. We were all receptive and so began Turn Pale. The musical style was nothing like Sway Kiss and the band really had a different dynamic so it deserved its own name.

MS: We formed while another band Pete, Nick and I were in was on hiatus. I sort of knew Michael (who had recently moved to Bloomington), and knew he was into a lot of the same music I liked, and I asked him if he wanted to sing for us. Pete left the group to pursue other musical projects during the Spring of 2003. On a whim I called up Chris Lombardi whom I barely knew and asked if he'd like to join, and he said, "Actually, I would."

MA: Turn Pale is the exact band I've been looking for since I was 17.

BW: I've heard your Kill The Lights record described as both post punk and goth. Do you feel like the record fits into either of these categories?

MS: We're beyond the post-punk era (roughly '80-'82) so we can't
technically be post-punk, and though there are dark elements in our music I don't think a lot of self-described "goths" of today are into music as organic as ours. Categories are always flawed, and no self-respecting band embraces the categories they are placed in.

NQ: We are goth if you believe that Bauhaus, Joy Division, the Fall, the Birthday Party, the Swans, Gang of Four etc. are goth bands. We are post-punk if you believe they are post-punk bands. I would hope that goth kids can get it and hipsters can get it b/c we love all the kids.

MA: Turn Pale is probably most influenced by the post-punk era, and I know most of us have large far reaching backgrounds in the goth scene or whatever. I prefer the term 'death disco', after the PiL single, but only because it sounds sexy.

CTL: I am by far the most removed from either of those terms. I don't disavow them, I just don't think the LARGE majority of the music I listened to prior to joining would have fit in either of those categories. If such titles help people to our music; the downside is if those same titles turn people off without ever hearing it.

BW: For as frustrated and dark as parts of Kill The Lights sounds, there is a message of "hope" lurking in more than one of the disc's tracks? Do people often mistake Turn Pale for an evil or dark band, even though the lyrics paint a somewhat different picture?

MS: I think the music does have a dark atmosphere about it. We can all feel run-down, and hopeless and despairing at times, and it's a good source of musical inspiration, and playing music is a good means of dealing with those feelings. I'm not sure if I believe in the concept of evil, and I certainly don't know of anyone perceiving us as evil.

NQ: I think people's first reaction is that the music, imagery, and lyrics are dark. I can agree with this. I don't think we want to represent ourselves as evil. I think the message of hope is paramount. Without that message our music could be extremely depressing and I don't want it to come across as so.

MA: Darkness is not synonymous with evil. Hope rises strongest from duress. My lyrics try to seek hope and love from frustration and miscommunication.

BW: Is the balance between dark imagery (like in your t-shirt where the angel is wringing blood from her hair) and messages of hope one that Turn Pale plays with? If so, what part of that dichotomy appeals to you?

MS: Darkness and hope go together like coffee and cream.

MA: Everything that is beautiful today will pass and fade, but it's
important to enjoy it while it's here, and to remember it when it's gone. The t-shirt is meant to be more of a joke. It's to look like an Italian horror movie poster or something.

NQ: I can't sit here and say that every cloud has its silver lining but at the same time not all the clouds are grey. It's important to recognize that somethings in this life are inherently depressing but at the same time there are many other things that people should enjoy about their lives. No one should live their life in a bubble.

CTL: One way to look at the angel image is despairingly, but perhaps another way is to consider that that fluid (blood) runs in all of us, binding us together, making us seem not totally alien from each other. It's definitely a matter of perception.

BW: During your 2003 winter tour you played a show in Duluth between sets by a jam/bluegrass band and said that it came off "famously." Can you tell us a little bit about that show and what the crowd's reaction was like? You also met Sonic Youth during that tour, right? What was that experience like?

MA: I met Sonic Youth by accident while asking for directions in
Easthampton, MA. It was very funny and exciting... for me. We almost could have seen them play in a really small DIY space, but we had a show in Brooklyn to get to, last minute, so we just hauled to get to the show on time.

CTL: I think the "famously" came from my journal. I was really amazed, throughout the tour, by the bands we would find ourselves lumped with onstage. By far TBT was the strangest pairing. If we are ever able to" convert" anyone who sees us live, I would have to say it is by their appreciation of our energy and our dynamic onstage. And we likewise appreciate their enthusiasm.

MS: The crowd was for the most part very open minded, and out to enjoy themselves. We certainly enjoyed ourselves that night.

NQ: I think at first it was like wa? and then huh? and maybe a little hell yeah? and perhaps by the end an alright?

MA: Really the problem wasn't their crowd disliking us as much as our fans being open to them. This band, Trampled By Turtles, were really quite good. They played Nick Cave covers and Tom Waits covers... they were very intelligent and really fun to play with.

BW: How supportive is the Bloomington, Indiana "scene" of what Turn Pale is doing? What cities have been most receptive to what you guys are doing?

NQ: I think Bloomington has been suppportive. It took a while for people to get past the fact that they saw us as a "goth" band and that maybe it wasn't hip to allow yourself to enjoy us. Now we are just part of the scene and I think people know that if they come to one of our shows they'll probably have a good time or feel some emotion. We've done well on the east coast but then again most of our shows have been out that way. Really it just takes one person who really enjoys your band and wants others to know for you to have a good show.

MA: If the crowd is participating, then it's going to be a great show. If they sit there, then I have to go to them... which is also fun, but can get messy.

MS: Bloomington can be fickle. Each band seems to enjoy their stint as flavor of the week. For the most part though Bloomington is supportive of it's local scene, and it's a great place to play music.

CTL: Bloomington is, to me, one of the most extraordinarily diverse towns for music, especially at present. The list is absolutely enormous. Right now is one of the best times to play music in Bloomington, and I think we recognize that and try to respect our contribution to that environment.

BW: Turn Pale's stage presence is perhaps the aspect of the band that resonated most strongly with me? Are there catalysts (musical or other) that have shaped the band's onstage demeanor?

MA: I hope that we offer the crowd alternatives. They can either sit back and enjoy us as entertainers performing for them, or they can come up front and become part of it. Both are fine, and the most important thing is they have a good time and maybe pick up on the positive aspects of the event.

MS: I think a band should be entertainment first and foremost. It's a delicate balance between the music and the presentation. I hope Turn Pale has a memorable stage presence or else we've failed as entertainers.

NQ: I think that the essence of this band is the live performance. I was once called by someone "the understated hero". I feel like my reserved demeanor somehow accentuates that of Michael and Chris. I think a lot of the frustration that most people feel after living in close quarters on tour can add extra fuel as well. It's a constructive way to deal with it.

CTL: When I started going to shows as an observer I was struck with the immediacy of the event. I had been to larger concerts before becoming a part of the independent scene, and while I enjoyed them, something about the disconnect between performer and audience was disappointing to me. That all changed after seeing small bands in small venues. That 50 people could be in a small club and be totally enthralled by four or five individuals
onstage was such a shock to me. I knew if I was ever in their position I would return the favor. I consider my onstage demeanor to be a gigantic" thank-you" to those bands and the scene that enlightened me.

Turn Pale are on tour all spring with Radio Berlin. The tour dates are posted on their website, along with mp3s. They have a new 7" out soon on Ruffian Records, out of DC, and will record a new 12" EP called Hung Jury/Mock Trial this summer.