Hello False Figure and thank you for the interview!
Let´s start from beginning what inspired you to form the band?
I wanted to start writing more emotional music and explore writing something a bit more melodic within the world of punk. I was inspired by a small resurgence of dark punk and deathrock that was happening in the US punk world at the time.
Describe your music to someone who haven´t heard of it yet (shame on you go listen to them now!)
False Figure has evolved a lot but I think one of the themes that still drive the band is this very serious intensity that speaks to your melancholy and feels almost blissful to let it out.
What music did you listen to when growing up?
All kinds, in junior high I got put on to punk, like starter pack stuff for that era, dead kennedys, rancid, then as I got into high school I started getting deeper into discharge and uk82 as well as exploring 80’s US hardcore, I lived in a town with a college radio station so as I got a little older I made friends with people that were really into more niche genres for our age, lot of soul, classic hip hop, first-wave ska, reggae and dub. I still went to shows and was really into the SF Bay area’s hardcore scene of the 90s, all the fastcore and hardcore that Slapaham records and prank was putting out like Spazz, Plutocracy, Talk is Poison, Look Back and Laugh. The 90s/00s punk felt so alive and exciting still. I had internet access in my middle teen years and the era of sharing music was at it’s peak. I had a lot of access to rare out of print punk records from all over the world because someone would upload it to their blog. Before spotify and digital distributors when music was truly free
My parents were always listening to punk/post punk so I got a lot of influence from them. I mostly grew up on punk and metal, it wasn't until I was a teen that my tastes really expanded.
Where do you get inspiration for songs?
Kind of everywhere, just living. Lived experiences.
How is the post-punk/goth scene in US?
It’s okay, some stuff I like, some stuff I don’t. It doesn’t feel very original at the moment. I feel like in the early 10s the indie rock bubble popped and those people discovered if they just changed the rhythm to a four-on-the-floor they could “reinvent” darkwave. So here we are. There’s a lot of money in it so it’s become kind of saturated with this business minded aspect to it. The punk part of post-punk is dead and gone.
I think the US has a really great scene for that style of music. Maybe I can only really speak for the west coast, but every major city from LA to Seattle has a pretty active scene with a lot of history.
How much has it changed since you started in 2016?
In 2016 we were in the midst of a little resurgence of goth and deathrock in the punk scene, with many punks starting new bands sounding like classic deathrock bands of the 80s. False Figure was part of that wave with an emphasis on very haunting, noisy guitars behind a wall of reverb and heavy tom work on drums. Very tribal but with a lot of melody.
If we go back to beginning was it how easy to break into scene?
I mean we had a scene, Oakland and the bay area had a lot more punk going on, There were a lot of diy spaces where we could throw shows and people were invested in their scene. The Ghost Ship tragedy changed the landscape here and all across the US for DIY spaces. We started playing clubs and bars more and then the pandemic hit and really scraped the rest of our generation away to other cities. Arts and culture can’t really exist under the US’s rampant capitalism. There’s some new stuff going on, but it’s not punk or transgressive, apathetic sure.
What are biggest challenges for an artist these days?
Time and money. And burnout. And schedules.
I think the main challenge for an artist these days is the economy. Being a musician is expensive and no one really makes money doing it anymore. I dream about the days back in the 70s and 80s where you'd quit your job to start a band. It can be hard to find the time and energy to be creative when you're scraping by, but on the flip side it usually means if you're still doing it then you've got dedication.
Let´s think of digital vs physical for a bit. As an artist, which one you prefer and why? Is physical media still important for artists?
I think physical media is always going to be more important than digital. Having a band’s physical record, experiencing and appreciating the art on the jacket, the insert, all the details that were chosen before you even begin listening to the record brings so much more to the experience. When you play a record you are physically playing the media through vibrations and a microphone. There’s nothing else like that. I appreciate how digital media can make things so available and I want our music to be heard by everyone but if you truly resonate with an album, buy the record and play it.
Physical always. I believe digital music is an abomination. It's a bit of a Pandora's box because now that streaming is so available and convenient, there's no way the general public will go back to physical. To me there's no competing with the ritual sensory experience of holding a record, seeing the art on the sleeve, and actively listening to an album.
And now that we have Bandcamp, Spotify etc it is easy to release music as an independent artist. But on the other hand, the flood of music is incredible and it's hard to find good music. Is this a good or bad thing from your viewpoint?
It should be a more independent playing field but the reality is that capital still rules the music industry. Payola is more alive than ever before and the DIY promise of these platforms is merely an aesthetic, the truth is they want you to pay them, or worse yet, digital playlist curators with AI generated images will ask you for money to be featured in their playlist to boost your streaming numbers with bot listeners. I don’t really believe there’s any organic band that has gotten big on their own, money dictates success. We’re falling into a monoculture where people only go see bigger acts at Livenation, AEG, Goldenvoice promoted events, the same vultures that make playing music more expensive than ever, and the worst part is ALL of these bands sound the same. The modern post-punk/darkwave world is imploding on itself simulacra ad nauseam where we’ve strayed so far from its origin in the punk world that the regurgitated idea of what goth and darkwave is now is a bastardization of its true purpose and meaning. So no, I don’t love music streaming platforms, some are worse than others but none are good.
I'm always for lowering the bar of entry when it comes to art, but on the flip side I believe it's cheapened the quality of available music. The flood of new music has made it really hard to get noticed by a label and to get support releasing albums. Its like its really easy to just get music online but way harder to get something to really stick out.
And continuing on that path, let's talk bit of social media. That is coming more and more important tool. It feels like it is not about music anymore, but who has most followers. And getting visibility once again is tricky.
Yeah people pay for followers, it’s yet another metric that people think get them gigs or representation or sell tickets. It’s your resume, and people bend over backwards to produce “short form content” to please the algorithms. It’s not fun. We don’t really do more than we have to and it
shows. I don’t mind not being well-regarded by instagram, who cares.
I think we all hate social media. I wish it was never invented. I believe it is possibly the most evil creation of our lifetime.
What I like about the scene is people are polite and bands communicate with fans and that makes it feel special.
At the end of the day we’re all people, our fans are fellow musicians and we get to have cool conversations about music, or sometimes someone new comes up and tells me a story about how a song we played made them feel. The age of deifying or mystifying musicians will hopefully come to an end, we all want to be happy and safe and get along. We just want to play music and if you’re into it then we have a great dynamic already.
Also one interesting thing is there are not one hit wonders in the scene and fans are loyal. And bands make long careers.
What advice would you give to people who want to start making music?
Just do it, pick a few bands you like and let them influence you. You won’t ever make a carbon copy of a band if you have varied influences. Just keep doing it, keep discovering more music, time and experience yields results.
Just practice your instrument, have fun, express yourself.
Things are finally getting back to normal. During pandemic streaming gigs emerged also virtual band meetings. Do you think those are here to stay?
I never really watched any streaming gigs, it’s not the same. I don’t think they’ll be around much longer, if they haven't disappeared already. But who knows, maybe as production quality increases it will be cooler to experience. I like watching old music videos from studio gigs in the 70s and 80s even if they're not playing live.
I think streaming gigs can be cool, like for people who are disabled and maybe can't leave the house. Like everything digital I think it has ups and downs. I think being able to meet virtually as a band is pretty cool, it's made it easier to make music with people who live too far away to meet up.
What would be your biggest dream as artist?
Free studio space and time to play music
My biggest dream as an artist is to make music that is a true genuine reflection of my self as a musician, that hopefully speaks to people and gives them some joy and hope in a world that seems to get darker each day.
What would be your future plans?
We’d love to keep playing these songs out and record another record. We’re in a good writing place right now, coming up with interesting sounds. Hopefully the world is receptive.
Legend:
Andres Ruiz
Kie
