Choke Boy Interview
Sometimes when we flip through endless bins of records, a record will just jump out at us. We don’t even know who the band is; we’ve never seen this record before. It is the record cover that just tells us this is a band we’d like. That’s what happened when I saw the cover of the Choke Boy one-sided 12″ EP, Chalk.
The EP cover reminded me of Mission of Burma’s Signals, Calls and Marches, or Wire’s 154, definitely a similar cover like The Soft Moon’s self-titled debut album. Chalk, with its two intermingled triangles, askew font, and silk-screened feel, drew me right in.
Better still, when I heard Icepick, the first single and fourth track on Chalk, I was sold. The song remined me of Hüsker Dü or other melodic punk / post-punk. The EP is killer from start to finish.
Alright, enough from me, let’s talk to Choke Boy…
Who is Choke Boy, please give your name and respective instrument?
Choke Boy is Markus on bass, Tim on drums and Jöran on guitar and vocals
How did you all meet and when did the band start?
Tim and me (Jöran) started as a two piece in summer 2020. Markus joined the end of that year. We all know each other for some time and already played together in several bands before we gathered as Choke Boy in this line up.
Where did the name Choke Boy come from?
We juggled different names and Choke Boy turned out to be the one. It just sounded right. There is no profound or funny story behind it. I always felt the names of my bands a bit heavy going after some time. I’m excited how long it will take this time, haha. Until now I’m still good with it.
Since being a band, what is your favorite band story or experience?
If you start a band in the midst of a pandemic situation you’ve got not much to draw from haha. We are definitely thankful for the effort and work of the guys at Raccoone Records to this point. It’s really risky and kind of a brave statement to release a record of a brand new band while covid. It was really cool to ship the record to the US, to Japan and some other countries right after release day. So it seems like the internet serves its purpose and the networking within the worldwide diy scene still works, which is quite important in times like these when individual isolation and dividing lines between hearts and minds are taking their toll more than ever before.
Who are your biggest influences and who would you say that you sound like?
80ies Post punk and 90ies Indie Rock definitely left their marks on Choke Boy as well as some noise, some Dischord Records stuff and whatnot. We’re in our thirties and beyond, we play in punk/hardcore bands for like 20 years… so naturally our own musical taste diversified over the years. We just tried, guessworked and fiddled around and this is what eventually came out. Perhaps the next record will sound different, but since that’s what every band says, it will probably sound completely the same:) Apart from our musical influence we share our days with our kids and dogs, we ride our bikes and try to work as little as possible. All that leaves an impact on the music as well I think.
What does Post-Punk mean to you all and what do you think of the community in recent years?
What’s Post punk after all? Everything that didn’t sound like Black Flag anymore? There are so many different pictures of Post Punk buzzing around. To me there’ s not just that one Post Punk… what’s crucial to me is that some smart and creative people once paired the frustration and rawness of punk with melancholy, the funk and crankiness at a certain point and so reflected on life in its emotional diversity because life itself isn’t just anger and rage.
The three of us aren’t the scenester-type-of-guys. So I guess we’re not really up to speed when it comes to the latest developments in ‘the scene’ although I notice that wave, synth and post punk is still on the rise. I think these sounds are hip because depression and anxiety pervade society rather than an optimistic longing for change.
I know that sounds resignated but I also think that everything evolves. We’re all able to do our part by communicating and networking. I don’t feel the DIY community in Germany to be subdivided into darkwave, post, whatever…. It’s just punk people who try to fill in substance and content, both personally and politically. Which I welcome very much. But I think all of that just has a significant impact on something bigger when we all push our egos aside. When we’re brave enough to discuss and to carry constructive content out of the scene-bubble instead limiting ourselves to mutual self-presentation.
When you get together, how do you write your music?
We’re actually slow and lazy. We all bring in riffs and drum patterns which we’re puzzling together while rehearsing until the song feels right or until we are running out of ideas. Haha.
What about the lyrics, what do you write about?
…Prejudice and biased mindsets of the majority of people in countries of the northern hemisphere, misunderstandings… how all of our egos impede empathetic and appreciating communication… the self indulgent, ignorant people of fortress europe who are spatially isolating themselves, covering their racism by gasing bullshit about cultural identity, letting people drown, locking them up when they have made their way across the sea. People who seek shelter… Police forces who constitute themselves as the victim when their abuse of power is unveiled… It’s personal, it’s political, the lines are blurring anyway because “your emotions are nothing but politics” as once was said:) These two sides have an impact on each other both positive and negative. We are all responsible either way, we feel powerless and overtaxed but sometimes we can take action. I guess there’s a lot about self efficacy in the lyrics.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
It’s still our first year as a band so it feels like we just started. We developed a certain sense for leaving space in the newer songs I think. Our songwriting process definitely feels more varied since we’re a trio but it’s hard to measure any particular changes when you’re part of the process yourself.
What are some things that inspire you to keep playing music?
Music is the best and most direct way to frame feelings. That’s the essence of it all. You can directly relate to the complexity of our reality, shed some light on all the chaos we create, creating even more chaos while we try to untangle the knots. It’s cool to have a creative outlet as a group and to my knowledge none of us is good at writing books or painting pictures so punk is the only thing that’ s left. Haha.
How is the music scene in North Rhine-Westphalia?
We’ve got plenty of good bands like Dead Years, Gloom Sleeper, Theilen, Tulips or Lügen just to name a few. But we don’t draw country state lines that much… if you look east or north there are Cold Leather, Static Means, Idiot Siege or Postford. German wide there are zines like Underdog, Trust, Proud to be punk or Female Focus which deliver a good reading. Though there are still too few independent DIY locations, especially in the western part of the country. The cities aren’t interested in having open spaces and creative freedom as alternative culture isn’t profitable… not to speak of the rural areas with a lack of people getting involved. The remaining independent spaces are having a hard time since covid-19 and I’m scared that they won’ t make it until conditions are safe enough again to set up shows, readings or workshops.
Who are some of your favorite bands to listen to?
…Hüsker Dü, Entombed, Pavement, Gang of Four, Fugazi, Born Against, Dinosaur Jr, Samiam, Duster, Rites of Spring, Vile Creature, Rudimentary Peni, Napalm Death, Wipers, Taeko Onuki, Yuppicide, Government Issue, The Jesus and Mary Chain….
What are your plans for the future?
I would like to say: playing shows… but it’s not foreseeable when this is going to happen on a regular basis again. We hope we can play one or two outdoor shows until fall and winter. We’ll mess around with the tascam zoom microphone and a newly purchased 4-track-tape-recorder to track some ideas and demo some of the new songs. That’ s pretty much it… quite a lot for a bunch of lazy slackers….
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