Interview with Cody (Vocalist)

Pitfire:
First off please tell us a bit about your band, who is in it, since when have you been playing, where are you from?

Cody:
We are STZ, five guys from north of San Francisco, California. Me (Cody), Jay, my brother Blaine, Eric, and Jason. We started playing music as STZ in 2004 or 2005, I think. We've been the same five guys for about two years.

Are you guys a full time band or do you still have to endure day jobs? What do you do when you‘re not making music? 

We all work full time at harmless jobs. Some of us work and go to school. Some of us have no future.

I‘ve seen you guys play in Germany a couple of months back when you were touring Europe with Ceremony. How did the tour go and what are your impressions of Europe?

The Europe tour was a great success for everyone involved. No bad luck, no cancelled shows, no one got hurt. We all were taken aback by the kindness of a beautiful continent.



Your current project is a 4 EP cycle called Human Performance. What is the idea or concept behind these EP‘s? Why is it called Human Performance?

There will be four seven inches, all titled Human Performance. We liked the accessibility of the seven inch format, and the spontaneity of recording every few months; we also wanted a complete package, like an album. You just get to collect the EP's. The title reminds us that as "humans" we have certain traits that are exclusive to our species, what we do in these "performances" is what makes us different from each other, not survival, not instinct. Instinct and survival are what unites us.
Think past race, think passed gender and you'll judge your fellow man (or woman) based on what they've done and especially what they've done in times of war, in charity, in flashes of art, in joyous blasts of song. The credit for these things is sped pretty even amongst all of us, and always highlighted by history.

One thing that immediately turned me on to your band were the lyrics. Your lyrics seem very cryptic at times and leave space for interpretation. Is this a conscious artistic decision? How important are lyrics for STZ?

I struggle to get lyrics together for a recording, sometimes they are cryptic because that's the way I'm thinking that day, or week. I got to take anything I can get out of my little, broken brain just to fill time. I'm just a vessel. I have no filter, just a straight pipe, from inspiration to harsh screams: Luckily, the world we live in is pretty inspirational. When juice runs out we're all fucked. 

The title of your last album „Do you think that your fathers are watching? That they weigh you in their ledgerbook? There is no book and your fathers are dead in the ground.“ stems from a Cormac McCarthy novel. Why did you use this quote?

It seems I read that book while searching for a title for a new record we were working on. I just liked that it was obvious plagiarism from a "post apocalypse" novel (you know, the future) used to describe an an album written entirely about the modern world.
I just wanted to make the point that hell was already here, well, the hell described in those sentences in The Road.



You guys play a wide range of musical styles, everything from punk to metal, folk to doom is in your repertoire. Do you feel at home in the hardcore scene or do you sometimes find it limiting?

There is so much music that I feel like you could just sit and listen non-stop forever. Our approach to writing music (I think) is similar to my lyric-writing approach: we just get it out. Every-fucking-thing goes in and out, in and out ,in and out.

You have a considerable output of music (2 Albums and something like 9 EP‘s) Is there any plan to rerelease some of the older material that is out of print?

We just think the new stuff is better, worth publishing. All the old stuff is on the internet, and who doesn't have the internet?

Listening to your music one could get the impression that you like to enjoy „heightened states of consciousness“. Are drugs an important part of your music, an inspiration? 

Yea Drugs are important. Both culturally, and independently. The sooner we stop the drug war in America, the sooner Utopia will be obtainable.



Some of your records and shirts have these cool drawings as artwork that evoke sort of a „Keith Haring on acid“. Who draws these and what's the idea behind them?

I do 90% of all the art for STZ. If they look a certain way (bad, for example) it's because they are limited to my ability as an artist. Some of the more impressive artwork has been done by professionals.

I‘ve seen you wearing a „The rainforest is endangered“ shirt on stage. Is ecology an important issue to you? Do you hug trees?

I got that shirt at the Salvation Army.

I‘ll now ask the standard interview question: What are your five favourite records (and please leave a short comment as to why for each one)?

Not in any order (and as of today):

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
(This album is perfect. Some bands have talent and they fuck it up by sucking.)

The Clash - London Calling
(Since junior high I've listened to this record everyday.)

Misfits - Static Age
(I hated the Misfits in Highschool, I went from never listening to them to (one day) loving the shit out of them.) 

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey's Dead
(Loud and ugly wins most of the time, Loud and pretty wins here.)

Poison Idea - Pick Your King(s Of Punk)

(kind of a pretentious list)

Anything else you would like to add or tell your listeners in Switzerland? Promotion, shoutouts?

Thanks for reading.



STZ Myspace
STZ LastFM
Twelve Gauge Records

By Luk

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