The Icarus Line - Oxford, UK, Spring 2002
By: Toby L
There comes a time in every experienced gig-goer's hectic and taxing schedule when they witness acts live that are really just of their own kind, producing music sonically brave, and simply different to everything else going on. One act you may care to include in this category of particularly rare song-writing would be The Icarus Line, for, tonight, their sold-out and completely packed-to-the-rafters performance in Oxford's Zodiac is a revelation. They kick and scream like a new-born, and run up and down the stage like a small child that's just been deprived of its candy-allocation for a week, all whilst producing a noise of so much passion and so many ideas that it becomes quite overwhelming. Still, despite such kiddie comparisons, let's make one thing perfectly straight: The Icarus Line are not a bunch of whining underachievers.
Where this LA-based band hit the right note - both literally and metaphorically - is via their grand, unrivalled vision of what their sound should form. Luckily, their coalition of ideas, uncompromising energy and raucous though entirely controlled live-act help to make a music that's too cutting and heavy to be 'prog', yet too innovative to be dubbed as mere 'rock'. To say they're ahead of their contemporaries would be a contradiction in itself - with a force as powerful and impacting as this one, there are no other bands quite in their league to serve as 'contemporaries'.
So, who are the men behind this unique enterprise? The frontman is one Joe Cardamone who, as with most of the other members, is a long-haired and intense individual, yet with an underlying belly of humour which needs to be tapped into. Backing him up, though all on an equal footing, are Aaron North and Alvin DeGuzman on guitars, and Lance Arnao and Jeff Watson on bass and drums, altogether forming a band-unit more rowdy than a bus transporting drunken UK football-supporters over into a European destination.
When we arrive to conduct the interview, horror strikes, like that moment of terror all writers/interviewers encounter as they learn the news: there is a waiting-period until the chat can commence. The reason? Actually, it's because they are going through a backlog of other conversations for press-publications, with journo's swanning in and out of their dressing-room area to work through such meetings. When it comes to us finally meeting the guys, they are resting in a comfortable, though lethargic slouch on a couch.
Present for the chat are Joe, Alvin and other members of the group, who randomly arrive and share comments. To break the ice for the opening, it's asked about how 2002 is progressing for them, especially considering their troubled past of general f**k-ups (for a fuller idea of such nightmares, ask them about a certain rental-van incident that occurred in the States in recent times, for instance).
'There have definitely been the good times compared to the bad times so far,' Joe answers, apparently relieved it isn't the other way around. 'I think nothing major has happened.'
'Yeah,' nods Alvin, 'I just see it as the pay-off for that stuff that happened in the past; that was then and I'm grateful we're doing much better now...'
All of a sudden, Joe sits up and looks towards the ceiling, gazing in thought. 'They're definitely always an adventure, though.'
Alvin agrees again. 'Yeah, there's always that sense of just racking it up to experience, or building up the character or what have you...'
Have the turbulent experiences ever been enough to possibly end the band?
'It has for some of us,' dramatises Joe. 'Not all of us, but some of us!'
Seemingly, from this evening's performance, it's a blessing that their troubles haven't been enough to finish them off. The hundreds in attendance pogo and mosh ecstatically to what the band has to offer, whilst the group themselves indulge in smacking their instruments against the walls of the venue, jumping off PA-stacks, and basically throwing themselves into the audience at various unplanned intervals. It's as exhilarating to watch as it must be to participate.
'I guess there's advantages and disadvantages to both of those,' utters Alvin, on the matter of what's the best way to hear the band for the first time - live, or on record. 'We've been playing the same songs that are on our album ('Mono') for a while now, so there's lots of changes that have been made to the songs, and just things to generally keep our interest up; like changing set-lists and stuff: we do that to keep our interests up.'
Although it strikes us slightly odd that the group should have to make such an effort to maintain their lust for what they do, especially when their display of showmanship is as manic and essential as described, what must be infuriating for the guys are some of their reviews...
'Certainly, we don't agree to comparisons of us to any other bands around at the moment, just because we think we're doing something else,' expands Cardamone. 'At The Drive-In is one that keeps coming up... It doesn't really bother us, but I don't think it's very accurate.'
What about the alleged resurgence of Emo in rock - what's it like being tagged to that scene?
'I don't get offended by it,' states Alvin. 'I know it's a functioning thing for people who don't know anything about our band, who obviously need some kind of reference-point, and if it's going to be, 'Here's a band - and here's another band,' then so be it. We've got guitars, amps and drums... I suppose you could say that we're like At The Drive-In or The Hives in that sense!'
Would they say there is more sincerity in their music than other acts around therefore?
'Well, yes, maybe, but this band's only been around for three years really,' Alvin elaborates diplomatically. 'Prior to that, we all played in the same band together. It's probably become sincere from us just playing together for such a long time, and all those mishappenings on all the tours back then make you a stronger person.'
Certainly making you a stronger person is the recovery following some kind of sickness - which is precisely what the debut LP, 'Mono', is all about. But why such a theme?
'It's not that we're attracted to sickness - it's just kind of attracted to us,' laughs Joe. 'The album deals with physical and mental illnesses so we can all identify with it, I guess.'
So does the new material continue in this vein?
'It'll change and just evolve naturally from that... The two new songs we are playing are longer than anything we've ever done before, but I think it's purely coincidental; their textures seem to be a little more layered... But you'll see - you'll see what happens.'
What should people expect from your music if they haven't heard you before?
Alvin raises a grin. 'An average punk rock band...'
Joe sees what his bandmate is getting at and smirks, joining in the quote. '... From Los Angeles! That's what 'NME' said in a review of our single from last week.'
Are you not happy about that, then?
Joe sarcastically responds, 'Oh yeah! I'm totally psyched by that!'
Ill-informed writings on the agenda, what is the biggest misconception the band find is made on themselves?
Aaron suddenly arrives into the room, just in time to hear the question, and perches next to Joe on the settee. The singer smiles cheekily, for some reason, and then makes an announcement for the response.
'It would have to be that Aaron's a straight guy.'
Aaron turns to his friend with a look of bewilderment, but plays along with the concept.
'He hates it when everyone says he's just a big man and all the girls like him - he likes dudes! And wants to talk to dudes!'
Err, right... So, Aaron, do you have any preference of 'dudes'?
He pauses for a second to contemplate. 'Soft dudes... Shaved, soft dudes.'
Joe replies in affirmation, 'Yeah - he's the giver too.'
As eyes wander over to Aaron to see if this is correct, he admits it. 'Yeah, it's true - I like to penetrate.'
Clearly, there are just too many details being unveiled all at once, so a further question in the name of media and the band was needed.
You're perceived as a very 'cool' band by critics...
Joe stares unsurprised. 'We are cool. We're some of the coolest people out there right now... It means you'll probably never sell any records! And you'll remain anonymous for the rest of your musical career... That's cool with me! Nah, we're only going to take over the world if it happens by itself.'
'Alvin wants to do a tour of the Philippines, though; we all want to get everybody back to their native land and do some shows there.'
A wandering Lance shares a contribution, 'I want to play South America with Slayer!'
Joe lets out a light laugh and then explains, 'Yeah, we're going to take him back to Ecuador, and do a full tour of South America. Probably.'
Are there any common aspects of playing shows you notice when you arrive in different locations?
Aaron immediately picks up on one. 'They play The Strokes, The Hives, and At The Drive-In before all of our shows!'
'If we were DJ-ing,' cuts in Joe, 'It wouldn't be any of that. We'd play System of a Down or Marilyn Manson...'
The irony progresses with Aaron's additions to the track-listing. 'Yeah, and things like Slipknot, Mudvayne, Fear Factory: they're all my favourite bands.'
'And Puddle of Mudd, or Silverchair,' adds a helpful Alvin.
Joe laughs to himself again. 'And Lost Prophets - Aaron thinks the guys in that group are hot!'
Lance cackles loudly to himself. 'He especially likes the guy with dreadlocks!'
Hmm... Ignoring fellow band-fancying, what are the most exciting things about being in a rock 'n' roll band?
'Well, like, last night,' livens up Joe falsely, 'We stayed at the travel-lodge and they had run out of family-rooms, so me and Aaron had to share one bed!'
Oh no - did Aaron get up to any, ahem, naughty tricks?
Joe muses on the prospect for a second or two. 'Well, all I know is that my shirt was stuck to my back all day!'
Aaron grimaces proudly.
'We just like playing, really,' Joe replies, answering properly. 'We're not really in the industry like most other bands... We're not on a major-label, we're touring in a van, we play in clubs, pay for our own gear; we're not, like, funded. People don't need to know it when hearing the music, but if they're aware of it, then it might make it more special to them... I think people in the UK are a bit confused over our reference-points; just because we're in something like 'Kerrang' (popular UK rock-magazine), they may think we're just like a lot of the other f**king cheesy things out there.'
'Yeah,' emphasises Aaron, 'We've been touring over and over, too, and got used to playing to no-one before, and that's what we always kind of expected! We've definitely worked hard, but it doesn't mean we deserve it (success) any more than other people. We do tour almost all of the time; we rarely have a personal-life, but that's the trade-off for doing what we're doing.'
What are the other 'trade-offs' too, though - there must be other crap duties to fulfill?
'It's having to deal with the 'industry' sort of matters,' rattles off Joe, unenthusiastically. 'Even the smallest things can get to you eventually.'
'It only gets worse the higher up you get,' helps out Aaron. 'If you're on a major label, it becomes tough. A lot of our peers that are in bands and are on major-labels usually get all the, 'You need to tour more,' and, 'You need to tour with this band, we think you should have their kind of audience'. Luckily, in our position, we don't really fall into any of those pitfalls.'
'On an independent level, although we get more control, there are still things we have to do which we don't want to so much,' expresses Cardamone fairly. 'Which is good we're not on a major-label because, otherwise, we'd probably get the f**k out of it!'
Good for us that they haven't got out of it. Their past may have been riddled with many struggles, but these have indirectly made them closer to each other as people, as well as more relevant as a band. From the facts learnt today, however, it's pretty obvious that their future will be one of significance and steady progression. And no act deserves it more.
Artists in this article: The Icarus Line