Although they haven't been around for long, Oakland rockers Milk For The Angry have already established themselves as necessary and relevant contributors to the Bay Area garage rock scene. Their origin story is almost mythological (they met, by chance, in a drum store), their abilities are unquestionable (all members have been playing for years), and their music is electrifyingly exciting. We sat down with a few members of the former Deli SF's Artist of the Month to talk about their influences, their experiences recording their debut record, and their gear. And before you begin reading, make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to stream the premiere of their debut LP Make Like An Animal, which will be available everywhere tomorrow (March 23rd). - Lilly Milman
To my understanding, Milk for the Angry is a very new project. How did you guys meet?
Dana: As a band, we are brand spankin new! I think the actual term for that in the music industry is “baby band” and I think thats a pretty cool name. It's funny because we all met just by running into each other. I say it's funny because after trying the tedious route of Craigslist and Facebook to find members, it all just fell into place pretty naturally one day. We were just in the right place at the right time. There were times when finding good musicians who wanted to make garage psych rock seemed impossible, and actually, the hunt’s not even over because adding another guitar or keys/synth to this band would be really fun and appropriate. I guess we need to hang out on the street more… I met Matt Kerslake at a vintage drum shop called Drummers Tradition and after that we just ran into Cole Bailey on 4th St. in San Rafael. I had known Cole for awhile, but just didn’t realize how eye-to-eye our musical tastes were.
How did you start making music, individually and together? Were you in any bands previously?
D: I started making music when I was 16 and going to The Gilman every weekend. There were a lot of great bands around then like Sharp Knife, This is my Fist!, The Jocks, Scholastic Deth, The Lab Rats, The Nerve Agents, Before the Fall. It really felt like a strong scene and you could always count on packed shows with familiar faces. I can’t say I've found something like that in years. Being around all that got me into wanting to make music. Since then, I've played in a few bands: Last Rites (my first punk project), Sentinel Beast (the one from the 80s), Mastro Nero, Bizaar Bazaar, One of Many, and The Happys. Milk For The Angry is the exact kind of music I want to be playing and that feels really good. Also, Cole is starting to write some badass songs, so I think we have some fun times ahead of us.
Cole: I started as a wee young one by drumming on any tabletop I could get my hands on before I realized I needed to get my ass on a kit. Since then, I’ve played with bands from different genres, including a stint last year playing new wave and power pop with Matt Jaffe & the Distractions and modern neo-soul and R&B in Funkschway. But recently, I’ve grown aware of the rising Bay Area punk & psychedelic rock scene, which has really influenced who I am as a listener. Playing in Milk For The Angry has allowed me for the first time ever to really stretch my legs with singing and songwriting.
Are there any albums that you listened to that significantly influenced you?
D: Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard, Floating Coffin by Thee Oh Sees, Manipulator by Ty Segall, Ganglion Reef by Wand, and Underneath the Rainbow by Black Lips.
C: Ah, so many albums to choose from! But here’s one I’ve been sleeping on most recently: Ege Barnyasi by Can.
Where did the name Milk For The Angry come from?
D:It was just something my drunk neighbor shouted over the fence.
How has playing in Oakland influenced your music? Did you grow up here, or did you move to pursue music?
D: Going to shows and trading music with people in Oakland turned me on to a lot of music that sounded fun and rebellious in the right ways. It's kind of a nonchalant sound, where it doesn’t sound like anyone’s trying to hard. Natural, upbeat, and positive. I guess we could call this garage rock. It's an attitude as well, of not spending years on one album, but rather pushing forward to the next best song you’ve ever written and keeping the momentum going. Or at least thats what I took from it… All of us grew up in the Bay Area, but moved to Oakland to find the people who speak our language. I’d say we’ve found em.
Tell me about the recording process for your debut album. What were the high and low points?
D: We have a studio in San Rafael where we do a lot of recording and a good chunk of our new album was recorded there. It's our homebase and sanctuary and we love it there. But something had us itching to get some cooler drum sounds in a “vibey” studio, so we went up to Prairie Sun in Cotati, and that was definitely the highlight of the whole album. Once we were set up and had all the sounds dialed in, we just flew through the songs and were feeling really good about the energy we were getting with each one. It was like taking a huge musical shit and we all left buzzing. Low points happen for us if things are ever feeling like they are taking too long, like if we are just not achieving a mix that we're happy with, or having to wait on someone to finish a job. For me, working on an album can take you out of songwriting mode and into the technical side of things, and that's somewhere that I want to get out of FAST.
C: Recording at Prairie Sun was a blast. We all like to be super focused and fast-paced with recording music, but still have fun with it and keep the jokes rolling, so I remember the recording process without much crying. The huge drawback that anyone crafting an album will tell you is when it comes time to mixing. This is the part that can make people give up the project altogether. We tried mixing one song on the album ourselves, but we went bonkers trying to get everything to sound just right. Eventually, we received the help from our friend, who also plays guitar in the Oakland-based band Everyone Is Dirty, Christopher Daddio, who really got the ball rolling and made these songs come to life.
What was your most memorable live show, for reasons good or bad?
D: Probably our first show at this bar in Marin County called Peri’s. We were playing with one of our favorite local bands, Physical Suicide Deterrent System Project (PSDSP), and were so ready to get on the stage at that point. We had been practicing and writing a bunch, and just needed to get out of the studio with these songs and into the world. It was a gratifying night and we got a good reaction. There is such a thing as too much practice…
We love to talk about gear at the Deli. What are some pedals that you cannot perform without?
D: My mindset with pedals is to use the LEAST amount possible for a good live show, but I'm pretty sure I fail at this. There are some pedals that I just leave on the entire time, like a tube screamer (for a little break up and brightness), a carbon copy (for slap delay), and a phaser (just to make it move a little). The others are a fuzz pedal, wah, and dd7. They all seem pretty necessary but if it had to be just two, it would be fuzz and delay, no doubt.
Last but not least, what is your favorite thing to order at your local deli?
D: Liverwurst sandwich. Not kidding.
C: Moon cheese.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
3/23: Winters Tavern, Pacifica
3/25: Elbo Room, SF
4/2: Ivy Room, Albany
4/14: Neck of the Woods, SF
4/28: Winters Tavern, Pacifica
5/19: The Silver Orange, Sacramento
5/25: Winters Tavern, Pacifica
5/26: Rock & Rose, San Rafael
6/15: Fireside Lounge, Alameda
6/23: Peri’s, Fairfax
Subtitle (brief and awesome):
Former AOTM Milk For The Angry premiere their debut LP 'Make Like An Animal' and talk about about their influences, their experiences recording, and their gear.
Excerpt (short interesting quote from the Q&A):
"All of us grew up in the Bay Area, but moved to Oakland to find the people who speak our language. I’d say we’ve found em."
