(Benjamin Nosferatu and Michael Vida)

Turn Off, Tune In, Drop Out (NME Article)

Rock bands are, by their very nature, heavily influenced by mind-altering substances. Within the world of music, hedonistic attitudes towards life have become the accepted norm. Still, there will always be a few groups that take this subculture of music to the absolute extreme, and the Celestial Avians can proudly consider themselves among their ranks.

There’s flamboyance to them, a larger-than-life attitude. They seem less like musicians, and more like shamans. Their two-bedroom apartment, where this interview takes place, reinforces this feeling; Indian sitar music is heard in the background, with various paint splotches on the walls, making up a quirky and oddly beautiful mixture of color. Benjamin Nosferatu (yes, I’m aware that his name is fake) and Michael Vida are unlike any musicians I’ve interviewed in the past; they have arrogant attitudes and massive egos, but there is a worldly wisdom to the duo.

Their music, as one would expect, is very trippy and experimental. Benjamin’s voice, although quite easy on the ears, isn’t the primary focal point of the songs. Instead, it’s used as more of an instrument, carrying the groove instead of leading it. The lyrics are a cryptic mess, but in all honesty, they aren’t meant to be important. It’s more of a feeling, a translation of a mood, than an expression of ideas. There is nothing flashy in their music, no guitar solos or catchy hooks, as each instrument is merely meant to complement each other in perfect synchronization. It is truly remarkable for a band with no official single/album releases to have such a developed sound.

What do you have to say for those who call your extravagant lifestyle a gimmick?

Benjamin; “Naw, mate, it’s nothing of the sort. It’s who we are, y’know? Music is supposed to be a very pure and honest expression of emotion, so it just sort of makes sense for our personalities to bleed through. And, to anybody who just says, ‘oh, still doesn’t excuse you for making an ass out of yourself even while not playing music’; fuck you, it’s fun."

How would you describe your roles within the band?

Michael; “Well, I’m the one with the focus. Michael’s a bit of a scatterbrain in that it’s difficult for him to just do one thing. He’s always jugging around a bunch of songs, which means he never really gets anything done. So, I have to be the one who forces him to get the stuff done. Not the most glamorous job, but it’s a living.”

Benjamin; “And I’m the genius who writes songs and shit. The end.”

You only have two members in the band, which must make things difficult when playing live. How do you make up for the lack of other people to play instruments when on stage?

Benjamin; “We sort of just play drum loops and whatnot in the background, while Ben and I focus on guitar and bass. It’s kind of cheating, since we aren’t really playing some instruments, but who gives a fuck? It’s not like people are coming to concerts, stroking their chins, and making sure each noise is being played by those on stage. No, they’re there to rock out.”

Michael; “There’s a musical chemistry between Benjamin and I, a perfect symmetry. Any other backup musicians onstage would just throw the whole thing off-scale. It’s good, too; not many bands that consist of two people are willing to go onstage without support. It’s the uncharted zone between being a solo artist, and being in a band. The two of us just have to go up there, and exude the confidence of a four-piece band.”

What bands or artists have influenced you?

Benjamin; “It’s more or less the movements that have influenced us, not the dancers. If that makes sense at all. Like, for example, the recent focus on indie bands. Or the Summer of Love. That, particularly, has been an influence on us; writing music about shagging, and then living out the lyrical themes of your music. All you need is love, baby.”

Michael; “It’d be so easy to say someone like U2, or the Rolling Stones, but you can’t. The nature of celebrity has gotten to the extent that it overshadows anything, or anyone, meaningful. Look at what happened to Eric Quillington, for example; he used to be a pretty strong symbol for counterculture. His music was very different and unique, and there was a very rebellious attitude about him. Now look at the fucker; he’s even got a column on some music magazine. It doesn’t make what he does any less meaningful, it just draws major attention away from his actual music. That’s the kind of thing we never want to become.”

Benjamin; “So, basically, negative things influence us; we don’t want to end up like that dick from Infinite, we don’t want to become irrelevant through commercial overexposure, and we don’t want to sell-out. What we DO want is to become the best fuckin’ band on the planet.”

Are there any immediate plans for record releases?

Benjamin; “First off, we’d need a fuckin’ record contract. There’s a rumor going around that underground artists don’t really care about getting signed, and are happy to just make the music. Well, that’s bullshit. Being outside of the system is fine and dandy, but it doesn’t exactly pay the bills at the end of the day. The moment we’re on a label, we’ll just start pouring out music. Michael and I already have a huge backlog of songs, so it’s very possible that there will be quite a few singles released within the very first months we’re signed.”

Michael; “I think what Monk on Fire Music has done is fantastic. They’ve taken a lot of really brilliant artists that don’t exactly conform to typical music standards, like Gears of Bremen, and given them mainstream exposure without risk of compromising artistic merit. And THAT is what I want in a record label. Someone to just go, ‘yeah, fuck it, you’re brilliant; we won’t bother you with self-promotion, just leave that shit up to us’. More on topic, though; yeah, man, we definitely have a couple ideas floating around for a debut single. Xenomorphic Melody is probably the biggest contender for that honor. Not because it’s got any potential, but just because it sounds pretty fucking radical. That’s all you need in a single, when you think about it; just a really catchy name.”