By Keith Walsh Manic energy comes through in the work of noise rock duo Mr. Phylzzz. For part two of my interview with guitarist/vocalist Clinton Jacob and drummer Danny Sein, I uncover an unjustified modesty about their musical abilities, as we discuss the state of rock and roll, the importance of unintentionality, and virtues of jazz and electronic music. (Part 1 is here.)
Popular Culture Beat: Danny, who are your drum heroes?
Danny Sein: I mean there’s a ton. I mean obviously Dale is incredible, Dale Crover is incredible to us. You know when you get into the jazz fusion world, it’s a little bit too over my head. I kind of tend to cling on to drummers that I can relate a to little bit more. I really love like Mac McNeilly, the drummer from Jesus Lizard, he’s one of my favorites.
Popular Culture Beat: Okay. So there’s some interesting rhythms in Mr. Phylzzz. I can ask both of you who initiates the rhythms first, because they’re very unique. They’re complex on this album.
Danny Sein: It goes back and forth — sometimes Clinton will start with a riff and then I’ll kind of punch in from there, or sometimes there’s little things, like the roll in ‘Modern Life.’ I think we started kind of with that and the song built from there. So it kind of depends. There’s a lot of give-and-take with who sets up the rhythm.
Clinton Jacob: I think it’s a lot of back and forth and, Danny had his pieces. I had my pieces. And I mean, this in the right way, I feel like both of us — and I mean, this with respect, I feel like both of us, don’t know what we’re doing. And that’s what makes the band work because if somebody in the band had musical knowledge, they would hate it. So, that’s what I think makes the band work. Anyone with musical sense and knowledge that listens to the band is like, well, that shouldn’t — you technically can’t? But I feel like both of us kind of guessing and everything, I feel like it makes the band solid.
Popular Culture Beat: Yeah. I mean I have musical knowledge to a degree and I enjoy your music a lot. Just the spirit it captures. Somebody on Bandcamp, it was a featured quote. They said that ‘Clinton Jacob needs therapy and possibly a straitjacket. I mean, how do you feel about that?
Clinton Jacob: (Laugh) I’m in therapy now, so that makes sense. Yeah, I mean a lot of it people have like outlets. Crazy people go to the gym so they don’t kill people and stuff like that or they work out all the time or do art — and I feel like music is mine. I’m usually like a really quiet person and music is pretty much the only time where I’m like super loud and angry and I feel like I get all of it out that way. So, yeah. I mean, they’re not wrong.
Popular Culture Beat: Danny, do you ever pick up a guitar or do any keyboard work?
Danny Sein: Yeah, totally. Drums are my very first instrument that I ever touched — my cousin, showed me a beat or whatever. I didn’t really have the type of household where you could have a drum set or anything. So I actually picked up guitar and I was mainly a guitar player from the time I was 12 till about like three years ago. And I basically really started getting into drums during quarantine and so I’m actually, weirdly, primarily a guitar player.
Popular Culture Beat: Okay. So like let’s talk about rock and roll, let’s philosophize. Now that rock is kind of dead –where can we go with it? What can happen to it musically?
Clinton Jacob: I don’t know if rock and roll is dead — more like rock and roll has went back underground and I think rock and roll has always been an underground thing and I think that the more underground it is the cooler. It is because it kind of gets back into that weird space again.
Popular Culture Beat: Would you call your music underground? Even though I heard some very commercial inclinations, like your earlier song. “No Plans.” You aren’t aiming for anything commercial now. So is it underground or?
Clinton Jacob: Yeah. I mean I feel like it’s underground because I it’s never going to be — there’s pop elements and all that stuff, sure. But that’s just because I also like pop music. But I’ve come to terms, I don’t know, we’ll probably never be a commercial band, which is fine. Because it’s what I like to do and the people that liked it, liked it and I’d rather have the people who like it, love it, than people lackluster, like it, if that makes sense.
Popular Culture Beat: With Mr Phylzzz, would you ever intentionally write and record a hit single? Why or why not?
Clinton Jacob: Why not. If it happens it happens. Nothing about Phylzzz that feels intentional is actually intentional. It’s always off the cuff. I’m sure if I tried it would feel unauthentic. I think anything that’s an actual hit was never intended to be a hit. It just happened. I think for us it would most likely be a full fledged accident if it did. But I do like accidents that pay me a lot of money, so I’m hopeful!
Popular Culture Beat: You said you might do a country album. So personally, I appreciate that. Have you heard Randy Travis and stuff like that –Do you dig it?
Clinton Jacob: Yeah. Yeah. I grew up in the legit country, so yeah I do like all that stuff. Yeah — Del McCoury Band? My dad was a banjo player.
Popular Culture Beat: Was he a fast banjo picker like Steve Martin or something?
Clinton Jacob: No, he was actually a fantastic banjo player. He was really, really good. He was claw hammer. So he was fantastic. My mom also, bluegrass and gospel. So yeah, I grew up with Del McCoury band and Daniel Smith, all these old style country bands that are also kind of churchy bands. But they ripped. They were amazing players.
Popular Culture Beat: Let me ask Danny– how do you feel about the state of rock and roll and where it’s headed?
Danny Sein: Well you know, I really agree with Clinton. I don’t think any genre is dead or beat to the ground really. I guess I would say maybe jazz just because now it’s just so, like studious, you know what I mean? And it kind of, rips the spirit out of it and where it came from. But I guess I’d say, like you got bands Like Death Grips. I actually just saw Death Grips like a week ago, and I mean, technically, they’re kind of like a mix of everything, you know, they’re like hip-hop rock…Zach Hill is an extremely technical drummer. It kind of crosses all sorts of genres. Like, I think a lot of mixing is really cool. So rock isn’t dead, it can get revitalized in different ways, you know?
Popular Culture Beat: I agree, it sprouts out in strange ways. So you were kind of saying that jazz is over thought or over calculated, and I agree. Instead of just taking a microphone and capturing the performance, they have to process it all and plan it all out and that’s kind of the antithesis of what you guys do.
Danny Sein: Oh yeah, I mean we’re in I don’t consider myself even hardly a musician in a lot of ways. I definitely come, from the punk rock ethos of just ‘you don’t have to know how to play your instrument in order to make a good song.’
Popular Culture Beat: That’s what I find so inspiring — it is good for young people. They have something they want to express. They can pick up a guitar and learn a few chords.
Danny Sein: Totally, yeah.
Popular Culture Beat: Clinton, what do you think about electronic music — so much of it is electronic now. Can you find a lot to hate? Or do you appreciate it?
Clinton Jacob: No, I appreciate it. I don’t really hate anything, musically, I mean, if somebody’s making art I think it’s cool. So I don’t hate any of that kind of stuff. I think if I could make a record that sounded like the band Dead Or Alive, I think that would be sick. Like I think those guys ruled yeah. Stuff like that rules. So I don’t know. Like I feel like I’m kind of open to everything because you never you just never know. So I don’t really sh@t on anything – if you’re making it work and you’re making cool stuff, make cool stuff. I have no problem with electronic music.
Popular Culture Beat: I love that attitude and I appreciate you guys sharing the time. I’ve totally loved this. I dug it.
Clinton Jacob: Awesome, thank you so much, man.
Danny Sein: Thank you.
Clinton Jacob: Take care.
Mr. Phylzzz are currently on the road in the U.S. with Melvins and Boris.
Mr. Phylzzz Interview Part 1 On Popular Culture Beat
Mr. Phylzzz Dot Com
Mr. Phylzzz Instagram
Mr. Phylzzz On Facebook
Mr. Phylzzz Link Tree
Mr. Phylzzz On Spotify
Mr. Phylzzz Tour Dates With Melvins
Amphetamine Reptile Records
Review Of ‘Fat Chance’ On Punk Rock Beat
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