Why? Well, that’s not really for me to say. This interview was intended to serve as a dual promotion for the show on 7/27 initially...
After Miles' issue and dropping off the show and giving Miles a chance to explain his views to THWART, he declined.
So, here is the interview. One thing you can say is that he believes in what he is doing and has self-confidence in his actions to tell you to go fuck yourself…
Even if you're right.
Questions by Shawn Abnoxious
Answers by Miles Uroshevich who also supplied pictures
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I know who you are but to those who don’t would you mind introducing yourself to the readers of THWART and tell them a little about yourself and what you do?
Hello, My name is Miles Uroshevich, I am 22 years of age and was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, USA. I have made music and anti music under various monikers and with various bands in Cincinnati for the past decade, the highlights of which would include Ann Weigel, Hyper Beam, Steam Age Time Giant, and my current noise/acoustic project Grow Horns. I am also the founder and owner of the Cincinnati-based Experimental music label WHALETRAP.But there are two versions of Grow Horns right?
Well, its all the same really, it's just me, doing whatever I want to do at the time. Sometimes I want to play an acoustic guitar and sing pretty songs that I make up randomly. Other times I want to make harsh and wall noise, loud and fast. It really all depends on my mood, but I feel I have a talent for both, so I do both...
But really that's confusing to most people who like one version of Grow Horns more than the other (and I guess, really, most people agree)... Do you find one version of Grow Horns interferes with the other version of Grow Horns sometimes? I mention in particular June 1st at The Comet. You were going to do Acoustic Grow Horns but when someone seen Grow Horns on the flyer you were quickly 'pulled' despite protest from The Socials. Would you care to comment about that occurrence here on Thwart?
I think it can only be confusing if you don't do yr research...but I like that element of grow horns. It’s kind of like a random surprise when I play because a lot of the time people have no idea what's going on at a particular show, let alone take the time to try and figure it out. That’s sort of what happened with that show at the comet. They just saw the name on the flyer and decided that I shouldn't play because of the problems that occurred at the last show I booked there, which were minor. Even though the two shows would have been completely different, my name stuck in their heads enough to set off the red flags. but then again, they know me by now, so I guess it really doesn't matter what the name of my project is. I take is as paying personally for a night where they didn't sell enough drinks. I was mainly just bummed on missing an opportunity to play with the bands on the night in question, it was a good line up...and I guess to answer the first part of that question, I feel like having one sort of name umbrella to go by is kind of interesting when you are making a lot of varied sounds, it's nice to let people know that you are capable of producing more than just one dimensional songs...
So how can people do their research if there are two versions of the same band? Do you specifically say, "This show is a noise showing, THAT show is the acoustic Grow Horns" Do you specify which venues get which version? How would someone interested know what they’re getting into?
Perhaps I should elaborate on "do yr research" see, I consider myself to be something of a music nut, when I hear a band or artist that I really like, I immediately want to know everything there is to know about said band/artist. I know this habit doesn't apply to everyone, but I think if your are interested in anything, it's at least worth a little consideration on yr part. Try to find a website or an interview like this one, go to more than one show, talk to the artist at the show, stuff like that. If you treat yr interests casually, you are bound to be disappointed at some level...now sometimes I will go out of my way when telling people about one of my shows to say "yea look, this one's an acoustic set" or whatever. But also, getting back to my comment about how people rarely know what's going on at any given show, a lot of the time, despite my best efforts to keep it a surprise, it's pretty fucking obvious (to me anyway) what kind of show it's going to be, just look for context clues. If it's "grow horns" with a bunch of other artists who describe themselves as noise/experimental artists, I’m probably not going to bring the acoustic. Really I find that there is no excuse for confusion over something as simple as what kind of set ill be doing on a given night, we live in the Internet age, if you want to learn anything bad enough, it's usually a few clicks/ google search entries away, at all times. And now that I’m thinking about it, I’ve never heard from anyone who likes what I do express confusion over the diversity of the project, they just take it as it comes, most people don't give a shit about grow horns anyway, ahahahahaha....
I agree 'casual interest' isn’t the way you 'roll' neither with me also. I have rarely, went to a show walking in sonically blinded. The last time may have been when I seen GROW HORNS for the first time. I knew what to expect with STEAM-AGE TIME-GIANT but not other acts.... Do you think, in general, any crowd you face as either version of GROW HORNS really does or doesn’t give a shit? Is QUALITY vs. QUANTITY still an issue in local shows?
Well that's usually kind of hard for me to gauge when I play here at home in Cincinnati, where I play 90% of the time. I mean, the scene here is really small, and everyone who makes experimental music has seen everyone else [in the scene] play dozens of times, and it's been that way for years, which occasional spikes of variance. I feel like pretty much everyone who isn't already someone I’d consider a friend doesn't give a shit either because they don't like noise in general or they don't like me personally, which is fine, I’ve gotten used to people not liking me for whatever arbitrary reasons they dream up. But yea, another thing I get a lot from people is, "I wish you would just stick to yr solo song writing stuff" meaning "not noise" which again is just a reflection of their taste, which is fine.... but yea, I feel like I’ve gotten all the fans I’m gonna get in Cincinnati, and that's why it's time for me to hit the road, and find people who can just absorb my music without any kind of personal or social bias...
Hard question that I’m not even too sure I could answer about myself if asked bit I’m gonna sling it to you because that’s how the rock rolls... What about you and your sonic expression is so unlikable? I’m confused. Right from the start you were friendly, talkative and made eye to eye contact and sympathy toward my medical footwear which is much more than some of my friends has ever offered... Is there some switch that you toggle on and off to get unlikable impressions? What’s the deal?
You know, in some situations I have a pretty good idea why certain people may not care for me, but by in large, I have no idea. When I go to shows and shit I feel poisonous, like people think I’m diseased or something, maybe some of that is in my head, I’m not sure. I have never really been able to put my finger on it. I think some of it may have to do with the fact that I don't kiss anyone's ass around here (in Cincinnati) I don't worship the punk/noise stalwarts, I don't give praise to people who I think aren't deserving of it.... I treat people with a general sense of respect, but I am also the first guy to tell someone to fuck right off if I think they need to...IDK, I just don't have time to be anyone's best friend, or to blow sugar up anyone's ass
Is 'it',,, the whole 'scene' about kissing ass or how much does jealousy have to do with it? Sometimes, stand-offness smells like jealousy.
IDK, I can't think of any reason anyone would have to be jealous of me, I wouldn't consider myself to be a person who "has his shit together" at all.... I’m an alcoholic, I’m constantly broke, and most people don't really stick around for my sets long enough to be jealous of my "sound" I think a lot of what makes this scene go around is back patting when it isn't called for, a lot of people are really quick to expect praise when it isn't deserved, a lot of people play with the mindset that they are the greatest and that everyone should be beholden to their obvious "talent" where as I am just an audiophile, I get off on making sounds, of all kinds, so it's never really mattered to me if people show up or not, or whether they like me personally or not, it's never been about "them"
Maybe they admire your sound because they see it as threatening. You are clearly confident enough and have levels of comfort, which allow you to think then act. That and confidence are strong weapons. Is sonic art. YOUR sonic art threatening?
The comfort comes from knowing that other people are highly sophisticated machines; they can think and analyze the same way I can. They make their own judgments, whether I speak a word or not, its same with everyone.... that concept brings me comfort because I know I’m not alone, in my self-hatred, or my self doubt. People always expect to meet an enemy, and they're not always entirely wrong. I can at least say that we as a species are entirely more complex than we wish to believe, there is a great deal of value in meditation.... confidence comes from understanding that you live in a mirror world. The sounds that I make are fragmented representations of that idea, that this world is not always what it seems to be. There are flaws everywhere, and the sound is a reflection of that. If that's threatening to some people than so be it, but we live in a crooked spectrum, and there is no getting around that, sooner or later....
Do you feel misunderstood when it comes to sonic expression? Once again, is your sonics/music, threatening?
I usually only feel misunderstood when I try to do a noise set in a setting that's not really noise appropriate. A good example of that is the show at which we first met (Shawn and I). I was opening up for another band that I also play in (Steam Age Time Giant-STAG) and was really more focused on the SATG set than my own, so during the grow horns set, I turned all my shit up as high as it would go volume wise and just blasted the room with a wall of static for about 3 minutes. During which some fat bitch, who obviously had no understanding of experimental music walked up to me and started yelling at me to turn it down, like right in the middle of my set, so she and her friends could talk or whatever. It’s really just shit like that that bothers me, like when people come out to shows and are more interested in socializing and getting drunk than actually participating in a cultural exchange, no matter how bizarre it may seem to them.
Wow, I don’t recall anyone saying anything to you at my first Grow Horns exposure but I think it was great how you handled it... When you’re doing a noise set of Grow Horns what makes you turn this knob rather than that one... Do this then that...
Noise isn't anything new, it's been around for the better part of the 20th and obviously 21st century, it goes through it's phases and trends like any other genre, so I really don't think anyone who's at all in the know would find what I or anyone else does as "shocking" or "off putting" unless they have just never been exposed to anything like that before... but yea, I’m not sure if my music is considered "threatening" to anyone, I hope they don't see it that way, because that's not really my intention. I just like to play shit that makes me think,” wow, I’ve never really gotten that sound to come out before, let's try that again and see if we can control it." that's how I want people to view my noise stuff, with a prolonged curiosity. I mean, I’ve played sets before where dudes crowded around me and cheered for me as if I were playing a guitar solo or something, when I’m just screaming into a tape machine, which is awesome. The younger crowds have always been super interested/supportive of what I do, because their minds are still open and waiting to be challenged. To me that the point of experimental music, to force people to constantly reevaluate their definition of what music actually IS, or isn't.
Beethoven was alive today would he play a noise show surrounded by a cast of amps and instruments fir sounding?
I think Beethoven would be a lot more interested in drone metal than noise....
Lets talk about Grow Horns version: ACOUSTIC (like Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron). How did GH 'Proper Seasons' come about?
Well "Proper Seasons" the album was the result of a days worth of recording with Cincinnati experimental guru Jon Lorenz. The basic idea was to get really solid recordings of a lot of the songs that I had been playing live for a few years. I gave those tracks to Andy Slob at Centsless and he made an edit of his top 7 tracks from that session, that's where the album comes from. The title is a reference to the conditions in which they were recorded, they were perfect and well timed, I needed to get those songs out, like a farmers need to plant seeds in late spring, it just all came together really well, the title is a reflection of that...
Seasons is strong lyrically with cryptic allegory and subversive Ideas. As soon as I heard the first five seconds, I knew I liked it. Could you list each track and use five words and that’s it to describe each track? This could add to the mystery or destroy the mystery with your words... That’s your choice
#1. "Ripper's Keep" it's about jack the ripper #2. "Turn Yr Yeast Infection into a Jewel Collection" it's about an anorexic girl (fictional) #3 "Concrete Cores" bad breakup song #4 "An occasional crack in the enamel" suicide in the face of modern life #5 "Sartre's Song" random psychedelic nonsense #6 "terrible one" ?
#7 "for eagle and share" a fictional tale of loss
Do you feel more prominent doing one version of Grow Horns over another? Will there ever be a day when you will just stop doing any Grow Horns? I ask this cause I heard you once say that you were only gonna keep the GH name for one year then do another name...
Well, I’ve always kind of wanted to do a concept album, and The Grass Cross is probably the closest I’ll ever get. It’s basically about humankind's rejection of nature, and the narcissistic aspects of man. I like recording albums quickly, because I feel if you take too much time on any given record, it becomes something completely different than what you initially started out trying to make. I ran the idea by Andy, and he was willing to record it, so we just went from there, it's been a really organic and fun process so far, and the songs I’m writing for this record are unlike anything I’ve ever done before. I’m experimenting a lot with vocal techniques while still trying to maintain the simplicity of the musical arrangements that I’ve come to be known for. I really can’t wait for people to hear it, because it will challenge the listener, they won't get any of it with one or two casual listens, it will have to grow on you, over a period of time... like planting seeds and waiting for them to sprout
So, amongst other ideals, 'moment capturing' is a concept you are steeped very well in correct? The Grass Cross is a concept release, understandable, but you just said 'the songs I’m writing for this record' which tells me The Grass Cross, isn’t done yet when I was sort of assuming it was reaching post-production phase. What’s the current status of The Grass Cross? When can the regular guy expect to hear it?
Yes, that is correct. I have done a majority of my recordings on a handheld walkman cassette recorder. So I usually deal in the realm of one take, one try recording, nothing fancy.... on "THE GRASS CROSS" I am working with the opposite of that, I am working in a studio setting. That’s why I am taking a bit more time on this record, because I have a great facility to work with, and Andy is very patient with me in fleshing out my ideas, so I haven't felt rushed to finish anything. Right now, he and I are still in the recording process. I am still writing new songs on a daily basis to be included in the pool of songs we draw from to make the record, and I am also going back and adding additional instrumental tracks to certain songs to augment the feeling of a multidimensional release.... to give it ambiance. In a perfect world I’d like the record to be done and ready to release by my birthday this year (AUGUST 25TH). But I can’t really say for sure, again, it's something I’m trying to pace myself on...
If someone wanted to hear your best song, in your opinion, what would that song be?
Either "as mountains kiss, we collide" or "ego thinning" both of which will appear on my upcoming album "THE GRASS CROSS" so really, Andy and a handful of others are the only people to have heard either of those songs yet...
We only sparsely mentioned Whale Trap. If I remember, you formed a label just because you could... A whole 'why not?' urge... Correct? Talk about what you want Whale Trap to be... What’s your mission?
Well I started doing WHALETRAP at the tail end of last year in an effort to put my own experimental works out there under a label, to make it seem somewhat more legitimate, and also to release music from other bands like WAN (out of Pullman, Washington). I just wanted to have a label that was essentially a collection of really weird/fucked up music, that I felt people wouldn't get to hear as much otherwise if I didn't turn some kind of tiny spotlight onto. And that's really the whole idea, when you buy a WHALETRAP release, yr mainly just paying for the music, other than that I keep the packaging really simple, and almost always use recycled materials (i.e. cd cases, tapes, tape cases, and paper). None of them really looking stunning, but the contents of the tapes and discs is rare and magical.Sound out weighs the flare of packaging?
Always
Is there anything you would like to mention before closing? Anything you want to make sure is said? A final statement?
First off I’d like to thank you for allowing me this forum to express myself. I’d like to thank Andy slob for being an awesome dude, and putting up with my bullshit all the time, and for helping to get the grow horns name out there. I’d like to thank Jon Lorenz for also putting up with my bullshit, helping me make buttons and shit for WHALETRAP, and for helping me make some of the best records I’ve ever done. I’d like to thank my girlfriend for again putting up with my bullshit, and for always carting my broke ass to my shows, and for being an awesome partner. Other that I’d like to mention to yr readers and anyone else who may not know me, that I will be around for a long time, I’m going to keep cranking out records and playing my ass off until I simply can't anymore. I’m not a bad guy, just a little bit of an asshole, just a little bit misunderstood. If you give me a chance, I will give you a chance, thanks for listening and please visit:
http://whaletraprecords.blogspot.com/
http://growhorns.bandcamp.com/
Find Grow Hoorns at Centsless Productions too