The13th AÑO: 5 | NÚMERO 45
UNA R E VISTA IMA GINARIA
AND WE ALL DIE IT’S MY DUTY TO DO IT FOR THEM
[ Interview With Raymond Burton Estes from And We All Die by Benjamín York. Photografs: Fleurette Farley Estes ]
IT’S MY DUTY TO DO IT FOR THEM
A soul. A mind. An idea. A vision. An internal force. Raymond Burton Estes stands at the head of a project called "And We All Die", for which he decided to carry out a series of recordings with the contributions of numerous other exceptional artists. In April, he released "Modern Day Privateers (Remixes) + Outtakes" a collection of remixes of the song "Modern Day Privateers". We speak with Raymond about this and much more. Hi Raymond, thank you for allowing us to ask you some questions today.I'm thinking about the beginning of “And We All Die" back in 2000. How did your project come to life and where did its name come from? After having a few years away from playing music, particularly punk and hardcore, I wanted to do something heavy and energetic that was fresh. There were plenty of inspiring post-punk and post-hardcore artists, but they just hadn’t developed the sound I was after. I really wanted to hear dark melodies with heavy instrumentation and hardcore style vocals, but I wasn’t interested in doing anything remotely metal. I don’t remember if the words …And We All Die were first used for the project name or the lyrics to the song. Regardless, they’re in reference to the sentiment that to live is to suffer. They’re not meant to be pessimistic or morbid, but a wakeup call that pain, agony, and death are inevitable, so it’s up to us to find goodness and joy in our lives. How do you carry out a project that involves collaborations with so many other people? On one hand, it’s easy because I’m responsible for everything that happens and can accomplish things at my own pace. On the other hand, it’s terribly difficult and frustrating, because I have to manage all of it. In some sense, it’s like that question, “how do you eat an elephant?” Clearly, you can’t eat it all at once, so you eat it piece by piece, bite by bite. That’s not to say that I do everything one bite at a time, it’s just to say you can’t do everything at once. In my case, I do as much as I can as often as I can. As for the collaborations, they were great. Once someone agrees to do something, the hardest part is staying on schedule while having patience. But, I’ve been lucky to collaborate with Jason Rufuss Sewell from One-Eyed Doll with the origi-
nal recordings and with all these other amazing artists for the remixes. It’s been a humbling experience that’s inspired me to write and produce better music. What was it like towork with the selection of artists that have remixedyour songs? The experience has been educational and caused me to reexamine how I work on music. As for working with the artists, it’s somewhat misleading to say we worked together, because the vast majority of the remix artist’s work was done remotely and independently. I provided the artists with some technical specifications and a deadline and as much room to be creative and rework the song according to their own sound and vision. The process has taught me a great deal about patience and planning. I relied heavily on friend and collaborator Guillermo Murillo who helped with production, engineering, and conducting quality control on the files the artists sent to me, ensuring they were at the proper bit rate, had enough head room, and were ready for mastering. Do you plan to get a band together for live performances? Yes. I’m talking to people and have a fairly good idea of what a lineup will look like. We’re planning to play out, so we’d be interested in getting shows or touring with similar bands. In 2016 you released what many have called your debut album "And We All Die", which actually seems to be an EP of three songs and six remixes. Do you plan to record new material anytime soon? Yes. I’ve worked up demos to about 10 to 15 songs which I hope to record next year. The songs are strong and will surprise people. They incorporate much more elements from the early
3
post-punk, goth, and darkwave era, but are heavy and energetic and loud.
Let's talk a little about these three songs. Can you say something about each of them?
Tell us about the collaborator for this new collection "Modern Day Privateers (Remixes) + Outtakes"? Working with all of these remix artists was great as they each had their own way of working on their remixes. Some wanted more discussion than others…wanting to know what style and how long the remix should be. Others sought minimal input and delivered their remix when they were done. That said, with each of these artists, my window into their creative worlds was limited. I’d like to say that if I were to undertake such a project again that I’d know what I’d do differently, but as each artist or group is different, it’s hard to say. I think if I had any advice to share with artists looking to compile an album’s worth of remixes, I’d say prepare to be patient with the process and surprised with the results.
…And We All Die This song is about addressing the mortality of our existence and may, perhaps, be a little bit on the nose. But the reality is that we have a life and we have an opportunity to make it good or bad and do good or do bad. We can complain about our fate, or we can make the best of it. I like the attitude that we should live life to the fullest and deal with death as a given, a known known, and not be afraid of it. Modern Day Privateers This song is really about a modern day bogeyman. In our heated, partisan environment, many are quick to cast aspersions towards individuals, groups, and communities they’ve chose to make scapegoats. Sometimes it’s not easy to tell who the antagonist is, particularly when they’re heroes
to some people. The point is there are bad people who do bad things and sometimes they get away with it. Maybe these are the bad guys. Or, maybe these are the stooges set up to take the fall while the real bad guys get away with their crimes. Regardless, they’re villainized and cause people to be afraid. Bodhisattva This song is dedicated to three amazing human beings: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Palden Gyatso, and Adam “MCA” Yauch. I’ve seen the Dalai Lama speak on a number of occasions. His wisdom and calmness are inspiring, particularly given what he and his community continue to endure. Regarding, Palden Gyatso, I’ve had the good fortune to meet with him three times
and host him for several speaking engagements. He spent 30 years in prison and endured torture and other indignities, but in spite of all of that he’s maintained his resolve and sense of humor. His resilience, humility, and dedication motivate me to complain less. And, one day, I spent an afternoon with MCA and his family at an event and was inspired by his humility and generosity. We really lost a great person with his passing. So, what’s this song about? It’s about first admitting that sometimes with somethings we need help and we need to ask for that help. In this case, it’s about dealing with our mortality and the human condition. Life is difficult sometimes and we may lose our way. I hope this song can serve as an example for others to seek help when they need it. We can’t know everything and we
5
will miss signs of trouble in others. Sometimes, we need people to extend their hands and ask us to take them. And, when they do, we need to be like the Dalai Lama, Palden Gyatso, and MCA and give them the help they need. Since a few years ago, the project seems to have becomea more palpable reality. What has changed in the period of the band’s life? Priorities. I began …And We All Die as a project for fun and an excuse to make music I wanted to hear. Now, I’m ready to make time to present this music to people in a live format. Truth be told, my wifeFleurettehas inspired me to be creative and share my sound and vision with others. When so many people don’t have the opportunity to celebrate life this way, you could say it’s my duty to do it for them. What plans do you have in 2018 or beyond for this project? We have unreleased material we’d like to get out. When I recorded the songs for the first release, Jason Rufuss Sewell and I worked up a cover
of The Cure’s Give Me It with Kimberly Freeman of One-Eyed Doll singing backups. It’s heavy and noisy and retains some of the psychedelic sound of the original. I plan to release it after recordinga few more Cure covers, so it may be awhile. We’ve also recorded two Misfits covers that sound great. I sing and play bass, Guillermo Murillo (The Half Guided Hearts) plays guitar, Walter Lee (Rockett Queen) plays drums, and Gost contributed synth parts. The songs need some finishing touches, before we release them later this year. Thank you for answering my questions. To conclude, is there something you would like to share with our readers, which I have not already asked you about? I would encourage your readers to be creative and reach out to the people that inspire them. If you’re lucky enough to be surrounded by creative people, then get involved with them to learn how they do what they do. I’m working with Nikhil Potdarto produce a documentary film about our friend Jason Hamacher (Regents, Frodus, Deca-
7 hedron, Combatwoundedveteran, and Battery) to tell his story. Jason was one of the last photographers to work in Syria before this current war began. He was also there recording and documenting ancient Christian and Islamic chants. We’re helping to tell the story about his journey, because it inspires us and we believe it will inspire others. Thank you for your time! Thank you for taking the time to interview me.
The13th U NA R EVISTA IMA GINA RIA