It's been so long ago that it's hard to recall that hazy weekend in October when Dustin Boltjes, Tony Beemer, and Rachel Weidner (Miss Mess) came to our humble underground studio on Castle Row to record the latest EP in a Weekend. A weekend where the grass smoke hung in the air and the rumble of artificial bass drones made our neighbors ask themselves, "What the hell is happening down there now?"

A few weeks earlier Dustin asked me if he could assemble his own band for the MFT project and, record on the Tascam 388 in our basement that I had been using for previous recording projects with MFT. I was more than happy to engineer anything Dustin was involved with after seeing him slay a crowd at The 5th Quarter in his band Skeleton Witch. Dustin is one of those people that everyone has something good to say about him. His talent, his drive, his ideas are all exciting to me and make creating music...easy. He hand picked who would join him in Severer and was very involved in recording and post production.

Rachel and Tony are heavy hitters on their own. Before this EP, I had played in the Bloody Mess with Rachel and Raw McCartney with Tony. I first met Rachel in 2011 on a Bloomington porch. She had just returned from Cali. We talked about drumming and our travels. Also, a new band she was starting with her bf, Apache Dropout guitarists, Sonny Blood. Rachel has a voice like no other and deep roots in far out sounds that any artist can appreciate.Tony is one of those few people that I played music with before knowing their name. I remember being instantly impressed by his distorted, Memphis twang guitar sound and greaser style. He kills it on drums in Dirtbike! Rips hard on guitar in Ancient Slang and his current project, Smokes! This guy is a true one man band.

If you couldn't tell already, I adore these three musicians. The vibe they put off when they are all in one room is huge, black, and all-encompassing. In my opinion, Severer is honest to that characterization. I asked the band a few questions about the three nights we spent together, their musical history, and what it's like to be Severer. Be sure to also check out the many other projects these three are involved in, tagged with this blog post.

Dustin Boltjes

You have been rockin' in Nap Town since you were a kid. Where did your love for local music start and when did you decide to make music on your own as The 5h^p3?

It started many, many moons ago. Going to local shows at The Sitcom and The Emerson Theatre, seeing bands like Blatherskite, Ice Nine, and Vehement. It not only inspired me to start playing, but to also get involved with the local scene. It was cool to see all these guys, and gals in my city, packing these clubs, and younger kids like me embracing it.

As far as my solo stuff, I've always been obsessed with electronic music. Since the 80's, as a kid, i became increasingly more interested in new wave, synth pop, and other forms of experimental electronic based music. So once I saw an extensive break in my hectic touring schedule, I decided, I'm finally going to work on a completely electronic solo project. Thus birthed The 5h/p3.

You hit me up about doing an EP in a Weekend. What made you want to participate and what lead you to choose Tony and Rachel?

I caught wind of this Ep in a Weekend project, and was very intrigued. I love stepping out of my comfort zone, and challenging myself, when it comes to creating music. As far as why I picked who I picked? Tony is a staple part of the Indianapolis music scene. He's been around as long as I have, and I've always admired his creativity and work ethic. And with Rachel, I knew she'd be a wild card. She's experimental and has this haunting voice, that I loved, from the moment I heard it for the first time. I wanted to utilize that voice, as well as her craft for pushing boundaries with noise and sampling. So I pretty much knew who I wanted to work with, before ever even approaching Sharlene about doing this project.

You named these songs and were sort of the director of this project. What was your vision before you came to the studio and what are your thoughts about the end product?

As far as a vision, I just really wanted to do something dirty, grimy and terrifying sounding. But also maintain the electronic elements. For instance, I used my Roland electronic drum kit, versus an acoustic kit to handle the beats. And my Micro Korg to give it more of a retro vibe with a lot of the synth parts.

I'm totally stoked with how it all came together! We meshed really well, and it seemed to naturally progress, as we started throwing around ideas. My only regret is that we ran out of time. I would love to work on something in the future with Rachel and Tony. I feel like there's a lot more the three of us could create together, given the right circumstances. This was such a blast, and I'm honored to have been able to work with these two lovely, creative individuals.

Tony Beemer

You have been in countless rocknroll bands and are a multi-instrumentalist. When did you start experimenting with music on your own? Did working solo lead away from rock into White Wax territory?

I had a four-track Fostex cassette recorder when I was 14 and I have many tapes full of nonsense. That four track taught me how to record my own songs without conventional instruments. I didn’t have drums so I would put a mic on a stand and turn it up all the way into the red and hit the base of the stand or the floor near the mic to make beats. I got Ableton in 2010 and even today I learn something new about it’s function. The one problem I found in working solo with Ableton is that half the material I have made is unfinished, I have trouble putting a bow on the songs so that led me to work with Nate Gonzales in White Wax because he already had a band that used Ableton called St. Dismus. Electronic music is something I wanted to do because I don’t really like the majority of electronic artists. I like to bring everything I have learned from punk into electronic music, everything from beats per minute, sonic quality, lyrics and even length of songs. I hope more punks get into using electronic elements then maybe we will hear something new and inspiring.

The first day of the EP session, you and Dustin recorded 10 backing tracks. Can you tell me about the first day? What gear did you use and what made you choose these three tracks over the rest (Severer Reject Mix)?

I don’t remember much of the first day, damn wizard flute. I remember setting everything up which always takes a minute when using electronic gear. Dustin brought his electric drum kit, which sounded great running straight into the board of the Tascam 388, which is a superior machine. I believe he had a mini korg and I brought my laptop for ableton, which used samples I had made myself, my akai controller for launching samples and my boss sp-303 sampler for effects. I think the three tracks we chose were the more sinister sounding songs. I’m not sure it was discussed but I feel like we were all pulling from the dark side on this project. The other songs were good but didn’t have that dark, grimy element so I think that’s why we chose them.

What is your creative process when using Ableton? What is your favorite style of music to create when working with digital software? How does it differ from analog in terms of challenges and benefits?

I like to record instruments into my 8 track Tascam 488 cassette recorder and drop those into ableton, and then I edit those instrument into samples. A guitar with delay won’t sound like a guitar after a few tweaks. You can record your voice and alter the sound until it sounds like nothing you’ve heard before. I think adding the analog element is key for cool sonics. Once I get a cool sound for drums or a bassline I bring in the ableton instruments, which can be anything from a synth lead to an entire orchestra. My favorite style of music to make with Ableton is a tie between Hip Hop and Punk. I have so many tracks that sit there waiting for an MC. Hit me up if anyone wants to use them; nobody wants to hear my rhymes L. I love writing punk songs and using dirty sub bass. Indiana’s own Ari Ari and Dow Jones and the Industrials are a big influence for me. The downside with using only digital software is getting things to not sound cheesy. Reverb, delay and overdrive/distortion are rarely cool with digital software so analog wins that round. The benefits of digital software are the endless possibilities, which can also be a challenge because with too many options it’s hard to focus and get anything done.

Rachel Weidner

What was your set-up for this project? Let's talk gear.

My setup for this project was the same as most of the music I do (Shame Thugs, Pelvic Mesh, Lady Shame, Saturday Nite Palsy), and consists of gadgets I consider good friends – 1) CasioTone keyboard, complete with barely functioning nobs, 2) a microphone hooked up through a Memory Boy delay pedal that I use to amplify my voice and my 3) Sanyo MemoScriber tape deck, which plays at slower to faster speeds 4) tapes I make from vinyl, mostly contributing white noise, occasional speaking, and freaky vibes.

Your voice is so beautiful and effortless. It seems like you can sing whatever style you like. Where did your love for singing start?

Like so many vocalists before me, my love of singing came from church originally. I liked the dramatic release and the suppressed anger/pain of it. It was learning how to drive down Indiana country roads in my five-speed truck with the windows down, blaring ladies like Jaguar Wright and Chrisette Michele. Shortly thereafter, it was Iggy Pop teaching me how to scream, saxophones and delay pedals that I thought I could mimic raw, and scatting with Exuma. It’s been a long trek through styles and vocal injuries to manifest my humble spirituality … but it starts and ends with just that.

You recently moved from Indy to Philly, can you tell us about the music scene in your new hood? How does it compare to Indianapolis?

There is so much music in Philly. I live very close to the headquarters where American Bandstand got its start! The historic relevance of this city’s music cannot be overstated, but the mere diversity and density of the current scenes is almost impossible to sum up. Indy is like HIPHOP ROCK N ROLL NOISE AND EDM : ONE NIGHT, ONE BAR. Here, you’d have to go to like 12 different events to see all that. In short, there’s a lot of what I would call ‘pop-punk’ and there’s loads of electronic musicians. There is also a great DJ scene of all genders and styles, plus a truly talented and underrated independent hip-hop presence. My favorite scene thus far may be the South Philly noisers. Some PHL artists to look up ::: GG Lohan, Gene Pick, FFH, Joie Kathos, Andre Altrez, Moor Mother Goddess, Sad Hana, Some Pepper, Guerilla Toss, Mannequin Pussy, Louie Louie (ex-Lantern) Hunnybunnies, Stroker, and Embarker, and Spacin (duh?).

Photos by John Zeps. Much love to Small Box, Sam Ash, and Vibes Music.