There isn’t much not to like about this band. They have an awesome logo, produce progressive sounds, and have some educated and experienced lyrics. Then you hear the vocals and enter an utter state of chill. With hit singles like “Perfect Vision” and “Burn Rubber”, I dare you not to like this band. The band hails from Omaha, and haven’t been playing together for long. But since they started back in 2011, they have already created some lasting sounds. I wouldn’t call it pop, but Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) might disagree with me. The band has a strong DIY attitude, and is doing a good job with such a minimalistic attitude. When you get down to it, the music is good! This interview is a long time coming, and it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to the Icky Blossoms.
Where did the name come from?
There was a supposed group of kids existed in 1980’s Omaha that identified themselves as The Icky Blossoms. They would steal grave decorations (flowers, candles, etc) and reposition them on doorsteps in yuppy neighborhoods. They would plant the decorations in raw patties of hamburger meat. WHAT PUNKS. They don’t exist anymore so we stole their name.
I just watched the trailer for your new album. Your new release is self-titled. Why didn’t you come up with a clever name for your first release?
We thought a s/t debut was the boldest choice. A s/t implies “this is the type of music we will be making and this is the direction we intend to stay in.”
Who writes all of the lyrics?
It really depends – sometimes it’s collaborative, other times it’s one person – whatever the sound calls for.
You are on a pretty impressive tour to support the new release. What can fans expect from your fall tour?
Fans should always expect to have a good time. Expect our live show to be different than our recorded songs. We really put a lot of thought and energy into making our shows vibrant and freaky. Dance with us!
How did you get hooked up with The Faint?
We have ties with them through the music scene in Omaha. They helped us make beats and sounds from the get. Clarke even played drums for us when we first started playing shows outside Omaha.
I am having a hard time picking a genre… how do you classify yourself?
We don’t really know what to label it and maybe we’re still deciding. The spine of the music is generally electronic but we flesh it out with other influences. We always intend for the music to always be “danceable”. That’s super important to us. Call it “Amorphous Dance Music”.
Tell me a little bit more about your relationship with Saddle Creek.
We never kiss and tell.
Where do you practice?
We get together these days in the cellar of an old disco club called The Chatty Squirrel.
Do you use the same setlist night after night, or do you change it up between shows?
We don’t have a lot of songs to choose from at this point – so the setlist is pretty decided.
I have never been to Nebraska. What’s the weather like in Omaha?
The weather can be described as a mother taking aspirin even though she doesn’t have a headache.
How did you all meet?
We met at a house party in the middle of an epic Omaha blizzard. We got drunk together and fell in love with each other’s neurons. The story goes from there…
What’s the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
We are impossible to embarrass.
What is #ickystyle?
We encourage people to let their inner freak out at our shows. Dress like you want; don’t worry about being cool. Dance like a seizure, we’ll love you more for it. Get out of your mind, we’ll meet you there anytime. We’ll take a photo of you in your freakiest form and put it up on our sites.
Tell me more about your logo. Who designed that? What does it mean?
Derek designed it while we were flying to LA to record the record. We describe it as a SIGIL – which is a magical symbol of intention- we are all about making things happen for ourselves and the sigil represents channeling our energy into our music. MANIFEST reality.
Do you guys have jobs outside of music?
We do. We are working at trying to make music our career for the present and the future.
Your Facebook cover photo is… well, it’s creepy. Who is that… a big fan?
We wish he was a big fan. It’s Darby Crash from The Cramps. Check ’em out!!!
Where do you find inspiration for a new track?
Lots of thing – a beat, a hook, a word/phrase, our own experiences, dreams, drugs, aliens, visions, other bands – you name it. Everything is inspiring if you focus on it for a long enough time.
Your album is on there… but do you guys use Spotify?
Sure do. It’s a great medium to explore music on. It’s also fun to see someone is listening to “hot for teacher” every once and a while. (guilty pleasures)
You guys are all over Facebook and Twitter. Who manages all of those accounts? Are you seeing value in spending time on these social networking sites?
We manage our own accounts. We love meeting the people who enjoy our stuff in real life, but that isn’t always an option. We interact with our fans through the Internet all the time and that is extremely valuable! We do lots of contests and prize giveaways through our sites too. We’re actually testing out a new project through Twitter – keep your specs peeled because it could be really amazing if it works.
You guys were at SXSW this year. What was that like?
It was crazy! It was essentially four days of no sleeping; just partying and playing. Those were our first shows outside of Omaha and we definitely were trying to make an impression. The shows went really well and we got a lot of positive feedback. Lots of love for the city where kids go to retire.
There are only ten songs on the new album, but is it possible to pick a favorite? I like “Babes”!
I think we all have our own favorites. No one agrees. “Babes” is cool! It really depends what kind of scene you’re into. We try to keep every song fresh and apart from the others. We get criticized for being all over the map in that sense but we’re not interested in trapping ourselves in one dimension.
Who is David Sitek?
He produced our record. He has worked with a ton of cool artists and also plays in TV on the Radio. Feel free labeling him as “cool dude”.
Have you ever played outside of the United States?
Not yet. On our recent tour we got to dip our toes into Canada for while. We plan on spreading ourselves around the globe when the time comes. (hide your kids, hide your kids)
People can order your new album on vinyl. A lot of bands are doing that. Do you have a record player?
We all have record players – vinyl is a great way to listen to music. It’s not always possible, especially when you’re trapped in a van for weeks, but when time allows, vinyl is THE sweetest.
What are you guys drinking while on stage?
Whatever’s clever – water,beer, hard liquor, OHMY!
Any tattoos in the group?
Saber, our bassist, is the only one with tattoos. He has enough for all of us. THAT THERE IS THE DEVIL’S INK.
I haven’t seen a show yet… but what can fans expect from a live performance?
You can expect each one of us to go through an exorcism on stage. We really do expend all the energy we have at every show!
What’s next for Icky Blossoms?
We definitely want to get working on new material and we have some exciting options regarding how it will all be created. CREATE CREATE CREATE! We need to get these ideas out of our skulls. In addition – we want to tour overseas!
In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
CHROME TOMB