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THE HIPPIES ARE BACK & THEY’RE PUNKS: Times New Viking Interview, Review & Photos

Last night I was more than honored and excited to interview Times New Viking, the most recent addition to our roster of artists, bringing us an awesome new shirt design and limited edition silk-screen print! Currently on Matador Records, their latest and third album, Rip It Off, was released early this year.

After their set at Johnny Brenda’s, singer/keyboardist Beth Murphy sipped a Yards Philly Pale Ale, (Her Verdict: Much better than PBR, their staple back in Columbus) and talked with me about wanting to see something honest, something sincere written about the band besides just the catch-phrase, “lo fi.”

Hopefully this review and interview will do justice to the unique vibrations and fun personalities behind Times New Viking…

Serious-Business-Beth. Photo: A. Vierkant

SHOW REVIEW

The set last night was, quite seriously, one of the more enjoyable live performances I have attended in recent months. I went into the evening prepped for a mind-numbing, eardrum-busting cacophony. A wall of inescapable noise. What I witnessed was an impressively long set (about an hour), in which Beth, Adam, and Jared maintained extremely high energy and stage presence without sacrificing instrumental precision and vocal acuity. Loud? Oh yes. Incoherent “Wall of Noise?” Absolutely not.

Photo: A. Vierkant

I am convinced that Times New Viking should not fall into the standard lineup of loud punk/noise bands. I detected poppy undertones, bits of group improv here and there, and a very dynamic relationship on-stage between all three members. The tags “lo fi” and “DIY” all too frequently serve as excuses for sloppy music-making. So I’d like to apply a new buzzword to the sound of this trio: Tight. Really tight, without sacrificing a unique rawness of tone.

Read on to find out what Beth (vocals/keyboard), Adam (vocals/drums), and Jared (guitar) had to sound off about after the set…

INTERVIEW

Who are you and where do you come from?

I’m Beth. I’m from Columbus, Ohio. Or rather, a Columbus suburb.

I’m Adam. I come from my mama’s belly. That was in Ohio, too. I grew up in Dayton.

What brought you together?

Beth: We decided to go to the same art school on decent scholarships.

What were your concentrations?

Beth: I was concentrating on…getting the fuck out of my parents house.

Adam: Printmaking and weed: my two powers

So then I guess I’m allowed to ask a geeky question…what’s your favorite typeface?

Adam: Jared’s handwriting!

Beth: I was gonna say that! Fucker! Jared has really amazing penmanship!

Adam: It’s an “American Classic”

Beth: The hand-drawn type of the back of our album Present The Paisley Reich - Jared did that in one evening!

So how does the typography reference relate to your name?

Beth: Haha, it was a stupid name we thought of at the start of our band when Adam and Jared were in a class together.

Adam: Some awful girl made a Nordic Story of Creationism book and her font sucked. They should have told her the 2nd day of school to not waste her money. So we were in the back of the class, not paying attention, trying to think of a name for this terrible font…and…aha! Times New Viking!

Photo: A. Vierkant

(enter Jared)

Who are you and where do you come from?

Jared: (silence)

Beth: Just answer the question! You don’t have to be cute or anything! “I’m Jared…I play the guitar…”

Hello, Jared Who Plays The Guitar! If you guys could start your own revolution, musical or otherwise, what would it be?

Beth: I was actually thinking about this the other day! I forget!

Adam: I think every kid should have a banana when they wake up. That’d be a revolution, right?

Jared: Free Trade Revolution!

Adam: Every Kid Gets A Banana Revolution! Everyone Can Have Food…No More Blogs Revolution!

Speaking of blogs, do you read your reviews/press?

Beth: I used to, but then people started calling us “asshole cokeheads” so I stopped.

Adam: At first, but now no.

Beth: It’s all the same, nothing new is being said. If someone could get beyond saying that we sound “lo fi” and actually talked about what they actually thought of our record, an honest interpretation of what they thought was going on, I’d read it.

So then what do you want to say about yourselves or the band?

Adam: I keep my house really tidy. I love cats.

Beth: Oh! That we’re normal people just like everyone else. We have cats, girlfriends, boyfriends, we all pay too much for gas. We’re just normal people!

Do you get tired of touring ever and want to do something else?

Beth: Touring is good. You get to meet really interesting and inspiring people and hang out with your friends all over the country. Then you go home and realize how awesome Columbus, Ohio is!

What was the inspiration for your shirt design?

Beth: What initially inspired it were these buttons I found in Cleveland that said, “The Hippies Are Back & They’re Pissed!” I thought that resonated with our band. We’re hippies, but we’re also sorta pissed. We can like hippie and punk music at the same time. Also, seriously, the absurdity of genre titles anymore?!

Where do you think you fit in to the Ohio music scene?

Beth: I’d say we’re part of an Ohio music LINEAGE. We were lucky enough to be born in Ohio. Well, first of all, we were lucky to be born. Second, we were lucky to be born in Ohio. There’s a great musical history there, you can’t deny it. I mean, I came about the way every marginalized punk rocker did. Most of us just doing our thing, not entirely aware of how much was going on at the time.

Do you draw a line between visual arts and music, or does one inform the other?

Beth: Visual art doesn’t necessarily inspire our music directly, but the fact that we can make music and as an ancillary project, we make t shirts and posters…we totally embrace that.

Has anyone ever saved your life?

Adam: I was doing a backflip and hit my head on the pool, passed out, my dad saved me. We were all pretty wasted.

Beth: Literally, no.

What about metaphorically?

Beth: Yeah…..a lot. But jesus christ, that’s deep! That’s diary shit! I can’t even admit that to myself yet!

Okay, so now a more superficial question: If I could give you tickets anywhere in the universe, where would you go?

Beth: A tropical island, a nomadic lifestyle. I’d be naked on a beach eating bananas.

Adam: I’d be in Jared’s apartment.

And last but not least…how do you take your eggs?

Beth: I don’t eat eggs.

Adam: Sunny side up with lots of salt and pepper.

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Thank you to Beth, Adam, and the elusive Jared for your time and graphic design savvy! In your honor, Art In The Age would like to ask all Hippies, Punks, and Design Nerds to JOIN HANDS! Oh, hell yes!