There’s no shortage of new music or exciting shows this fall. But two of the big ticket items include a new record by KEN mode (Null, Artoffact Records – check out new single "Throw Your Phone In The River" here) out Sept. 23, followed by the band’s set at No Coast Fest the next month (Oct. 27-30) in Denton, TX.
SPB farmed out a band-vs-festival joint interview, with Jesse Matthewson (vocals/guitar/synth/percussion) of KEN mode getting to know No Coast’s Jeff Helland (who previously played in White Drugs).
In addition to KEN mode, additional bands playing at No Coast Festival include Metz, Chat Pile, Protomartyr, and more.
Jeff Helland (No Coast Fest) interviews Jesse Matthewson (KEN mode)
No Coast Fest: Eight records is a lot. When KEN mode started, were you envisioning such a trajectory or was it more of like, “Let’s get together and make something happen?”
KEN mode: Certainly much more of a, "Let's get together and make something happen" scenario. I was 17, Shane was 15...we were literally children whose only aspirations were playing with our favourite noise-rock bands in Winnipeg, Canada. Bands like Kittens, Stagmummer, and Meatrack set the standard around here, and we wanted to be a part of that legacy -- even though almost nobody outside of our city knew most of those bands, shy of Kittens who had some decent Canadian notoriety thanks to Much Music (MTV for Canada in the ‘90s).
No Coast Fest:I know the origin of your name. And I love that it’s almost like camouflage. Was it a name you’d been holding onto for a long time or one that surfaced during the band’s infancy?
KEN mode: It definitely surfaced in the band's infancy -- right after we'd read Get In The Van, as any aspiring punk musician in high school should. We've certainly had to wear that reference on our sleeve due to the sheer volume of people who misinterpret the name, which has definitely been frustrating over the years. If we were older when we formed this band, we probably would have gone with a different name, haha.
No Coast Fest:I’ve been impressed by the “newness” of each album when they are released, but this one adds a significant change with the addition of sax and synths. How would you describe the evolution of the band? Where do you see it heading?
KEN mode: I feel like our evolution has been gradual, adapting to what drives us as listeners and appreciators of the art of music. We added saxophone on our last record, but specifically didn't focus on it for the singles, as being on a primarily metal label -- apparently metalheads find the instrument to be very divisive? My favourite tracks from that record had saxophone, so we really wanted to lean in with how we promoted this new album. We're ultimately just trying to keep ourselves engaged with this band. I'm hopelessly addicted to seeking out new music, and always have my ears open for exciting new sounds. We want to be the kind of band that people look forward to seeing what we've come up with next, fully acknowledging we'll never be an "everyman" kind of band, even within our subsubsub-genre.
No Coast Fest: Y’all have played all over the place. What makes for the best festival experiences, both as a performer and as a fan? Asking for a friend…
KEN mode: As a performer: organization and professionalism goes a long way. And, clearly, the ones that last have this in spades, as it's too hard to juggle everything without it, and festivals quickly fall apart if you don't have your shit together. Getting paid also is fun, haha. As a fan: curation of bands and additional features -- labels, food vendors, etc, make the whole thing a more enjoyable experience. It's hard to keep people's attention for a whole weekend, so a tip of the hat goes to curators like yourself who are able to make it happen!
No Coast Fest:So, all I know about Canada I get from Letterkenny and Kids in the Hall. What are some of those purely Canadian things that us Yanks have no clue about?
KEN mode: That sums up some of Eastern Canada, for sure (although I do know 2/5 of the KITH are from Alberta)...but there's a whole huge country out west that most Americans know next to nothing about, and most of us kinda hate Toronto -- who act like they are Canada. The parody of a Canadian accent that most Americans make is an eastern Canadian one, for the most part. But in all honesty, as the internet homogenizes culture more and more, Canadian culture seems to meld with our American counterparts. I know through the pandemic, I believe the stat was Canadians consumed 85% American media...this has a huge impact. Canada feels a lot like the US's younger sibling, always trying to prove something, despite being ignored by big brother most of the time. I feel like the most purely Canadian thing now comes from either our First Nation's people, or Quebecois, as despite all odds, those aspects of Canadian culture haven't been eradicated, while down south, it's definitely not much of a thing when it comes to mainstream culture.
Jesse Matthewson (KEN mode) interviews Jeff Helland (No Coast Fest)
KEN mode: Given the way the festival has taken off over the past couple of years, in spite of the pandemic that fucked it up to boot: who are some targets for the future that you'd love to bring down to Denton, given the opportunity? Even some pie in the sky ones.
No Coast Fest:That’s a pretty timely question. I just sat down to write up my wish list for the 2023 headliners. Which is usually about ten to twenty bands deep. But the top five “realistic” bands would be Hot Snakes, Brainbombs, Cherubs, Part Chimp, and Shellac. The pie in the sky would be Scratch Acid, Chavez, Lungfish, Harvey Milk, and Polvo. But you know, Young Widows is a band I never thought I’d get to see. So who knows.
KEN mode: Similar, but in reference to artists for the festival poster. Who are some targets for the future?
No Coast Fest:We’ve had one of the greats, Tom Hazelmyer, do posters for two years. And now we have Dale Flattum, whose art I’ve admired for a long time. I feel lucky to have these people contributing to our fest and community. It’s difficult to balance the right aesthetic, the willingness to help, and to be knowledgeable of this jagged niche. That being said, I have my eye on a couple artists, one of which might be the drummer in one of our headliners.
KEN mode: We've seen the festival grow at a modest pace the last couple years. Where do you see this building to? How big is big?! Is there a too big?
No Coast Fest:2022 might be the high water mark for the fest. Bands are eager to tour and slough off the last couple years. And that’s for an incredibly stacked festival. In the coming years, I’ll probably rein it in. Back to three days. As far as capacity goes, I don’t foresee us leaving Rubber Gloves. I loathe large scale festivals and venues. I want to feel a band’s energy, see the sweat on their faces, and share my joy with the rest of the crowd. It’s really hard to deliver that experience in an arena. I enjoy meeting people and remembering faces. I don’t do this for money; I get paid in overhearing, “Holy shit, that was awesome." So, in short, there is a “too big.” But then again, I’m mulling over expansion to Europe. A lot of things would have to fall into place, but I think there’s a damn good chance I could make it work.
KEN mode: Do you have a favourite performance from a band that you feel represents what this fest is about from the last 3 years?
No Coast Fest:I grew up in small towns and missed most of the “great” noise rock bands of the late '80s and early '90s. So I found a lot of bands after they had expired. Big’n is my favorite band and I had resigned myself to CDs and YouTube clips. Seeing them in 2019 was magical. They delivered every bit of tension and power that I had dreamed about for nearly 20 years. On the other end of the spectrum, a band like Chat Pile was a nearly total unknown. I had their tapes but had no idea what might show up. And boy howdy, was it a revelation. They are the sweetest people and they just flat out perform. Those two sets exemplify No Coast. Anticipation and discovery.
KEN mode: If you were to recommend a BBQ joint around the Denton area to impress some Canadians who have been sorely lacking in good ol' Texas style BBQ for SEVEN YEARS, what would you recommend?
No Coast Fest:Hit up Hurtado. About the best thing going. You’ll get the real Texas fix. Mexican food and smoked meats.
