- PREMIERE: ZOO – “Own True Love” - October 7, 2021
- PREMIERE: Get nostalgic with ÖZLEM’s 1976-inspired ballad, “Electric Ladyland” - May 20, 2021
- PREMIERE: Personal Space – “Dad USA” - March 11, 2021
By SHARON JENNINGS
What can you say about Revolushn? This is an interesting band with cool sounds and a fun outlook on life. They have weird names, they’ve had near-outer space experiences and the band’s drummer was with Devo.
Led by frontman No Mansfield, Revolushn is comprised of some very interesting musicians. Dekay, AKA, David Kendrick is the drummer and his beats are inspired by the avant-garde. Guinevere Q is on bass, Young Sun is on guitar and Schubert Ola is on keyboards.
It’s an eclectic bunch and they’re pitching their latest album, Further! We got a chance to connect with this other-worldly group.
Tell us about Further! and how you came to write this album? Does it have special meaning to you?
After we did the first album, The Freshman, we played live quite a bit. We were about 9 months in when we began writing new songs, not really for a new album but just so we had new stuff to play live. Then we slowed down with the playing live and started spending more time in the studio.
Took about four months and we had enough songs for the second album but we weren’t feeling it. So we started writing again. This time it took 5 months but it was worth it. We really like the new songs and album. The name and the meaning came from the notion that one can always move ahead, always go further into space.
Revolushn has an odd appearance but the music is entertaining – Photo courtesy of the band
What is the secret to a good collaboration with all of you? How did you all meet?
I think it starts with the fact that we all like and respect each other as musicians and humans. I think that David, Q, Schubert and Young Son are the most talented musicians I have ever worked with. And they are also very funny. We laugh a lot. In this weird business you have to have a sense of humor. Dekay and I have known each other for a long time. We met at a rehearsal for a band that I was in and instantly hit it off.
CHECK OUT REVOLUSHN ON SOUNDCLOUD
Ola and I met about 15 years ago, fell in love and then got married. So about a year after Dekay and I started Revolushn I heard Ola playing piano for the first time since I met her. Turns out she studied to be a concert pianist when she was young and she is really good. So she was drafted into the band.
Ola and I saw Q and Young Son a couple of years ago. We first saw them in another band and thought they were really great. Then they ran an open mike at a place that I started playing at. One thing lead to another and they are now part of the Revolushn. They are also in two other really great bands, The Wyatt Act and Doctor Striker. Plug for my San Francisco homies!
‘Further!’ is the new album from Revolushn – Photo courtesy of the band
From the sounds of your work, you’re a big fan of intergalactic spacey sounds. What is so attractive about those genres?
Dekay and I are big science fiction buffs. The band we first met in was called Electric Sheep, from the Phillip K. Dick novel that became the movie Total Recall. I also worked for NASA for a time on the humans to Mars effort. So space rock came pretty naturally to us. It is about the adventure and the idea that the universe is endless and you can always go Further!
Where can we follow you and where can our readers catch you live next?
We are on the internets! You can find us on the following sites:
Who are the musicians you most admire and why?
Well, some for just the shear musical genius like Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Mozart, etc. etc. And some for their creative spirit like P.J. Harvey, King Gizzard, Iggy Pop, Garbage, Springsteen and The Weekend. Being a massive guitar fan I of course love Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Joe Satriani and Jango Reinhardt.
I have been into singers lately too, like Adele, Amy Winehouse, Robert Plant, St. Vincent and Eddie Vader. I am like a musical sponge and really like a lot of musicians.
What do you enjoy about touring? What is the biggest drag about touring?
I love meeting new people as well as the excitement of being on stage with all the lights, the loud music and the rest of the band. It is generally profound and moving and just the coolest thing you can do.
The part that sucks is almost everything else. The sitting in cars or planes everyday, the car breakdowns, the blandness of hotels, the crappy food, the egos of promoters and agents, the drunks with bad breathe. But still, overall, being on stage makes up for that.
What advice would you give other young artists today?
Become an electrician. Ha ha. But seriously, learn music before you try to make it. As soon as you learn music, get a good lawyer.
