CVLT Nation Anniversary Show
Artist to Artist Interviews
Wreck & Reference Vs. Doctorshopper

Next up, Wreck & Reference Vs. Doctorshopper…full interview after the jump…

You posted your album, Degenerate Utopia online for free. What are your thoughts on music, money, and piracy, especially for small bands in niche genres?

Speaking for the collective we feel that music is sacred and certain structures can indirectly cheapen it. Lots of creative people have to make comprises they wish they didn’t have to to make a product financially viable or work within the constraints of another entity’s wishes. Being able to record ourselves and align everything in a structure where everyone is involved working towards a whole allows us to not have to make too many comprises. One of them being that we place every new release free for download when our physical copies arrive. It’s going to leak anyway, might as well do it ourselves at a high quality rip with lyrics and release info. I’d rather people hear it, as a newer band you really have nothing to lose anyway. Money wise doing smaller runs for each release ensures we don’t dig ourselves into deep wholes. Tapes allows you to get a release out very quick if you have the means to dub it outside a plant. Just order the length you need and you can get a release out in days or weeks depending on time and extra hands. Make the art yourself, assemble it yourself, and you’ll eventually make enough to break even or stay ahead of the debt at least. Small bands have nothing to lose doing this, and learning all the aspects of a release will enable you to enrich the conversation if you end up working with others on future releases. We’re still learning and evolving as well with every release through Cult of Melancholia. When it comes to working with other labels, we work with people who go about things in a way we respect and that lends itself to few headaches.

Doctorshopper makes several references to medicine, including the band name itself. What grievances in particular do you have with the medical system? Is it more political, perhaps including the concept of a false utopia?

Most of the grievances I prefer to address by writing about experiences I’ve personally had or observed in others close to me. Lyrically each song is more a vignette than a chapter. When Sam and I present each other with songs, we both know where the other is coming from and whether it fits with the current direction.The overall theme of “Degenerate Utopia” is focused on showing the underbelly of our own lives and people we encounter. The human toll that emerges from a fractured healthcare system with little regard for consumer safety or the public good. Illness, addiction, and neurosis aren’t new subjects, but every generation experiences them differently. Healthcare is the greatest crisis facing America currently, and it’s a shame that my generation oscillates mainly between apathy and voting against their own interest.

Why did you choose the name Doctorshopper? Many of the songs seem to be about a struggle with drugs. Do drugs relate to the titles of the band and the new album?

I think a lot of the songs can definitely be interpreted to be about that, but I think when people say “drugs” they imply substance abuse. Some songs are definitely about that, while others are more about a struggle to find the right drugs. A lot of the lyrics and concept for the band are based on years of horrors I endured being misdiagnosed and improperly medicated throughout my early 20s. After years of pushing forward by myself searching for an answer few believed existed, I discovered it was a rare immune system virus that causes chronic pain, fatigue, severe insomnia and anxiety among other unpleasant symptoms. It’s still an uphill each day to get through everything on my plate while managing my condition, but I refuse to be limited by it. Sam and I have known each other for a long time and have gone through the same emotions in very different ways that share a similar morbid outlook. The interplay between our experiences weaves a richer tapestry than relying on one perspective to tackle nuances between different forms of despair and frustration as one straddles the line between abuse, dependence and addiction. Most of us have known each other for over a decade, and music of this nature cannot resonate without allowing yourself to be quite vulnerable. Every single aspect of my life is viewed through this lens of wrestling with my illness. I’ve seen a lot in the waiting rooms, hospital beds and doctors offices over the years so the imagery and language is found in much of my writing style. Doctorshopper is the mirror we force ourselves to look at and then reflect back at the listener. It’s our realm to confront some of our darker thoughts through a lens so many experience but few really dive into beyond junkie poetry and one dimensional perspectives.

We noticed that you covered Death in June. Why did you choose “All Along in Her Nirvana”? What is your opinion on cover songs in general?

Sam brought up the idea and it didn’t take very long to agree to it. I had wanted to do Sonic Youth’s “Catholic Block” originally until this option came up for consideration and got unanimous approval far quicker. The lyrics cover similar themes with such a haunting melody, and the rich atmosphere was very conducive to being subverted and distorted without losing it’s identity. A good cover has to spark within the listener a worthwhile dialogue about the source material as much as it does about the band covering it. Derivative bands usually cover their most obvious influences without any effort to make it their own. That’s really one step above the local bar band playing classic rock songs to get the crowd going. I’ve never had any interest in doing a band that didn’t provoke the audience to delve further above superficial forms of interaction with the music and subject matter.

How has living in and around San Pedro influenced your music?

San Pedro is the dark horse in the immoral wasteland of Los Angeles. A slum by the sea that’s so small compared to other neighboring communities, but one in which so many people never escape. It’s the classic port city with the same fatalism you find in mining communities or factory towns. A constant stream of trucks, and ships that chokes the air of a once beautiful landscape. You can feel the tension just waking around the city. A sense that you’re going to be swallowed up by it whether you like it or not. It’s a constant effort to not let that happen and I think the urgency in which we as a collective push out new releases and projects is very much about combating the negative forces of this town and south Los Angeles in general.

Several of the band members are in Lake of Blood in addition to Doctorshopper. How many members do you share? How do both bands deal with having two major musical commitments?

Originally it was three members and now it’s four as of December. The balance came quite natural as we view each band as different aspects of the same collective whole rather then two disjointed endeavors. Playing in multiple projects with the same people allows us all to take creative leads and learn from one another in a very egalitarian manner. Having that chemistry makes juggling different projects less difficult, and the constant physical and emotional strain provides the structure and challenge that enriches us as musicians and individuals.

Doctor shopping in real life: good call or bad call?

It catches up with everyone eventually. One way or another.

What does the future look like for Doctorshopper?

Shows in and around Los Angeles as we stay chained to recording commitments with other projects and our jobs. By the time we finish recording our other bands we’ll probably have a 7″ written and hopefully have that out by the time Lake of Blood tours again in the summer. We’ll embark on our venture later this year, most likely with other projects we’re involved in.