It’s hard to categorize the throbbing dance psychedelia that Indian Jewelry concocts out of their Houston-based launch pad, but I suppose I just did. The tongue-in-cheek ensemble falls somewhere in the sonic spectrum between My Bloody Valentine, Gram Rabbit and Brian Jonestown Massacre, but one could argue they lie outside of those comfortable coordinates as well.
You can decide for yourself by catching them on their current tour, or by listening in on their latest effort Free Gold, which drops May 20 from the very indie label We Are Free. Then again, you could also read the short but humorous exchange I conducted below with head jeweler Erika Thrasher on robots with filthy mouths and why the band shouldn’t give away gold for free during a recession. That should do the trick.
LISTEN: "Swans"
Wired: Your music has a throb behind it. Where does it come from?
Indian Jewelry: FLE = Focused Libidinal Energy. A field of white light comprised of what are commonly known as orgones. I mean, what would you do?
Wired: Indian Jewelry sounds like it makes lo-fi psychedelics in thegarage.
Indian Jewelry: That’s a weird thing to say. Why did you say that? The garage be too hot and all our shit would get ruined fast. We do most of our work indoors in our Houston estate. But I can see how it sounds like a garage. That’s rock and roll and it sounds like cars parked in a garage.
Wired: What gear are you playing on, and who’s doing what? Indian Jewelry: With regards to gear, we use only top-of-the-line gear derived from fire sales and insider arrangements with friends in loud places. Anything that makes sound will do. As far as roles, everyone is guilty.
Wired: By the way, who’s the sexy robot with the filthy mouth on your MySpace page promo?
Indian Jewelry: That would be Audrey. She did the voiceover work for our promotional spots. She has a pleasant speaking voice and we tried to get her to talk nice, but she has her own thing going on. Like the old saying goes, you don’t get the chicken without you get the cluck.
LISTEN: "Temporary Famine Ship"
Wired: Free Gold? Do you have any idea how much gold is going for in thisrecession? Keep it. Trust me.
Indian Jewelry: We can afford to give it all away for free: gems, artisanalfurniture, land, credit, gold, diamonds. Whatever we give away comesback covered in hand prints– that’s the wage of genius. When times gethard, we’ll take what we need where we see it all piled up. There aren’tpolice enough in the world to deter the undeserving poor once they fixtheir minds. The banks are just couches where our change ends up whenit shakes loose. Shake up a bank, find your lost dollars.
Wired: Speakingof lost dollars, what do you think about downloads?
Indian Jewelry: Only a fool gets into music to make money. The rest of us do it in the hopes that Bono will appear in the documentary that will one day be made about our ups and downs.
Wired: Seriously, you create some sick and interesting atmospheres. Wheredo you pull the ideas from?
Indian Jewelry: We all have a long burning desire to make people sick in interesting ways. We think it looks neat. We like taquerias, contrarians, places with hot sauce, our dog. Let’s Paint and Make Blended Drinks. And also books: William Gaddis, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Cortazar, Prokosch, Borges, Ezra Pound, Yeats, Emile Habiby, Tolstoy, Beckett, Flannery O’ Connor.
Wired: Give me one good reason why you should be in Texas. Indian Jewelry: Ireland is too cold. Texas is the new Seattle. OK, you win. Photo: Danny Kerschen
