There is a place where geek and music meld, and there is a band that has conquered that realm. I'm talking about New York based My Robot Friend, consisting of Howard Robot and his fantastic tools. Howard plays an eclectic show that borders on performance art. It's full of pyrotechnics, wireless video & illuminated objects. Not to mention his homemade suit, armored with LED lights. My Robot Friend produces a sound and experience that pushes the stigma of one man bands to the limit with the use of unique electronics and well written songs. With two albums in the books and a third in the works, My Robot Friend is certainly ready to be everyone's friend.
I sat down (via e-mail) with Howard Robot, the man that is My Robot Friend to ask about his wild stage costume, his influences and if the Star Wars or Trek universe could provide a better wingman.
Read the full interview after the jump!
Geekdad: Tell us a little bit about some of the equipment you use to rock out your robotic tunes.
Howard Robot: Aside from some of the standard issue software that most music geeks know about, there are two pieces of hardware that are worth mentioning. One is a discontinued guitar MIDI-controller called the EZ-EG from Yamaha that I hacked into so that I can display light-up animations on its neck using its built-in LEDs. There is also another guitar MIDI-controller called the Ztar from Star Labs that I had custom made and dipped in chrome. It is really awesome and looks like it came from the future, but it was really expensive so I don't take it with me on tour.
GD: What about that suit that you wear during performances? How did that come to be?
Howard: I made the light-up suit myself. It is mostly constructed from duct tape, plastic and electrical wires and LEDs. It has slowly evolved over time. I think I am currently on version 3 or 4. I am not an engineer or anything but have taken a sort of "learn-as-you-go" approach which probably isn't the smartest thing to do when you are strapping electricity on your body. Honestly, there have been a few electrical shock situations along the way, but you know if it doesn't kill you... ummm... anyway... You'd be surprised how far you can go in this day and age with just general soldering skills and an understanding of Ohm's Law. Punk Rock Electronics!
GD: If you could remove one piece of technology from existence, what would it be & why?
Howard: To be honest, there is nothing that I would remove. I don't really fault technology, just people and their misguided motivations for using certain things in certain ways. That said, if I could erase my memory of accidentally visiting a certain website that featured people interacting with machines in rather intimate ways, I probably would.
GD: Do you really have a pair of mathematical electric pants?
Howard: The pants that I use in my live show light up and so, on some level, there is some very deep mathematics that is involved there. Also, I never wash them because of their electronic components so there are probably many colonies of microscopic organisms in the pants that follow certain laws of mathematics. Finally, the odor of the pants follows a trajectory that is also calculable.
GD: Speak a bit about any bands, artists or people that provided early inspiration.
Howard: Devo is probably the biggest inspiration to me. They were the first band that I truly loved when I was growing up. I loved that they had a solid concept in addition to the music that added another level for my imagination to take a hold of. Klaus Nomi is also an inspirational figure. There is an excellent documentary called The Nomi Song that is well worth watching for the uninitiated.
GD: Better wingman: Commander Riker or Chewbacca?
Howard: Chewbacca. Hands down.
GD: New York is your home base, but what other cities do you enjoy performing in?
Howard: Some of my favorite shows of all time have been in Manchester, Barcelona, and Glasgow. There is an openness to the people living in those cities that I really respond to.
GD: Some of your lyrics are very tongue in cheek. Do you mainly write from real world experiences or an over active imagination?
Howard: It is a combination of both. Some of the most ridiculous songs that I have written were surprisingly inspired by actual events, although it is usually in a tangential way. For example, the song "I Know What Women Want" is actually based on some serious emotional trouble that I was going through at the time as well as a magazine article that I read about the business aspects of how romance novels are written and marketed. The song was really the by-product of a perfect storm of nonsense that struck me at a particular time.
GD: Outside of your performances and making music, what do you consider your hobbies?
Howard: Hmmm... honestly I spend most of my free time working on music related activities. I also have a job as a computer programmer, so I am a busy guy. That said, I enjoy reading comics (Jason Lutes and Chris Ware are personal favorites), listening to podcasts (Radio Lab, This American Life, and Planet Money are personal favorites), reading books (Oliver Sacks' Musicology is currently on the nightstand), and watching movies (too many to name).
GD: What can we expect from the new album? Anything new and fantastic?
Howard: The new album is definitely a change in direction for me. Many of the songs have a broader emotional range than what I have tried in the past and there is a fuller level of musical production. The album reveals a more sensitive side that I haven't put out there too much in the past. It will be called "Soft Parts" in honor of that shift. There are also some really exciting collaborations on there, but I don't want to reveal much more than that at this point. The album will be coming out in the fall of 2009. If people want to know when the new album is released and other robot news, they can sign up for the emailing list at www.robothighschool.com. I give away free music to subscribers and have fun contests and stuff and it is not too spammy or frequent.
Links:
www.myrobotfriend.com
www.robothighschool.com
www.ilike.com/artist/My+Robot+Friend
