I discovered Hell Garbage earlier this year. I was really curious because HG doesn' t sound like your regular run of the mill harsh noise project. There's also the fact that he comes from Florida. I don' t know if it's the beach, the sea, the sun, the warm weather but there's a bunch of highly talented noisers originating from Florida (Meatball Machine, Mayan Apocalypse, Securititron 451, etc, etc). He was nice enough to reply. Enjoy the interview. Here goes:
1- How are you and who are you?
Not bad for not getting much sleep last night and being awfully busy at work, haha. Anyways, my name is Dylan Houser, though I sometimes have called myself "Dylan Hell" or "Dyllo Von Hellshit VI" or "Dolan Hoser" or some other variation of my first name on multiple releases.
1- How are you and who are you?
2- Why noise? Do you have a specific reason to do noise?
I got into noise completely on accident. It all started in early 2004, back when I had no idea how to play any instruments, and also due to extreme boredom. I would often record a bunch of noise and/or dumb shit on either a cheap tape recorder, or on the Sound Recorder program on my parents' computer...sometimes a combination of both. Back then, I had absolutely no idea that there was a legit "noise scene" or other people into this sort of thing. Eventually, my playing skills had slowly improved over the next year or so, and I would then obtain a four-track recorder and dick with that whenever I wasn't busy playing in actual bands or trying to get actual bands going! I got back into noise full-time around 2010.
Why noise? Well, for Hell Garbage, it's much easier to do than have to come up with new material for a more serious, musical-based project. It's not meant to be "good," I'm not trying to "reinvent the wheel," I'm not trying to create this generation's answer to Pet Sounds or the White Album or whatever. It's fun, and I don't want this to become a chore and stress myself out too much about what I'm doing creatively. I'm more surprised there are as many people out there who have enjoyed my noise, haha.
Why noise? Well, for Hell Garbage, it's much easier to do than have to come up with new material for a more serious, musical-based project. It's not meant to be "good," I'm not trying to "reinvent the wheel," I'm not trying to create this generation's answer to Pet Sounds or the White Album or whatever. It's fun, and I don't want this to become a chore and stress myself out too much about what I'm doing creatively. I'm more surprised there are as many people out there who have enjoyed my noise, haha.
3- Where does the name Hell Garbage comes from? Do you define HG as a solo project, a band, a duo (I heard your girlfriend is a semi-regular contributor), a collective?
The name Hell Garbage dates back to early 2010, when a friend of mine showed me a picture of herself from a few years before that, where's she's pregnant and lying naked on a bed, and had written a bunch of random stuff all over her body with a sharpie. It was kind of hard to read some of it, and she at first thought one of the things written on herself said "HELL GARBAGE"...but what it actually read was "HELLO GOODBYE." I had thought about using the name "Hell Garbage" for a potential song title (for my other, more musical-yet-still-very-experimental project since 2004, Bloodponies), but that never happened. Instead I ended up using that name for what started out as a noisecore project in August of 2011. So you see, Hell Garbage is actually a poorly-translated Beatles reference!
Hell Garbage is, for the most part, a solo project, although I'm open to others joining me during recording sessions and/or shows. My girlfriend used to appear on recordings during the first six months or so, but that was mainly because she happened to be around when I was recording. From what I remember, she played bass on the split tape with Mallveilance, and she played bass on the track "Nihnihnih Piggies" off of the three-way split mini-CDR with Individual Distortion and Fatal Position. She has only appeared on stage with me once so far: the third Hell Garbage live performance, at Sacred Grounds in Tampa, FL on 1/6/2013, as part of this Syd Barrett tribute show for his birthday. She hopped up on stage while I was setting up, where she mostly played this toy accordion that was laying around while I made a bunch of noise and sang a few Syd Barrett-penned tunes while shaking a toy maraca into another microphone that was already set up. Sadly, there is no footage of this performance (that I know of, anyways) as the camera that was set up was having technical difficulties.
The name Hell Garbage dates back to early 2010, when a friend of mine showed me a picture of herself from a few years before that, where's she's pregnant and lying naked on a bed, and had written a bunch of random stuff all over her body with a sharpie. It was kind of hard to read some of it, and she at first thought one of the things written on herself said "HELL GARBAGE"...but what it actually read was "HELLO GOODBYE." I had thought about using the name "Hell Garbage" for a potential song title (for my other, more musical-yet-still-very-experimental project since 2004, Bloodponies), but that never happened. Instead I ended up using that name for what started out as a noisecore project in August of 2011. So you see, Hell Garbage is actually a poorly-translated Beatles reference!
Hell Garbage is, for the most part, a solo project, although I'm open to others joining me during recording sessions and/or shows. My girlfriend used to appear on recordings during the first six months or so, but that was mainly because she happened to be around when I was recording. From what I remember, she played bass on the split tape with Mallveilance, and she played bass on the track "Nihnihnih Piggies" off of the three-way split mini-CDR with Individual Distortion and Fatal Position. She has only appeared on stage with me once so far: the third Hell Garbage live performance, at Sacred Grounds in Tampa, FL on 1/6/2013, as part of this Syd Barrett tribute show for his birthday. She hopped up on stage while I was setting up, where she mostly played this toy accordion that was laying around while I made a bunch of noise and sang a few Syd Barrett-penned tunes while shaking a toy maraca into another microphone that was already set up. Sadly, there is no footage of this performance (that I know of, anyways) as the camera that was set up was having technical difficulties.
4- I heard that you record during your breaks at work in your car. How do you manage to do that?
I just go into my car, have the windows rolled up, and have the air conditioner and/or radio on. I then press the record button on either a tape recorder or my cell phone, and go at it. How I manage to get away with it, I have no idea. Sometimes people walk by while I'm recording, but they don't seem to notice. I'm probably just not loud enough for people outside of my car to hear me.
5- What kind of gear/equipment are you using?
It always varies from session to session. A lot of times I'll use my 8-track portastudio, which has built-in effects and a programmable drum machine. Often times, I'll crank just about everything up to 11, and plug the portastudio into the microphone jack of either my laptop or a tape recorder. With that set-up, I always use a microphone, although when Hell Garbage first started (such as on the first two demos, DISHNIVACHT and JUOPPONAUT), I used a bass guitar. Other times I'll use my shitty de-tuned guitar. Sometimes I'll use the drum machine, other times I won't. For the "lunch break sessions," I'll either be in my car, or in the break room when nobody else is in there, and record on my phone, using whatever I can to make cheap noise, even if it's just an empty plastic bottle against the steering wheel or the table, or even just tapping my fingers on the table! There's even some recordings done while I was on the job, most notably the split tape with MORTE LENTA. That was recorded on Christmas Day of 2012, and there was only one other person besides myself there, who makes an appearance on another recording done the same day (he yells "YEAH!!!!!!!!" at the end of that one! This one should be on a multi-way split recording with some of Frank Goshit and Dan-Charge's projects). Anyways, this recording, from the HxGx/Morte Lenta split tape, was done in this back room where I grunt over this air-blower for four minutes. Making noise while getting paid by the hour rules!
It always varies from session to session. A lot of times I'll use my 8-track portastudio, which has built-in effects and a programmable drum machine. Often times, I'll crank just about everything up to 11, and plug the portastudio into the microphone jack of either my laptop or a tape recorder. With that set-up, I always use a microphone, although when Hell Garbage first started (such as on the first two demos, DISHNIVACHT and JUOPPONAUT), I used a bass guitar. Other times I'll use my shitty de-tuned guitar. Sometimes I'll use the drum machine, other times I won't. For the "lunch break sessions," I'll either be in my car, or in the break room when nobody else is in there, and record on my phone, using whatever I can to make cheap noise, even if it's just an empty plastic bottle against the steering wheel or the table, or even just tapping my fingers on the table! There's even some recordings done while I was on the job, most notably the split tape with MORTE LENTA. That was recorded on Christmas Day of 2012, and there was only one other person besides myself there, who makes an appearance on another recording done the same day (he yells "YEAH!!!!!!!!" at the end of that one! This one should be on a multi-way split recording with some of Frank Goshit and Dan-Charge's projects). Anyways, this recording, from the HxGx/Morte Lenta split tape, was done in this back room where I grunt over this air-blower for four minutes. Making noise while getting paid by the hour rules!
So yeah, anything goes, equipment-wise. At my most recent show, I plugged in a microphone into a micro-amp into a slightly bigger practice amp and cranked up the feedback! To quote the Minutemen: "WE JAM ECONO!"
6- What inspires you?
Anything, really. Sometimes it's a weird news story (like the LADONNA LAND! EP, which is on the Hell Garbage Bandcamp page only), or some weird video that one of my friends posted on Facebook (such as the I HATE MY BUTTHOLE EP, also Bandcamp-only). Also some inside jokes, various people I've known, whatever's going on at the moment...sometimes I'm even UN-inspired, but I end up recording anyways (such as the HUMAN HEADACHE/HELL GARBAGE split tape, which only had like 5 copies made, at most; also, the HELL GARBAGE side of the split internet release with SKINDUST. I'll be the first to tell you that the Skindust side is a billion times better than the Hell Garbage side!). A lot of times, it's from people who want to do a split with me, and I don't have any as-of-yet-unused material of the appropriate time length to already give them, haha.
Anything, really. Sometimes it's a weird news story (like the LADONNA LAND! EP, which is on the Hell Garbage Bandcamp page only), or some weird video that one of my friends posted on Facebook (such as the I HATE MY BUTTHOLE EP, also Bandcamp-only). Also some inside jokes, various people I've known, whatever's going on at the moment...sometimes I'm even UN-inspired, but I end up recording anyways (such as the HUMAN HEADACHE/HELL GARBAGE split tape, which only had like 5 copies made, at most; also, the HELL GARBAGE side of the split internet release with SKINDUST. I'll be the first to tell you that the Skindust side is a billion times better than the Hell Garbage side!). A lot of times, it's from people who want to do a split with me, and I don't have any as-of-yet-unused material of the appropriate time length to already give them, haha.
7- What are your influences?
As far as noise goes, early on (years before Hell Garbage started), I was heavily influenced by shit like Throbbing Gristle, Whitehouse, Flipper, Happy Flowers, various drone/doom bands (the usual Sunn 0)))/Earth/Boris stuff), the Butthole Surfers, the Gerogerigegege, Nurse With Wound, the Boredoms' earlier albums, Skullflower (mainly their 80s/90s albums, before it became a Matthew Bower solo project), and of course: the Melvins, especially their noisier escapades (such as the first three minutes of "Magic Pig Detective" off of their STONER WITCH LP, the infamous PRICK album, and the even-more infamous live album COLOSSUS OF DESTINY, to name just a few), as well as the various Mike Patton projects, including the album ADULT THEMES FOR VOICE. Also, the Residents, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, and Black Flag. I can't forget any of those guys.
As for what ended up influencing Hell Garbage: noisecore bands such as Deche-Charge (of course), 7 Minutes of Nausea, Anal Cunt, Morality Declined, to name a few. I've also been heavily influenced by the Earwigs, and (as I said earlier), the Gerogerigegege, as well as Frank Goshit and Dan-Charge's various shit-noise projects, whether it was released under their now inactive Gocharges Records label back in the 90s, or more recently. Also, some of my contemporaries, such as my friend Ed's various projects (which you can find on his blog site http://sluggisha.blogspot.com/), the stuff recorded and released by my friend Kendall and his label Yip! Records (http://archive.org/details/yip-records), Fuck Ramone and his various projects (http://electrichedonist.blogspot.com/), John Marion/Kaagootaabaa, Jason Campbell and his recent netlabel Soundpig (http://www.soundpig.blogspot.ca/), Noel Thomas' various noise projects, Ice Cream Sandwich Shit Head, Gefilte Fist (I guess right there), the various projects and releases on Sludgesicle records and Forever Escaping Boredom, various people that I've played shows or hung out with in the St. Pete and Orlando scenes...just to name a few.
8- Besides Hell garbage do you have any other noise and/or musical projects?I have two other main solo projects: Bloodponies, and Gainmas.
As far as noise goes, early on (years before Hell Garbage started), I was heavily influenced by shit like Throbbing Gristle, Whitehouse, Flipper, Happy Flowers, various drone/doom bands (the usual Sunn 0)))/Earth/Boris stuff), the Butthole Surfers, the Gerogerigegege, Nurse With Wound, the Boredoms' earlier albums, Skullflower (mainly their 80s/90s albums, before it became a Matthew Bower solo project), and of course: the Melvins, especially their noisier escapades (such as the first three minutes of "Magic Pig Detective" off of their STONER WITCH LP, the infamous PRICK album, and the even-more infamous live album COLOSSUS OF DESTINY, to name just a few), as well as the various Mike Patton projects, including the album ADULT THEMES FOR VOICE. Also, the Residents, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, and Black Flag. I can't forget any of those guys.
As for what ended up influencing Hell Garbage: noisecore bands such as Deche-Charge (of course), 7 Minutes of Nausea, Anal Cunt, Morality Declined, to name a few. I've also been heavily influenced by the Earwigs, and (as I said earlier), the Gerogerigegege, as well as Frank Goshit and Dan-Charge's various shit-noise projects, whether it was released under their now inactive Gocharges Records label back in the 90s, or more recently. Also, some of my contemporaries, such as my friend Ed's various projects (which you can find on his blog site http://sluggisha.blogspot.com/), the stuff recorded and released by my friend Kendall and his label Yip! Records (http://archive.org/details/yip-records), Fuck Ramone and his various projects (http://electrichedonist.blogspot.com/), John Marion/Kaagootaabaa, Jason Campbell and his recent netlabel Soundpig (http://www.soundpig.blogspot.ca/), Noel Thomas' various noise projects, Ice Cream Sandwich Shit Head, Gefilte Fist (I guess right there), the various projects and releases on Sludgesicle records and Forever Escaping Boredom, various people that I've played shows or hung out with in the St. Pete and Orlando scenes...just to name a few.
8- Besides Hell garbage do you have any other noise and/or musical projects?I have two other main solo projects: Bloodponies, and Gainmas.
Bloodponies, I have been doing since early 2004, although it did not have that name until Spring of 2008. It started off as somewhat of a noise project, but had evolved into something more musical, yet experimental. A lot of recordings under this name consist of just vocals and acoustic guitar. It's mostly been a solo venture, with other people only appearing on recordings just a few times. It's weird for me to describe this project otherwise, haha. Most of this project's material can be found on the Bandcamp page: http://bloodponies.bandcamp.com/ (By the way: I still have the old noise recordings from 2004, and they will be posted by Yip! Records once I get the files sent to them!)
Gainmas. This one started off as a stoner/doom/sludge metal band back in 2006, but after the actual band itself had dissolved, I continued using the name as a solo project, where it had evolved into noise and ambient recordings. I guess you could say this is a more "serious" or even "artsy" noise project, especially compared to Hell Garbage! The Bandcamp page: http://gainmas.bandcamp.com/ There's also this recent album that I had uploaded onto Archives.org:
http://archive.org/details/gainmas-solluvia
I've also done a bunch of solo shitnoise recordings, mainly for splits with Frank, Dan, Ed, Noel, and whoever else wants to do splits of that nature. They're pretty much Hell Garbage under a different name, haha. I've also recently started a harsh noise wall project called Shilth.
Recently, I've done some collaborations with other people, including ShaMaMo (me and my girlfriend and Ed's project), Floor-A-Duh (Me, Mike Sludgesicle, and V from Bucket of Piss) and Porns (I've only contributed to the second album, HORNS & PORNS II so far, but we plan to do more in the near future...!). It'd be fun doing more collaborations with other people...hell, I wouldn't mind doing an actual serious BAND again one day!
Gainmas. This one started off as a stoner/doom/sludge metal band back in 2006, but after the actual band itself had dissolved, I continued using the name as a solo project, where it had evolved into noise and ambient recordings. I guess you could say this is a more "serious" or even "artsy" noise project, especially compared to Hell Garbage! The Bandcamp page: http://gainmas.bandcamp.com/ There's also this recent album that I had uploaded onto Archives.org:
http://archive.org/details/gainmas-solluvia
I've also done a bunch of solo shitnoise recordings, mainly for splits with Frank, Dan, Ed, Noel, and whoever else wants to do splits of that nature. They're pretty much Hell Garbage under a different name, haha. I've also recently started a harsh noise wall project called Shilth.
Recently, I've done some collaborations with other people, including ShaMaMo (me and my girlfriend and Ed's project), Floor-A-Duh (Me, Mike Sludgesicle, and V from Bucket of Piss) and Porns (I've only contributed to the second album, HORNS & PORNS II so far, but we plan to do more in the near future...!). It'd be fun doing more collaborations with other people...hell, I wouldn't mind doing an actual serious BAND again one day!
9- Do you perform live?
Yeth.
10- How`s the noise scene in Florida?
Pretty good, actually! I didn't even realize there was any such thing in Florida until October 2011, two months after Hell Garbage had already started. It's especially active in St. Petersburg, where they've been having the annual SAINT PETE NOISE FEST since 2007 (which was months right after I had left Florida for a few years...D'OH!!!). There's always noise and experimental shows going on over there every other week or so, mainly at the Venture Compound, run Jesse Thelonius Vance, and also where Hell Garbage performed it's first actual booked show (as part of the first night of SAINT PETE NOISE FEST 5). There's also noise shows in Orlando, mainly at Uncle Lou's (a really small dive bar right down the road from Will's Pub), where I've been performing at quite frequently. These shows are booked by either Dan Reaves and/or Bradly Woodham. It's always a great fucking time performing. at these places, and I can't wait to check out some others.
I've also heard that there's a pretty good noise scene in Jacksonville, as well as Miami (where they have the legendary INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONFERENCE, every year since 2003), but I haven't been to either of those cities in a long time. Some day...!
Pretty good, actually! I didn't even realize there was any such thing in Florida until October 2011, two months after Hell Garbage had already started. It's especially active in St. Petersburg, where they've been having the annual SAINT PETE NOISE FEST since 2007 (which was months right after I had left Florida for a few years...D'OH!!!). There's always noise and experimental shows going on over there every other week or so, mainly at the Venture Compound, run Jesse Thelonius Vance, and also where Hell Garbage performed it's first actual booked show (as part of the first night of SAINT PETE NOISE FEST 5). There's also noise shows in Orlando, mainly at Uncle Lou's (a really small dive bar right down the road from Will's Pub), where I've been performing at quite frequently. These shows are booked by either Dan Reaves and/or Bradly Woodham. It's always a great fucking time performing. at these places, and I can't wait to check out some others.
I've also heard that there's a pretty good noise scene in Jacksonville, as well as Miami (where they have the legendary INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONFERENCE, every year since 2003), but I haven't been to either of those cities in a long time. Some day...!
11- I heard that Hell Garbage is a shitnoise oriented project. What`s the difference between shitnoise and noise (is there a difference)?
Shitnoise is just that: really shitty noise. The way I do it: I record on either a portable tape recorder or my cell phone, rarely using any effects from my portastudio or any pedals. Just straight up "acoustic shit" as I call it, haha. The aforementioned "recordings done in my car during my break at work" are a great example of shitnoise. It could consist of someone just lightly tapping a pencil on a flat surface, to sniffling (such as my "nosecore" project, Nasal Death!), to someone watching television (Dan-Charge's project BAD TASTE), Pioneers of the shitnoise genre are Frank Goshit and Dan-Charge (both of Deche-Charge + a bunch of their own projects), as well as Erik Disorder (Sonic Disorder + a bunch of different projects), Mike Jerk (Naked Insects, Glog, Herk, Green Banana), Bizarre Charlie Alien (The Earwigs, the Gynger Effect, + a bunch of other projects), Sean Lambert (Morbid Vomit), Steveggs (Pile of Eggs), among others. Frank and I have a bunch of exclusive videos up on YouTube. Also, there's this guy on YouTube who posts shitnoise under the name of HNW00000. I tried contacting him a while ago about possibly doing a split release or split video or something some time, but I haven't heard back from him. Great shitnoise, though!
12- What type of music are you into? What about movies, television, radio maybe?
I listen to all kinds of music. This includes the bands that I had listed earlier (under influences). Other bands/musicians that I'm quite fond of that I haven't listed yet: Roky Erickson, the 13th Floor Elevators, Ween, The Frogs, Jefferson Airplane, Loop, Hawkwind, Monster Magnet, the Vaselines, Suicide, Circle of Ouroborus, Burzum (especially HVIS LYSET TAR OSS and FILOSOFEM), Tim Buckley (the LORCA and STARSAILOR albums), Death in June, Swans, Current 93, Slint, Scratch Acid, the Birthday Party, Sonic Youth, Joy Division, the Cure (especially their earlier albums), Kyuss...there's too many for me to list, haha. I also enjoy listening to the Tampa Bay station WMNF 88.5 FM, which plays all sorts of music. I'm good friends with Elder Sign, the host of the metal program Psycho Realms, which is every Sunday night at 1am (so technically it's Monday morning! Haha.), so sometimes I'll visit him and talk on the air for a bit. The closest thing to a "noise" program is Step Outside, which is every Wednesday night, and they play more experimental type stuff. Not quite noise, but it's close enough, haha.
I haven't really been watching that much television or movies lately. I do have some catching up to do on these movies (which you can't find on Netflix) my friend burned on some DVDRs for me, though, and I need to get around to plopping my ass on the living room couch and watching them, haha. I'm into cheesy horror movies (Italian or otherwise), weird black and white films (Eraserhead, Begotten, Tetsuo: The Iron Man), and films such as the Japanese cult horror movie Hausu, and the Czechoslovakian movie Daisies. Also, various films by John Carpenter, Harmony Korine, and David Lynch. As well as films like Jacob's Ladder, American Psycho, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Full Metal Jacket, and the Rocky movies.
When I do watch TV, it's really only just the Weather Channel and Cartoon Network/Boomerang, and if they're on, maybe old Nickelodeon shows, haha.
I haven't really been watching that much television or movies lately. I do have some catching up to do on these movies (which you can't find on Netflix) my friend burned on some DVDRs for me, though, and I need to get around to plopping my ass on the living room couch and watching them, haha. I'm into cheesy horror movies (Italian or otherwise), weird black and white films (Eraserhead, Begotten, Tetsuo: The Iron Man), and films such as the Japanese cult horror movie Hausu, and the Czechoslovakian movie Daisies. Also, various films by John Carpenter, Harmony Korine, and David Lynch. As well as films like Jacob's Ladder, American Psycho, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Full Metal Jacket, and the Rocky movies.
When I do watch TV, it's really only just the Weather Channel and Cartoon Network/Boomerang, and if they're on, maybe old Nickelodeon shows, haha.
13- Please give us some contact information?Certainly!
My email address is: ladyanthropophagus@gmail.com
The Hell Garbage Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hellgarbage
And my personal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dylanhouser87
My email address is: ladyanthropophagus@gmail.com
The Hell Garbage Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hellgarbage
And my personal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dylanhouser87
14- Any closing comments?
Thank you for conducting this interview, and thanks to all of you out there who have supported HxGx! In addition to the stuff on Bandcamp and Archives.org, I'm also currently working on split tapes with Morbid Vomit (I'm dubbing the tapes right now as I type this!), Mayan Apocalypse (another great Floridian noise project, from St. Pete!) and the legendary Sonic Disorder! These tapes should be out some time within the next few months or so. They're all gonna kick ass.
Cheers,
Dylan
PS - I'd be more than happy to do a split with you some time! If you're wanting to do a physical release, then I probably won't be able to release it until after I get done with the aforementioned split tapes, so let me know if you or someone you know would be down for releasing it. I'm fine with it being an online split as well.
Cheers,
Dylan
PS - I'd be more than happy to do a split with you some time! If you're wanting to do a physical release, then I probably won't be able to release it until after I get done with the aforementioned split tapes, so let me know if you or someone you know would be down for releasing it. I'm fine with it being an online split as well.
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