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[Interview] Johnny Siera Of The Death Set

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12 years ago

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“We’re not scared of change,” says Johnny Siera. And after hearing the story of his band, The Death Set, it is an indisputable claim. The band has traversed the world, endured the death of one of their own, and will now have their song They Come To Get Us attached to the ending credits of the upcoming found footage horror film V/H/S. With a journey such as this, it’s no wonder NME called them the ‘#1 biggest hope of the future’.

Formed in 2005 in the Gold Coast, Australia, The Death Set began as a four-piece group, clawing their way amidst the local music acts, cutting their teeth playing gigs in warehouses and various rock and dance clubs. Gaining notoriety, the band landed a tour with Brooklyn art/noise punk band Japanther. Inspired by their DIY-approach, Johnny and fellow band mate Beau Velasco committed to giving the music their full attention by moving to Sydney, where they would focus on writing what would become their first EP. However, frustration with the local venues combined with a thirst for pursuing their dreams, Johnny and Beau moved to New York City after only six months.
 
Battling it out in NYC to make a name for themselves, there were nights when the two had to sleep on subway cars. After a few months of relentless gigging, a contact in Baltimore connected them with Morphius Records, who wanted to properly release their EP. Moving again, this time to Baltimore, the band landed in what Johnny Siera calls a “…frightening scene”, one that they embraced and thrived within. Their growing popularity allowed them to embark on a US tour in an old work van they bought. All of this was accomplished within the one-year time frame that Johnny’s American visa granted. Still, that expiration date hit and Johnny was forced to go back to Australia. 
“It was like this dark cloud hanging over our heads. We were confident in what we were doing and we knew it was awesome and we had all these awesome plans which were then up to this visa situation.” Still, making use of his DIY approach, Johnny went through a “…long, arduous but, in the end, fruitful experience.”
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Upon arriving back in the States, Johnny and Beau began searching for a label to shop their music on vinyl, which their current record label did not have claim to. Coming across Ninja Tune, the record label believed in the band so much that they purchased the rights to all forms of release, giving The Death Set a solid home. They released their first full-length album, Worldwide, in 2008 and eighteen months of touring followed, including several trips to the UK. But nothing could have prepared Johnny for what happened on Sept. 27th, 2009. His best friend and band mate Beau Velasco was found dead in his New York studio.
“Beau was my best friend. We lived in close quarters for three years doing this. We were in each other’s pockets. We put everything in our lives aside for this. We got on each other’s nerves, but most of the time we were laughing about stupid shit!” Here Johnny’s voice broke ever so slightly and he paused, letting out a deep breath, collecting himself before continuing.
“We met in the Gold Coast, moved to Sydney together, moved to New York, moved to Baltimore, live in Baltimore together. When I moved back, he started tattooing, living in New York and took a back seat from the live aspect of the band, which was what it was. Touring isn’t for everyone, y’know? It’s not much money, it’s a lot of work but it’s a lot of fucking fun! But after the first year or two, it kind of wears on you. So he did the tattooing thing. 
“He was just an amazing guy. He was very much a catalyst for so many different things, like tattooing, art, jewelry. People would come into his sphere and just be inspired. 
“But he, of course, had his own demons, which he was battling for a long time.” Johnny’s voice breaks again, the emotion and pain coming forth. Taking a long breath, he continues. “It’s easy in hindsight, but there’s not really much you can do after the fact. Everyone knew he was troubled in more ways than one, but no one really knew what to do, except try and be there for him. The good ones die young, right?”
Johnny describes how difficult it was to make the decision to keep the band going after Beau’s passing, saying that, “…we had just gotten together to write the second record and really go for it. That was when we were living in Philly and it was only a couple of months after we had just started to bounce ideas off of each other. For me and [guitarist] Dan [Walker], it was like, “What else do we do?”, y’know? We write music. That’s what we do.”
And write they did, in the form of 2011’s Michel Poiccard, a 17-track album that mixes punk, pop, electronica, and rock, and fuses them all into something that might not be easily described but is undeniably infectious. Many of the songs on the album are directly influenced by Beau and his passing.
“I think it would’ve been sadder had we not continued, leaving that memory of Beau passing. I just don’t know what we would have done if we would’ve stopped it. It was more just of an automatic thing where we kept doing what we do. I mean, what would I have done if we’d stopped? Go back to Australia and work at a 7-11? [laughs]
“It was really fucking difficult but, in the end, I don’t think Beau would’ve wanted us to stop. Actually, I know that for sure.
“I think the two biggest things that have kept this band going for so long is if you believe in it, just keep fucking going, and if get pissed off, get over it quickly, because it’s not worth hanging onto. If you believe in it, you’re going to overcome whatever obstacle gets thrown in your face.”
At the end of 2011, The Death Set embarked on a massive tour in Germany and surrounding countries as direct support to The Beatsteaks. The tour culminated with the band playing in Berlin to over 10,000 fans. 

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Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

Published

1 week ago

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April 9, 2024

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It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…

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