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1.) Vents is proud to welcome to our pages the super-talented avant-punk band Cinema Cinema! Kicking things off, how was the first half of 2021 for you all?
Ev Gold: Things definitely took a turn for the better, at least for our collective state of mind, when we decided early in the year to move forward with releasing new music this summer. The months spent isolated during “peak” Covid weren’t easy, we didn’t practice or play a note together for about 14 months.
2.) Major congratulations are in order for the upcoming August 20 release of your new album and kudos for the single – A Life of Its Own – off of said album. Does it feel at all surreal that after all of your hard work in the studio that the public at large will now be able to experience the fruits of your labor?
EG: Yes, each time we release new music there’s a unique quality to the experience. Letting the bird fly. Your creation leaves the nest and has to harness whatever winds it can, to sail. It really makes us happy to have the remaining portion of the music from these sessions finally see the light of day. For clarity: “CCXMDII” was culled from the same recordings as “CCXMD”, our 2019 full length.
3.) The title of the new album is CCXMDII. Is there a Secret Origin story behind the name of the album?
EG: The CC is for Cinema Cinema, the MD for Matt Darriau and the X represents the idea of some sort of equation at play. The II signifies that this is the second in a series, a sequel of sorts.
4.) For those not in the know, how would you describe your style of music?
EG: It’s always hard to describe ourselves. I know that when the Village Voice used the term “experi-metal punk” to refer to what we do, it seemed an astute approximation.
5.) “Punk” is often plunked down in front of your band’s name – Is that a fair assessment of some of your past work? Does it hew closely to bands like The Ramones and The Clash?
EG: I think if the term “Punk” is being used with the intention of it meaning: free and unique, then yes – it is undoubtedly a good descriptive term for us, passed, present and future. We might hew closely to bands like The Ramones and The Clash in spirit and intensity, but sonically we certainly are nothing like either of those two legendary acts.
6.) “Free-Jazz” is a specific field of music Cinema Cinema is plying in their music. For the uninitiated, can you explain what the term means?
EG: “Free-Jazz” to us means taking an improvised approach with no previously prepared applications in place. To further distill it down, I’d say it’s code word for “no rules”.
7.) Going down the line, can each of you introduce yourself and say a few words about your respective roles in Cinema Cinema?
Paul Claro: This is Paul Claro and I proudly beat the drums in Cinema Cinema. I like to think of myself as the matador of the band – simultaneously egging on and guiding our sonic bull.
EG: I’m Ev Gold, cousin of Paul Claro & second core member of the band. My cousin and I have been at it, together, for 13 and a half years. I play guitar, sing and conjure lots of effects for the soundscape. Matt Darriau, our brilliant wind connoisseur, couldn’t be with us for the interview. He’s become a part of the group over our last few records. At first, he guested on “Man Bites Dog” (2017, Labelship) and then he collaborated fully with us, in creating the new album we are talking about today and also our 2019 full-length, “CCXMD” (Nefarious Industries)
8.) Ev, both you and Matt trade-off on vocal duties for Cinema Cinema. Is there a specific rhyme or reason as to who sings what?
EG: No. When it begins to feel appropriate for vocals to appear in the song, one of us generally gravitates to our mic.
9.) Paul, everyone knows that the drummer is oft times the glue that holds together the sound of a band, but you are also a mean percussionist. Who do you count as some of your personal influences?
PC: Early on I was really obsessed with Keith Moon’s drumming. His expressive and explosive style truly grabbed me as a young drummer and still influences me to this day. There’s something so free about his approach to playing, which is more or less the exact opposite of one of my supreme later influences – The Master, Neil Peart, whose precision and power is unmatched in my opinion. There’s so many others who inspire me, but on the percussion spectrum, I’d like to think of myself somewhere between Keith and Neil!
10.) Ev, you and Paul are from Brooklyn – How does Brooklyn inform the sound of Cinema Cinema?
EG: I think being born and raised in Brooklyn, there’s a certain quality, an acquired intensity, that comes from figuring out how to thrive and survive here.
11.) Cinema Cinema is known among other things as a rockin’ live band – How has the last year plus shifted how you all get your music out to the masses? Has touring been strictly out of the question during this time?
EG: As we were heading into Spring 2020, we had tour booked for April and were working on dates for October, when Covid changed everything. We entirely shut down. The shows we will play this October, in support of “CCXMDII”, will be our first since January 2020.
12.) Nefarious Industries is the home berth for Cinema Cinema. What about Nefarious specifically makes them the perfect home for the band?
EG: The Nefarious Industries family tree has a varied many purveyors of far-out sound. The thread that seems to sew a great deal of NI’s stable together is one of intense musicianship and musical chance-taking, that feels very at home for us, on our sonic journey.
13.) Final – SILLY! – Question: Best movie about the music scene – This Is Spinal Tap or Sid and Nancy?
EG: This is Spinal Tap!!! It’s a cherished piece of reverie for us. Viewed more times than can be counted on both hands and feet!
