Whatever Brains
Download MP3When it comes to describing Raleigh’s experimental punk outfit Whatever Brains, quite a few things come to mind. The band dabbles into plenty of unfamiliar territories for a band that most would pigeonhole into the “punk” category, one the band doesn’t even sound too privy to. Rather, they see themselves firmly within the realm of modern electronic music, morphing together elements from aggressive rock like punk and garage while melding in elements of psych-rock to create a caustic conglomeration of sounds. For our November Artist of the Month feature I sat down with Whatever Brains to talk a bit about the music that inspires them, their opinions on the North Carolina punk scene, and what we can expect from the band in the future.
What resulted was a spastic interview that covered everything from the band’s origins with local music to their favorite cereal and youtube videos. The conversation is a bit indicative of what you can expect from the band’s music, regardless of how the direction you’re taking with it you know that you’re in for something that’s entertaining. While Whatever Brains’ past three untitled full-lengths have displayed a gradual progression from spastic punk stand-outs to electronically leaning front-runners, the band’s humility continually shines through. Whether you’re looking to find out about the band’s upcoming release, slated to be a “rock opera” split-single, or to hear about what they’re listening to in their free time, our Local Artist of the Month feature pinpoints what makes Whatever Brains tick.
Vocalist Rich Ivey delves into his songwriting process and the importance of lyrics while one of the band’s numerous keyboardists William Evans tackles the topics of contemporary influences. For the next forty minutes you can immerse yourself in our off-kilt conversations about the past, present and future of one of the region’s most underrated acts, Whatever Brains.
