Formed: 1999: - Oakland, CA  USA
Label: Profound Lore Records
Genre: Black Metal

Later I started playing with some older guys who turned me on to Discharge and Amebix, and that blew my mind. For me, music has always been about finding crazier, faster, harder forms. Then I got asked to play for Daverse who were my favorite local crossover band. I learned a lot, mainly that the best way to get better is to play with people who are going to challenge you. The Daverse guys listened to a lot of metal and it was through them I discovered Slayer, Metallica, Venom, and Bathory. That band broke up weeks after I joined but remained friends and tape trading bros. So it started with Bill Ward and Bonham, and moved to Robo (Black Flag), Bill Stevenson (Black Flag), Tony Cicero (Saccharine Trust) and George Hurley (Minutemen), when I heard The Melvins and Dale Crover that changed me but over the years it has been many drummers who have given me inspiration and ideas... Gene Hoglan, Hellhammer, David Lovering of Pixies, Michel Langevin, Dave Lombardo, Brian Downey of Thin Lizzy, Proscriptor,  Reed St. Mark, Charlie from the Unsane, Carl-Michael, Pete Sandoval, Tony Fag of Bomb...

Lately I have been listening to a lot of Raw Power, the Italian hardcore band. Their drummer Helder was mind-blowing. I also take the opportunity to pick the brains of drummers I know who are incredible like Chewy from Hammers of Misfortune and Scotty Pope who played for Artemis Pyle and now is confined to a wheelchair. That guy taught me a lot when we were housemates. A lot of times when people review Ludicra releases the writer will pick up that I am coming from a rather punk background, which is fine with me, I hate clinical, technical drummers with no humanity to their playing. I hate triggers, clicky bass drums, and unnecessary double bass.

Jesse: Ludicra is an interesting name. How did you decide on it and what meaning does it have?

Aesop: We wanted something that was theatric and melodramatic. At the time latin names sort of appealed to us, they seemed mysterious and black metal. Ludicra is Latin for "drama." Again, we were sort of going for a hysterical feminine Medea type thing. Laurie is the face and voice of Ludicra, I think she exemplifies the manicness, and overstated emotional edge the name conveys.

Jesse: One of the main aspects that seems to make metal fans so passionate is that they can connect to the members of bands on a very down-to-earth level as 99% of metal musicians in the world make very modest livings and hold down very normal jobs that Joe Schmoe can relate to. If you don't mind sharing, what do you do for a living? Do you agree with that assessment or is there something else more glaring that makes a metal fan so dedicated?

Aesop: I like many metal fans work a meaningless job that I only keep because it gives me the right balance of compensation and free time to work on the things that are important to me, my family, my bands, my writing. It's nothing worth mentioning.

I think one of metal's many appeals is it is simultaneously working-class and grandiose. It can be very pompous and chest-thumping one minute, and very down-to-earth blue collar the next. It can address very real emotions and topics or it can be completely fantastical and steeped in myth.

Jesse: In the Bay Area (and other spots along the west coast) Ludicra has been fairly accessible in regards to playing live which is quite the contrast to the other band you drum for, Agalloch, who have played live only a handful of times in their entire existence.  What is your opinion on the frequency that a band plays live?  Is it healthy to starve the metal community of your live shows or should you play as often as possible to stay fresh in people's minds?

Aesop: Actually Ludicra doesn't play live that often. I feel that if you play too often you lose some of the mystery. Agalloch probably benefits from not playing much, it makes it very special when they do. Bands that tend to play too much locally lose their followings fast in SF. Ludicra has maintained a good draw by keeping the live shows to a minimum. I think people look forward to it. We usually play only if it can be with friends bands who are travelling through, but even that is rare. Also when we have shows booked we are stuck practicing older songs that the people want to hear instead of working on new stuff. I think both bands are more interested in recording than playing live. It's the records that last forever.

Jesse: A few of the members of Ludicra are also main contributors in several other bands and even yourself with your recent admission into Agalloch's tight-knit family.  With so many commitments and so little time to go around, how does everyone balance it?  Talk about the kind of challenges that creates and how you deal with it.

Aesop: It can be rough. We have to do a lot of planning in advance. I usually have my year planned by February. Hammers of Misfortune doesn't really play live often, but Impaled tours quite a bit. We're also juggling various school schedules and family stuff.
 
Jesse: Speaking of your recent admission into the Agalloch family and because you were already a big fan to begin with, what was that first live show with them like for you?  Was it a surreal experience to actually be playing with them or were you able to block out that sort of thing and just play? Are there any plans for you to record new studio material as well?

Aesop: My first show with them was in Seattle back in March. I was a bit nervous, I had a lot to remember, but I felt ready and it was a great time. The audience was fantastic and I felt we played well. I had already known the guys in Agalloch from Ludicra having done a few shows them. I knew they were great folks and they made me feel very comfortable and welcome. It was a bit surreal when we were playing for about 6,000 German pagan metalheads at Ragnarok festival. It sort of sunk in at that moment. That was intimidating for all of us I think.

As far as new material is concerned, that is really between the three of them. I would love to play on the next record, but John Haughm is a proficient drummer himself and is more than up to it. We haven't really discussed this at length.

Jesse: What show and when was the wildest crowd you ever played for?

Aesop: Ludicra did a short tour a while back that ended with us playing at a house in Flagstaff. The kids who lived there couldn't believe we showed up and went nuts, tearing up the house. There was like 75 to 100 people crammed in this living room, it was gross. When we finished playing the room emptied and it looked like a bomb had gone off. There was also a notorious Ludicra show at a famous SF Leather bar where there was a blow job given in the pit. People still talk about that one.
 
Jesse: I know that you're quite the fan of old punk and hardcore as well as black metal in general, if you could pick one type of show to attend, would it be a 70s punk show at CBGB's or a black metal show in Oslo or Bergen in the early 90s?

Aesop: I listen to many different types of music. I enjoy a lot of early '70s hard rock/prog stuff. My interest in punk is mainly about '80s hardcore particularly from Finland, Sweden and Japan. I think If I could see any show it's probably be G.I.S.M. in their heyday or maybe even Uriah Heep around 1972. I would have liked to have seen UFO with Michael Schenker in 1979, or the Scorpions with Uli Roth. I get to see Uli Roth play in a couple of weeks, I am very excited.

Jesse: What does the immediate future look like for Ludicra?

Aesop: We are currently writing what will be our 4th full length album which we will take our time on to insure that it is our best work yet. We will start the recording process in summer of '09. So far the material is really coming along nicely. Some very traditionally Ludicra stuff, some very strange songs as well. We have a few shows in early October in the Northwest with our friends Wolves In The Throne Room and our soon to be friends, Nachtmystium. Then we will return home to celebrate our 10 year anniversary by playng a show here in SF with the mighty Corrupted from Japan, and Asunder.
 
Jesse: Once again, I appreciate your time and thanks.  Any last words or comments?

Aesop: Thank you for the interview and support. If you come and see a band I am in bring me something to eat, I am hungry.

Ludicra's Aesop Dekker

November 14, 2008

Interviewer: Jesse

BACK

BACK

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Laurie Sue Shanaman: vocals
Christy Cather: guitar & vocals
John Cobbett: guitar
Ross Sewage: bass
Aesop Dekker: drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

Ludicra Demo (2001)
Hollow Psalms (2002)
Another Great Love Song (2004)
3-Song EP (2006)
Fex Urbis Lex Orbis (2006)
The Tenant (2010)

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments: