Interview with Andrew Aircraft



Andrew Aircraft is the man behind the curtain of noise project, Debris Amour, Swim Harder Cassettes, and the metal juggernaut, Moutheater. Below, Andrew shares some insight into his various projects.

Tell me about the origin or Debris Amour, Moutheater, and Swim Harder Cassettes.

Moutheater started out as Tim and I. I met Tim through his studio (Doubloe O). My old bands used to record there with him and long story short, we became friends and started working on music together. The initial concept for the band was for it to be the most aggressive elements of the 90's stuff that we both love combined with various other influences.

Swim Harder Cassettes started as a result of another cassette label offering to put out a Moutheater release. Things didn't pan out with that label so I decided to do it myself, this became the No Ballet ep and SHC's first release.


Debris Amour started as a result of my growing interest in "experimental" (for lack of a better all encompassing word) music over the past 6 or so years. I needed an outlet that allowed both pure sonic freedom and for me to somewhat step outside of the box of the guitar (which I've been playing for 16 years) and guitar oriented music.

Do each of your projects fulfill different needs from the other? If so, how?

Yes and no. They allow me to do different things and have a wide range of places for my ideas to go but at the same time I sort of look at them as all one big thing underneath the umbrella that is my creativity.

Where do you tend to draw inspiration from, creatively?

The most horrible parts of existence and me as a person are often the focus.

The first Moutheater recordings had a more Jesus Lizard/Shellac kind of vibe going, but a little more aggressive. Recent material seems more direct and heavier. Why has the band progressed this way?

To be honest, we just do what we want, how we want, when we want. There's not any conscious effort to steer the band in any certain direction so it's hard to really look back and analyze something like that. We write, and whatever comes out comes out.

Your performance style (from what I've seen), or approach, seems a bit different between Debris Amour and Moutheater. Is it just a matter of Moutheater being a full band, or is there some other significance to facing the crowd, talking more, with Moutheater, versus knelt down, back to the crowd, with Debris Amour?

It just sort of is what it is. I do what I feel during every performance. So any of it could potentially be different every night. Some Moutheater sets I might talk a lot and interact with people inbetween songs, some I might not say much at all.

With DA I just sort of feel that's the best way to present it. I like being right in front of the amp and feeling the sound rain down on me and push against me. There are often points in Moutheater sets where I'll stand in front of my amp and push my head against the speakers for very much the same reason. It all really just comes down to what I'm personally feeling at any given moment.

While I haven't read the lyrics to any of the Moutheater songs, the lyrics to Debris Amour seem very hopeless, desperate, and, to a degree, self-loathing. Where does this stem from? Do Moutheater songs tend to follow the same suit?

Moutheater and DA lyrics are very similar. When I'm putting together lyrics for either project they're all coming straight from the same source, which is the ramblings and thoughts in my head and notebooks. In reference to where it stems from, I look at my projects as sort of an outlet for the most awful, ugly, horrible parts of me as a person.

You performed in both the noise/experimental and metal scenes... What are some of the differences you've noticed between the crowds, or is there any real difference? Do you tend to enjoy one over the other?

People tend to be a little bit more open minded in "experimental" circles but for the most part I think they're pretty similar. I enjoy both very much.

You run the tape label, Swim Harder Cassettes. What's the reasoning behind the label, and what are you hoping to accomplish?

I sort of stated the reasoning earlier. I really have no goals or anything that I feel I need to accomplish. It's something I enjoy doing so I do it.

How did you first discover "underground" music? Is there truly such a thing, anymore?

The very first band that sort of opened the door for me to underground culture was Nirvana. I write a lot about my thoughts on underground culture in my blog so for the few that might care about what I have to say about it, I would recommend checking that out. It's just too much for me to sum up here in a few paragraphs.

What is one movie, one album, and one event that has had the biggest impact on you?

Movie: Apocalypse Now, Album: Nirvana Unplugged in NYC, Event: Picking up the guitar for the first time at age 11.

http://andrewaircraft.blogspot.com/

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