Paucities Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Mike: Paucities has been a band for almost 5 years now. We've had a few line up changes, played a lot of shows and put out a lot of tapes and records. As grim as our lyrical content can get... at heart, we are a fun and goofy band. We don't take ourselves too seriously and truly enjoy grinding!

Adam T: we like polkas, mince, napalm death, food, agathocles.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
Mike: We play "traditional" grindcore. Harking back to the sound early Napalm Death, Repulsion and S.O.B. Heavy riffs and blasts. We've been described as fast, angry and fun.

Adam T: raw mince/grind

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Mike:War, social interaction, politics, personal conflicts, and having fun playing in grindcore bands!

Adam T: food, negativity, friends

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Paucities'?
Mike:I actually found it in the dictionary. It means "scarcity or rarity". It sounds a little bit like Agathocles (having the 'ies' at the end) and there were not many bands around at the time doing the whole "mince" thing, so I thought it fit us pretty well.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Mike: We recently opened for Sete Star Sept in the summer and Biocidio a few months prior. Both of those shows were excellent. Great crowd response and it was a lot of fun hanging and playing with both of those bands. I've been told I have a lot of charisma and comedic wit when I'm up there playing. I've started to do excessive banter in between songs, kinda poking fun at the "grim and evil" voices metal vocalists would use to talk to the crowd. (Think old Venom and Slayer stage banter... ALRIGHT! THIS NEXT ONES CALLED..., etc.) I'm a goofy dude who likes to make people laugh. I want everyone to drink some beers, polka and have a good time.

Adam T: my favorite shows have been the show we played with rottenness and the show with sete star sept.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Mike: We've never really done a serious tour, but I'd love to take Paucities out on the road. At least to the rest of the Midwest if anything. We've played some out of town shows which are always a ton of fun. Nothing lined up as far as shows, but who knows what 2015 holds for us.

Adam T: we would like to play oef in cz republic.  well probably just continue to play shows around the chicagoland area.

7.So far most of your releases have been split's, are there any plans in the future to release a full length or ep by yourself with no other bands being involved?
Mike: That is always a possibility. We just have to find the time to write new material. Since we both live many miles away from each other and work odd hours, this can sometimes be difficult. I am surprised at how prolific this band has been and I want to say that is mostly due to us putting out so many splits with so many sweet bands.

Adam T:no plans at the moment but we would certainly like to do that.  we just wrote and recorded a bunch of material that has all appeared on recent split eps and one 4 way 12".  we are basically at square one right now so well just start writing again and see what happens from there.  were very happy with all the recent releases.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of grindcore?
Mike: The reception has mostly been very positive. I've had a ton of people from all across the world tell me they like this band and it is extremely humbling. I'm excited to read your review of the Atomck split, because I found a few reviews that praise their side and slam ours, mostly for the lo-fi production... but hey, this is grindcore.

Adam T: its been positive.  were not trying to do anything radical musically.  we just want to play raw mince/grind and we feel we do that well and so far people have responded positively to our records and shows so well just keep doing what we've been doing.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Mike: In our most recent material, I've noticed the fast parts are getting much faster and the slow groovy parts are getting slower and groovier. Maybe a bit more spazzy and technical as well. I feel like we should embrace that. We were also recently described by some friends as "minced out metal" which definitely brought a smile to my face.

Adam T: were going to keep doing what we've been doing but do it better with every release.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Mike: My biggest influences for Paucities are bands like Agathocles (obviously), Unholy Grave, Unseen Terror, Terrorizer, Bolt Thrower, Celtic Frost and late 80's/early 90's death metal like Blood, Impetigo, Autopsy, etc. 80's hardcore bands like Negative Approach, Heresy, and Battalion Of Saints have also had a big influence on my riffing style.
Lately I've been revisiting older Today Is The Day, Diocletian, Depeche Mode's Violator album, Goat (the psych band), King Diamond, Mortician, 80's synth pop, Italo Disco and Chicago House music, 70's heavy rock like The Human Beast, Truth & Janey, Dust, and Bulbous Creation. I've also found myself spinning classic stuff like Goblin, Aphex Twin, Cecil Taylor and noise/power electronics such as Koufar, Drag Age, Swallowing Bile, Gnawed and Deathpile. I'd say my taste is pretty diverse. One of my favorite albums of this year is Warpaint, self-titled. Might not win me any grind points, but it's a damn fine record.

Adam T: what influences me for this band are the greats napalm death, terrorizer, rot, ulcerrhoea, agathocles.  also mike and adam j inspire me.  they're fun dudes who know their mince.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Mike: I really love film. Mostly horror/exploitation as well as anything odd, disturbing or visually stunning. I am interested in death (and the ways humans cope with it), the occult, visual art, electronics, history, and I have an obsession with sharks. Overall, I'm a pretty morbid dude. Haha.

Adam T: i like racing my bmx bike around the streets of dekalb, IL USA as if I'm racing imaginary competitors.  i like reading true crime books.  i like watching spaghetti westerns.  i like spending time with my wife and daughter.  i like to fall on my face.  i like everything.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Mike:Thanks for taking the time to talk to us! Much appreciated. Cheers and mince! HaHaaaaaaa!

Adam T: does barry manilow know you raid his wardrobe?