interview with Luciftias
Have any of you played in other bands? I've been involved with a few different bands/projects over the years. Aside from Luciftias, the only one that might be known to anyone would be the black metal band Vukodlak.
How is it that you started playing music? Everyone in my family played some sort of instrument. My grandmother indirectly exposed me to piano, organ, and marimba at a young age because those were what was readily available. The first instrument that was truly mine, however, was some no-name acoustic guitar my dad picked up at a yard sale. I picked away at that until I was 14 and received my first electric guitar for Christmas.
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? My name is John Beers, and I am 39. I contribute all instruments and sounds.
Have you had other previous members? Luciftias is really only comprised of myself. I've collaborated with musicians from around the world on splits and other releases though. The closest to an additional member would be my cousin, Caleb, who has been involved with a couple releases.
Did you make music even when you were young? I've always played with whatever was around; early on, it was mostly the piano at my grandparents' house. I started recording myself almost immediately after starting with the electric guitar.
Where are you from? Northwestern Pennsylvania (USA)
What year did the band form? In name, Luciftias formed in 2000. In spirit, I experimented with feedback-based noise recordings beginning in 1993 but never released any of it until Luciftias.
What's your style of genre? I would describe it as ambient/drone, but I've incorporated bits of noise, drone doom, industrial, ritual ambient, and a few other styles over the years.
What inspires you? In my younger days, it was definitely hard rock and metal. That much is reflected in the bands I played with in my teens and early 20s as well as my primary choice of instrument: the guitar. Formally, I've stated that Boyd Rice's work with NON was the initial inspiration for starting Luciftias, which really shows on the first two albums. When I was trying out different concepts for Luciftias, I looked to bands like Sunn O))), Godflesh, and Biosphere; the albums released between 2006 and 2008 reflect those influences the most. Beyond that, I create what is stimulating to myself first and foremost. If you go all the way back to when I was about 5, my bed was against the wall opposite the laundry room, and I often fell asleep to the washing machine and dryer being used. That was probably my first taste of ambient, white noise and might explain my lifelong attraction to such sounds. Conceptually, even whale songs, radio telescope recordings, and the didgeridoo all factor into the mix. Inspiration can come from anywhere really.
How often and where do you rehearse? For pieces that involve live recording, I actually often find it useful not to be overly rehearsed to allow some spontaneity to creep into my playing. Since post-production figures heavily into many tracks, rehearsal isn't even possible in many cases.
How have you developed since you started with the music? I started out playing songs by Black Sabbath, Kiss, Metallica...stuff like that. I picked up on trem picking from listening to early 90s death metal when I was in high school. That was one of the biggest influences on the direction my playing would take for about 10 years. As I got into second wave black metal bands, I was drawn to how the guitar parts meshed with the blast beats to become a sort of ambiance all on its own. I guess even listening to metal, I was attracted to a certain “feel” in the music. I gradually stripped away the percussion and the vocals and arrived at a place where I was working more with tones in the way an abstract artist works with colors and geometric shapes. I ended up going for a completely minimal approach, stretching out and twisting things into soundscapes that no longer resembled traditional instruments.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? I enjoy spending time with my family; reading fantasy novels; strategy and role-playing games; free (libre) open source software, especially Linux-based systems; and painting on rare occasions.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? The way most of my music is created makes it difficult to replicate live so I have no real need for a book agency at the moment.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? I've been working with Hallways of the Always Reckords since early 2015. I've worked with a variety of labels for both physical and digital releases, but I'm not tied to any of them contractually. In the past, I self-released a few albums, but I was involved with too many aspects and those releases didn't do well overall. Working with other labels allows them to handle the promotional end of things while I can focus on creating new sounds.
What made you decide to make this music? Luciftias began as a side-project while I was still in Vukodlak. At the time, I just wanted to release some NON-type tracks. I started experimenting with brainwave synchronization around 2007 to help my insomnia. You can look around the Internet and find all sorts of white noise with binary beats, etc. I never really saw anyone else utilizing that approach with original compositions; it's all generic ocean sounds for relaxation or self-help. I tried to find the gray area where science and the occult collide...where the discovery of hidden knowledge leads to enlightenment. Using brainwave synchronization opens the door to the recesses of the mind. At the same time, drone appeals to me because it's like stretching out time and becoming one with a moment that seems static yet evolves over the duration of the piece. I like ambient works because, in the truest sense of inactive listening, the listener often doesn't recognize that something was playing until it stops. Combining all of that is what led Luciftias to become what it is now.
What are your songs about? 99% of what I've done has been instrumental so I wouldn't say they were about anything in the way that we often think of lyric-based songs. That being said, I often try to convey a particular concept or emotion through sound. “The Great Abstinence,” for example, is inspired by the poems and stories of Edgar Allan Poe and chronicles the journey of a soul through the underworld.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? With the exception of any collaborative projects, I am responsible for the creation of everything.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? No lyrics, of course, but I might start out with a concept and a title prior to recording. Other times, the soundscapes themselves will dictate a title.
Do you compose in a certain environment? Ideas can come from just about anywhere, but the only place I really compose or assemble those ideas into finished pieces is in my home studio, Ritual Xul.
Have you done any covers live? No live covers. The closest to that is a remix treatment I did of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails. I also incorporated lyrics from Mayhem's “Buried by Time and Dust” into a track back in 2008.
What language do you sing in? The rare times that I've used vocals in Luciftias has been English or Enochian.
What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? Luciftias has never performed live.
What ages are most of your concert attendants? No concerts, as I mentioned; I'm not even sure what the average age of my listeners is, to be truthful.
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? If I were to perform live, what I would play would almost certainly be unique to that particular show. I have a handful of “songs” that could be replicated in that setting if I had the desire to do so. Everything else is more or less just abstract drone-oriented pieces. I would have to capture whatever mood I was in at the moment.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? My basement? Just kidding...no regular places yet.
What was your first gig like?What was your latest gig? Where have you played live this year? No gigs for Luciftiasas of yet.
Have you had to cancel a gig? I had been asked to play at an art show in New York City back in early 2014. At that time, I was unprepared to adapt my studio technique to a live setting so I looked for ways to alter my approach to be more accommodating. While my schedule didn't permit me to do that particular show, I did arrive at a guitar-driven, drone-oriented style that was partly inspired by Robert Fripp's “Frippertronics” setup.
Where do you plan to gig the coming year? No plans at present. That could change if the right situation were presented though.
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? I had a merch store on CafePress at one time that offered shirts, stickers, and CDs. However, that was back when I treated Luciftias as a side-project of Vukodlak and really didn't do much promotion. Nothing moved all that well so the store went away.
Where can people buy your merchandise? For albums that had physical copies, the best place is to try the label that released it. Besides the music itself, there might be some other merchandise forthcoming from my current partnership with Hallways of the Always. Check out the Luciftias website for any relevant links.
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? I still like and buy records, CDs, and cassettes because I grew up when those were the only ways to get music; I like something tangible. Now, of course, people want the convenience of having their entire music collection on their phones while sacrificing audio quality. While I can understand the first part, the average listener doesn't know the difference between one file format and another and is quite content using mp3s. This also brings to light the licensing issues compared with open formats like ogg vorbis and FLAC. That's a topic for another day though. If by “downloading” you're referring to piracy, I don't think it's much different than when people used to dub cassettes. Those who illegally download files probably weren't going to buy your album anyway.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? I think the music industry as a business is still struggling with relevance in the digital age. Artists no longer require a label to deliver music to their listeners. In some ways this is a good thing as it empowers the musician. It also means that there is a sea of poor quality music out there that a listener has to wade through to find something worthwhile. We've also seemingly gone backwards to being focused on singles once again rather than albums as a whole. Regarding piracy, you have two avenues. One is places like iTunes that have restrictive licensing where you really don't own the files you've paid for. In many cases, handcuffing audio files with DRM only fuels piracy even more. On the other hand, many artists choose Creative Commons licenses that make it legal for fans to share and in some cases, modify, files. Anyone who says that bands can't make money this way should ask Nine Inch Nails or many of the artists on Bandcamp.com asmany fans still choose to pay for digital files or physical copies in spite of freely available music.
What do you think of my work? I'm not very familiar with your work, but I appreciate anyone who makes in possible for lesser known artists to reach new listeners.
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? Additional exposure is always beneficial. My hope is that some of your readers might find what I do to be intriguing enough to delve into my discography and find something they can enjoy. Ultimately, it would be great to get the opportunity to work in some capacity on an atmospheric game or a short film. I would love for someone to create a visual work as sort of a companion to one of my pieces.
Do you have any role models or idols? Those who live life on their own terms and can be truly passionate about what they do each day.
Why do you think that they exist? Perhaps because I opted not to follow certain dreams when I was younger in fear that doing something I enjoyed as a job would take the fun out of it. Hindsight is 20/20, of course. I recognize now that those decisions forced me into career choices that I might otherwise have avoided.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? For me, it's mostly older bands. I do occasionally discover new artists that spark an idea though.
What have been your biggest obstacles? I've never been overly prolific. I can't manufacture inspiration so I'm prone to taking lengthy breaks away from creative endeavors when I'm in a rut. I usually come back refreshed so it's also a way of turning an obstacle into a positive.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? All creative expression is valid. Don't ever give up because someone tells you that what you're doing isn't worthwhile. Do it first and foremost for yourself; be your own biggest fan. Stay true to your vision and others will pick up on that passion.
How do you get psyched for a gig? Again, no gigs so I'll share my method for getting prepared for recording. If I have an idea that I'm really excited about, I don't usually need much prompting. Other times, I'll have a glass of wine to grease the creative wheels.
Do you have any new material? I have a new album coming out on Hallways of the Always very soon. It's called “Coordinating the Azimuth” and is a four-cassette box set in a DVD-style package. I have some other things in the works but nothing concrete just yet.
What are your web sites? Luciftias is on Facebook, Twitter, Diaspora, Soundcloud, Bandcamp and a variety of others. All of those links can be found on my main site at dronomancy.wordpress.com. After 10+ years I moved off of my old hand-coded web site to Wordpress in the last month. There's still a lot of construction going on so I expect things to grow and change.
How can people reach you? Emailing me at [email protected] is the best way.
What are your plans for the future? Working on the cassette box set took up the bulk of 2015, and I didn't do much else. My goal for this year is put out more free netlabel releases; I feel like I need to make up for the void of last year a little.
Do you have something to add? Thanks for the interview!
