June 2024
A Q&A with Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music Founder Martin Atkins and more
The past month has reminded me why I’ve grown to love Chicago. On May 5, I saw my dear friend Hannah Sandoz perform with other local artists at the Waste Shed, a secondhand art supplies store. On the 19th, I attended Humboldt Arboreal Society’s first house music event of 2024–DJs played out old and new hits amid the grassy expanse of Humboldt Park from noon to sunset. At a nearby house show this past Wednesday, I watched an improvisational banjo player from Nashville weave mesmerizing melodies as tornado footage projected onto a screen behind him. We’ve made it more or less to summer, a particular milestone for those of us in the Upper Midwest.
Feature: A Conversation on Chicago Post-Punk and Industrial Music
This month, I had the chance to speak with Martin Atkins, previously the drummer for Public Image Limited and Ministry. About three years ago, he founded the Museum of Post-Punk & Industrial Music (PPIM), a collection of memorabilia situated in an unsuspecting house in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.
I met Martin on-site for a tour and interview. We discussed topics ranging from the logistics of running a post-punk museum, to the passing of Steve Albini (a longtime collaborator) to Martin’s look-alike voodoo doll. After a lively and somewhat nonlinear hour together, Martin sent me on my way with a bag of PPIM-branded, Dark Matter coffee beans.
Dora: You’ve been open on weekends, but you say you’re looking to ramp things up and see where they go. What will that look like?
Martin: Well, the word I’m in love with at the moment is “heuristic.” The way that works is instead of thinking and planning, you don't do anything. You just let people walk, and after six months or eight months, wherever the pathways have been trodden, that's where you pave.
I didn’t know this would last three years. There’s no way I can stop doing it because of the effect that this place has on people. We’ve done whiskey pancake brunches here, bring your dog to the museum, popup haircuts. [We’re] trying to be post-punk and industrial with the museum instead of just like, “We're a museum–put everything behind glass, everybody fuck off.”
What kinds of people come into the museum?
If we'd sat down three years ago, you go, I would’ve said obviously it's going to be people 55 and older, maybe even with the Public Image Limited stuff, older than that. But three weeks ago, this guy came in with his two kids. It was [his daughter’s] sixteenth birthday, and she dragged him down here. She was jumping up and down in front of the 90s stuff. I sent somebody out for a cake. I know she won’t forget that. You realize you don't know shit about anything that's important to anybody else.
We had [Norwegian industrial metal group] Combichrist and two bands who were touring with them [come here the morning of their show]–I knew the tour manager. I’m like “Well alright, they’re on the road,” so I made sure all the towels were clean in the bathroom, I made a shit ton of coffee, I got Cheerios, bananas and donuts, and we had a blast. We also let Deaf Club stay here–there’s a bedroom in the back [and] a loft bed on top.
How have you seen industrial music evolve in Chicago since the 80s?
I mean I’m still discovering stuff from then with Steve [Albini]’s passing. Steve did the first Pigface album. You listen to [his band] Big Black, and they’re way more industrial than Ministry–with the Roland drum machine, [they] were the abrasive end of it and ahead of the curve.
Rather than being one of those people who's keeping tabs on where the scene has been, where it’s going, I'm more like, “Who's doing what?” I'm kind of outside of the scene. Because you know what? I came up through punk and post-punk and then whatever industrial was in the 90s, which was late for industrial. I remain interested in all of these threads and collisions. I'm not trying to discover the scene or preserve the scene or say what the scene is. I'm trying to do the things I've always done in different ways and see where those things lead.
Do you have shows here?
Not show shows, but we had a Chris Connelley acoustic set. There’s no room, that might be [it’s] something [we’d do] if we move to a larger location. I’m going to have Chris come in and tell his side of things–moving from Edinburgh, being on the road with Ministry and doing songs for Swinging Junkies and on [the industrial label] Wax Trax. We’re starting to do that, and we’ll record the talks. But it’s complicated, and we have to archive all this and make it nice and simple.
Are you thinking about relocating the museum?
Yeah, we grew out of this place a year and a half ago. if we had twice the space, it would be full immediately because people keep sending stuff.
You mentioned Steve Albini a couple of times. Do you have any thoughts on him or his passing that you want to share?
I mean, Steve slept on my floor in New Jersey in 1988 and made T-shirts for a show I promoted with James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem–[James] was my first intern. But that’s also kind of a strange touch point for Steve, because what kind of idiot asshole names a band “Rapeman?” Like c’mon. And I think he came to realize that himself. There's a problem with punk and rattling the cages. It’s like, sometimes the cage starts rattling you, you know?
But I was at his birthday party in ‘88 or ‘89, just as I was moving here, where Slint played. He introduced me to the Jesus Lizard and mixed sound on the roof. He did the first Pigface album–he did guitar on it and produced it. He did a project I had called Murder Inc. He also did six demos for me and Geordie [Walker] from Killing Joke for the Extremities, [Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions] album.
It’s really difficult to understand that he’s not around because he was just this fucking concrete block. So right now it just feels like a hole. It also makes this place difficult. Bill Rieflin, who I started Pigface with, is no longer around. Now Albini isn’t. So now if I play somebody the Killing Joke demos me and Geordie made with Albini, there’s only a third of us left, and that’s me. It just changes stuff.
I gotta question sometimes what I’m doing in that regard, like I’m sitting in a room with all this shit. But it’s wildly different than I thought it was gonna be, and I love that about it. I used to spend 16 or 18 hours a day in my studio, and then I started teaching kind of by accident and wasn't in the studio for 12 years, maybe. It was only because of the museum that I'd say to people, “Let's go down and listen to some unreleased P.I.L. or unreleased Skinny Puppy,” so I started to tidy out the studio. I'm kind of like, “Why did I stop doing this?” The museum has kind of breathed new life into me, which is not expected.
You teach music business, and there’s a big focus on ethics within the industrial and post-punk scene. How do you navigate the tension between making music ethically and making money?
Well, there isn’t any money in streaming, so I just say to people “Never mind even thinking about streaming, find a different way to make money.”
I have my own voodoo doll. Different people will put up a hundred different situations with my voodoo doll that will pay me back in social media traffic. [My] Damage manual, that’s $85 apiece. Someone was like “That’s outrageous” and I’m like “Yeah well wait 2 months and it’ll be 110 ‘cause there’s hardly any left. I cut my hands, I’m washing plastic in the bathtub. This takes a lot of time and it’s different. Go and stream something if you want, you can stream it for free, but this object is $85.
I think I’m really happy with that juxtaposition. When we do Pigface, there’s a $350 VIP. You can wander on-stage and play drums with Pigface, you can come to rehearsals–we’ll order food, there’ll be beer in the fridge, and you’ll get discounts on all the shit. But one of the things we do with the money that you gave is give people free tickets who can’t afford to come.
I’ve never had anybody [give me money] and go “Here’s this, do something crazy.” I’ve always had to fund the crazy myself, and I’m comfortable with it. I’m happy to have a conversation with anybody running a record label and a studio, with kids, about paying rent and having to do this, but I’m not going to talk to somebody who’s released one album about the pressures of releasing 350 albums, where your 200th album sells a ton and it’s amazing, but each one of the first 199 has had 100 returns each, so now not only do you not having the money you thought you had–you’re statement’s negative. Music business is a fucking place.
Thanksgiving we’ll do a choose-your-own discount on the website. I shit my pants when I did that [discount], I couldn’t go to sleep and wake up and have 400 people doing 90% [off]. [But] the most used discount is no discount because people who have money proudly [spend it.] I’m trading one kind of tension for another kind of stress, but I’m having fun with it.
It sounds like it’s about just trusting that the community will take care of each other.
Yeah, but also having some safety nets, because sometimes the community goes bonkers.
The Museum of Post-Punk & Industrial Music currently offers open houses and guided tours, though visiting hours might expand this summer. For more information, visit the PPIM website.
New Music
Out Now
Way Hap!, Player (self-released), post-hardcore (TBA)
The Chicago outfit’s second release this year reflects an emboldened inclination toward dynamic variation, drifting from a subdued, Duster-esque guitar rumble to an explosive, Discord-style roar. Jay Martin’s vocals form a backdrop to his guitar and [TK’s] drums rather than the primary focus–a reflection of the duo’s self-described “lyrics-optional” mentality.
Bloomsday, Heart of the Artichoke (Bayonet), indie folk rock
Big Thief fans will savor the river-clear vocals and acoustic instrumentation of Iris James Garrison. Featuring contributions from Slow Pulp’s Henry Stoehr, Lomelda and Hovvdy’s Andrew Stevens, and Tomberlin’s Chris Daley, the artist’s second full-length album balances lovelorn lyrics with moments of breathing room–the instrumental track “Night Swim,” for instance. Garrison employs bird sounds, audible breathing and other unconventional elements in just the right doses to add gentle warmth and color.
Fine, Rocky Top Ballads (Escho), electronic / folk
The Copenhagen singer-songwriter’s debut showcases her silky vocals and layers of instruments both electronic and analog. Some tracks lean country at times while others approach a shoegaze sound. The project as a whole maintains a dual reverberance and crispness bolstered by innovative songwriting.
Margaux, Inside the Marble (Massif), indie folk rock
Offering an expansive energetic range, the Brooklyn-based artist’s new release incorporates elements of indie both established and emerging. The result is a palatable, introspective album with earnest melodies and lyrics.
All Under Heaven, What Lies Ahead of Me (Sunday Drive), shoegaze
Evoking the likes of DIIV and They Are Gutting a Body of Water, All Under Heaven elicits a gritty spaciousness in their new album. The group ventures into subtler moments than previous releases while maintaining its shoegaze core.
Later this month
Zsela, Big for You (Mexican Summer), alternative pop (6/14)
Zsela Thompson’s unusual voice drapes like velvet over resonant bass and pleasant synth lines. The album includes collaborations with Daniel Aged (Frank Ocean and Kelela) and Gabe Wax (The War on Drugs and Soccer Mommy).
Mary Ocher, Your Guide to the Revolution (Underground Institute), experimental (6/14)
Known for her work with cult favorites like Mogwai and Red Axes, Ocher crafts amorphous sonic worlds from meandering synths, lyricless vocals and distorted samples. The tracks together form a luminous, entrancing non-narrative.
Cola, The Gloss (Fire Talk), punk-influenced indie rock (6/14)
With Julian Casablancas-reminiscent vocals and instrumentals that veer between melodic and dissonant, ex-Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy cement a palatable continuation of their musical career on their sophomore album. A minimal yet sophisticated arrangement of guitars, bass and drums invites more attention to the poetic, caustic lyrics.
Vesta, Castle on the Moon (self-released), R&B/neousoul concept album (6/14)
A montage of airy, upbeat tracks, the narrative-focused album follows Captain Ellis Monroe to the moon, where he discovers the secrets of a man rumored to be living there. Chicago-based Vesta pulls from local influences like house and other genres like vaporwave to create a sound as danceable as it is intellectually conceptual.
BAD BREEDING, Contempt (Iron Lung), hardcore (6/14)
The UK-based group unleashes a barrage of rumbling sounds, balancing melodic throughlines with noisier moments. The pacing includes suspenseful pauses as well as opportunities for moshing.
REZN, Burden (Sargent House), doom metal (6/14)
Burden represents the anxious underbelly of Solace, recorded conjointly in 2021. The album plods thick with reverb, particularly in the closing "Chasm."
Kronos Quartet ft. guest artists, Kronos Quartet & Friends Meet Sun Ra: Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Red Hot), experimental jazz (6/21)
San Fransisco’s genre-bending Kronos Quartet is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an album featuring collaborators ranging from Laurie Anderson to RP Boo to 700 Bliss (Moor Mother and DJ Haram). The project offers inventive interpretations of numerous Sun Ra songs united by their outlandishness and complexity.
Homeshake, Horsie (SHHOAMKEE), indie electronic (6/28)
Only two months after CD Wallet, Peter Sagar is releasing a project more in line with his typical, bedroom pop sound. Leisurely beats and soft synth lines shimmer underneath vocals whose sound and subject matter both convey a dreamlike fogginess.
Stefa, Born With an Extra Rib (Figure & Ground), Latin avant-pop (6/28)
Stefa Marin Alcarón’s forceful vocals float hauntingly overtop choral harmonies, acoustic basslines and unpredictable percussion lines. Listeners are invited into an emotionally volatile, evocative sojourn.
Previous Industries, Service Merchandise (Merge), hip hop (6/28)
Previous Industries–the trinity of Chicago-based Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave and STILL RIFT–make their debut together with what is essentially a concept album. The project centers on defunct shopping chains, weaving nostalgic musings into songs titled “Roebuck,” “Montgomery Ward” and “Fotomat.” Crisp beats and intricate melodies expertly hug the rappers’ verses, evidencing the mixing skills of Kenny Segal (Armand Hammer, Billy Woods) and mastering abilities of Daddy Kev (Flying Lotus, Thundercat).
Washed Out, Notes from a Private Life (Subpop), chillwave (6/28)
Packed with airy synths and bright vocal melodies, the Portlandia theme songwriter’s first album in four years comes just in time for summer, offering the perfect, dreamlike atmosphere for a day outside.
LOMA, How Will I Live Without a Body? (Subpop), folk/neo-soul (6/28)
Solemn piano melodies, orchestral instruments and ambient, electronic elements underscore Emily Cross’s caramel vocals. The lonely angst of the album creates a sense of winter amidst the warm weather.
Chicago events
Today:
Valebol (V.V. Lighbody and Danile Villareal) “In the Round” Record Release Show with Carlile and Elizabeth Moen at Thalia Hall (indie rock)
Sanctum Presents Adam X, Maedon, Ctrlzora, Vorp and AmberGris (location TBA, darkwave)
June 8 – Kai Alcé with Ricardo Roessel and Evan G. at Podlasie Club (techno/house)
June 9 – Dance For Humanity ft. Ctrl Zora, Eutopia, Penny Candy S.Lyre, Stecks and Warmcore (fundraiser for Gaza, Congo, Sudan and Doctors Without Borders) at Empty Bottle (techno)
June 11 – Bound ft. Katie Rex, Panterah and Flores Negras at Smartbar (techno/darkwave)
June 21 – Nexus 6: Sprite, Licious and Flesh_Bot at Subterranean (EBM/industrial, third Friday each month)
June 24 – Escher Step, Chad Kouri and I Miss Earthquakes at Cafe Mustache (ambient / experimental)
Tours
Shannon and the Clams (doo-woop / rock), Now - June 13
Clarko (punk), Now - June 14
Liturgy (experimental black metal), Now - June 15
Mdou Moctar (West African / rock), Now - June 28
Softcult (shoegaze), Now - July 23
Will Sheff (Okkervil River) (indie folk), Now - July 6
Sen Morimoto (art pop / jazz), June 20 - July 7
Sadly I’ll be missing many of these live events, as I’m in Massachusetts completing a yoga teacher training until June 14. The flipside is that I plan to offer yoga with live ambient music when I’m back in Chicago. Stay tuned for more info and get in touch if you’re an artist interested in collaborating ;) Otherwise, I’ll talk to you in July!