BATTERY was founded by Shawn Brice, Evan Sornstein and Stuart Scanlon in 1989 at Bennington College, Vermont. Its began in an electronic music class. The three boys realized that they could get school credit for doing industrial music, something that appealed to them greatly. In 1991, the trio moved to San Francisco, where they were signed by COP Intl. In 1992, Stuart moved back to the East Coast, and BATTERY recruited vocalist Maria Azevedo.

2. Why electronic music?

EVAN: For as long as we can remember, Shawn and I have always been interested in things that go beep. When I was growing up, my father played a lot of Kraftwerk, Klaus Shultze, Tomita, Walter Carlos, and I think this had a tremendous impression on me and my music. The instruments that we use are very powerful and expressive, It allow us to be musicians and composers simultaneously. Also it's better to spend all of your money on electronic equipment than drugs and alcohol, right?

SHAWN: Why? I have always loved electronic music. I love creating and using sounds that are not available anywhere else. When I was a child, I would do music concrete pieces with a tape recorder.

3. Are you concerned about dancability?

BATTERY: We wouldn't say that we are concerned - we are inspired to write many different types of songs. Sometimes slow and emotional ("Deluge", "The Other Child") sometimes angry and loud ("Manipulator", "Repress"), and sometimes pure dance fun ("Shame", "Transit"). We would hope that one of the reasons people are attracted to our music is because of our versatility.

4. Is there a scene in the US? Is it difficult?

MARIA: Fortunately, the members of Battery all live in the San Francisco/Bay Area, where there is a really strong industrial/goth scene. We just got back from a two week tour of the Midwest where the industrial scene in a small city would sometimes be made up of 10 people! A great, dedicated group of ten people, but still. We have been getting more and more local recognition as of late, because of "Distance" and because we've been playing lots of live shows.

5. Your music is reminiscent of Chris&Cosey. What do you think? The crossover trend in Europe?

EVAN: I think many of the early nettwerk bands were influential, more Manufacture than Chris&Cosey. Much of the early Industrial/New Wave crossover was stuff we listened to in the late 80's. I must say that I don't see a connection with our music and Chris&Cosey, but I'll take it as a compliment.

6. How do you like the crossover trend in Europe?

SHAWN: I don't really know much about the crossover trend in Europe. If I understand, you are referring to the combination of guitars and electronics. This has been the ONLY way for music to make it in the US, to add guitars. I personally think that it is a shallow minded view that there must be guitars for a song to be accepted, but I don't really think that you need to classify things like that.

7. Why female vocals?

BATTERY: We wanted to bring a new element to a mainly male-dominated genre of music.

8. Why "Gangsta's Paradise"?

MARIA: Chase from Re-Constriction/Cargo Records asked us to do a song for a CD compilation he was putting out of industrial bands covering rap songs. Shawn and I had heard the chorus from "Gangsta's Paradise" on a radio commercial around that same time, and really liked the musicality of it. We recorded our version of that song in two days, and just had a lot of fun with it. A month after that, we found out that Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" was top ten in Europe as well as America - a total fluke on our part! COP really liked what we had done with the song and asked us to put it on "Distance" - we hadn't even been planning on including it on our own album. We had just recorded it for the compilation Chase was putting out (Operation Beatbox, out in the US in September 1996).

9. Is there a message in the lyrics?

BATTERY: Depends on who's writing the lyrics. Maria usually writes emotional landscapes, with a crossover into self-righteous anger. Evan writes songs from the viewpoint of technology, and Shawn spews out the diseased contents of his tortured brain.

10. How does the German audience compare to the US (and others)?

MARIA: Germans are LOUD! Americans will clap and hoot, but the people who came to our shows in Germany made a lot of noise for the music. It was great!

11. What is your approach to samples?

EVAN: Make 'em yourself. Work them over and over until they don't resemble the original sound.

SHAWN: I just collect stuff. My new approach is the process. I like to see how far I can take a sound out of one context, and stretch it into another. I don't think that samples should necessarily be taken from a CD, or from the best possible source. I think that ambient noise can give your samples an unique sound. I also don't believe in the Holy Sample Rate (sampling at the best possible rate). The noise the sampler makes should be incorporated into the process. I wish that people would not abuse their privilege of sampling. I think that sampling could be a really great art form. Unfortunately, the lawyers are in the business, making things tricky.

12. What is your favorite synth?

EVAN: This changes. Casio synths are cool (CZ-101, VZ10M) Korg wavestation, Kawai K-4, Yamaha TX802, Prophet VS, Juno 106, Sh-101, all these are cool. I cant say I like one more than the other.

SHAWN: Gosh, that is one of the toughest questions I've been asked in a long time... I am going to have to say the Yamaha DX-7. It was my very first real synth. I am not afraid to say it. I love FM synthesis. It is an elegant approach to sound design, It is almost Oriental in its ideas. Don't get me wrong, I love Analog sounds. I just think that they are overrated.

13. How long were you in the studio for "Distance"?

BATTERY: 3-4 months.

14. You have not released any maxis, why not?

BATTERY: It's not worth the expense. We'll put a lot of remixes on the end of an album or an EP or on compilations.

15. Your songs are complex. How do you write?

SHAWN: It is tough to just say "We write like this". Most of the time, we start with a rhythm, and bring in a bass line & keyboards, and go from there. Sometimes it might be a musical idea, and the rest is built around that. Basically, if we go in one direction, and it doesn't seem to work, we take a different direction.

16. How was your tour of Germany?

MARIA: "A learning experience." We met a lot of really great people who were into our music. Even if the crowds were small at some of the shows, the people who showed up were really supportive and wonderful.

17. What are BATTERY groupies like? How do they look?

EVAN: We have groupies?

MARIA: Battery groupies don't have a specific look. They look like any other goth/industrial punk you'd see on the street.

SHAWN: ...

18. What is the most stupid question you have ever been asked?

MARIA: "What are BATTERY groupies like? How do they look?" (hee hee)

SHAWN: "Isn't that the stupidest question you've ever heard?"

19. Germany is the birthplace for this genre. What bands influenced you?

EVAN: British bands from the 80's, Chicago bands from the mid 80's, (and Kraftwerk, Mahler, Ultravox.)

SHAWN: Depeche Mode. The Cure. Suicidal Tendencies.

20. In your career in BATTERY, is there anything that you would like to change?

SHAWN: Yes. Everything. Nothing.

EVAN: We would like to get better distribution! There are so many people who contact us saying that they've had a really hard time getting a hold of our CDs.

MARIA: Totally, totally, better distribution. We are constantly frustrated by the lack of our CDs, even in the underground scene. Our label doesn't even service any DJs in Canada, because we don't have distribution there! Some things definitely need to change, soon.

21. Does BATTERY support you, or do you have normal jobs?

MARIA: No way does BATTERY support us. Its a labor of love. Evan and I have full time day jobs. Evan has his own Graphics Design business and has designed all of the Battery artwork, as well as a lot of the artwork for other COP bands. Shawn had a job before he got fired for taking time off to tour Germany with Battery and DLI.

SHAWN: We have normal jobs and normal lives just like everyone else. Give me a break.

22. What are your plans for the future?

EVAN: To be the only BATTERY in WOM.

MARIA: We are currently working on a remix album that will have a good amount of interactive CD-Rom stuff at the end. (CD+)

23. Do you collaborate with other bands?

MARIA: I've been doing a lot of guest vocal work lately. In the past year, I've worked with the Vampire Rodents, Deathline Intl, Slave Unit, Journal of Trauma (now The Razor Skyline) and Misery Loves Co.

EVAN: I've been working with an experimental band called Nux Vomica for about 4 years. Very creepy and beautiful music. Also I do a lot of solo work of the ambient type.

SHAWN: I've been doing some work with some of the aforementioned bands in the area of production. We are talking with Hate Dept. in hopes of writing some things together.

24. History with COP. Are you happy? Be Honest.

BATTERY: It's a work in progress. For us and for COP.

25. Is it a job, or are you friends outside of the studio?

BATTERY: We are all very good friends. We have cats together.

26. Describe your live show.

MARIA: We just get on the stage and rock out! Lots of people have told us that they like our live set because we're really energetic and into the music. The audience feels and appreciates it. We vary the type of music we play as well as who does what on stage. Sometimes Shawn or Evan sing, and I also plays keyboards. It is a various and exciting show.

27. Are there any last words?

BATTERY: Thanks to everyone who buys our CDs and comes to our live shows. We've found that a lot of the people who listen to BATTERY are hard core fans, and its these people who help spread the word for us. It means a lot to us when people let us know that they listen to and appreciate our music.

28. What is your private top 10?

MARIA: Its hard to do a "Top 10" because a lot of the stuff we listen to is from the '80's . My 10 personal faves: Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Sinead O'Connor, Depeche Mode, The Smiths and Morrissey, The Cure, His Name Is Alive, Current 93, David Bowie.

EVAN: Heaven 17, Visage, Kissing the Pink, Gavin Friday, The The, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Art of Noise, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Wolfgang Press... Sorry that's 11.

SHAWN: All the ones they said plus The Chameleons, Clan of Xymox, Simple Minds, Frazier Chorus, and just about EVERYTHING out on the October label (Sweden).