Interview: Matt Chrystal Chats with Renato Gomez of No Mightier Creatures

Renato Gomez by Michael Bergner

I Went Out to See the World (It's Just Springfield That Got a Little Bigger)

By Matt Chrystal aka Uncool Uncle Matty

From the suburbs of Springfield, NJ to the space-rock sounds of Serpentina Satelite and back down to the bowels of mother earth, the ever-evolving Renato Gomez continues to shed his skin and assume his true form as the poet laureate for those bound by the struggles of their mortal coil.

Renato is a poet of Peruvian descent, a ghost of NYC and a transplant to Barcelona, who has channeled his biting social commentary onto seven concise tracks. He's christened the project, No Mightier Creatures.

Gomez is not a messenger or preacher. He is more like an observer turned objector…  one whose rose-colored glasses have not only slipped far from his face but have now been crushed by a parade of contemporary consumers, stomping by him on their way to the next sale or perhaps on their way up (or maybe down) the next rung on a corporate ladder. 

On No Mightier Creatures, Gomez grudgingly plays a pontificator at the crossroads of the great contradictions and boundless absurdities of a life lived amongst modern society. Gomez may not be trying to fan the flames of our cultural dumpster fire; but, with his latest record, he just might have lit the spark that ignites the next rebellion.

No Mightier Creatures was one of my favorite albums of 2017. I was sent an advance mp3 copy and played it continuously, pouring over the lyrics and assigning my own meanings and agendas to each track. In 2018, the album was given a proper release on vinyl, and I fell in love with it all over again.

So, I wanted to close out 2018, by dedicating some space and time to its indomitable creator.
Throughout 2018, I interviewed artists who were friends (Dentist, Yawn Mower) and heroes (Black Angels, Jon Langford, William Elliot Whitmore) and strangers (Blag Dahlia, Wooing, Lydia)' so I thought it fitting that I end the year with Renato Gomez of No Mightier Creatures, as he has played the role of all three.

Gomez was my high school pal (way back in the 90s, grunge rock forever, ftw!), who has disappeared and then reappeared during several epochs of my life, and each time finds both him and me nearly entirely different people from when we last talked. Yet there's a familiarity, a bond, which makes each conversation seem like only days have passed instead of years.

Here's our most recent conversation.

Uncool Uncle Matty: First, what's in a name? Where did the name No Mightier Creatures originate?

Renato Gomez: It's a line in a poem I found some years ago while studying at NYU. I wrote the sentence on a piece of paper and kept it in my wallet, thinking that if, in the future, I had a new project, I could use it. I guess the name found me. It sounded exact to me back then. I'd suggest looking for the complete poem (by W.B Yeats). No meaning whatsoever.

UUM: What did the writing process for the No Mightier Creatures record look like? And, if you would, how about a glimpse into the recording process?

RG: My previous experience was mostly instrumental, so it took me a couple of years to figure out how to sing and connect words in a pop song format. By this, I mean verse, chorus and possible variants. I wrote all songs with an acoustic guitar. There were more than twenty demos at first.

I needed some time off from work in 2016 and traveled back to Lima; got together with my brother, Dolmo (guitarist from Serpentina Satelite), and we gave these demos some structure. Then, the rhythm section joined and we rehearsed for about 25 hours during a month period before recording.  Songs got tighter along the way. The fact that time was a limitation -- I had to return to Barcelona -- gave us great focus.
 
We recorded about 15 songs in two days. The whole record was done live, what you hear on the LP are all mostly first and second takes. It had to be done on the spot, no time for fuck-ups. Some overdubs were included here and there, mainly guitar details or minimal solos, and vocals.

UUM: The artwork for the album provides a curious and abstract image. Your press release mentioned that the visual decay of European cities ignited and influenced your songwriting. Can you talk more about the influence of those visuals?

RG: Well, before I left Peru, I found these cables and boards on streetlights, their shapes were very familiar. They had some texts on them, and the strings were of plastic of different colors and tape.  When I lived in New York, I did not see many of these or perhaps my attention was focused somewhere else; writing poetry from my body.

As soon as I moved to Barcelona, these objects came back, as if they were forcing a hidden message. I bumped into them everywhere I went, and so I started a series of photos of my findings, no particular order, nor date, nor reference. I dislike labeling things; giving objects a purpose is pointless.

These no-objects, missing pieces of unfinished repair, paralleled circumstances around me, economic, political, and social. History glanced through them, bounced back to me from them. I found there a trace to start writing using words again; photography brought me back to writing songs instead of poetry. I was able to start all over again. My last book dried me out; I had to change the role I was playing, the character or tone of my voice needed to change. Photography was a way of plunging myself back to words and music.

The picture in the cover was taken behind Kunsthaus Tacheles in Berlin around 2012.

UUM: Your previous band, Serpentina Satelite, was known for fuzzed-out jams, with some songs stretching towards the 20-minute mark. But, with No Mightier Creatures, the majority of the tracks are lyrically-driven songs that are neatly tied up in three to five minutes. Was it difficult to reign yourself in, or was this the change you were looking to make when starting this new venture?

RG: For sure, I wanted to do something I had never done before. I was looking for a more stripped down sound, no effects, no pedal over-use, and no extra layers of sound.

The three to five minute mark of a pop song is challenging. You need to be more accurate. The lyrics need to fit right, and emotion should translate. If you are not honest, it just won't work. If you don't believe the fiction you're telling, others won't go for it. You have to project reality. No pedal can save you from reality.

A pop song is another template for fiction. The physical limitations of a vinyl record, regarding time and the amount of space per side is also an interesting constraint for creation. My favorite albums only have 6 to 7 songs.

UMM: While the record was created with the help of a band, many of your initial live shows to support the album were solo sets. Are there plans to make No Mightier Creatures a proper band with a set line-up or maybe a rotating lineup of players? Or will you continue on with it being a moniker for your solo project?

RG: It would be really interesting to have a rotating group of people participating, actually. It could bring more options and dynamics to the music, but this is something out of my control at the moment.

With all modesty, I consider the record is as solid as it is because it is a group effort. I am more of a catalyst, I guess. I lead the songs, but the end result is that of a band. This is something I look forward to do again. A band is a group of people dissolved in music. No egos, only sound.

UUM: You have spent much of your adult life continent-hopping and have stated the album was worked on in Lima, Peru and Barcelona, Spain. But, from my multiple spins of the record, I automatically infer that much of the material draws from your experiences as a teenager in New Jersey and from when you returned years later to live in New York City. Is that the case?

RG: Well, perhaps there are references in the lyrics that could be read as if they paralleled my personal experiences, but this is not something I aim for. My existence has absolutely no importance.
The lyrics work more as fragmented narratives of events or discourses and social tension certain individuals might be going through somewhere along the western world. It's interesting to use characters, names, give the verses a face the listener could relate to. The record is an outcome of my personal explorations in language and music above all; it is more of an effect or symptom, a sharp object bouncing back at you.

Recently, a reviewer in Spain said that this record represented "a testimony of the hardships of Latino immigration in Spain." And I wondered which of the lyrics in the album said this is about the hardships of Latino immigration in Spain? So I asked the reviewer. He said something to the effect of, "Well, since you had lived in Spain for a while… and since you are from Peru ergo...."

A song is a song, period. If you think it's about Latino immigration in Spain, fantastic! But don't label it or brand it "Latino" because the author is a Latin-American immigrant. That's just reductionism, 2+2=4 mentality.

I repeat: my existence is of no importance. Music should always be larger than life.

UUM: The track "Springfield" details small-town hypocrisy where societal issues are bubbling to a head under the surface of a perfect suburban city. While I am sure this could potentially reference the Springfield you and I are most familiar with, is it safe to assume that this is more like the Springfield of The Simpsons TV show, meaning it can be "Any Town, USA?"

RG: Couldn't have said it better: small-town hypocrisy where societal issues are bubbling to a head under the surface of a "perfect suburban city." This is what I mean by narrative or portrait. A song is a fiction. It is effective when it presses the right buttons. And you are right, but it can be "Any Town, Anywhere" these days, not only in the US.



UUM: The coda to the song exclaims, "I went out to see the world, it's just Springfield that got a little bigger." I was wondering if you could expand on that.

RG: Consumerism spreads. Gentrification is one of its strongest tentacles; blocks in a neighborhood are appropriated by real estate. Middle class is deleted. Money rolls in and cleanses minorities. The neighborhood sells more if we keep it white and unpolluted. This model replicates itself everywhere these days, pathetically.

UUM: Are you saying that the more you have traveled, the more you have seen that suggests injustice and hypocrisy are global problems? Or are you saying the U.S. culture of consumerism and corruption is spreading?

RG: I am not saying any of those things. I think this is what you are getting out of what the record is bringing to the table, and that's just excellent. I appreciate very much your interpretations. I have no intention in preaching. If you preach, you become a politician. All politicians are scum. And I think these are good questions, but it is up to others to answer them. This record is not mine anymore.

Just one thing: Let's not be so naive, at this stage, everyone is aware that US culture has been shoving its nose all over humanity for quite a while already. And not all the results have been necessarily friendly; the shit hit the fan quite a while ago.

UUM: You previously stated that concepts and ideas for the No Mightier Creatures record date back three years or more, yet your sentiments conveying anger and frustration in regards to gentrification, big business, consumerism, and the trampling of human civil liberties captures a pretty accurate snapshot of today's America. Now that you are living in Barcelona, on the outside looking in, what are your thoughts on the political climate in today's America?

RG: I honestly have no fucking clue. But what I think is interesting is that someone with a complete different background could gather together a few facts and point them out from a distance and be somewhat precise. Technology and social media bombardment can make you have a very strong opinion about the war on terror for example, but you might have no fucking clue about what's going on around the corner. Maybe I'm just being manipulated and this record is the result of social media overuse in a globalized cluster fuck.

But, I mean, we all know that extreme right scum has come up to the surface because your shit fuck president has given them a face to revere. Your president is the materialization of a scheme of values and decadence that has been building up forever. The Blob finally took a more precise shape and sound. It moves. It speaks. It is stupid. All the racism, misogyny, chauvinism, war, violence in your country has finally funneled into one big piece of human scum.

UUM: How does "Trump's America" compare/contrast to where you are living now in Barcelona? 

RG: Where I live now there is also conflict centered on nationalism and identity. The Spanish government is corrupt and leans with no prejudice to the right. Catalonia wants to distance itself from this idea of Spain. There is a background history behind this choice that dates back to when Franco was in power and all the atrocities he committed against the Catalan people.

Yet, what I sense is that, in the Catalan effort to be an independent republic, there is also a big sense of exclusion and segregation that has been ignited, mainly, by economic crisis. To me as a foreigner, the lines dividing "independentism" and fascism are very blurry. Personally, I find it pathetic that people still believe in concepts such as nations and borders and flags; a blurry geopolitical soccer game. It saddens me to see so many young people engaged in these discourses.

The one thing that I am sure about all these scenarios is that immigration has no place in any of these nation / reality projects. And I have absolutely no hopes.

UUM: No hopes? Oh man, I was just going to ask about your hopes future…

RG: This is today. Let's do as best as we can with what we have. Refuse and resist. Support your local communities. A little change can happen anywhere.

UUM: Ok, so focusing on the present… Any plans for you or No Mightier Creatures that you can share today?

RG: No plans. More coffee very likely.

The album No Mightier Creatures is available now.

Very limited quantities of vinyl editions are still available.

For more info on No Mightier Creatures please visit: www.nomightiercreatures.bandcamp.com.

Cool Matty C’s 7 Coolest Albums of 2017

Cool Matty C

There's Something About 2017

By Matt Chrystal

Ah, it seems not all that long ago we were all wishing for the demise of 2016, as it came to be universally recognized as the year that killed off so many of our beloved celebrities.

Boy, how time flies, ammirite?

Now here we are, or most of us are, hoping to push the fast forward button on 2017 (and perhaps the next three years while we are at it). It's unfortunate that celebrities seem to die each year; but, in 2017, we are also are witnessing what seems to be the demise of civil liberties, truths we held to be self-evident, and certain inalienable rights.

But, hey, it wasn't all bad, was it? I mean, we did get some cool new music! See, there is a silver lining in that cloud of orange dust that was twenty-seventeen.

So, anyways, here are my top seven coolest albums of the year. Why seven you ask? Lucky number?
Hey, maybe… I'm sure we could all benefit from ending the year with a little extra luck.

Or maybe it's seven because a wise man once said…

"Seven is the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 dwarves. 7, man, that's the number.
7 little chipmunks twirling on a branch, eating lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreaming about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby."

Anyways, step into my office for my top seven albums of the year,

Drum roll please…

No Mightier Creatures, No Mightier Creatures

Peruvian space rocker and poet, Renato Gomez, relocated to Barcelona, Spain and put out an album of stripped-down tunes that rail against consumerism, materialism, and oppression. Gomez, known primarily for fuzzed-out jams as part of the psychedelic South American rock unit, Serpentina Satelite, has kicked aside his wah-wah pedal on this new project and, instead, focused on creating concise tracks, filled with bluesy riffs, punk rock edginess, and biting social commentary.

No Mightier Creatures often finds Gomez reflecting back on time he spent living in the United States as he attempts to shine a light on the hypocrisy hidden away in both the suburbs and in big city living through scathing tracks like "Springfield," "No Light," and "Corporate Dream." This album could be the spark that that ignites a rebellion across the galaxy.

Ryan Adams, Prisoner

Can anyone put me in contact with Mandy Moore? I want to inform her that the things she has said and done have consequences… Ya know, consequences such as destroying Ryan Adams. I want to know if she has listened to Prisoner and if she was able to make it all the way through.

Or maybe I should I call her current beau, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, to warn him.

Or maybe not, after that last album Dawes put out, he might need a little Moore to ignite his creative fires.

Or maybe, I can skip all that and just give Ryan Adams a hug.

Ok, I digress. Back to Prisoner… Adams is no stranger to wearing his feelings on his sleeve. After all, this is the guy who put out albums entitled Heartbreaker and Love is Hell. But, on Prisoner, each song is an open wound; the pain is fresh; and each line cuts deep. The album as a whole is as moving as it is devastating.

Consider for a moment these lines from the track "Shiver & Shake:"

"I close my eyes, I see you with some guy, laughing like you never even knew I was alive…
I've been waiting here like a dog at the door, you used to throw me scraps, you don't do it anymore.
I miss your loving touch, I miss your embrace But if I wait here any longer I'm gonna fade away."

Ouch! And that's nothing compared to the following track, "To Be Without You."

Adams who once sang, "to be young is to be sad, is to be high," is now older, sadder, and sober on Prisoner and emoting, "I feel empty, I feel tired, I feel worn, Nothing really matters anymore."

Damn, I am here for you with that hug whenever you need it, Ryan.

Neil Young, Hitchhiker

Hitchhiker just may be a perfect album. Originally scheduled for release in 1976, it was shelved for forty years because the all-knowing record execs at the time considered it "just a collection of demos." Most of the songs that make up Hitchhiker have been released in some form over the years, and unofficial copies of the album have circulated amongst bootleggers since it was canned. But its official release finally came in September of this year… and it is glorious, especially when experienced on vinyl.

This is Neil Young at his apex, his vivid storytelling laid out in one piece during a single night's recording session, with only his guitar and a few pauses for "weed, beer, or coke."

The fact that material this amazing can be shelved for forty years and come out sounding fresh and fitting for today's world is a testament to Young's songwriting ability and speaks to the timelessness of the music and of Neil Young himself. Long may he run!

Go drop the needle down and listen to the opening double-punch masterpiece of "Pocahontas" and "Powderfinger." Go! Right now!

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Sidelong

Ok, so yeah. This album is also technically a reissue as Shook self-released Sidelong in 2015. But, thankfully, Bloodshot Records rereleased the record for the masses in early 2017. Sidelong is actually that good of an album where it could, and probably should, top "Best Of" lists every year.

I gushed about this album enough in my review earlier this year with my accompanying interview with Sarah Shook, so I'll just reiterate my point that Sidelong has all the components of a classic. It's solid from beginning to end. Each track can stand on its own; yet, once you hit play or drop the needle, you are not going to want to stop it or take the album out of rotation. There's a familiar feel to the songs as if you have known them all along, yet there's a breath of fresh air as Shook's authentic sound blends her confident voice with thoughtful storytelling and a plethora of biting one-liners.
Every track on Sidelong makes for a perfect selection for a jukebox anthem at your local watering hole or to put on during the (sober) drive there and back.

The Yawpers, Boy in a Well

Boy in a Well is a rock n roll opera / post-punk opus which follows the story of a boy left at birth by his mother, coincidentally enough, in a well in France during the era of WWI.

Nate Cook of the Yawpers channeled the raw emotions stemming from his recent divorce and coupled them with his love of history. He put them in a blender with a large dose of mid-morning hangovers and fever dreams and out came the perfect cocktail of mankind's primordial urges and fears.

I was able to experience this album in three distinct waves: I listened to the record with no information going into it and drew my own interpretations. I listened to the record while digesting the accompanying comic book, and then I saw The Yawpers run through the album live. Each time I was impacted hard with an array of emotions ranging from empathy, to sympathy, to shock and discomfort, to just full-on having fun for the sake of rock n fucking roll.

The Yawpers possess a raw energy that comes across on the album just like it always has at their break-neck, big noise, warts-and-all, live shows.

On Boy in a Well, the band offer up a compelling, full speed ahead soundtrack that seamlessly shifts from heartfelt to heartbroken and from soothing to screaming, sometimes all in the course of just one verse.

Ron Gallo, Heavy Meta

Humorous, satirical, and chock full of tongue-in-cheek witticisms, Heavy Meta plays out like Gallo making art by scrolling through his social media feed, passing by collections of people at Walmart ("Why Do You Have Kids?") ex-girlfriends he has yet to be deleted by ("Can’t Stand You"), exes that he has yet to delete ("Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me"), and scencesters who drew his ire ("All of the Punks are Domesticated"). I’m pretty sure there's a hidden jab at Kurt Vile tucked away in there too.

"All of the Punks are Domesticated" is the coda of the album and could perhaps be the perfect coda for the year 2017 itself.

"Now every room is sterilized, all risk is paralyzed
Meanwhile, the pop tarts climb the pop charts
The blood clots block your heart parts
And no one really has anything to say"

Well, thankfully, Gallo had a lot to say on Heavy Meta because I certainly enjoyed listening to it on repeat for many a car ride this year.

And if his big mark is just "an impressive collection of digital remarks" then thanks for that too, Mr. Gallo.

Deer Tick, Volume 1 &2

The Rhode Island rockers had a dual release date in 2017 for the acoustic Volume 1 and the electric Volume 2. Yes, they are supposedly two separate, stand-alone albums; but funk that. I listen to them consecutively constantly and consistently; so, for me, it's all just one big thrill ride.

The albums had a ketchup and mustard theme going on; and, for that alone, I would have been forced to include them among my top albums. But, thankfully, there was a bit more flavor to feast on.

As anyone who knows me is already well aware, I'm a huge DT mark; but, even for me, these two albums just seemed a lot to digest upon first listen. My initial thoughts were that they just should've taken choice cuts from both records and made one solid kickass album. But then, upon repeated listens, each song not only grew on me but seemed to speak to me and say, "Hit the repeat button again. You know you like this, motherfucker!"

I was also won over by the amusement I found in that my four-year-old daughter has taken to singing "Look How Clean I Am" during her bath-time since the track is a jab at celebs showing off their new found sobriety.

Volume 1 & 2 both have some songs that are introspective, some that are just fun lil ditties, some that are kinda self-indulgent, some that are kinda nonsense, and some that just flat out rock.

And hey man, ain’t that rock n roll? It is to me.

Honorable Mention:

Nicole Atkins, Goodnight Rhonda Lee

Nicole Atkins's voice is beautiful and soulful. There's a heaviness all through this album, but there are themes of empowerment and liberation that also permeate. The music has an enduring feel to it. It is simply a great album. And it's also cool to hear my four-year-old daughter sing the chorus of "A Little Crazy" as she runs around the house in a frenzy.

Happy New Year, folks. Here's to lookin' forward to some more cool shite in 2018!