Yearly Archives: 1998

Interview

Love Spirals Downwards Interview on KUCI 88.9 fm

The All Purpose Nuclear Bedtime Story Phone-In

Projekt Records hooked us up with Love Spirals Downwards’ mastermind, Ryan Lum, to –ostensibly– discuss next weekend’s first-ever ProjektFest LA show at the El Rey Theatre hosted by Coven 13. As Ryan lives within walking distance of the venue, it makes for the perfect choice for this chill, go with the flow musician, who apparently was reluctant to leave his neighborhood as he opted to phone-in his interview rather than drive over for an in-studio conversation. None-the-less, Justin and I had a fun, informal chat with the composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who is currently on the verge of completing the band’s fourth full-length album for Projekt. But first he has to figure out the lineup of musicians for next weekend’s concert and whether or not he should strip on stage or set himself on fire. Read on to find out more.

Interview by Anji Bee & Justin Jay of KUCI 88.9 fm. Intro by Anji.


Anji: Gosh, this is really weird doing a phone interview. It’s weird not having the person in front of us. Are you there?
Ryan: I’m just a few miles away, so I’m kinda “there.”
Justin: What, you’re in a phone booth a few miles down the road right now?
Anji: (Laughs)
Ryan: Basically I got lost trying to find the station, so… No, actually I’m at my place about a half an hour, an hour away.
Justin: Don’t give away the location!
Ryan: (Laughs nervously) LA, somewhere.
Justin: LA. Okay. That’s good and general.
Ryan: (Chuckles)
Justin: That should protect you.
Ryan: (Chuckles) I dunno. I’ve never had any, like, psycho fans or devoted freaks try to find me.
Anji: You haven’t?  

Justin: Well, you know, if you wanna give it a shot you can always give out your home address right now.
All: (Laughs)
Ryan: And my phone number.
Justin: There you go. You can at least get some crank calls.
Ryan: (Laughing) Yeah, no, I don’t want that. It’d probably be people that don’t even like us, they just wanna crank call us.
Anji: You’re a pretty visible figure as it is. I mean, I see you at clubs and stuff.
Ryan: I’m tall. I guess I’m easy to spot and stuff.
Anji & Justin: Yeah.
Anji: You really are.
Anji & Justin: (Laughs)
Anji: Yeah, in fact, I saw you at Coven 13 the day. They were filming for some Gothic underground thing on Fox, or whatever.
Ryan: Oh, is that what was going on?  

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Interview, News

Mean Streets on ProjektFest LA

Mean Streets So Cal, March 1998, Volume VIII – Issue 9

PROJEKT FESTIVAL: One of the most dramatic and beautiful nights of music awaits you…

By Ned Raggett

About 2000 years ago. plus a few, the Ides of March proved to not be a pretty good day. At least for a balding fellow named Julius Caesar. However, that was Rome and two millennia away, not Los Angeles and the middle of this March.

At the El Rey Theatre on Sunday, March 15, the third Projekt Festival will be hosted for many an appreciative fan, likely providing one of the most dramatic and beautiful nights of music for years. Organized by Projekt main man Sam Rosenthal, the festival, previously held in the in the label’s headquarter city of Chicago, will feature two of Projekt’s flagship bands— Los Angeles’ own Love Spirals Downwards and Rosenthal’s group Black Tape for a Blue Girl — and Santa Barbara’s faith and the Muse (who though not on Projekt are closely associated with the label via Darkwave distribution). Tickets can currentIy be purchased via Los Angeles at Retail Slut on Melrose, in Orange County at Ipso Facto in Fullerton, and through Projekt at 1-800 CD-LASER. All very well, you say, but why should you care?

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News

L.A. Projekt Festival

The Los Angeles show that I referred to earlier, as some of you may have figured out, is the Los Angeles Projekt Festival at the El Rey Theater on March 15. Check Projekt’s Live Page for the latest info and details. I haven’t mentioned it here until now because the details of the show were constantly changing. The original idea for the show was supposed to be just us and labelmates, Thanatos. Now Thanatos is not playing and the show has become the “L.A. Projekt Festival.” Some of you know that Suzanne and I are not exactly blissful about festival shows, so this will be our last festival performance and your last opportunity to see us at one. Later in the year we plan to get back to doing our own shows again when we do some touring.

News

Dewdrops Records compilation

Dewdrops Records included our song “Delta” on their new 2-CD set, Splashed With Many A Speck, released this past December. The various artist compilation also features our friends Closedown, Faith & Disease, The Von Trapps, Lovesliescrushing, and many more, including Cocteau Twins. The Closedown track, “Bumblebee,” was actually mixed here at our home studio by me.

Splashed with many a speck