Reuben Winter, local demi-god of the slomo wacked-out guitar and regular in the Auckland all-ages underground circuit, is usually too busy warming up for gigs by shredding away at ‘Thunderstruck‘ by AC/DC to do interviews. However, we did some arm-twisting, and he spilled the beans on new band Kitsunegari, their new EP and his fav music.
Been around since?
Dec/Jan. Didn’t really do anything till March.
Who’s in the band?
Reuben, Jessica, Eddie, Taylor.
What got you into music?
Listening to it.
How did you get together?
I asked Eddie, Taylor and Lliam from Cool Cult to be in a ‘Grunge/Post-Hardcore’ band with me cos I was sick of being in a sissy band. We had one practice with Lliam and kicked him out, cos he went to a different school and it would’ve just been too hard to co-ordinate practices and shit. So we asked Jess to be in our band, based on the fact the she was a good bro.
What other bands/projects have you been involved in?
Bandicoot, FATANGRYMAN, People People, Cannibal Faggots, Lol-Fi, Taniwha, Sheep, Dog and Wolf, New Zealand Music Awards, You Could Talk, Totems, Imaginary Friends, Indochinese Sex-Slaves, VelociRAPtors,.
Favourite local band?
TOO HARD. DHDFDs/Cool Cult/Nevernudes/most of the bands we play with that aren’t just being real generic?
Most interesting/influential person in local music?
Scot Brown from the DHDFDs. He’s just the best frontman, and he will fuck you up.
How would you describe your sound?
90s as bro.
Influences?
Slint, Smashing Pumpkins, Boris, Ex Models, Mastodon, Massive Attack, Pavement, At the Drive-In, Weezer, Mogwai, Dubstep, Nirvana, Shellac, heaps of other shit…
What are you listening to at the moment?
MADVILLIAN, Warpaint, Justice, Flying Lotus, Dark Art, Pavement, MF DOOM, Nevernudes.
What is your writing/recording process?
I’ll write a bunch of riffs and we’ll just jam on them until we have a song.
I’ve heard ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC is awesome – confirm/deny?
CON-MUTHAFUCKIN’-FIRM
You’ve just released an EP – tell us the story behind this?
We recorded it at our friend Daniel’s house, cos he has mics/mixer/other stuff. We didn’t have time to record the vocals, so I recorded them at home, and made a lot up on the spot. I mixed it on my computer, so I could put heaps of reverb on my vocals.
Favourite NZ venue?
Anyone’s house, as long as there are lots of people.
Best or most memorable gig you have played?
The all ages show in AK for Tommy Ill’s album release was probably the best. It was when we stopped being shit and suddenly became a decent band.
Most overrated band at the moment?
Pretty much anything people get hyped up about.
Most underrated band at the moment?
Warpaint. They’re like my new favourite band, and they should be mega famous.
The future holds for Kitsunegari…?
Lots of shows, a split 7” with Cool Cult in march (?) and maybe an album in like a year and a bit?
The state of music in NZ is….
Pretty allgoodz aye. A lot of shit cunts tho.
Michael McClelland
