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Vacation from reality
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“People had all these misconceptions about our band, like we were some sort of Manson cult or something,” says Dark Meat bassist Ben Clack. Well, George Clinton’s philosophy in founding Funkadelic might be a little more apt for this collective of a couple of dozen people decked out in colourful costumes. “Early Funkadelic is obviously a big influence on us, but if anything, I would compare us more to Black Flag or those early SST bands. We all live below the poverty line so our behaviour is indicative of that, and I guess some people find that to be cultish behaviour. We’re definitely from different galaxies, though.” For their upcoming Montreal show, the Athens, Georgia collective has been forced to pare down to eight core members from its sprawling line-up of 25. With fluctuating memberships, touring as a 25-piece ensemble in the comfy confines of a ramshackle bus just got to be a major buzz hassle, man. “When it’s just eight of us, I think the music is more powerful and we are able to steer it easier into different directions. When we were touring with 25 people on a bus, it was a really beautiful thing but it was also completely insane. It was 25 people all hungover, sleep-deprived and on a vacation from their reality, and that could get really draining for everybody.” Whether featuring eight members or 25, Dark Meat have really made their mark with their live show, equal parts three-ring circus and gospel tent revival. “We’ve had some really weird shit go down at our shows—in a great way. Every night is totally different. We’ve had total nudity, teenagers crying, big rap stars losing their shit and taking off their clothes. Musically, we just let things happen and don’t let chaos and order mix too much. If somebody in my band is losing his fucking mind, then I think he should be able to express that on stage. When I see a band, I want to see people playing out of their minds and out of their hearts, and that’s all we try to do.” WITH SWAMP SEX ROBOTS AT |
