Rocket Christ tempted into the kitchen

This week, Nate Cavalieri had the opportunity to catch up with members of Rocket Christ in the smoky den of the Feve Bar. Rocket Christ, formed by sophomore Vin Calianno and junior Kate Peterson will be a conglomeration of some of the most active students in Oberlin's New Music Department, making music that is probably like nothing you've ever heard before.

NC: Do you want to describe Rocket Christ a little bit, and how it came about? Can I bum a cigarette?

Vin Calianno: I just wanted to put together a group to play anything, as a kind of workshop where people in the group can write pieces that we will perform. It's definitely a performance group.

NC: What about the name?

VC: The name came from this painting by Mark Ryden. I forget the name of it.

Kate Peterson: It's called "Princess Sputnik."

VC: It has this image of Jesus Christ on a rocket ship. It's real funny.

NC: Who is doing most of the writing?

David Remineck: Mainly Vin.

VC: We're all writing pieces to fit the instrumentation of the group.

NC: What is the instrumentation?

KP: Sax, Drums, Upright Bass, viola, cello, piano, and voice.

DR: And Banjo.

KP: And extraneous instruments that we all play, toy piano.

DR: Banjo.

NC: How would you really categorize what it's going to sound like?

DR: Junk.

VC: It's going to be a really avant-garde rock-and-roll band, except with non-traditional instrumentation. No guitar, no electric shit.

NC: And as far as who you expect your audience to be here, will it be the same kids who go to the rock-and-roll shows?

Feve Worker: Kate? (sets down plate of fries)

VC: I don't want this to be a concert group, where people come in and sit down and watch you for an hour and a half and they're like, "That was really good," or "That sucked." That's why it's strange to be starting off in Warner Concert Hall.

DR: (Drops a fry.) Ah, fuck.

VC: Jesus Christ. (Eats a fry.) Thanks Kate.

NC: And Dave, your role in this whole thing? You'll be playing banjo and saxophones?

DR: Yeah, I'm going to be playing those instruments and do some composing. Vin and I have worked on a couple things. One of the texts was, "If you wanna be my lover you gotta get with my friends." Another was, well there was some guy singing down the hall from me and the text was, "The guy down the hall from me sounds like a fucking turkey." I'm going to try to write some more stuff.

KP: I'm going to be doing a lot of writing too.

NC: Do you make a distinction between the music you're writing for the group and the music you write for academic purposes?

Passerby: Hey, Nate, can I bum a cigarette?

NC: Sorry, I bummed this.

VC: The stuff I would write for the group is different. I'll know what kind of sound I want from the group. I don't know, I'm just making this shit up right now. I want to work on a song cycle for the group, but not anything traditional, something really perverted and kind of messed up. For the group, I think it would be cool.

NC: So most of the works will be written specifically for this group?

VC: Yeah, I like the idea of bringing something to the group and having them play it. Not like going to class where everything you write sucks because nobody can play it, or trying to get everything together for a Student Composers concert.

KP: It's a real cool thing to have an ensemble at your disposal, to write work and hear it is very interesting.

NC: All of you guys are involved in the composition department. What do you think of the state of the New Music department?

KP: That's a really loaded question.

NC: Well, it seems like it might be an interesting time, with the resignation of Randy Coleman?

DR: What happened?

KP: He's no longer the head of the department, but he's still here teaching. I think this is ... a very interesting time of change.

NC: In a positive way? In a negative way?

KP: In all different ways.

NC: That's a good fencepost answer.

KP: Honestly, there is a lot of fresh blood in the department and it's forcing new things to happen, and that's always good.

NC: What projects lie ahead? Will you always be playing venues like Warner Concert Hall?

VC: We want to play clubs, and basically anywhere. We're really working collaboratively on a film score.

NC: To what movie?

VC: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It is from the late 20s. It's a German Expressionist film. To compare it to something now, it's kind of like a Tim Burton film. All the sets are like curved and jagged. It's about this guy who lives in a box, and he doesn't talk and he is a somnambulist, and he falls in love with this girl and he kills someone. I forgot what he does. It's kind of like Edward Scissorhands.

NC: Is that what you are going to be trying to work on next?

DR: Well, the project has been postponed because of ER. The people south have to watch their stupid ER.

NC: So the concert on Saturday at 11 p.m., is there anything you want to say about it?

KP: Well, the group is more about performing than rehearsing, and that's the intent behind it. Some people agree with that and some people really strongly disagree with it. We're not about producing a sure polished performance, it's about doing it.

NC: If it is not about that than how would you describe the performances?

VC: Amazing.

KP: Complete genius.

Rocket Christ will be performing this Saturday 11 p.m,Warner Concert Hall.