Pygmalion Local Focus: Interview with Smoke Coke

In an attempt to round out interview for all of the bands playing the Pygmalion show at Error Records tonight, I caught a last-minute interview with local C-U punks Smoke Coke.MC: What made you guys want to enter the realm of punk rock?

SC: DIY-punk is a living organism. You give to it, it gives to you. There is no other music out there that allows the expression of these ideals, stories, and sounds.  That, and the money. Punk rock for the money?

MC: So you guys go nearly three years back, tell us about where you're at now.

SC: We played our first show in May or June of 2010. The band didn't really mature into the Smoke Coke you know now until Fall 2011; we did some touring, and then broke up in early 2012. We are back together now, getting our eggs in one basket again, with a new bass player and a reinvigorated sound.

MC: You guys identify as "noise punk," can you elaborate on that? Who are some of your influences?

SC: We don't self-identify ourselves as any genre. The words we heard most were "blackened", "crust", and "d-beat". We draw strong influences from crust punk, black metal, and grindcore. To name names: His Hero Is Gone, DOOM, Avskum, Pageninetynine, and Iskra.

MC: You guys are from in town, what do you like/not like about the music scene here?

SC: We enjoy the small corner of the scene we hide in. Champaign-Urbana has an extremely diverse and eclectic set of music scenes. That being said, it's a jack of all trades and master of none.

MC: Do you have any more shows in the works?

SC: On November 9 we are playing at the Black Sheep Cafe in Springfield at this big show Pound for Pound is setting up. I guess it's their last show ever.

MC: Are any of you in other projects?

SC: All current projects: Sam plays in Los Assparados and The Stars, They Beckon*, Rusty plays in Pound for Pound and produces rap beats for the Avondale Kush Boyz (that is not a joke), Austin sings in Unnerve, Clayton plays in Laughboy and produces ambient electronic music.

MC: What are you most looking forward to about Pygmalion? As in what bands, what shows, anything else about the festival in general?

SC: MAJOR LAZER!!!*The Stars, They Beckon is also playing Pygmalion at the Independent Media Center in Urbana Friday night with METZ and Hank. You can find more info on that show here.Check out Smoke Coke's Facebook page hereCheck out an event page for the show at Error Records here