Tag Archives: interview

Ectomag, interview (2005)

Publication: Ectomag
t.o.t.s. Interview w/Ectomag (Oct. 2005)
by; Sameerah

Ecto/Sameerah: Fucks sake, It’s been another shit day at my day job and once again I am running late. These days it seems like the story of my life. Tonight it isn’t a rush to get home and feed the cat or a potty emergency that sends me driving like a bat out of hell through the streets of Los Angeles. Tonight I’m going to sit down with Things Outside the Skin, the dark industrial trio from NYC who won my ears with their blend of insane sounds and kick as lyrics. I soon found out that this group of guys does much more than make awesome music. They are all brilliant artists that work on projects ranging from music production to television and everything in between. They are perhaps the coolest group of guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Now that I have settled in with a cocktail I begin my journey into the minds of Tim, Chvad and Blight, the demented minds that make up Things outside the Skin. Continue reading Ectomag, interview (2005)

Space Junkies Magazine, interview (2005)

Publication: Space Junkies Magazine
t.o.t.s. Interview w/Space Junkies Magazine (Oct. 2005)
by; Hare Mengele


[Hare]: How would you describe Things Outside The Skin?

Chvad SB [Chvad]: Like Godzilla a load of simplified messages in the guise of over the top, overly loud, and ultimately cheesy monster movie. At least that’s my take on the whole thing.

Blight Productions [Blight]: One part insane, one part funky, one part synthetic, and three parts rock!

The 1-2-3-4 [Tim]: The Charlie Brown of industrial rock.


Hare: What are some of your influences?

Chvad: The major catalyst to make me get up off of my ass, and start making music was, without a doubt, the single for Ministry’s “Jesus Built My Hotrod.” Prior to that, I grew up listening to DEVO (In particular, their “New Traditionalists” album, which shielded me from a religious upbringing. Thanks DEVO!), Men Without Hats, Camouflage, Alphaville, Peter Schilling, Falco, TSOL, The Dickies, The Damned, The Ramones, and stuff like that – mostly a combination of punk, and early synth-pop. What I had exposure to was somewhat limited as we (Blight and myself) grew up in a swamp. Later influences include artists like Frank Black, Michael Patton, Godflesh and The Residents.

Blight: One would assume growing up together, Chvad and I would have the same influences. Well, that’s just not true. While we do have some crossovers like the Residents, DEVO, Ministry, and the Ramones, I tend to drift more towards the likes of Primus, Bootsy Collins, P-Funk, Tom Waits, and Faith No More. Other artists such as Edward Gory, The Brothers Quay, Bill Plimpton, and Tony Oursler also inspire me.

Chvad: It’s funny, even though I do a lot of visual arts related stuff, I don’t think I’ve ever been inspired by a visual artist – wacky.

Tim: Budweiser and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Continue reading Space Junkies Magazine, interview (2005)

Dark Heart Magazin, interview (2005)

Publication: Dark Heart Magazin
t.o.t.s. Interview w/Dark Heart Magazin (2005)
by; Andreas

DH: First, tell us something about your development as musicians. How long has Things Outside The Skin existed and when and how did you meet? How did you get the idea for the name of the group?

Chvad SB: I started playing music regularly in 91′. Prior to that I had noodled around with it but never with any solid commitment. THINGS OUTSIDE THE SKIN has been around since 1997. Initially it was a solo project for me that has expanded to include more players. Current band members include my brother Blight on bass guitar and Tim Durland on drums. In regards to the name “things outside the skin”, that came about a few years prior to the actual start of the project. I wanted a name that could project an endless canvass of ideas. Some name that could embody any thing and any idea beyond the scope of my own person. A name that would allow me to constantly re-envision the product without changing the core identity of the band itself.

DH: Which roots in a musical sense do you have? Are you an electro or an industrial band?

Chvad SB: My influential roots are pretty heavily rooted in early synthpop, new wave, punk rock and rap. Whether or not we’re an electro or industrial band… I don’t know. The answer seems to change depending upon whom you ask. With as many inane genres and sub-genres that exist today I’m sure we fit in somewhere but in the event we don’t, it’s safe to say we’re just a rock band with a conscience. Continue reading Dark Heart Magazin, interview (2005)

ChainDLK, interview (2005)

Publication: ChainDLK
t.o.t.s. Interview w/ChainDLK (Dec. 2005)
by; Shaun Phelps

Chain D.L.K.: First, can you tell a little about Things Outside the Skin? Your mission statement, maybe?

Things Outside The Skin: THINGS OUTSIDE THE SKIN has been around since 1997. The idea for the name had been around longer, but there was no immediate outlet for it. I don’t know if there’s a particular “mission statement” for T.O.T.S., per se. I can’t speak for the rest of the band because in the end we all have different ideologies. There’s no set “group” agenda.

Chain D.L.K.: Judging by your discography you guys have been around for a while. How do you feel your sound has changed over the years?

Things Outside The Skin: Has our sound changed? I think production-wise it definitely has. In terms of the songs having changed in nature or not… that’s tough. I don’t really know. I’ve never been far enough away from my own material to really determine that or not. The line-up has changed significantly over the years for any number of reasons; though right now I feel like there’s a pretty functional unit going on with the current line-up. I like change, though. It’s exciting. New people bring new ideas and open up possibilities I would have never come up with on my own. Continue reading ChainDLK, interview (2005)

SuperCoolNothing, interview (2005)

Publication: SuperCoolNothing
t.o.t.s. Interview (2005)
by; Mr Drum Machine

[Mr Drum Machine]: This is probably the worst, most cliched question to start an interview with–but I can’t resist: what’s the story behind the name of your band? “Things Outside The Skin” sounds more emo than industrial–nary an umlaut or a “23” to be found.

[Chvad]: The name! It goes back a bit actually. During my first band (Recherche’) the guitarist (Raphael/Mortal Angel from Sealed in Silence) and I were in the process of creating a new project (the now defunct “Blood in Vain”) and “THINGS OUTSIDE THE SKIN” was one of the ideas I had had. I was looking for a name that used simple words that could project larger concepts, a name that could be flexible enough to keep up with constantly changing ideas and identities and I also wanted it to be a bit creepy without be heavy handed. Despite our (Raphael and I) decision to not use the name then in 1996, I wound up releasing a bunch of ambient recordings under the name in 1997 while retaining the name “Recherche’” for the heavier material. In 1998 I dropped “Recherche’” permanently and put everything into T.O.T.S.

[MrDM]: From the pictures on your website, one could assume that you incorporate a lot of theatrics into your live shows. For someone who hasn’t seen a T.O.T.S. show, can you describe what it’s like?

[Chvad]: I like to think it’s, at the very least, an energetic show. We really give the show 200% every time. Energy wise, whatever we have we try to put on the stage. It’s exciting for me to be on a stage and perform and at the very minimum I’d like the audience to feel the same excitement. As far as staged stuff goes…there’s always something new. None of us like to keep the same shtick for long so we’re always bringing something new to the show. Lighting and video has always been important for me. Unfortunately video has taken a back seat for a few years due to budget constraints but the lighting part of the show has really taken off the past couple of years. For me, these elements are every bit as important as the music. It’s a show. It needs to be a show and fun to hear AND watch. I consider lighting even when we’re recording. I’ll change a song if I think it’ll look better with a particular lighting arrangement. We’re restricted with time and budget a lot but I think what we’re bringing to the stage right now is pretty great. I’m hoping to re-integrate video in 2006/2007 but that all depends on whether or not I can get the means to do it. Continue reading SuperCoolNothing, interview (2005)