This Friday, August 12, Nuda Veritas (aka Rebecca Kopycinski) will be playing at the Apohadion in Portland, ME at 9 PM. She was kind enough to answer a few questions by e-mail about her music, cooking, and what's wrong with the world. Check her site out HERE.
Interview with Nuda Veritas
"It’s a pleasure to be responding to these thoughtful and creative interview questions. It’s finally raining – seems like summer has been sunny day after sunny day here in Vermont. I have the door to the deck open, the laundry is churning, and the Magic Hat Wacko is flowing. I’m going to do the best I can below, and that is all we can ask for, no?"
How do you describe your music?
I don’t. (haha) Or, more precisely, I have a hard time doing so. I’ve written and said lots of descriptions to people: loops + tapes + vocals + stuff, avant garde songwriting, meditative backporch folkadelica (defined aleatorically at http://kalvos.org/bullpen.html – explore this website for these men are refreshing…just got “iterative ecstatic sonic assault” and that is so f@#$ing perfect, too), etc. I mean, essentially, there are two sides to it: sometimes I just write songs (I call them “song songs”) and sometimes I loop s@#$ (henceforth referred to as “loop pieces” or just “pieces”). This dichotomy is for both your enjoyment and for me to stave off boredom. Plus, I never wanted to be just that girl with her guitar. The song songs are lyrically complex (it takes me FOREVER to perfect words; I’m a total word nerd) and typically super simple on guitar (because I sing better when I’m not worried about my fingers!). The loop pieces are lyrically simple, structurally simple, but have a lot going on in terms of harmonies and layering – lots of layers of voice, guitar, synth, harmonicas, beat-boxing, and spoken word tapes. So that’s the long description. I mean I suppose essentially I’m a songwriter but with a twist. That’s the short description.
There are some pretty heavy statements on your website about the state of the
world so I'm gonna throw a heavy question right back at you; what's wrong with
the world today and how do we fix it?
Oh geez, this makes me wanna go back and read the things to which you are referring. My website sometimes serves as the repository of cathartic moments. What’s wrong with our world? That’s a question with a dissertation for an answer. It may seem like, from the content of my website, that I am a misanthrope disenchanted with the world, but that ain’t true for a minute. There’s lots to love about this joint. And I am a believer in that the things you hate about others are the things you hate about yourself. The one’s you hate are merely reflecting your own self-loathing back at you. And maybe that’s where some of those posts come from. Or maybe I’m not exercising my favorite bit of advice: We cannot control what people do/our environment, but we can control how we respond (Says the control freak.) So what is wrong with the world? Probably TV, high fructose corn syrup, and fear. An easier question is most definitely “What is wrong with the music world?” I can give a more pointed answer to that: image. Everyone, from musicians to fans to promoters to label heads to record store clerks to critics seem obsessed with being in the cool crowd. With liking the music everyone likes. With wearing the clothes everyone wears. With having the bangs everyone has. With reading the mags everyone reads. Quite frankly, it’s hindering innovation because every a@#hole is more concerned about being the next coolest thing than about being true to themself. We’re breeding a generation of copycats afraid to stand out. We’re breeding a generation of fools that communicate without words. It’s a scary thing. But I could go on forever about this. Case in point: my website. I don’t want to sound accusatory or down on the music industry, because there are lots of people doing their own thing and doing it well. I just wish there were more of those people. Sometimes I think “ignorance is bliss.” I don’t define this cliché in terms of IQ or erudition. My definition of ignorance (in this context means thought that does not dwell on negative truths that cannot be changed. You know? Like why fret about television consumption when nothing can be done? So to fix it? Change YOUR perspective. Realize that the behavior of others need not affect you. You cannot control your environment, only how you respond to it. I went through this phase of listening to lots of BBC world service and reading Newsweek and following news online. That s@#$ is depressing! Our world is depressing. Hell, I just read about some chick who’s f@#$ing skull was run over by a dumptruck (may her soul rest in peace). S@#$ is f@#$ed up! But you can’t let that cripple you. You really have to focus on the beauty and goodness in your everyday life. That’s how we fix it. Don’t let it touch us.
You've said your music is 'chaos mixed with beauty' - what is your motivation for trying to pair the two?
Motivation. Not sure the genesis of this combo was conscious. Much of my music, especially the clouds of chaos and wack-tastic looping, came about through improvisational practice sessions at home. Realizing it was chaos vs. beauty was somewhat of an afterthought. The entire new album (Verses of Versus) is about opposites coexisting, dichotomies, paradox, contention, etc. It’s everywhere you look in nature and in society and culture. I found quite a bit of it inside me, which is where the bulk of the material comes from on the album. This theme pops up everywhere on VoV: “Opposites Attack” is about self rebelling against self and features minor morphing into major; “Sheets” is about alone time vs. social time and how focus on one causes the other to suffer; “L-I-V-I-N” is sort of about what I talked about in #2, that is, being a calm and happy person in a tumultuous and depressing world; “Didactic Ditty” is about the desire to change vs. the fear of change; and “Autonomy Isn’t Automatic” is about doing what you wanna do vs. what you think is expected of you. Once you start thinking about contentious coexistence, you see it EVERYWHERE, and the juxtaposition of chaos and beauty was just another example I saw.
What makes your live show worth going to?
S@#$, son, put a girl on the spot. My gut says: 1. I got some soul and if you like nice voices, I’m your gal; 2. I talk to the crowd a lot and I think that pulls people in and makes them feel included; I encourage banter and heckling; 3. If you like a little something different, I got some of that and I’m not too bad at it ‘cause I’ve been working at it for five or six years. If you like thoughtful lyrics or unique elements (tapes, anyone?), I got it; and 4. I have this rule…unless the crowd is BEGGING for an encore or something, you should really keep your set to 45ish minutes. Brains nowadays can only take so much. Sometimes I’ll loathe a band even if they weren’t that bad because they played 5 or 6 songs past when the room had had its fill. I know that’s kind of a weird thing to mention, but it’s valid. Oh, and I give this s@#$ my all, so there’s that.
Would you share your favorite recipe with us?
Well, hoooooooooooo-wee. There are many “favorites.” This time of year? Winter? Summer? Spring? All-time? My specialty dishes? Quick meals? Best meal for a crowd? Best thing to bring to a potluck? Hangover food? There are so many foods for so many occasions. I know this question comes from the fact that I have a whole page on my website devoted to recipes, but I can’t seem to pick one. Duh. Food is so good. I’ve been in all-smoothie-all-the-time nowadays, but that’s no fun to relate. Throw some crap in a blender, press “liquefy.” No fun. Well, since Labor Day weekend is coming and many people will probably be going to a BBQ, I will give you my tabouli recipe. It’s super quick, cheap, delicious, and feeds a crowd. I make my tabouli with quinoa because it is a wonderful source of protein and fiber (don’t get me started on fiber!). Lots of places will tell you to remove the little ring thingies off the quinoa, but that’s crazy talk. I eat that and you can, too. Quinoa is a 1:1 cooking ratio, like rice. I think. Google it. I have to every time. So get the quinoa going. This recipe is based on 1.5 cups of dry quinoa. In the meantime, chop a pint of cherry tomatoes (just in half), a cucumber or two (little chunks), a bunch of mint, and a bunch of cilantro. Put all this together. I tend to not give myself enough time, so I end up having to give the quinoa a cold water bath to cool it down. Add that. Drizzle in some olive oil. Squeeze a lemon all over that s@#$. TADA. Delicious and healthy. It’s very refreshing, too, thanks to the fresh herbs and cukes. There are lots more recipes (even though this section needs to be updated wicked bad) on my website: http://nudaveritasmusic.com/eats.
Any additional thoughts?
I’m just really excited to be answering these questions. Seems like I wrote quite a bit here, but I have nothing to hide. I sometimes think I should be one of those mysterious artists that make people wonder. But that ain’t me. And that would be giving them what they want, being a sheep in the flock. Again, I’m really pumped to be answering some Qs about this new album and going on the road. This album has been a long. Time. Coming. Two years since my last release. I’m relieved to be finally in the part where I get to drive around and play songs for people. Looking forward to Portland. I haven’t seen the ocean in a good two years and that, sir, is the only downfall of Vermont.