Artists on Trial: Dead Ven
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
Dead Ven: Street-folk, positive anthems of discontent for the working class. Woody Guthrie meets OI! a la Angelic Upstarts…? Damn. It all sounds so pretentious.
The Deli: What other artists are you looking forward to seeing at MotM?
Dead Ven: Besides all my Money Wolf Music family and all the great KC bands I see all the time?
The Whigs—I'm a sucker for '90's, ‘00's alternative, stoked to see
White Lung and a lot of other bands I haven't gotten to experience yet!
The Deli: Let’s talk about something you have coming up this year. What can we expect?
Dead Ven: Dead Ven has an ultra-limited 7" pre-order coming out in the next month or so on Money Wolf Music with punk legend
Kevin Seconds of
7seconds. It's a dream for me, growing up listening to 7seconds and all the the great hardcore-punk of that era—plus he's a great guy and his singer-songwriter stuff is incredibly passionate and well-written.
The Deli: So, you guys are playing Center of the City Fest too? Busy!
Dead Ven: Wow, you noticed. Yeah, I think we're the only band playing the "fest" and the "anti-fest,” haha. Dead Ven was asked back to return to Center of the City after playing the inaugural fest last year and prior to Money Wolf Music being given a stage at Middle of the Map. There's a lot of backstory in there, but we're happy as hell to be participating in anything and everything that supports Kansas City and all the music and arts contained therein. I think in the end, that's what everyone involved in both is really going for: growing the scene.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Dead Ven: Go to shows. Buy the records. Eat/drink Boulevard at the bar. Tell people about shows and bands you like. Make something cool happen. Be excellent to each other.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
Dead Ven: Wow, so many. Of course all my (obligatory self-promotion) Money Wolf Music labelmates— there's so much talent there, but recent discoveries? I just saw
The Electric Lungs and they put on a hell of a show,
The New Riddim made me "skank" for the first time in a decade, love
Bent Left,
Smash the State and
The Rackatees (Lawrence) bros and their ethic about making stuff happen. I also just had a chance to play a stripped down set with Gregg Todt; that dude is so intensely good.
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
Dead Ven: Bob Fucking Mould put out a new record this year. Bruce Springsteen put out a new one last year. Also, I could list about a hundred more punk bands that are currently slaying. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I still love Tim Armstrong and Chuck Ragan and Hot Water Music.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Dead Ven: The one where all my best friends spend part of the show in the crowd and part on stage and we all sing along with each other's songs. Also, if I could play claves for The Foo Fighters.
The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?
Dead Ven: Stage, all stage. I’ll never be a “recording artist.” That's not my jam; I'm in it for the community, the experience of sharing with good people. I greatly prefer hearing the noise of a show over myself in some earphones, plus I get tired of my songs really easily.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Dead Ven: Neil Young, Ian MacKaye, Bruce Springsteen. No explanation, but god that makes me feel old. And… Fred Durst. Yeah, Fred Durst for sure.
The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
Dead Ven: RISE ABOVE. STAY WILD. FOREVER TRY.
Dead Ven is:
Ven Smith
Nathan Long
Ethan Taylor
Justin Penney
Dennis Hinaris
--Michelle Bacon
This Emerging Artist is based in Los Angeles,
check out other talented locals we picked
for our Los Angeles Artist of the Month poll below!
