Amie Street interviews Drew & the Medicinal Pen
I've been a fan of Amie Street newcomer Drew & the
Medicinal Pen since I happened upon him (it's a
one-man operation, really) opening a show in Brooklyn in November,
2006. Drew emanates the twitchy creativeness of a true artist, and
it's impossible not to sense it when you meet him. When he's not
making what he describes as "cigarette-butts-in-Chinese-food,
insomniac, vodka-breathed, bedroom-pop music," he's painting
graffiti of dead televisions (if you live in NYC and spend much
time out, maybe you've seen one), making videos, and drawing. Always drawing. But it's the music
that brings him to Amie Street, and his 6 song EP
Amie Street: You're a jack of many trades. How do you spend your time when you're not playing guitar?
Drew: I like keeping busy with other crafty stuff, working on tape machines, silkscreening, drawing, writing, keeping up with my dream-logues, painting on walls, eating cereal and making booby traps... etc. When I'm not playing I'm working for Rooftop Films, and talking my way into other odd jobs.
AS: What's with the dead TV's?
D: I guess the Dead TV has officially become my unofficial logo over the years. I started doing graffiti when I was a kid, and it's just something that I kept drawing. I suppose the reason it's stuck is that it's got that DIY, anti-consumerism, get-up-and-do-something mentality behind it that seems to tie in to my music.
AS: I've started noticing a bunch of them around town. How many do you think you've done in total?
D: I guess it would be high in the hundreds? I don't know. I just go nuts sometimes and feel like running around the city climbing on things and painting them.
AS: Tell me about the xylophone from Sam Ash.
D: Right the xylophone... I was on a pretty tight budget recording
Pins + Needles
(AS: A lot of your performances are parties that you host, not straight-up shows. What's involved in putting something like that together?
D: A lot of calling in favors, borrowing gear, rounding up people through my mailing list, drawing a good flyer, Myspace and such. Sometimes I'll go through my whole phone and call everyone I know when I'm sure it's gonna be a good show. It ends up being twice the work, but I prefer it because I get to have bands perform that I believe in, and that I know deserve the crowd. It's also much more intimate; when I throw apartment shows and parties, people sit down and listen, then save the bouncing off the walls for the after-set dance party. It's a good mix. I like bringing good music and good people together, so I'm just gonna keep doing it until I get evicted.
AS: And finally, since we're in the business of making recommendations here on Amie Street: if you had to pick one song from the record that you'd call your favorite, what would it be and why?
D: That's tough... I think it would have to be
A City was Born
(
*Bonus* - Here's a video for
Hole in my Sail
featuring
footage from one of the apartment shows described above:
August 17th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Drew & the Medicine Pen have a fun sound, and it’s finding artists like this that makes this site so much fun. “A City Was Born” is my favorite track, but he clearly has musical talent and a vision to use non-conventional methods to put together good music. I hope to hear more from him soon.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:53 am
“Dream, dream, fail, repeat” is definitely on my top 10 album list, despite it being a 6-track EP and not a full LP. In those six songs there’s more lyrical meaning and musical intricacy than most of the current music market. It’s amazing. I have to agree on “A City Was Born” being my favorite, as well as “Hole In My Sail.” Drew’s video work is interesting, too, combining everyday images with very specific music that creates a vivid mood. Very talented.
January 4th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Kind of sucks, then again most things coming out of my hometown Brooklyn suck these days. Oh sure, we had bands back in the day that wrote music that meant something, then again these guys actually have hometown scars. Now were left with a bunch of trustfund brats who think our neighborhoods are fucking playgrounds where they can showcase their crap at our expense.