from the NOISE POP '04 program guide

for the past 6 years san francisco's IAS have been making intelligent, stylish art and music with way too much substance to even hint at trends or ironic posturing. here, ringleader dustin donaldson gives thought provoking email answers to generic interview questions.

is 2004 a new era for IAS?
to a certain degree it feels like it. a few years of solid studio work is getting wrapped up with the HIDDEN PERSUADERS DVD album (and all the surrounding recordings from the sessions, which are being sorted for other releases), we played more shows in '03 than we had ever played up 'til that point, and people are 'getting it' like never before. there's a whole new generation of music fans and bands, who aren't even aware that there was no 'scene' for their music until a couple of years ago, which means that the results of our devolutionary musical mutations are propagating. that can only be good for us.

where is IAS headed and what are you leaving behind?
we keep our creative options open, so there is really no way to say, but we're always aimed at beauty, truth, mystery. we often miss, but make damn sure that the results always land somewhere near the region of intertainment!

the band seems to be coming from a slightly different angle lately. for example, steering away from live drums and focusing more on vocals...
we're not steering away from live drums at all. all of our rhythms (in fact, all of the instruments) are played by us- humans. sometimes the sounds that are used are electronic- for example, on the SHOWN ACTUAL SIZE ep (which is what i assume you're referring to), i played electronic drums in a 'rock' style. we've never used sequencers or samples. as far as vocals go, yes- they've been a bigger focus for us in the last couple of years. being able to use lyrics and voices has been fun, and greatly expanded what we do.

are you always tweaking the formula or do you let things progress naturally?
there really is no formula that i can see. yes, we are constantly working on ways to get our ideas across more accurately, but successful results have to come naturally; they can't be forced.

what can people expect from IAS 2004 live? any surprises?
people that are familiar with us know that we always attempt to un-expect the expected.

there's finally a follow up full length to 1999's SENDER/RECEIVER on the way. what took so long?
'S/R' was released in '99, 'TELETWIN' in 2000, 'SHOWN ACTUAL SIZE' in 2002. 'HIDDEN PERSUADERS' DVD album will be out this year. IAS is more than just music. if you look at just our musical releases, you might be right to wonder, but consider that we do everything ourselves in a very detailed way: from the recordings, website, merchandise, clothes, videos, films, correspondence, live show, etc... and anyway, we've never thought of IAS as just a 'band'- it's a total environment of all of our ideas- therefore we feel no pressure to put out a record every school year. we've had myriads of offers from multinationals, which would certainly 'speed the plow' as far as releasing 'product', but would most likely take away our creative outlet. not worth it. they'll come around to our view.

where does IAS' sense of purpose and aesthetic come from?
from the realization that others are more afraid than we are.

from maintaining a child-like view on things to see them in fresh perspective.

from watching others struggle with the trap of irony as the only way to get humor into their work.

from the joy of experiencing something new.

along with a strong stance for individualism, there seems to be a subversive quality to IAS that you're only hinting at. COMRADES: OUR FREEDOM IS THE FREEDOM OF THOSE WHO THINK ALIKE.

- from the NOISE POP '04 program guide. by Mike Alexis.