Chris Pfunder of VHS or Beta sat down with Tone Deaf to talk about the new album, relocating to Brooklyn, touring and much more. Craig introduces himself, naturally…
CP: My name is Craig Pfunder. I am one of the two remaining founding members of VHS or Beta. I sing, play guitar and write and produce with Mark, who is the other last remaining member.
TD: What can listeners expect from Diamonds And Death?
CP: I guess I can only compare it to the other records. It is a record full of longer compositions. It strayed away from the formula of guitar-based dance rock. It is the first record that Mark and I wrote together. Which kind of marks a significant change in how the processes happened; it’s way more electronic, more of a record that we have been wanting to make for a long time. We just never got around to making it, partly because there were so many cooks in the kitchen. So I think we are really excited about the progress of this particular record.
TD: You moved to Brooklyn before producing this album. Do you feel that strongly influenced the sound?
CP: I mean I think it would be impossible for it not to have. I feel like that we always really been influenced by our situation. Back when we were first starting the band our surroundings and our struggle with certain things in the music scene really helped shape the music and the process. I think, inevitably, the fact that we wrote this record the way we did in a studio in the isolated part of Brooklyn, the surrounding area clubs and the music that we were exposed to, yeah, it certainly influenced it. I don’t think it really created this record though. We would of found this record if it had not been for New York. [But] I definitely think it changed some of the tone and some of the mood.
TD: How long did the recording and writing process take?
CP: The recording happened gradually; it was the first record that Mark and I wrote together. Significantly, it was the first record that we recorded and produced together as well. We recorded in our studio in Brooklyn, we recorded the drums in studio in Manhattan and we mixed the recording in Manhattan.
The record took a while. When we really started getting into it it probably took a year. After touring so long with Bring On The Comets and taking a little time to decompress from all that touring, figuring out where we were going next, what sounds we wanted to use, and the big move and losing a member. We went through a lot of things during the process of making this record. It’s a couple of years in between records but I think all in all it took a year to get done.
TD: What was the idea behind Diamonds And Death as a title?
CP:Well it was the name of a song that I wrote. As the record started taking shape, it was a little bit more clear where it was going. Mark – the bass player, producer, partner – he just threw it out there: “Why don’t we call it Diamonds And Death? It’s got a ring to it.” And when we thought about it the record just kind of fell into that.
I never really want to go too far into what it means; I like to leave that to the listener to interrupt for themselves. It was just a decision we made after months of the process of the record. The art work started coming together and it felt like a proper name to collect these songs under.
TD: The film clip for “Breaking Bones” has become really popular. Are the rumours true; was it influenced by Tumblr?
CP: Well, to be honest, I knew these guys in Brooklyn. They were graphic designers into film and what not. I went to an art show in Brooklyn and I saw their digital work. Basically it revolved around those animated gifs. Now those were on Tumblr. My hiring them to do the video had nothing to do with Tumblr, it had everything to do with me seeing their art work in a large format.
It was digital art show…I just wanted to use that particular aesthetic in a video with us, and I approached them about it. They were excited and, you know, a lot of people had seen their work previously on Tumblr sites. I actually had a personal relationship with them before but that’s how people know them, because they have this name called pixelfucks. A lot of the aesthetic in the video was based on that particular stuff.
TD: Do you prefer to be in the studio or on tour?
CP: Well, that’s a good question. They both present their own individual unique happiness, but also at the same time, their own individual unique obstacles. I really, really, do enjoy playing live, especially when the crowd is there, and you see they’re into it, it’s like such a positive thing to emote and do that. But there’s really nothing like finishing or crafting something, and feeling like you’re really super proud of something that you have done in the studio, so I dunno if I can really pick one.
I will say the older we get the touring – we have just been touring for so long – I’m still not sick of it, I still really love it. Mark and I are getting ready to go back into the studio and keep writing for a new EP or record even, that soon. We are really excited about that, we love getting into the studio and working.
TD: Can we expect you in Australia anytime soon?
CF: I guess that’s up to the reception of the record, we were there for the last record and that was great. Australia was such a kind market to us. We really, really, really enjoyed being there. It’s just so far away, so obviously the expenses of getting there, getting the shows and getting it properly promoted and what not… I mean, I’d end up playing there tomorrow if a show got booked.
I think some people thought that we broke up or they didn’t know what was going on with us, because we went through so many personal things between records. But now that we are back out, hopefully the reception will be good and we can get out to Australia as soon as possible because it was such a great market to us in the past. We’ve got friends like the Cut Copy guys and The Presets guys, we have known for years, so it would be nice to get back to Australia.
TD: Who would you like to collaborate with?
CP: Yes I mean I’ve always thought about situations, about collaborating with different people. Let me think for a minute.
Interesting enough, I feel a pretty strong kinship to the Cut Copy guys, as far as the music they have been making over the years and the general aesthetic. I think it would be probably pretty fun to make music with those guys. I’m also into a lot of other weird stuff. There is a group called Caribou that I think are pretty awesome and interesting; that would be an interesting collaboration.
I’m also kind of interested in working with a female singer… I haven’t found one that I really want, maybe I need to put out that calling card or maybe put out that request that we are looking for someone amazing. I dunno, that question is endless, I would love to work with so many different artists, I just can’t name them all.
TD: What has been your favourite moment since creating VHS Or Beta?
CP: The first time we really found something was: there was a show in Allen, Kentucky, where we came from, we were just kids playing in this band… we always believed in our self but we never really knew what the next level would be. We just made the jump from playing punk rock kind of stuff to, like, a little bit more dance-influenced music. The first show we played live, we went from playing to 40 people to 500, like, overnight.
At the end of the show there was just this mad hysterical applause… I always remember looking at my bandmate Mark. We kind of looked at each other and smiled in disbelief. Like, do people really care about what the fuck we are doing? That was a very memorable movement for us; that maybe, possibly, we could take this beyond our childhood dreams and do something with it.
TD: What has been your favourite location to play?
CF: I mean we have had some pretty spectacular shows in Obata, Columbia. It’s a really special place for us. It’s so out of the way and you wouldn’t expect it but there are tons of people that support us. We love to play there. I think it’s some of those places that people don’t get music as much so when they get it they really appreciate it. I’d have to say that’s one of our favourite places to play.
Diamonds And Death is out now in Australia on Shock Records. Check out the incredible film clip for Breaking Bones right here on Tone Deaf.
