Angie Damage - "I'm a bit of a homebody and a dork"

From time to time we stumble upon a release that stands out a lot from the rest of the lot. This time the honour came from the Russian Intuition label which launched Angie Damage's "Nicotine tongue" debut EP. While she is working on her full-length album "Black Eye" to be released in late 2008, we already sat together with miss Damage to get some more info on her and her work, as it is rather an enigma for many who she is. Time to break the silence. You can check her MySpace out at www.myspace.com/angiedamage or at her Pure Volume page at www.purevolume.com/angiedamage . (By Bernard Van Isacker)

SL. I was quite surprised to hear such a high quality on a debut EPCD... Something tells me that you have been active for quite some time?

A. I started singing when I was a kid because I was obsessed with Billie Holiday and old Gospel. Later on I got really deep into the hardcore scene (when I was in High school and my early 20's) and started working with bands and musicians. I moved to NYC in 1999 and then in 2001 started working with bands in the post-punk scene. The recording sounds so good because I was working with Ron Winter who was using a studio by a guy named Howie Beno (ex-programmer for Ministry). Ron was assistant producer to Howie then and he let us use his studio at night when he wasn't there. It was fortunate because we were working in this amazing studio that in the day recorded bands like Blondie and by night Ron and I could just hole ourselves up and work. We would work from midnight to 6 a.m. 3 or 4 times a week. The quality of the work is due to Ron and Howie's studio and our devotion to getting the sound we imagined in our heads. I also had a producer by the name of Chris Lago re-master a few tracks for me and he was able to adjust the levels even better. Now I have learned enough about the production aspect of things that I work completely by myself.

SL. What has your musical path included so far?

A. I have messed around with hardcore bands when I was young and then worked with some producers when I was just learning like Ron Winter and Moby. Nothing ever came of the songs with Moby though.

SL Is Ron Winter half of Angie Damage as a project or how do I have to see this collaboration?

A. No. Angie Damage is just I. I hired him to be my producer and to co-write the tracks with me and mix / master. Chris Lago re-mastered the tracks for the Internet. We haven't worked together since 2005. Ron is a music video director now, which is his passion, so he's doing well.

SL. Please elaborate on that Moby story. What did you exactly do with him, what did it sound like and how did you end up working with him?

A. Sure. I met him through a mutual DJ friend. I went to a party of his and there was a girl who was a band manager. I sang part of Nicotine Tongue into her ear and she was into it. She persuaded me to find a producer to collaborate with since I already had songs written. I worked with different people from there. I knew Moby for about 2 years before I ever sang for him. He knew I did music and would ask sometimes, but I didn't want to talk to him about it.

Our conversations more revolved around normal things like Dr. Seuss, astronomy, and Joy Division. I just wanted to have a friendship with all the music stuff aside. Finally, we were leaving a club in a cab and I sang for him. He asked me to sing on a few tracks he was working on for his record Hotel. I came over to his loft. We worked for a few hours and I was so nervous I was horrible. I was off-key and I just was terrified. I have bad stage fright and can't sing in front of people. That's why I like to work alone...because I'm weird that way I guess.

The songs I worked on with him were dancey pop with a child-like rhyming to it. The other was 90's-ish, but sort of new wave. It was so long ago it's really hard to remember. I just remember sucking horribly. The songs didn't make it onto the record by the way. We lost touch a few years ago and don't talk anymore. He was a nice guy though. Very smart.

SL. Where you are exactly coming from?

A. I come from Charleston, South Carolina and lived in Syracuse and Buffalo for 3 years and NYC for 5 or 6 years. Now I'm back home in the South, but will be moving again soon.

SL. There is actually little known about you, on purpose?

A. I don't mean to do it or not...honestly. I'm a bit of a homebody and a dork. I stick to my family and a few close friends. I don't tour or play shows hardly ever because I have horrible stage fright. It's really not necessary for the world to know everything about you and there's no desire in me to be a rock star.

SL. The material on this EP was already written in 2005 if I look at the copyright date... please explain the space in time between recording and releasing?

A. I was around, but all I had then was my music on a MySpace page. Until 2005, I worked with partners. After that I took a few years off to learn production so I could work alone. Then Intuition found me in 2007 and now here I am.

SL. So how did you end up on a Russian label?

A. Intuition found me on MySpace when he was just starting out. The reason I signed with Intuition is because they let me do what I want, Oleg is great, and it's an Indie label that is really about the music 100%. That's rare nowadays.

SL. In the liner notes you describe the making of the EP as a bizarre adventure, please elaborate on this.

A. Well... how I ended up with that record was interesting. I moved to NYC twice, the first time was in 1999 and then again in 2001. The second time, in 2001, I arrived not knowing anyone. I put an ad in the paper for a guitarist and met a guy named Ilan who introduced me to a girl named Anna Mercedes who became a great friend. She's a musician and a mystical kind of character. She's sort of a mix of old Courtney Love, Stevie Nicks, and Lolita (the novel character) all rolled into one. She introduced me to Trixie Reiss who became my mentor in many ways. Trixie sang with the Crystal Method on Vegas and worked with the singer for KMFDM En Esch. She believed in me and really supported me a lot. Her husband at the time, Chris, was the first producer I ever worked with. Chris is also who introduced me to Ron Winter. Through Anna I also became good friends with Gordon Raphael who produced the Strokes first two records. He influenced me a lot as well and showed me it is possible to just do the music you want and say fuck the rest. I say it was bizarre because I went from knowing no one to recording in 6 months. It was just a weird and very cool experience. I got my nickname Angie Damage around then too because I'm clutzy and because of a joke between a friend and I. Fortunately or unfortunately the name stuck.

SL. Your approach and quality is very different to what is commonly released in this scene. I guess you must sometimes be annoyed by what is being thrown on the market nowadays?

A. I think everything has merit no matter what quality. I started doing things a lot rougher and more minimal lately to get a different feel. Darker and rougher appeals to me more now.

SL. The tracks on the "Nicotine Tongue" EP remind me a lot of the old new wave / post-punk period but with an upgraded approach. Was this the initial Angie Damage sound?

A. Yes. Joy Division is my favourite band. I also love New Order Souixie, Gang of Four, Tones on Tail, etc. etc. Pretty much all of the post-punk, prog. rock, new wave, dark wave stuff. I really grew up on punk, hardcore, jazz and 80's music, so that is a huge influence as well. I love all of those bands...I guess it attracts me because it's all so bittersweet. I remember hearing "love will tear us apart" and falling in love with that song and that feeling it evokes.