by Benjamin Parrish (@mrbenparrish)
photo by Steve Gullick
In the early 1990s, Chris Rowley was a vocalist and songwriter for the legendary Riot Grrrl/art-punk group Huggy Bear. During their brief existence, Huggy Bear released and a series of 7”s releases, a split 12” with Bikini Kill, and a full-length LP that drew from influences like Nation of Ulysses, Kathy Acker, and The Fall, creating one of the most engaging discographies in punk music.
Chris Rowley has now teamed up with John Arthur Webb and Kevin Hendrick (both of the respected groups Male Bonding and PRE) and 23-year-old drummer Sonny Barrett for a new band, Adulkt Life. The band’s debut album, Book of Curses, does such a good job picking up where Huggy Bear and Male Bonding left off that it is hard to believe the band has played only a handful of shows or that Rowley has gone 25 years between bands.
Rowley recently answered some questions via e-mail about the formation of Adulkt Life, playing in a multi-generational band, and their new album. [ed note: the responses are unedited, punctuation and all]
PT: The band’s bio mentions this being your first serious band since Huggy Bear dissolved in 1994. Were you in any “non-serious” bands between in the past 25 years?
CR: so,huggy bear was three-year existence exactly to the day we strted pretty much,
when it ended i never really wanted to do music again,-i thought then-and was happy to put music to bed
so, no bands that existed in between huggy bear and adulkt life
but lots were made up ,thought about ,conceptualised over time:_, myself and Niki talked long and hard about doing this band "homecomings " for a while, the way songs should sound ,how we would look, what lyrical matter would be or definitely not be ,(all the things we used to do pre huggy bear as a matter of fact -talk and plot then move on ,,)
weirdly -to me it had the depth and energy of a real life band (homecomings),but we never got it together to play out /real adult life got in the way ,probably for the best!
PT: The band’s bio also mentions meeting John Arthur Webb at Rough Trade records, so I would assume that you have kept up on listening to music over the past two decades. Is there anything in particular that has excited you?
CR: Ive always been madly into music ,its a life blood to me ,informs the way i think, live interact with people ,understand stuff ,-or don't understand stuff,!?
one of the reasons i didn't want to "do music " as such is so i could learn to love it again
being in a band or thinking"group"instills a weird reaction to the art you love
I wanted to put a block on jealousy ,envy, all the deadly sins and get back to being a fan!1
john, and sonny too always fed me with new stuff when wed talk over the counter at the rough trade shops i knew i wanted to be in a band with john one day however vague the thought but in-between times i really loved no age /the band young people were big for me ,battles /tyondai Braxton stuff,amm, Kevin martin stuff -bug techno animal,quelle Chris and jean grae,mike ladd lithics ,another timbre label that's just for starters but its been a long-time /floorboards are weak!!..
PT: When I saw the YouTube video of Adulkt Life’s first show performing at The Lexington last year I was surprised by how fully formed the band was. How long was Adulkt Life a band before booking a first show?
CR: err/thanks
we pride ourselves on our professionalism1!
we were together for a few months song writing and working stuff out in a run-down papier mache recording shack in north London- leaky but fun, had to take a few months out as i had some serious family stuff to attend to ,then we reconvened a couple of months later and sonny had helped organise a show with some kids from Brighton he had records of (Ezekiel Doo)so three-month playing really then a show in November of last year-not long ,Kev(middx)was also playing at the first show who ended up being adulkt life's bass channeler and world war two fighter pilot afficionado -we got moving fast ,we're all fast -we,d waited consciously or not -to be in something like this -so we struck while iron was hot, and other cliches ,,
PT: Since that video you have expanded to a four piece with Kevin Hendrick joining on bass. Did you write more material when he joined the group? How long was he in the band before you recorded your album?
CR: we asked Kev to join the band at Christmas i think as a gift to him to help him move into the 21st century>!!
we really wanted a throb in our sound as we were lacking it /we were more treble and lots of that so Kev came in flying by seat of jodhpurs we had nine songs written and ready that he learnt in the tru skool way ! we wrote a whole heap of throbbier raging gems with him!/ the rest is history /we arrested history !1
PT: The live video on YouTube shows the band performing with footage projected on stage and so far you have released two singles on Bandcamp that include PDF downloads of zines. Is the visual element important to your band? Does Chris handle most of these aesthetic decisions or is it a collaboration between the whole band?
CR: and thanks for noticing !
let's stress from the beginning take nothing for granted and insist on everything being up for grabs
Adulkt life doesn't want to stall at fences or procrastinate till the "cows come home "1/we want to make and do as much as possible-within moral reasoning!-=our own !
but its fully about reconnecting with what makes us excited as fans ,and participators in a culture that sometimes needs some tweaking under its hoods and then some hot wiring 1!
its a collaboration in the fullest sense we all contribute from our skill base such as it is ,but merge and add to each other's plans or schemes whether visuals on stage which is johns thing mostly, to fanzines which is mine ,sonny apart from being incredible intuitive self-taught drum meister is a superb organizer and mover /shaker ,-which is the simple young ability/agility made manifest !1kevs the tru bass cliche of being a rock ,a pulse ,a throb a hard place all the dirty beach postcard stuff that keeps us from getting too serious !1?-if we aren't allready ?
PT: Outside of some of the vocal editing on “JNR Showtime” it really sounds like your singing and performance style has picked up right where Main Squeeze EP left off. Did you have to adjust to changes in recording technology when making this album? How has the act of promoting releases changed since then?
CR: its my voice !?
i was a bit worried after quarter of a century i may not have such a ferocious one anymore ,the kind of voice necessary to do the songs and ideas behind them justice !?
it was a bolt of realisation on first day of playing together that wow -this is good !!its still works not sure about how main squeeze sounded/sounds actually but do see book of curses as a direct link to the weaponry listens to love record ,the sense of urgency and anger and reaching out to something that could save us or sink us 1?both records are people desperate to channel their all to make a thing that's not easy but has to be..
im totally out of touch with all the modern ways and methods of putting records out ,it used to be record a" record ",single/ album, play shows ,now its downloads and media presence etc weird but that's an old guy saying it everyone else in band is in the loops and we have a record label that's fan -led and holds out hands when water is high or ice cracking ..(plus my thirteen year old is media tech savvy in a way thats as astounding as it is a little frightening so all good !?
PT: Adult Life has three members in their 40s and 50s, and one 23-year old in the band. Do the age difference have any impact on your inter-band dynamics? Was this age difference reflected in the audience at your shows when live music was something people were able to do?
CR: yeah /good question, honestly i don't think ,now, having played out a couple of times /written together etc that it does make much difference
the differences it brings ,like skill sets are all cool ones so they go into the mix, obviously experience and time spent reflectively /count for a lot !..
loathe to say wisdom1here
and there's a lot to be said for the energy of the young kicking you in the rear to getting things moving ,im old but as old people tell you they dont feel a day over....fill-in the gaps ?you tell me/us what's "old"? "
i just wanted to have a scene? /cultural galaxy that might /could coalesce around? stray people who thought themselves too old /or for whatever reasons, wouldn't think to be into this music or this scene?all gave it a shot ,I think that is what's happening at the few shows we played indicate a real mix of women and men ?and all stops in-between getting involved being or becoming a part of something ??well that's the hope and aim if its not too bold ..art /community /action/excitement /no barriers,
PT: Your bio also mentions you being the longtime employee of a children’s charity. Does this inform the lyrical content on Book of Curses? On a related note, do you think of yourselves as elder punks?
CR: the "punk wars !"-as in how were they ,if they were even"won"/?
is it about winning anything ?
but look we all grew up ,we all got or get older
and what's supposed to happen ,you give up ,put childish things? Supposedly away
my life and the lives of those around me dont feel like that i still want to hear exciting ear damaging "dangerous "underground music ,whether its hip hop or jazz or punk rock or experimental whatever
im still into it
peoples still want to think and be stimulated and have shit ignite their daydreams
life's hard ,even more so holding down jobs ,having kids making relationships work ?trying to be or do some good in a world ,
that's how i define the punk wars being won/not won
we tried to not make the same mistakes from ages and generations past
we tried to stake a way out using what subway sect or the avengers or the boredoms taught us /? a way to be more receptive and alive and so on than ,,well wherever that shit was going wrong ?
working in a charity you see /hear good and bad stories it informs the aesthetics of adulkt life sure as its about hope and fear and re[portage but you could get this inspiration and call to action if you were a schoolteacher or a social worker or a doctor no hierarchies anyway just caring and inspiring art saving the world incrementally//,,
PT: What is next for Adulkt Life?
CR: hey what next !1? for anyone right
what the heck happens next in these crazy alarming time s!? all we can do is keep ongoing right keep it moving ,find the magic ,do the work ,be as good of a person to yourself and those around you as possible ,life's hard ,we all agree but anything you can do to make it better is got to be for the good ,adulkt life has no three-year life expectancy and we have as much time as the world and our aching bones' n brains allow
i hope whatever it is we do reflects my hopes and sense of humour listed above
peace chrssr /adulkt life oct 2020x