Kill Alters’ Wild December - Ravelin Magazine

Text and Interview: Alec Coiro

Images and Video Courtesy of Kill Alters

Not to brag, but here at Ravelin, we could have easily called that Kill Alters would be an amazing band. We’ve been fans of Hisham since our inception and Bonnie Baxter has been on our radar as the force behind Shadowbox. Baxter has also been making music videos that are turbo-charged distilled nuggets of contemporary postmodernity. The latest video for “Sensory” features an epic Miss Piggy mask. Check it out below.

Even more visceral that the videos is seeing the band live, and Kill Alters is doing a mini tour of their hometown of New York this month. The shows are loaded up with disappoint-proof acts like Yoshimio of the Boredoms and Lizzi Bougatsos of Gang Gang Dance. The video is already up and the first show has already been played, so time is running out on your Kill Alters December. Get caught up now with our interview with Bonnie Baxter.

The video’s connection to the “sensory” theme of the song definitely comes across very clearly. Is there anything you can add about that concept behind the video?
Yeah, both videos are connected to concepts of lost and fragmented memories, questioning the life that was built around you as a child that is filled with lies.

The video is a crazy mashup of different footage. What were some of the various sources of footage you used?
Yeah, the miss piggy mask, my mother, and home VHS footage from when I was 4 yrs old living above a porn shop with my mom, dad and uncle are recurring scenes in these videos. Especially the Miss Piggy mask. The original mask is the one I am wearing when I am laying in a cardboard box when I am 4.This shot appears in most of the videos..like, Sensory & D.20. In the most recent video “Ego Swim” I am wearing the original miss piggy mask from 30 years ago. I am also wearing digital versions of the mask over my face in “Sensory” and “Ego Swim”.

You guys have a number of local shows to look forward to. Can you tell us a little bit about your live show and what types of instruments you use when you perform?
Ah yea our live show took a few years of tweaking & figuring out in our last rehearsal space…we didn’t even tell anyone about it for two years rehearsing every day reconfiguring our gear layout & using different drummers…it was when we met Hisham A. Bharoocha (our now band mate) that the “band” theme started actually clicking…we got rid of the massive wall of amps & decided that PA’s these days are good enough for us to play through…opening up for Deerhoof was a life changing experience for us we learned a lot. Live now we use table top electronics & computer where we stemmed out Bonnie’s drum machines so we didn’t have to carry extra fidgety old gear. It’s a very heavy sub bass/synth groove with live drums & vocals. It’s 2016, I think you will see more of that type of set up nowadays.

On a more general note, I was wondering about Kill Alters’ backstory? How long have you been a band and how did you come together?
We literally did not play, love or leave the rehearsal space for two full years just figuring it out literally spending about 30hrs a week rehearsing/tweaking/crying in our space lol we also were spoiled in our space that had a serious two 18″sub sound system so we really grew into our own sound. It was frustrating at times but always fun!

Was there a unifying mission or sonic vision that brought you together as a band?
Ya keep it weird & fun lol