Spanking Machine interview for Grave Concerns
Genre: Future Pop / Industrial

1. Grave Concerns: What is the name of your band and who are the current members?

SM: Spanking Machine. The members are Mistress Victoria Kalimata, Vocals; Lord Spanky, Synthesizers, Programming and Guitar; Kiki, Bass; Tromm Ler, Drums.


2. Grave Concerns: How did you become connected to make music?

Mistress Victoria: Lord Spanky and I were together long before we played in a band together and we were married in 2000. Back in the mid 90's we were not very inspired by the music we were hearing. So we decided to make our own.

Lord Spanky: We played with a variety of people over the years. In fact, we had a completely different lineup on our first CD, "Simple Solutions to Perverted Problems". After its release, the group started growing in popularity. It became hard for our original members to cope with the time pressures of being in a band at a professional level. If you want to make music for a career, you need to invest yourself fully and understand that many other life goals need to be put on hold. Also, Victoria and I wanted to go in a more electronic dance direction. Our old band members felt more comfortable sticking closer to rock. Although they were barely involved in the song writing or recording processes, I believe that they thought the group would end after they left. And when it didn't, Victoria and I had to deal with a lot of their immature actions. It's funny, they didn't have time to play music themselves but they seemed have a lot time to try and stop us by telling promoters we broke up, sending us letters saying they were going to sue us and trying to convince our new band members that they should leave the group. But everything they did only made us stronger. It improved the quality of our songs. And it cemented the relationship we have with our new band members.


3. Grave Concerns: What are your musical influences?

Mistress Victoria: We’re inspired by bands who have the power to send a shiver through our bodies. I’m a sucker for captivating lyrics and intense music. Some of the masters of this skill are VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Covenant and Assemblage 23.
But I am also inspired by an experience I had a few years ago. Lord Spanky and I were enjoying a walk to one of our local restaurants when we came upon a street festival. On a small stage was a group of female gospel singers, singing their hearts out – it hit me so deeply that tears started rolling down my face. It was so beautiful. I saw how much they were enjoying themselves. They were all dressed up in feather gowns and big hats. Their voices were completely clear of clutter, they were sending their message with everything they had. I’m not religious, but I am spiritual and there is nothing more beautiful than seeing another persons spirit shine that brightly.

Lord Spanky: If you listen to our music you'll also hear the influence of the dark trance and hard dance genres. In those scenes, a song that's a few months old is considered outdated. So the acts really have to push themselves to create innovative sounds, mixing techniques and song structures.


4. Grave Concerns: What is your live show like?

Mistress Victoria: I still believe that art can liberate the masses. We create an open environment where people can get together, express themselves and meet others who share their view of the world without the restrictions of societal norms. Each of our shows has a different theme designed to inspire the audience to cast off their inhibitions and explore something new. Every show is different in energy and aesthetic. Just because our name is Spanking Machine doesn’t mean we have to prance around naked girls, spank their butts and call it entertainment, we don’t rely on shock value. Our stage show explores the beauty and sensuality of fetish and even we are not sure what will happen from performance to performance. We rely on superior technology and our musical energy to create a sonic universe that enhances the visual performance.


5. Grave Concerns: Tell us about your own unique style of music?

Lord Spanky: Our music combines hypnotic dance rhythms, deep layers of original synthesizer sounds, live guitar and bass, along with a carefully constructed tapestry of passionately intense lyrics. It embraces the energy of industrial, trance and hard dance music, while adding meaningful lyrics.


6. Grave Concerns: What separates your band from all the other bands out there?

Mistress Victoria: With so many bands incorporating fetish imagery, it was time for us to lead the scene to the next level by creating music that's not only titillating but also very liberating. To show people how to use the ideas of fetish to express themselves fully, while maintaining a balance of discipline, responsibility and consent.


7. Grave Concerns: How do you go about writing songs?

Lord Spanky: Mistress Victoria Kalimata writes the lyrics and I program the synthesizer lines. Sometimes lyrics will inspire the music and other times the music will bring lyrics to mind. Once we have a basic structure, Kiki and Tromm work with the song to add additional rhythms and layers.


8. Grave Concerns: Any big news with the band?

Lord Spanky: The big news is the upcoming release of our new CD, "Now Lie In It". It will be available later this year in stores and through the Metropolis Records Website (www.industrial-music.com).

9. Grave Concerns: How are people currently reacting to your music?

Mistress Victoria: We pre-released three downloadable tracks from our upcoming CD on our website, our hits and fan mail hit the roof. People who have been fans for a long time told us that these are the kind of songs they've been wishing we would create. We also made a lot of new fans who appreciate the more danceable and meaningful nature of our new songs. This album is much more personal and has felt like more of an accomplishment. I learned a few things over the years. I’m not as afraid to let people see who I really am. Like a lot of people who grew up in a dysfunctional family I had to break through the barrier of self doubt that had been cultivated in me for so long. I think of it more as a personal achievement than a CD with a bunch of songs. I’m happy to see that people are reacting strongly to it and that clubs around the globe are supporting it.


10. Grave Concerns: What would be the top 3 reasons for listening to your music?

Mistress Victoria: You want to feel sensual. You want to feel inspired. You want to dance.


11. Grave Concerns: What is your best experience as a band?

Mistress Victoria: In the studio, it was hearing a mix of Konstruct for the first time. When you're playing music, you don't really get to hear what it sounds like to the listener. It was intense. Not to sound like Tammy Faye Baker but I knew it was perfect when the tears started rolling down my face.

Lord Spanky: Our best experience live was playing at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. It's a 400,000 person outdoor leather and fetish festival that benefits AIDS charities. We were touched that so many people were lost in dance while we played, especially some of those who hadn't found a reason to dance in a long time.


12. Grave Concerns: What is your worst experience as a band?

Lord Spanky: Playing live at any event where the promoter simply does not care about the quality of the music. We've showed up to major events to find the club did not have a proper sound system or they hired a sound person who has no idea how to mix live music, occasionally both. So we're put in a tough situation: Not play and disappoint all the people who came to see us, or sound horrible and disappoint all the people who came to see us.

Mistress Victoria: I have to agree. This level takes extreme dedication. It’s pretty aggravating when we become slaves to the soundman or promoter and can’t deliver the performance we’re capable of. I was forwarded a site where one person who called himself a soundman bragged about screwing with our mix at a show a few days earlier and thought it was funny. We drove a full day to get to that show, rented a van, stayed in hotels, hauled out all of our expensive equipment and became the pawns of someone who put his insecurities above his career. Anyone who gets angry about our performance has got issues, you know. Funny thing is that he also started picking apart our website – so after the show he went to our website and studied every single page, even the small writing. For someone who hated us, he sure wanted to know everything. The world is full of Salieris.


13. Grave Concerns: What is most important to you in your band?

Mistress Victoria: I can be in a room surrounded by people and still feel incredibly lonely, but I can be all alone with one good song and feel like the entire universe is speaking to me.

Lord Spanky: Creating songs that in some way help people get through their days and put up with all the indignities of work or school.

14. Grave Concerns: What was the hardest song to write and why?

Mistress Victoria: We have a slow song on the album called Emotional Vampire. This one came swiftly, but after it was all down I knew how important it was for me to let the sentiment sink in. I had no excuses anymore, I had to stand up and fight.

Lord Spanky: For me, it was Game. I had an idea in my mind of the song but I seemed to keep going down the wrong direction and ending up somewhere I didn't want to be. At one point, we had another song completely written and ready to record. At the last minute we decided to scrap it because nobody was feeling excited about it. Then finally, I got the basic synth bass line of Game and the rest of the song came together frighteningly fast.


15. Grave Concerns: What do you think of the current gothic/ EBM/ Industrial/ noise/ synthpop etc scene today?

Lord Spanky: There are a lot of exciting things happening with industrial and future pop. More and more bands are drawing upon other areas of dance music and using new technology to create amazing songs. Some clubs are supporting the future of our scene by playing new artists, while others are living in the past and spinning the same tunes we've been hearing for decades. I think if our scene is to grow, or even just stay alive, more clubs need to move into the future.

Mistress Victoria: People have been hungry for something new for a while. Now they're finally getting it.


16. Grave Concerns: What music do you currently listen to?

Mistress Victoria: VNV Nation, Icon of Coil and Suicide Commando. They’re great fighting songs. And I’ve been in a flag waving, storming through the streets with fist raised mood lately. That’s what happens when your government is giving you good reasons to be ashamed of your own country. A tragedy hit us, we attack a nation with no weapons that had nothing to do with it and bury our dead in a garbage heap called "Fresh Kills". You have to have your head in the sand not to be in that mood. Listening to those bands helps me feel like I have an army marching with me. Their continent has seen this behavior before, they understand.

Lord Spanky: I'm always listening to some combination of industrial, future pop and trance. Lately it's been VNV Nation, Armand Van Burren, Icon of Coil, Blank & Jones and Absurd Minds.


17. Grave Concerns: How do you keep changing your music from album to album or plan to change it?

Mistress Victoria: Our music will continue to evolve because we always want to offer our audiences something new and interesting. There’s plenty to explore.

Lord Spanky: One of the great things about our genre is that there's always room for new ideas. We also are passionate about new technology and use it to evolve our sound. Victoria and I just purchased our seventh computer (in fact our house could very well be a Mac museum) and we have plans to add a small army of new synths to our ranks.

18. Grave Concerns: What kind of recording environment do you have?

Lord Spanky: Our producer, Robert "The Erektor" Wear, has a Pro Tools HD studio. Everything is recorded digitally. Then he uses his expertise and equipment to mix the tracks, add effects and sometimes build layers upon what we've done.


19. Grave Concerns: How long did you spend on your latest effort?

Lord Spanky: We are currently two years into the making of "Now Lie In It". Our aggressive show schedule last year, put us a bit behind schedule.

Mistress Victoria: We're getting deep into the recording of this CD. It will offer a lot sonically, every time you listen to it you'll notice new things.


20. Grave Concerns: What is the hardest thing about being in a band for this genre?

Lord Spanky: We must rely heavily on club play for exposure. Unfortunately, many clubs are hesitant to play new songs. As I said earlier, it seem that a lot people are living in the past. Some clubs play lists are almost entirely made up of songs from 10 to 20 years ago. It's perplexing to me. I can sort of understand people in their thirties feeling nostalgic for the 80's because they lived through it. But I really don't get people in their teens and early twenties being into the 80's when there much better music coming out now. I encourage people in that age group to stand up and define the sound of their generation as opposed living the musical shadow of "Generation X." It would be terrible to 50 someday and not having a musical sound to call your own.


Mistress Victoria: Initially, people may get off the dance floor when a new song is played. But I’ve noticed that they usually go to the sides of the room just to listen to it and get the changes down so they know how to dance to it. I love that this genre inspires such intense listening. And if the content of the song is approved, intense dancing follows.

21. Grave Concerns: What are you looking forward to most right now as a band?

Mistress Victoria: I can’t wait to get out to Europe. After going to the festivals in Germany this year it feels like the volume has been turned down anywhere else.

Lord Spanky: Right now, we're really looking forward to performing at the festivals in Europe. It's a life altering experience to be at a festival with tens of thousands of people who all share your passion for dark culture.


22. Grave Concerns: Can you tell us about your songs on your latest release, anything from messages to inspirations?

Mistress Victoria: The overall message is to not allow the authority figures of the world tell you what to do with your life, who are they to tell you anything. The world is based on choices, domination and submission. Choose your submission well. If you are to dominate, understand that the most pure power comes when people submit willingly, not out of fear. Most importantly, there is nothing wrong with pleasure. And lastly, fight when you need to fight. Everything else is up for interpretation.


23. Grave Concerns: Are you with a label working on finding one if so how are is it to be accepting or what was it like being accepting?

Lord Spanky: We're currently distributed by Metropolis. Our next goal is to get a European label. We’ve just begun the process and we've had some positive reactions already, so we're very positive about that happening.


24. Grave Concerns: Remixes? Do you have any or working on any?

Lord Spanky: On our previous CD, there is a remix of our song Deathryde, done by the Erektor. We also put together a remix CD single of our track Evil Kitty. One version was done by the Erektor and the other was done by myself. It was strictly a DJ promo. Soon after the new CD comes out, we're going to do a remix CD, featuring our own work and possibly remixes done by other DJs and bands.


25. Grave Concerns: How did you end up in the dark underground scene?

Mistress Victoria: I didn’t end up here, I proudly chose to be here. Even early in school I tended to always wear black. I felt comfortable in black. I tried fitting in and wearing light colors to please my family and society in general, but it wasn’t me. I started forcing my mom to drive me to all age dance clubs at the age of 13. Eventually I was going to clubs 4 days a week by myself and dancing to music whenever I had the chance, I was lucky to have KROQ and was introduced to Depeche Mode, the Cure, Siouxie, etc. But I didn’t hear about Nitzer Ebb and Lords of Acid until I went to the clubs. I never drank or did drugs, I was obsessed with music. I would walk in, start dancing and only leave the dancefloor for water. But parents and local governments kept shutting the dance clubs down, so I had to move around a lot, sometimes driving almost 2 hours into the middle of nowhere just to get my fix. Yeah, thanks for "protecting" me -I was much safer at a club a few blocks from my house then an 18 year old female by herself in the middle of nowhere driving a shitty car. It was a religion to me. I felt the energy of the music, the people and the dancing. It kept me in great shape. But they’ve shut down every place I felt inspiration in and basically made it illegal to get together anywhere for fear of sex and drugs. Such ignorance, punish everyone for the indulgences of the few. What ever happened to personal responsibility? I am so glad I have the band. I don’t really consider this a dark scene, it speaks out about reality, injustice and pain but there is more light and hope than any mainstream scene I’ve ever heard. I have always needed this in my life.

Lord Spanky: It would be hard to imagine us anywhere else. For as long as I can remember, it's what has appealed to me. I cannot relate to what society perceives as "ordinary" people, who think a night out means dressing up in a baseball cap and t-shirt to hang out at some bar. How could I write songs for people who's greatest concern in life is whether they're going to get a promotion, if their hair is falling out and if they're lawn is as green as the people next door. The world has plenty of John Mayer types. We want to offer something different.