The Third Eye has written about plenty of great bands from Brooklyn lately, from Free Whenever to Marjorine and Duel Ferns. We recently added another to the list with our review of the new album from Emergency Group, the psych-jazz-fusion rockers. The band released Venal Twin on October 20th via Centripetal Force Records, an album of freaky free jazz explorations.
Emergency Group has been busy this year. Venal Twin is their third release of 2023, hot off the heels of Inspection of Cruelty and Crisis in Mono. We liked the new album so much that we reached out for a Q&A interview with the band’s guitarist, Jonathan Byerley, who was kind enough to answer our questions.
Fresh off a trip to France, Jonathan told us about the current state of the Brooklyn music scene, the group’s musical backgrounds, and much more. Read the interview below and check out their new album, Venal Twin.
Interview with Jonathan from Emergency Group
Third Eye: Thanks for doing the interview! Can you introduce the band and give us some background about the new album, Venal Twin?
Jonathan: Thanks for having me! Emergency Group is composed of Robert Boston on keys, Andreas Brade on drums, Dave Mandl on bass, and myself (Jonathan Byerley) on guitar. Venal Twin is our latest album. It contains four pieces of improvised music and was recorded in January 2023 for Centripetal Force Records. As its title suggests, the music is an antagonistic pairing with our first tape, Inspection of Cruelty. We stretch out a lot more, and the playing is more aggressive.
Third Eye: What are the musical backgrounds of the band members? Your music has been described as jazz-rock by plenty of folks, so do any of you have backgrounds playing jazz? Any more formal musical training?
Jonathan: Robert and Andreas both come from jazz backgrounds, in addition to each working in the field of modern dance as accompanists, performers, and composers. Dave has been playing in various jazz, improv, and rock groups for years. For the past 20 years or so, I’ve played rock almost exclusively, but I had some aborted jazz training in high school and college.
The only rule for improvisation
Third Eye: Venal Twin and some of your other records are improvisational and experimental. What’s it like recording an improvised album like this? Are there any rules you stick by – or do you throw out the rule book?
Jonathan: Our only rule is to record everything, whether we’re performing, rehearsing, or spontaneously composing.
Third Eye: What’s one record that “changed your life” and made you want to play and create your own music?
Jonathan: Oh, man. If you ask me on a different day, I’d give you a different record, but tonight, what comes to mind is Shady Grove by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. I would have gotten that in high school around 1999 or 2000, and I still listen to it. Every time is an inspiration.
Third Eye: Along those lines, what’s one record you can’t stop spinning right now?
Jonathan: I’ll give you two! One is A Sublime Madness by Brent Cordero and Peter Kerlin. That one is fairly new, and it’s mesmerizing. A reissue that I’m really loving is King of Kings by The Pyramids, a group led by Idris Ackamoor formed out of Cecil Taylor’s Black Music Ensemble. They made three records in the early 70s, and this one is the second, I believe.
‘Psych music needs to play at two sides’
Third Eye: Venal Twin can also be described as psychedelic in the sense that it’s experimental and pushes boundaries. So, in your opinion, what’s a good definition of psychedelic music? And does the label even matter anymore when so many bands and artists use it?
Jonathan: Great question – that term is so overused it is basically useless. Everything from the most rote indie rock to stoner/doom metal is described as “psych.” I guess for me, psychedelic music needs to play at two sides: the spiritual, transcendental, and cerebral on the one side and a kind of dangerous, freak-out, prankster vibe on the other side… not unlike the experience of psychedelic drugs where there is always the promise of achieving a higher spiritual realm but also the possibility of just freaking the hell out.
Third Eye: What’s life like in Brooklyn right now? How’s the music scene? Are there any bands in Brooklyn right now that we should know about?
Jonathan: The scene is great – a lot of cool stuff seemed to bubble up post-pandemic, like Island House Records and The P.I.T., where we’ve done a couple of gigs. I feel like people are no longer taking for granted these hyperlocal sub-scenes and show spaces in the way they might have before the pandemic.
I’m a huge fan of longtime scene stalwarts Zachary Cale, Oneida, and Sunwatchers. Dave Shuford (of D. Charles Speer and the Helix and Rhyton) has a new project called Theoxenia, which is great. Big fan of drummer Rob Smith (Rhyton), who seems to play with everyone. We’ve been jamming a bit as a duo. I love our Island House labelmate Seawind Of Battery, led by Mike Horn. Great guy and a big scene booster. I love the guitar player Wendy Eisenberg, especially her rock group Editrix. She’s phenomenal. I could keep going. Lots of great stuff right now.
Third Eye: What’s next for the band? Have you been playing shows?
Jonathan: Yeah! We’ve gigged around NYC and the Hudson Valley a lot this year, hoping to do some touring by next spring or summer. Working on putting together a final 2023 show now; hopefully, that’ll come through soon.
Support Emergency Group by finding them on Bandcamp or Instagram.
Support Centripetal Force Records by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
Check out Emergency Group’s new record, Venal Twin, on Bandcamp.
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