Ever since Staticlone came out in late 2021, I’ve been impressed with each of their new releases.
Comprised of Blacklisted’s George Hirsch on vocals and guitar, bassist Dave Walling (also of Blacklisted and currently in Shark Attack) and drummer Jeff Ziga (Affirmative Action Jackson, Armalite), the trio’s sound is hardcore in approach but has powerful injections of deathrock and heavy metal (but not in a thrash way).
Staticlone’s latest drop is Flexi IIwhich follows last year’s Flexiand the band’s demo from 2021. It’s a winner.
I spoke with George again to get some context on his creation and what Staticlone’s future plans entail.
Proceeding to write the material for Flexi II, was there anything you wanted to do or say you didn’t do on the first one? Do you see it as a natural progression, or were you specifically looking to do some different things?
My goal has been the same since I started Staticlone – to write and record my version of hardcore punk. just. I can’t say that these songs are “progression”, they are just a continuation. Any of these may have been in the previous flexi or in the demo. “The Glass Tiger Mask” was actually one of the first songs written for Staticlone, we just never used it until now.
In 2016 I picked up a book called “Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh. Since then I have bought all her books. ‘Death in her hands” hit me particularly hard and was a really big deal for me. For the first time in a long when I felt ‘seen’. But more than that – it pushed me to keep recording and continue in my own bubble, which I’m not sure if that was the author’s intention, but it worked for me. I guess this is different.
Books and movies have always touched and influenced me, but not in the way her book did. A kind of “you exist. That’s enough” kind of way. Really simple. After I read it I contacted the other two in the band and said “let’s do another flexi and start working on the LP”, before that things looked like they were just going to die on the vine. So I’m glad it happened that way.
The lyrics to “The Ghost” read like an obsession story, but since the song is under the 2-minute mark, you don’t have much room to explore that. Do you find it challenging to express your opinion in a concise way faster?
I always try to limit my writing. Lyrically and musically. One of the biggest things punk taught me that I took with me into the “normal world” is the power of minimalism. So it’s not really a challenge, but I’m an unreliable judge because I know what the song means and I have to say, lyrically, I nailed it.
I write all the songs in a singer-songwriter style, along with the riffs and lyrics. Most times they stay that way, “The Ghost” was the first to really be turned upside down in rehearsal and restructured in a big way. So I had to edit the text and cut out some and move some things around.
But I really wanted it to happen that way, because for me it’s about being in a band, and one of the other important elements of Staticlone for me is being in a band with Dave and Jeff. Otherwise, I’d just do more “solo” albums under the various names I’ve already done it under.
Meanwhile, “The Mirror” is over 3 minutes long and takes time to build. This song reminds me of parts of Killing Joke and Christian Death. It also sounds very different from Blacklisted or [George’s solo project] Harm Wolf. This should be exciting to explore.
I have trouble socializing. Connecting with people etc. etc. in “normal” life. The subject I write about has always been about single people. Be it Blacklisted, Harm Wulf, Rose Clouds or Staticlone. That’s exactly what it is and always will be.
I was gifted with a way to bypass “normal” communication and relationship practices and was given the opportunity to do so through music and writing. And I’ve been lucky/fortunate to be able to travel the world and do just that. But it’s not really supported in a human way. “The Mirror” reflects this.
About 9 years ago I moved to Chicago and on the way there I flipped my truck over in traffic and lost a lot of my records and other personal belongings. (Read the lyrics to “Turn in the Pike” from Blacklisted for the full story). Coincidentally, about 8 months ago I moved back to Philly and started rebuying a lot of records.
[Christian Death’s album] Only Theater of Pain it was a repeat purchase. The [Agnostic Front’s album] A victim in pain on the cliff of death. Do not take a substitute.
Tell me a little about your collaborators at Staticlone and what they bring to the table creatively.
A big part of why I do the band is to play music with them. I know there is a lot of “I” in my answers. But it really is “WE”.
When Blacklisted ended, I was set to be the guy who just records in his basement and disappears. Both of which I manage with grace, I might add. But they’re both too talented and valuable to no play music with
So it’s not really about what they wear creatively, it’s more about them just being them. I know them. I’m a big fan of them. And they’ll quickly tell me if I’m veering off-track and being too “experimental” or if my Flanger is too loud.
What’s the plan for Staticlone now that you have multiple releases? I’d love to see you get the music out on the streaming outlets and start playing shows.
The songs are now on streaming services. It took a while, but we’re now part of the fast food music culture. We are currently writing an LP. We’re a little more than halfway done. And we talked about playing live. So if anyone wants to book it, we have no space.
***
The Flexi II The 7-inch is available via Six feet below the records.
***
tagged: blacklist, static branch