1. When did your band form?
In July, 2000.
2. When will it break up?
We don't think about that.
3. What have you released so far?
An EP called "Violent Structures, which is available at gigs and from
our website (www.angelfire.com/indie/vortis).
4. Why do you play the music that you play?
We want to get people agitated against the establishment and have fun
doing it.
5. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened at a show?
A bunch of activists brought a couple of American flags to a gig after
9/11 and the crowd started ripping them up and throwing the pieces into
the air - a true anti-flag orgy, tearing through the oppressive public
mood of hyper-"patriotism."
6. What is the best show you've ever played?
Nevin's Live in Evanston, IL on 11/24/01. That's where the flag incident
took place; the rapport with the crowd was amazing and everyone let go
of their repression.
7. State your purpose.
To carry on the spirit of the extreme 1914-1915 art movement known
as Vorticism whose announced aim was to create VIOLENT STRUCTURES OF ADOLESCENT
CLEARNESS; hence, our name Vortis, short for Vorticism.
8. What were the runner up names for the band?
We forgot them on the spot.
9. How do you describe yourself to relatives who have no idea what
you play?
We're an AGITAINMENT band; we agitate by entertaining and entertain
by agitating.
10. How do you describe yourself to kids in the scene who haven't
heard you?
We're an anarchist punk band with an anti-globalization message.
11. What does the band fight about the most?
Believe it or not, we don't fight; we reserve our
aggression for the system.
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12. What is the antithesis of your band?
Music of any kind that fosters complacency and/or
depression, especially if it's pretentious; any band that's run like
a dictatorship; any band that lets the industry tell it how to play and
what to say.
13. Outside of music and bands, what influences you?
Anarchist political theory like Max Stirner's THE EGO AND ITS OWN and
Georges Sorel's REFLECTIONS ON VIOLENCE.
14. What is selling out?
Compromising your message out of fear, greed or the need for approval.
15. If you could make a living off your band, would you?
Given our message, we never will.
16. Where do you practice?
In a urine-soaked building on the west side of Chicago.
17. If you could play on a four-band bill, with any bands that have
ever existed, who would you play with and what order would they play?
That would be different for each member of the band, I'm sure, but,
for me, it would be Motorhead, Anti-Nowhere League and whatever local punks
were in the neighborhood, in that order, with us as the clean-up hitters.
18. What goals do you have as a band?
To be as intense, varied and inspiring a musical vortex as we can possibly
be.
19. What makes for a good show?
When the audience is inspired to a joyous and raucous contempt for
the powers that repress them, whatever those powers might be; maybe we
live in a world where we're kicked around, but we don't have to be emotional
slaves of the oppressor.
20. If you were to cover a song (that you don't already) what would
it be?
We haven't done any covers yet - all our music comes out of the contributions
that each of us freely make, based on our personal memory archives; the
result is our own sounds (OUR VORTEX)
that none of us can anticipate before we start jamming around some idea:
we're not ready for covers yet.
For all info on Vortis see: https://www.angelfire.com/indie/vortis |
