Picastro is Liz Hysen- -and whoever else joins the husky-voiced singer/acoustic guitarist on stage- which at the current time consists of longtime cellist Stephanie Vittas, electric guitarist Jamie Fleming (ex-Pecola) and drummer Evan Clarke (who returns to Wavelength two weeks after appearing with Holding Pattern).
The small-hours-of-the-morning mood that Picastro perpetrates is so relentlessly dark that it’s hard to believe Liz was once played sunny indie-pop with Slowgun, but as this interview demonstrates, she is not without her sense of humour.
Jonny Dovercourt prepared the questions on one rainy day-
You once told me you play music because you feel a need for public humiliation. Can you explain this for the benefit of our readers?
Playing onstage has always made me uncomfortable to the point of nausea, which was an ongoing problem when I started. It hasn’t really gotten much better. So I had to figure out why I kept doing it and I realized it wasn’t because I wanted love or affirmation, but because in some weird way it forced me to blame myself for things that I had done or said. Whenever I’ve been embarrassed or humiliated I get a clearer head, I guess.
Every member of the mighty, much-missed Pecola has also been a member of Picastro at one time or another. How did this high turnover (from such a small talent pool) come about?
I’ve known them for such a long time, practically since I’ve started playing and it just feels normal for me to be playing with them. Plus they’re all smart, talented and weird in their own ways. I’ve always liked what they brought to the band.
Which Russian film director would you most like to score a film for?
Probably Dovzhenko, but actually there’s this Czech filmmaker Jan Nemec who made this amazing film called Diamonds of the Night that I would love to score since it only has 7 minutes of dialogue. But I kind of did, there’s an instrumental Picastro song by the same name.
Complete the following sentence: "If I wasn't at Wavelength Sunday, I would be?"
Honestly: Watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and getting drunk at home.
Pretend: Socializing and thereby pretending it’s not Sunday night which is also not that bad.
Picastro fans have been waiting many years for the band to release a recording. Is there an end in sight?
Tell me about it! It’s been hard for me to save up money to do it since the band is my project or whatever. But hopefully I will record this month somewhere 'cause I need to have something out by July. So soon, this summer, I promise