How the calls and patterns of birds became the foundational structure for the industrial sounds of Nocturnal Birding.

Transmission 266: Interview with Author & Punisher

Tristan Shone is an American musician and mechanical engineer who performs as Author & Punisher. With custom-built mechanical instruments and a background in engineering, he has developed a singular approach to industrial music. His upcoming album, Nocturnal Birding, set for an October 3 release on Relapse Records, represents a significant alteration to the project’s foundational structure. For the first time, Shone has incorporated a full creative partner, guitarist Doug Sabolick. He will support the album with a tour beginning on October 18 (full dates available here).

Title: Nocturnal Birding
Artist: AUTHOR & PUNISHER
Genres: Alternative Rock, Doom Metal, Experimental Music, Industrial Music
Label: Relapse Records
Description: Interview with Tristan Shone of Author & Punisher. Explore his custom-built industrial machines and the dark future of heavy music.

The album’s compositions originate from an unusual source: the transposition of actual bird songs. Shone used avian melodies and rhythmic patterns as the primary compositional framework. The record also involves an international group of participants, including artwork by French artist Lucile Lejoly and mixing by Will Putney, alongside musical appearances by France’s Fange, Indonesia’s Kuntari, and Megan Oztrosits of Couch Slut.

Before making music, what were some of the albums that changed how you thought about sound?

Before I started making music? God, that was a long time ago, so that must have been the early albums I was listening to were Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin 2, maybe The Beatles, or Neil Young’s Decade album. I really liked that album a lot. My parents were big into folk music from the 60s and 70s, so that was the kind of music I grew up on.

What specific elements of industrial music first resonated with you?

Oh man, some of the more visceral, mechanical sounds that Godflesh was using on Street Cleaner. Also, using electronic drum sounds, like the kick drum being electronic, had a certain, hollow sound to it that sounded more powerful. And the idea of more bass with industrial music compared to the sort of tap, tap, tap of the kick drum that was in hardcore and metal music. I really loved the drum and bass combination with industrial music where there’s more low end.

What was the hardest part about getting started, besides the music itself?

Besides the music itself, the logistics of touring. You have to have a job that gives you the freedom to take time off and go tour, and also how do you get this custom gear over to Europe, for example? I had really heavy stuff when I first started, and I had to find ways to make it travel to Europe so that it wasn’t 200 kilos on an airplane.

How did the idea of combining custom-built machines with industrial music first come to you?

It was a natural progression. I wasn’t trying to necessarily play industrial music; I was trying to be a one-person band where I could control all elements myself live. I could control the drums with one hand live. Rather than just pressing play and playing the sequence behind you and singing along with it, I wanted to play every bit of it live. I was moving something, playing something, singing something. By the nature of that, playing all these electronic components together, it sort of became industrial music. It wasn’t like, “Oh, I want to sound like Ministry,” or “I want to sound like Nine Inch Nails.”

You use actual birdsong on the record. How does the album explore the relationship between nature and technology?

I have a conflicted relationship with nature and technology because I work as an engineer, but I’m also aware of the harm that technology and industry has had on nature. We have amazing new developments in battery, electronic and electric cars and technology, but also at what cost to nature? So I’m an engineer. I love tech. I love gadgets. But as I get older, I’m also very appreciative of the natural world and realize that I think I’m more comfortable and more relaxed in a natural environment than I am in, say, a laboratory or a machine shop. So I’m very conflicted about technology.

How did having a guitarist, Doug Sabolick, change the way you write your music?

I knew that I had somebody who could fill a huge hole of sound on stage. Most of the time when I was playing live, I would have pitch bends, bass, and synthesizers trying to fill up the whole sound by myself. Now I have a guitar player who can really take up a lot of that sound, so I don’t have to play everything. I play more like a bass player now than the whole band. I play bass and drums, and he plays guitar.

What was the hardest song to finish for the album?

It was Titmouse for sure. That song is much more intricate than the others. There are many parts, changes, and rhythm. There are leads. Also for me to play live, the rhythms and the singing at the same time are really difficult.

What’s the single most important machine you’ve ever built for your music?

It has to be the drum controller called Rails. It has eight buttons on the handle and it slides back and forth, and I can adjust the position. It allows me to play the drums live. I move it in between two positions and depending on which combination of buttons I’m pressing, I trigger different drums at different velocities. I’ve built three versions of this machine. The first one was called Linear Actuator. This one is called Rails. The last one is called Gridiron. I use the middle one the most because it was not too big and not too small and also really well made. I’ve very rarely had to make changes to it.

When you first started, what did audiences think of your unique setup?

The audience was really mesmerized and interested in seeing it. Especially when I first started, I had really big stuff because I wasn’t thinking about touring; I was just playing in San Diego and maybe the surrounding cities in Southern California. I would show up with this giant stuff and I would plug it into a sound system that I built myself. I had this sort of dub sound system and a giant truck and I would unload it and make a lot of noise with some slow rhythms. I think people were, even people that weren’t into drone and doom metal, they came to see what I was going to do with these machines.

Is it physically difficult to perform with such heavy machinery?

Not really. Once you get it set up, it’s very intuitive. I tried to make everything feel good when you move it; everything feels very good and it surrounds me. I feel like I’m in a control room. The part that is hard is moving it before and after the show and then getting it back into my in-between shows, moving it in and out of hotel rooms. That’s the part that is very strenuous. I don’t have a big budget. I have Doug and I have one sound person. The three of us move everything around.

Your new mask has real engines on it. Is it dangerous?

Yeah, a gas engine, like for an airplane.

Is it dangerous to wear it?

That’s one of the reasons why it’s still a work in progress. I collaborated with a group in Bali called Future Laundry. I call them a cyberpunk fashion company, maybe upcycled clothing. They’re helping me build a flame-proof hood so that if it explodes, I won’t become disfigured from it. It’s still a work in progress. I’m still developing the thing that I bite down on, that controls the throttle. So it’s to be continued.

Are you already designing new instruments for the next project?

I’m working on some machines, the drone machines, which my small company is trying to release. I’m taking three of them on the road with me to Europe this time. I’ll have my normal setup plus four more and two microphones. Then I have a pedal board that I built, which is one of the more acoustic things that I’ve made, using impact wrenches, things they use to fix cars. I’ve got five impact wrenches and I use them as noise-making machines at different parts during the set.

Are you writing new material right now?

I just finished writing this material. I’m trying to learn how to play all this material, all these fast songs in a row. It’s a lot for my brain to stay focused. Then all the gear, getting it all to communicate well with the laptop. I have my hands full.

Photos courtesy of Author & Punisher

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others