All About Demonica, the DJ from really far Down Under

Demonica is not a new goth band front-woman. Nor is she a new form of electronica that, played backwards, summons the ghost of Aleister Crowley from his fiery environs for 6 minutes to do your bidding. She’s actually a DJ and producer for a cool radio show at Case Western Reserve University that specializes in Australian and Kiwi (New Zealand) rock music. She’s opinionated, well traveled, insightful, and has a big history with Australia and Rock & Roll and Art, as well as delightful red hair and an interesting amalgamated accent – part ‘heartland,’ part ‘Down Under.’

Cool Cleveland’s Daiv Whaley spoke with her about being a transplanted Clevelander in Australia, and about being a transplanted Aussie in Cleveland. And about the music scene in both places. Kangaroos were never mentioned; Men At Work, alas, was.

Cool Cleveland: So you were born in the Cleveland area, then moved to Australia, then returned to the states many years later. What took you there originally, and how long did you reside there?

Demonica: Well, I left Cleveland as soon as I was legally old enough to leave home, to study and travel in New York and London. I went to Australia years after all that to do a Graduate Diploma in Painting. I knew that a student visa would give me a year to really check the place out, and it checked out just fine for the next 20 years.

Why Australia?

If I went any further away, it would've been closer to Cleveland from the other side. And, at the time, I was hoping Ronald Reagan didn't know the place existed. The political and social climate under his charge was akin to a burning building and Disneyland seemed more reality-based in my estimation, kinda like the Bush administration actually, and having enough sense to leave was a top priority.

Can you recall how you felt when you first settled-in “Down Under?” How did the whole environment feel compared to what you had known in Cleveland?

It was pretty difficult at first. I don't think anyone can fully prepare for the challenges of moving to a foreign country alone and not knowing anyone there. But I figured, ‘it could be a lot more isolating,… at least they speak English.’ (Buzzer...WRONG! But hey, thanks for playing!) They speak Australian English, a form of the language mutated to fit a different culture altogether. It took me over a year to really understand what the hell some people were talking about, bloody oath. The environment was not only different from Cleveland, but different from the US and any European country I had ever been to. I found refuge in the abundant music and art scene there as I always had in Cleveland, though. That's where I found some of the best bands I had ever heard in my life.

Very Nice. We’ll get back to the bands in a moment or two. First, though, Australia certainly has its share of larger-than-life characters dwelling there, from Crocodile Dundee and Yahoo Serious to that alligator-loving guy who was killed by the stingray last year – Steve Irwin. Do Australians see any of our celebrities as colorfully as we see their famous folk?

I'm sure some of them do, but they've got nothing on those dags. I must mention that Aussies in general have an aversion towards tall poppies of any kind. Characters like the ones you mentioned are kinda happy-go-lucky fuck-ups made good for the most part and that's a quality Aussies admire on some level. They generally view most American 'hero-types' as full of shit and much prefer the quirky underdog/ average punter.

A real shame about Heath Ledger and his untimely death! (suspicious tone) You didn’t happen to have anything to do with that, did you, Demonica?

Well Daivo, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you... Seriously though, that is a real tragedy. Judging from the meds he was on he was suffering anyway. You could see the guy had talent worth following from his first bit parts & low budget films. Check out Two Hands and Ned Kelly sometime - he was great.

Incidentally, that’s a real fun and dangerous rock n' roll moniker you’ve got there – “Demonica.” Did you make it up or is there an interesting story about how you came by it?

That's for the courts to decide, Daivo.

So your radio program on WRUW-FM is called Across the Broad, and you play strictly southern hemispheric music – stuff from Australia, New Zealand, the Antarctic. Is the name of your show referencing the fact that you’re a woman, or that you’re playing a broad range of music from pretty far away?

Yes, very astute of you to mention all of the above. I also like a lot of music across a broad range of genres and couldn't possibly just pick one or two. So, I decided to do a show consisting of bands that don't get much airplay on this side of the pond. I do also however reserve the right to play anything I want, depending on the day and current events that touch me. Like the passing of Cleveland's own Jim Jones earlier this year just had to be memorialized.

In terms of Australian rock, I really only know The Church, Radio Birdman, INXS, Silverchair, and Midnight Oil. We’ll just pretend that Men At Work never happened, okay? But there’s a LOT of Aussie rock out there, isn’t there? I mean, Australia is a huge country! Considering the propensity for British-descended folks to create wonderful music, I imagine there’s a whole world, or at least a continent, of great music to be heard that we’re barely aware of?

Too right, mate! Sounds like a ripper idea for a radio show! But as large a land mass as we're talking about, comparable in size to the continental US, there are only 20-odd million, and yes, they are a weird mob, in population. Most of them are artists though, so the creative critical mass is heavily present. The place is chockers with amazing world-class talent that needs to travel elsewhere in order to find a decent sized audience. There's a mother lode of Aussie rock, pop, punk, aboriginal, metal, experimental, industrial, hip-hop, R&B, soul, jazz, blues, psychedelic, billy,…you get the picture. That was mainly the inspiration for doing a weekly radio show - to share the love! All the love, from as many genres as I liked myself, and my taste is pretty broad, ya know? There are squillions of great Aussie/ Kiwi bands on top of the few you mentioned. You should really get out more, mate.

As for M.A.W., hey, Men At Work were a fabulous band and Colin Hay is still coming up with the goods. He had a new release last year called "Are You Looking At Me?" that has some of the finest songwriting ever on it. A couple of the songs are the caliber of Leonard Cohen's work.

“Squillions,” huh? Well, I guess a country as large as Australia has the right to invent their own large-scale counting system! Is there actually an “Australian music scene,” and by that I don’t mean just a bunch of bands that traverse Australia from Perth to Melbourne and play cover songs but an actual vibrant community? Is there an “Australian sound” the way there was a “Seattle sound?”

There is an incredibly vibrant Australian music scene, especially in Melbourne. We are seriously spoiled for choice every night of the week. You can catch internationally acclaimed veterans as well as new punters at a number of small to medium-sized venues in Melbourne. Since most of them started off toughing it out in the pub circuit they continue to perform to small crowds occasionally. Australian audiences are notoriously tough to impress. If they don't like you, they'll let you know. Never mind NY, if you can make it in Australia, you can make it anywhere. It's a lot like Cleveland in that way - you've got to be tough. There is definitely an Australian sound, but I can't for the life of me do it justice by verbal description. Just listen to the show and let the music wash over you. You'll know what I mean when you're soaking in it.

Why do you think it is, especially considering the ‘global village’ effect created by the Internet and YouTube and MySpace and even old, tired MTV – why is it that we hear so little of Australian music in general and Aussie rock in particular?

The flights are brutal for touring bands and a lot of them just can't make it over for a lot of reasons. For instance, One time a trip took me 32 hours; it's not for everyone. Those technological advances like YouTube are great, but I think touring is crucial for any band, especially now that CD sales are not pegged to reap the royalties they used to.

Maybe they’re just not that great compared to what the American and British bands have to offer?

And maybe you're just looking for trouble.

By the way, I’m curious about what Australian rockers think of American rock these days, if they do think about such things?

Aussies, for the most part, are pretty hard-core music lovers. They're into "Yank Rock" and everything else, probably due to the broad multicultural/ social base that whets the appetite for more variety. As long as it's not egomaniac-butthead rock I guess, although you'll find an audience for that too in some cases.

Are Aussies in love with their own culture and music scene or are they trying to mimic another, like the way Japanese bands got stuck on those dreadful American hair-metal bands for awhile?

I never witnessed a lot of idol mimicry, unless it was blatantly satirical. Like, did you know there was a DEVO tribute band called DAVO, Daivo? There's plenty to love about the culture, and that is something that contributes to the Aussie sound. But there's a lot to hate too, as there is here. I guess it's all part of that unavoidable irritating grain of sand that occasionally produces some beautiful pearls.

Nice metaphor! Who’s your all-time favorite Australian band and why?

Oooh, too hard... Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - because the guy is a mind-blowing force of nature and his band is magic made by chemistry. The Church - because they are the psychedelic electricians of all time and the unsung Pink Floyd of the planet. Divinyls - because Chrissy Amphlett's voice kicks ass! And she embodies the Australian spirit of fiery endurance with the utmost class & integrity. TISM - because they're fuckin hilarious. Need a shot of testosterone-fuelled tongue-in-cheek hardcore? Take some TISM and call me in the morning.

Your radio show airs every Tuesday from 2 - 4PM on Case Western Reserve University’s station – WRUW 91.1 FM. Do you get a lot of call-in requests from the students at Case, or just a lot of attitude?

I get requests more and more all the time now. The show has been going strong since Jan '07 and I guess people are really diggin' it, which is so grouse! I love my listeners and really value their feedback. It keeps me going, which is really important given the time & effort each show demands, and we do this for love & no money here. They must be paying attention, judging from the requests I get.

Also, if I get a request for a non-Aussie band that I can recommend a Parallel-universe southern-hemisphere-equivalent of, I'll do that too! For instance, I got a request for the NYC band 'Suicide' once, and was able to turn the guy on to The Presets. He loved it!

Those are sweet DJ moments, when you can get them. By the way, the call letters for the station - “WRUW” - do you know what they stand for?

Well, I got a few different answers to that one, but asking WRUW programmers a straight question like that is akin to herding cats. It's probably safe to say that Western Reserve University is in there somewhere, and the other W is the standard for stations east of the Mississippi.

It’s amazing how the alphabet and geography tie together sometimes. By the way, who is “Downunder Davo” and why is he calling you while you’re on air? Does he owe you money or something?

Downunder Davo is a good friend of mine in Melbourne who manages & books new bands all the time. He's a great source for keeping in touch with the local scene. Unfortunately, the 16-hour time difference between locales means I haven't been able to do any live phone-ins, just the ocassional pre-recorded yack. Thanks to him though, the station has a lot of stuff that otherwise never would have been heard here. Like The Fauves, Window, Cockfight Shootout and Prettymess.

My friend DJ Plastic has a theory that in the future, as musical genres within rock and roll continue to bifurcate and multiply and we get further and further away from the generations that started rock music, the DJ will serve almost like a curator or librarian, educating and providing guidance into bands and genres that the majority of folks will never have known about otherwise. What’s your take on the role of the DJ in pop culture?

Can't say I've given [that] a great deal of thought. I mean, some 'DJs' consider themselves artists in their own right for the way they play what they play, but I certainly don't see myself that way. I suppose the curator thing is fairly accurate in that genres and sub-genres are proliferating at such a great rate, specialist DJs are as well. There just isn't a human brain big enough to store more info than that. All I know is that were it not for non-commercial radio I would never have heard the best music in the world, so it's an honour to be granted the privilege of doing a show!

How is the local rock scene doing in Cleveland, in your esteemed and transcontinental opinion?

The local rock scene is definitely one of the life forms that is alive and kicking in this town! Anyone who doesn't think so needs to get off their arse and go out sometime. The Beachland alone is worth a look any night of the week!

Is there a way for listeners to tune-in to your program if they're too far away to pick up the WRUW signal?

Sure, the archive for each week's show is up for one week and can be downloaded from the program guide. I'll make it easy for ya, here's the link: http://wruw-stream.wruw.org/archives/56/356.mp3.

Oh wow, you can talk in Internet URL-speak. Impressive! What’s your favorite venue in the city for hearing live music, and you can’t answer, “any car playing my radio show!”

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern is simply the happiest place on earth. A close second goes to The Agora, in all its crumbling beauty.

Yes, here’s to post-urban collapse and all that accidental gloriousness! Okay, now please complete this statement – You know you’re in Australia when:

……you can't remember the last time it rained, and you thought you understood the English language.

You know you’re in Cleveland when:

You're sure you're not in Sarajevo and you’re at a great local gig.

You once told me that you had spent 25 years for a post-graduate painting degree. That’s a LOT of time spent painting! Or did you just use very broad brush strokes?

I was painting for about 25 years in various capacities, as a fine artist, a scenic painter for film/theatre/TV, a teacher, an art therapist, a graphic designer, a finished artist, etc. So, the size of the brush strokes varied greatly, but I'm pretty adaptable that way.

What a “colorful” career. Okay, last question. What do you think Clevelanders need to know about their city, positive or negative, that they’re unaware of at this point?

On the positive - If you don't know this already, there is a creative wellspring of tenacious talent & good humour here that makes this place special. Cleveland has the best & brightest people you could find anywhere in the world.

On the negative - There are way too many evil spuds ruining it for all of us, and the problem won't go away until it's properly addressed. I know I'd kill them all if only God would sort 'em out, but there is no God to solve our problems, there's only us. Cleveland, no truer words have ever been spoken: you've got to be tough.

Thanks, Demonica, for your time and travels and all your insights. We’ll have to meet at the Beachland for a beer or three some night and discuss God versus UFOs while hearing a good new band passing through town. Rock on.

Get to know Demonica at her MySpace page by clicking here.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Daiv Whaley dwhaleyATfathomseo.com

Photo by Aline Doyle
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