In The House Of Kimbockleeohnothnesis

Daniel Cowlin is a musician from the Metro Detroit area. He has played in several musical groups including (but not limited to) Shrimpanzee, Trick Of Shadow, Ugly Radio Rebellion (southern chapter), Frankenhead, and Blake Chen and the Haunted Hearts.

Whether he's laying down the low-end, playing a searing lead, or just talking, his sound is unmistakable.

Nomeus Is Immune interviewed him via e-mail. Here is what transpired:

NII: Greetings Daniel Cowlin! Thanks for doing this interview for nomeus is immune. Can I call you Dan?

DAN: Whatever you're most comfortable with: Dan, Daniel, Dan O' Mite, number W....

NII: What have you been up to? Any current musical endeavors you want to tell our readers about?

DAN: Well since my wife and I moved to beautiful Asheville, NC I have been pretty active musically. In addition to the ebbs and flows of my own material I have been playing bass/backing vocals with Jimmy Wallace locally. He is a soft spoken artist with a lot of talent for writing influential, interesting musical situations of many flavors.We have worked with a couple of drummers, keyboardists, guitarist and possibly pedal steel soon.We have a good amount of material. I played a few shows in Atlanta with mad axeman Scott Schroen's Ugly Radio Rebellion (Frank Zappa tribute band) late last year. The highlight was being given the opportunity to once again share the stage with frontman/writer/artist/pantomime dream Andy Turpen (If you don't know of him, you need some schooling! check this - JM).

NII: What kind of equipment are you using these days?

DAN: Most of my equipment is "pawn shop special" finds such as my Schecter P-38, Hartke 4x10 with 2500 Transporter and my Ibanez Digidelay, Boss, DS-1, Super Chorus, Flanger, Phase Shifter, Noise Gate and Tuner pedals.Other non-pawn related items I use are my Musicman Sterling 4 Fretless and Hamer Velocity 2 basses, my Fender Custom (82-3?)Strat, vintage 68' Jaguar copy modified by Jeffrey Dajos called my "Jeffuar" and a Roland 20watt guitar amp. Throw in a Cry Baby Wah and occasionaly DoD envelope tin foil balls and you have my tool box in a crumb cake.

NII: Do you miss the Metro Detroit music community?

DAN: Absolutely! Detroit is among the most eclectic of music cities in the world. Every genre is represented from Downtown to the surrounding college towns. Even when the economy is in the dumps the venues burst at the seems.

NII: Who are your favorite artists in the Metro Detroit area?

DAN: Detroit has been overlooked by the mainstream since the riots in the 60's. I spaz out to Calling Marvin, The Bugs Beddow Band, Tesco Vee and the Meatmen, T.H.E. Modfather and his Groove Coalition, Captain Dave and the Psychedelic Lounge Cats, Iggy, MC 5, John Sinclair and his Blues Scholars, Hinge, Morsel to name a few local favs of past and present.


NII: Favorite artists in general?

DAN: Nature.. nature is underated in my opinion. Owls especially, Human-based selections in my collection, well; The Police, GONG, Bill Laswell, The SuBhUmAnS, RUSH, Zappa, Tom Waits, Santana, Adrian Belew, The Flaming Lips, Primus, David Bowie, YES, Daevid Allen, Amandla, Gary Willis, Tony Williams, Estradashpere, David Byrne, Black Sabbath, Calling Marvin, Ray Brown, STUMP, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Jaco Pastorius, The Dead Milkmen, Dag Nasty, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Levin, Men at Work, Wayne Shorter, The Cure, The Who, Django, Bauhaus, Steve Howe, Steve Vai, Steve Gadd, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Hillage, Steve Stevens, Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum, The Star Wars Cantina Band, Men at Work, Allan Holdsworth, Mahavishnu Orchestra, John Lee Hooker, National Health, Mr. Bungle, Estradasphere, BUCKETHEAD, Funkadelic, Victor Wooten, Return to Forever, Idiot Flesh, Bugs Beddow Band, Peter Gabriel, Tones on Tail, John Scofield, Steely Dan, Hiram Bullock, Material, The Rolling Stones, Dead Kennedy's, Scott Henderson, Duke Ellington, The Doors, Skinny Puppy, Chet Atkins, Ozric Tentacles, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Cro-mags, Tears for Fears, E.L.P., C.O.C., S.O.D., A.L.D., D.R.I.,Chuck Lucky and the Gentlemen of Leisure, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Bud Powell, Bill Bruford, Magma, Mike Keneally, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jeff Beck, String Cheese Incident, Ween, Albert Collins, The Abssynians, Here & Now, Herbie Hancock, Chad Wackerman, Black Light Syndrome and Uneasys.
NII: How did you get involved with Shrimpanzee and the whole OJABOM Media family?

DAN: Long story going back to when I was cheek-high to a zit cream commercial. Seriously, John Moore and I have been making noises together since the days of pubescent emissions and school yard oppression.

NII: What is your most treasured memory of working with the Shrimpanzee/OJABOM family?

DAN: Probably the time spent with Andy Turpen as "stunt front"----man. That guy makes dreams come true for orphaned orangutans from Java to Jersey.

NII: Do you think Shrimpanzee will ever get together and work on new material?

DAN: I'm no gambler, but I would take that bet.
NII: How was your experience with Ugly Radio Rebellion (Southern Chapter)?

DAN: Scott Schroen is a workhorse's idol! He is on a mission to play over 10,000 shows of Zappa's music. With a goal like that there is no gray area when it comes to work ethic. My chops were never tighter. I had to learn 47 songs in a month before my first show....by ear! Zappa brings out the best (and worst) in me.I was also very fortunate to once again share the stage with Andy Turpen. He is like my own favorite, twisted carnival!

NII: What's going on with Trick Of Shadow?

DAN: Well, T of S is a perpetual entity. I have been working on new songs in my spare time. There is an album-in-the-making with Fecal Productions producer Dan Allen. For now I am pretty busy with other musical projects.





NII: Do you know the guys in Pet Minotaur? If so, are they really weird in real life?

DAN: Who?

NII: What are your thoughts on the current state of popular music?

DAN: I passed over the "uncontrollable vomiting", and "hopeless lament" stages and went right to "just plain numb".

NII: Do you get into the jam bands?

DAN: I believe that bands that identify with the "Jam Band" label have helped the independent music scene, festivals and the like, tremendously. Hats off to ten minute two chord progression vamps. "Let them eat brownies!"

NII: Who is the most bad-ass, insane, scary guitar player in your opinion? Why?

DAN: Allan Holdsworth, no question. The fun is in finding out why! Every professional axe-master has tipped the hat to the man. A real innovator in a sea of caricature guitarists. Not to mention his phrasing is other worldly.

NII: What albums have inspired you the most over the years?

DAN: Police, Ghost in the Machine: Inspired me to play. Men at Work, Cargo: Inspired me to sing. We're the Meatmen and You Suck!: Inspired me to fight back. Gong, Angel's Egg: Inspired me to open my third eye and play accordingly. Tones on Tail, You the night and the Music: Inspired me to pay attention to aesthetic and texture within the bounds of simplicity. Return to Forever, Romantic Warrior: Inspired me to practice. Zappa, One Size Fits All: Inspired me to Dream on!

NII: How do you feel about the current state of Kimbockleeohnothnesis?

DAN: It's just about right.

NII: How about the upcoming election?

DAN: I "did my part" and voted for Obama. I approve of the man of brown getting the highest seat in the house of white! Poetic justice in a way.Bipartisinism is the modern-day employment of one of the oldest tactics in war, as illustrated by Sun Tzu in "The Art of War"; Divide and Conquer! We are inundated with shallow choices and conveniences while our government runs wild with our STOLEN TAX MONEY (would you keep giving your money to your kids if they were buying crack to flip and weapons to bully the block??)! The voters have accepted the role of the helpless child, dependent on our government to think for us. The figurehead choices we have in this election are the worst yet. I guess the average voter has proven that more than two choices cuts into American Idol time. We need to shut off the power for a month without telling anyone when it will come on. That seems to be the only way true positive change will happen.I relinquish my soap box!

NII: Any shout-outs or last words before we shut er down?

DAN: Stay in drool and don't fuse rugs!

NII: Ok, thanks alot!



~JM

more about Dan at www.myspace.com/trickofshadow and www.freewebs.com/trickofshadow
also: www.myspace.com/shrimpanzee and www.myspace.com/ojabommedia