Connor Woods, the original vocalist of long-running metal machine ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, has recently teamed up with IDIOTEQ to share some of his thoughts on his new band NONPAREIL (featuring members of post hardcore band THE BLED, DEATH OF MARAT and BLUES) and his views on China. Watch the full raw video below.
Phoenix, Arizona based post hardcore noise rock band NONPAREIL has recently premiered another new track called “Yuan Xing Jianyu”, coming from the band’s self-released debut EP, Allergen, out April 8th. The song was inspired by frontman Connor Woods’ experiences of alienation as an American living in China. The band plows forward with the bulletproof rhythmic intent of noise-rock greats like THE JESUS LIZARD and SHELLAC. On top of this base, emotionally scarred vocals and urgent, notey guitars nod to the Gravity Records school of early screamo.
Questions asked:
1. First off, your debut EP as NONPAREIL obviously has a slightly different approach to music than your previous bands. How did you came to create NONPAREIL?
2. What’s the status of your previous bands? Which projects do remain active?
3. Tell us about your idea for the band’s sound on “Allergen”. Was it a struggle to put these tunes together? Are you happy with the final result?
4. Lyric-wise, the record was inspired by Connor’s Chinese travels. Conor, how do you view China after this adventure and close-up analysis of their society?
5. Do you follow politics a lot? How would you assess the impact of the Western countries, including the US to Chinese national interests? Is the country more and more impacted by foreign businesses and politics? Is Chinese independence and distinctness from Western societies still an intact fact?
6. How does modern Chinese independent music, including punk rock movement, differ from the American scene? Did you somehow get involved in the Chinese music?
7. Back to NONPAREIL, apart from your upcoming single shows announced a couple of weeks back, are there any plans to hit the stage sometime soon? Can we expect some European appearances?
8. So what’s next for you?
“Yuan Xing Jianyu”, premiered on March 14th 2016:
“No Elbows”, premiered in early February 2016:
Tour Dates:
Mar 17 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theatre w/ Intronaut, The Ocean
Apr 9 – Flagstaff, AZ @ The Green Room w/ Sorxe, Father Figures
