Skyscraper Media - Fall 1998
Interview with S. Cinca

What was the basis behind working with Tooth & Nail? Was it for support and is that why you didn't release the new record on Double Deuce or Lovitt?
Double Deuce went under and I wanted to separate putting out my own band on my own label (Lovitt). We basically wanted to get the support that bigger indies can offer. Tooth & Nail treats their bands extremely well.

Obviously some people misconceive Frodus as a Christian band because of Tooth & Nail. But what do you think about people mentioning the other extreme, that Frodus hates God and are just using the Christian scene that Tooth & Nail provides?
We don't use the Christian Music scene to our advantage, as Frodus does not play "Christian" shows. We do not want to mislead anyone as to thinking we are a Christian band. Of course, some may be misled by assuming so because of the label we are on, but there isn't much we can do about that other than tell people we aren't a Christian band. We don't feel that we need to sticker our records to say "Warning: There is no religious content on this record". That would be silly. It would be very easy for us to start playing Christian shows and making lots of money since we are on Tooth & Nail, but we don't plan on doing that. We played one "Christian" show as an experiment and it was just too weird.

Do you want people to think of you as a cult?
We are.

How are you a cult? How many members are there?
Members are attracted to the Frodus Conglomerate by naturally connecting to what is said. We are unsure how many members we have… it is very hidden and unspoken, a cult that is more on the intuitive level. That makes its members difficult to detect.

From being on Tooth & Nail you probably hear a lot of talk about independents. Why is it that you think people feel so passionate about indie music staying indie music?
People are so passionate for indie music to stay indie because they want something of their own… a solace from the drudgery of most mainstream rock that infiltrates the airwaves of the universe. I could completely understand that, but at the same time, musicians and artists need to eat, so the only way for a band to survive is to find their niche so they could do it, whether it's indie, mainstream, whatever… That is if the people in the band want to do music for a living, they may just take it as a hobby.

Would you like Frodus to be your living? Would you ever consider a mainstream niche if it made itself available to you?
Yes, I would like Frodus to be my living. I don't think we would fit in any niche other than perhaps create our own, as it goes right now we don't necessarily fit into a niche, we have quite a diversified audience.

What role does your live performance play in the overall representation of the band?
Our live performance is very important in the scheme of the Frodus Conglomerate International. It is a time where we can release the potential energy that resides in us into kinetic. If we don't play live, we may explode. But on the other hand, recording I think is equally as important but in a different way. For if we didn't write new songs, we wouldn't be excited and the potential energy would not be there for the live rock.

Why has the concept of Frodus moved away from aliens and towards big business? It is obviously not completely serious, but what is the meaning behind it?
We never really were an alien band, we did one tape-only album that had that theme as well as the business theme. We are pretty serious as to the possible scenarios that are introduced in our album, Conglomerate International. I like to think of it as a musical negative-utopian story like Brave New World, 1984, etc.

How does Frodus perceive themselves to be the "economic police", "to closely scrutinize the actions of every large corporation in America"?
We disseminate information and hope to make people aware as well as entertain the oppressed along with the freed revolutionaries.

Who do you view as the "oppressed" and the "freed revolutionaries"? What do you make them aware of?
The oppressed are the people chained to desks and jobs that they hate, thus living unhappy lives not following their bliss. The freed are the ones who know and live by their own rules. We are here to make them aware of the present and possible future situation.

Do you actually believe in mind-control and subliminal messages? How does Frodus make use of these techniques?
Yes. We have such messages on our record hidden in quiet places.

What do they say and have they worked?
That is something for the listener to hear, not for us to share - that way it works on the subconscious level much better. We believe they have worked towards our intentions.

What would you say the band's connection to Devo is? In many Frodus reviews Devo is mentioned and on Conglomerate you cover "Explosions". Is that coincidence?
We have a similar idea as Devo at times and also a new wave element to our aggressive music. It is coincidence.

What would you like Frodus to be in our society down the road of the future?
As for Frodus' place in society I am not sure. But the place for Conglomerate International (the album), I would like that to be similar to the place in society where science fiction books are felt to be glimpses of the possible future.

What should Frodus be remembered for?
Not being afraid to rock.

This interview was conducted through e-mail by Peter Bottomley and all questions were answered by Shelby.