PUTSCH (United States)

1. Before moving on to the strictly musical, I want to thank you for your participation. -

P. Glad to do so, thanks for contacting me and listening to my music.

2. When and how was the Putsch formed? Why did you choose this name?

P. Putsch started with a Tascam DP-008EX digital recorder and a Shure SM58 that a friend gave me as a gift in 2016. It was tough, and I knew at that point that I wasn't going to stay like this forever. The options were limited, but it was what I could afford to work with. Finally, they gave me an older computer and some friends gave me advice on how to get started. It slowly came together as more gear became available and I recorded Demo I in 2020. The name is less politically inspired in the macro sense than most people seem to think. By calling it Putsch, I am affirming the current state of black metal and the people who think they have a say. It is little more than a rebellion of what some mistake for being “ trve ”. It's my way of saying "fuck you. I'm doing it my way." It's a middle finger.

3. How do you see Rural Black Metal in general within your country?

P. I see it few and far between. Projects start and end and it's hard to even bother to keep up. The lack of always having an Internet connection plays a big factor here. But if I were to talk about most American bands in general, it would be negative for the most part. There is little consistency with most of what is out there. Also, what a lot of kids pass off as rural or whatever is written and recorded in a suburb a mile from fast food places and strip malls. Unless they're waving rainbow flags and pretending someone cares about their shitty music. They are all full of shit. There's a Conway Twitty song that sums it up perfectly. He says, "Don't call him a cowboy until you've seen him ride, because that Stetson hat and fancy boots don't tell you what's inside..." If someone's dressing up and messing around, they try hard, I bet they're trash and I ignore it.

4. Ideologically speaking, are you an activist in a movement that promotes your traditions?

P. Putsch deals primarily with the history and traditions of the Ozark Mountains region in the US. There is a nationalist element to him and he strays at times, but there is an overbearing regionalist element that runs him. I keep my personal life separate from Putsch. It's hard to think of him as myself because I see him as separate from me. Almost like he works for Putsch and the idea dictates what needs to be done.

5. What can you tell us about demo II? Did they manage to achieve what you had in mind in relation to their final result?

P. During production of Demo II you were still green and trying to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together. It was never intended to be a demo, but the production was never going to be what I wanted. When I had a bunch of songs, I cut a handful and re-recorded them for Cursed. Progeny of rebel Saints , which was better articulated and had more specific direction. A small label in the US picked it up, and around six months later it was released as a split along with Cursed. Progeny of rebel Saints by Old Forest too. I'm happy with how it turned out, but obviously I've learned a lot in the last two years. 

6. Tell us a bit about the song “ Cult of lightning and sun ”.

P. I wrote most of the lyrics before I wrote music. The title is an obvious nod to S. Devi , but the song only touches briefly on the themes often associated with her outright. It's more about living in but not the modern world. This was around the time there were daily riots in every major US city. The media turned it into a positive and cracked down on dissidents. Meanwhile, we watched from the mountains and enjoyed life as normal. The first line is “We are the true aristocrats. We stink of cheap wine and chew the fat.” I am affirming that our way of life is correct. That is, a past life out of your system as much as possible. It doesn't have all the glamor and glitz of the urbanites, but we have so much more than that. We don't drive fancy cars or eat with fine cutlery. We're driving beat-up Chevys and drinking out of gallon jugs. We share little with them other than race and they have chosen their path in life. I highlighted this in various ways lyrically but also musically. There is a bridge with a small slide guitar part . It is rough and barely in tune. During this he mentioned that there is very little to save and not everyone is coming with us. But while they burn their own world, we'll toast to that, singing and dancing to songs our ancestors made up on the very hills we walk today. During the Outro, he made a note that this is only a brief moment in the eternal cycle. A golden age is looming on the horizon, and we hillbillies have a front row seat to the return of Baldr or Kalki ...whatever you want to call it.

7. Could you give us a brief review of the material published to date?

P. Since 2020, I have released four separate cassettes on four different labels. Demos I and II were very hard and a nightmare to work on. Looking back, I can't believe I had the patience for it. Technological deficiencies consumed most of my time and I had to learn to manage without having access to the Internet. When I had almost finished Cursed Progeny of rebel Saints , I had finally gotten a groove on and my friends were essential to get me there. It was a daily struggle where I was taking a few steps back and forth until then. All three tracks from The Everlasting Struggle were kind of unique and I was adjusting my approach and the gear I was using. Since I wasn't focused on a specific concept, I put them as a division. That it was a perfect place for them. I have been working on a full length for over a year now. Compared to the earlier material, it has a much clearer direction, but it is a far cry from the second wave influence that I started with. I've put in a lot more folk and country elements. I built a lap guitar steel with a 2x6" and a bunch of spare parts. That's the next thing to track. Sometimes I wonder if it's even "black metal" at this point. I'm not ready to post much more details, but I do have some demo tracks on the wind if people know where to look. 

8. What is your base of inspiration when you sit down to compose?

P. I always start the same. I play riffs on an acoustic while drinking alcohol and smoking or chewing tobacco. Sometimes I already have lyrics or a beat that I'm writing to. Other times I try to capture some fleeting idea in my head. The track " Nose Down and Call it a Night " started out as a test mix of harmonica and acoustic guitar after my fair share of drinks. If things don't click, I delete it and start from scratch. But it always starts with a drink, tobacco, and an acoustic.

9. How is the recording process used? (Traditional study or study at home).

P. Everything is recorded in my house. I often share mixes with friends of mine who spend a lot of time in the studios. But I record, mix and master everything myself in a little corner next to my wife's art station.

10. Let's talk about traditions... What traditions received from your ancestors are still active to date?

P. Many of the religious views I was raised with were left behind as a child. However, I still see things like speaking in tongues and dancing until you pass out from exhaustion at revivals and church services as truly spiritual, damn any strange looks you get. I have no respect for any Abrahamic way, but there are undeniable nuances and rituals that our people have been following for a long time in most Christian holidays in my region. Remove the foreign elements and you have European mysticism. This is part of the reason I wanted to include the anthem " I'll flying Away " at the close of " Nose Down and Call it a Night ", which is about Richard Russell/ Skyking . In practice, most of what my family observes and maintains rituals would be described as pagan. We observe cultural holidays like Christmas for children, but our focus is more on the solstices and the change of seasons. We also practice divination with runic workings and omens, but that's something we keep closed and secret for the most part. I hate guys who go out of their way to correct people by calling it Yule or Samhain or whatever. 

11. What labels were interested in representing the Putsch inside and outside the United States?

P. I talked about working with various labels at the beginning of it all. I found it difficult to work with most of them. A lot of guys seem to want their hand in people's art and I don't mind these guys. Old Forest and Analogue Terrorism were by far the easiest to work with and straightforward. I've put most tag purchases aside for now to focus on the full length and get it where it needs to be. Whatever tag you post will come with time. Cassette is my preferred format, but I get a lot of requests to release CDs. I'm not sure who I'm going to. It mainly depends on what the label is willing to do.

12. Are you preparing new material this year or next?

P. It is possible that the full version will be released next year. It depends on how soon it's finished and where you land in line when you get there. I don't want to rush things this time. Most of the bugs and crashes so far were caused by not taking my time. I start to leave the guitars behind and then write a new song or add another part here and there. But it will happen when it happens. 

13. What can you tell us about the separation of "The Law of Eternal Struggle" with Mahr ? 

P. There really isn't much to tell other than the backstory of how it happened. I have never been open about my identity until Analogue Terrorism called me and asked if I had any material that I was ready to publish. I had the three tracks that I had no plans for and I mentioned that we could split with Mahr . Knowing they didn't know who I was, I mentioned a nickname they knew me by and said to tell them I said hi. One of his friends was actually the guy who gave me the Tascam recorder I mentioned earlier. When he gave it to me, he predicted that our story together had many more pages to fill, although we wouldn't be seeing each other any time soon. So for me, it's hard not to believe that a prophecy was partially fulfilled there. From the art to the pressing, everything was on point and I was thrilled with the final product.

14. Let's talk about reading.

¿What writers have you visited lately?

P. My father read a lot of pulp westerns . I bought them by the box at garage sales so often that I could always pick and find a random Robert E. Howard or HP Lovecraft book here and there. I'm less drawn to history than I am to a good story, so most of what I'm drawn to is fiction. Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and The Road that resonated with me like few other stories have. But if I could only recommend one book, it would be The Outlaws by Ernst Von solomon . Follow a Freikorps volunteer in post WWI Germany . I would be doing you a disservice by trying to explain more myself. You can find it in Arktos . 

15 Musically speaking. What Rural Black Metal projects would you recommend?

P. I don't listen to a ton of black metal that people haven't heard of. I think it's obvious that I listen to a lot of Peste Noire. Other than that, I like Bilskirnir , Dark Fury , Blood Libel , Odium Totus , Kvasir's Blood , Meinenwerfer , etc. I'm probably the worst guy to ask about what black metal to watch to be fair. I listen to country from the '40s and '90s more than anything else. George Jones, Merle Haggard , Johnny Paycheck and the devil, if you've never done it, give old Alan Jackson a try. Garth Brooks, George Straight , and Conway Twitty . I could spend all day on this list. Townes Van Zandt and a little whiskey sour mash can shake things up nicely. I also listen to old gospel songs that I remember singing at tent revivals on dirt roads as a child.

16. What action do you take in the face of the disgusting modern world and all the pestilence it brings?            

P. My personal life and Putsch are completely separate. What I would say to this question is that through Putsch I have had more opportunities to meet and engage with people that I probably wouldn't have met otherwise.

17. Where can we buy materials from the first releases?

P. As of now, all tapes are out of print. I've been through a popular website that hosts digital download sales several times, but this is obviously less than desirable. At any moment it could be shot down again. I plan to eventually suppress old material myself through a label, but right now I'm only concerned with writing and releasing new material. 

18. The covers of your releases are very interesting. Do you take care of the design?

P. Thank you. Yes, all the designs were made by me apart from the separation with Mahr . analogue Terrorism was behind it completely while working with the aesthetic of Bald Knobbers . The Balds The Knobbers were a group of vigilantes who tried to bring justice to the Ozarks in the 1880s and eventually became what they began to fight against. The history of the vigilantes and bushwhackers has become legend and tall tales at this point. I use photographs of them to capture and convey the history and spirit of the Ozarks as a kind of no man's land.

I thank you for your time Putsch and it is a great honor that you participate in the fanzine.

P. Yes, thanks for including me.