JAKEB SMITH emails ZAC HAIDER-KEENE, bassist from “power slop” quartet HOSPITAL THE MUSICAL.

Hospital The Musical combine the atonal, highly rhythmic vocal scrawls of hardcore, the technicality of progressive metal and the “bogan swagger” of heavy rock. Or something....

JAKEB SMITH: How would you describe your brand of heavy music?

ZAC HAIDER-KEENE: I would say it's sloppy, yet powerful. Power slop = POP. In my head we are popular so … whatever.

JS: You use some cool vocal delay effects on REDorphan; do you use a delay processor on stage, or is it done via the mixing desk?

ZHK: Neither. In the studio it was a combo of this rad old Roland analogue tape delay and a [Korg] Kaoss Pad. pretty much using them on the fly like an instrument in real time and using whole performances. Sometimes that meant a couple of us on each unit adjusting knobs while the song played to get a good take. More fun then automating plug-ins. Pretty cumbersome and expensive gear to lug around to gigs and hard to re-create live seeing as we've already got our hands full on stage. Don't really think the live show called for vocal effects but they were great for adding vibe to the record.

JS: Does Drew [Gardner]'s voice get worn out with during your demanding touring schedules? Or does he have some tricks to keep it fresh?

ZHK: Yes! The trick that Drew uses when losing his voice on stage is throwing himself around and hurting himself to take everyone's mind off how shitty his voice maybe sounding. But seriously I think he told me once that he has trained some bears as his understudies if anything goes wrong.

JS: What is We Are Fucking Serpents about?

ZHK: This question divides us as a band. Drew and myself KNOW it's about how we are actually serpents in bogan costumes, and Clarence [Clancy Tucker, guitar] and Miguell [Mike Bennet, drums] THINK it's about cutting the head off a snake and engaging in sexual relations with the remaining torso.

HOSPITAL THE MUSICAL play Miami Shark Bar Friday Jun 26, Ipswich CWA Hall (all ages) the afternoon of Saturday Jun 27, and Club 299 later that night. Support for all shows comes from This City Sunrise. REDorphan is out now through Soviet Records. www.myspace.com/hospitalthemusical

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