One might say Die Mannequin is back from the dead.
They return to Lethbridge hot on the heels of a new album “ Neon Zero” a brand new band reflecting their brand new dance infused sound and will be opening for Marilyn Manson, April 4 at the Enmax Centre.
“You’ll have to excuse my voice. We’ve been in crazy rehearsals for the past week,” apologized lead singer, guitarist Caroline Kawa aka Care Failure, driving through the mountains after the first gig with the new band in Calgary.
“ It was really fun. It was the first show with the new band. It was really neat, really fun to play with musicians I hand picked and have always wanted to play with,” she enthused.
The previous lineup dissolved along with her relationship with bassist Tony “Useless” Bleed seven months ago.
“ I was with Tony for like 11 years and we broke up seven months ago. So that was the catalyst. It would have been weird to play in a band with your ex,” she said.
“ And the other guys ( drummer Dazzer Scott and guitarist Stacy Stray) didn’t want to tour anymore. So I could put my dream band together,” she said.
She recruited new drummer Keith (Heppler) from Calgary born, Toronto based band Secret Broadcast as well as guitarist JC Sandoval (who was in Secret Broadcast “for like a minute”) who is also in the band Savanah and bassist Kevvy (Mental) from Vancouver band Fake Shark Real Zombie.
“ Kevvy is a great producer. He’s been my rock and roll brother for almost a decade. I’ve been a fan of his for years, so it is very cool to play together in a band with him. We have the same hairstyles and obsession with crucifixes. We’re like the punk rock Olsen twins. Other than deciding who gets to be Ashley, it’s very copacetic,” she said.
She released the new album in October.
“I usually do albums by myself. When I was with Tony, he’d come in and do background vocals,” she said adding she plays all of the instruments on her album.
She noted moving towards more a more of a dance influence has been a natural progression.
“There’s always been that dance influence there. But for this album, I wanted to knock down all the walls. I didn’t want myself to be caught in a rock or punk box. I just wanted to do whatever the fuck I wanted,” she said.
“It is more obvious on this one, because I took three maybe four years in between albums. When one of my favourite bands like Radiohead or Muse release a new album every year and a half, you grow with them. But you notice the difference after three or four years,” she observed.
“This time I ended up scrapping the whole project then demoing 30 songs and choosing the best of them,” she continued.
Die Mannequin starts their tour with Marilyn Manson, March 28.
“ He’s already been to Toronto. When he was touring the United States, he went up there too,” she said.
“ I actually did open for him in 2010.
“ From a music nerd and business perspective it was interesting to see how it was put together,” she said.
“ I didn’t know what to expect. Last time it was s a really stripped down rock show. I love the schtick if you call it that with the podium and burning the Bible. But there was none of that, there was just stripped down rock and roll— we’ve got his great band and we’re going to kick your ass,” she recalled.
She is excited about opening for Marilyn Manson again.
“It’s weird, but If it was with the old line up, it would be just another day, another show. But now with the new band and with the whole new vibe, I’m getting excited about playing for the first time in years. And that’s good for me,” she said.
“It’s going to be a crazy half hour. We‘re going to hits and new stuff. We’re going to cram as much music as we can into the half hour,” she said.
Tickets for Marilyn Manson and Die Mannequin cost $60. The show begins at 8 p.m.
