It's a cruel world...

Chinaski: Charles Bukowski's self in literary form and Indianapolis' latest mordant punk infused sludge mongers. Chinaski is a band of four friends creating music submerged in empathetic heaviness.

The band comes together in a whiskey and beer soaked fury, and channels its collective frustration and rage as a smash-mouth four piece. Guitarist Bake Henry, bassist Roy Hayes, drummer Dustin Carmichael, and vocalist Kyle Shaw spew forth nihilistic degradation in the merging of their amassed tastes and views on the world and music. This merging results in a high octane, yet solemn and honest release of emotion and thunder.

Friends gathering to form bands is nothing new to music as a whole. But when the members of Chinaski delve into their pain and anger an explosion of metallic sludge is unleashed with a backbone supported by a no care punk attitude and austere party vibe. The music is raw. The emotion is raw. Let go and rage is Chinaski's unofficial motto.

The Cracked Skull caught up with Kyle Shaw back in January about the formation of Chinaski, the band's writing process, and how things are progressing for the band.

First off, is the name Chinaski a reference to Bukowski's character, Henry Chinaski? If the band name is a reference to Bukowski's character, then would it be fair to assume that the music conveys a sense of being highly independent and disenfranchised within society? Even if it's not a a reference to Bukowski, it's outsider music for those that would seek it out. How did the name come about?

Absolutely. It's a reference to Bukowski's literary self. You're right on the money with your assumption. I think everyone in the band could be described as independent, unrepentant, and disenfranchised with society and the perception of normalcy. We do what we want musically to convey that. The name came about when we were brainstorming band names. I've always been a fan of one word band names, and I was in the midst of reading Woman. I don't think any of us wanted a sick or brutal metal band name. I just threw it out there. Dustin agreed almost immediately, and it didn't take long for Bake and Roy to agree.

Heavy, painful tunes between friends... Friends getting together to play music is often the start of many great bands. Heavy and painful both cover a lot of ground aurally. When Chinaski got together did you all sit down to lay out a plan of what you wanted to sound like? How did common touchstones and experiences between members musically and personally affect your sound?

Actually, none of us were sure what we wanted this to sound like. We all have different tastes and opinions on an array of music. There are some bands we can all agree on, but they can be anything from Eyehategod to His Hero is Gone. I feel our sound is representative of that and more. This had actually been a year or two in the making before our first official practice. Bake and I were working on another band a few summers ago with Jared Southwick (RIP), Adam Walker (Kata Sarka), and Alex Neuman. We had a few practices, but a lot changed with people's schedules. Jared was offered to join Tombs, and I basically encouraged him due to how that band operates musically and professionally. Adam was seriously considering moving and busy with Kata Sarka, and Alex flaked out. Bake and I were in limbo. One night we were drinking and Bake says, "Dude, fuck this. Let's just start from scratch because it won't work. I want to play guitar, and goddamnit I want to do a more metal band. I want you to do vocals." It went from there. Finding a drummer is hard, especially in Indy. Dustin posted something on the Indy hardcore board about wanting to play drums. He listed some of his influences (Eyehategod, Neurosis, Black Flag and Pig Destroyer), so I hit him up. Getting a practice took forever because we were still looking for a bassist. I had offered my services, but I'm pretty novice and would hold the band back. Kata Sarka had a show in Bloomington one night, and I went with them as well as Roy. Roy and I had been in Tunguska a few years ago, and we lost track of each other when I was no longer in the band. We shot the shit, hung out, and caught up. A few days later I asked if he was interested in joining, he said sure, and we had our first practice.

From the jump we decided that we didn't want to ape a particular band's sound. Because what's the point? I feel there are some influences that are more obvious than others, but I think Phil Anselmo said it best in an interview I saw a year or two ago. He said something like, "Now days bands just rip off one or two other bands and go from there. And that shit don't work. In my day bands would rip off a bunch of other bands and develop their sound from there." Pantera isn't my favorite band or anything, and I'm sure some metal snob will bring up the Exhorder/Pantera similarities. But you can't deny he has a point.

Did any one member have parts of songs or songs written beforehand? What are some key elements when writing a Chinaski song? Have all the members been on board since Chinaski's start?

Bake had a few riffs in his head before we started. We just went from there. Most of the key elements in forming a Chinaski song are whiskey, beer, tweeds, and us bull-shitting. If we come up with a song at practice, then great. We don't make it a goal to have a new song every month. We just go with what feels right.

Are you continually writing new music? Or are you working with a set of songs for the time being? Are you looking to add anything to Chinaski?

A little of both actually. We know what we're going to play in the live realm. We spend most of the time having our songs as tight as possible. However, if we're all feeling like bull-shitting, then we'll take some extra time just to rock it out to see if anything sticks. We discussed the possibility of adding a second guitarist, but it hasn't left the conjecture stage yet. Anything can happen.


To play and record is a straight forward mission statement for any band. You just finished recording a demo. How did the recording process go, and whom recorded the sessions? Did the songs change while recording or were they basically recorded the same as they're played live?

Honestly, I just wrote whatever for our Facebook bio. I really hate writing those things. They always come off as pretentious to me. The recording process went great. Carl Byers at Clandestine Arts did the deed. Funny how it came about... We had all discussed recording it live as opposed to tracking it. We played a show with Coffinworm, and Carl approached us when we were done offering his services. The clincher was when he said, "I think it would be really awesome if we just recorded it live and raw." To my knowledge none of us had discussed with him how we wanted to record it. After he said that we agreed that he was the man for the job. None of us could have asked for a better experience. We're definitely happy with the results.

Will the demo be available? Are you shopping it around, or planning on self-releasing it?

We're currently trying to agree upon artwork and a logo, but it will be available shortly. It's going to be titled, Cruelty. We will self-release it, but also forward it to zines and underground labels. We will also have it to stream and download on Bandcamp and Facebook. *At the time of the interview Cruelty was unavailable. It is now available.

Speaking of playing live, how has the reception been to Chinaski so far locally? Are there shows that stick out this early in your live appearances as ones to remember and why? Are you planning to hit the road with Chinaski any time soon?

One show that sticks out is the first one. It was Jared Southwick's memorial show. Jared was a close friend of mine, and I was honored to be a part of it. It was also the most people I've ever played in front of, and I was a total nervous wreck. It was the first time I had played live with a band in a few years to a crowd of around two hundred people. It was one of my favorite nights. The only thing that could have made it better is if Jared was there to actually witness it. We're currently interested in doing some weekend warrior regional shows, but we're not rushing anything. If momentum picks up for the band, then I can see us embarking on some short tours.

Seeing you live reveals an energized live set that seems fueled by catharsis. There definitely seems to be some rage fueling the fires. How does the general act of purging come to bear on your live performance?

We just kind of wing it live. None of us are fans of watching extreme bands perform passively, so we try to bring some ferocity. Doesn't always happen. We like to party, and some nights its toll will be evident. And for me personally, I've had a shitcan year for 2011. I just unleash a lot of frustration and anger I've had and felt as honestly as I can.

What's the future have in store for the band? Any big shows or other recording news coming up? What other local bands do you feel a particular kinship with?

We've been offered some shows, and will announce them shortly once we're all on board. Unfortunately, Indy has been very fickle with shows booked and attended. Not much is on the horizon now as opposed to what it would have been like a few years ago. I hope to make a return to booking some shows, but I need to save my funds first. I know I will lose money if I decide to go through with it. I feel a kinship in town with Late August, Coffinworm, Kata Sarka, Black Goat of the Woods, Apostle of Solitude, Overpower, Chaotic Neutral, Radiation Sickness, and some others I'm probably spacing.

*Chinaski's Cruelty is currently available for immediate free download from their Bandcamp page: http://chinaski317.bandcamp.com/