“I feel like I rushed a lot of experiences thinking I would miss out, or that I was being held back.”
Chicago trio FACS never stop pushing forward, growing and changing. Their music sitting at the intersection between post-punk, shoegaze and post-rock
Sometimes spooky, always fascinating FACS are guitarist Brian Case, drummer Noah Leger and bassist Alianna Kalaba.
Brian says “our attitude is let’s just do the things we want to do. Let’s just do things that are important to us rather than do things that would make us successful..”
Read on as we chat to Brian about music, mental health and the pandemic.
How has the pandemic affected your mental health?
There have definitely been good days and bad days.
I’ve been trying hard to find ways to stay positive.
It was much harder at the beginning, so many things happened all at the same time.
It was really a lot to handle.
I also have a family and trying to maintain that balance of telling the truth, without making anyone really freaked out, can be stressful.
Are you doing anything differently to look after your mental health during this period?
I was able to get into a regular exercise routine for the first time in a while.
It did a lot to keep me motivated, and keep my head in a good place.
What are you looking forward to doing once things improve?
We were a couple weeks out from starting a EU / UK tour, I’m looking forward to re-booking that for sure.
Seeing friends, just being able to feel generally more at ease. I’m so curious how it’s all going to be.
What new TV, films, music or books have you discovered during lockdown that you’d recommend?
I did find this SuTissue record that’s only available on YouTube right now.
She was the singer of the late 70’s LA band Suburban Lawns.
It’s just her, playing these really hypnotic solo piano pieces, I can’t believe it hasn’t been reissued.
Hopefully soon so more people can hear it.
I was on a role with books for a while but now I can’t finish anything!
The new David Keenan book Exstabeth and it’s excellent.
Been rewatching The Wire for the first time since it aired, really amazing how well it’s aged.
What advice would you give to 16 year old you?
Oh wow. I have a 15 yr old, so I do have a unique perspective on this.
I would say how important communication is, and how to recognise opportunity.
I feel like I rushed a lot of experiences thinking I would miss out, or that I was being held back.
If you had to draw a pie chart for what keeps you mentally well – what would it look like?
It’s some delicate combination of music / sleep / dog / family / exercise
Completely giving myself time to zone out.
To mentally just detach and close the door for a while, that’s huge.
What are you passionate about?
Music, graphic design.
Besides friends or family, those are the things I spend the most time thinking about.
Tell us something not many people know about you.
I’m a twin.
FACS album Present Tense is out now on Trouble in Mind