Interview with LaMar Drue Carden

1) Can you tell me your name, or what you like to go by? And where you're from?

The name's LaMar Drue Carden. From Jacksonville, FL

2) You really seem to have an authentic passion for playing and making music, can you tell me who or what influenced your interest in music?

My interest in music has been slowly influenced by the world around me since I was a child. My grandparents from both my mom and dad's side had pianos(grandmother father's side had a Masters Degree in music and taught it at the elementary school) and whenever I could, I'd be banging on them. I didn't develop my own personal taste in music until late in high school, really. I always picked up on what friends listened to and just figured that was cool. I went through listening to Jimmy Buffet and the likes(thanks dad), country, pop, alternative, rap... whatever the radio/t.v. had to offer. I picked up on the "punk" scene and have been going on my Musical Mecca through life ever since...and don't have any plans of stopping. One of the first bands that really put a twist on me is "The Germs". I randomly bought a CD of theirs because I thought it looked interesting. Interesting to say the least. Life changing's more like it. Later on I discovered bands like "Suicide" and "The Screamers", which are some of the original heavy weight champs of "synth punk". After hearing such abrasive yet magical tones coming from these bands keyboards, it created this new drug-like addiction. My senses needed more, and the only solution for me was to create it myself. I found a keyboard that was laying around the house, hooked it through a distorted amp I used for dabbling at guitars, and took off from there.

3) A lot of your DJ sets include 'garage' rock, tell me about your interest in 'garage' rock, where does it come from? who are some of your favorite bands of that style?

Garage rock is punk rock from the 60's era.(with it's many revivals throughout the decades) It's attitude, teenage angst, love and hate, gettin' high, feelin' low, a good time, a bad time, got no time, times running out, gimme a minute, you're through, I'm through! Some bands I dig are: Los Saicos, The Monks, The Sonics, etc.

4) I know you've perform live before under the moniker "LA MAR" and I know you're now in "The Mold", please describe the origin and sound as well as musical influences of these projects, who else is in the band?

That's all pretty much in the answer to question 2). Other band members of The Mold are Ryan Johnson(drums) and Jason Jewell(bass). I do keys and vocals

5) Do you pay attention to any local bands making music, if so? who?

pay a little attention. Enough. People that do tend to do stuff in this town either take it somewhere else, or give up. There are a few bands I haven't witnessed and am told I should. Hopefully they're still doing it when I get around to it!

6) You often seem to have rad 'thrift store-esque' t shirts, what's your favorite article of clothing and where do you go to find this stuff?

My favorite article of clothing is a belt my friend Julie(DJ D.O.T.S.) gave me with my name scribed on it, which was found at a thrift store, just like most the t-shirts you're referring to

7) How would you describe yourself politically, if you had to?

I'm not too political. I'm down for free health care, better education, and the like, but as far as the freak show involved, I stay away from it.

8) Please give me your opinion on social media and the advent on technology when it comes to making music, would you describe these things as generally a positive or negative force in our lives? or neither one of the above?

Ha ha ha! I can say social media has definitely ruined many lives with the garbage that's been crammed through our orifices of what is right and true. False information brainwashing and creating a calamity of the soul. People get sucked into this huge mass and told to feel certain ways about certain things since there birth, never truly having an original thought of their own. And when that imaged life gets altered or some opposing force tells you that's not how it is, what are you left to believe? One way the social media does that is through music, because music speaks to the mind, body, and soul. The technological factor in the creation of music is a different thing. It all depends on how the artists uses them to create.

9) Favorite activity to participate in when you're hanging out with trees?

All kinds of stuff! Depends on the season. Music is involved.

10) In your entire lifetime, how many slices of pizza have you ate thus far give or take?

∞+1

Favorite record to spin on any given dj set?

The Monks - I Hate You

Finally, tell me about any upcoming gigs or dj sets coming up we should know about in the near future.

I DJ every Tues. night @ Phoenix Taproom w/DJ D.O.T.S. and every Wed. and Sun. @ Birdies