Sixty minutes isn’t enough time to feed most musicians’
egos.
But if there’s one thing those who’ve witnessed, listened to, or
engaged with Roxy Epoxy can tell you, it’s that the gal ain’t like most
musicians. Charismatic and opinionated, Epoxy has been showing off new
sides of herself, not to mention her record collection, on Roxy’s Ego
Hour, her music-smorgasbord-as-radio-show on KPSU. And though dedicated
listeners will remember it took Epoxy some time to get acclimated (bits
of her first broadcast were drowned out by music that wasn’t adequately
turned down), she’s proving to be a welcome presence for those eager to
hear new sounds on their drive home.
“I was lucky enough to go in and bring some music to a couple of the
guys, and they convinced me that I should get a show,” recalls Epoxy.
“They thought I was funny and had a good radio voice, which,” she
pauses and laughs, “is really funny. I’ve been having a blast. I
actually love that I haven’t been touring since March. I love
pretending that I have a half-normal life.”
Epoxy was able to assume the radio post while her band of
fashion-forward, eco-conscious, no-wave punks, the
Epoxies—guitarist Viz Spectrum, bassist Shock Diode,
keyboardist/lyricist Fritz Moxie (FM) Static, and drummer Ray
Cathode—sought out a new label and began sculpting fresh
electro-punk subversions for the follow-up to 2005’s effervescent
Stop the Future. And though they’re still in the midst of
writing, the band just released a new five-song EP, My New
World. Their first new music in more than two years, it’s also the
Epoxies’ first release through Philadelphia-based Metropolis.
No doubt, eyebrows raised in this city when news of their alignment
with the famed industrial and goth imprint was announced in June. After
all, they’d only released one album, through punk palace Fat Wreck
Chords. And Metropolis is best known for putting out, uh, “records” by
“bands” like Mindless Self Indulgence and VNV Nation. But according to
Epoxy, the split with Fat was amicable—”It really was such a
great learning experience,” she says—and, in Metropolis, they’ve
found a label that’s only misunderstood in 2007 because of its early
affiliations.
“Dave [Heckman, label owner] is really into expanding what the
label’s about,” says Epoxy. “He just signed theSTART; he signed the
AKAs; he’s got Electric Six. For us, it just seemed like the right
move. And contrary to popular speculation, we did not get dropped by
Fat and we did not leave. When it came down to it, it was a mutual
business decision and there was no bad blood whatsoever. There’s no
trail of carnage behind us.”
That, too, is likely to change once the band’s new full-length is
completed, since this time the band won’t be restricting the boundaries
of their sound and, according to Epoxy, won’t be shying away from
noble, universal causes, either. “I’ve definitely been delving into a
ton of new music with the radio show,” she says. “Right now, we just
don’t know what’s going to come out of anyone. One song written by our
drummer is about Earth singing to its occupants. And it’s a little
ticked-off. But then, if I were a planet with parasites like us running
around on it, I’d be pissed off, too.”