Australia’s favourite anonymous mask-cladded band TISM have this year released Death To Art, their first album in 20 years. The band recently took to the road playing tracks from the album live to sold out shows around the country, culminating in a huge event at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, which Australian Musician covered HERE.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips caught up with TISM members RON HITLER-BARASSI and HUMPHRY B FLAUBERT via zoom in an attempt to discuss the making of the Death To Art album. However Ron and Humph were more intent on telling us about their new guitar creation, the Octoheaded guitar!
“The guitar of the people” features 8 necks, with each neck tuned exactly the same, all containing six strings and offering no tonal differences whatsoever. I guess it’s a reaction to The Jimmy Page double neck and Steve Vai triple neck Hydra guitar, which have become legendary in the annals of rock ’n’ roll history.
The main feature of the Octoheaded guitar, as far as we can gather is the fact that each neck aligns with a different region of the world and when played only those in the specific region connected to the neck can hear it. For example when playing neck two of the guitar, only people in Japan can receive the audio signal. Also fun fact, they tell us is that each of the necks is produced by a different guitar manufacturer.
What’s even more revolutionary however, is TISM’s suggestion that all guitar solos should be wiped from history and there should be a ‘skip’ button to by-pass guitar solos, much like the ‘skip ad’ button on Youtube videos. Taking their radical ideology even further, TISM suggest that all lead guitarists such as Tommy Emmanuel should be rounded up and repurposed to perform other, more practical tasks in life such as plumbing.
Of course, you’ll need to watch the video below to fully understand the concepts being put forward by TISM. I also need to state that any views regarding media broadcaster Alan Jones are not coming from the mouth of editor Greg Phillips. However Greg will admit to stoking the fire of commentary on competing music media company Noise 11 and it’s proprietor Paul Cashmere.
We offer you this …
Visit Noise 11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg4tZW2PP8 for a companion piece interview to this one
TISM have retained their anonymous and cult-like status since first forming back in the early 1980s. Laced with nihilistic humour and gleeful sarcasm, as well as a razor-sharp penchant for hybrid dance, pop and rock, TISM may have kept their identities a secret all this time, but their impact on the Australian musical landscape remains undeniable.
With six studio albums under their balaclavas, including their 1988 debut Great Truck’ Songs of the Renaissance and 2004’s The White Albun, TISM have also released multiple live and compilation albums and EPs over the years, spawning enduring fan-favourites, including ‘(He’ll Never Be An) Ol’ Man River’ and ‘Greg! The Stop Sign!!’, millions of streams, and also snagging the seal of approval from longtime fan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. And as any fan who has ever attended a live show will attest to, there really isn’t anything quite in this universe like a TISM performance, whether clad in their balaclava best or attaching giant balloons to their jumpsuits as seen at their illustrious appearances at Good Things Festival in 2022 alongside Bring Me The Horizon, Deftones and many more.
Hop aboard the band’s hearse and join them in a trip to Springvale cemetary via their new album Death To Art.
https://tism-this-is-serious-mum.bandcamp.com/
𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔, 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑹𝒐𝒚 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒔 & 𝑫𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑱 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔
𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐌 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐨 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫
𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠
𝐄𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐌𝐎 𝐉𝐎𝐄
𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 19 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴
𝐁𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐄
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐒‘𝐒 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 6 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴
Fʀɪᴅᴀʏ, Nᴏᴠᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 29ᴛʜ
Hᴏʀᴅᴇʀɴ Pᴀᴠɪʟɪᴏɴ, Sʏᴅɴᴇʏ LIC AA
Dᴏᴏʀs 5.00ᴘᴍ
𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: https://daltours.cc/TISM-SYD