Q & A WITH YOUR FAVORITE BAND, BLOK

With three siblings in love with sound and hungry to make more of it, it was impossible for BLOK not to form. The trio explode on stage with their electricity and broken melodies while interacting with their audience. You have Damien B. running the beats, with Jesse Saint John and sister Gianna on mic to make music that's refreshing and charismatic. 

E2TU – What is it that Blok represents?

Damien – Freedom of the mind, creativity, progression, conceptualization, thought, consciousness and unconsciousness, the id, abstraction of modern archetypes; all these things infused in the lyrics, instrumentation, and performance of the music in a – not necessarily what is known as dance – but strongly rhythmic style.

Jesse – Forward-thinking and natural self-expression. The music and live show encourage people to express themselves fully and animalistically. Releasing inhibitions, and using art and their natural bodily reactions to express what they feel and interpret.

Gianna – Upper level consciousness, sense of self, unconditional love, awakening the masses.

E2TU – Growing in popularity this past year, what has changed the most since your first show?

Damien – The venues and shows are more consistently of our choosing and we now have some awards we’ve earned and some notoriety in circles we were and are fans of.

Jesse – I think what’s changed the most is Damien, Gianna and my interaction and cohesiveness. We don’t rehearse our live show so the only thing that would give us our synchronization is constant live performing, which we’ve been lucky to be able to do over the past year.

Gianna – Pull and respect.

E2TU – What are you trying to convey to your audience?

Damien – There are options in modern music and life in general that people in the current American society don’t take because they haven’t been raised to perceive them as options to better their experience as a human being. Songs do not only have to convey one or two concepts or tones at once – neither do movies, books or any other creative medium. Strong composition with multiple new style choices layered simultaneously within a single piece of music while remaining cohesive. A heightened and dynamic new pattern or patterns of stimulation. The relevance of primitive man in the technologically and conceptually over-saturated minds of the youth of today and tomorrow.

Jesse – For me it’s not too thought out. What, exactly, we’re trying to express to our audience, but how we hope they feel. Again, hopefully uninhibited, and inspired, free, and surprised. Surprised by, hopefully, experiencing something they’ve never experienced before.

Gianna – All I ever want to do in performance, as well as day-to-day living, is express myself fully through every facet possible and awaken everyone from their physical slumber. What we see with our eyes everyday is physical circumstance. Conditioned by circumstance and constant reacting. Tap into subconscious and be still. contemplation, realization, manifestation – upper level conscious. Be free, stop caring so much, just do whatever. Be brave to feel. Thrive in love.

E2TU – You’ve recently released your first single on iTunes “Lair of the White Worm”, tell us about your upcoming EP.

Damien – Our new EP is an introduction into the concepts I’ve been talking about to whom ever 

is hearing about us for the first time, through the roots of psychedelic, hip-hop, funk and soul, and abstract electronic compositions in pop structures.

Jesse – The new EP is the proudest work I’ve been able to be a part of. It’s the “BLOK sound” that we’ve been creating for a year now, but amplified, and fine-tuned. The songs feel more “complete” and are each so strong and have really special importance to each of us. It goes really hard and never really let’s up, taking strange turns, remains exciting, and imminently listenable.

Gianna – Our new self titled EP consists of six songs, all individually, let alone as a complete package, the best/proudest thing I’ve ever been lucky enough to put my name on. Damien’s beautifully orchestrated, authentic productions define BLOK with their raw, ingenuity and sense of self. I literally cried when first hearing Jesse’s celestial vocals on “Never.” My love and respect has always been eternal for Damien and J. but with this EP, our creation together, it brings such an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and an undying appreciation that I even know these two, get to create music with, and having the honor to call them my brothers. A sense of peace falls over me knowing I can be proud to say this EP fully expresses and represents myself/BLOK.

E2TU – For those who haven’t been, describe what to expect at a Blok show.

Damien – People think because we’re white and we make some form of dance hip-hop that they’re pretty sure they know what to expect. I started hearing a phrase “You blew my mind” so much after shows that in March I started keeping track. Since March up until today I’ve heard that phrase in regards to our live show 43 times from 43 different people. It’s modern dance club with primal or tribal execution and electronic experimentation, lyrically progressive, forward and current fashion conscious, visceral and experimental party grooves that allow you to experience them in almost any of multiple ways available to your mind state at the time. We’re something new throbbing and thriving amongst the corpses of the definitions of the purpose of a song composition.

Jesse – BLOK shows are notorious for getting EXTREMELY sweaty and allowing the performers and audience an amazing sense of community where they can safely leave inhibitions at the door and have a guilt-free good time where they can dance and “mosh” and scream and not feel silly because the whole point of the project is about progression and passion, in a creative and intelligent way. For the lyrical elitists, one can just sit back and listen to the well-written verses featuring insane wordplay and intelligent niche references, or for those hoping to avoid participation, there’s plenty of visual stimulation to enjoy. A BLOK show brings so much joy and stimulation to the band and audience. You might be a little sore and drenched afterward, but your mind has been expanded.

Gianna – The feeling of being so in tune with every sense of yourself yet simultaneously having no control of your physical being. The sense of something happening, whether you can recognize it or not. loss of inhibitions. Physical expression of the subconscious. Sweat. Perspective. Consciousness. Ingenuity and truth.

With a new single, “Lair of the White Worm”, on iTunes and an upcoming EP Blok is busy, busy stirring things up.

More info at myspace.com/theofficialblok.