Low Pop Suicide

Low Pop Suicide made it to the Cinema Bar on February 18th. Before the show, Rick Boston was kind enough to sit down and share his insight with SLUG… 

In case you’ve come late to the game, Rick Boston is Low Pop Suicide. LPS has finally released  its long awaited second full length recording, The Death of Excellence. What we have here is a very intimate, brief glimpse into a few of Boston’s past experiences, which forced introspection, thought and action from Boston. He got anguish tinged with humiliation, and we got a fantastic album and a smoking live show. And as Boston would say…. “There’s a beauty in the terrible somewhere.”

SLUG: When did your tour start?

RB: It started about ten days ago in St. Louis.

SLUG: How long ago was your first full length release?

RB: The Cross of Commerce was released two years ago. Since then, Jeff Ward has passed away, and Dave Allen has quit and become Mr. A&R for World Domination. It has been a good time to asses what the future of Low Pop will be. At this point it seems Rick and Rick’s songs, and however he seems to perform them live. For this tour, I’ve opted for a real hard hitting rhythm section (Former Big F members Rob Brill 5 on drums and Algazzum on bass). 

SLUG: Was LPS originally a Dave Allen project, or was it yours and Dave’s?

RB: It was mine and Dave’s, and the label said ‘It’s your ship now, paddle it any way you want.’ Sometimes when you are given that kind of freedom, it’s a great thing, and sometimes, it’s enough rope to hang yourself.

SLUG: On Death of Excellence, you had a lot of various musicians help you out. How has the transition been from doing that, to taking it out on the road as a trio?

RB: The transition has been great. Now, we are redefining the sound of the record live. The live show begins to have a vibe of it’s own, and the Death of Excellence is done. It’s a piece of work, and I’m still proud of it, but it’s over here. And over there is the live set and the songs begin to take on a life of their own.

SLUG: I like the way the songs are on CD, but I also enjoy different versions when the band plays live. 

Read more from the SLUG archives here:
Concert Review: August 1992 
Concert Review: Soul Asylum