ENON
by bleek (Originally in Discorder, 2001)

You never know what the future holds. 5 years ago John Schmersal found himself in painful circumstances when fellow Brainiac member Tim Taylor died in a car accident, suddenly leaving John with a much lighter schedule. Where to go and what to do? Schmersal began recording a solo album under the alias of John Stewart Mill, but this was nothing resembling what was to come. It was time for a change of scenery and New York provided much of the changes needed to re-invent himself. Joining with ex-members of Skeleton Key (Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon) the three became Enon. The first album titled Believo!, on SeeThru Broadcasting records, attracted some good reviews and made my top ten of the year 2000 list in this here magazine. Nobody else seemed to notice as far as I could tell. The day I write this the day the new Enon release, High Society, hit number 2 on the CITR playlist. Describing Enon isn’t exactly easy. The songs might display an odd power pop blast while the next track might be a brooding mind-fuck. A clue about some influences can be found on an old Bio from SeeThru in which Schmersal “CLAIMS TO LIKE THE FIRST JACKSON 5 RECORD, ORNETTE COLEMAN AND THE RESIDENTS EQUALLY”. Whatever they’re doing to music I find most of it very appealing indeed. So it was with pleasure that I received word from John Schmersal that he would agree to an interview. We went for the cheap-ass e-mail type.

Have you been able to do more on Touch and Go than with SeeThru?
Seethru must have had a hard time losing you. 

 We lost them more like. Well.... so far not that much has happened with this band and Touch n Go.  This record was pretty much put together and was ready to put out when See Thru Broadcasting Co. lost its funding and went out of business.  So for a more straight answer yes we can do a lot more on Touch and Go because it still exists as a company!!!

Who produced High Society?

Dave Sardy... he's the same guy that produced Believo! and the gent that inspired SEE THRU.  He is a maniac... he was working on the Bush record when we were mixing High Society. I never see him much these days he's always working on records in L.A. where, reportedly, the better studios are.

I just read that Rick Lee has left the band, true? Why? 

 That guy is also a maniac... he is someone we all respect and love so much musically, that was
never an issue. But Rick was never able to make commitments, and it got in the way too much. He was playing with a lot of different bands and that'd be cool if there was a sense of priority or responsibility but it got mucked up a lot and he'd be double booked on stuff that would piss many peoples and parties off... I don't know what to say, we are still friends if that is what you wanna know.  We were tired of waiting to be a band.

What were you doing in Kentucky?

 I lived there just before Brainiac broke up.  I lived in Newport, which is basically split by a river and bridges from downtown Cincinatti, Oh.  I had an incredible apartment in what was the
Masonic Temple of Newport, KY. The landlord of the building was this crazy guy who had a lot of buildings in Newport and he also collected antiques which he had in a shop on the first floor of the Temple. But it was more like a garage sale almost he had some real space taker uppers in there that kind of extended up the stairs

 of the building and into the 2nd story, including a mechanical chair lift that went all the way up the first stair case.  I had 4 crazy old rooms that connect to one of the Meeting rooms which was like the size of a High School gym, the Meeting room was inhabited by some friends of mine and they let me share access to the
bathroom and kitchen which was in there. I paid $100 for the four raw rooms and the loft where my bedroom was..... utilities included!!

Has moving to New York improved your life, work and creativity?

I would have to say yes on most of those accounts it took me a while to feel like I could survive here, NY is not an easy city to start a band in..... I'm glad we are based out of here despite our crazy expenses and other difficulties... I feel like it pushes us and motivates us in so many ways.... but I wonder  what it would be like if we were from somewhere else.... what would be different besides finances and time on the hands....?????    I don't know!!!!  The thing I do like about NY is that my work ethic has definitely improved.... when I lived in the mid west it was easy to find work and have any job that would pay your bills and so often I would just take any job... because it was easy!  where as now I feel more motivated to develop some other skill besides the band craft.  I have had some crazy jobs while I have been here and I think it's just because there is a larger variety of opportunities that come from around here... and the hustle of all these people focused and moving all around you kind of challenges your perspective .

How do you manage to improve and grow in creativity?

Practice man, practice!!! You have to work the tricks, we feel like a different band again now that Rick isn't in the band.  It's all about trying new things and taking some risks...  We are always working on different recording projects besides working on songs for live.  We've got a mess of 7" singles we've been putting out and some instrumental CD's we've made ourselves besides the first album Believo!  Check them out on our site www.enon.tv

When you set about making a song you seem to be into creating more layers than most people. On top of creating great hooks and playing well you throwin some unusual sounds. Where does that come from?
 

I wish there was one answer, and I wish that this stuff seemed unusual to me.... Sometimes a song is developed out of a textured sound and sometimes a song is written on say a guitar and a texture rich sound is added for spice.  We have a methodology of Enon. and it is all about picking your nose and making music with it.

Tell me about the tracks made for the Cartoon Network.

The only stuff I've really done for Cartoon Network is some incidental music for some newer
Banana Splits cartoons that they hosted on there website. Do you know the
Banana Splits? It was a live and animated kids show popular on TV in the
70's in America...

Can you tell me about the John Stuart Mill album, how that came about and your view of it in retrospect?

That record was about getting throught the time after Tim had died, it wasn't really like I was making an album. I was just making recordings cause I didn't know what to do with myself but, I
wasn't gonna keep working on the next Brainiac record in denial or something.... I needed to do something different as an exercise but I still needed to be making music.  It is about the battle of a public and private life.  That is one of the reasons it ended up being called John Stuart Mill.  I also did not feel like myself and so therefore did not want to self title it like a solo record or something.  I like that record a lot because again, it wasn't like I was making a record when I was doing it. So it isn't very tainted by da business. Music is often very personal, for the listener and the composer.... that music I realized I would have no intention to ever perform it live because I couldn't do it honestly every night. That music is suppose to be an in-the-home type of experience.  Eventually, I figured out that I wanted to be in a band again and then there was Enon

The loss of Tim Taylor was tragic and sad, of course. Can you speak about his life and meaning to you?

Tim Taylor had probably the most inspiring effect on me musically, of anyone I ever met.  There are a few people in my life that have shaped the way I feel and the way I go about music.  He is the only one you would know of..... and anyway he is the reason I am here being interviewed by you today.  I definitely would not be making the music I make today had it not been for playing with Timmy Taylor and Brainiac.

Would there still be a Brainiac today if Tim was still with us?

That is a difficult question to answer ...It has been 5 years since he died and much has happened since then.  I know he would still be making music as I still am.  Timmy had music flowing through him and he wouldn't know what else to do.  But bands break up for all kinds of reasons, because it takes more than just music to keep them together and they are after all several people that need to get along. It is like being married to many several people... I'm
sure you've heard that on before. We would've probably been on a major label had he stayed alive... and you know how that goes... I think if we didn't succeed in THEIR grand sense, (become a household name) we would have been put on the shelf like so many other bands, unable to make a record until it was a "viable commodity" and that would've been too much for a band that couldn't sit down.

What keeps bands from choosing the avenue of commercial schlock music and
making a lot of money? Would it be easy to do?

You are asking the wrong person bro, ask someone who makes some schlock this question!!  I suppose if you make schlock, it is either because you wanna make it so you are following some template you believe is successful OR, you have the schlock naturally flowing through your veins and lucky for you, the boring world at large loves the way you piss in a cup.  Either way nothing is easy.

Do you ever even consider bending toward a more commercial sound or think about major radio play? How much of this has to do with a band's individual integrity?

 I don't think this band has ever been worried about our integrity!  I think we are making the music we want to make, and we want to do something that seems challenging and new to us each record.  This new record is much more straight forward and if you ask me? I think that much of it could be heard on the radio.  But the world is a dull place and radio is a very, very safe and pretty static medium.  Enon has no problem with being played on the radio when the radio is ready to play enon.  But our music is not being driven with radio as a goal, the goal is to try and do something exciting with pop music.  We wanna scare people one minute and make sweet love to them the next..... more like a good rollercoaster with your girlfriend or a thrilling movie.

Has Enon Become your sole source of income or is there some unfortunate day job?

Guess again fool!!  This is a NY band! Do you know how expensive it is to live here??  Besides that we've got sickening expenses, a van we make payments on etc. etc.  It isn't a sinking hole, but it sure isn't a money tree!!! Go tell your friends to go by our record and come see us live and quit living me in some rock n roll fantasy!!

How would you like Enon to be remembered many years from now?

Fondly dear, fondly!!!!

What artists do you find exceptional these days. Any top ten lists?

I'm not sure I can come up with 10.  There are a lot of good bands here in NY right now.  Like Black Dice are probably my favorite live band, Love as Laughter, the Rapture are a good live band... of course everyone's talking about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...... I have to say I really like the White Stripes, They're grrrrreat!!!!  We don't listen to much current music together as a band.  Toko and I listen to a lot of ancient music. If you want to get some inspiration, listen to some early field recordings of people playing traditional music from all over the world.  I recommend the Secret Museum of Mankind Compilations as well as many of the Nonesuch Explorer series.

I understand there was a video for "Come Into" which I have not seen. As a rule I don't watch videos and take that old Replacements' view that the music should stand alone. However I can understand how videos can make acareer. How do you feel about music videos? Necessary evil or something to embrace?

The Replacements Shmacements. I like those guys okay, and I like the one video (“Bastards of Young) with the Speaker and the guy looking at the record while he listens. that shit was so true and funny. (That's pretty much what I do) but they came at a time when video was blowing up!  It probably turned them off.  We think video could be great! There is so much you can do, it doesn't have to be expensive, you just need a little ingenuity.  Look at some of the Devo videos or anyone else in the beginning.... those videos are all about lo-tech ideas. No one cares about video these days...MTV don't play anything. And that is why the Replacements should start making videos now!!! We just made a video for “Carbonation”. A song on the new record.  And we had a great time making it.  Actually our part was fun. I have to give great
credit praise to Paul Wilm who directed and edited it. He also designed our website. www.enon.tv

Your website has a "Vortex" area in which there are several links to everything "Enon", related to you and not so related. Enon Mountain, Bluegrass festivals, churches, etc. Where does the name Enon really come from?

There is a small town east of Dayton, Oh called Enon, and that is where I got the name from.  It is a little tribute, I realize that Enon is a million other things and most people usually don't think about any of them.  That was one of the reasons I liked the word. It was simple and almost elemental sounding. Gold, Zinc, Tungsten, Enon... etc

There seem to be a group of people, like me, who are bored and cynical about current indie-rock and "alternative" music yet are drawn to Enon. Why do youthink that is and how do you feel about that?

I concur!! I find it hard to enjoy listening to most of the current music.  None of it does much for me.  Perhaps if I were left on a deserted island, I could begin to like it. I know that sounds mean... but I don't have much patience for music either. There has to be something extra special for me to pay attention.  But I guess the sentiment you express is on the mark with us we are bored musically and that is why we are drawn to this music????? Maybe???? Ask God.

Thinking back twenty years, what music were you listening to?

 My parents had all these Beatles songs on 8-track cassette and I would listen to them all the time.  I remember that.  My mother claims I also used to play some Neil Diamond 8 tracks and I neither recall nor embrace that in any way.... she's probably confusing me with my brother Steve.

Does Enon have any plans to come up around this area (Vancouver or Seattle) in the future?

Maybe in July/August for Seattle.  I don't think we'll hit Canada till this Fall however.  Your country and our country need to make some deals.......cause it's far too expensive to come over and play one or two shows you kind of need 4-5 shows to make it worth a bands while....

(ShiT)

Any final comments, thoughts, revelations, etc.?

If you have a pet please take care of them... walk them and clean up after them and groom them, definitely make sure you scoop the poop.  If there is a heaven n hell.  I think that hell is mostly filled with people who don't scoop up their dog poop from the streets.... I am tired of looking down when I walk around there is so much more to look at!!!