Ethan Lee McCarthy (Primitive Man | Many Blessings)

Todd Nief's Show

It doesn’t always work well to try to corner artists who you like and make them explain how they do the thing that you enjoy about their work.

Sort of like getting a comedian to explain their jokes. Maybe not the best thing for your ongoing enjoyment of humor.

Still, I will not be deterred, and I wanted to get Ethan from Primitive Man on the podcast to pressure him into explaining how he thinks about the dissonant soundscapes he creates not just for Primitive Man, but for all of the musical projects that he’s involved with like Many Blessings and Vermin Womb.

Ethan — like many creatives — cannot be contained and also has his fingers in visual art (including designing the cover art for the Hate Force record we put out somewhat recently) and booking all kinds of shows.

Check out more from Ethan, Primitive Man, and Many Blessings here:

• Website: www.hellsimulation.com
• Bandcamp: Primitive Man | Many Blessings | Vermin Womb
• Instagram: @primitivemandoom

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Show Notes:

• [01:12] How does Ethan use dissonance as a tool in his creativity?
• [08:44] How Ethan uses influences from other genres to spark creativity in Primitive Man — although passed through a “horrifying” filter, of course.
• [17:21] Are there unexplored avenues of “heaviness” in heavy music?
• [25:59] How Ethan’s visual art differs from his musical art.
• [32:50] How distrust, disinformation, and the getting implanted with a microchip fall create a dystopian environment.
• [48:50] Denver’s extreme music scene and the necessity of new bands taking the reins. How will shows bounce back after COVID?
• [56:32] What is Ethan’s role in booking shows and what opportunities will there be for people to get involved when live music returns?
• [01:08:10] Check out Primitive Man, Ethan’s Art & Many Blessings

Links and Resources Mentioned

• Hate Force album cover
• ‎Recode Decode: with Boots Riley
• “Sorry to Bother You” film
• “Aimen Dean | Nine Lives of a Spy Inside Al-Qaeda Part One” from The Jordan Harbinger Show
• NIVA | National Independent Venue Association
• Save Our Stages
• David Blaine and Ricky Gervais

Bands and Artists Mentioned

• Incantation
• Immolation
• Today Is The Day
• Godflesh
• Neurosis
• Crowbar
• Disembowelment
• The Haxan Cloak
• Lawrence English
• SUNN O)))
• Revenge
• Impetuous Ritual
• U.S. Maple
• Portal
• The Coup
• Cephalic Carnage