Karma: Ok here is a series of quickie questions, ready?

Karyn: Yeah cool.

Karma: Spiritual or religious?

Afzaal: Spiritual

Karyn: Spiritual.

Jwyanza: I read this thing once where it said religion is for people that are afraid of hell, spirituality is for people who’ve been there. Spiritual.

Karyn: Wow [Laughs in amazement]

Karma: That’s good!

Jwyanza: I wish I would’ve made it up, but I read it somewhere. (everyone laughs)

Karma: So who’s your favorite band/musician that you guys are really into right now?

Karyn: Right now?

Karyn and Afzaal: Killing Joke

Jwyanza: Killing Joke is fuckin’ amazing but I love that new Mars Volta record.

Karma: If you could do an 80’s cover tune what will it be?

Karyn: Uh, I was thinking maybe a Cure song.

Afzaal: I was just thinking that shit, maybe a Joy Division song.

Karyn: Things of that genre.

Jwyanza: Um I’ve drawn a complete blank. [chuckles and smiles]

Karyn: I know you’d want to say Thomas Dolby "She Blinded Me With Science". [Everyone laughs]

Jwyanza: No, I always wanted Crisis to do a Swans cover.

Afzaal: What, In the Garden?

Jwyanza: No it’s from The Great Annihilator that song Mother Father and I said oh Karyn Crisis would sound good doing that song.

Karyn: [Chuckles]

Karma: What’s the last book that you read?

Karyn: Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock, You must read it, repeats. [As she throws her fists in the air] [Everyone laughs]

Afzaal: For me it was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote I read it a second time after many years.

Jwyanza: And I just finished Slowness by Milan Kundera.

Karma: What’s your mantra?

Karyn: Bring it on! [Everyone laughs] No but I usually tell myself a lot to keep my head down and keep working.

Afzaal: I pray all the time that Jwyanza, Karyn, Gia, Josh and I have the strength to deal with this.

Jwyanza: [Nods head] Peace.

Karma: Introvert or Extrovert?

Karyn: Um, I’m slowly becoming an introvert but I have an extrovert side.

Afzaal: Oh I am an extrovert definitely.

Jwyanza: Extrovert mostly.

Karma: What color are your kitchen plates?

Karyn, Afzaal, and Jwyanza: Black.

Karma: We all have black plates. Woohoo!!  [Everyone laughs]] 

Sharita: [joining in the celebratory noise making]

Karma: What’s the first car you ever owned?

Karyn: A Chevy Caprice Classic, that rocks!

Karma: Oh wow

Sharita: [Laughs]

Afzaal: I’d say the first car was the van.

Jwyanza: We bought a van from this church that we used in the band, the Church of Ecoptic, something or other.  We’d go on the road with it and the police would drive by and think we’re a church band like “oh” [smiles] [Everyone laughs] And then they’d see how they look and they’d go “oh” [frowns then laughs]. [Everyone laughs] The only car I’ve ever owned and still [do] is a Ford Mustang 1988 it’s pretty banged up. [Karyn chuckles] It’s a permanent convertible because I can’t put the top on. [everyone laughs]

Karma: What’s your favorite comfort food?

Afzaal: Comfort food?

Jwyanza: Sushi.

Afzaal and Karyn: Sushi.

Karma: It's unanimous!!  [Everyone laughs] Alive or dead, if you could host a dinner party for 5, who would your guests be?

Karyn: I would like to do all the great rockers like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and I can’t think right now. [Laughs]

Afzaal: For me it would be like Malcolm X, David Bowie, William Burroughs, Iggy Pop and Sophia Lauren or something like that. [Everyone laughs]

Sharita: Wow how did she get in there.

Afzaal: She was born on the same day as me and she’s really hot.

Karma: There you go.

Jwyanza: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Malcolm X, Darrin Hicks, Bruce Lee, ah Bob Dylan.

Karma. Ok, If you were stranded on a desert island and you had three tracks to take which ones would they be?

Afzaal: Three what?

Karma: Three songs, tracks.

Afzaal: Oh three songs! Oh shit!!  [Everyone laughs] That’s a tough one!

Jwyanza: "Stigmata" from Ministry’s live record would be one.

Sharita: [claps and agrees]

Afzaal: Three tracks only huh?

Jwyanza: If I said "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd, but I want to take all the beginning parts from the record.

Karma: Ok I’ll let you take that.

Jwyanza: How about Misty Morning by Bob Marley.

Karma: Ok

Afzaal: For me shit oh God. "Child in Time" by Deep Purple, "The Wall" by Pink Floyd, and probably Funeral For A Friend.

Karyn: Pass. [Everyone laughs]

Afzaal: Songs by Björk.

Karyn: Its too many to narrow it down to just an artist.

Karma: What’s your favorite color?

Karyn: Red.

Jwyanza: Probably a deep dark purple almost black, I hardly ever wear it so…[Laughter ensues from all]

Afzaal: Same color but a Forest Green.

Karma: Thank you VERY much!

Afzaal, Jwyanza & Karen: Thank you!!


We'd like to thank Andreas and Jake from The End Records. Jwyanza, Karyn and Afzaal for taking the time to interview with us. We wish the label and the band much success!