How long have you been living in Reading & favorite things about the area?
Not all that long actually – just over two years. I’m from Coatesville, PA originally, and I’ve lived in a few different places around the state including Philly, but I also lived in California for years and Paris, France for a while. I’ve always liked Pennsylvania for its woods and pervasive working-class; Reading has both those things in abundance.
How old & first song and/or album you fell in love with?
I was raised on a vinyl diet. My mom had a crate of records we’d shuffle through usually when we were cleaning house. I was young, but the records I kept putting on were Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Green River, Cat Stevens’ Tea for the Tillerman, Black Sabbath’s Masters of Reality, David Bowie’s Hunky Dory, The Who’s Quadophrenia (my mom’s favorite) and T. Rex’s Electric Warrior, so it’d have to be one of them. Then again, I have a visceral memory of bringing a tin of tapes with me on a family vacation and getting really into The Beatles.
What were the main inspirations for starting Tlooth and your debut s/t album ?
Tlooth came about as two other bands I was in were ending. I had a handful of songs that neither band would ever use, so I figured it was a good time to look for another outlet. I asked my friend Pat (Chiseled Lilies, the Squonks) if he was interested since we shared a lot of music interests. My inspirations at the start were bands like Unwound, Sonic Youth, Polvo, PJ Harvey, the Breeders; I don’t think we really sound like any of those bands though. The rest kind of fell in our laps a bit.
As for the album – with all of us being the age we are – we wanted to assemble something that felt very much like an album we’d have loved as teens. (Do we really love anything the same way we did then, when things could be new, your first? I don’t know.) We didn’t overthink it or focus on that goal, but I think we all had it in mind from the start. We knew the feel, we knew where the songs made sense, and we knew it’d all have to work together. We’re very grateful that it seems to do what we set out to do.
What does your songwriting process look like?
Typically, David (vocals, guitar, synth) or I bring an idea. We figure it out as a band. Often we’ll end up recording it only a few weeks later. The recording process is still very much part of the songwriting process. Often, I’ll solidify my guitar parts while recording. I think David does this as well. I’ve surrendered my writing of lyrics, and it’s wonderful to have someone like David to trust with the voice of the band. From beginning to end, it’s pretty straightforward. Then again, almost every song starts with an odd jazz feel or something that might be a joke and just lingers. You never know really.
Favorite piece of gear?
I’m not a gearhead at all. I like my amp, and I like my guitar. My amp has tubes, and my guitar has six strings. That’s good enough for me. I have some pedals, and I feel like people would joke that it’s my delay pedal I love the most, but they would be wrong because I have two delay pedals that run in unison, and I cannot split my love in two.
What motivated you to open a DIY venue?
I run Pleasuretone with some friends. Two of them, Nick and D’Arcy run Cloud 10. For years before Pleasuretone, it was a solid DIY basement (and still is). Basements have their limitations, and Nick yearned for more space. We somehow found some, and we knew we could host more shows. I’d been booking my own bands for a few years by then and had a good sense of who was around. I organized the backend – calendar, emails, socials, booking – and Nick took on the backline. So I suppose the motivation was simply that we could, and together we all have the skillsets to run it smoothly and pivot when things don’t go according to plan. We really wouldn’t be able to do what we do outside Reading or outside some other city like Reading. So, again, we saw a void and filled it.
How long did it take to set up and book your first show?
First ever ever? My first booking was done by phone while I was a freshman in high school. As a booking band member and an adult, it only took only long enough for me to realize other people in bands are very much just other people in bands. You have more in common than not typically. As for Pleasuretone, we took two months to clean up the space and make it usable. We had the first show booked a few weeks into those 2 months. Between bands I’d played with and bands I knew, it was pretty straightforward.
Do you have a dream venue to play and/or artist to host?
My dream venue would be Fennario’s in West Chester in 2002. It’s no longer called that, and I don’t think they have shows anymore. I know this isn’t what you meant. When it comes to hosting, I’m a realist, so I’m going to name a lot of artists I’d like to host that would likely play Pleasuretone. We’ve been fortunate to have had bands that have gone on to do a lot of great things (see Porcelain touring with Chat Pile, Agriculture and Pelican), and we’ve got a few more “big ones” to announce soon. DIY is a vital part of music and many “big musician’s” history, so real ones recognize and love to play smaller rooms like ours sometimes. Anyway, here’s my list of bands I’d like to host one day: Nightosphere, Twisted Teens, Flooding, Bondo, Sister Agnes, Landowner, Alvilda, Gloop, Muscle, Fell Omen, Editrix, Open Head, Claire Cronin, Pardoner, Halloween, Clifford, Pleaser, Lùlù, Mopar Stars, Irnini Mons, Marathon 77, Krill, Science Man, Pile, Ovlov, Alpha Hopper…
Top 3 most memorable moments?
Eating really good falafel at Dan Angel’s old studio (Near Boner 4ever) while recording Canid’s last album New Planet Radio. The falafel was really good.
Sean (Bad History Month) playing solo on a too small stool in the very hot gallery at Pleasuretone with no fans – he insisted we turn them off so there was no ambient noise. We all knew the stool would break, and it did. He just laughed and kept going. Ben (Dust from 1000 Years) got it all on video.
Every time I get to announce a bill I’m very excited about or give away
Top 3 lessons learned?
Don’t host or play shows you’re not excited about.
Support DIY spaces, and they’ll support you.
Email, don’t DM. Even if the band/booker initiates over DM, finalize everything in an email with a subject line that includes the date, location and venue name so it is easy to find. Scheduling email reminders is your friend.
What is your advice for someone thinking about starting to book and/or host DIY shows?
Do it because you love it. If you’re planning to make money, don’t do it. Consider your backline and setup; make it simple for the bands you host. Swing big but be realistic too. Include locals, support locals. Hire artists if you can or make your own flyers. Have high standards. You don’t need to say yes to everything. In fact, say no more often.
What does the PA music scene mean to you?
Coming back to PA and starting a band in 2019, I was grateful to quickly find like-minded people, and we all strived to support each other – and still do. In those early days, it was DD Moon/RA!D/Pale Fang, Nick from Cloud 10/Faux Fear, the boys in Hover, Diego at Impetus Records, Seismic… We all were in it for the fun of it, and it was equally nice to support and to be supported. So, if PA can do that, I’m with it; it means it’s sustainable practice even if the outcome is friendships as an adult. Since Pleasuretone’s opening, we’ve all been very lucky to host great bands and even better people. I think a lot of music scenes anywhere do the same thing: remind you you’ve got a community, big or small.
How long have you been living in Central PA & favorite things about the area?
I’ve lived in central PA my entire life. My favorite thing about the area is the different types of food I can get around here and the accessibility to get to major cities easily and still make it home for work on Monday.
How old & first song and/or album you fell in love with?
The first album I ever fell in love with was American Idiot by Green Day. I was 5 years old when it came out and my dad played it in the car all the time. He didn’t mean to, but exposing me to that album at such a young age turned me emo 100% lol
Who were your earliest favorite drag queens & how did they help inspire Ashley Jack Tabernacle?
My OG favorite drag queen was Alaska Thunderfuck 5000. When her season first came out I was pretty young and new to the idea of drag, I just remember thinking that her style was so strange and ethereal that I wanted to be beautiful and off putting like that. Eventually I discovered Katya when her season came out, and that character definitely shaped Ashley Jack in the way of being kooky while still looking flawless. I also met peppermint in college and fell in love with the kindness and care free motherly energy she gave off while hosting.
What motivated you to start creating original music?
I got in to folk punk around 15 years old and I just really enjoyed the idea that some dude (Pat the bunny lol) could record something on his phone and put it out and it didn’t matter what the sound quality was, people could see the importance of it past the recording. I guess that gave me the “hey, I can do it too” kick that inspired me to give it a try.
What does your songwriting process look like?
I only write about things that have affected me emotionally. And I turn them into a story. I always wished I could just pull stuff out my ass but alas, I guess only some people have that gift. I listen to songs I enjoy and capture my feelings well and try to see what chord progressions feel like a good accompaniment to the stories I have to tell.
Favorite pre-show ritual?
For music shows - probably just joking with April, my bandmate, until I feel the courage to step out and socialize. For drag shows - doing my makeup with my bestie and making each other laugh listening to the worst beats we can find.
Top 3 most memorable moments?
First, would be the sold out shows in London I played in 2024. Absolute insanity to fly 6 hours across an ocean and people know who you are.
Second, would be driving back from a show in Rhode Island to April’s parents house in Staten Island and Moth, Pigeon, Ness, Dan, and April coming up with horrible Irish drinking songs and informercial music to keep us awake. We were going insane with just improvising tag lines.
Last, would be getting recognized as my music project by a security guard at a reel big fish concert like 6 years ago lmao
Top 3 lessons learned?
If you make it, someone out there will like it. Literally the lady Gaga thing where’s shes like 100 people in a room who don’t believe in you yadadada. You only get better with experience. Doing things in your home and doing them on stage with an audience are completely different things. Learned that the hard way with drag. Get a guitar with a pickup. Having to soundcheck with a mixed up acoustic guitar so many times will give you tinnitus so bad that you go to urgent care because you think you popped an ear drum.
What advice would you give someone looking to start an original music project or drag/hosting drag shows?
Literally just fucking do it, and be a bother to promoters and constantly pester to get on shows. That’s the only way sometimes. Once you get a foot in the door and make friends things will come to you a whole lot easier. Be respectful of the chances you’re given.
What does the Central PA music & arts scene mean to you?
I’m probably biased because I grew up with it. I have a infinite love for it but the scene has also seen me at worst, whether it’s drinking too much, in psychosis, or just immaturity. I don’t usually play shows in my hometown. It’s always a delightful surprise when people still come out to support, even if they knew me during the harder times in my life. . A lot of artists I respect are from here and a lot of artists I despise are from here. I’m sure it’s the same for every scene. But it gives an outlet to artists that everyone needs.