The Serfs

Name, where are you from?
We are THE SERFS (Andie Luman, Dylan McCartney, Dakota Carlyle) and we are from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Describe your style in three words?
AL: Audacious, alluring, playful.
DM: bequeathed, sink warehouse, vampiric.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
AL: Dakota and I saw Parade Ground in 2017 at this spot on the outskirts of Rome. It was in what appeared to be an old section of the subway, turned venue. First of all, they were vibrant as ever and put on an amazing and intimate show. Their manager was watching front row with us and had leather biker gloves on. He was pumping his fist the whole time except for when he’d peel off one of his gloves and hand us a cig. We chain-smoked the whole show and I don’t even smoke cigarettes. Hahahaha. It was amazing.
DM: Probably a tie between Faust and ONO (both seen at the beautiful Woodward Theatre) because both groups were so truly strange to behold and transcended and transmogrified my ideas of live performance, and did so while decades into their musical careers. They are actual sorcerers. '27B4' by John Bender, the pioneer of cold wave music from our own land, who covered Faust with this track, and opened their show in Cincinnati…

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
AL: Miss Kittin and The Hacker. The tracks groove with a certain coolness that I just want to move to. These are two people I’d love to spend a night with, putting on a show, sharing our music, a drink and the dancefloor. Anne Clark would also be a pick, I know I’d be blown away the whole set and that’s the main reason. Her work is very impressive to me, and her words really stick with me.
DM: I would share a bill with Franz Liszt and Chrome (with Damon Edge), and I would want the show to be at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. And why? Because it would make no sense, would defy time and death and be spectacular and would probably harken the gods themselves.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
DM: Ohio mid-fi scummers, Eastern European dark ceremonialists, English industrialists, Jamaican dub experimenters, German hippies, Japanese synth-pop masters, French and Belgian ice queens, African fuzz rockers, New Zealand jangle freaks… just to name a few.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
AL: I would spend an hour with Jim Sullivan who disappeared in 1975. I would find out what happened to him and talk about UFOs, being human, and his favourite stories from life.
DM: One of the ancient writers or minds, like Herodotus or Thales… or one of the Russian greats like Gogol. Can’t promise they’d be lovely, vibrant company but I’d love to share a drink.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
AL: Third Man Records, Nashville. The whole experience of playing at Third Man was so validating. The community there felt close-knit and I got a sense of what it’s like to really be taken care of and appreciated as a musician. That’s new for me. I really valued the environment there.
DM: There used to be a DIY venue in Cincinnati called the Tinder Box. It was a bombed-out old industrial building-turned-living quarters near downtown - caved in roof, scattered debris, disintegrated vehicles and machinery laying about, a veritable wasteland. My kind of place. I think it’s a winery now…

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
AL: Anna Domino is an absolute legend to me. I find her relatable and her energy admirable. Anna was involved in various projects and collaborations but what I love is when she is solo. And I think that really says a lot about a person. Her songs are unique, cool but not brash, moody but not without a certain playfulness or imagination.
DM: I’d say Eric Cope, from Glorious Din. His tale is legendary, his voice unforgettable, and I think he made his own universe with that band. Him or Klaus Dinger of Neu, who changed my world with his drums.

The Serfs will release their second LP 'Primal Matter' on 25th February 2022 via Dream Recordings. Pre-order it at theserfsmusic.bandcamp.com.