Austin Sound

The Hex Dispensers are brash, bristling, and a burst of unrivaled garage punk energy and intensity. True to their name, however, the quartet are equally as about dispelling the seriousness of their edge with smart but often irreverent shocks of blazing chords and infectiously riotous odes to the otherworldly underbelly and outcasts. The band’s sophomore album, Winchester Mystery House, was released last year courtesy of Douchmaster Records, and they just unloaded a new ghostly single 7″ on Trouble In Mind, featuring a surprising ballad and cover of Denton-based Occult Detective Club’s “I’m a Ghost.” You can watch the Hex Dispensers work their black magic this Saturday, August 7, at Emo’s, as they join a stellar lineup of the Royal Baths, Moonhearts, a Giant Dog and headliner Ty Segall.

Profile: The Hex Dispensers

Date Formed:

06/06/06 (true!)

Members/Instruments played:

Alex Cuervo (Vocals/Guitar), Tom Kodiak (Guitar), Alyse Mervosh (Drums/Vocals), Dave Bessenhoffer (Bass/Vocals)

Former Bands/Side Projects:

Alex was in Blacktop, King Sound Quartet, the Now Time Delegation, a Feast of Snakes, the Gospel Swingers and This Damn Town. Tom was in the Hatchbacks, the Kodiaks, and This Damn Town. Alyse was in the Winks, This Damn Town, and is currently in Manikin. Dave was in the Gimmicks, the Blowup, Tractor Sex Fatality, and New Fangs. All of us were also in the Brotherhood of Electricity.

Albums:

The Hex Dispensers (Self Titled)
LP (2007) Alien Snatch (Germany)

The Hex Dispensers/Haunted George
Split 7″ (2007) Hook or Crook

Lose My Cool b/w Taxidermy Porno + Tragedy (the Wipers)
7″ (2008) Douchemaster

My Love is a Bat b/w Cloak and Dagger Complication
7″ (2008) Alien Snatch

Winchester Mystery House
LP (2009) Douchemaster (North America) Alien Snatch (Europe)

One Less Ghost b/w I’m a Ghost (Occult Detective Club)
7″ (2010) Trouble in Mind

Influences:

Many. It’s more fun to see what conclusions people come to than openly declaring them. Besides, they change frequently.

Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:

Being compared to and measured against the Necessary Evils (who were an incredible band that we sound NOTHING like. At all.) because we did a song about a guy that they did a song about. Apparently that tipped over some kind of message-board record nerd sacred cow. Lesson learned.

Favorite local bands:

Manikin, the Golden Boys, The Young, the Altars, a Giant Dog, Criaturas.

Favorite local venue:

Beerland or Emos Inside

Upcoming shows scheduled:

August 7th @ Emos w/ Ty Segall, the Royal Baths, Moonhearts & a Giant Dog.

Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:

Ty Segall, the Royal Baths, Moonhearts & a Giant Dog.

Some of your favorite albums from the past year:

Speaking for myself (Alex) only: Davilla 666 - 12″ EP, Overnight Lows - City of Rotten Eyes, Ty Segall - Melted, Moonhearts - S/T, Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be, Thee Oh Sees - Warm Slime are the first ones that come to mind.

Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:

Not gonna happen.

Austin Sound questions:

What are some of the strangest things one might find in the Winchester Mystery House?

We may never know. We were too cheap to pay the tour entry fee the last time we were in the Bay area. Maybe there’s floating furniture. Or a room-to-room Ouija Board intercom system. Deadly traps. Hidden portals to the multiverse. Vintage coin-operated massage beds (rawr!). The mind boggles…

Taxidermy Porno sounds dangerous - what would be your advice to someone looking to break into that industry?

I’d recommend anonymity first and foremost.

What types of hexes do you most associate with the Hex Dispensers?

Typically revenge-based. We don’t condone preemptive hexing.

Song Introduction:

“I’ve Got My Doppelgänger On”

It’s a little ditty about hunting down and then subsequently wearing the skin of a person that looks exactly like you, or at least feeling like you just did. Feeling confident & self-assured. It’s a feel-good jam.

Sound Off:

The Hex Dispensers means something different to each of its members. To me it’s writing simple, catchy songs about horrible things. It’s deliberately dark, but we’re not going for a horror-rock pastiche. More Alfred Hitchcock or Rod Serling than leopard-print watusi-zombie pin-up girls. It’s cathartic, as I think most punk rock should be - but pure uninhibited catharsis is too self-indulgent. I’m more interested in telling these dark & dorky micro-stories than openly talking about my feelings. That stuff is always gonna be there, under the surface - I suppose it’s what motivates people to write songs in the first place.

Mp3 from Winchester Mystery House:
I’ve Got My Doppelganger On

Website:
Myspace