Interview with Artificial Go

May 16, 2024

Cincinnati three-piece Artificial Go released their sophomore project Musical Chairs today, May 16. The band kindly had a chat with us at BLIGATORY. In this interview, they talk about Musical Chairs, the Cincinnati scene, the band all living under one roof, and more.

Peter had the Q's, Artificial Go had the A's.

Musical Chairs is out now via Feel It Records.

Q: First of all, how are you guys doing?

Cole: Doing well thanks for asking.

Angie: I woke up with another day of life, so that’s good news!

Micah: Better than yesterday!

Q: Your new album Musical Chairs is just around the corner, how does it feel to be on the verge of your sophomore album?

Cole: Feels nice to wrap up the second batch of tunes and keep moving forward as a group.

Angie: I am looking forward to releasing it, and performing these new songs on our upcoming 5 week tour!

Q: Artificial Go seemed to spawn out of nowhere in 2024 with the debut single "Pay Phone" in July and subsequent debut album Hopscotch Fever in September. Was the birth of the band as straight forward and swift as it seems to have played out?

Cole: Yeah the first record was recorded before we had a band. It was just Angie, Micah and I recording at my apartment after we’d get off work. The first record was mostly just polishing demos and discovering what we sounded like together. We put the band together shortly after so we could play live. It went as smoothly as it could’ve gone.

Q: Could you name some things—albums, books, movies, hobbies etc.—that you've taken inspiration in recently/during the recording of Musical Chairs.

Cole: I was and still am listening to a lot of dance music. Liquid Liquid and ESG to name a couple. There are of course a number of subconscious influences in the writing process of things I can’t name off the top of my head at the moment. Angie has a pair of congas that we had fun using throughout the record as well as shakers , tambourines and other percussive instruments to thicken the grooves. The last song on the record is fully inspired by dub reggae and effect-heavy modulated guitar sounds. Find myself in this zone a lot of the time playing in The Drin and listening to stuff like Mark Stewart and the Maffia, Dub Syndicate, Lee Scratch Perry, The Scientist, etc. Ultimately though, I’ve been inspired by the people around me in and outside of the band. People in my circle of daily life who are making cool shit and doing cool things. It’s what motivates me the most.

Micah: Hiking and skateboarding usually get my mind prepped to make some music. Seeing friends pursue their creative endeavors always inspires me as well. Famous Mammals and The Submissives were a couple of my go to artists to listen to around the time that we were recording the album. Not that the songs we were making necessarily fell into their wheelhouses, but they’re so great and listenable. Both bands have infectious and unyielding personalities that I dig.

Angie: I dove deeper into my illustrative work during the time of recording - cartoons, flyers and painting my first mural at the Feel It Record Shop. My visual art has really been tying into the band lately. I’ve been baking my own bread, and trying to DIY as much as I can in my life through art, cooking, sewing, repurposing, etc. I feel inspired by the kids that live in my neighborhood leaving chalk art on the sidewalks, and playing outside rain or shine. Children’s joy is resilient in the world that we live in.

Q: You recorded bits of Musical Chairs in the "haunted attic of the band's house." How important is the environment that you record in to the creative process, and what did the haunted attic bring to Musical Chairs?

Angie: During the time of Cole moving in / converting the unused attic into a DIY recording studio / wrapping up Musical Chairs, foot steps, door slams, goosebumps, water drips, and strange noises occurred.

The open insulation of the A frame made my throat feel funny after a while of hanging out in the beginning. We hung up lots of quilts and coverings after the first few hangs up there, which did make things better for breathing.

We recorded the final songs of the album: “Hallelujah,” “The World Is My Runway,” and “Red Convertible.” Whatever energy is up there, lives in those recordings.

Q: How is the Cincinnati scene looking these days? Can you put me onto some bands/artists that are also a part of the scene that you would recommend? Where does Artificial Go fit within the frame of said Cincinnati scene?

Cole: Check out Gentle Leader XIV. Really cool synth heavy pop-ish music. Good songwriting. Motorbike, Nick Maurer & the Grocers, The Serfs, and my good friend Eric Dietrich’s new project Etudes of Horror to name a few.

Angie: The energy to create here is contagious! Everybody here is really doing their thing, and doing it well. Nick Maurer is a treat to see! Back in March, I enjoyed watching Kobe Thomas perform solo with Nick Keeling at the Conveyor Belt BookStore. It was a great spot for a show. Outside of music, there is a thriving scene of artists, bakers and vintage enthusiasts doing pop ups. Ashley, who runs “Sugar High Vegan” did a pop up with her vegan baked goods at the first Artificial Go house show, it was yummy!

Micah: Listen to Nick Maurer! Better yet, catch one of his shows if you can. He’s got tunes for days and the best energy. We just played at Feel It Records which is always a fun place to play or attend. I’m not as tapped in as I’d like to be, but there are definitely great people making cool things happen here.

Q: You all live together in the same house. What are some of the pros and cons of living under the same roof?

Cole: No cons as far as I’m aware. I love living above Angie and Micah. Angie usually has some sort of creation to show me almost everyday from drawings, embroidery work, or a loaf of bread she baked. Micah’s usually tinkering with electronics and buying random pieces of gear and equipment as well as always working on something neat. We eat meals together and hang out with the mice in our kitchen. It’s a nice time.

Micah: It’s cool! Cole brought some bricks home last week for a fire pit and we grilled some dawgs out back.

Angie: It’s fun to be neighbors, and use the whole house as a collective creative space! The attic is for recording, and the basement is used for practice / screen printing. Cole built us a fire pit in the back too. We are able to roam in and out of each other’s apartments, alongside the mice, and when the summer hits, the lizards come out in the basement. It’s a full house!

Q: The final track on Musical Chairs, "Sky Burial," is of a very different demeanor compared to what we've come to expect from Artificial Go. It's a lot more spacious, progressive and soundscape-y. Is it a sign of what's to come from Artificial Go?

Cole: As I mentioned above, that track is fully peeled from my love for dub and drum/bass heavy groove. It felt like a nice way to exit the record. Maybe more of that zone in a future release. We’ll see.

Micah: Who knows!

Angie: I refrain from anticipating a certain sound or genre of music—the sky is limitless!

Q: What does the rest of 2025 look like for Artificial Go?

Angie: Go, go go!