Punks Not Dead, But Maybe Its Disabled
An interview with Jake Walker from Faulty Wires about their debut album and looking to an uncertain but exciting future
Thanks so much for agreeing to talk with me.
You commented on a post I wrote “What does being a hardcore kid mean if you can't leave your bed?” I’ve been thinking a lot about the shifting landscape of live music right now- Both the pandemic and the progress of capitalism have changed the music scene a lot, touring is almost impossible for smaller artists, historic venues are closing, and the future looks really uncertain for everyone.
I wanted to talk more with you about what the future of your project looks like, because I feel like there are always a lot of questions on how to make something happen when you’re disabled.
Do you have ideas about the future of the band?
JAKE: Uncertainty is the name of the game for sure. We started this project before the pandemic, and even then we weren’t 100% certain on how to execute on all of our goals for the project. We knew we wanted to write and record music and eventually figure out how to play it live, but we didn't specifically know how to achieve doing these while acknowledging certain imitations of mine. Add the uncertainty of a pandemic to this exploration process, and I think it makes a lot of sense why it took us six years to complete the five songs that made up our debut EP.
Now, with the knowledge that we learned in the process of the first EP, I'm really excited for the future of this band. Were in the process of writing new music right now, but we can't decide whether it's going to be a full length LP or another EP. And knowing that we have the ability to write and record songs pretty reliably, my personal focus for the next project is figuring out how to do a live show is a way that works for us. Live music is so important to me, and I think we want to show the world that disabled people can put on a show!
What are the challenges to performing live you're figuring out right now? And what parts are you most excited about?
JAKE: Time for some honesty; I haven't made a lot of progress on that front yet. The challenges for performing live for us are multifaceted; ranging from my own personal physical limitations to the accessibility challenges that most venues force upon disabled people. For pragmatism, I try to focus on the concerns that I can most directly address on my own. I've been experimenting with ways to improve my singing voice and stamina, to moderate success, but I often wonder if I'm going to eventually meet a ceiling for my physical ability. The broader societal accessibility issues, I fear, Will only be addressed whenever we decide to center the needs of disabled people, but my hope is with greater visibility of the disabled experience/culture, maybe we might start seeing real tangible changes (1/2)
I'm most excited about meeting and collaborating with more disabled artists. I've met and discovered so many talented and unique voices since releasing our EP, and I know that there is so much that we can all figure out together if we put our minds to it! There's probably so much knowledge out there to be shared and improved upon!
I often remind myself that even my most able bodied friends and peers eventually hit the limits of their ability. Art and especially punk music has been shaped by its constraints and I think the edges of limitation can often be really generative spaces. I'm excited to see what you come up with.
Who are some of the other musicians you've been meeting since the ep came out?
JAKE: Not every artist has necessarily been musical, but two acts that immediately come to mind are Teddy Cosmo and blind Adam And The Federal League. And I haven't gotten to literally meet either of them yet, I found Teddy through Instagram and Blind Adam was recommended to me by my friend Ty, but I'm hoping our paths cross eventually. A lot of the newfound disabled artists that I met were actually Visual artists, writers, and content creators, and it was fascinating to get some insight on their various creative processes!
I'd love to know their names as well if you've got them
JAKE: Certainly! I worked with Visual artists Craig Wilderman, Emma Lockwood, Julia Wroble, and Nanditha Reddy on most of the Visual assets associated with the debut EP. Each of them we're immensely talented and a joy to work with! I also did a few podcasts with Natalie Lomske and Dominick Trevathan, and it was so much fun to talk with people who understood the unique challenges that we navigated!
What does going to shows look like for you? How often are you able to go to shows, and how else do you participate in music? What’s most meaningful to you?
JAKE: I try to go to as many shows as possible, and going to local punk shows was kind of what inspired me to want to make music of my own. I am extremely fortunate that I haven't had a lot of experiences of being outright blocked from entering a venue because of accessibility concerns, Atlanta's venues I have been pretty good at accommodating my needs. That isn't to say I haven't had moments that were sketchy, but I'm also fortunate to have amazing support system that helps me overcome accessibility concerns that sometimes appear insurmountable. The pandemic probably slowed me down a little bit in terms of the number of shows I was attending, but I still try to safely attend ones the really important to me!
I feel like you can't replace the camaraderie that you feel at punk shows, and I think that feeling is what keeps drawing me back
Is being punk a meaningful part of your identity?
JAKE: I think the term "punk" is an idea/attitude/genre that has been gatekept to a certain degree and means a very specific thing to certain groups of people, and so I've always felt a little bit uncomfortable outright claiming as some sort of tenet of my identity. Achieving that "standard" is certainly not something I consciously strive for, but I think the person that I've grown into kind of naturally exists in that space. It's my assertion (and the central theme of our debut) that existing as a disabled person in today's world requires a certain rebellious punk spirit in order to not become overwhelmed by it all, but that's just my definition and I will let the capital-P Punks out there decide if it fits.