I think it started when I was scrutinizing Djentrification’s great artwork on the Andrew Jackson Jihad debut album Candy, Cigarettes and Cap Guns. On the back sleeve of the disc there is a symbol of a man with a question mark in his head and below it four words and nothing else: The audioconfusion Manifesto. Inside the disc there is a little more information that explains the music was recorded somewhere called Audio Confusion by someone named Jalipaz.

When I first looked at the disc, I mentally blew the strange names of both the Manifesto and Jalipaz off as some deliberate obfuscation or inside joke, and put the artwork away in some dusty recess of my brain. Later, on some local band’s myspace page, I ran across the audioconfusion moniker and a reference to someone I was starting to think must be a real person named Jalipaz.

_{Photo courtesy of Jalipaz}
Jalipaz, of the audioconfusion Manifesto.

I started running into both names with more regularity, and often with their mention, came compliments about how Jalipaz had mentored whomever and how great the Manifesto was. Usually these references came from bands that were on the top end of the spectrum, and whether I actually enjoyed them or not almost all associated with the audioconfusion Manifesto were at least talented. So I am starting to think some it’s some kind of musical cult led by a benevolent guru named Jalipaz, or something like that.

And then last Friday, after the galleries and shows started to die down, Conan Zimmerman of Dust Jacket told me about a show at a very random dive bar that was somehow a production of the audioconfusion Manifesto. I was hooked and had to go. When we arrived I immediately saw Sean and Ben from Andrew Jackson Jihad and a few other musicians, including Marco from Tremulants. The location was odd; a place called Angelo’s Lounge that is usually totally dead and so empty that the back area is usually literally in the dark (I guess to save money) but on this night the place was packed with hip kids and their hip hair.

The back room is where the music was happening, and though brighter than usual the main stage light was an old chandelier. On stage was An Aesthetic, which played a cool mix of psychedelic experimental rock with a little spooky kitsch thrown in as well. The crowd liked them and they had a really cute girl on the boards and primitive harmonica, so I will look for them again. We arrived fairly late and missed a band called Dear Boss that I’ve been hearing good things about.

The next band that played wasn’t very good. They were kind of going for that naive “we can’t play but don’t we rock” Ramones or Stooges kind of thing. I think they were called The Leather Boys. The “singer” had long blonde feathered hear with bowl cut bangs. It’s a kind of ‘do that anyone else but a musician would be ridiculed for, which he was. And they definitely weren’t the next Ramones.

Turns out they aren’t directly affiliated with the mysterious Jalipaz or audioconfusion. By this time my curiosity was piqued and I joked with Zimmerman about whom Jalipaz might be, picking out flamboyant and unusually dressed people and seeing if the name stuck. A while later a hippy-looking dude with a shaggy beard looked like he was shaking more hands than anyone and might have something to do with setting up the stage and the sound. I tried to mentally see if the name fit.

By the time I was ready to solve the mystery, I was a little too drunk to have a deep conversation, and I was only able to ask Andrew Jackson Jihadist Ben if he could put me in touch with the mystery man.

Here’s the skinny: Jalipaz was the scruffy dude. He owns a recording studio called audioconfusion and a while ago noticed a certain artistic and musical aesthetic was shared by the better bands that came through his recording space. He thought it might be cool to form a musical community around a handful of these up-and-comers, with an eye to improve the quality of local shows, provide a network for musicians, and record and help market these bands in a kind of pseudo-label capacity. That’s it.

The idea is not unlike The Shizz, though more centered around an actual place, or place to be, since Jalipaz’s new studio is being constructed as I write this, as opposed to a Web site like the Shizz (http://theshizz.org). They both, however, hope to improve the musical community through affiliation.

Oh yeah, the audioconfusion Manifesto has no manifesto, by the way, as you will find when you read the interview below. At their myspace page you will find that Asleep In The Sea recorded their first EP there, and that the aforementioned Andrew Jackson Jihad are part of the collective, as are successful popsters Peachcake. It seems to me that the group should extend the secret handshake to Tremulants, as they would fit nicely with the current membership.

I asked Jalipaz some questions via e-mail and he enthusiastically wrote me back. When he gets the studio up and running I’ll visit the secret headquarters, but for now here’s what I asked and he replied.

JB – Let’s get right down to it. What is audioconfusion and what is it’s Manifesto?

Jalipaz – The audioconfusion Manifesto is a collective/pseudo-label. The bands on the Manifesto are A Feast Unknown, An Aesthetic, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Art Vandalay, Asleep In The Sea, Blankets, Hack Bandit, Peachcake, Swordfish, and The Orphan Line.

Every decision we make is by a majority vote. If you’ve ever seen [the film] 24 Hour Party People, we’re kind of like that. We’re an aspiring label with no contracts or legal mumbo jumbo. Basically everyone on it has pretty much the same ideas about the music scene. Not necessarily the Phoenix scene but today’s scene in general. We believe that it’s mostly about fashion and not about the art, so were trying to bring the art back in music. Audioconfusion is my recording studio.

_{Click to enlarge}
An Aesthetic performs at the audioconfusion Manifesto
show at Angelo’s Lounge.

JB – Is Jalipaz your given name and what are the origins of it?

Jalipaz – No, Jalipaz is not my given name. I’m 31 and I’ve had it since high school. Basically it was given to me accidentally in high school. I was the only jock who smoked weed in my school and they used to pick on me and ask me questions like, “Juno the capital of Alaska?” and I said “Jalipaz,” and everybody laughed. So about four people called me that when they saw me in the halls. When I was 17 and went hitchhiking across the country, I decided to go by the alias “Jalipaz.”

JB – Did you consciously start the Manifesto and if yes, why?

Jalipaz – It kind of happened in parts. After I recorded Asleep In The Sea, I went and saw them live and they were amazing. I’m asked quite frequently if I want to start a label and until that point I hadn’t seen a local band that I thought was worth starting a label for. So I rushed home and started doing my homework. Needless to say [starting a label is] expensive and quite difficult, so I decided not to do it.

About that same time I’d been talking to Ben from Andrew Jackson Jihad. I knew him from recording a metal band he was in called Sub-Standards. He was telling me about his new band he was starting called Andrew Jackson Jihad and we were discussing doing a CD. At this point I hadn’t heard them, but when I heard their song “Jesus” on myspace I ran down to The Willow House where both Sean and Ben work and told them about the idea behind the Manifesto. They were way into it, so after that I searched out more bands.

JB – How did you get involved in the Phoenix music scene?

Jalipaz – When I first hitched into town I lived on the streets near Mill Ave. I actually had a tent up in the riverbed that’s now an actual river. Anyways I met a guy by the name of Slim who is now in The Overtones, and who is big part of the local scene. He introduced me to tons of people. Eventually I moved into a place called The Black Goat which housed a band called Space Rig and threw many parties with live acts. When I decided to start a studio I already was a little known in the scene so that helped. The other thing was making a Web site and waiting for people to call.

JB – How long have you been in Arizona and what brought you here?

Jalipaz – I’ve been here since ‘94. I was hitchhiking from Florida with a ferret named Spunky who lived in my hat. My goal was to go to California but I found out that ferrets are illegal in Cali so I had the trucker drop me off in Arizona. I met my wife Selena who is a native of Arizona and I’ve been here since.

JB – When you first arrived, what was your opinion of the music scene in Phoenix?

Jalipaz – When I first got here, Mill was more laid back and there were a lot of festivals and stuff going on so I really dug it. That’s when “Earth Mother Mind Jam” was at its highest I believe, and The Baseline Mansion was still around and throwing a lot of shows. I was pretty much a hippy back then so I was way into that.

JB – What’s good about the scene and what’s bad? What does the audioconfusion Manifesto endeavor to change about local music?

Jalipaz – I’d hate to say the scene is bad cause it’s not all bad. I’m not into a lot of the shows around here because when you go and see a band that you like, you expect the opening bands to be somewhat the same and that’s usually not the case. I also think that there are a lot of bands that don’t get the props they deserve and bands that I think are talentless get too much. But that’s just my opinion.

I think the Manifesto is trying to help with both of those things. When you go and see a Manifesto show it’s not one of those things where the first band sucks and the last band is great because all the bands are equal. Of course, there are bands that are more popular than other bands on the Manifesto but that doesn’t mean they’re not just as good.

JB – Do you make your living solely by recording music?

Jalipaz – Mainly yes, but my wife works also. She’s very supportive and has sacrificed a lot to make this happen.

JB – Did you work for other studios here before starting your own?

Jalipaz – When I lived in Pennsylvania I recorded a little but mostly did live sound. I did work at a local studio owned by Otis Francis called ABCAT Studios. He taught me a lot and still helps me to this day. I basically consider him my mentor.

JB – What is your musical background and what kind of music really turns you on?

Jalipaz – I’ve always been into music. My older brother Joel was an avid music listener and has a lot to do with what I listen to as far as music goes. He had thousands of albums. Anything from Black Sabbath, Ram Jam, The Residents, The Beatles, and ELO. When I was 13 I started guitar lessons. I wasn’t really into that so I decided to try bass. I played bass in a couple different bands. Eventually my guitarist said that I sucked, so I started managing and doing sound for them.

Now I’m really into anything that has soul and is honest. That might sound cliche but it really does describe what I like. I’m really into noise and avant-garde stuff, noise that has an agenda to the listener. I’m really into anything experimental as long as it’s not forced. I’m also really digging the newer folky bands like The Shins and Wilco. My more aggressive side is Black Sabbath, and Pig Face. I still really like psychedelic stuff like Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues and some of today’s more psychedelic bands like Blur and The Flaming Lips. If you really want to get a good idea of what I’m into, listen to the score to the movie Ravenous.

JB – Whom do you love locally and what have you seen enough of?

Jalipaz – I love all the bands on the Manifesto. I’m also really excited about Tremulants and Dear Boss. They’re both doing some amazing and different things then most bands in the valley. I’m tired of insincere fans that are into the fashion and not the art because they only perpetuate more of those bands.

JB – How does someone or something become a member of the Manifesto? Can bands apply?

Jalipaz – They can write us on our myspace site and we’ll listen and decide if it’s something we think is right for the Manifesto. Then we’ll make plans to see them live and if they sound good, we’ll bring it up to the other bands and vote on it.

JB – Do the bands have to record at audioconfusion to be eligible?

Jalipaz – They don’t have to be past clients but we definitely encourage them to record with us. Plus they get a heck of a deal.

JB – Who else around town do you think would be a good fit for the Manifesto?

Jalipaz – The band Tremulants. Dear Boss would be great too, but their actually on our sister collective Zombies and Pirates.

JB – Are you aware of the Shizz? If so, how is the Manifesto different?

Jalipaz – I’m definitely aware of them and know a lot of the bands on it, but I’m not quite sure what they’re all about.

JB – What are you working on right now? What’s the next release by you?

Jalipaz – Right now I’m building a whole new studio from ground up and haven’t recorded in six months, which is really driving me nuts. The studio should be done very soon, I’m thinking like March or before. It’s about 1000 sq. ft. Unlike my other studio this one was actually designed as a studio. I do, however, have a lot of bands lined up to record. Asleep In The Sea, Andrew Jackson Jihad and Swordfish are all ready to record, along with bands I’ve never worked with before like Reindeer Tiger Team, Vision Of A Dying World and a brand new band called The Underwater Getdown.

JB – You’ve described the audioconfusion Manifesto as a pseudo-label, can you explain this please?

Jalipaz – Right now we’re not much of a label, [although] we plan on releasing and funding records in the very near future. Our main concern now is getting the word out and supporting our bands.

JB – Any shows in the works?

Jalipaz – Were talking to our favorite places, The Trunk Space and Angelo’s Lounge, about having set nights. As of right now we don’t have any shows lined up.

JB – Anything I might have missed or that you would like to add?

Jalipaz – I just wanted to mention and give props to Andrew Nagel, AKA Swordfish. He also helps me run and organize the Manifesto. His CD release was actually the first Manifesto show. I also want to mention some local bands that people should go listen to: Tremulants, Dear Boss, Chris Corwin, Vision Of A Dying World, Bikeula, Male Pattern Radness, Jumbo Junior and The Roar.