An Interview with Trey Frye of Korine
By Michael Mitchell
Philadelphia seems like a hotbed of musical talent right now. Bands like Night Sins, Arch of Love and Korine are making people sit up and pay attention. The revival of the synthesizer over the past several years has led to blooming crop of amazing retro-sounding bands and Korine embrace it full force. The duo of keyboardist Trey Frye and vocalist Morgy Ramone combine the 80’s new wave sensibilities with a modern feel. Just off of a U.S. tour supporting Timecop1983, Trey was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions about the band, their future and their remarkable sound:
How long have you been performing as Korine?
We just hit our 2 year mark officially making music as Korine together. I have been in bands and releasing music on my own for the last 10 years or so, and Morgy has experience playing in punk bands and making solo music as well, I think a lot of punk influence still comes through in our songs.
Is there a significance to the name of the band? Where did it come from?
When I met Morgy in 2015 they were just starting to make music under the moniker by themselves, when we started working together we decided to keep the name. There’s no real significance to it other than its a pretty one word band name that we both like. We wanted to avoid the classic adjective-noun two word band name.
Obviously you are inspired by 80’s New Wave. Are there any bands from the current resurgence of that “Synthpop” sound that you enjoy?
I’d say my favorite at the moment is Lust For Youth, and fortunately for us we’re playing with them in Philadelphia in October.
Do you use vintage equipment to get your sound or is it newer emulators?
We do all of our own production and recording in my home “studio.” I have several vintage pieces that are used on almost every track like a juno 60 and an emu emax II, but its mixed and produced on a computer.
Your first E.P. was in 2017 with the full length album “New Arrangements” following the year after. When should we expect new material?
We’re actively working on new music, we can’t say much at the moment but you can expect some new material very soon!
Six “New Arrangements” tracks were recently remixed. Can you tell us about those tracks and your choice of remixers?
For the remix album we reached out to several friends and fellow artists from very different backgrounds, we wanted to diversify the sound as much as possible. Every remixer is very talented at what they do and I’m very happy they were all willing to work with us!
How did you come to cover the Crystal Castles song “Not in Love” for a special Valentines Day download? Were there others you considered covering?
Last year, the day before Valentines day we were working on a song and realized it was the same chord progression as “Not in Love.” We spontaneously decided to do the cover that night. The entire song was recorded, produced, and released in about a 6 hour period.
Your home base is Philadelphia, PA. What do you think of the current music scene there?
There a decent amount of very dedicated musicians and artists in Philly. We tend to not play here very often but when we do it’s always very fun and makes me happy I live here.
You recently finished a tour with Timecop1983 and Arcade High. How was your music received? Was that the most extensive tour you’ve been on to date? Do you have any more shows planned?
Despite the audience at many of these shows not necessarily being in attendance for us, we did very well, and had a lot of new fans turn out as well. That tour was our second time on the road with Timecop, making that our second time doing the full US run. We’ve also done several runs on our own through the midatlantic, midwest, and south. We recently signed with Rogue Agency to handle our booking, so we’re excited for the prospects that will come from that.
Korine with Timecop
Can you tell us anything else upcoming for the band?
We’re doing a run of dates in late September / early October in route to Absolution Festival in Tampa 10/5. Keep an eye out for those dates and expect new material from us at the end of September!
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Korine Upcoming Shows
27 Sep Wingtips, Korine at Cousin Danny’s Philadelphia, PA
28 Sep re:nü presents: jubilæum 2 / anniversary fest Brooklyn, NY
02 Oct Wingtips / Korine at The Wicked Witch Raleigh, NC
04 Oct Absolution Fest Tampa, FL
19 Oct PhilaMOCA Philadelphia, PA
Great news from Korine’s Facebook page. “We are thrilled to announce we are releasing a double single 7” vinyl on Born Losers Records this October! The first single “Uncrossed” will be out 9/13, Friday the 13th.”
Keep up with Korine
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