The World/Inferno Friendship Society changed my life. Their songs welcome you into a world of possibility, a place of fevered inspiration and pure, unrefined hope. Besides my delight at discovering their intelligent, optimistic, euphoric music, the band introduced me to my husband, their original drummer Ben Kotch.
They have definitely paid their dues. Inferno has been touring the punk scene in North America and Europe regularly for the past ten years, surviving exploding airhorns, bad wine, scheisse mit rice, and other pleasantries that go along with being a touring musician.
They have continually sidestepped much of main stream attention in order to stick to their ideals and get famous on their own terms. I was delighted to see them front and center of the New York Times website with beautiful photography by Damon Winters. The article talks especially of their upcoming Peter Lorre's 20th Century show playing in Manhattan for the first time tomorrow night at Webster Hall.
This is a theatrical rendering of their latest album about the life and times of Peter Lorre. I had the pleasure of working with director Jay Scheib on the video design for the show last summer when, together with Jack and the band, we developed a video narrative for this unique marriage of live punk show meets theatrical performance. Culling from hours of Peter Lorre films we collaged a video which echoed threads and ideas found in Jack's complex lyrics over a large three piece panel that stretches along the upper half of the stage, just above the band's heads.
A dazzling array of energy and light. Catch it if you can!
A Tommy Kriegsmann and ArKtype Production.
