(This interview originally appeared in issue number 40 of Modern Fix Magazine in 2003(.
– interview by gordon downs
“I kind of helped throw this party next door to my apartment, which was like a ‘Saints and Sinners party,” explains Khaela (pronounced Kay-La) Maricich (aka The Blow) about the party she attended in her hometown of Olympia, Washington the night before. “There was seven minutes in heaven and seven minutes in hell. It was really fun actually! You got a card when you came in the door and if it matched up with someone at the party you had to go to seven minutes in heaven with them,” she explained still reeling from the night before. “In heaven you didn’t have to necessarily make out. You could do other things, like build something out of Legos, or write a haiku, or draw a picture of each other. It was really intense because this boy that I always kind of liked but who has a girlfriend and there’s always been this tension between us; we got the same card. If there was someone I was gonna make out with in a way where you can just like do it! And not have it mean anything, because it’s just a game at a party! He’s totally who I would’ve wanted to do that with! It was nice. Really pure, but like a nice way to spend a couple of minutes with someone.”
Sigh…I long for the Pacific Northwest. The foliage, the flannel, chains for your tires. But more than anything, I want to go to one of these make out parties The Blow told me about. The young Maricich has been a K Records standout this past year, releasing one of the most versatile and original albums in awhile. Entitled “The Concussive Caress” (or Casey Caught Her Mom Singing Along With The Vacuum) is an eclectic album to say the least.
At moments there’s full-on moments of indie rock, “A Night Full of Open Eyes” as well as hip-hop in it’s purest form, “What Tom Said About Girls.” With assistance from various K artists, Maricich was able to record “The Concussive Caress” with amazing results. In The Blow’s world of theme parties where everyone hooks up and there’s probably an amazing assortment of vegan snacks and dips – everything seems all right. And rightfully so, because we need more love in the world, and The Blow seems to be making an effort to fill that void.
