1.10

Black Midi

I was shocked to open my phone last night and find that one of Black Midi's two founding guitarists, Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, died. It really shook me because I have friends his age, and Black Midi is probably the most important band that's entered my life. 

I got into the band basically the day they released John L. Some music meme page I followed on Instagram at the time posted about how batshit insane the song was, and I was intrigued. I listened to it once and was like What the fuck? Then I listened to it again. and again. and again. and again... John L is my 6th most-streamed song of all time.

Shoutout to my MCR phase that was occurring at the same time.
Black Midi and MCR were on 24/7 in my house from 2021 to 2023.

I loved how confused I was by it, and that quickly turned into a genuine love for the song: the demented yet catchy riff, the tale of John Fifty and his followers, the polyrhythm hell in the middle, MORGAN SIMPSON'S DRUMMING, Geordie Greep's absurd vocals with his "geographically unclassifiable" accent. Every second of it is so captivating, whether you end up loving or hating it. I think it's a perfect song. This led me to dive deep into music forums to try to find the weirdest, yet coolest, shit out there. I got obsessed with the little music Black Midi had put out at this point and eventually found myself listening to their, at the time, only album: Schlagenheim. 

I loved Schlagenheim immediately on my first listen. It was everything more I wanted from John L. Screaming guitars, musical jumpscares, stories of chaos, yet some parts of it are genuinely beautiful (Western somehow covers all of these but the screaming guitars). All of those extra aspects were thanks to Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin. It made me so sad to learn that he was no longer in the band and that he had no part in anything beyond Schlagenheim. It was clear how important he was to the band's style, because no other album in their discography has that same energy (I see Cavalcade and Hellfire sounding much more related). When the band was still together, I always hoped he'd come back, at least for one tour. It's clear now that it would've never happened, as the band moved to a more proggy sound before quietly breaking up just a couple of years later.

As I got older, my tastes also happened to change in that direction, which especially worked in my favor when Geordie Greep's The New Sound came out. I still see Greep on tour whenever I can, and will be seeing his solo act for the fourth time this April. But looking back, I still wish one of those five times I saw Black Midi included Matt. 

The first time I saw Black Midi was in October 2021. They opened with Schlagenheim's opener, 953, and in that moment, I knew I needed to get involved in music somehow. The energy in that room was absurd, though they had Kaidi screaming on a saxophone instead (a touring member I wish they kept around for longer). I wanted to be a part of something like this, beyond just being a fan, so badly, and I still do. Here I am, nearing 5 years later, making my way towards a career in audio and music, and I have to give a lot of credit to Schlagenheim for pushing me in this direction. I still think about those Black Midi shows whenever I feel like I should quit music and get reminded why I ever started in the first place. Without Matt, Black Midi would've never been on the map in the first place. Greep's solo work continues to inspire me just as much, but it would've never happened if not for Black Midi.

My Music Collection

Today's pick is obviously gonna be Black Midi's Schlagenheim, which I really hold dear to my heart. Western's my favorite, but there are so many other fun and insane moments in this record. I really recommend checking the whole thing out if you're up to challenge yourself musically.

stunning cover art too

Please check in on your friends now and then, even if it may not seem like they're struggling. Losing people in this way is so tragic. If you're reading this, know that I care about you even if I don't really know who you are. 

See you tomorrow -G