antiMusic: It is a pleasure to interview you guys. First off, can you tell us how Video Hippos was started?

Kevin: Jim and I have been in a lot of projects together starting in 1996, as we were growing up in the DC area. We both had an interest in making videos; Jim's projects were more often absurd narratives starring his friends, whereas mine were usually not narrative. The first performance I did with live video was a short-lived project in DC with Matt Vanek and Jordan Thomsen in 2002 at an art space called Decatur Blue, and after that I knew I wanted to continue those types of performances. Jim was an obvious go-to, so we started messing around with footage gleaned from ridiculous TV shows and movies and setting them to beats. I got a video projector in 2004 and we played a few shows as "CommandR and Gurgles." When I moved to Baltimore at the end of 2004, we decided the band needing a little retooling and focus, so we changed the name and kicked it into high gear, playing as many shows as we could, including a few in the original Wham City space, which was just starting to take off. The rest just kind of happened.

Jim:Kevin and I have been playing music together in various bands since high school, for almost ten years, I guess. One day Kevin got a video projector and video editing things, so we thought it would be fun to combine our songs with videos.

antiMusic: How did you come up with the name Video Hippos?

Kevin: I get really into wordplay and mutating the meanings of words. We started off with the word "video" since that would be an obvious clue to what we were about to someone who hadn't heard of us. We played around adding syllables to "video." We settled on "eohippus" the Greek version of "eohippus," a prehistoric horse. I liked the connotation that the band was a sort of an early stage in the evolution of new musical creature.

Jim: It's really one-word, "Videohippos". a combination of the word "video" and "eohippus" which is Latin for "horse", but "Videohippos" sounded kinda weird, so we made it "Videohippos".

antiMusic: Among Baltimore's Wham city collective -- Dan Deacon, Santa Dads, Blood Baby, Ecstatic Sunshine etc -- how would you describe the Baltimore music scene?

Kevin: It is very diverse, but that is its strength. There isn't a singular sound or aesthetic, but everyone can appreciate each other and feed off each other's ideas. As we are in closer and closer proximity, I have noticed a slight coalescence of the sound, but there is still no single label or word that can describe Baltimore's music. Many people have actually rejected the word "scene" in favor of "community." "Scene" connotes impermanence, a desire to be aesthetically homogenous, and a lack of genuine feeling or intent; whereas "community" suggests permanence, diversity, and love. This is what Wham City, Wildfire Wildfire, and many other individuals and groups in Baltimore are trying to foster.

Jim: "Awesome" is the best word to describe it, for me. Every time I see one of the bands you mentioned and lots of others, it's the one word that pops into my head. But not like "yo dude that was awesome", but more literally as in I'm in awe when I see these bands play. Our band is really lucky to be around so many great bands and people. It's a dream come true, and I'm always reminded of how great this magic is. Wham City and Wildfire Wildfire put together a festival in Baltimore a few weeks ago called "Whartscape" and it was one of the best shows I've ever been to. Other Baltimore based music we love includes OCDJ, Ponytail, Double Dagger, Lizz King, Lexie Mountain Boys, Tropics, Human Host, Death Set, Height, Jones, Cex, Butt Stomach, WZT Hearts,
and possibly my all time favorite, "Sports Ghosts".

antiMusic: How would you describe your music?

Kevin: Since Jim and I often have trouble communicating verbally, our music serves as a release of all ideas and feelings that are trying to find an outlet. The words are usually unintelligible, blending into the thickness of the sound and visual. I see it as a regurgitation of or meditation on the insane barrage of messages and images that we have been immersed in since birth, growing up in a market-based society.

Jim: Like a making a tight fist with your heart, and trying to pound it through your chest. Joy, pain, relief, impatience, recklessness, freedom, consequences, summer camp.

antiMusic: You recently played with Dan Deacon at the Beastmaster tour, how was that experience?

Kevin: Dan has been instrumental in the success of our band; we have a lot to thank him for. That tour brought us to a new level of understanding why and how we should perform, both through positive and negative experiences. Some of the shows were very inspiring experiences, while other were lessons in what is wrong with the music industry.

Jim:One of the greatest of my life. Dan is an amazing person and fun to travel with.

antiMusic: What are some of your influences, musical and otherwise?

Kevin: I had the good fortune of growing up in a musical family, so I was barraged with good music starting in the womb. When I was little I listened to the Police, the Beatles, Michael Jackson's Thriller, my dad practicing marimba and drums, and my mom singing anything from the "Green Acres" theme to Stravinsky melodies. As I grew up I went through a lot of phases- Top 40 (C+C music factory, MC hammer) Metal (Motley Crue, Metallica) Grunge (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins) Jam Bands (Rusted Root, Dave Matthews band) Punk/Ska (Rancid, Green Day, NOFX, Scofflaws, Specials) but as I got towards the end of high school I started listening to a wide variety of stuff all the time, rather than concentrating on genres. I got big into DC bands- Fugazi, slant 6, Trans Am- and other current underground acts like Unwound, Mecca Normal. Nowadays I would cite my largest inspirations for Videohippos as Suicide, Joy Division, New Order, Japanther, Ramones, Bird Names, Narwhalz, Dan Deacon, OCDJ, and too many others to name I guess.

Jim: The scene in "Back to the Future" when Marty's over at Doc's house and he plugs in an electric guitar into this huge amp, and when he strums a chord the amp blows up, throwing him across the room. That scene and Nirvana years later were the reason I got a guitar and started writing songs.

antiMusic: Describe to us what a typical show of yours is like.

Kevin: We try to get the crowd amped up by playing as hard as we can, having the video projections as big and bright as possible (which means making the rest of the room as dark as possible). Our performances attempt to completely engulf the audience and make them part of the experience. Ideally everyone will either be dancing like crazy or watching the videos. We try to create a multi-layer show so that be can identify with it in different ways. We also try to play alternate spaces (house shows, art spaces, abandoned power plants) as much as possible, since bars and clubs can often create situations that alienate or distract the audience.

Jim:Before- The two of us standing/sitting awkwardly in front of two king-sized bedroom sheets, waiting the few seconds it takes for the first video to start.

During- Blinded by the light of the video projector, blasting our music away for about 30 minutes.

After- Broken drumsticks and guitar strings everywhere and we're sweaty. Dizzy.

antiMusic: You guys are commonly known for your rad visuals. Do you make them personally?

Kevin: I end up doing most of the final editing, but the content is often a group effort. Jim will suggest a movie or some other source to use, and I'll rip it to my computer and chop it up, or some of our other friends will make pieces of video and I'll cut them to our songs. The best example of this is the video for "Sick Dollfin" which had separate parts created by Kenji Atsuka, Meredith Moore, and myself, and then was edited together to fit the song. Collaboration is an important part of the band, and Wham City as a whole.

antiMusic: Any final thoughts before we leave?

Kevin: A major part of my musical efforts of late have been a desire to foster an awareness of how insane our culture is, mostly through cutting-up images and re-displaying them in a context that hopefully helps to illuminate the absurdity and flimsiness of all these constructs that we are holding onto so hard. Everyone should try to look and listen more closely, carefully, and actively. Don't just sit around and consume whatever is brought to you. Get up, look around, ask questions, dance, sing, eat real food, and help other people do the same.

Jim: