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Friends,
I first saw Karate play in 1995 at a roller skating rink in Pennsylvania. Their music was sad, intense and overwhelming. Like many of the bands I liked at the time I listened to at the time – Slint, Crownhate Ruin, June of 44 and more. – they combined loudness with what felt like a harsh precision.

But the tremendous thing about Karate was that they – and this episode’s guest, frontman GEOFF FARINA – never stopped developing. So the music grew up with you in a way that was like any other band I loved. On each album, the band expanded what they could do: their proficiency on their instruments, the way they structured songs, and their willingness to bring new sorts of sounds and influences in.

It seemed like Karate – even though they managed to sound like themselves over time – were in-volving the full field of music into their own.

I saw Geoff play again and again in multiple projects. With Chris Brokaw, playing American standards, with Rebecca Gates from the great Sub Pop records band the Spinanes, and on his own. I also loved listening to the projects I never got to see: the incredible experimental DIY aesthetics and politics band, the Secret Stars, the straight up rock band Exit Verse and the folk-inspired the Glorytellers. 

Beyond the range and the transformations, Geoff’s music changed my life. It introduced me, through the lyrics, to radical thinkers like Guy Debord and Raymond Williams. But also vital to my development was Geoff’s dedication to the guitar; improving every year from his hours of daily practice.

Over the past couple years, Karate has been touring again, and they’ve recently released their first album in decades, Make It Fit.

If you’ve never heard Geoff’s music, this episode nevertheless offers a wide-raging discussion about music, music scenes, spirituality (and the lack therof) in music, and more. I’ve also curated some of my favorite songs from Geoff’s various projects on a spotify playlist for you.

And here’s a list of all Karate/Geoff Farina shows from 1993 – 2020.

Enjoy the episode, friends, and if you get a chance to see Karate on tour, go! It might be another 20 years till it happens again.

CH

(The image for the episode comes from Altamira Guitars)