The Bad Penny (beta)

Brooklyn, New York, has no shortage of bands – specifically, ones considered to be of the indie-rock or post-punk persuasion. But while it’s tough to stand out among the crowd, LAPêCHE do so with catchy, addictive songs matched with impressive intellect. That goes for vocalist Krista Holly Diem – who initially incepted LAPêCHE as a solo project 10 years ago – guitarist Drew DeMaio, drummer Colin Brooks and bassist Dave Diem (Krista’s husband).

Enthusiastic about participating in The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series, Diem’s critical thinking skills were on full display in a Zoom conversation that took place a month ago. The interview began with Diem providing some background on LAPêCHE and commenting on the band’s their third LP, the recently released Autotelic (Tiny Engines). (The album title implies having a purpose in and not apart from itself, according to Merriam-Webster.)

The interview then segued into Diem waxing philosophical and sharing his profound-yet-crystal-clear beliefs about art:

“Music and art connects us, brings us together, so I think that creating art is an overtly political act, a form of radical compassion,” he said. ” ‘Radical acceptance,’ to me, is being mindful and responsive to a situation rather than being reactive. Acceptance … is really being honest and truthful about the situation, and then taking [the next right] action [that] keeps in mind yourself and how you impact others.”

Of course, all the sentiments that Diem shared prove why artists are typically among the first targets of authoritarian regimes when they gain control of government. Asking questions, pontificating about what wrongs a given society must correct and questioning authority are all perceived as threats to tyrants who refused to be challenged in any way.

The Bad Penny‘s conversation with Diem lasted a little over a half-hour, but talking with the bassist was so immersive and fascinating that it seemed as if we had only spoken for five minutes. See if you feel the same by watching the lively interview in full at the top of this article.

If you enjoy LAPêCHE’s installment of On Tyranny, these editions of the series might strike yer fancy too:

• South American Post-Punks Pilgrims Worried About Touring US Amid ICE Atrocities

• ‘It Feels Like the Deck Is Stacked Against Us … I Wish We Could All Just Get Along,’ Band VTB Says

• Parker Woodland Frontwoman Talks About Protesting at Complex That Housed 5-Year-Old ICE Detainee Liam Ramos

The full catalog of The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series is located here.

For more on LAPêCHE, head to their website; their Bandcamp page (which has 15 releases, some of which are free); their Instagram account; and their Facebook page.

And if you want a clear idea of what the band’s live performances look like, check out their entire set opening for Jawbox at Brooklyn Steel in June 2019:

This entry was posted on 05/08/2026 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags authoritarianism, Colin Brooks, Dave Diem, Drew DeMaio, fascism, Krista Holly Diem, LAPêCHE, On Tyranny, tyranny. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.