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.”