The Grammy Museum welcomed industrial rock band HEALTH into their intimate Clive Davis Theater for a special evening consisting of a live interview moderated by Nic Harcourt, a fan Q&A opportunity and a brief yet exhilarating live performance. The event began with Harcourt introducing Jake Duzsik, Johnny Famiglietti and BJ Miller as they took to the stage.

Jumping right into conversation, Harcourt asked the trio about their DISCO4 compilation albums and how the pandemic had effected their ability to collaborate with one another as well as their other musical partners. Duzsik explained that the records were born from the pandemic and that the purpose in their creation was to avoid another set of straightforward remix albums. They also discussed the fact that the lockdown had heavily impacted their ability to work on music the way they were used to with Duzsik reflecting on the excessive amount of Zoom meetings that were needed to try to accommodate their creative process.

One of the hot button questions of the night, regarding the band’s coveted collaboration with Nine Inch Nails, came from an enthusiastic fan who wondered out loud about how the song “Isn’t Everyone” came about. In response, Duzsik narrated the band’s rise to prominence, tracing their roots from the underground noise rock scene in LA to the group’s support on the Trent Reznor-led industrial powerhouse’s arena tour. After hitting the road together, Duzsik explained that they remained in touch and ultimately saw an opportunity in the lockdown, thinking through Reznor and Atticus Ross’s film scoring schedule which was most likely put on pause due to the pandemic. The band took advantage of the timing and released the hard-hitting track “Isn’t Everyone” as a single from DISCO4 :: Part II which arrived back in April of 2022.

Returning to the topic of the pandemic, Harcourt asked about the hardships that came with the lack of touring. Duzsik reflected on the unnerving amount of uncertainty that came with it, remarking, “Is this ever coming back?” The tumultuous time period also left him with an initial sense of writer’s block, forcing him to navigate an already difficult time with a newborn child during lockdown. Famiglietti, on the other hand, expressed his fondness for the era, yearning to return to his online gaming sessions and hosting movie nights on Discord with fans. The bandmembers’ drastically different experiences led a fan to ask how they coexist to which Duzsik humorously exclaimed “We’re a functioning band!”

Among other topics explored during the Q&A were the band’s official soundtrack for Max Payne 3 which they revealed took over 15 months to complete and culminated in the debut of their song “Tears” in-game. Miller and Famiglietti both championed the “cum metal” label for the band’s modern sound with the latter proclaiming that “The Grammys will represent this genre.” When asked about the choice of band name, the group revealed they were inspired by the post-punk scene and originally wanted to use Medicine to which they discovered a shoegaze band had already laid claim to the moniker, leaving them with HEALTH.

After the interview and Q&A sections, the band burst into their usual opener “IDENTITY” with Famiglietti leading the crowd in synchronized applause to the beat. Next up came “GOD BOTHERER” from VOL. 4: SLAVES OF FEAR with the intimate stage framing the trio’s musical prowess exceedingly well, putting their talents front and center. The band’s album of the year worthy record RAT WARS was represented by “CRACK METAL,” “HATEFUL,” “FUTURE OF HELL” and a special performance of “ASHAMED.” The latter featured Lauren Mayberry of Scottish synth-pop group CHVRCHES on vocals alongside Duzsik, marking the first time the band has played the remixed version of “ASHAMED” live. Mayberry’s softer, wispy voice complements Duzsik’s measured, expressive tone, bringing a delightful balance to the already fan-favorite track.

 

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Setlist

1. IDENTITY
2. GOD BOTHERER
3. CRACK METAL
4. HATEFUL
5. NEW COKE
6. FUTURE OF HELL
7. MAJOR CRIMES
8. ASHAMED (Live debut with Lauren Mayberry)

Photo Credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva