#8: Chris Leo (The Van Pelt, The Lapse, Vague Angels)

Thirteen years ago we had a chat after a Vague Angels show, now we're back at it on the mics and Chris Leo talks about how he first sang in a band with the former drummer of Agnostic Front, before starting his bands Native Nod and later The Van Pelt. He also tells me he wants to cover a freestyle song (this slightly trashy underground early 80s electronic dance music), why The Van Pelt broke up in 1997 and why they got back together in 2014, how he got signed to and then dropped by Matador Records, the process of writing lyrics and literature, and we talk about one of the best songs of the 90s, The Speeding Train. There's lots more, like how during the last days of Dangerous New York too many espressos made him discover open tunings, being in band and being a dad and of course we talk about the upcoming new Van Pelt album. We don't mention the Virus once during the whole of the conversation, that's how much there was to discuss!