Join co-hosts Jessica Schwartz and Tequila Mockingbird as they talk with Stephen Hill of Atomik Kangaroo about his longstanding involvement with punk, indigeneity, inclusivity, and his conceptual, performance-based practices around speaking your mind and improvisation.  

Artist Bio: BIO: AtomiK:kangaroo

“What is Atomik:kangaroo?”

“Atomik:kangaroo found on recordings is finally here.”

Has been actively performing and recording music since 2004. Its founder Stephen Hill has been involved in the PUNK ROCK scene since 1983. and performing in punk bands of one form or another until the creation of atomik:kangaroo, which has been his main focus to current date.

Atomic Kangaroo in live performance art has gone at the stage for the last 19 years for the most part without a Setlist. 99.9% of the shows are completely improvised. In the moment pieces of performance art ;that are moving at a high generated level of playing, but with the ethics of punk rock. In attitude towards the performance stage that neither the Art nor the persons spectating are not separate in the moment when the music and performance are occurring. A platform for current event protest. A platform to show utter freedom in music. Keys or structure aren’t even discussed amongst the musicians. Most of the time the audience is completely unaware, that what they have seen is improvised ….This is giving away huge differentiation about what Atomik:Kangaroo is in comparison to bands that rely on this other concept of music entirely. However, at the same time the total construction of a set can happen within days, and then go be performed with the complexity of music ranging from Miles Davis to the Dead Kennedys. We are still asking ourselves that question who operate within the band itself 

“What is Atomik:kangaroo?”

“Atomik:kangaroo found in performance is finally here!”

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Song clips and audio samples 

‘Song for Lucy’ - Beefeater

Live Show at Old Town Pub, Pasadena - The Engine Room/Atomik Kangaroo

‘There’s a Fire on the 13th Floor’ - Atomik Kangaroo

Websites and Social Media 

Atomik Kangaroo website: atomikkangaroo.com

IG: atomik_kangaroo

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This episode was co-produced and co-hosted by Jessica Schwartz and Tequila Mockingbird. The audio and transcript were edited by Bella Gerard.  Questions were furnished by a live audience of UCLA undergraduates in the Spring 2023 MUSCLG 13 course.