Interview: John Schmersal (Brainiac, Enon, Caribou)

Enon (left to right: Matt Schulz, Toko Yasuda & John Schmersal)

Around four years ago, my band and I were introduced to John Schmersal through a mutual acquaintance. Prior to that, I was unaware of John's history in music--his presence in legendary Dayton, Ohio band Brainiac, his solo work under the pseudonym John Stuart Mill, and of course his very great and underrated band Enon.

Since then, John has become a touring member of psychedelic/electronica act Caribou and has been on and off the road with them for quite some time. Luckily, I had the chance to ask John some questions via email regarding his tour experiences, his role in curating the upcoming ATP Nightmare Before Christmas Festival in London, and the status of his own band Enon. 

What city are you in right now and what's it like?

Istanbul. It's an amazing city. Steeped in the old but, still very cosmopolitan and just bustling. Lots of places open late and very lively atmosphere.

It seems like you've been on tour with Caribou non-stop for the past year or so. How are you holding up?

Well to be fair, we have had a few breaks by now. I was officially done with the crazy nonstop touring by mid-December. Then we did New Zealand and Australia in February. Post which I was home until several days ago. But, we did really have a solid run there. 180 some shows in 8 months. I absolutely love to travel so this is the right job for me.