Interview: Nothing

For Nothing’s Domenic Palermo, it’s always been unclear whether music is going to kill him or pave a path to salvation. Maybe a little bit of both. From his musical beginnings in hardcore bands Horror Show and XO Skeletons to his current critically acclaimed project, Nothing, a turbulent marriage of shoegaze and indie rock in the throes an existential crisis, Palermo has always embraced the poetic uncertainty of life, and time and again dives headlong into chaos in pursuit of catharsis. “Stability has never really been a thing for me,” he observes, “and I’ve gotten to be pretty good at it, but there’s always room for a big bad ending.”

Nothing has been Palermo’s means of making sense of a senseless world since 2011, and, while it has seen various permutations come and go over the last 12 years, the current line up is one he feels confident in. Together they recently survived a grueling tour schedule that included a headlining run across the UK and Europe, and a full national tour in support of Japanese drone metal band, Boris. This epic trek nearly killed Palermo on more than one occasion, but it wouldn’t be a Nothing tour if the carefully contained chaos wasn’t seeping from the brim of their overfilled cup.

With four LPs and countless additional releases, Nothing boasts a prolific catalogue, and their most recent album, The Great Dismal, is true to form in its exploration of the tragedy and beauty that exists all around us. The album was written, recorded, and released during a global pandemic, a time more volatile and chaotic than even Palermo himself could have predicted. “Existence hurts existence,” Palermo asserts in “Famine Asylum,” a characteristically existential and contemplative track off the The Great Dismal. Or maybe, judging from the lyrics of a world weary poet for whom life falls apart as often as it falls together, it suffices to say, sometimes existence simply hurts.

After surviving the storm once again, Palermo graciously agreed to answer a few questions for Today Forever about the current state of Nothing, his experiences in the music industry, and how he somehow manages to find connection in the chaos.

*The original text for this Nothing interview appeared in Today Forever Issue 02 in July 2023.

**All text copyright Today Forever 2023, please do not duplicate without expressed editorial permission.

Photos by: Matt TxF – IG: @ironyuppie

Nikki: Nothing has existed in several different incarnations in the time that the band has been active, can you tell me, who is Nothing at the moment?

Domenic: Yes, it’s become quite confusing, hasn’t it? Currently, we have Christina Michelle, Doyle Martin, and Zac Jones. I think this lineup is stuck with me for a while, I really enjoy everyone and Nothing feels lifted in all aspects. 

After releasing your last album during the height of the Covid19 pandemic, Nothing seems to have rebounded into what seems to be an endless touring schedule. How does it feel to be back playing shows after (what was for most) a very solitary period during the pandemic? 

It’s been different. We all got to see how bad things can get without live music, whether it be performing or attending. Everyone was so excited to be back that there was this kind of ‘make up for lost time’ mindset, and I think people got caught lacking. Lots of cancellations, lots of people who usually don’t tour strenuously or financially smart got swallowed up. People getting sick, mental breakdowns, economic breakdowns, thefts – it felt a lot like a storm in the middle of the ocean. We were tested just the same of course, we’re just built different. We lost some really important people, but also lost many that we could all really live without. I love tragedy though, it’s life at its purest. Without the risk of sounding masochist, I really did enjoy the strife.

Not one to do anything by halves, your recent touring schedule seems to be relentless. You’ve been to Europe and back, across the UK, and, most recently, on an extensive national tour with very few breaks in between, not even letting a bout with pneumonia keep you down. How do you keep up the breakneck touring pace? Is it hard to transition back to a life at home after living on the road for so long?

Yeah, again, we’ve never had an easy run, and I kind of have come to expect this kind of thing, but coming home is always the hardest. It’s like entering a recovery program mixed with a return to earth one. It’s physical and psychological. I don’t think people can ever really fathom what this life can do to you. Even if you aren’t a moron who is hurting themself at every turn, it’s still a mountainous task that you live with far after you’ve returned to whatever your home situation is like.

At your last Los Angeles show before the pandemic, in late 2019, you mentioned that you’d soon be taking some time away from touring to write and record a new album, an album I doubt you realized would be created during the early days of a global pandemic and released at a time when live music and touring were almost impossible. Did the unprecedented times in which The Great Dismal was written change the album content and inspiration? 

Every day changes everything. One of the biggest reasons I’m always hurting myself is because I live in a state of perpetual motion. Stability has never really been a thing for me, and I’ve gotten to be pretty good at it, but there’s always room for a big bad ending. Things tend to shake out when they’re supposed to for us, though, and I try to be ready. I don’t wanna sound cosmic at all, but I feel at one with everything sometimes, and weird things start to happen that put me in positions I feel I had no business being in. I do feel connected to something sometimes, I believe, maybe, it’s the chaos of everything. 

Nothing has a history of prolific visual storytelling through music videos and documentaries that often accompany your musical releases. The Great Dismal spawned not only incredibly creative music videos, but also a full-length livestream to celebrate the album release. Did you find the music videos and livestream an effective way to connect with your audience at a time when touring and live music were off the table?  

It’s a big part for me, to see the art come alive in all aspects. Music, art, photography, videography, merchandise, promos, etc. To me, it’s all the same thing. I’m not saying you need all these things, but if you are going to do them they should serve as another piece of a full vessel. It’s a box, gift wrapping, just as chords and melodies are the screws in the music. It should all be dissected and mapped. 

The Great Dismal’s titular track doesn’t actually appear on the album itself, but rather as a b-side released the following year. Was that track ever planned to appear on the album? What made you release the track as a b-side but keep the album title?

I hate double LPs, I felt the b sides could all stand alone. [It] was really hard choosing, but the track listing was too perfect. Led Zeppelin did it before. I don’t really like them, but it didn’t derail them. 

In the song “In Blueberry Memories” you repeat the refrain “paradise is always somewhere else,” a theme not unfamiliar to Nothing listeners. What is your interpretation of paradise? If you ever actually find the peace you’ve been searching for, would that be the end of Nothing?

I think I’ve confused peace at times with contentment, or, even worse, peace with when pain subsides. My kind don’t really have peaceful endings, and I think Nothing ends in a blaze. It’s not something I fantasize about, it actually scares me. But, I’m always moving toward it regardless of what it is. 

During your time with Nothing you have written music both independently and collaboratively with other band members. Do you prefer to write music solo or to work together with others? Was writing for The Great Dismal easier or harder than previous efforts?

Yeah, this project was always supposed to be an open door to work with people I admire, and I’ve gotten to do so on many occasions. It’s gotten a lot better since I’ve been more careful with how I choose to fill positions, but this has always been a learning process. It still is, and hopefully always will be. There’s definitely some I wish I could erase, even though they all played vital parts to what Nothing means to me.

You worked with producer Will Yip on both Tired of Tomorrow and The Great Dismal. With four years and countless life experiences separating the two albums, how did the experiences differ and what made you return to Will for The Great Dismal?

Will is a great human and producer. He really understands how visualized everything I bring into a studio is, and he knows how to keep me open to massaging those visions. We’ve both grown through the years and have gotten better at what we do. It’s kind of a no-brainer why this formula works so well now.

Before Nothing there was Horror Show, hardcore provocateurs at large. You’ve expressed an understandable reticence to revisit Horror Show out of respect for the passing of your friends and bandmates, Josh Tshirlig and Dan Stone, but have you ever considered returning, in general, to a heavier style of hardcore music after spending over a decade in ’gaze territory? 

I think my reluctance lies solely in the sacredness of the period. The people lost, and the ones who were there and still are, the smell of the weather, the city, the circumstances, they all weigh in on why I want to leave that alone. People are quick to look for a grab, and things are too fragile. Especially ones who never had a lick of substance in the first place. HS means a lot to people, and I want to keep it that way. Besides, what I’ve been doing for the past ten years is heavier than anything I’ve done in the past. I’m carrying the weight from then now, plus whatever else I’ve picked up along the way. 

It’s no secret that you’re a well-read individual, often referencing literary greats from Sartre to Dostoyevsky. If you could recommend three books (or authors) as requisite reading for any Nothing fan, what would they be?

I’d say read whatever interests you and you’ll fall in love faster. I need to be in love with what I’m reading. I have ADHD and numerous other things in my head that HATE me to read. When I love what I’m reading, it’s as easy as breathing. You’ll get a lot more out of it than reading the same regurgitated authors you think you’re supposed to read, and everyone hates a tourist. Also, Schopenhauer. 

As an accomplished lyrical wordsmith with an obvious talent for turn of phrase, have you considered diving further into authorship in your own right? I know you published You’re Very Beautiful with Matt Gallagher in the past, any plans on producing more written work in the future?

Thanks, and yeah, I think there will be a time. 

You have often expressed frustration with, and even disdain for, the machinations of the music industry. How have you navigated the tightrope of what the industry might require of you while staying true to your own value set as an artist and a human being?

Not really. I have had many instances during my stay in the music industrial complex in which I can see bullshit in its purest form of black and white, and I still on occasion question myself and ask if it’s me perpetuating it, because it’s been ingrained in me. I followed the rules for a while, and then decided I wouldn’t. I’ve watched this turn good people bad. I’ve watched who I thought were friends turn back into their natural lizard form over an unassuming email or contract. It’s the nature of the animal. For a while I exhausted myself trying to jam the square peg I was being handed into a round hole, until I carved it to fit. The people behind this aren’t particularly too smart, they just have all the tools for all the things you think you want or need, and they prey on naivety. If you can make it through and see this, you’ll find yourself in a better mind set, doing whatever you want to do, but with way less help, which is fine. Nothing better than reminding them they’re in this box with you, and not the other way around. 

More than just a means of creative expression, music can be a lifeline for many people who would otherwise feel lost without it. You have mentioned that Nothing has often been your lifeline and now you have a fanbase for whom your music may have been similarly helpful. Did you ever think you would be in a position to help others through your art?  

That kind of thing has been around since the HS days, so I do recognize it. I don’t think I’ll ever be truly comfortable with it, but I am truly happy it has [that] effect on people who need it. 

With a band called Nothing, and lyrics that often hint at the darker side of life, you have, at times, been construed as a nihilist, however your interest in bettering the world around you, from advocating for prison reform to working to help underserved Philadelphia kids access music education, paints the picture of someone who does believe the world could be a better place. After being guilty of everything, are you finding your redemption arc?

I don’t have faith in humanity, and I have a hard time swallowing the concept of life in general. That said, I will always advocate for any human who has any more of an unfair advantage than being alive has already bestowed upon them. Just ’cause everything seems wrong doesn’t mean that you can’t get some things right still.

As a personal ask, do you have any plans to share the recipe for Grandma June’s “Good Sauce?” My Sunday sauce isn’t bad, but I’m pretty sure Grandma June’s is better.  

Haha You gotta ask her. xx