Meet Paul Haney | Coaxial Arts Board Member, Noise/Experimental Musician, DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Haney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, why did you pursue a creative career?
Music has been my biggest passion since I can remember, so I think it was inevitable that I would find a way to participate within that world in one way or another. As far as it being a career, I haven’t found a way to sustain myself financially through my music, curation, or DJing, but that doesn’t necessarily bother me since I’m allowed uncompromised freedom in expressing myself through my work. Ideally, I’d be able to work on my creative endeavors as my “day job,” but maintaining my personal idea of integrity is deeply important to me, so that will always come first when it comes to the possibility of benefiting monetarily from what I do.

Since being a creative isn’t my career, a “work-life balance” is extremely important as my involvement in Los Angeles’ music and art scene is where I feel I can show up as my true self while being supported and nurtured by an incredibly passionate and vibrant community. I’m lucky that my past 9 to 5’s have respected and supported the artistic part of my life, and I’m always transparent that this equilibrium is non-negotiable when seeking new gigs.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My entrance into noise/experimental music was one of trial-and-error, a totally self-taught endeavor. I’ve always loved music, and my tastes became more expansive and esoteric during college. I fell in love with noise and other offshoots of experimental music (free jazz, Krautrock, industrial, drone) at that time because it demanded that I listen in a really radical way that I hadn’t considered previously. It forced me to approach sound in and of itself: textures, timbre, nuances, how it can be manipulated and controlled. I realized that it’s not just “music” that I’m naturally drawn towards, but sound in general. Going out to the furthest extremes of what one might call music also actually gave me a deeper appreciation and understanding of more conventional genres.

When I decided to try my hand at making this kind of racket myself, it was all from scratch and without any sort of guide beyond what I had seen other performers do live. The earliest days of my solo project Rust Worship involved a lot of borrowed gear, hits and misses, and distinct ideas of where I wanted things to head, but only a vague idea of how I would get there. I just went in and hoped for the best. I had also started my own record label around the same time (Obsolete Units, on hiatus since the pandemic due to losing my full-time job), and I was similarly giving that a go with no real idea of what to do except just try it and see what sticks. Through a lot of patience, disappointment, and learning, things began to pan out until I eventually arrived at a confidence and comfort that made me feel like I was expressing all those abstract ideas in my head.

I would say it was definitely one of the most risky and vulnerable undertakings of my life up to that point. I had played saxophone throughout middle and high school, but I never felt terribly confident or immersed in what I was doing during those times. With Rust Worship, I was left to my own devices and no clue how any of it would be received. Making music this out of the norm has led to some memorable reactions, but most have been incredibly supportive and constructive.

As of now, I am very happy and pleasantly surprised that I’ve made it as far as I have. Multiple releases on different labels, a mini-U.S. tour in 2019, connections with people who’ve become life-long friends, meeting and playing with many important influences, shows upon shows, and being embraced in a very generous community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to a show at Coaxial, Handbag Factory, Human Resources, Non Plus Ultra, or a monthly night like Club Blob Tub at the Sardine in San Pedro or the first Thursday’s curated by Bennett Koss at Prime Time Pub. I’d also have them join my team for music trivia at Permanent Records Roadhouse and maybe a karaoke marathon at Prime Time or Offbeat Bar. I would also fit in a Sunday sound-bath at the Vintage Synth Museum.

As for food, I’d take them to the best burger in LA (imo), Yellow Paper Burger. Also, Badmaash, Elio’s Wood Fire Pizza truck, or one of the many amazing taco stands in the city. As someone who grew up and lived on the East Coast for the first 28 years of my life, I can confirm that you really haven’t had tacos until you’ve had what So-Cal has to offer. I do miss New York bagels from the ten years I lived there, but Brooklyn Bagel Bakery in LA does a really solid job of scratching that itch.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Without question, I wouldn’t be who or where I am without the incredible people behind Coaxial Arts Foundation. I am beyond humbled to have been involved with Coaxial for the past seven years (as a board member, curator, and performer), and I am thankful every day that I get to be a part of such a truly invaluable and selfless organization, one of the longer running underground art spaces in LA. I count the board, staff, and community of Coaxial as family.

I’d also like to give an extra shout to the larger DIY underground here in LA, including our friends at Handbag Factory and Human Resources. Anyone throwing shows outside of the bar/club monopoly deserves extra kudos for keeping Los Angeles fresh and exciting and allowing weird and radical music to flourish.

Website: https://rustworship.bandcamp.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulunits

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulunits

Image Credits
Eliana Mullins
Suraj Patra