Simone Marie Butler and The Vacant Lots on Art and Music

Simone Marie Butler, bassist for Primal Scream since 2012, and The Vacant Lots, an American electro post-punk duo, share their definitions of art and music in an interview. Butler, also a DJ and radio host on Soho Radio, studied classical violin before turning to bass, citing influences like The Clash, The Cure, and Suicide. She has collaborated with James Williamson, Faris Badwan, and Rob Ellis. The Vacant Lots, formed in 2009 in New York by Jared Artaud and Brian MacFadyen, draw inspiration from The Velvet Underground, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, and filmmakers Fellini, Bergman, and Tarkovsky. They have toured with Sonic Boom, Dean Wareham, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and collaborated with Alan Vega. The duo is promoting a new album on Fuzz Club. Butler admires Olafur Eliasson and Dan Hillier's 'The Sorceress' (2011), while Artaud cites Man Ray's 'The Gift' (1921) as his favorite artwork.