Dion Lunadon Will Not Go Quietly Into The Good Night

New York-based New Zealand musician Dion Lunadon (born Dion Palmer) has spent the last seven years playing bass full-time with American noise-rockers A Place To Bury Strangers, which would be for many, a dream gig. Between 1998 and 2006, Dion and Jimmy Christmas (of Luger Boa) led garage rock revivalists The D4, one of the most exciting musical propositions to emerge out of New Zealand in their era. They signed to Hollywood Records in the US, and at one point, were even briefly big in Japan.

As of late, Dion has been thrashing out his own fiercely unapologetic and energized take on noise rock, one informed by the fuzzy Auckland garage bands he grew up around, and the visceral potential offered by post-punk. On June 9 he will release his self-titled debut album through Agitated Records, in the lead-up, we're premiering his new single "Move". Read on for a chat with Dion about A Place To Bury Strangers, New York, refusing to go soft, doing his own thing, and more.

Noisey: In 2010, you took up a full-time position as the bassist for A Place To Bury Strangers . Could you walk us through the back-story here?

Dion Lunadon: I was in New York, struggling as you do. I'd just got back from New Zealand where I'd managed to get a band called True Lovers on the Big Day Out. When we got back to Brooklyn, I'd already decided I'd had enough of that. I was at a loose end contemplating my future; things seemed bleak! Anyways, I knew all the APTBS guys pretty well, especially the drummer Jay. He'd hang out at a spot I used to DJ at in the Lower East Side called Motor City. Jono, their bass player, was the door guy. Oliver says we met in L.A., but I don't remember.

When I heard Jono was no longer playing with them and they were looking for a bass player, I sent Jay a text that said "I hear you need a new bass player, give me a shot, I will play the fuck out of your songs, and you will need to look no further. I am your guy!!!" They gave me a shot. They booked a tour, and I passed the test. I played the fuck out of the songs, and here I am!

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