Author & Punisher Drops New Video, “Maiden Star”

Industrial powerhouse Author & Punisher is back with a new video, “Maiden Star,” taken from his 2022 release Krüller.

The video was shot during his 2023 European tour by James Rexroad, who joined him on that tour, and edited by Augie Arredondo. And it really captures how crushing the live Author & Punisher experience is.

Reflecting on his time touring with Author & Punisher, Rexroad said the things he felt while on tout bubble up to the surface as he watches the video.

“Every time I watch this video it hits me… It’s a beautiful music scene, and it really makes me so thankful that I get to do what I do. Thanks to James Rexroad for coming along and capturing the community, the energy, and the power of heavy music in our lives. Shoutout to my bandmate Doug Sabolick, John Cota (sound engineer), and Augie Arredondo for editing the damn thing. From the fjords of Norway, the wood fired saunas of Helsinki and Tallinn, to the beer halls of Bochum, with friends new and old, this one goes out to the fans who support underground music. The community is strong. We love you.”

On top of releasing this video, Author & Punisher’s Drone Machines gear company just joined forces with producer and vocalist ARCA to design some equipment for her live show Mutant;Destrudo, which will be taking place at Park Avenue Armory in New York through October 15.

Author & Punisher says about Arca:

“There aren’t many artists out there as innovative and groundbreaking as Arca. Her style of production and visual design is visceral, dark, and bleak, yet always intriguing and exciting. She’s produced amazing solo works as well as music for Bjork, Kanye West, and FKA Twigs, to name a few. When she asked me to build her some machines, I immediately jumped on it.

“We’ve worked on this now for the past eight months with Alejandra and her creative team focusing on building some industrial controllers that would interact with her DJ setup and allow her to make broader, more physical strokes with levers, sliders, and large knobs. There are five machines in total: one Fader, two Throttles, and two Platters that are all rack mounted above her DJ setup with the table suspended from the ceiling by chains.

“The aesthetic of Drone Machines (the small gear company birthed from Author & Punisher) is raw and industrial, with heavy machine components. Functionally, there is MIDI, USB, DSP Audio output, and CV/Gate; they are completely open source. Many thanks and shoutouts to the team at Drone Machines working with me who helped on this project as well as the other devices we are making: Adam Reed-Erickson (mechanical engineer), Jason Begin (sound designer, producer, composer), and Hanri Thayyil (software engineer).”