EX-VOTO Ex-VoTo emerged from the shadows of1980s Los Angeles, a force born of disillusionment with the mainstream Punk scene. Founded by Larry Rainwater, Linda Patti, and David Rhine, the band sought to carve a new path, one that embraced the macabre and the mysterious. Their sound— a haunting blend of drum machines, cold synthesizers, heavy guitars, and driving rock beats —was initially met with scorn, but its dark allure proved irresistible. In that defiance, Deathrock was born. Through the years, Ex-VoTo’s lineup has transformed, but the essence has remained unwavering. Larry, the architect of the band’s music and bass lines, would later take on the role of lead vocalist. Today, alongside Spleen and Patrick Midnite, they continue to channel the spirit of a genre that once lived in the fringes and has now found its place in the light once more. From the streets of Los Angeles to NewOrleans, and then, driven by the winds of Hurricane Katrina, to the heart of Houston, Ex-VoTo’s journey is one etched in the dark corners of time. They’ve graced the stages of legends, sharing space with icons like Nine Inch Nails, Christian Death, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, leaving their mark on the underground music scene. At Peek-A-Boo, we have the privilege of speaking with the mastermind behind Ex-VoTo, Larry Rainwater. Good evening Larry, on behalf of Peek-A-Boo magazine, a deep thank you for taking the time to unravel the ExVoTo story with us. Ex-VoTo emerged from the shadows of the early '80s, a time when the mainstream Punk scenewas too bright, too loud, and too confined. In those darker days, what was it that called to you, and to your bandmates, to create something more... mysterious, more haunting? What was the force that pulled you into the depths, giving birth to Ex-VoTo? We were all looking to grow as musicians, to constantly experiment with songwriting and make something different. Those early days were heavily influenced by Psychic TV, Public Image LTD, and Suicide. We had that youthful, naive idea that we could do anything. We embraced electronic instruments early on, like the drum machine, when it was unheard of not to have a live drummer. I remember people used to actually yell at us "Get a drummer!". I guess they felt threatened by our use of electronics.But the drummachine allowed me to single handedly write entire songs on my own, to control everything. It gave me independence and the opportunity to explore a whole different sound. I could approach the drums from a completely different angle than a drummer would have.What drummer would have been ok with the drums for ‘In A Modern Time’? I was also really drawn to www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be synthesizers because you could use them to make songs really lush and emotional. They made arrangements really heavy and thick. It turns out there were a lot of bands looking to do these same things at around the same time, even though we were isolated from each other. But we had a unique sound in Orange County, which at the time was still all about Punk Rock, but when we started playing in L.A. we began to draw a following. Though the drummachine had been introduced by bands across various genres before, the 1930s Rhythmicon — often considered the very first prototype—was developed by Léon Theremin. Artists such as Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, Sly & The Family Stone, Krautrock pioneers Can, and Suicide, whom you mentioned as an influence — to name just a few—have all used it. Am I right in thinking that all that pushback from the live audience actually ended up fueling your creative drive even more? Our early audiences were not accustomed to seeing bands live without drummers. And yes, it made me feel like I was on to something if it was making people feel uncomfortable or at least provoking some emotion out of the audience. Before the first official releases, there was ‘In Wax’—a raw, hand-assembled cassette from 1986 that has since become something of a cult artifact. Originally created as a demo, it now haunts collectors' lists like a whispered secret from the past. Can you take us back to those early days —to how those tracks first took form? Those recordings were done with the sole intention of using them as a demo to book shows with and to pitch to record companies. That tape has our second singer and our third guitar player on it.All the songs were written by me except for ‘Motion’ which was written by Mark Allen. We self produced it at the studio I worked at. They were all assembled by hand, using the copier at work, and they were never intended to released to the public.They were cassette to cassette duplications and are very lo-fi.At the time I thought I was really clever with the title ‘In Wax’ because a lot of ex-votos are made of wax and records are called "wax". I don't think it's quite so clever looking back. When we finished the recordings I thought they sounded pretty crappy but they were all we had to go with. I'm mystified as to how the tapes became a desirable thing or how anybody finds them. I actually didn't still have one in my possession until about 15 years ago when someone sent me theirs. In 1990, four years on, came the first official release — the ‘Don’t Look Back’ EP, issued on vinyl by Poor Alice - 26 -
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