Features / One Question Interviews

Conan Neutron (Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends)

SPB: Each record from Conan Neutron has had a very different, yet arguably dark, theme. Do you approach each record from "ground zero," or do you see a direct lineage between each theme? (In other words, do you "build off the previous release, or start completely over" each time?)

Conan Neutron: I …

Burner Herzog

SPB: What is your favorite Werner Herzog film?

Burner Herzog: I have two: Aguirre, Wrath of God and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. 

Aguirre is the classic first film Herzog did with lead actor Klaus Kinski, a man so odious that his behavior was even worse than the decadent exaggerations he published in his own …

Ian (Skill Issue – guitar)

SPB: Skill Issue is based in 3 cities along I-95. How many combined total miles do band members have to drive, on average, for the band to practice or play a show?

Ian: tbh, skill issue is pretty much an anarchist art collective more than a traditional band. I tried to ditch cars entirely last …

Brian Amalfitano (Deaf Club)

SPB: You also run a record store (which we’ve discussed). What is your all time favorite record (as in “the full vinyl package”)?

Amalfitano: Wow, that’s a tough one. I mean, I own a record store (Spinning Plate Records) so I have a lot of great stuff always coming through. Stuff I really want …

Marc Blaquiere (Phuture Memoriez)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1980s artist?

Blaquiere: Pop music duo Milli Vanilli. Although short lived and seemingly giving us classic hits like "Girl You Know It's True" and "Blame It on the Rain," only to find out that, not only were these songs lip synched in live performance, but also sung by two completely different …

Alan O'Keeffe (Last Man Back)

SPB: You’re a solo musician but you choose to go with a band-like name. Why use Last Man Back instead of your own name?

O'Keeffe: You know, good question. I think with the type of music I’m making it just felt better to use a band-like name. There’s also two or three other musicians involved …

Dave Strong

SPB: Who is your favorite 1970s artist?

Strong: Joey Ramone!!  

Mitchell Layton (Church Girls – guitar)

SPB: What type of guitar do you play and what’s its “origin story”?

Layton: My main guitar has changed a lot over the years depending on what style I’m playing and what I’m using it for, but for most of the Church Girls touring and studio recording I’ve used my Revered Double Agent. It’s …

Mark C (Live Skull)

SPB: Technology has drastically changed touring since the 1980s, often making it easier. What is something you miss about the pre-internet days?

Mark C: I always liked paper road maps, large in scale and laid out precisely in colorful detail. I remember Live Skull’s first tour of Europe, unfurling crisp Micheline maps on the hotel room …

Ben (Detachment - drums)

SPB: How did you choose “Choke(d)” as a single from the upcoming EP?

Ben: The single "Choke(d)" for our upcoming LP is a re-written and updated version of the opening track "Choke" from our debut EP, Gaslight. "Choke(d)" is about 80% the same song as "Choke," with a few parts tweaked and extended. We chose this …

Dan Nixon (Big Life – vocals)

SPB: You hadn’t played in a band for quite a while before Big Life. What struck you, whether personally or about “the scene today” when you first returned to the stage?

Nixon: The last band I was in (the Negatives, a million years ago), we were very much punk-teenagers-figuring-it-out, which was incredible for all …

Michal Kielbasa (Whalesong)

SPB:  The band name seems uniquely fitting. What was its inspiration/origin?

Kielbasa: Many years ago I read an article which stated that whales never sing the same song twice. I really loved the concept of not playing the same, to let the music constantly evolve and to go in new directions. 

Not repeating ourselves was one of …

Yanni Papadopoulos (Stinking Lizaveta-guitar)

SPB: What is the secret to a successful tour (whether that means financially or for your own well-being)?

Papadopoulos: The secret to a successful tour is to have a tour manager who is selfless, even tempered and sober.  Tensions between band members can reach a breaking point when you're in a van with each other for …

Pavel Tchikov (Ogives)

SPB: What part of your live show is the hardest on sound engineers?

Tchikov: Ogives’ music is a very wide, dynamic range and there’s lots of instrument changes. A song can start with a chamber music part, with delicate vocals and acoustic arrangement, and end up with harsh electronic noise and blasting drums, or a vocal part …

Morgan (MEDTIMEMAGIC – drums/organ)

SPB: What nonstandard tweaks have you made to your kit setup to ease playing organ at the same time? (Feel free to walk us through your whole setup and include pics and/or videos.)

Morgan: If only I could find a way to make playing the organ and the drums at the same time easy! I play …

Stephen Lawrie (The Telescopes)

SPB: How important is it to constantly push boundaries and reinvent while being true to yourself and your fan base?

Lawrie: I think it's crucial to be true to yourself musically, it all shows in the music. Listeners can hear if an artist isn't being true to themselves. If pushing boundaries and reinvention are what comes …

Declan (Snakeland - guitar)

SPB: What was your favorite band in high school and how do they influence your songwriting/playing style today?

Declan: I'm not sure I could pick one band, but for me that era was bookended by Against Me! is Reinventing Axl Rose and Oh! Calcutta! by The Lawrence Arms. I don't think Snakeland sounds much like either …

The Atom Age

SPB: What do you listen to in the van/who decides?

The Atom Age: We have a standing rule of absolute silence in the van. This allows each of us to do as we please, listen to tunes on headphones, sleep, ponder, or weep. Having no music in the van is pure freedom for all. 

Erica (The Holy Circle – synth/vocals)

SPB: What elements of your current keyboard, to you, are essential to “The Holy Circle” sound? (And what is the make/model you play?)

Erica: I play a Micro Korg and Moog Little Phatty through a Holy Grail reverb, Death-by-Audio MicroDream, and a Electro-Harmonix 720 to make loops.

I think the combination of the icy Korg …

Evan (Maple Stave)

SPB: What do your parents think of your music?

Evan: My parents have always been happy that I'm playing music. They've usually been confused by it and by my choices surrounding it -- long drives, carrying heavy things, and questionable accommodations for less than an hour of playing -- but even when they're at a loss as …