Features / One Question Interviews

Erik Ziedses des Plantes (Gazer, bass/vocals)

SPB: How do you find new music?

Erik: My current music discovery system has two tiers that I think does a good job of covering stuff happening more "above ground" and things happening on a more DIY level. 

Tier 1: I have a regular rotation of websites that I've visited …

Aaron Carnes (Gnarboots) 

SPB: What is the ideal format to a show line-up? (How many bands, genres, etc.?)

Carnes: I always liked lineups that were diverse. Shows with only one style of band is so boring. Back in the day when G.N.A.R.B.O.O.T. Adam and I were in ska bands, every other fucking band we played with was ska. …

Andrew Schubert (Ghostbot Records, recording engineer)

SPB: Besides music, what other arts are you into?

Schubert: Music is what I'm most passionate about. It's how I mark time and set placemarks in my life. I can remember events by what song was playing on the car stereo. But I love visual art as well. I'm not as good at …

Seiji (Guitar Wolf)

SPB: How did your recent US tour with The Coathangers go?

Seiji: The girls are wonderful. Their songs are full of great ideas. They inspired us a great deal. The way they raise the excitement in the later half of the show was simply great, like pink typhoon. I'd love to invite them to Japan.

Chris Clavin (Plan-it-X Records, Ghost Mice)

SPB: You released the DVD with all of your releases in a digital format. Where did the idea come from?

Clavin: We didn't, we talked about it, but we didn't. The idea was and still is, when the label ends, to make all the music available for free, but since the digital …

Adam Davis (Gnarboots)

SPB: What is your least favorite genre of music? Is there an artist who is an exception to said rule?

Davis: My least favorite genre lately has been punk rock. For all of the chest thumping about originality, rebellion and chaos, you would be hard pressed to find a more stagnant, elitist, and safe/boring musical …

Eric Scobie (Great Reversals)

SPB: How did you get involved with Jay Maas for the To the Ends of the Earth 10"?

Scobie: We got involved with Jay because we all absolutely loved the first two Defeater records, and when we heard he recorded them we admired them even more. Jay's ability to capture both the heaviness and …

Mike Apocalypse (Gehenna)

SPB: What is your most common tour food?

Mike: I'm not sure, but I think it's a close tie between marijuana edibles and fresh vegetables. We like to stay high and we also like to get our health on.

Adam (Gilead Media)

SPB: Is there a record you passed on releasing that, in retrospect, you really wish you could have worked on?

Adam: There is always one album I totally regret not being able to release. When Ludicra released The Tenant I had the opportunity to potentially release the album on vinyl and, sadly, wasn't able to …

Grath Madden (The Steinways, House Boat)

SPB: What was the first punk show you attended?

Madden: Does Green Day with Riverdales at the Baltimore Arena count? ‘Cause probably not, but, yeah, it was that. When I was first starting to go see bands, I wasn't interested in "punk shows" as much as I was into "Mighty Mighty Bosstones …

Grant Hart (solo, Husker Du)
SPB: How do you feel about the Twin Cities music scene today? Local and national media seem stuck in a comparison mode, endlessly bringing up Replacements and Husker Du without as much mention to the local musical history over the past 20 years. How do you feel the scene has evolved, changed, or stayed the …