Features / One Question Interviews

Doe Paoro

SPB: If you could experiment in any one genre that’s far removed from what you do now, what would it be?

Paoro: If I could experiment in any genre that's far removed from what I do now, I think I would play with country music. I imagine that I would learn a lot from a songwriting …

Ben Wixson (Bend – bass)

SPB: What model of bass do you play and how did you choose it?

Wixson: For the past 20 years or so I have sworn by the Music Man Stingray bass, which has been made by Ernie Ball for decades. The first time I ever heard one of these basses live was watching …

Teddy Panopoulos (Dead Waves)

SPB: Tell us about how you captured the sound on Abandoned Children.

Teddy: Like usual, we wanted to use everything we own on this new Dead Waves release and brought back some acoustic drums and percussion which our last release didn't have.

For the first picture, I have my Ancient Lyre - …

Vali S.C (Kenny Elkin)

SPB: Is there any vinyl you own strictly for collector’s purposes but don’t listen to? 

Elkin: I do have an unopened dead kennedys “singles collection” on vinyl. I received it as a gift and don’t really feel the need to ever open it.

Tony Ash (Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – bass)

SPB: Tell us about your bass tone and how you set things up for your work in Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends?

Ash: I want to preface this by saying, this is the moment I've been practicing for throughout the entire existence of Conan Neutron and the …

Jiffy (Night Court)

SPB: What was the first show you saw after lockdowns (any emotional takeaways)?

Jiffy: I’m actually pretty sure the first show I went to after the lockdowns was our first show so I’m gonna go all oral history here as it was definitely a memorable one for other reasons as well. 

First, I have …

Kyle Green (Bend - guitar/vocals)

SPB: How has your musical taste evolved over the years? Do you think your “high school self” would appreciate the music you make now?

Green: My musical taste is ever-evolving. In high school I was into a lot of punk and ska. I also had a huge obsession with Kurt Cobain. The music …

Sean Frasier (Wise Blood Records)

SPB: Do you accept demos? What is the most surprising demo you’ve heard?

Frasier: When I launched Wise Blood Records, I knew I wanted to support and encourage new projects along with established bands. It can make a huge difference to a band when someone is paying attention and assisting in those first …

Bleu (Chateau Chateau)

SPB: How much space in your home is dedicated to music storage (instruments or records)?

Bleu: Most of our house is dedicated to music storage. Our “master bedroom” is actually our recording studio now, so it houses our day-to-day equipment, writing and recording computers, pianos, guitars, drum kit, trombone, keytars, etc. Basically everything you've heard …

Michael Allen (Sundown – guitar/vocals)

SPB: What is your favorite stretch of highway to drive on tour?

Allen: There's a bridge in Florida heading into Tampa called the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It's on 275, I believe, and it was when we finally saw the ocean. Bowie had just come on the radio and we had the windows down …

Serge Nakauchi Pelletier (TEKE::TEKE – guitar)

SPB: You use a variety of instruments. Were there any mic challenges or unique studio setups to require the sounds you achieved on Shirushi last year?

Nakauchi Pelletier: I don't recall any “challenges” per se in terms of set ups or even choices of microphones. Obviously, you want the best option for …

Eric (Some Became Hollow Tubes)

SPB: How did COVID impact the recording of this collaborative record?

Eric: COVID gave us the gift of time. We worked slower than usual, since we were adjusting to life at home and finding other things to occupy the mind from all the gloomy stuff. After the initial shocks, cancelations, uncertainties and …

Mariel (Church Girls)

SPB: What is your favorite record store, either locally or one you’ve discovered on the road?

Mariel: I like Creep Records in Philly. 

They have a great used section that's not too overwhelming. I seem to get lucky and find something on my list every time I go in.

Caleb Nichols

SPB: What is the best pop song of the last 10 years?

Nichols: I’m going to answer this question via a “first thought = best thought” method, and my honest first thought when I read the question was “Cranes In The Sky” by Solange. 

When I think “best pop song” I think I’m thinking about …

Solilians

SPB: What is your favorite music related film or documentary? 

Solilians: German filmmaker Claudia Heuermann’s Sabbath In Paradise (on Tzadik) explores the question of what it means to be a modern experimental Jewish musician from all angles, capturing Radical Jewish Culture and downtown NYC’s East Village golden age of the early ‘90s in all it’s breath, …

Eli Hansen (Real Numbers)

SPB: What type of guitar are you playing with Real Numbers and how did you choose it?

Hansen: I play a 1965 Hagstrom I. Many years ago I was guitar shopping in Milwaukee with my Dad (also a musician and guitar collector) and stumbled across one at Rockhaus Guitars. It was so cool and …

Joey Affatato (The Carousers)

SPB: What is the furthest you’ve ever traveled to see a show (and who was it/where)?

Affatato: The farthest I've travelled for a show was about two hours away. It was to see Badflower at the Pat Garrett Amphitheater in Strausstown, PA

Jason (Riot For Romance)

SPB: Were there any amps, cabs or anything else that stood out when you recorded the self-titled EP?

Jason: Something different for me than in past lives, is that I recorded my guitars from home for the first time ever. Previously, I've done scratch tracks at home but final recordings in a professional studio. …

Gabriele (Deaf Lingo-bass)

SPB: What is your favorite album cover of all time?

Gabriele: Maybe there's already a lot of talk about it, but this is one of the best examples of record covers that complement the music.

You might not even listen to it, but you already know what to expect.

The first big visual …

Eric Robel (Moral Panic)

SPB: You recently covered “Colombian Necktie” by Big Black. What made you pick that song from Big Black’s catalog?

Robel: I thought of the idea, looking through my records. I was purposely trying to come up with a cover that was different. Something not what you are supposed to do. I feel like it’s …