Features / One Question Interviews

Kaelan Mikla

SPB: What piece of equipment is most essential or definitive or “the Kaelan Mikla sound”?

Kaelan Mikla: We feel like all our instruments and vocals are equally important as they all combine to create the Kælan Mikla sound, but the MF DRIVE by MOOG bass effect is one of our favorites. It has a brutal and …

Chris (Hey Colossus – guitar)

SPB: You’ve dubbed your backline “The Pirate Ship.” Care to tell us why? (And how you put it together?) 

Chris: The simple answer is: "Have you seen it?".

When we played Glastonbury we had to set all our gear up behind the stage on ramps so the crew could put it …

Jason (Chain Cult – bass)

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

Jason: I have a simple fender jazz bass. Somebody, broke [into] my car and stole my previous one in an unfortunate event and I didnt have any money to buy a new one. So my friend Ilias from Lifewreck …

Larry Livermore (Lookout Records founder)

SPB: What studios played a role in defining “the Lookout sound” of the label’s early years?

Livermore: All the early Lookout releases were recorded in one of two studios. The first was Dangerous Rhythm, in Oakland, CA, run by Kevin Army and Matt Wallace (by the time we began working with Kevin in …

Todd Allen (Squarecrow)

SPB: What amps do you use, and how did you decide on that setup?

Allen: I upgraded from some random half stack with a Boss Metal Zone pedal to a Fender Deville 4x10 combo amp because I was playing in a rockabilly punk band at the time (2009). It makes noise, goes “crunch” when I …

Multicult (Nick Skrobisz/Rebecca Burchette – guitar/bass)

SPB: Describe your pedal board: How did you choose which pedals to use and why did you arrange them as you did?

Earthset

SPB: You released a live soundtrack to L’Uomo Meccanico at the start of the year. As a project so focused on live performance, how have this year’s COVID-19 restrictions impacted your creative process?

Earthset: The Covid-19 crisis had a huge impact on our project. Here in Italy things were really bad at the beginning, so places such …

Al Smith (Geld-vocals)

SPB: What is the most overrated guitar feature?

Smith: It may seem rich to bemoan something Geld has casually lent on in our last few records, but the “howl of cicadas” guitar tone feels pretty played out at this point. I mean, don’t get me wrong, a big come to Jesus moment for me was …

Miski Dee (City Mouse)

SPB: What type of guitar do you play and how did you choose that model?

Dee: I absolutely love my guitar! It's a 2006 Epiphone Wilshire and I would say that it chose me. After I started City Mouse I kept switching guitars (I had a little metal Ibanez, a Squier, then a Washburn) …

Teddy Panopoulos

SPB: The new record is strictly analog. Can you walk us through the (main) gear that you used?

Steven Mandell (American Standards – bass)

SPB: Show us your rig setup and tell us what you like about it.

Gino Bambino (Gino and the Goons)

SPB: Walk our readers through your kit and offer insight as to how you arrived at your sizes (shells and cymbals).  

Gino: I have a 1966 set of Champagne sparkle Ludwig drums. It’s not worth much due to the fact they made so many at that time and the shape it’s in …

Michael J. Wolf (Wolf-Face)

SPB: How has Wolf-Face’s mission/concept changed since the band first formed?

Wolf: My mission to spread the word about the trials and tribulations of being a teenage werewolf remains unchanged—that we all have things that make us different from our peers. Everyone can relate to the idea of not being like other people and …

Ryan Jones (Body Stuff)

SPB: Is there a specific piece of equipment that’s essential to “the Body Stuff” sound?

Jones: "Yeah man, I'd say the one thing that comes out of the speakers that is a MUST is the drums. Those are some Steven Slate drum triggers!!!"

Noel (Grumpster – drums)

SPB: You just released a new 7", following last year's full-length. What is your favorite format of record (EP vs LP) to listen to as a fan?

Noel: LPs! We feel like a longer release can be more cohesive, and indicative of the artist(s) at the time of release; an LP can almost define …

Chris McNeal (Vincas – bass)

SPB: What bass/amp pairing do you use and why did you choose it?

McNeal: When I was a kid, every band I saw that had an awesome bass player seemed to play thru a old SVT bass head paired with a 8x10 bass cab. After seeing and hearing many ear destroying shows with …

Storm Ross

SPB: Is there a single piece of gear that you would say is the most essential to “the Storm Ross sound”?

Ross: As you can see in the video, I primarily play a 2008 Gibson SG Custom. I run this through an array of pedals, ending with a looper that then goes into my amp, a …

Rick Jimenez (Extinction A.D. – guitar/vocals)

SPB: Did you experiment much with different equipment, setups, mics or equipment when recording Decimation Treaty? Did any particular item stand out?

Jimenez: While we recording Decimation Treaty we actually experimented quite a bit with different amplifier and cabinet combinations. We quad-tracked the rhythm guitars like we tend to do and, …

Chris Rest (Lagwagon – guitar)

What model guitar do you play (and how did you choose it)?

Check out Chris' answer below:

TN (...But the Shadows Have Foes)

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

TN: I've had to move cross-country for work a few times, so I sadly wound up paring down my record collection from its staggering heights in my early twenties. However, I've managed to live in the same …