Features / One Question Interviews

Stu Folsom (SpiritWorld)

SPB: Your musical inspiration (heavy + country) combines two worlds. Was that part of the concept behind the project’s name, which is also a melding of two worlds (of sorts)?

Folsom: That is interesting. I'd like to say I was that on the ball to tie everything in but no, the name is an homage …

Cory (Bar Tape)

SPB: If I understand correctly, you’re all US expats now living in Dublin. Was it hard to acclimate to the scene in a new country?

Cory: We’re lucky enough to have been embraced by both the hardcore and punk scene in Ireland.

After we started, our friends gave us a chance to play a …

Jim (Boilerman - guitar)

SPB: What's the most overrated guitar feature? eg. whammy bars, D-Tuna?

Jim: I don't know about overrated, but my most hated guitar feature is the floating bridge. The Dan Electro guitar I use for Boilerman doesn't have one, but the guitar I learned on did and it caused me nothing but trouble as a …

Kepi Ghoulie

SPB: What guitar do you use in your solo material, and how did choose this model?

Kepi: Lately is has been a Martin 00-15M acoustic. I am on my 2nd one! I got one a little over 10 years ago, I think. I played over 500 shows on it and it was signed by Daniel Johnston! …

Jem (DEAD - drums, WeEmptyRooms – label operator)

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

Jem: I have never owned a complete, matching kit and probably never will. I'm a tone chaser and I imagine when I find the "perfect" kit is when I will …

Lance (Caffiends – guitar)

SPB: From when you were starting out to now, what parts of your (gear) setup have really helped voice your sound over the years?

Lance: Wow, I would have to say all of our gear is really important for our sound. Haha, I mean over the years, I have learned that just turning on, …

Marc Diamond aka The Fresh Prince of Darkness (The Dwarves)

SPB: What is your gear setup when playing with the Dwarves and why did you choose what you did?

The Fresh Prince of Darkness: When we tour, be it foreign or domestic we don't bring our own gear. We have the support band carry the backline. But to …

Patrick (Eye Flys-drums)

SPB: Who is the first musician whose technique or technicality really stood out to you?  

Patrick: Easily, Dave Grohl. When I was 10 or 11 I was into Metallica and Guns N’ Roses and things like that. I was right in the pocket for "Grunge," so when I saw Nirvana on TV as a kid …

Adam (Pilkington)

SPB: In the past the vocals were a shared duty. This approach is almost completely abandoned. What changed?

Adam: We were lucky to have a few different really talented songwriters in the band. Becca had started writing more as we prepped for our LP and was beginning to come up with some of the tracks that …

Rorik Brooks (Cloud Rat – guitar)

SPB: What amps do you use in Cloud Rat and how did you make that decision?

Brooks: Currently I'm using two Dean Costello HMW guitar amps and a Gallien Krueger 700 RB bass amp. I run them via two ABY pedals, and a Boss poly octave pedal and limiter for the bass …

Josh (Asbestos Worker)

SPB: You play everything yourself – What pieces of equipment are the most essential to “the Asbestos Worker” sound?

Josh: The number 1 most important pieces of equipment that is essential for the Asbestos Worker sound is on my pedal board. I use Robo Pedals exclusively and I don't think I could live without them. …

Adam (Tongue Party – bass)

SPB: What is your amp setup and how did you choose to pair that with your guitar?

Adam: So I used to use nothing but old Peavey bass heads but I kept frying them and blowing them the fuck up. I love that old Peavey gear though. That being said, the mix I’m …

Jon (The Path – vocals)

SPB: Who does the majority of the band’s driving while on tour? (Any related stories about why?) 

Jon: I do vocals in The Path and I do the vast majority of driving when we head out of Vermont.

When I first read the question it seemed like it would be difficult to …

Mike Bruno (Iron Chic, Adult Magic, Dead Broke Rekerds)

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

Bruno: I play a Fender P-bass forever and always. I chose it because Mike Dirnt played one -- as well as every other great punk bassist. It's just the perfect sound for punk and that's …

Jeff Dean (All Eyes West – guitar)

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

Dean: In All Eyes West I play a 62 Fender Jazzmaster, but with everything else I play a Gibson Les Paul. My 68 Goldtop is probably the best guitar I’ve ever played. I don’t think there is …

Avery (Kira Jari)

SPB: What was your favorite band in high school? Would you say they influence your ethics or songwriting in some way today? 

Avery: Out of everything occupying my headphones during high school, I’d say the most important band to me would have to be Against Me!. I wanna say I saw them 5 or 6 …

Jim Blaha (Green/Blue)

SPB: What guitar model do you play with Green/Blue, and how did you choose that one for this project?

Blaha: I play a fender telecaster for Green/Blue ‘cause it's just classic. It has so much character especially in the high/mids. When I started writing music for the band I wanted it to be as stripped …

Brent Eyestone (Bleach Everything)

SPB: What are the best things somebody can do when hosting a touring band at their house for the night? 

Eyestone: I think we're all in our 40s, so staying with people from shows that we technically could have fathered would be both creepy and highly unnecessary since we have jobs and can afford …

Andy (Thou)

SPB: Was the mic’ing in the studio when you recorded Magus fairly straight forward, or were there some things you and the engineer did to find the right mics or experiment with sounds?

Andy: The mic’ing was more or less the same as most of our previous records, nothing too wild. The real “x” factor though, …

Berman Berbert (Malvina)

SPB: Your lyrics are very critical about a number of things. What kind of feedback do you get on this? Do you feel you have some influence on the world?

Berman Berbert: Well, in our case, since we’re from Brazil and many political issues here, especially before the election of Bolsonaro, were not well known …