Features / One Question Interviews

Grotesque Misalignment

SPB: What stands out the most to you when you listen to your early/first recordings?

Grotesque Misalignment: I think an earnestness to do something different is probably what I hear. I think from the outset I've really just wanted to create something unique -- my first EP has some odd backwards talking, margarita glasses used to …

Reece (Goblin Soap)

SPB: What is a record you love that would surprise people? 

Reece: Will Smith - Big Willie Style

I have loved this album so intensely since I was a child to a point that I threw up an impressive amount across the dancefloor of my mother’s wedding because the DJ had nothing. Fair enough …

18 Slashes

SPB: Was there an album or song (or, more generally, a “sound”) that inspired you to begin 18 Slashes?

18 Slashes: That's a very good question. There is a raft of albums that inspire the sound but also there is generally a yearning for a specific sound I listened to in the ‘90s that sorta no …

R.E. Seraphin
 
SPB: Has performing on stage affected how you interact with people (has it made you more
or less social)?
 
R.E. Seraphin: Definitely! I suffer from the double whammy of introversion and performance anxiety, and have never fully gotten accustomed to large crowds. Weirdly, though, I rarely experience stage fright when performing to folks I don’t know …

Mike (Slumberland Records)

SPB: What is your favorite movie/tv soundtrack/score?

Mike: I thought about it a bit but nothing really jumped out to me other than a few obvious choices, like The Man With The Golden Arm and Anatomy of A Murder. Both great!

After a re-watch a few nights ago, though, I’ll say…

Invasion …

Jon Ehler (Bangladeafy)

SPB: As a duo, you tend to maximize your sound or highlight things a “more traditional” 3-5 member band would not. Who is a musician who inspired you to look at new ways to use their instrument?"

Ehler: In terms of a duo that specializes in some degree of musical acrobatics, I'd have to say …

Syrup Moose Records

Do you have a preferred color of vinyl pressing or, for that matter, cassettes?

We've only really done black vinyl so far, but I would love to do (and have some pre-orders up for) various colourful vinyl. I like to try and make everything we release as eye-catching as possible, while also remembering that I'm …

Rodrigo (.MAR – drums)

SPB: Have you played many international shows? What is something unique you’ve noticed about venues in Argentina as compared to other countries?

Rodrigo: Unfortunately, we haven't played any shows overseas yet. However, we've been involved in international shows, opening for Gojira, Trivium, and Alcest. What I can tell you about that is that most …

Matt Strickland (Sea Urchin – multi-instrumentalist)

SPB: Are you familiar with The Tick cartoon, because your cover art reminds me of Sewer Urchin? (Any related deeper thoughts…)

Oh, I am definitely familiar with The Tick, and I wholly believe that mid-‘90s children's programming molded the sense of humor which is present in a lot of Sea Urchin's …

Steve Brewer (Distants)

SPB: Did you choose your name before the band members were located in different cities?

Brweer: Yes. Everyone who was in the band when it started lived in Chicago. When I joined the band in 2019, Zach and I would carpool the distants from Michigan to Chicago for practice. I’m not really sure where the …

Mr P (DCxPC Live)

SPB: Was there a turning point where you knew you wanted to reshift your focus from livestreaming to becoming a label?

Mr P: DCxPC Live had started a year before the pandemic doing booking and promotion for shows in Orlando, FL. Mike Hellbound, my bass player in my band, Call in Dead, had …

Dan Hoffstrom (Murf)

SPB: Which musicians have the most inspiring stage presence?

Hoffstrom: THAT'S TOO HARD! WE DEMAND ANOTHER QUESTION! THIS IS RIGGED! YOU SET US UP!

Uhhh shit. Well OVERALL I mean it's like anyone who doesn't care -- and breaks barriers. People like Little Richard was a HUGE influence on me as a kid watching …

Willy (The Wesleys)

SPB: What is the best show you’ve seen so far this year?: 

Willy: Got to see a lot of cool shows this year so far, but I think my favorite one was seeing Shadow Show from Detroit playing with Tilden at NYC TVEYES.

It was such a rad show: those bands are in total …

Ikka (Hook)

SPB: What are your favorite venues to play in Finland right now?

Ikka: I like Lepakkomies in Helsinki. That´s a cool little place with very nice atmosphere.

Gwendolyn Giles (Vocals/Guitar - Dog Party), Lucy Giles (Vocals, Drums - Dog Party)

SPB: What inspired you to start a new record label in 2024?

Sneak Dog: When Dog Party finished recording our seventh record, we sat and really thought about different ways we could release it. We were leaning towards releasing it ourselves. We knew that our …

The Anti-Queens

SPB: What song would you like played at your funeral? 

Valerie Knox: “Evil Side” by The Dirty Nil is deeply meaningful to me, marking a pivotal time of change in my life, and a connection with someone who has become very important to me. Its unconventional beauty resonates with my own experiences, making it a perfect …

Nick Kizirnis

SPB: What is your method to collaborative songwriting or recording (aka how do you approach working with other creatives as compared to writing solo – is it different)?"

Kizirnis: I've taken different approaches but over the past few years I've collaborated with friends and fellow musicians by sharing songs or song ideas that leave a lot …

Chris Mason (Faulty Cognitions)

SPB: Was the mic’ing of your kit for the recording of Somehow, Here We Are fairly straight forward, or were there some techniques or experiments used to capture the sound? 

Mason: We didn't do anything too fancy. I do remember that we didn't mic the toms though -- we just captured them via the …

Fog Lamp

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

Fog Lamp: While it's not the most scenic, the I-5 is the best way to get up to the Bay Area from Los Angeles. The whole stretch is called the grapevine because it runs through farmlands and vineyards. You can really zip down …

Jessica Amelia (The Obvious Tells)

SPB: What song has been the hardest to work into your live set list?

Jessica: In any project I play in, there’s always one song written in a stupid tuning that turns into an annoyance to play live. With The Obvious Tells, it’s the B standard “Gaslight Me.”