Features / One Question Interviews

Sean Elliott (Professor and the Madman-co-vocalist)

SPB: When did you first "discover" punk rock?

Sean: I first heard the term 'punk rock' in elementary school. All the kids in my class had to take part in a "Secret Santa" gift trade. I was assigned to trade gifts with a kid who everybody described as punk rock. I bought …

Curtiss (The Shell Corporation)

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

Curtiss: Ok, so total disclosure, I’ve never actually seen my favorite music documentary. Which happens to be “It Might Get Loud”. The apparently epic pairing of jimmy page, the edge and that dude from the stripey shirt band. But here’s the thing. I’ve TOLD a …

Brandon Kellum (American Standards)

SPB: Have you ever forgotten lyrics midsong? How did you recover?

Brandon: There’s always the fear that I’ll forget a part before going on stage especially if we’re playing something new. Normally the songs become second nature though and the words seem to come from somewhere outside of conscious thought. That’s not to say …

Jon Langford

SPB: Besides music, what other arts interest or inspire you?

Jon: I'm up to my earholes in music, art, politics, poetry & history most of the time and find it rich & fruitful to be part of a conversation where all these elements rut for my attention. A radio play by Dylan Thomas, Newport County outplaying …

DJ Scully (Dead Empires)

SPB: How did including a vocalist change your songwriting approach? Did it?

Scully: Ironically, adding Jason didn't change anything for us writing-wise because we thought the album was done before he joined! We had probably 90% of it written and arranged and we were making plans for where to record it when Jason came …

Micah Winship (Unwelcome Guests)

SPB: Dumpster diving: yes or no? Got any stories? 

Micah: Dumpster diving? - yes. Though it's been a while for me, I used to live next to a very convenient dumpster where it was almost easier to pick up stuff from the dumpster window than entering the store. Highlight was the, "October Storm," of …

Lydia Loveless

SPB: Who is your favorite pre-1960s artist?

Loveless: Erik Satie. 

As a child who didn’t love practicing piano but loved the idea of being a great pianist, I wish I’d discovered Satie, a composer I’ve heard was not very good at sight reading or the old favorite of our superiors, “applying himself.” The deceptive simplicity …

Ed Taylor (Loose Grip Records)

SPB: There are infinite benefit compilations available. Yet this one [Love Oakland: A Benefit for those Affected by The Ghost Fire] is different because the cause is so closely connected to musicians themselves. How did you seek out the artists involved with this project considering how personal the subject was to many …

Daniel Porter (At the Heart Of The World – guitar/programmer)

SPB: Do you wear earplugs when you play? Why/why not?

Daniel: I wear them when I watch other bands but not when we play. Partly because I’m dumb and don’t value my hearing it seems and partly because they weirdly take me out of the playing environment, I …

Chachy (Round Eye)  

SPB: What is the most thankless job in the music industry?

Chachy: In mainland China I would say the promoters, especially if they're bringing in foreign acts. The live music scene in China is by no means safe from inspection and events like festivals and even regular club dates for controversial music like punk, noise, …

Deanna Belos (Sincere Engineer)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1980s artist?

Deanna: My favorite 1980s artist is probably Tears For Fears. I think "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is one of the greatest songs ever written. I saw them open for Hall and Oates last year. It was pretty incredible.

Danny Sher (Horse Torso)

SPB: Do you think it’s easier or harder for an instrumental band to find an audience today than it was 10 years ago?

Danny: I personally think it is one million times easier for a band to find their target audience in 2018 than it was in 2008. The invention of the smartphone combined …

Justin Bernard Williams (Neosho)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1960s artist?

Justin: Wayne Shorter... and not because of the saxophone. Ask me about jazz, and I'm more of an admirer than a "jazz player." Shorter's importance is rooted in how he had the power to influence Miles Davis (arguably, THE musical mind of the 20th century). As part …

Daniel Feldman (Yo No Say)

SPB: What is the worst stereotype you encounter when people find out you’re in a band?

Daniel: To be honest people are generally pretty supportive and intrigued when they find out I’m in a band. I’d say the worst stereotype through, is that we must be broke because we’re musicians, even though it’s …

Jordan Guerette (Forêt Endormie)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1990s artist?

Jordan: Among the hundreds of artists that I continue to cherish from the 1990s, if I must choose one it would be Jeff Buckley. His sole completed album, Grace, completely changed my life when I was a teenager - I was obsessed with every aspect of …

Karl Eifrig (The Mons)

SPB: What was the first punk show you attended?

Karl: The first punk show I attended was February 28, 1986 at Cabaret Metro (now just Metro) in Chicago. The lineup was Killdozer opening, Dead Milkmen second, and Die Kreuzen headlining. Being a high school freshman in a small town in northwest Indiana, I was …

James Farwell (Bison)

SPB: Can you enjoy a musician’s work if you when you disagree with their politics? Are you able to make the separation?

James: I generally separate the art from the artist, unless the art itself contains some politically or socially offensive content - racist, homophobic, misogynist, xenophobic, etc. If the artist was someone I had …

Kelly (Dreadnought)

SPB: What is the weirdest venue/setting you’ve ever played a show at?

Kelly: The strangest setting is tied for either a fighting ring in the basement of a bar in Kansas or one of my best friend's wedding. I'm not sure the basement was actually used as a fighting ring, but it felt like we were …

Timo Ellis of Netherlands

SPB: What is the weirdest description you’ve heard others say of your music? Do you think it’s accurate or can you see where the idea came from?

Timo: “You’re like the Sybil of music, with some sort of dissociative identity... I feel like you’re dancing on some sort of “post-sensibility” ledge. Often with regard …

Spotlights

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

Spotlights: Gonna go with – Braid’s The Age of Octeen. We love this band and especially this time in their career.