Features / One Question Interviews

Fluffy (Ejector Seats-bass/vocals)

SPB: What was your first tape/record/or cd that you ever bought?

Fluffy: That's actually a really tough question...I grew up with an older sister, so I was subjected to her & her pot smoking hippie friends playing a shitload of classic rock: Bad Company, Queen, Deep Purple etc, etc...it was cool...

I liked everything, …

Brain Vacation

SPB: Ecstasy, meth, or ludes? 

BV: We don't do drugs all that often, but our singer has seen Phish play a few times so there's definitely something going on there. We never really expected to release that information into the world, but there it is. Please go do lots of meth and listen to our new …

Shirlette Ammons

SPB: What is the strangest trend you see in music (or in the industry vs the art)?

Ammons: Strangest trend to me is how much people are relying on pop culture, particularly pop songs, for their politicization. I do celebrate and embrace the affirmation, momentum, and empowerment provided by songs that speak to people's struggle, but …

Benjamin Finger

SPB: Do you have a somewhat clearcut idea of what you want to do when composing and/or producing your music, or are you more inclined to just "let things flow" and be more improvisational?

Finger: First of all, the answer is a multi-sided one. When it comes to composing and producing music (in my case) it …

Mega Ran

SPB: What is your favorite record store (either locally or a discovery while on the road)?

Mega Ran: It changes all the time, but a recent favorite is Lunchbox Records in Charlotte, NC. I'm not the biggest record collector, but this place had the largest and most diverse selection I'd seen out of a small store. …

Jim “Reverend” Heath (Rev. Horton Heat)

SPB: You've played a lot of "out-of-the-way" cities over the years. What inspires you to set up a tour hitting some these oft-skipped over places? Is there a different feel when you play a city or venue that doesn't see as many national acts?

Heath: We don't take many days off when …

Dave Bowden (Warm Needles – bass)

SPB: What band has the best logo of all time?

Bowden: My favorite band logo of all time has got to be Propagandhi from the How to Clean Everything album. In high school I'd try to draw other bands names on my books using the same cool lettering and it never came …

Ben (Nai Harvest)

SPB: Who is the loudest band you’ve seen live?

Ben: It’s a pretty relative to venue size question but probably FUZZ. We played with them at Gorilla in Manchester and my ears were buzzing for days after

Mike Moynihan (Hollow Earth)

SPB: What is the best “song about a girl” ever written?

Moynihan: Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love.”

This song makes me feel like Robert Plant is going to fuck me so good, but then hold me afterwards and tell me how much he loves and cares about me. At the end all …

Gareth Dickson (solo, Vashti Bunyan)

SPB: Is it unusual to be considered a "cult" artist or almost semi-legendary while still recording music? What kind of pressures does that produce?

Dickson: Ha, nice question, I had to check that it was actually intended for me. I never think of myself in that way, I always feel like I'm still struggling …

Jason Schmidt (Graf Orlock)

SPB: Rank these listening formats: cd, vinyl, cassette, digital, (other?)

Schmidt: I would rank these in the degree to which they are both visually and aurally pleasing. I would say vinyl would be top in that it has an expandable format and has a lot of low end that an MP3 would lack, squeezing …

Matthew S Williams (Hell)

SPB: Are more touring bands being robbed these days or is it just better publicized? Do you do anything special to try and prevent it from happening to you?

Williams: There may just be more opportunity for the thieves to take. There are a lot more touring bands on the road than there used …

Ali Muhareb

SPB: It seems like there's been renewed interest in psychedelic music in recent years. Have you noticed any differences between the psychedelic scene in the United States and that which you've encountered while touring overseas? 

Muhareb: I find the question you asked me very interesting! It's got me thinkin' all sorts of thoughts. Nostalgic memories of …

Craig Taylor-Broad

SPB: All creative people invest something of themselves into their work, but this seems especially true with regard to your solo work. Do you find it difficult to get into the right mood or mindset to perform these songs either when recording or in a live setting?

CTB: I think in terms of playing my songs …

BJ Moore (Crab Legs)

SPB: What’s the biggest secret about the Fargo scene (unbeknownst to outsiders)?

Moore: So, that question could be answered numerous ways, but since every member of Crab Legs plays in at least one other band, I focused on the music scene here.

What’s the biggest secret about the Fargo scene?

That a …

Jack (toyGuitar)

SPB: What’s the story behind your name?

Jack: There isn't much backstory on this one. I think I stole the idea of the name "toy guitar" from Spike Slawson or Kent Jamieson (NOFX tour manager). I can't remember which of those two had it first. It was either something like Spike was playing in a kids …

Ben Grey (Dear Boy)

SPB: What is your favorite TV theme song?

Grey: I'm afraid you've touched on a bit of a nerve because I love TV theme songs. I will give you three.

* Twin Peaks & Angelo Badalamenti - Too much has been written about this piece of music, so I'm just going to go …

Jonathan Ashwell (Flannel Gurl Records)

SPB: What is your favorite record store? How did you discover it?

Ashwell: Like coffee shops where ever we go, we try to visit any and all independent record stores when visiting a city we have never been before. We try and treat any visit to any record store as something that is …

Kyle Bishop (Grade)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1970s artist?

Bishop: Black Sabbath

Robbie (Humans)

SPB: How does being in a band compare to being a forest fire fighter?

Robbie: Being in a band is somewhat similar to being a fire fighter.

Reason #1: In both jobs you have to carry lots of awkward things in awkward places. Firefighting wins out on this though, as the things are more …