Features / One Question Interviews

Mocaine (Nomads)

SPB: What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

Mocaine: When I was 19 years old I got laid off from my record store job and had to scramble to find work. I got a job at a sex shop attached to a strip club in downtown Seattle. Thought I was gonna be doing retail. Ends up …

DSGNS

SPB: What’s the smallest crowd you’ve ever played to? Is it hard when such a thing happens and how do you adjust?

DSGNS: The smallest crowd we’ve ever played for was about 5 maybe 8, can’t be too sure. It can sometimes be a bit of a hit to your ego, and the band morale may wane …

Brian Cullman

SPB: After working in film, journalism, and other aspects of the industry, what called you back to performing and recording original music?

Cullman: I love working in movies, but there’s a part of the process that is just soul-destroying. On most movies, even low budget ones, there’s so much money involved, and so many people who …

James Burns (Let's Go to Hell: Scattered Memories of the Butthole Surfers)

SPB: In a book such as this, do you aim to capture the spirit of the band as a whole, or via specific windows in time? 

Burns: The Butthole Surfers existed in a time when there was no internet, and literally no way of …

Seth Decoteau (Topshelf Records)

SPB: Do you accept demos? What is the most surprising demo you’ve received?

Decoteau: Yes. I'd say the most surprising demo we've received was from Infinity Girl, which we ended up releasing. 

Seth Bogart (ex- Hunx & His Punx)

SPB: Do you read press written about you?

Bogart: I guess if I see it and it starts off not totally boring or I feel like I did an interview and said something juicy, then yes.

Black Black Black

SPB: How do you approach writing/recording a song with a guest vocalist, such as “Let’s Bloodlet” with Dave Curran? 

Jason Byers (vocals): Dave and I have been friends for over 20 years. We first met in Cleveland, Ohio at the legendary Speak in Tongues venue in 1995. Dave was on tour playing bass with Unsane. …

Arthur Smilios (World Be Free, Gorilla Biscuits)

SPB: What strikes you as the biggest change in recording an album between now and your first few recordings?

Smilios: One word: technology. Analog tapes have been replaced by computer programs. When we were recording the GB 7" and Start Today at Don Fury's, we were using what was then cutting-edge …

Sam Siegler (World Be Free)

SPB: What strikes you as the biggest change in recording an album between now and your first few recordings?

Siegler: The first time I ever went into a studio to record drums was at Don Fury’s studio on Spring St. in NYC, I was 14 years old. It was for Youth of Today, …

Chicco (LATTE+)

SPB: If you could put together a four or five-piece "all star group" of players from classic punk bands, who would be in it? 

Chicco: Well, it's easy for me:

Ramones first line-up it's the greatest all-star punk rock band ever!

Justin Smith (Ghostlimb)

SPB: It seems people are often surprised when they hear of musicians holding higher degrees. Why do you think that is? 

Smith: I think the common view of music and “art” culture is that it is a crew of degenerates or hippies. I would argue that at the crux of these initially DIY scenes …

Eric (Wall of Youth Records)

SPB: If you could universally fix one recurring issue in venues across the world, what would you fix?

Eric: If I had my way, which never seems to happen, I would make the floors of all venues sloped slightly down toward the stage. I'm a pretty tall person so I always feel like …

France Camp

SPB: Who is the most overrated musician/band of all time?

FC: Answer:

Charles "the man" Manson. Not a big fan of his music, really dug his side project lol

I'm giving you two.

2nd answer: Our answer would have to be Devin Gregory and the Fire Department.

There’s a band that took …

Rob Fales (Southpaw Records)

SPB: Have you ever rejected album art from a band or artist? What goes into that process/decision?

Fales: Yes, we've rejected album art from bands. It's not something we do too often, only two that I can recall. There was a Sandwitches record we removed a penis from (for obvious reasons). Then there was …

Russell Edling (Cherry)

SPB: What was your first show?

Edling: It was July 1999, I was 11. The show was an all-day thing called "Suckfest," run by a local guy in Barnesville, PA.

Pretty much every band within 30 miles came and played. I was blown away, I saw this band called Nine Lives from NY that …

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. …