Features / One Question Interviews

Laura Stevenson

SPB: What is the biggest thing you’ve learned about performance since moving to a solo approach?

Stevenson: So the biggest thing I've learned about performance since I began a solo-approach. I'd have to say pacing. I used to be oblivious to how important that is, and I would fly through songs when I played solo because …

Nathan Kearney (Gonzovillain)

SPB: Is there a particular record you’ve heard this year that surprised you? In a good or a bad way?

Kearny: I'd say that the record that's surprised me the most this year is Institute's EP Salt. They're a band from Texas who, for me, represent what I first got into when I got …

Jim Sykes (Invisible Things-drums)

SPB: n songwriting, how do you draw the line between taking influence and mimicking?

Sykes: Honestly I think bands should be sued if they cop someone's style. I don't care if it's the same melody but played in a totally different style - that shows creativity. But when I hear a band write an …

Hard Girls

SPB: What is the most valuable thing you’ve lost on a tour?

Morgan: Mostly we lose things like phone chargers and sunglasses, shirts and t-shirts, crap like that…I guess you could say we’ve all lost our wide-eyed innocence on the road…SIGH…

We have lost 2 drum seats and one drum kick pedal over the years.

Andy (Warm Needles)

SPB: What was the most memorable thing to happen during recording Inconsolable?

Andy: Oh geez, good question. Luckily now I can laugh about it. We actually recorded the record ourselves in our own space with our own equipment. This is also the first time I've ever done any real recording or used this equipment …

Dave Pirnier (Soul Asylum – vocals)

SPB: Who is your favorite musician you’ve discovered in New Orleans?

Pirnier: Henry Butler first comes to mind. I saw him for the first time at the Funky Butt and he was playing the midnight to 4am slot. Seeing that he is blind, I was able to sorta stick my head in …

Jxckxlz

SPB: Which of your songs is hardest to play live?

Nathan (vocals): “Trophic Level,” ‘cause I just scream like a manic dog for 5 minutes plus.

Max (drums): “Solace,” as it’s technical, fast and we play it first quite often. Or “Alpha & Omega,” because I’m usually tired as fuck at that point.

Lachlan (guitar): …

Serious Beak

SPB: When did you decide that you want to make music for a living? 

Andrew Mortensen (bass): When I finished high school. But then I discovered to “make a living” from music, you had to play shit covers, in shitty RSLs, out in the middle of nowhere to pissed arseholes. So I got a day job …

Georgia Maq

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

Maq: I'd like “Two Worlds” – Tiger’s Jaw played at my funeral. 

Matt Vaughn (Lesstalk Records, Michael Crafter-vocals)

SPB: Do any of your musician friends have tinnitus?

Vaughn: Yeh, I think a lot of my friends have or will have tinnitus when the years go by. I have been playing in DIY bands for about 10 years now and going to gigs every weekend as well as playing and jamming …

Lachlan R. Dale (Adrift for Days, Art As Catharsis)

SPB: How has the increasing digitisation of music changed your listening habits?

Dale: A very good question, and one I often reflect on.

There is no doubt that the digitisation of music has dramatically increased access while also increasing supply through reduced production costs.

The effect for …

Reece Prain (Diploid-bass/vocals)

SPB: How much space in your home is dedicated to music storage (records or instruments)?

Prain: I have a bandroom/equipment storage room. It’s pretty full, so lots of junk is just sort of hung around the room as well. But really, music equipment is scattered throughout the house. As for record/cds/tapes and such, I have …

Ian Miller (Roman Cities)

SPB: How important to the band’s concept was playing “era-appropriate instrumentation”?

Miller: Man, what a great question. When I was imagining this project, I had visions of headless basses and chorus pedals. But the gear ended up not really mattering. Bradley plays a Tele into a Fender combo; Dan used his giant Early Graves …

Joshua Lozano (Fashion Week – guitar/vocals)

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

Lozano: At home: vinyl

In the van: CD

Running on the street: iPod. 

In the ‘90s: Cassettes (mixtapes)

Brian Campeau

SPB: What is your favorite album cover of all time?

Campeau: I'm a big fan of a photo which tells a story, whether or not you understand that story. By this I mean a photo that keeps you looking at it and the more you look at it the more you discover. 

Hipgnosis (the guys …

Robert Cheeseman (Spirits – bass)

SPB: is the best hardcore song, ever?

Cheeseman: The best hardcore song? Hell if I know! One of my favorite hardcore bands though is Faded Grey. I remember downloading "The New Crusades" off of revhq sometime in late 2000 and it was definitely a gateway moment that led me to discover a lot …

Frank Godla (Meek Is Murder)

SPB: What do you think of cassettes?

Godla: They will always have a special place in my heart. I started collecting music when cassettes were still the norm, and wound up with several hundred cassette and VHS tapes in my house. I’d even make my own mixtapes to carry around in my bag, …

John (Maybeshewill)

SPB: What are you most looking forward to on your upcoming first US tour? 

John: We’re still waiting to find out if we’ll be coming over, but it’s been an aim of ours for a really long time. We don’t take as much shit from anyone else as we do from American fans who want us …

Ricky (Western Settings)

SPB: Who is the most underrated San Diego band right now?

Ricky: The most underrated band in San Diego? There are a ton. One that has grabbed my attention over the last year is a folk-punk band called Plastic City Pariah. They are talented, and kind human beings. Their music is fun, full of feeling, …

Nathan Joyner (Hot Nerds – guitar/vocals)

SPB: Who is the hottest nerd of them all?

Joyner: That's simple: any kid who stays in school is the hottest nerd of them all. So, the hottest nerd of them all changes constantly. Stay in school, kids, eat your greens, and don't back talk your parents. A close second …