Features / One Question Interviews

Courtney (Black Adidas)

SPB: Looking at the growth between your first and second albums, what stands out to you most about how Black Adidas is taking shape?

Courtney: I would say what stands out to me the most is that our live sound is really starting to feel more alive, and more exciting to us. The band is …

Jono Giralt (Stress Positions – drums)

SPB: Walk us through your drum kit and how you arrived at your sizes, etc.

Giralt: I play on a Tama Starrclassic. All Bubinga shells. 12”, 18”, and 24”. Charcoal grey, I guess? They look nice. I’ve been playing the Ludwig raw copper phonic snare. 6.5”x14”. Honestly the best snare I’ve ever …

Taylor (Pretend Molly – guitar)

SPB: Every time I see your name I have to get past the mental association with an Irish-style punk band, so I have to ask: What is the story behind the name Pretend Molly?

Taylor: So we had been struggling to come up with a name for a while, never really having one …

Watermelon

SPB: Who does the majority of the band’s driving? (Why? Any stories?)

Watermelon: Erika definitely drives the most even though she has the smallest car. Both Erika and Ali have mini stacks and Jared usually only brings breakables so we have the Tetris of loading in and out all figured out. When we opened for The Spits, …

David Mead (Crasher)

SPB: Besides music, what other arts interest you?

Mead: I love comedy writing, film, and film history. I love finding someone who can run lines from weird old movies with me. I have a lot of ideas for films, a few sci-fi and comedy ones that I would love to write the screenplays for sometime. …

Tony Bavaria (Calling Hours – guitar)

SPB: Where in your hometown do you always bring visitors?

Bavaria: One place I always bring visitors in and around Harrisburg, PA (our hometown) is Neato Burrito. There's a few of them in our area, and they're owned by guys who have been involved in the scene or playing in bands around …

Stepan (Selfist)

SPB: What do you think “hardcore” (as a scene) means in 2023, going into ’24?

Stepan: The beauty of hardcore, much like any other form of art, is that it means different things to different people. That being said, as a culture rooted in a DIY ethos, hardcore exists in localized pockets that create an interlocking …

Russell Harrison (Stress Positions)

SPB: What do you think of Record Store Day? 

Harrison: We are of two minds about Record Store Day. It's good because it drives business to independent record stores, but bad because it means the pressing plants are all clogged up with major labels doing reissues of stuff on vinyl for this day. It …

Kevin Kimberlin (Daredevil Falls)

SPB: You’ve had several projects over the years. What are you seeking with this specific band (ie what is your artistic goal)?

Kimberlin: With my self-titled album, Daredevil Falls, I set out to tell intimate stories about the complexities of relationships -- how they evolve and survive. Each song explores a real-life experience in …

Arjen (Youff – guitar)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1990s artist? 

Arjen: That is a hard question because most of my record collection exists out of bands from 1980s and early 2000s with some exceptions. These exceptions are the bands I grew up with as a teenager. They're not all worth mentioning. Nevertheless, one album worth mentioning is …

Josh (Autogramm – drums)

SPB: Walk us through some of the recording equipment used in the making of Autogramm’s new album, Music That Humans Can Play.

Josh:

Marc Blaquiere (Phuture Memoriez)

SPB: Walk us through your setup that led to what we hear on Play Cobra?

Blaquiere: 

Conan Neutron (Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends)

SPB: Each record from Conan Neutron has had a very different, yet arguably dark, theme. Do you approach each record from "ground zero," or do you see a direct lineage between each theme? (In other words, do you "build off the previous release, or start completely over" each time?)

Conan …

Burner Herzog

SPB: What is your favorite Werner Herzog film?

Burner Herzog: I have two: Aguirre, Wrath of God and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. 

Aguirre is the classic first film Herzog did with lead actor Klaus Kinski, a man so odious that his behavior was even worse than the decadent exaggerations he published …

Ian (Skill Issue – guitar)

SPB: Skill Issue is based in 3 cities along I-95. How many combined total miles do band members have to drive, on average, for the band to practice or play a show?

Ian: tbh, skill issue is pretty much an anarchist art collective more than a traditional band. I tried to ditch cars …

Brian Amalfitano (Deaf Club)

SPB: You also run a record store (which we’ve discussed). What is your all time favorite record (as in “the full vinyl package”)?

Amalfitano: Wow, that’s a tough one. I mean, I own a record store (Spinning Plate Records) so I have a lot of great stuff always coming through. Stuff I …

Marc Blaquiere (Phuture Memoriez)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1980s artist?

Blaquiere: Pop music duo Milli Vanilli. Although short lived and seemingly giving us classic hits like "Girl You Know It's True" and "Blame It on the Rain," only to find out that, not only were these songs lip synched in live performance, but also sung by two …

Alan O'Keeffe (Last Man Back)

SPB: You’re a solo musician but you choose to go with a band-like name. Why use Last Man Back instead of your own name?

O'Keeffe: You know, good question. I think with the type of music I’m making it just felt better to use a band-like name. There’s also two or three other …

Dave Strong

SPB: Who is your favorite 1970s artist?

Strong: Joey Ramone!!  

Mitchell Layton (Church Girls – guitar)

SPB: What type of guitar do you play and what’s its “origin story”?

Layton: My main guitar has changed a lot over the years depending on what style I’m playing and what I’m using it for, but for most of the Church Girls touring and studio recording I’ve used my Revered Double …