Features / One Question Interviews

Jensen (Iron Lung)

SPB: What is the strangest interaction you’ve had with a (super) fan?

Jensen: The first time he showed up was only mildly weird. Kind of cool, actually.

He flew all the way to San Francisco from Florida for one show, rolled into the club with a giant backpack on straight from the airport. He …

Rachel (Lipstick Homicide – bass/vocals)

SPB: Was the acoustic set a Fest 13 a one-time thing or do you sometimes perform acoustic around Iowa?

Rachel: We have done acoustic sets before and Kate plays solo acoustic shows all the time, but that was the first time we've performed acoustically together for several years and most of the songs …

Jeremy (Girl Scout)

SPB: What varieties of Girl Scout (the band) cookies would there be? 

Jeremy: We always talked about making weed versions of Girl Scout cookies and selling them as merch because there is nothing more Girl Scout than getting high, turning up the fuzz and having some fun. We just wanna put the "tree" in trefoils, …

Ruben (30,000 Monkies – vocals/guitar)

SPB: What is the worst reunion concert you ever saw? 

Ruben: I've never really seen a bad reunion concert actually, but there is one that I attended that had some shitty consequences for us. In 2009, at Pukkelpop festival, My Bloody Valentine played their first concert in Belgium since their reunion. All in …

Zock (Astpai – vocals)

SPB: What is the furthest you’ve ever traveled to see a show (and who was it/where was it)?

Astpai: In May 1999, I woke up on what I thought was gonna be yet another lousy school day (I was 12 years old at the time), preparing myself for eight hours full of incompetent teaching …

Universe217

SPB: As far as I know you record your music at your own studio. Do you think that that allows you to be more creative? Having more time to try out different things?

Universe217: We have our own studio, yes. We actually never produced a record other way, so I can’t really compare it with not doing it …

Paul Rivera (La Armada – guitar)

SPB: What is the secret to a successful tour?

This question is more complex than it seems. I think the answer varies a lot depending on so many factors like what size of band is touring, what’s the main goal of the tour, and other logistical issues. At the root of it, …

Mike Blaha (The Blind Shake)

SPB: You have now released records on a lot of labels. What do you enjoy about changing affiliation with each release?

Blaha: I think the best part about label Mormonism is discovering the newer or lesser publicized bands on a label. For example, Thee Oh Sees are one of the best bands on …

Thou

SPB: What is your favorite part about the recording process? 

Andy: Overdubs, without a doubt. James Whitten, our recording guy/sound guru, is really good at helping us create outlandish sounds that end up sitting way back in the mix. I sometimes wonder if people listening to our records even notice them. Sometimes it's just banging on a …

Marc Euvrie (The Eye of Time)

SPB: In your self-titled album, you had a more aggressive outlook and quite a different instrumentation for your music. What signaled the change from that to the more peaceful aura of Acoustic? And what does that change signify for you? 

Euvrie: It is not a change movement, it's just an experimentation. …

Scott Wilkinson (Scene Point Blank)

SPB: What album changed or had the biggest impact on your life?

WIlkinson: I would have to say Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. The record came out when I was 12 and dominated my record player (yeah I'm that old). The Eastern influence was there in “Within You Without …

Aaron H (Scene Point Blank)

SPB: What's a band totally outside of your typical stylistic preferences that's you're an avid fan of?

Aaron: I'd say there are two answers I could give for this. I grew up with a mom obsessed with ‘90s pop/alt-country so a lot of that was playing in the house while I was growing …

Spyros Stasis (Scene Point Blank)

SPB: What was the best show you have seen this past year? 

Stasis: It has to be the gig Neurosis did in Athens back in July (2014). I had seen them twice in the UK, but that last time in Athens really stood out for me. I mean, when you see them at …

Loren (Scene Point Blank)

SPB: Which is the most difficult and which is the most enjoyable part of being an editor for a music webzine?

Loren: The most difficult is simply finding time. As a global site that, in turn, means we get submissions from everywhere and at all hours of the day. The most enjoyable part is …

Nate Pischke (United Teachers of Music)

SPB: What role does humor play in songwriting?

Pischke: Humor doesn’t play a role in our music. We’re serious as fuck and I’m pretty upset that you’d even ask that.

Recreant

SPB: What’s the largest crowd you’ve played to? Did you approach it differently?

Recreant: Not really sure, we approach every show differently. It just depends on the space. We have played for crowds that have just been the other bands, to almost 200 people. We prefer playing on the floor to a stage. A house show or …

Joel Tannenbaum (Plow United, The Rentiers, Ex Friends)

SPB: As a musician, do you find terminology such as “side project” to be relevant to you in any way?

Tannenbaum: In my experience, once a band starts being perceived as a side project, it's pretty much dead. So yeah, I'd say I find the term to be highly relevant!

Stephen Pierce (Kindling, Ampere)

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

Pierce: 8 track, floppy disc, player piano, minidisc, wax cylinder.

From worst to best. 

Scott (Kowloon Walled City)

SPB: Do you think that more bands are getting robbed nowadays? Has it happened to you?

Scott: It seems like lately you read about another band's van getting stolen or broken into every week. Fortunately, it hasn't happened to us yet. We try to be careful. We don't leave our van unattended when …

CJ Ramone

SPB: In what setting are you least likely to wear a leather jacket?

Ramone: On the toilet.