Features / One Question Interviews

Pontus (Agrimonia)

SPB: What makes death metal - or metal in general - so prevalent in Sweden?

Pontus: I think there is a huge music interest in general in Sweden. This might have to do with that it’s easy to pick up and learn an instrument at an early age thanks to Sweden’s community music school, so many …

Peelander Yellow (Peelander-Z)

SPB: What is your favorite music-related book?

Yellow: I never read music-related book!!!

I have to learn a lot of things without music-related book!!!

music-related book never teach me how to dance "My dance"!

music-related book never show me how to kiss "My kiss"!

music-related book never bring to my world!!!

Chris Pepus (Razorcake)

SPB: What is your favorite thing about working with print media?

Pepus: Most of my writing appears on the web, but I still prefer to read, and write for, print. When I get a zine or a book from an independent press via U.S. Mail, the communication feels more direct than if the writing comes …

David Yow (the Jesus Lizard, artist, Qui, Scratch Acid)

SPB: How has aging affected your musical performance?

Yow: Dunno if it's due to aging, but I have almost no desire whatever to play in some full-time musical outfit.

SPB: Is touring a larger physical burden?

Yow: I haven't done any touring in a few years, but, …

Shannon T. Moore (Activator, lead singer)

SPB: How did you “discover” punk rock?

Moore: I discovered punk rock on few different occasions in a few stages of my life. Starting with all of the media hype of the Sex Pistols and all of the times Sid Vicious was in the news. I remember seeing a clip of them …

Joe Holland (Sex Rays, Violent Shifters)

SPB: Do you wear earplugs when you play? Why/why not?. 

Holland: I almost always wear hearing protection at rehearsals, shooting range style "ear muffs" are the best, in my opinion. In most cases I do wear earplugs when I go to shows as a spectator, especially if the band is not "worth" …

Aaron Carnes (Gnarboots) 

SPB: What is the ideal format to a show line-up? (How many bands, genres, etc.?)

Carnes: I always liked lineups that were diverse. Shows with only one style of band is so boring. Back in the day when G.N.A.R.B.O.O.T. Adam and I were in ska bands, every other fucking band we played with was ska. …

Ben Greenberg (The Men)

SPB: What’s a record you love that would surprise people?

Greenberg: Bill Frisell - Have A Little Faith

Bill Frisell is an amazing guitar player who has released many, many, many records that I never listen to. Have A Little Faith was the first one I heard, and continues to be my favorite. …

Bianca Barragan (LA Zinefest organizer)

SPB: If forced to choose, what is your favorite LA-based zine (currently active)?

Barragan: After thinking about all the LA-based zines that are awesome, I'm going to have to say that my favorite right now is Razorcake because their latest issue was awesome and I am just now reading through it. Other favorites …

Andrew Schubert (Ghostbot Records, recording engineer)

SPB: Besides music, what other arts are you into?

Schubert: Music is what I'm most passionate about. It's how I mark time and set placemarks in my life. I can remember events by what song was playing on the car stereo. But I love visual art as well. I'm not as good at …

Sara Landeau (The Julie Ruin)

SPB: Did joining The Julie Ruin feel like a new band, or like you were joining one with an already-established identity?

Landeau: It felt like a brand new band, which it was. In retrospect, we probably should've changed the name because it’s the same name as Kathleen's 1998 solo moniker (Julie Ruin), but …

RJD2

SPB: What do you like to do on a tour off date?

RJD2: On an off date when I'm touring, two things dominate my day: food, and craigslist. That's pretty much it. So I'm on Yelp, asking on twitter, texting friends, etc to make sure I'm eating the must-have grub. And simultaneously, I'm trolling craigslist for finds …

Seiji (Guitar Wolf)

SPB: How did your recent US tour with The Coathangers go?

Seiji: The girls are wonderful. Their songs are full of great ideas. They inspired us a great deal. The way they raise the excitement in the later half of the show was simply great, like pink typhoon. I'd love to invite them to Japan.

Hannah Blumenfeld (White Murder)

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

Blumenfeld: Substitute teaching. I was way too young and it was just complete chaos all the time: all grades all categories. One day in the middle school I lost it and called a student a bitch. I was so freaked out, thinking I was going …

Alan Sparhawk, Low

SPB: What's a record you love that would surprise people?

Sparhawk: Barbara Streisand's Greatest Hits

Mike Riley (Toxic Pop Records/Firestarter Records)

SPB: While the meaning of Toxic Pop's name is fairly obvious, how has its meaning changed to you since the label was first formed?

Riley: The label was formed in 2007 as a "sister" label to Firestarter Records, which I had been running since 2002. The first release, the Sick Sick Birds …

Paul Needza Friend

SPB: What do you think of band’s playing a record in its entirety for a tour concept?

Paul: I suppose that depends on the integrity of the album in question. If there's only a couple choice tracks on the latest record, then maybe the band should consider performing their "Best Of..." album, if they even …

Kolin (The Rackatees, drums)

SPB: What is the longest (in time) that you have been on tour? Would you do it again?

Kolin: Our nine-day tour throughout the Southeast U.S. last September is the most consecutive days we've toured thus far. We know that's not much at all, but we try to make up for that by mini-touring …

Dan Abbott (Bobby Joe Ebola)

SPB: What is the furthest you've traveled to play a single show (vs setting up a corresponding tour)?

Abbott: Driving or flying? Somewhere around 1997 or so, we were contacted by a private college in Ohio. They offered us $900 to come play in their student events hall. Our tech-bubble housemate had the …

Chris Clavin (Plan-it-X Records, Ghost Mice)

SPB: You released the DVD with all of your releases in a digital format. Where did the idea come from?

Clavin: We didn't, we talked about it, but we didn't. The idea was and still is, when the label ends, to make all the music available for free, but since the digital …