Features / One Question Interviews

Jonny 5 (Flobots)

SPB: When did you opt to make your living as a musician/did you quit a regular day job in doing so?

Jonny 5: Yes! I was working as a paraprofessional at East High School, a job I thoroughly enjoyed. I helped with the A+ Angels Mentoring program, Link Crew, and a Peer Tutoring program, and …

Jeff (Capitalist Kids)

SPB: Who is your favorite capitalist hero?

Jeff: Ha ha. I don't have a capitalist hero. The Capitalist Kids are not huge fans of capitalism, even though every once in a while someone mistakenly “likes” our Facebook page with that belief. I suppose if we want to use this question as a springboard for discussing …

Justin Wettstein (Multiple Truths)

SPB: After music, what other arts are you interested in?

Wettstein: Taking music out of the art spectrum is tough. I feel that music plays a large part in many forms of art, at least in some small capacity...so I must admit, I was a little stumped at first. When forced to think about …

Sarah Neufeld (solo, Arcade Fire)

SPB: What are the biggest challenge you face in getting the sound you want live while playing with amplified instruments?

Neufeld: I've always had a pretty good pick-up situation on my violin, so it hasn't really been an issue. It is fun to experiment with pushing the sound of that instrument in a …

Anthony (Stranger by Starlight)

SPB: What is your favorite 1970s artist?

Anthony: It's incredibly difficult to pick a favourite artist, album or even track from the entirety of the 1970s, so many things spring immediately to mind, all of which deserve to be mentioned: Leonard Cohen, The Stooges, Amon Duul II and Ash Ra Temple, Gang of Four, …

Kevin Baker (All Pigs Must Die)

SPB: What is your favorite thing about international touring?

Baker: In my opinion, traveling to different regions and absorbing the culture is the greatest thing anyone can ever do in life. I really miss that part of being in a band and am real fortunate I got to do it when I …

Dallas Thomas (Pelican)

SPB: How would you summarize the Chicago heavy scene?

Thomas: Chicago has had a really strong scene for awhile now. Maybe one reason is that you have to survive the city before a band has a chance plug in and crank it up. Practice rooms are not cheap here, so it forces a level of …

Brian Case (Disappears)

SPB: How was your experience recording at Electrical Audio?

Case: Electrical Audio is such a great studio: both comfortable and top of the line. Everything works, the staff is hospitable and knowledgeable and it has a vibe and atmosphere that allow for creativity and experimentation. Every band I've been in has recorded there and I …

Bryan Spinks (Samothrace, vocalist/guitarist)

SPB: How did you get so bloody heavy?

Spinks: I suppose it is a culmination of some different things. Obviously the riffs have to be solid. Tone is a huge factor, too. I, as many guitarists do, have spent the past 20+ years searching for the proper tone from my amps and cabs. It …

Clifford Dinsmore (BL'AST!)

SPB: When you found the Blood tapes, did you think it was possible to remaster them to the point you achieved with the final released product?

Dinsmore: We never imagined it would sound as heavy as it does now! But, when you consider all the contributing factors, like Will's tracks being brought back to life, …

PJ Fancher (The Fest ticketmaster, Grabass Charlestons/The Careeners, I worked at No Idea Records for 10 years)

Fancher: I've never seen any direct numbers proving so but I imagine that the whole download code thing has only helped vinyl sales. I actually get a bit bummed if I buy a new record and it does not have a download …

Swordplay (Swordplay & Pierre the Motionless)

SPB: Is there a regional food you look forward to when you tour?

Swordplay: Boiled Peanuts. Probably the best part about going to the South is boiled peanuts. Last time I was in SC, I learned they can even be turned into hummus. It's delicious.

Daniel O’ Sullivan (Mothlite)

SPB: How do you find the time for so many different projects?

O'Sullivan: I don't find the time because time doesn't exist. It's always now. Right now I'm answering this question, before that I was assembling an Ikea bookshelf, these are projects and they're always happening now unless they're not happening and in that …

Vinnie Fiorello (Less Than Jake)

SPB: Would you license your music for use in film, sports, or ads if given the opportunity?

Fiorello: We already have been involved in all of the above. Fact for a band like LTJ or hell most bands: you want everyone and anyone to hear what you've done creatively. Licensing songs allows bands …

Peter Mielech (Modern Radio Record Label)

SPB: You re-released old STNNNG records on the Playbutton format. How did you decide to try that format?

Mielech: It's an experiment of sorts. We've always tried to stay on top of the different ways people listen to music. Although we've always stayed true to the only time-tested format in vinyl, we …

Sean Carswell (Razorcake)

SPB: How has working on a zine changed how you listen to or value music?

Carswell: When I first started doing record reviews for Flipside back in the '90s, I learned to really listen to music in a way I hadn't before. Doing reviews taught me to sit down with an album and …

Jesse (The Black Lantern)

SPB: How do you choose your album art?

Jesse: Our music is trying to be chaotic but still have a common thread of rhythm. We were all drawn to glitch art and started following Rob Sheridan and also the Year of the Glitch tumblr. We got apps on the phones, most importantly Decim8, and …

Jared (Sundowners)

SPB: What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you on a tour? Have you ever been stranded or forced to cancel?

Jared: Great question! and really annoying memories to look back on. Hahaha.

Sundowners were on an eight-to-ten hour drive to Salt Lake City maybe three weeks into the tour. We had already been missing …

Phil (Somos)

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

Somos: This is tough because I have had a lot of shitty jobs. But first would have to be babysitting rich kids. I was 18 and had just moved to San Francisco from Massachusetts. I was desperate for money and was looking for any kind of work …

Brendan Kelly (Lawrence Arms)

SPB: Does your child listen to your music at all? What does s/he think (sorry, I can't remember if you have a son or daughter--or both)?

Kelly: My kids like to listen to my music in the car. They also like to listen to it on occasion in the house if it's a recording. …