Features / One Question Interviews

Gus Englehorn

SPB: Assuming the album name, Dungeon Master, is a D&D allusion: what is your favorite pop-culture reference during the recent D&D revival?

Englehorn: I got the name for the album from this guy who came up to me after a show I played. He told me that my lyrics reminded him of playing Dungeons and …

Vanum

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

Vanum: The Vanum group text thread is a real treasure trove for sharing exciting records that we find (generally older stuff), but I don't think any contemporary record has elicited as much collective excitement as The Higher …

Daniel (Love Forty Down)

SPB: What is the meaning behind the band name?

Daniel: Our band name is quite obviously a reference to a Frank Turner song. Love Forty Down is the score in a tennis match (0:40). It means, that our opponent is only missing one point to win the game but we have not lost quite …

LonelyTwin

SPB: What venue is your favorite to play and why?

LonelyTwin: I haven’t played a lot with my project yet unfortunately but I’ve played guitar with a lot of other artists, mainly here in Stockholm and I think my favorite is Debaser Strand. It’s one of the oldest spots here and it just has a really great …

Aaron Charles (Falls of Rauros)

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

Charles: Recording is probably my single favorite part of being a musician. You not only get to hear tangible results of your hard work, but there's also a chance to indulge in some off-the-cuff creativity in the studio. I love the whole experience …

Doe Paoro

SPB: If you could experiment in any one genre that’s far removed from what you do now, what would it be?

Paoro: If I could experiment in any genre that's far removed from what I do now, I think I would play with country music. I imagine that I would learn a lot from a songwriting …

Ben Wixson (Bend – bass)

SPB: What model of bass do you play and how did you choose it?

Wixson: For the past 20 years or so I have sworn by the Music Man Stingray bass, which has been made by Ernie Ball for decades. The first time I ever heard one of these basses live was watching …

Teddy Panopoulos (Dead Waves)

SPB: Tell us about how you captured the sound on Abandoned Children.

Teddy: Like usual, we wanted to use everything we own on this new Dead Waves release and brought back some acoustic drums and percussion which our last release didn't have.

For the first picture, I have my Ancient Lyre - …

Vali S.C (Kenny Elkin)

SPB: Is there any vinyl you own strictly for collector’s purposes but don’t listen to? 

Elkin: I do have an unopened dead kennedys “singles collection” on vinyl. I received it as a gift and don’t really feel the need to ever open it.

Tony Ash (Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – bass)

SPB: Tell us about your bass tone and how you set things up for your work in Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends?

Ash: I want to preface this by saying, this is the moment I've been practicing for throughout the entire existence of Conan Neutron and the …

Jiffy (Night Court)

SPB: What was the first show you saw after lockdowns (any emotional takeaways)?

Jiffy: I’m actually pretty sure the first show I went to after the lockdowns was our first show so I’m gonna go all oral history here as it was definitely a memorable one for other reasons as well. 

First, I have …

Kyle Green (Bend - guitar/vocals)

SPB: How has your musical taste evolved over the years? Do you think your “high school self” would appreciate the music you make now?

Green: My musical taste is ever-evolving. In high school I was into a lot of punk and ska. I also had a huge obsession with Kurt Cobain. The music …

Sean Frasier (Wise Blood Records)

SPB: Do you accept demos? What is the most surprising demo you’ve heard?

Frasier: When I launched Wise Blood Records, I knew I wanted to support and encourage new projects along with established bands. It can make a huge difference to a band when someone is paying attention and assisting in those first …

Bleu (Chateau Chateau)

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

Bleu: Most of our house is dedicated to music storage. Our “master bedroom” is actually our recording studio now, so it houses our day-to-day equipment, writing and recording computers, pianos, guitars, drum kit, trombone, keytars, etc. Basically everything you've heard …

Michael Allen (Sundown – guitar/vocals)

SPB: What is your favorite stretch of highway to drive on tour?

Allen: There's a bridge in Florida heading into Tampa called the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It's on 275, I believe, and it was when we finally saw the ocean. Bowie had just come on the radio and we had the windows down …

Serge Nakauchi Pelletier (TEKE::TEKE – guitar)

SPB: You use a variety of instruments. Were there any mic challenges or unique studio setups to require the sounds you achieved on Shirushi last year?

Nakauchi Pelletier: I don't recall any “challenges” per se in terms of set ups or even choices of microphones. Obviously, you want the best option for …

Eric (Some Became Hollow Tubes)

SPB: How did COVID impact the recording of this collaborative record?

Eric: COVID gave us the gift of time. We worked slower than usual, since we were adjusting to life at home and finding other things to occupy the mind from all the gloomy stuff. After the initial shocks, cancelations, uncertainties and …

Mariel (Church Girls)

SPB: What is your favorite record store, either locally or one you’ve discovered on the road?

Mariel: I like Creep Records in Philly. 

They have a great used section that's not too overwhelming. I seem to get lucky and find something on my list every time I go in.

Caleb Nichols

SPB: What is the best pop song of the last 10 years?

Nichols: I’m going to answer this question via a “first thought = best thought” method, and my honest first thought when I read the question was “Cranes In The Sky” by Solange. 

When I think “best pop song” I think I’m thinking about …

Solilians

SPB: What is your favorite music related film or documentary? 

Solilians: German filmmaker Claudia Heuermann’s Sabbath In Paradise (on Tzadik) explores the question of what it means to be a modern experimental Jewish musician from all angles, capturing Radical Jewish Culture and downtown NYC’s East Village golden age of the early ‘90s in all it’s breath, …