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 in February. Because we're Indiana boys the entire trip seemed worth it just for that moment alone.
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 … Read more
Chris McCaughan (Lawrence Arms, Sundowner) SPB: I take it by the multiple baseball references in your songs that you're a fan. What are your thoughts on the recent doping scandal? McCaughan: Hold up! There's cheating and steroids in baseball?!! C'mon. Are we really so surprised by all this? It's certainly … Read more
My original intention was to introduce this article explaining the disappointment we all come to upon realizing that youth is fleeting, however I'll spare the euphemisms. Growing up sucks! Aside from all the responsibilities that are thrust upon you like paying bills and having to work a shitty job everyday, … Read more
At times I get a bit carried away by hypes or trends in the music business. One such trend was the whole sludge trend. I loved it, especially when it was mixed with post-metal influences. At the height of this trend it seemed you could not turn a corner without seeing a new band playing that style. This is when … Read more
It’s interesting that Sundown calls this record Keep Moving because, in many ways, it feels stuck in 2005. It’s a mix of melodic and chugging hardcore, with dual vocalists and two very different styles to breathe some extra life into it the format. At its best, Keep Moving recalls Avail while, at its worst, I’m brought back to those screamo … Read more
It’s been a couple years of seeing Sundowners’ name pop up on show listings around town. Still, I’ve missed them every time. Well, the band has now popped up on Dirt Cult Records’ roster too, so I figured I was beyond due to see what the Minneapolis band (not to be confused with Lawrence Arms side project Sundowner) is all … Read more
Jenn L. Beckwith (All Good Cretins Go To Heaven: The Enduring Spirit of the Ramones – author) SPB: Do you remember the first time you saw the Ramones live (or, alternately if it’s a better story, the first time you heard them)? Beckwith: My collaborator and researcher Gary Lynn Clevenger … Read more
Fail Harmonic Records SPB: What is your turntable set-up? Our office turntable is vanilla. Audio-Technica, maybe? What we’re spinning is what counts: and that’s Savageheads - Service to your Country (Social Napalm Records), an FHR HQ staple. If you wanna pack records at a fast pace, this is the album … Read more
Andresa Nugraha (Andresa One Man Band) SPB: What instrument has been the hardest to add into your set? Nugraha: Kazoo. It's funny because it seems like an easy instrument to play, but when you scream through the entire set and lose your voice, you can't play it right. So, I … Read more
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