Features / One Question Interviews

Ian Vanek (Howardian)

SPB: Walk our readers through your kit and offer insight as to how you arrived at your sizes (shells and cymbals).

Vanek: Howardian play on a 1963 Rogers "bread and butter" crushed oyster kit. It's stylized with the rack tom and cymbal stand coming off the bass drum. It consists of a 20-inch bass drum, …

Andy Lefton (War//Plague – guitar)

SPB: What guitar model do you play in War//Plague and how does it lend to “the War//Plague sound”?

Lefton: It took some time to get the signature sound we wanted. Staying heavy and retaining clarity while playing blistering fast was something we strived for. As we grew, we knew we were in for …

Jake (Sunliner)

SPB: When did you start thinking about the name change (from Jake & The Jellyfish) and how did you decide that now is the time? 

Jake: To be honest we’d been talking about changing it from the word go. It was only ever a “hold” name, but we just played more and more shows and the …

Jesse Sendejas (Days N Daze)

SPB: Is there a special technique you use to optimize the sound of your banjo when playing clubs?

Sendejas: It's just me layering instruments in the recordings so we've only actually had a banjo player play with us live a handful of times, and usually all acoustic so sound wasn't an issue. John …

Galen Baudhuin (Infera Bruo)

SPB: Were there any amps, cabs or anything else that stood out when you recorded Cerement at Studio G?

Baudhuin: Studio G is essentially a mobile recording unit, and kind of exists wherever I go. In this instance it was at our rehearsal space in Massachusetts. Both guitars (a Paul Reed Smith and a …

Western Addiction

SPB: Was the mic’ing of your kit in the studio for Frail Bray fairly straight-forward, or were there some things you and the engineer did to find the right mics or experiment with sounds? 

Jack Shirley (producer): The mic’ing was pretty straight forward. I have a default configuration I like to start with. If it sounds …

Seagulls

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

Steve: I play a fender mexi pbass with delano pmvc 4 fe/m2 pickups (quarter pounders on roids) and always a fresh set of 45-100 strings. It's super bright, but still meaty. My stingray was too stingray-ey for me. My american pbass has a …

Dane Erback (Jetsam-Flotsam)

SPB: What is your favorite 1980s artist? 

Dane: My wife and I run the label together, but I work with the bands and manage production.

This is an easy question. Oingo Boingo is my favorite ‘80s artist. I was born in the ‘80s and my entire childhood pre-elementary school was in that decade. My …

Francis (Hope Drone – drums)

SPB: Was the mic’ing of your kit in the studio fairly straight forward, or were there some things you and the engineer did to find the right mics or experiment with sounds? 

Francis: Personally I wanted to go for a natural, organic Albini-esge drum sound. I put my faith in our engineer Christopher …

Sebastian (Noisem)

SPB: From when you were starting out to now, what parts of your setup have really helped voice your sound over the years?

Sebastian: I'd have to say the most important piece of gear to the Noisem sound has been my white Fender Stratocaster. In terms of playability and ease of use to me they're second …

Dick Lucas (Subhumans UK)

SPB: You’re at least somewhat active in three different bands. Do you make a point with Subhumans to differentiate your vocal sound or delivery from your other bands? How so?

Lucas: No. What sets the vocal sound for any song [is] whichever band is the music I'm singing to: so hard and fast leads …

Greg Antista (Greg Antista & the Lonely Streets)

SPB: You’ve seen a lot of changes (and cycles) in the music scene. What stands out to you as a constant both when you started and today? 

Antista: The common denominator in the music that has moved me over my lifetime is powerful songwriting with a hook you can’t get …

Jeff Moses (World Domination, Inc. / 월드 도미네이션 인코퍼레이트)

SPB: How do you find the international artists who are on the label? 

Moses: All of the bands on our label come from the personal connections we've built from being involved in the punk scene for over 20 years. With the bands from outside Korea, it's not different.

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Marissa (Screaming Females)

SPB: How does your choice of guitar define the Screaming Females sound?

Marissa: I never put much thought into what sort of guitar I wanted to play in Screaming Females, because I didn't have much of a choice. My G&L was a gift given to me when I first began playing, and it always seemed …

Alex (Debt Neglector)

SPB: Songs about girls: yay or nay? (Why? Any favorite examples?) 

Alex: Songs about girls are fine I guess if it’s done respectfully. Some of my favorite bands write songs about girls but there are times when it can get a little cringe inducing. Like I don’t want to hear a song about a “nice …

John (Disconnect Disconnect Records)

SPB: You've had a good run in 2019. What do we have to look forward to in 2020?

John: 2019 was great for Disconnect Disconnect, working with some great upcoming bands (Blowfuse, A Time To Stand, Drunktank, Stone Lions, Kill The Rooster), great new albums from some bands we’d worked with before (The Decline, …

Vytautas Leistrumas (Solo Ansamblis)

SPB: Walk us through your gear setup from your last tour. How do you implement the mix of live and electronic elements?

Leistrumas: Let's start with a very important, beloved and sometimes hated Elektron Octatrack MK2, which serves as a midi host, effects machine and also plays some backing tracks as well as gives …

Kitten Forever

SPB: You change instruments at points in your set. How do you make sure that you have the best setup for all 3 of you on a given instrument (and don’t require too much time re-tuning or adjusting when you move)?

Kitten Forever: Here is Laura, Corrie, and Liz answering the question via video:

Bruno Dorella (OvO - drums,)

SPB: Walk our readers through your self-described “minimal drum kit.” How did you arrive at your sizes of what to include (or not include)?

Dorella: There are different reasons why I choose to play without kick drum. First, when I started playing drums in a band I didn't really know how to play. …

Ian Cory (Lamniformes)

SPB: Lamniformes is a one-man project, of sorts. Have you played in groups where you weren’t the primary songwriter and, if so, what did you like or not like about that dynamic? 

Cory: I haven’t been the primary songwriter for any of the musical projects that I’ve worked on outside of Lamniformes. I am a …