Features / One Question Interviews

Chris Mason (Faulty Cognitions)

SPB: Was the mic’ing of your kit for the recording of Somehow, Here We Are fairly straight forward, or were there some techniques or experiments used to capture the sound? 

Mason: We didn't do anything too fancy. I do remember that we didn't mic the toms though -- we just captured them via the …

Fog Lamp

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

Fog Lamp: While it's not the most scenic, the I-5 is the best way to get up to the Bay Area from Los Angeles. The whole stretch is called the grapevine because it runs through farmlands and vineyards. You can really zip down …

Jessica Amelia (The Obvious Tells)

SPB: What song has been the hardest to work into your live set list?

Jessica: In any project I play in, there’s always one song written in a stupid tuning that turns into an annoyance to play live. With The Obvious Tells, it’s the B standard “Gaslight Me.”  

Yole (Faulty Cognitions)

SPB: Who came up with the band name (and if it wasn’t you, what was your first impression)?

Yole: When Chris and I were scrimmaging for names for the band, he mentioned Faulty Cognitions. My first thought was that it could be a tongue twister and or that people wouldn’t get it, we stuck to …

Stephen Hamm Theremin Man shows off his theremin magic.

Ardent Nova

SPB: You changed the name from Pagan Thunder to Ardent Nova after a dream so, what exactly happened in this dream you had that made you change the band’s name?

Ardent Nova: It really wasn't all that eventful, was just playing a show and the banner behind the kit said "Ardent Nova" and when my alarm …

Lizzie Killian (Teens in Trouble - vocals/guitar/songwriter)

SPB: You’re in North Carolina, but work closely with Asian Man Records in the CA Bay Area, right? How did you get so involved with the label, given the distance between you?

Killian: I'm actually from San Francisco and lived in California most of my life until I moved to Raleigh …

Rocco (Bankrupt – vocals/bass/lyrics)

SPB: You release albums both in your mother tongue and in English. Which do you prefer and why? 

Rocco: The original concept when we started the band was singing only in English, as most of our influences were British and American punk rock bands.

But while this made it easier to play abroad, …

Dez Dare

SPB: You’ve been very prolific in releasing records of late. How do you keep yourself motivated?

Dez Dare: I have always been fluid and flowing in ideas, whether people want to hear them or not. When I was younger I had trouble culling which ideas were better than others, a hot mess of concepts, styles, and …

Nick Bitikofer (Heavy Weather)

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

Bitikofer: I'm fortunate enough to have a pretty good sized basement, which acts as a music room and hang out space. I'd say about half of the space is set up for band rehearsal with drums, amps, guitars, …

Terry (Dot Dash)

SBP: Your new album title is a nod to the Buzzcocks. What’s your favorite deep cut from the band?

Terry: My favorite Buzzcocks song is/was/always will be “Love You More'” -- there are tons of great ones by them, but that's my fave.  

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Dot Dash on bandcamp.

Jim Fitzpatrick (ZEPHR)

SPB: What was the first band you were ever in? What style of music did you (try to) play? 

Fitzpatrick: My first ever band was called The Stone Giants. I was in 8th grade, and I started the band with my neighbors who lived a couple doors down. Our drummer was eight years old, and …

Won’t Stay Dead

SPB: As your recent releases have been called Purgatory and 3 Hits from Purgatory is there going to be a similar theme to your next release and what can we expect?

Won't Stay Dead: You can expect something a little different for the next album. We have finally made it out of purgatory. We can’t …

Josh Levine (Middle-Aged Queers)

SPB: Tell us about the day you bought your current (primary) bass and why you chose it.

Levine: I bought my current primary bass in the ‘90s at Univibe Music (RIP) in Oakland. It’s a DanElectro Longhorn, ‘90s reissue. I thought it was black. I played it and really liked the feel of it, …

The Abruptors

SPB: Who is your favorite band/artist you discovered on your last tour?

Mike & Toni: I think we're going with The Filthy Radicals: high-energy ska punk. A real treat to watch and hang out with!

Caitlin Edwards (Bumsy and the Moochers )

SPB: What was the first song you learned to play on your current instrument? 

Edwards: "Basket Case" (Green Day)

Arik Victor (Goddamnit)

SPB: Who is your favorite Philadelphia band of all time? 

Victor: Kid dynamite.

Tristan Welch (Requiem/Sutras)

SPB: You often primarily play a very ambient style – How do you typically begin the songwriting process for a composition?

Welch: What's funny with me is that my ambient style is really just a punk or hardcore song. It's just over the years of not having full bands available or people who like the …

Battery Licker

SPB: As a synthy band, I’ll assume you keep up with tech changes. How has the increasingly digitalization of the music industry changed how you consume or listen to music?

Battery Licker: The increased digitization of the music industry has translated to us listening to a lot of artists through streaming services when we’re on the …

Trevor (Hopper – guitar/vocals)

SPB: What is the best (or worst) reunion show you’ve seen?

Trevor: By far, the best reunion show I've seen was Jawbox. They did not fuck around with their musical legacy. They clearly put the work into living inside their material after years away and it enabled them to perform those intricate songs masterfully. …