Features / One Question Interviews

Espi Kvlt

SPB: What is your favorite Disney soundtrack? 

Espi Kvlt: My favorite Disney soundtrack is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The songs on it are all so beautiful with powerful orchestral backing and incredible vocal parts ranging from standard Disney narrative tracks to operatic, spiritual numbers. The cornerstone to every good Disney soundtrack is the villain …

Mario C. Vaises (Svdestada – vocals)

SPB: The artwork for Candela is a very striking photo. What is the story behind this picture?

Vaises: For our first album we commissioned some images based on ideas we had in mind. At that time, the photographer established some parameters (female model, emotional intensity, recognizable color range...) that we have followed …

Gentleman Speaker

SPB: What is your favorite “classic power pop” deep cut?

Gentleman Speaker: This is a tough one because there are so many, but I'm going to go with a vastly underrated song: "In a Cave" by Tokyo Police Club. The lyrics hit every time, it has pop sense, it's catchy, and sentimental, much like the rest …

Trent McIntyre (Yellfire) 

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

McIntyre: Almost every job I've had has been what most people would consider to be shitty. One of the rougher ones I had was around 2006 or 2007, when I was about a year or two out of high school, and had just moved to Seattle …

M Shannon Kerr (Eight.Fold.Path)

SPB: What is your favorite font?

Kerr: Ha, you thought you’d catch me out with a weird random question, but I love fonts! 

My favorite is Night Traveler, the one I use for my logo! It was made by Dan from Iconian Fonts. He makes all kinds of really cool and interesting fonts, …

Silvio Costa (Desert Lily – vocals/guitar)

SPB: July 2023 we saw the release of the Trapped In... EP. These five songs were later also featured on Trapped In My Thoughts. Why first release the EP?

Costa: We already had the plan to release two EPs before we went into the studio. It helped us to feed our …

Asvnder

SPB: Which records do you consider essential for the development of your music?

Asvnder: I started ASVNDER because I decided there weren't enough Sunn O))) records so I tried to make my own. So, their discography, except maybe Black One, which I'm not that fond of because I'm special and unique.

There's a lot of …

Ian (Lost Legion – vocals)

SPB: You changed direction a bit with the band for your latest LP, Behind the Concrete Veil, both in style and with more live shows. Was there a particular reason behind this shift?

Ian: We were a bedroom project that a couple close friends pushed us into trying out as a live band, …

Grotesque Misalignment

SPB: What stands out the most to you when you listen to your early/first recordings?

Grotesque Misalignment: I think an earnestness to do something different is probably what I hear. I think from the outset I've really just wanted to create something unique -- my first EP has some odd backwards talking, margarita glasses used to …

Reece (Goblin Soap)

SPB: What is a record you love that would surprise people? 

Reece: Will Smith - Big Willie Style

I have loved this album so intensely since I was a child to a point that I threw up an impressive amount across the dancefloor of my mother’s wedding because the DJ had nothing. Fair enough …

18 Slashes

SPB: Was there an album or song (or, more generally, a “sound”) that inspired you to begin 18 Slashes?

18 Slashes: That's a very good question. There is a raft of albums that inspire the sound but also there is generally a yearning for a specific sound I listened to in the ‘90s that sorta no …

R.E. Seraphin
 
SPB: Has performing on stage affected how you interact with people (has it made you more
or less social)?
 
R.E. Seraphin: Definitely! I suffer from the double whammy of introversion and performance anxiety, and have never fully gotten accustomed to large crowds. Weirdly, though, I rarely experience stage fright when performing to folks I don’t know …

Mike (Slumberland Records)

SPB: What is your favorite movie/tv soundtrack/score?

Mike: I thought about it a bit but nothing really jumped out to me other than a few obvious choices, like The Man With The Golden Arm and Anatomy of A Murder. Both great!

After a re-watch a few nights ago, though, I’ll say…

Invasion …

Jon Ehler (Bangladeafy)

SPB: As a duo, you tend to maximize your sound or highlight things a “more traditional” 3-5 member band would not. Who is a musician who inspired you to look at new ways to use their instrument?"

Ehler: In terms of a duo that specializes in some degree of musical acrobatics, I'd have to say …

Syrup Moose Records

Do you have a preferred color of vinyl pressing or, for that matter, cassettes?

We've only really done black vinyl so far, but I would love to do (and have some pre-orders up for) various colourful vinyl. I like to try and make everything we release as eye-catching as possible, while also remembering that I'm …

Rodrigo (.MAR – drums)

SPB: Have you played many international shows? What is something unique you’ve noticed about venues in Argentina as compared to other countries?

Rodrigo: Unfortunately, we haven't played any shows overseas yet. However, we've been involved in international shows, opening for Gojira, Trivium, and Alcest. What I can tell you about that is that most …

Matt Strickland (Sea Urchin – multi-instrumentalist)

SPB: Are you familiar with The Tick cartoon, because your cover art reminds me of Sewer Urchin? (Any related deeper thoughts…)

Oh, I am definitely familiar with The Tick, and I wholly believe that mid-‘90s children's programming molded the sense of humor which is present in a lot of Sea Urchin's …

Steve Brewer (Distants)

SPB: Did you choose your name before the band members were located in different cities?

Brweer: Yes. Everyone who was in the band when it started lived in Chicago. When I joined the band in 2019, Zach and I would carpool the distants from Michigan to Chicago for practice. I’m not really sure where the …

Mr P (DCxPC Live)

SPB: Was there a turning point where you knew you wanted to reshift your focus from livestreaming to becoming a label?

Mr P: DCxPC Live had started a year before the pandemic doing booking and promotion for shows in Orlando, FL. Mike Hellbound, my bass player in my band, Call in Dead, had …

Dan Hoffstrom (Murf)

SPB: Which musicians have the most inspiring stage presence?

Hoffstrom: THAT'S TOO HARD! WE DEMAND ANOTHER QUESTION! THIS IS RIGGED! YOU SET US UP!

Uhhh shit. Well OVERALL I mean it's like anyone who doesn't care -- and breaks barriers. People like Little Richard was a HUGE influence on me as a kid watching …