Features / One Question Interviews

Chris Brock (Early Graves)

SPB: What is the secret to a successful tour?

Brock: There is no secret to a successful tour. Defining what a successful tour is means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and you have to hope that you have surrounded yourself with a team of people that are on …

J Bennet (Ides of Gemini)

SPB: What is the fewest people you have ever played to? Have you returned to that city or venue?

Bennet: We played to about 10 people in Hannover, Germany, on my birthday last year. We have not been back.

Adam DeGross (photographer, Pay Attention)

SPB: What is the hardest part about taking photos in a rock club or basement?

DeGross: The hardest part about taking photos in a standard rock club depends. If it's a really big band, the hardest thing to do is to just get permission to do photos. For example, I did photos …

Bob (Mayfly Records)

SPB: What are your feelings about Spotify and the ongoing royalties debate?

Bob: For me, Spotify is a powerful tool. I have limited distribution and my promo is nowhere near as far reaching as I'd like (this of course is no knock on anybody, but it is reality). This is another place where people can …

Amy Oden (filmmaker, From the Back of the Room)

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

Oden: Rise Above (the Tribe 8 documentary) is probably my favorite music-related documentary, because it illustrates how the band's politics informed their performance.

Jordan Baker (pastepunk)

SPB: What has been the hardest transition as you’ve let Pastepunk go to rest?

Baker: The hardest thing by far has been when I hear new music for the first time and feel a sudden urge to write about it. My mind hasn't let go of the desire to share my thoughts and from that, …

Dave Drobach (Careeners fka Grabass Charlestons)

SPB: If you met your character Dale in real life, would you hang out with him/have a beer?

Drobach: Absolutely. Complex characters are always worth getting to know over a beer. Don't get to know Dale as a specimen in a cage. Let him in. He has great stories, will probably turn …

Rick (Heartless)

SPB: What are you expectations of how your final show(s) will go, from an emotional standpoint?

Rick: We are ending on good terms and at a time when we are still relevant, so I expect the shows to be both sad and exciting. We are looking forward to ending Heartless with the people who have supported …

Sutekh Hexen

SPB: What was your favorite band in high school? How do they influence your songwriting today?

Sutekh Hexen: One of my favorite bands in high school was Nirvana. The track "Negative Creep" off the Bleach album was so damn heavy AND fast, which at that time was unknown to me. A lot of parts still drift …

Greg (Among Giants)

SPB: How many vans have you had? (Any stories?)

Greg: We've been using my Mom's minivan to travel around for the past two tours, but we're finally getting our own minivan this summer so we can tour a bunch more. One time Zach ripped the door handle right off of the door of my Mom's …

Chris Ulsh (Mammoth Grinder)

SPB: What is the weirdest description you’ve heard of your music? Do you think it’s accurate in any way or can you see where it came from?

Ulsh: In the earliest years of our band we played a show in downtown Dallas. I don't remember who the show was with, most likely for the …

Jim (Liar in Wait)

SPB: What makes for a good host when you sleep on a stranger’s floor?

Jim: A good host gives you a floor to sleep on period. If you're lucky enough to have 4 walls for an evening, that's amazing. Anything is better than a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer, House of Low Culture)

SPB: Is there a record you love that would surprise people based on the music you create?

Coloccia: My answer would not necessarily be a record, but a series of found recordings and weather radios. Usually I find these at thrift stores, but sometimes they are inherited or found in abandoned …

Chris Colohan (Burning Love)

SPB: Basements or bars (or both)?

Colohan: Basements, no contest. Shit, house shows in general. Despite the downsides (blown fuses, angry neighbors, cops...), any unreasonably small space where the noise is overwhelming, people are crammed in an inch from each other's faces and the energy in the room has nowhere to go but through …

Bobby Hussy (The Hussy)

SPB: Would you ever crowdfund a record?

Hussy: I would never crowdfund a record. There are plenty of labels existing and getting music out to the people...and if they can't help you then do what Black Flag did and start a label yourself. Do you think Black Flag ever asked fans to fund their …

Eric Solomon (Tiny Empires, ex-O Pioneers!!!)

SPB: What is the worst you were ever screwed by a venue?

Solomon: The worst time we ever had at a venue was on the second to last O Pioneers!!! tour with Hostage Calm. We were in Muncie, Indiana and I believe Hostage Calm had set up the show with someone who …

Aidan Baker (Nadja)

SPB: Other than music, what other art forms interest you?

Baker: I would say all other art forms interest me, but I guess that's probably a vaguer answer than you would like...So I guess I'd say literature is my second passion after music, both reading and writing. I grew up in a family that played …

Jon Lewis (Dopamines)

SPB: Do you take any precautions to stay healthy while on the road?

Lewis: Typically I'll stock up on multi vitamins or those "EmergenC" powder packets. Jon W and Michael rely on a force field of porn and chicken wings to prevent illness. Mikey Erg wears a full body latex suit between shows to block …

Rob Huddleston (Ann Beretta, solo, Foundation)

SPB: Do you still get nervous before you play a show?

Huddleston: I do, depending on the show. I think I've surprised people in the past with this answer but when it comes to playing in front of large audiences I don't get nervous at all but, when it’s a small crowd, …

Steve Brodsky (Cave In)

SPB: Can you like a musician whose politics you disagree with?

Brodsky: Well, ZZ Top did play at George W. Bush's inaugural ceremony and it hasn't stopped me from listening to "Tejas" at least once a month.