Features / One Question Interviews

Nick Kizirnis

SPB: What is your method to collaborative songwriting or recording (aka how do you approach working with other creatives as compared to writing solo – is it different)?"

Kizirnis: I've taken different approaches but over the past few years I've collaborated with friends and fellow musicians by sharing songs or song ideas that leave a lot of room for …

Jeff Byers (Northeast Regional)

SPB: What is your favorite workplace-set TV show?

Byers: While not set in the workplace, I've mostly been watching Survivor of late, which inspired the lyrics to the hit Northeast Regional single "The Archivists." But my wife and I have also been slowly rewatching Mad Men, which is firmly set in the workplace. I've been …

Justin Baker (Neckscars – guitar)

SPB: What is your favorite protest song?

Baker: While growing up listening to punk rock, I was introduced to many perspectives that were foreign at the time. Propagandhi said "Fuck the Border" and the flag, Bad Religion challenged traditional spiritually and the Dead Kennedys spoke against corruption and war. Among the countless protest songs I've …

Jiffy (Night Court)

SPB: What was the first show you saw after lockdowns (any emotional takeaways)?

Jiffy: I’m actually pretty sure the first show I went to after the lockdowns was our first show so I’m gonna go all oral history here as it was definitely a memorable one for other reasons as well. 

First, I have to hand it …

Ashton Prescott (Naturalist)

SPB: Pretending we don’t have pandemic issues: basements, bars, or both?

Prescott: Regardless of the venue we are playing, the energy and atmosphere is most important to us. I think I speak for the rest of the band when I say that we just love playing shows. Whether it's a bar, basement or festival as long as …

Shaf (Naedr)

SPB: Exploring a new (to me) scene is always interesting and the Singapore scene is largely unknown to me. Please be our guide and show us a couple of highlights of the scene, where should we start exploring in your opinion? 

Shaf: To be honest we have no idea where to even begin, haha. But in any case …

John Hastie (Nonagon)

SPB: What stands out to you the most, today, when you listen to (or think back on) your first record?

Hastie: Honestly, when I listen to No Sun, all I want to do is scream at us to calm the heck down. Those songs are somewhat complicated (at least for us) and were significantly slower when we …

Ian MacDougall (Nice Surprise – guitar/vocals/bass)

SPB: Is Nice Surprise primarily a two-person project? What is the origin story?

MacDougall: Nice Surprise is myself, Ian MacDougall on Vocals/Guitar/Bass and Stuart Sikes doing the recording and drums. It was pretty much born out of quarantine boredom and our love of fuzzed out punk/garage music. I’ve recorded and interned in the studio with …

Jeff Claxton (New Junk City – drums)

SPB: Walk us through your drum kit, if you don’t mind, explaining how you made the decisions about some of your heads or sizes. 

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 to none. …

Roddy Bottum (Nastie Band - keyboards)

SPB: With Nastie Band, what keyboard do you play and how did you make this choice?

Bottum: I play an Oberheim reissue by Dave Smith. It's called an OB-6. I play it cause it's a reissue of the first keyboard I owned. like to keep things close to my history.

Patrick Delaney (Nastie Band)

SPB: The name Nastie Band kind of speaks for itself. Where there any runner-up names?

Delaney: Nastie Band was, iz, and will be the only name. We all surrendered to it joining the band as the name preceded us. NASTIE is the iron rod that rules us.

David (Nueva Fuerza)

SPB: What is your favorite cover to play? Why? 

David: Our favourite cover to play is DYS - “Open Up.” We haven't played it in a long time now but it used to be in every set. That intro with the bass is amazing, and the Boston-style riffs... Who doesn't like that? I think we wanted to …

Ivo (NIET – vocals/guitar)

SPB: How do you choose your album art?   

Ivo: Well, we didn't choose the artwork but we have choosen the artist. We really like to promote other artist in our hometown and so we asked to Ludovica if she wanted to think about the entire artwork of the EP.

We really like her style, mix of …

Erik (Northless)

SPB: How did you first get involved with (or meet) Halo of Flies? 

Erik: I first met Cory from Halo Of Flies Records in about the year 2000. At the time, he was playing guitar in a local deathgrind band called Leval Blessing. I was a huge fan, and went to a lot of their shows. Eventually, Leval …

Jason Burton (Not A Part Of It)

SPB: What’s the most tiresome stereotype about punk rock?

Jason: Nothing gets tiresome with Punk Rock. Even the tiresome stereotype that if you are a Punk Rock band you are not going to play challenging music. Oh! And one question interviews that have to do with any genre are tiresome. Yaaaawwwwn. Goodnight.

Justin Bernard Williams (Neosho)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1960s artist?

Justin: Wayne Shorter... and not because of the saxophone. Ask me about jazz, and I'm more of an admirer than a "jazz player." Shorter's importance is rooted in how he had the power to influence Miles Davis (arguably, THE musical mind of the 20th century). As part of Mile's Second Great Quintet, …

Timo Ellis of Netherlands

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

Timo: “You’re like the Sybil of music, with some sort of dissociative identity... I feel like you’re dancing on some sort of “post-sensibility” ledge. Often with regard to visual …

Jef Wright (Nonpareil)

SPB: What venue is your favorite to play (and why)?

Wright: Currently, I'd say that Valley Bar is my favorite venue to play in Phoenix. It could be because I have played so many venues here over the years and Valley Bar has only been open for about a year, but it also is a unique spot …

Mocaine (Nomads)

SPB: What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

Mocaine: When I was 19 years old I got laid off from my record store job and had to scramble to find work. I got a job at a sex shop attached to a strip club in downtown Seattle. Thought I was gonna be doing retail. Ends up I was hired …