Features / One Question Interviews

Abe Brennan (Dead Pioneers)

SPB: How many Nazi teeth do you think you could knock out in a single punch?

Brennan: Hi, Chuck, nice to hear from you, and thank you for the opportunity to discuss the dislodging of Nazi teeth. I appreciate it.

So knocking Nazi -- or any -- teeth out of someone’s head is, …

Rob David (Death Of Youth – vocals)

SPB: What is the weirdest description you’ve heard of your music and could you see where the commenter was coming from?

David: One outlet once described our single “Fix Your Heart or Die” as “An emotionally charged piece of heavy rock combining 80's New Wave Guitars, Metalcore emotional vocals and just …

Filippo (Shizune – bass)

SPB: Breviario d'oblio is something of a comeback after 8 years. What triggered this comeback?

Filippo: It was not meant as a comeback. We were almost ready to enter the studio in 2020, then Covid happened and we lost our practice room. It was hard to rehearse, but we never thought about splitting up. …

Seb Alvarez (Meth)

SPB: Is there a regional food you look forward to when you go on the road?

Alvarez: Gravy lunch

Heike (Remina)

SPB: In the artwork of the last two releases (the EP Erebus and the album The Silver Sea) the black and white art is highlighted with a red accent. 

It feels like it is part of a story, is this the case?

Heike: Throughout all the artworks, there is usually the inclusion of the …

Steven Douglas Jenkins (The Went Wrongs - vocals/guitar)

SPB: Who does the majority of the band’s driving (is there a reason or a story as to why)?

SDJ: When we play out of town, we usually split the driving, but if I had to choose who does it most, that would be me, since I’m the band dad. …

Courtney Ranshaw (Black Adidas)

SPB: Is there an instrument that's central to "the Black Adidas sound"?

Ranshaw: I’d like to showcase an instrument that’s central to one of the songs on the record and has made its way onto a few songs of ours over the years. This is our acoustic cover of Rocket From The Crypt's "Ditch …

Al (Dromedary Records)

SPB: What keeps you interested in running a record label as time passes and your own life changes? What keeps you motivated?

AL: I’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, and there have certainly been times where it slowed way down or I took breaks, because of personal trauma, or because it was …

Greg Norton (Ultrabomb)

SPB: Has the current political climate affected Ultrabomb and did it influence lyrical content?
 
Norton: Yes, absolutely. I’d say 80% of the lyrics for this album were written last summer as Trump was rolling out his gestapo squads, and the media’s lack of response to accurately reporting. 

Nic (Nonthewiser)

SPB: What were your biggest takeaways from recording your EP Injustice For All? What did you learn and what would that change the process next time around?

Nic: Recording Injustice For All taught us how important planning really is. Since we live in different cities, we record everything ourselves, which means a lot of structure …

Stanley Christiaensen (The Immortal Samsara Travelers – guitar/flute/vocals/sitar)

SPB: How do you typically begin the composition process for a song?

Christiaensen: The composition process always starts from either existential questions like the evolution of the human species or historical visions like the Hadean Eon, Egyptian mythology. An atmosphere will spark the willingness to pick up an instrument and …

On The Cinder

SPB: What is the smallest crowd you’ve played to? How did you approach the show?

Mike: I did a call with my guys last night and we compiled some of the more tragic memories of our time touring over the last 13 years as a band. A big crowd can forgive the more upsetting things …

Time Thieves

SPB: While you’ve all played in punk bands Time Thieves is in the power-pop realm. What is a personal favorite album you feel is overlooked in the genre?

Annie: Teenage Heartbreak (1980) by Sorrows. Heard it with a friend for the first time just a few months ago and I haven't stopped listening to it since.

Mike (Dauber)

SPB: What was the first album you ever bought?

Mike: I'm not quite certain what the first album I ever bought was, probably Dookie or Smash. What I can remember is the first time I ever went to the legendary Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ (RIP). I had my dad drive me there specifically so …

Ian Glasper (A Country Fit For Heroes : DIY Punk in Eighties Britain)
 
SPB: What was the first punk show you saw and do you remember how it inspired you at the time?
 
Glasper: I'm not sure which was the very, very first punk gig I went to, because it's all got a bit blurry over …

Greg Soden (Unscripted Moments: Conversations with Propagandhi)

SPB: You’ve obviously followed Propagandhi for many years – what was the biggest surprise or revelation to you about the band as pieced the book together?
 
Soden: To me, the greatest joy in interviewing members of Propagandhi for five years was the mutual respect that we built between the …

Scott O’Brien (Hooch, Smut Peddlers)

SPB: How is the approach to your solo work different than with Smut Peddlers?

O'Brien: My solo work, which has actually turned into a new collaborative band called Hooch, was a way to work on music I wrote that was somewhat stylistically different from Smut Peddlers. I’ve pretty consistently written music since …

Storm Boy

What is your favorite 1990s artist?

God there’s so much to draw from in so many different scene: much of which we consciously incorporate into our creative process -- like Fugazi, Jesus Lizard, the Cure, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, but also bands that influenced us simply by proximity like Green Day, Rancid, Avail, or even …

Cesar Ruiz (The Seize - vocals)

SPB: How do you typically choose your album art?

Ruiz: Album art has started with lyrics. When I’m writing, I’ll have these images in mind that represent the feelings or themes within the songs. Those ideas usually become the starting point for the cover. I’ve worked with Ian Church on all of …

Neil Erskine (Chairmaker)

SPB: If Chairmaker had a physical form like a place, a thing, or a smell, what would it be?

Erskine: There is a very specific chair - but you've got to read Banks' Use of Weapons. No spoilers.