Features / One Question Interviews

Brian Cullman

SPB: After working in film, journalism, and other aspects of the industry, what called you back to performing and recording original music?

Cullman: I love working in movies, but there’s a part of the process that is just soul-destroying. On most movies, even low budget ones, there’s so much money involved, and so many people who …

Black Black Black

SPB: How do you approach writing/recording a song with a guest vocalist, such as “Let’s Bloodlet” with Dave Curran? 

Jason Byers (vocals): Dave and I have been friends for over 20 years. We first met in Cleveland, Ohio at the legendary Speak in Tongues venue in 1995. Dave was on tour playing bass with Unsane. …

Brain Vacation

SPB: Ecstasy, meth, or ludes? 

BV: We don't do drugs all that often, but our singer has seen Phish play a few times so there's definitely something going on there. We never really expected to release that information into the world, but there it is. Please go do lots of meth and listen to our new …

Benjamin Finger

SPB: Do you have a somewhat clearcut idea of what you want to do when composing and/or producing your music, or are you more inclined to just "let things flow" and be more improvisational?

Finger: First of all, the answer is a multi-sided one. When it comes to composing and producing music (in my case) it …

Bruno Sanfilippo

SPB: Though things like bandcamp have made it easier for artists to release music, I can't help but think that there are many out there who, like the main character in the film Mr. Holland's Opus, tirelessly work on writing and composing yet have no clue how to go about releasing their work to the public.  

Kate Eldridge (Big Eyes)

What is the most annoying recurring thing you read about your band (whether accurate or not)?

I am really bothered by the term "female fronted." Being a "FEMALE" has nothing to do with the music I write and play. It also sounds so unnecessarily scientific. Nobody says "MALE FRONTED" or asks how it is …

Kris (Boilerman – bass)

SPB: What’s your favorite format of release (7”, LP, etc)?

Kris: I think the 7" is a great format, physically speaking. Its layout space is pretty easy to fill nicely, but storing 7-inches isn't as nice. They're so hard to rifle through and they get lost amongst each other easier -- smaller packages, no …

Nathan Gray (solo, Boysetsfire)

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

Gray: Can you? Yes. Should you? Well, that is up to the individual. There are many hymns that I rather enjoy, but do not agree at all with the content. I am also not a huge fan of limiting ones musical experience due …

Jim (Boilerman)

SPB: What’s with the numerical song titles on the EP? 

Jim: The deal with the numerical song titles for the 10" is two-fold. First, all the songs on the record deal with really similar subject matter -- they're all more or less about different facets of existential anxiety. I also feel like the songs flow together …

Brian Campeau

SPB: What is your favorite album cover of all time?

Campeau: I'm a big fan of a photo which tells a story, whether or not you understand that story. By this I mean a photo that keeps you looking at it and the more you look at it the more you discover. 

Hipgnosis (the guys …

Freeman (Benny the Jet Rodriguez - vocals/guitar)

SPB: Do you wear earplugs when you play? Why/why not?

Freeman: I do wear ear plugs. For a long time I used to wear construction headphones at practice and on stage. Once I saved up enough I bought custom noise canceling earplugs that helped level out noise for me. I've had …

Michal Palmer (Bilinda Butchers)

SPB: Was there a historical or real-life inspiration behind the concept for Heaven?

Palmer: Yes, both. The album's concept was inspired by various works of Lafcadio Hearn as well as some travel diaries written between the 15th and 20th Century in Japan, researched and written about by Donald Keene. I became very interested …

Botanist

SPB: In the recent years you have included musicians in order to perform live as Botanist. I wonder if that change has also affected your songwriting in any way? Do you compose now having a more clear idea that these songs will be played live?

Botanist: The backlog of material written and recorded as a 1-man outfit …

Ty Vaughn (Broadway Calls)

SPB: What band has the best logo of all time?

Vaughn: The Ramones. I'm biased for two reasons. 1) I love this band and always will. 2) I met and hung out with Arturo Vega for the summer of 2008 while we were on Warped Tour together. He was a fascinating guy with amazing …

Brickfight

SPB: How big is your record collection?

Brickfight: Short Answer: 732

Long Answer: In a Cold War-style escalation which stems primarily from a missing copy of I Farm's Sincerely, Robots lent to Jonathan by Nick well over four years ago, all record players have gone quiet in the Brickfight camp. While neither party will admit to …

Josh Zanger (Bloodshot Records)

SPB: The covers compilation for your 20th anniversary is rather extensive. When did you start work on gathering the cooperating artists?

Zanger: Everyone on staff made lists of acts that we’d love to hear cover Bloodshot artists - past and present - back in late 2013. Our collective list was pretty massive and had …

Mark (Brown Brogues)

SPB: Assuming that you're not playing a show, what is a typical Saturday night for Brown Brogues? What does it involve?

Mark: If we're flush with cash we would go out in Manchester and drink posh cocktails and prosecco. If not so flush we would drink cheap beers at each other houses then go to …

Krigeist (Barshasketh)

SPB: What are the origins for the name of the band? 

Krigeist: Barshasketh was something I read years ago in an occult text around the time I was composing the first demo. It refers to a subconscious pit of destruction relating to self-advancement.

Christian Määttä (Bombshell Rocks)

SPB: How has your local music scene changed since you were last active?

Määttä: Well, the majority of us live in other cities today so it's hard to keep up with the local scene in Västerås where we are from. But I know there is a new generation of kids struggling to make themselves …

Big Dick

SPB: What do your parents think of your band name?

Johnny: My parents believe I haven't left my basement since 1997. I really have them going.
Dave: I tell my parents the band is called Big Richard…they have a very uncertain and vague idea of my hobbies anyway.