Features / One Question Interviews

Eric Angelo Bessel (Lore City, solo artist)

SPB: Where do you get your inspiration from?

Bessel: When beginning a new song, my go-to foundational drone is the Mellotron’s cello. There’s something about this 60-70 year old recorded cello that sets me into motion. I work my way through a new song by intuitively responding to the culmination of sounds, and …

Elle Reynolds (Endless, Nameless)

SPB: You’re named after a hidden Nirvana track. What other record “gimmicks” like bonus tracks are you a fan of?

Reynolds: There are a lot I’m a big fan of, honestly! My absolute favorites are little handwritten notes/drawings and things like that, the really special one of a kind stuff that you typically only find with …

Ian (Easy Beach)

SPB: You stated that you want the new record to sound live. What, ultimately, was the trick to capturing that vibe?

Ian: Recording as much as we could ourselves, and being accepting of the blemishes. I think anyone who puts out a record will listen and have a lot of things they would change, or hear things that …

Eisenwald Records

SPB: What was the first concert you attended after COVID lockdowns?

Eisenwald: The first gig after covid was Panzerfaust and Velnias on one of their tourdates in Germany, which was a good one. And the second actually was the same tour... stopping at the esteemed Dark Easter Metal Meeting in Munich, Germany. Another short but fun night for …

Lord Tenebris (Ecryptus – bass)

SPB: What type of bass do you play with Ecryptus and why did you choose that for the theme of this band?

Lord Tenebris: I use a G&L L-2000 run through an abominable electronics Hail Satan Deluxe, a Boss EQ, a compressor and wah when needed. When I got to where I felt comfortable with …

Earthset

SPB: You released a live soundtrack to L’Uomo Meccanico at the start of the year. As a project so focused on live performance, how have this year’s COVID-19 restrictions impacted your creative process?

Earthset: The Covid-19 crisis had a huge impact on our project. Here in Italy things were really bad at the beginning, so places such as cinemas, …

Rick Jimenez (Extinction A.D. – guitar/vocals)

SPB: Did you experiment much with different equipment, setups, mics or equipment when recording Decimation Treaty? Did any particular item stand out?

Jimenez: While we recording Decimation Treaty we actually experimented quite a bit with different amplifier and cabinet combinations. We quad-tracked the rhythm guitars like we tend to do and, as opposed …

Patrick (Eye Flys-drums)

SPB: Who is the first musician whose technique or technicality really stood out to you?  

Patrick: Easily, Dave Grohl. When I was 10 or 11 I was into Metallica and Guns N’ Roses and things like that. I was right in the pocket for "Grunge," so when I saw Nirvana on TV as a kid and him …

Jamie Stillman (EarthQuaker Devices - President/Product Designer)

SPB: EarthQuaker has a reputation for high quality, versatile builds that artists can use in the studio, live, and in experimental environments, ie writing. What did the collaboration with Sunn O))) mean to Earthquaker on a personal level, and did you approach this project with goals related to a specific aspect of the …

Kevin (Edgewise – drums)

SPB: How old were you when you first learned a music instrument?

Kevin: I was eleven when I officially started playing drums. In my mind, I had started years earlier. My oldest brother had a drumkit that he refused to let me play. I snuck a few hits in when I could, but it wasn't enough to …

Tom (EORÐESLAJYR)

SPB: What is the most thankless job in the music industry?

Tom: We think one of the most thankless jobs in the industry is putting on DIY gigs and organizing DIY venues. Having a vibrant, encouraging DIY venue in your hometown is such a great asset for young bands. In Ireland there's such a strong drinking culture that unless …

Rick Jimenez (Extinction A.D./This Is Hell – guitar/vocals)

SPB: After music, what other arts interest you?

Jimenez: Although music has been the focus of my life for as long as I can remember, it hasn't been the only "art" I've been interested and even consumed by. Art is such a fluid term, but to me, the only thing that I've ever …

Brian (Entropy)

SPB: What do you think the internet has done for the word of mouth punk scene? 

Brian: As far as how it effects underground punk rock, the internet is both a blessing and a curse.

It's obviously made it way easier to spread news, learn about shows and, most importantly, discover new music. But it's that easy for …

Fluffy (Ejector Seats-bass/vocals)

SPB: What was your first tape/record/or cd that you ever bought?

Fluffy: That's actually a really tough question...I grew up with an older sister, so I was subjected to her & her pot smoking hippie friends playing a shitload of classic rock: Bad Company, Queen, Deep Purple etc, etc...it was cool...

I liked everything, I slept with a transistor …

Jamie van Dyck (Earthside – guitar, composer)

SPB: What is your favorite book about music?"

Dyck: My favorite book about music that I've read is The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross. I actually read this for a university music history class on western "Art" music in the 19th and 20th centuries (basically Beethoven until …

Jack Vermillion (Ex-Breathers)

SPB: Would you ever crowdfund a record?

Vermillion: I don't think we'll ever find ourselves in a position where this is the best option for us. We're the kind of band that would rather just make a record for cheap by ourselves or with a friend before crowdfunding. However, people really love to demonize bands that use …

Rebecca Foon (Esmerine)

SPB: What is your favorite 1960s artist?

Foon: Jimi Hendrix.

He probably fits under the category of people I would want to meet most as well. I have been inspired by him for as long as I can remember.

Rick Jimenez (Extinction A.D.)

SPB: Is there any specific restaurant you make a point to hit when you go on tour?

Jimenez: Kuma's Corner in Chicago. Metal themed burger bar with the occasional wrestling mural...Can't go wrong. My only gripe is that the Metallica burger isn't my favorite. Hopefully in time they'll be an Extinction A.D. burger which would be …

En Esch

SPB: How has technology changed the recording process for you between your first professional-level recordings and today?

En Esch: When I started out we worked with an Emax SE Sampler with 512k memory space saved onto a floppy disk. For each song we had very minimal and especially short samples to pick from. Now I could spend the …

Niklas (Ef)

SPB: If you had your choice, which guest musician would you want to feature on an album?

EF: Have always put a lot of interest in arranging strings and horns in order to create a beautiful and bombastic touch to the normal guitar based post rock setting. Until now we (or our member Daniel) have been writing these …