Features / One Question Interviews

Ben (Nai Harvest)

SPB: Who is the loudest band you’ve seen live?

Ben: It’s a pretty relative to venue size question but probably FUZZ. We played with them at Gorilla in Manchester and my ears were buzzing for days after

Matt Scifres (Not Half Bad)

SPB: What do you think of cassettes?

Scifres: Cassettes (often called “tapes” by young people, these days) are really cool because they’re kind of eternally rooted in DIY. Pressing records makes exactly zero sense for smaller bands. Yeah, they’re cool, but they’re ridiculously expensive, take forever to press and are a general pain in the …

Neon Shudder

SPB: It seems like there would be a temptation when working within the world of cyberpunk to make soundtracks to situations presented in pre-existing games, books, or movies.  Do you find yourself doing that, or do you try to represent your own imaginary worlds and situations with your music?  

Neon Shudder: The name "neon shudder" was actually taken …

Matthi (Nasty-vocals)

SPB: What was the best show you’ve seen in the past year? 

Matthi: Sand at PDF Summer Bash in Osaka. Sand killed it as usual and people got crazy as fuck. Nobody cared about anything anymore. Just pure chaos.

No Hands

SPB: Who is the most underrated Canadian band? 

No Hands: Our consensus on the most underrated Canadian bands is:

Current: What Seas, What Shores https://whatseaswhatshores.bandcamp.com/

They do what they do better than any band that I can think of, but continue to fly under the radar.

Out of Commission: Barrier http://barrier.likeweeds.org/trailbreaker/

Great band full of excellent musicians. They …

Dorian Williamson (Northumbria)

SPB: You recorded your first album in a church - what was it about the space that appealed to you and what kind of spaces would you like to utilise in the future? 

Williamson: The main reason we chose to record in a church was because we wanted to track at a very high volume level, beyond …

Noisem

SPB: Who is your favorite band to see live?

Harley Phillips: Ilsa never fails to impress me, They're of those bands that, if I could, I would go to every one of their shows--which isn't that farfetched of an idea. Also, Repulsion: one of my favorite bands on record and live.

Sebastian Phillips: Carcass killed it night after night, …

Var (No Idea Records)

SPB: As No Idea has become an established DIY label, what is the more tiresome stereotype you’ve encountered as a result of that success?

Var: The short answer would be that "all the bands sound like Hot Water Music." *

The long answer is that "success" is a tricky word. Our daily lives and work on …

Neurosis

SPB: Personally speaking, what is the least favorite record you’ve released (of your own records, that is)? Why?

Neurosis: No regrets. Everything we have ever done and been a part of has made us who we are today. Each is crucial to our evolution as a band and human beings.

Nato Coles (Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band)

SPB: What are your expectations for the Replacements reunion?

Coles: The Replacements were one of the greatest rock'n'roll bands of all-time, no exaggeration, so I'm sure they'll sound good playing those songs, and I hope Slim's doing better. I suppose anything Paul and Tommy decide is "The Replacements" is The Replacements, …

Brian Gorsegner (Night Birds)

SPB: Would you license your music for film, sports, or ads if given the opportunity? Are there exceptions to the rule?

Gorsegner: I would, and we have. Of course there are many exceptions. MTV used our song "Prognosis: Negative" for the intro credits to a new show they were doing with Will Ferrell as a surfing …

Erik Stenglein (Northless)
SPB: What part of your live show is the hardest on sound engineers?

Stenglein: I would say the hardest aspect of our live sound would be the mix between our instruments and the vocals. We play loud with a lot of bass, and depending on how bright the room sounds, sometimes getting the vocals to cut through …

Chris (Nothington)
SPB: How many vans have you had?

Chris: We have owned 4 vans. They usually die after about 2 US tours, and oddly enough they always seem to bite the dust in the last couple of days of tour. I guess that makes us lucky, because we've never been stranded 2,000 miles from home with a busted van.