Features / One Question Interviews

Up For Nothing

What is your favorite stretch of highway to drive (on tour)?

Favorite stretch of highway for us would be the legendary I-95, which travels all the way across the east coast of the US. So many of our best memories as a band have come through driving up and down that highway. It’s a really special stretch …

Tim Fennelly (Urethane)

SPB: The band was formed during the pandemic but you now have a few live dates scheduled as things open back up. Was Urethane formed as a “bedroom project” or was live performance something you always had in mind?

Fennelly: During the beginning of the pandemic, when I realized that shows, and pretty much life in general was …

United Ghosts

SPB: What was your first tape, record, or CD (as applicable)?   

Axel: Best of The Beatles 67-70 (the blue double album) I was about 9 and growing up in a tiny town in Germany where there wasn't a record shop, but the appliance store had a shelf with about 20 albums and that was one of them. …

Micah Winship (Unwelcome Guests)

SPB: Dumpster diving: yes or no? Got any stories? 

Micah: Dumpster diving? - yes. Though it's been a while for me, I used to live next to a very convenient dumpster where it was almost easier to pick up stuff from the dumpster window than entering the store.  Highlight was the, "October Storm," of 2006 in …

Rob Moran (Unbroken)

SPB: Have you ever heard your band covered by somebody else? What did you think?

Moran: I've heard a few covers over the years, some live and some recorded and it is always humbling. Of all the ones I've heard, Planes Mistaken For Stars was one that really nailed it. I could feel the angst and energy …

Jon Lebiecki (Undesirable People)

SPB: Winter touring: yes or now (and why/got any stories)?

Lebiecki: Yes, absolutely. Simply because we’ve got a sick record coming out on 12” that we need entire world to hear. I’m not quite sure where we are headed yet because we don’t have a booking agent. I think the plan is to head down south. The …

Paul Lai (Upsilon Acrux)

SPB: What is your favorite venue to play?

Lai: Without a doubt it's our home away from home, Los Angeles' infamous DIY venue The Smell. It's run by Jim Smith and some volunteers.

We have a long history with Jim and The Smell. It was our first LA show back in the late ‘90s at its …

Stephen (Urban Scandal Records)

SPB: How do you typically find the bands you sign to the label?

Stephen: I would say I generally find bands that I want to work with through word of mouth. Friends of friends of friends sort of situations. Not all releases have come about that way, but I've found that a business partnership runs much …

Universe217

SPB: As far as I know you record your music at your own studio. Do you think that that allows you to be more creative? Having more time to try out different things?

Universe217: We have our own studio, yes. We actually never produced a record other way, so I can’t really compare it with not doing it by …

Nate Pischke (United Teachers of Music)

SPB: What role does humor play in songwriting?

Pischke: Humor doesn’t play a role in our music.  We’re serious as fuck and I’m pretty upset that you’d even ask that.

Micah (Unwelcome Guests)

SPB: If you could hear any band cover one of your songs, which song would it be, and who would play it?

Micah: Hearing Deerhoof cover “Warm Soon” would be pretty wild.

Urlo (Ufomammut)

SPB: Who is the most overrated band or musician of all time?

Urlo: Surely, the most overrated band of all time is an Italian trio called Ufomammut.