Features / One Question Interviews

Willy (The Wesleys)

SPB: What is the best show you’ve seen so far this year?: 

Willy: Got to see a lot of cool shows this year so far, but I think my favorite one was seeing Shadow Show from Detroit playing with Tilden at NYC TVEYES.

It was such a rad show: those bands are in total control of what …

Ikka (Hook)

SPB: What are your favorite venues to play in Finland right now?

Ikka: I like Lepakkomies in Helsinki. That´s a cool little place with very nice atmosphere.

Gwendolyn Giles (Vocals/Guitar - Dog Party), Lucy Giles (Vocals, Drums - Dog Party)

SPB: What inspired you to start a new record label in 2024?

Sneak Dog: When Dog Party finished recording our seventh record, we sat and really thought about different ways we could release it. We were leaning towards releasing it ourselves. We knew that our friend Lizzie …

The Anti-Queens

SPB: What song would you like played at your funeral? 

Valerie Knox: “Evil Side” by The Dirty Nil is deeply meaningful to me, marking a pivotal time of change in my life, and a connection with someone who has become very important to me. Its unconventional beauty resonates with my own experiences, making it a perfect choice for …

Nick Kizirnis

SPB: What is your method to collaborative songwriting or recording (aka how do you approach working with other creatives as compared to writing solo – is it different)?"

Kizirnis: I've taken different approaches but over the past few years I've collaborated with friends and fellow musicians by sharing songs or song ideas that leave a lot of room for …

Chris Mason (Faulty Cognitions)

SPB: Was the mic’ing of your kit for the recording of Somehow, Here We Are fairly straight forward, or were there some techniques or experiments used to capture the sound? 

Mason: We didn't do anything too fancy. I do remember that we didn't mic the toms though -- we just captured them via the overheads after a …

Fog Lamp

SPB: What is your favorite stretch of highway to drive while on tour?

Fog Lamp: While it's not the most scenic, the I-5 is the best way to get up to the Bay Area from Los Angeles. The whole stretch is called the grapevine because it runs through farmlands and vineyards. You can really zip down it. If …

Jessica Amelia (The Obvious Tells)

SPB: What song has been the hardest to work into your live set list?

Jessica: In any project I play in, there’s always one song written in a stupid tuning that turns into an annoyance to play live. With The Obvious Tells, it’s the B standard “Gaslight Me.”  

Yole (Faulty Cognitions)

SPB: Who came up with the band name (and if it wasn’t you, what was your first impression)?

Yole: When Chris and I were scrimmaging for names for the band, he mentioned Faulty Cognitions. My first thought was that it could be a tongue twister and or that people wouldn’t get it, we stuck to our guns …

Stephen Hamm Theremin Man shows off his theremin magic.

Ardent Nova

SPB: You changed the name from Pagan Thunder to Ardent Nova after a dream so, what exactly happened in this dream you had that made you change the band’s name?

Ardent Nova: It really wasn't all that eventful, was just playing a show and the banner behind the kit said "Ardent Nova" and when my alarm went off, …

Lizzie Killian (Teens in Trouble - vocals/guitar/songwriter)

SPB: You’re in North Carolina, but work closely with Asian Man Records in the CA Bay Area, right? How did you get so involved with the label, given the distance between you?

Killian: I'm actually from San Francisco and lived in California most of my life until I moved to Raleigh in 2019. …

Rocco (Bankrupt – vocals/bass/lyrics)

SPB: You release albums both in your mother tongue and in English. Which do you prefer and why? 

Rocco: The original concept when we started the band was singing only in English, as most of our influences were British and American punk rock bands.

But while this made it easier to play abroad, it was a huge …

Dez Dare

SPB: You’ve been very prolific in releasing records of late. How do you keep yourself motivated?

Dez Dare: I have always been fluid and flowing in ideas, whether people want to hear them or not. When I was younger I had trouble culling which ideas were better than others, a hot mess of concepts, styles, and plans. I …

Nick Bitikofer (Heavy Weather)

SPB: How much space in your home is dedicated to music storage (either media or instruments)?

Bitikofer: I'm fortunate enough to have a pretty good sized basement, which acts as a music room and hang out space. I'd say about half of the space is set up for band rehearsal with drums, amps, guitars, and PA …

Terry (Dot Dash)

SBP: Your new album title is a nod to the Buzzcocks. What’s your favorite deep cut from the band?

Terry: My favorite Buzzcocks song is/was/always will be “Love You More'” -- there are tons of great ones by them, but that's my fave.  

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Dot Dash on bandcamp.

Jim Fitzpatrick (ZEPHR)

SPB: What was the first band you were ever in? What style of music did you (try to) play? 

Fitzpatrick: My first ever band was called The Stone Giants. I was in 8th grade, and I started the band with my neighbors who lived a couple doors down. Our drummer was eight years old, and he was …

Won’t Stay Dead

SPB: As your recent releases have been called Purgatory and 3 Hits from Purgatory is there going to be a similar theme to your next release and what can we expect?

Won't Stay Dead: You can expect something a little different for the next album. We have finally made it out of purgatory. We can’t say much about …

Josh Levine (Middle-Aged Queers)

SPB: Tell us about the day you bought your current (primary) bass and why you chose it.

Levine: I bought my current primary bass in the ‘90s at Univibe Music (RIP) in Oakland. It’s a DanElectro Longhorn, ‘90s reissue. I thought it was black. I played it and really liked the feel of it, the lightness …

The Abruptors

SPB: Who is your favorite band/artist you discovered on your last tour?

Mike & Toni: I think we're going with The Filthy Radicals: high-energy ska punk. A real treat to watch and hang out with!