Features / One Question Interviews

Laura (Fortitude Valley)

SPB: What do you remember, or alternately what stands out the most, about playing the first live show with Fortitude Valley?

Laura: It was January 2020, and I remember being very nervous about having to talk to the crowd and being the front person -- something that I still find nerve wracking! 

I wrote …

Cornelius (City Speak – bass / Keep it a Secret Records)

SPB What is the longest (in terms of time) tour that you have ever been on? Would you do it again?

Cornelius: We in City Speak don't do long tours -- work, pets, life, the usual. The longest we've been on tour was just 4 days. Lots …

Mike Hard (God Bullies)

SPB: Have you played any familiar locations that survived since your last tour and, if so, what struck you on revising them? If not, is there a city or highway that gave similar "flashbacks" or surprises?

Hard: The first city that comes to mind is Dubuque Iowa. Aaron Hefel has been booking shows for …

Cheap Fix

SPB: What’s the most MacGyver-esque workaround you’ve made to connect different bits of equipment?

Chad Nichols (guitar/vocals): You'd think with a name like Cheap Fix, we'd be all over this question. But I'm the least handy of the band members, so I've got next to nothing. All my tricks, for some reason, apply to guitar straps. …

Mike Huguenor

Tell us about the primary guitars you used making Surfing the Web with the Alien?

Mike Assatly (Unseemlier - guitar/vocals) 

SPB: Do you have a preferred model of van for touring?

Assatly: Chevy G-20 Gladiator! It was my first van, I got it from my uncle with 115,000 on it. He got rid of it for a new van because it was "old" and would start having problems. I drove it all across …

Dave Slaverave (Dollar Store - bass)

SPB: This band hits a lot of styles, all kind of overlapping at the same time. How hard was it to find “your sound” when bringing these influences together?

Slaverave: Not very hard at all actually. We're all old-ass adults who've soaked in a lot of influences at this point. It actually …

Matt (Golden Shitters)

How nervous were you the first time you played a show?

My first show was around 2002. I was 15 years old and it was a basement house party in my hometown of Welland, Ontario. I’d just proved myself to my high school buddies by singing The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” hiding under …

Jeremiah (Small Steps - guitar/vocals)

SPB: What song has the best use of whistling?

Jeremiah: I feel like the easy answer would be the Bobby McFerrin song "Don't Worry Be Happy". Which is catchy as all get out, but we prefer the road less traveled here in Small Steps. For fun, I'll go with a different pick. In …

Joliette

SPB: What foreign country has been the most fun to play?

Joliette: Our favorite country to play shows in has definitely got to be Switzerland. It’s such a beautiful and fascinating place. Despite its relatively small size, we’ve been lucky enough to play in several different regions -- including Davos, high up in the Alps. There’s this …

Morgan (Visual Learner – bass)

SPB: What was the first song you learned to play on your instrument?

Morgan: I think the first song I learned on bass was either “No” by Subhumans or “Boredom” by the Buzzcocks. I was maybe 16? and traded a blunt to my boyfriend for his P bass. He smoked the blunt with …

Andrew Burgess (Skyway)

SPB: What is your favorite protest song?

Burgess: My favorite protest song? That's a tough one. I think it's impossible to talk about protest songs without mentioning the all-time greats that have held up over the years. I'm talking about songs like "We Shall Overcome," "We Will Not Be Moved," and "A Change is Gonna …

Rob (ButcherBird – guitar)

SPB: How do you draw the line between taking influence vs. mimicking?

Rob: When it comes to human creativity, almost nothing is truly and completely new. There’s a song by Iron Monkey called “House Anxiety” which has an absolutely crushing riff in it -- and it’s essentially the same riff as “Son and Daughter” …

Petey J. Cool (Perfect Buzz)

SPB: What is the best TV theme song?

Petey J. Cool: I’ve still never seen an episode of Hawaii Five-O, but when I was a kid I’d get to catch the opening sequence just before I was marched off to bed. I was fascinated because it was off-limits and clearly for adults. …

Shane Embury (Napalm Death, solo)

What is it like playing a solo set as an opener for "the Napalm Death" crowd (as compared to a solo set with an unfamiliar audience)? 

Playing the Dark Sky Burial set, I feel at times is a daunting task but the reception so far has been encouraging! It’s a chance to take …

Andrew (Dave Eats Mud - drums)

SPB: What’s your favorite ‘90s deep cut in the 3 formats: punk, pop, TV series?

Andrew: So many good ‘90s punk deep cuts to choose from, but I'll go with 88 Fingers Louie's "Something I Don't Know" off their album Behind Bars.

‘90s pop deep cut? Fucking easy - Aïcha by …

Bree (Allegedly Records)

SPB:Do you accept demos? What is the most surprising demo you’ve received?

Bree: We do accept demos! Since Amy is on the west coast and I'm on the east coast, this is a great way for us to listen to bands in other areas of the country that we normally wouldn't get to hear. Having …

Kalle (Jumalvauhti – bass)

SPB: Who is your favorite band/artist from the 2000-2010 era?

Kalle: It's hard to say, but Destiny's Child definitely can't go wrong. 

Black Bickel (Bronson Arm)

SPB: What is your favorite stretch of highway to drive in the US?

Bickel: My favorite stretch of highway is that bit between Milwaukee and Minneapolis, two cities that Bronson Arm always have a great time playing. So if we are leaving Milwaukee, we are usually riding on a high from a great experience …

Kevin Hurley (Unstable Shapes – bass)

SPB: What is your favorite Fugazi record?

Hurley: While we can debate the best Fugazi record, a personal favorite of mine is The Argument. It was my entry point for the band. I was admittedly way late to the party on them and as a result never got to catch them …