Features / One Question Interviews

Vile Creature

SPB: What is your favorite (non Vile Creature) release on Halo of Flies?

Vile Creature: Both of us find it hard to pick just one. Cory & Halo of Flies have done such an amazing job of curating an epic list of underground, thoughtful metal over the last bunch of years. Here’s a few of our …

Daniele (Priests – drums)

SPB: Which of your songs is the hardest to master in a live setting? 

Daniele: I would say for me “Suck” was. I have always loved disco drums and disco music in general. I always dreamed of making dance music, but it always seems out of my grasp. I never felt like I had …

Jason Corbett (Actors)

SPB: Between music journalism and genre-tagging, musical descriptions often get pretty out there. What is the most ridiculous genre name or description you've heard of your own music?

Jason: I love when articles and reviews come from other countries and the translation is off! "Very much dark is the case of romantics nighttime song inevitably..." …

Jason Burton (Not A Part Of It)

SPB: What’s the most tiresome stereotype about punk rock?

Jason: Nothing gets tiresome with Punk Rock. Even the tiresome stereotype that if you are a Punk Rock band you are not going to play challenging music. Oh! And one question interviews that have to do with any genre are tiresome. Yaaaawwwwn. …

Paddy Hanna

SPB: What’s the best pop song of the last 10 years?

Paddy: Get Lucky, Daft Punk

Pop music suffers from three significant issues: overproduction, disposable talent and relying too much on current trends. “Get Lucky” managed to defy all three of these issues by being beautifully produced, wonderfully accompanied by Nile Rogers and never straying …

Till Lemoine (Guerilla Poubelle-vocals/guitar)

SPB: What is the furthest you’ve ever traveled to see a show (and who/where was it)?

Till: I guess the furthest I traveled for a show was going to Fest 9 in Florida in 2010. It was a long trip from Paris just to see some punk shows! I remember that my family teamed up …

Tyler Taormina (Cloud)

SPB: Do you see a natural end for Cloud or so you think you'll continue with the project for a while?

Tyler: This is a funny question because I feel that Cloud has reached a natural end. I’m fairly certain that Plays with Fire will be the last of the Cloud records. The reason being …

Sean Elliott (Professor and the Madman-co-vocalist)

SPB: When did you first "discover" punk rock?

Sean: I first heard the term 'punk rock' in elementary school. All the kids in my class had to take part in a "Secret Santa" gift trade. I was assigned to trade gifts with a kid who everybody described as punk rock. I bought …

Curtiss (The Shell Corporation)

SPB: What is your favorite documentary or music-related film?

Curtiss: Ok, so total disclosure, I’ve never actually seen my favorite music documentary. Which happens to be “It Might Get Loud”. The apparently epic pairing of jimmy page, the edge and that dude from the stripey shirt band. But here’s the thing. I’ve TOLD a …

Brandon Kellum (American Standards)

SPB: Have you ever forgotten lyrics midsong? How did you recover?

Brandon: There’s always the fear that I’ll forget a part before going on stage especially if we’re playing something new. Normally the songs become second nature though and the words seem to come from somewhere outside of conscious thought. That’s not to say …

Jon Langford

SPB: Besides music, what other arts interest or inspire you?

Jon: I'm up to my earholes in music, art, politics, poetry & history most of the time and find it rich & fruitful to be part of a conversation where all these elements rut for my attention. A radio play by Dylan Thomas, Newport County outplaying …

DJ Scully (Dead Empires)

SPB: How did including a vocalist change your songwriting approach? Did it?

Scully: Ironically, adding Jason didn't change anything for us writing-wise because we thought the album was done before he joined! We had probably 90% of it written and arranged and we were making plans for where to record it when Jason came …

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 …

Lydia Loveless

SPB: Who is your favorite pre-1960s artist?

Loveless: Erik Satie. 

As a child who didn’t love practicing piano but loved the idea of being a great pianist, I wish I’d discovered Satie, a composer I’ve heard was not very good at sight reading or the old favorite of our superiors, “applying himself.” The deceptive simplicity …

Ed Taylor (Loose Grip Records)

SPB: There are infinite benefit compilations available. Yet this one [Love Oakland: A Benefit for those Affected by The Ghost Fire] is different because the cause is so closely connected to musicians themselves. How did you seek out the artists involved with this project considering how personal the subject was to many …

Daniel Porter (At the Heart Of The World – guitar/programmer)

SPB: Do you wear earplugs when you play? Why/why not?

Daniel: I wear them when I watch other bands but not when we play. Partly because I’m dumb and don’t value my hearing it seems and partly because they weirdly take me out of the playing environment, I …

Chachy (Round Eye)  

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

Chachy: In mainland China I would say the promoters, especially if they're bringing in foreign acts. The live music scene in China is by no means safe from inspection and events like festivals and even regular club dates for controversial music like punk, noise, …

Deanna Belos (Sincere Engineer)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1980s artist?

Deanna: My favorite 1980s artist is probably Tears For Fears. I think "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is one of the greatest songs ever written. I saw them open for Hall and Oates last year. It was pretty incredible.

Danny Sher (Horse Torso)

SPB: Do you think it’s easier or harder for an instrumental band to find an audience today than it was 10 years ago?

Danny: I personally think it is one million times easier for a band to find their target audience in 2018 than it was in 2008. The invention of the smartphone combined …

Justin Bernard Williams (Neosho)

SPB: Who is your favorite 1960s artist?

Justin: Wayne Shorter... and not because of the saxophone. Ask me about jazz, and I'm more of an admirer than a "jazz player." Shorter's importance is rooted in how he had the power to influence Miles Davis (arguably, THE musical mind of the 20th century). As part …