Blag Dahlia (Dwarves – vocals)
SPB: What is the most important vocal element when doing sound check for a Dwarves show?
Blag Dahlia: A sound man who isn’t profoundly retarded. They do exist, but to find them you have to travel far and wide sorting through countless buffoons until, like the princess and the pea, you find one that’s just right. Then you fire him for doing heroin while driving the van.
One-question interviews with artists where we find out about the gear and equipment they use to achieve their sound.
— More from this series
Courtney Ranshaw (Black Adidas) SPB: Is there an instrument that's central to "the Black Adidas sound"? Ranshaw: I’d like to showcase an instrument that’s central to one of the songs on the record and has made its way onto a few songs of ours over the years. This is our … Read more
Eric Angelo Bessel SPB: Walk us through your gear setup for the recording of Mirror at Night. Eric: I composed the album, Mirror at Night, using a pair of digital Mellotrons (proto-sampling keyboards), an Alesis Micron (keyboard synthesizer), and guitars. The Micron is a new addition, and is the main … Read more
Mike Huguenor Tell us about the primary guitars you used making Surfing the Web with the Alien? Read more
Matthew Brammer (Six Below Zero) SPB: Can you walk us through your studio or recording set-up to get a glimpse of how a one-man band works for Six Below Zero? Brammer: Since I don't play live anymore, I'm pretty much 100% "in the box" these days. Especially since a lot … Read more
Steve Brewer (Distants) SPB: Did you choose your name before the band members were located in different cities? Brweer: Yes. Everyone who was in the band when it started lived in Chicago. When I joined the band in 2019, Zach and I would carpool the distants from Michigan to Chicago … Read more
The Dwarves first cut me off on my path with their 1986 garage-rock debut, Horror Stories, on Voxx Records. Been a fan since. Over the forty years they've been around, some albums hit, some didn't connect as much. Their last main outing, Concept Album, bloated into a 26-song deluxe CD. Jenkem returns to familiar territory: 14 tracks screaming by in … Read more
Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows is a live studio recording from 1989, released on picture disc earlier this year on limited vinyl for Record Store Day. Given that it came shortly before the release of Blood, Guts & Pussy, it's no surprise that it's heavy on songs from that record (10 of 14, if I've counted correctly). It's more primal than … Read more
Take Back The Night isn’t one of those experiment Dwarves records, like the industrio-tinge of Come Clean. On their latest offering, the long-running band alternates styles consistently between their unique and twisted take on bubblegum pop-punk and screaming, single-vocalist hardcore. For the most part, the hardcore songs are fronted by Rex Everything (Nick Oliveri), with occasional SPB guest contributor Blag … Read more
Travis (Bitters and Distractions – guitar / backup vocals) SPB: It seems you’re mostly releasing singles, as compared to EP/LP. Is there a personal preference or deeper reason why? Travis: You’re correct that we’ve released a significant number of singles over the years. To be more specific, we’ve put out … Read more
Monet (Whiplass Records) SPB: I imagine you’d been thinking about starting this label for a while before it happened. What was the final push or aha! moment that turned it from idea into reality? Monet: Our origin was actually a series of events: The wheels started turning when I decided … Read more
Marco (De Kleine Opstand – bass) SPB: A lot of Dutch bands opt to sing in English, you go against the grain by choosing for the Dutch language. What are the pros and cons for this decision? Marco: It just occurred to me that we never actually decided to sing … Read more
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