Nathan Kearney (Gonzovillain)
SPB: Is there a particular record you’ve heard this year that surprised you? In a good or a bad way?
Kearny: I'd say that the record that's surprised me the most this year is Institute's EP Salt. They're a band from Texas who, for me, represent what I first got into when I got into "punk" music. It's imperfect and feels like it could fall apart at any moment. As a frontman, I wish that I could have half of the onstage persona that their lead singer has. I've watched some youtube videos of them (especially one from a public access show in Texas) and, even though the band as a whole are tight and present, my eyes always wander to his schizo-yelps that he makes as he flails and contorts. It surprised me mainly because it seems natural and not some pose or posture struck. It's not like that doesn't exist in modern music (it absolutely does) but, like I said, I got sour on "punk" music for quite a while because it didn't feel like I was seeing any of that.
