Ian Vanek (Japanther)
SPB: Is there a regional food you look forward to when you tour?
Vanek: We eat regionally, seasonally and locally as much as possible. Japanther also forage for wild food and eat out of dumpsters. We snack on oranges and avocados off the trees in Cali and make green juice in almost every hotel room. Pizza in Manhattan, salmon in Seattle, crawfish in New Orleans, Tacos in Texas, Vietnamese in Orlando... You get the picture.
Christine Atturio (Little Low) SPB: What is your favorite Disney soundtrack? Atturio: Aladdin, hands down. Robin Williams singing "Friend Like Me" is fire! The soundtrack as a whole goes from hopeful to scary to funny and back again, sometimes even sounding like the music from Indiana Jones when he's exploring … Read more
McKinnon (Normal Park) SPB: Your bio references math rock, [my opinion] one of the sillier genre names. Is there a music term you hear often that seems like it could have been phrased better? Tyler: I don’t mind math rock as a genre term because it’s simple and descriptive, plus … Read more
Alex Gilliam (Foolsmate) SPB: What does the term “Midwest emo” mean to you? Gilliam: After getting this question, I immediately asked the other guys in Foolsmate for their input. Though their answers varied drastically, they all touched upon inclusion. Midwest emo has always been about being vulnerable about yourself and … Read more
Like most independent labels, Sell The Heart started to document a scene without really asking themselves “Where do you see yourself in 15 years?” In 2010, founder Andy Pohl was barely even thinking about vinyl. In “History 101” tradition, Scene Point Blank picked out some of the label's notable releases … Read more
Matt Smasher (The Planet Smashers) SPB: How did the collabs on the new album come to be? Did you reach out to the artist with a specific idea, or just ask “hey is there something you want to do here?” Matt: It started out super simple, just a “would you … Read more
In the city of Brooklyn, New York's hippest borough, the pretensions of musicians trying to create songs that are both avant garde and widely accessible (a clear paradox) makes for a stifling scene. Lofts and warehouse spaces across the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Bushwick are filling with passive young professionals being bludgeoned with art. While every incarnation of noise, folk, … Read more
Christine Atturio (Little Low) SPB: What is your favorite Disney soundtrack? Atturio: Aladdin, hands down. Robin Williams singing "Friend Like Me" is fire! The soundtrack as a whole goes from hopeful to scary to funny and back again, sometimes even sounding like the music from Indiana Jones when he's exploring … Read more
McKinnon (Normal Park) SPB: Your bio references math rock, [my opinion] one of the sillier genre names. Is there a music term you hear often that seems like it could have been phrased better? Tyler: I don’t mind math rock as a genre term because it’s simple and descriptive, plus … Read more
Alex Gilliam (Foolsmate) SPB: What does the term “Midwest emo” mean to you? Gilliam: After getting this question, I immediately asked the other guys in Foolsmate for their input. Though their answers varied drastically, they all touched upon inclusion. Midwest emo has always been about being vulnerable about yourself and … Read more
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