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1QI: Hiram-Maxim, Maybeshewill, Western Settings, Hot Nerds

Posted in Bands on May 11, 2015

Welcome to our almost daily quickie Q&A feature: One Question Interviews. Follow us at facebook & twitter and we'll post an interview four days each week, typically every Monday-Thursday.
 
After our social media followers get the first word, we post a wrap-up here at the site and archive them here. This week check out Q&As with Hiram-Maxim, Hot Nerds, Western Settings, and Maybeshewill. 
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John Panza (Hiram-Maxim-drums)

SPB: Has the change to more headphone listening changed how you listen to music or mix it?

Panza: Last night I witnessed – because “saw” is inadequate – Swans perform here in Cleveland. The band’s reputation for relentless, brutal, euphoric, and cilia-killing live shows is legendary. But my intro to Swans came via headphones. Back in the late 1990s, a friend slipped me a CD version of Swans Are Dead and told me to listen to it. I initially tried to listen on my primitive brand name boom box, but the system just didn’t seem to do the music justice. It was tinny, thin, dare I say weak. So I listened on headphones and was understandably blown away. Headphones equal immersion. They re-created the immersive experience needed to appreciate the true nature of Swans live. If not in my car (which has eight excellent speakers and a great amplifier), I listen to most music through headphones.

I own three pairs of headphones and a really nice pair of earbuds. The brutal immediacy of sound is something I long for, appreciate, enjoy. But as a musician who regularly records I know that most folks listen in their car, on their mobile devices, or on their home stereo systems. Not ideal, but reality.

A few years before I was introduced to Swans, I stepped foot in a recording studio for the first time. My first band went in to record four tracks, four little punk songs. Upbeat, trashy, ill-prepared, great fun. The studio was a basement affair but a high quality basement affair. I am friends with the engineer to this day. He has grown and upgraded and become the primary source for mastering for many nationally-known bands and musicians.

When he rewound the tape and played us the mix downs, he said something I will never forget. Pulling white and red wires out of the huge, thousand-dollar monitors we were using for the initial recording and mixing, he pulled out a ratty, shitty, stained boom box. He plugged in the cords and said, “Everything sounds good through expensive speakers, but nobody is gonna hear your stuff through those speakers again. This is what they are gonna use.” He ran the tunes through the boom box and they sounded great. It occurred to me that when he was mixing the tracks through the expensive monitors he was actually preparing them for the inadequacies of that boom box. I learned a lot in that moment about what musicians want people to hear and what they do (sometimes) hear.

And he was right. I never listened to the tracks again through anything other than shitty speakers, be it on my own boom box or in my car. And the songs sounded great no matter where they were played.

So flash forward 18 years or so, and I see my students and friends listening through bright red and yellow and green over-the-ear headphones. (I’ll leave the brand name out here, but you all know which ones I am talking about). And they cruise the hallways and sidewalks and sit on the train or the bus or workout at the gym, all the while listening to songs that have been mastered with headphones as the standard. Subtle beeps and buzzes and crackles and pops (all intentional) have been mixed into the final tracks because there is a mutual understanding between the engineers and producers and musicians and listening public that headphones will more than likely be the preferred choice of listeners to much contemporary music.

I’m okay with that. Studio time is about creating tracks that can be enjoyed in any format. Of course I’d prefer listeners not allow their taste or distaste for a song to be determined by small, worthless computer speakers… or by four mediocre speakers in their sub-compact car. Ideally they will take that music and move it to a system that is designed for immersive enjoyment. Music can be background noise for some, but I’d like to think that it should be the foreground whenever possible.

 

Nathan Joyner (Hot Nerds – guitar/vocals)

SPB: Who is the hottest nerd of them all?

Joyner: That's simple: any kid who stays in school is the hottest nerd of them all. So, the hottest nerd of them all changes constantly. Stay in school, kids, eat your greens, and don't back talk your parents. A close second would be the world chess champion Magnus Carlsen.

Ricky (Western Settings)

SPB: Who is the most underrated San Diego band right now?

Ricky: The most underrated band in San Diego? There are a ton. One that has grabbed my attention over the last year is a folk-punk band called Plastic City Pariah. They are talented, and kind human beings. Their music is fun, full of feeling, and their lyrical content offers a fresh outlook on life. They are underrated as hell. Check ‘em out.

 

 

John (Maybeshewill)

SPB: What are you most looking forward to on your upcoming first US tour? 

John: We’re still waiting to find out if we’ll be coming over, but it’s been an aim of ours for a really long time. We don’t take as much shit from anyone else as we do from American fans who want us to come and play out there, so for one I’m looking forward to being on the more positive end of that enthusiasm for what we do. If you could look in to your work visa system for us that would be super cool. But seriously, travelling across such a massive country…continent, even… somewhere so geographically dynamic…That’s exciting for me.

Faith No More's Long Awaited Sol Invictus Now Streaming

Posted in Bands on May 11, 2015

Faith No More's first album in 18 years is now available for streaming one week ahead of it's official release. Links can be found below. In The United States via NPR: Click Here In Canada via Exclaim! Click Here Read more

Estates LP on May 26

Posted in Records on May 11, 2015

Coming on May 26, Estates will release their 10 song debut LP titled It's Great to Be Alone. Released on Flannel Gurl Records, the '90s influenced record from the Milwuakee trio was recorded by Shane Hochstetler at Earth Analog and mastered by Carl Saff. A track listing is included after … Read more

Billy Club Sandwich DVD

Posted in Videos on May 8, 2015

On May 12, NYHC band Billy Club Sandwich will release a DVD titled Japan Suspects Tour, collecting 70 minutes of live footage, rare and behind-the-scenes tour footage, music videos, and more. The footage follows hte group on a tour of Japan. Read more

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Premiere: "Ashtray Monument" by Hemingway

Posted in MP3s on May 8, 2015

Jawbreaker may have left us all heartbroken in 1996 when they broke up, but with What's the Score: Save Your Generation Presents a Collection of Covers, the upcoming Jawbreaker tribute, there's at least a new take on some of the band's classics. Today Scene Point Blank is please to debut … Read more

New Where My Bones Rest Easy out June 23

Posted in Records on May 7, 2015

Shoegazers Where My Bones Rest Easy have announced Exercises In Futility, set for a June 23 release on Glory Kid Ltd. The band fuses indie rock, post-hardcore and more within their sound, as displayed in the preview track "Stutterstep," included below. The EP will feature 5 songs in total. Read … Read more

Hear a new song from Loud Boyz

Posted in MP3s on May 7, 2015

Loud Boyz, from Washington, DC, have debuted the song "Knives" off their upcoming debut flul-length. The band will release Tough Love, Hard Feelings this July via Cricket Cemetery Records. The band released a two song EP last year. Read more Tough Love, Hard Feelings track list:1. Knives2. Hard Feelings3. World … Read more

New Blackalicious in August

Posted in Records on May 7, 2015

Blackalicious will return with a new album, Imani Vol. 1, due for release on August 14, 2015. "Imani" is Swahili for "faith" and promises to be the first in a trilogy of records. Read more

Wasted Blood now on Escapist

Posted in Labels on May 7, 2015

Hardcore/metal band Wasted Blood, hailing from Ashtabula, OH, has joined with Escapist Records for an upcoming LP. The vinyl/digitla release will contain 9 songs and release this summer. Black Voice (cd) and Toxicbreed Funhouse (cassette) will also have a hand in the album. Heartcorner will also issue a limited release … Read more

1QI: Hymie's Records, En Esch, Nasty, It Only Gets Worse

Posted in Bands on May 6, 2015

Welcome to our almost daily quickie Q&A feature: One Question Interviews. Follow us at facebook & twitter and we'll post an interview four days each week, typically every Monday-Thursday. After our social media followers get the first word, we post a wrap-up here at the site and archive them here. … Read more

URTC is going on tour

Posted in Tours on May 6, 2015

Set to release their third full-length, The People Are Home, The Underground Railroad to Candyland has scheduled a US tour that starts in Austin, TX and finishes in Denver, CO. The new record releases May 26 on Recess Records. Toys That Kill tour dates are also listed below. Read more … Read more

New Chuck Ragan and Rocky Votolato split

Posted in Records on May 6, 2015

On June 2 SideOneDummy is releasing a split 10" between Chuck Ragan and Rocky Votolato. The record is titled Kindred Spirit. Ragan released Till Midnight last year. Read more CHUCK RAGAN on tour this summer: August 20 - St. Polten, Austria - Green Park / Frequency FestivalAugust 21 - Cologne, … Read more

Premiere: "In Love" from Benny the Jet Rodriguez

Posted in MP3s on May 6, 2015

SPB is pumped to bring a new song from California 4-piece Benny the Jet Rodriguez from their soon to come split 7" with Martha. Each band has two songs on the split, with Martha debuting a song at Noisey. Here's "In Love" from Benny the Jet Rodriguez: Read more The … Read more

Drakulas (members of Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against) release song

Posted in Videos on May 5, 2015

With their debut EP coming later this month on Red Scare Industries, Drakulas have debuted a video for “OWOWOWOWOWOWOW" at Noisey.com. The band features Mike Weibe (Riverboat Gamblers, Ghost Knife, High Tension Wires), Zach Blair (Rise Against), and more. Read more

Danzig, Pennywise, and Cancer Bats N. American tour

Posted in Tours on May 5, 2015

Cancer Bats, recently off a European tour, will join Danzig and Pennywise on tour this summer, starting on July 11 in Pomona, CA on a 14 city run. "Both bands have been our favorites since we first got into punk and metal so to have a chance to tour with … Read more

Dead Mothers debut EP

Posted in Records on May 5, 2015

North Carolina's Dead Mothers will soon release a debut EP this summer on Bitter Melody Records titled Life Is Poison. Hear the song "White Squaw" here. Read more Track listing:* 1. Nicodemu 2. White Squaw 3. Victim 4. Dead Mothers 5. Poison Read more

Miley Cyrus collaborates with Laura Jane Grace

Posted in Music News on May 5, 2015

Miley Cyrus has launched The Happy Hippie Foundation, a non-profit to raise awareness of homeless youth, LGBT youth, and other vulnerable populations. The organization will feature exclusive musical collaborations with artists including Joan Jett, Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!), and more. Each session features a video filmed in Cyrus' backyard, … Read more

Jawbreaker tribute open to pre-order

Posted in Records on May 5, 2015

What's the Score?, a new tribute album to Jawbreaker, is now open to pre-orders from Save Your Generation Records. The 12 song album features covers from Save Ends, Loose Planes, Hemingway, Lawnmower, and more, and an additional 4 digital tracks. It releases digitally on June 23 with vinyl coming in … Read more

Jello Biafra & the updates

Posted in Bands on May 5, 2015

Jello Biafra recently performed a live set with Bill Daves (Dash Rip Rock) and Fred Le Blanc (Cowboy Mouth) during Jazzfest that comprised of New Orleans soul, rhythm and blues, and garage songs. It's being released as a live record titled Walk on Jindal's Splinters and also includes Wildman Pete … Read more

Melt Banana plan 2 North American tours

Posted in Bands on May 4, 2015

Melt Banana are coming stateside this summer in two separate tours. In May-June the band will tour the sourthern portion of the US, heading north in July. The band will also release Return of 13 Hedgehogs, a singles collection. Read more Route A MAY 06 The Crescent - Phoenix, AZ … Read more