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Interviews Archive
From The Mind Of Adi #57: Kyle Robarge’s Firsts
Firsts: Sh*te that happened before other sh*te happened.
Today: Kyle Robarge’s Firsts! This time, we examine
what inspired Kyle Robarge, who is a member of three, yes, that’s
right, three bands in town -- The Calm Blue Sea, Murdocks, and Frank Smith.
The Calm Blue Sea just set sail on a U.S. tour and will be working on
new material when they get back to Austin in September; you can catch
Murdocks at Emo’s on November 22nd. Frank Smith, meanwhile, will perform at The Continental Club every Wednesday during Happy Hour (6 - 9 p.m.) in October.
- 1st favorite song: I guess I'd have to say Michael Jackson's
"Beat It." I know that's an easy choice... but seriously... I probably
played that song a thousand times by the time I finally wore the record
out. Not only were MJ's vocals unstoppable, Eddie Van Halen's guitar was unreal! I was absolutely in awe of (Steve) Lukather's
main riff on the song, but Eddie's solo just took it over the top. That
was my first introduction to ROCK as I now know it and my young ears
were forever changed. No way was anyone gonna get me to listen to
country or jazz... or anything else after hearing that. I've been a
rock and roll kid since then! I have to admit, that song led me to a
very intense Van Halen worship for a number of years, too...which I've
since outgrown.
Thu Sep 3 2009 · Posted in Interviews
From The Mind Of Adi #35: James Moody’s Firsts
Firsts: Sh*te that happened before other sh*te happened.
Today: James Moody’s Firsts! This time, we examine what inspired James Moody, co-owner of The Mohawk through the years. Moody is a legend to many of us but anything I write about him (genius, icon, did I say legend already?) would not sum him up as well as this blurb on his own Facebook page – “rambler. rhinestone cowboy. wanderer. spelunker. spirit animal. chief. home skillet. mule. mega. tonto.” Enough said.
- 1st favorite song: Styx - “Renegade”
- 1st favorite musician or band: The Highwaymen
Thu May 7 2009 · Posted in Interviews
From The Mind of Adi #33: Jeramy Neugent from Learning Secrets’ Firsts
Firsts: Sh*te that happened before other sh*te happened.
Today: Jeramy Neugent from Learning Secrets’ Firsts! This time, we examine what inspired Jeramy Neugent from Learning Secrets through the years. The Nuge spins the beats this Saturday at Beauty Bar as a part of Learning Secrets’ latest event. RSVP to get in for free!
1st favorite song: Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
Thu Apr 23 2009 · Posted in Interviews
From The Mind Of Adi #27: General Admission (The Black Angels)
From The Mind Of Adi #27: General Admission
General Admission: This week we present our interview with The Black Angels at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture on the 21st of last month. The band is gearing up for Psych Fest #2, a three day celebration of all things psychedelia. The event is curated by The Black Angels and takes place at Radio Room all weekend.
Fri Mar 13 2009 · Posted in Interviews
From The Mind Of Adi #25: Marcos Cabral and Jacques Renault from Runaway’s Firsts
Firsts: Sh*te that happened before other sh*te happened.
Today: Marcos Cabral and Jacques Renault from Runaway’s Firsts! I hope you enjoyed my personal Firsts, James Petralli from White Denim’s Firsts, Chris Rose’s Firsts, JP from Built By Snow’s Firsts, Lauren Larson from Ume’s Firsts, John Farmer from What Made Milwaukee Famous’ Firsts, Martín Perna from Ocote Soul Sounds’ Firsts, and Adrian Quesada’s Firsts. This time, we examine what inspired Marcos Cabral and Jacques Renault from Runaway through the years. Catch Runaway at Beauty Bar this Saturday the 28th.
1st favorite song:
Marcos: Carmen Miranda's "Mama Yo Quiero" I think I was around six years old when I first heard this on the cartoon Tom and Jerry. It used to drive me crazy...in a good way.
Jacques: Beethoven's “Violin Concerto, Movement #3.” My mom would only have the classical radio station on and it was the only one I could really recognize.
Thu Feb 26 2009 · Posted in Interviews
From The Mind Of Adi #24: Adrian Quesada’s Firsts
Firsts: Sh*te that happened before other sh*te happened.
Today: Adrian Quesada's Firsts! I hope you enjoyed my personal Firsts, James Petralli from White Denim's Firsts, Chris Rose's Firsts, JP from Built By Snow's Firsts, Lauren Larson from Ume's Firsts, John Farmer from What Made Milwaukee Famous' Firsts, and Martín Perna from Ocote Soul Sounds' Firsts. This time, we examine what inspired Adrian Quesada (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout!, Ocote Soul Sounds, etc.) through the years. Catch Quesada and Brownout! tonight at Lamberts.
- 1st favorite song: "Basketball" - Kurtis Blow. My neighbor across the street was like 15 or 16, and him and his friends used to play ball all the time. I was 7 or 8, and my mom had puff paints at home so I made a t-shirt that said "basketball is my favorite sport" on it and went over there hoping they'd let me play and would think I was cool. They laughed so hard they damn near made me cry. I didn't go back for a long time but I still rocked the song at home.
Thu Feb 19 2009 · Posted in Interviews
The Appleseed Cast Interview
I recently sat down for a cup of chai tea w/soy, with the talented Aaron Pillar of "The Appleseed Cast". We discussed emo, Sagamartha and what a beautiful home he has! His pet ball python took quite a liking to me...xoxo...and his collection of miniature spoons was impressive. Ok, so I'm full of shit and if any of you hipsters know enough about the present and future of indie music, it's all about the internets, baby. But these guys were kicking it before the MySpace and the Facebook. Their music rocks, and if you have any plans other than Mohawk on Saturday night, cancel them. BTW-You can tell a great deal about someone through the amount of ellipses they use...
Austinites can checkout The Appleseed Cast this Saturday, February 7th at Mohawk with True Widow and Calm Blue Sea (outside, starting @ 9:00pm).
(In addition to the ellipsis, also take note on the lack of quotes in most of Pillar's typed words. He's very straight to the point and wastes no time with the petty use of proper punctuation.)
Stacie: You guys were putting out albums before "emo" was an everyday term. How would you define emo when you were just getting into the music scene?
Aaron: It was certainly different I guess, for me the reason I started playing in this "scene" was access. I saw house shows and bad equipment but people having a good time, and you didn't have to be an amazing player either..I guess it was easy to love it, easy to be a part of...
Stacie: How would you define emo in today's environment? (bonus points for
including the words "eyeliner" and "girl pants")
Aaron: Tight pants are ok if you can pull it off, but eyeliner is lame...Emo is a selling point plain and simple...its money always about the money..
Stacie: If you were to die tomorrow (sorry if I jinx you in any way), and you could only be remembered for one song, what would it be? (and why?)
Tue Feb 3 2009 · Posted in Interviews
From The Mind Of Adi #21: John Farmer from What Made Milwaukee Famous’ Firsts
Firsts: Sh*te that happened before other sh*te happened.
Today: John Farmer's Firsts! I hope you enjoyed my personal Firsts, James Petralli from White Denim's Firsts, Chris Rose's Firsts, JP from Built By Snow's Firsts, and Lauren Larson from Ume's Firsts. This time, we examine what inspired John Farmer from What Made Milwaukee Famous through the years.
- 1st favorite song: "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard. It was the first song that ever really made me think, "Holy Shit!" Sad to say, it doesn't really kindle those kind of emotions anymore. When it first came out, I was a broke, elementary school kid. I didn't have the money to buy the cassette, so I sat by the TV with my jam box waiting to record it on MTV. I probably rocked out to that crappy recording for six months before I got it for Christmas.
Thu Jan 29 2009 · Posted in Daily, Interviews
Sleepercar Interview
Jim Ward "of Sparta, Ex-At The Drive-In" fame is in a solid relationship with his new band, Sleepercar. I would describe listening to the 2008 album "West Texas" like "sipping Maker's Mark out of a spotty glass in a rundown bar while watching the sun go down over the shoulder of a bartender that calls you sweetheart and asks how your grandma's doing in between crooked teeth and Marlboro reds". A sweet and content experience, with just the right hint of pain and loneliness.
Austinites can checkout Sleepercar this Monday, November 17th at Mohawk with Morekestra (outside, starting @ 8:00pm).
Has Jim Ward abandoned punk and gone country? No, he's West Texas, which is a little country and a little bit rock and roll...
Stacie: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Jim: usually wear slip ons, so when i have shoes with laces i almost never untie them-
Stacie: Would you consider yourself more of an introvert or an extrovert?
Jim: both- usually an extrovert, but i hate being in crowds so that makes me with draw a lot
Stacie: How stoked where you when your number one MySpace friend, Barack, won the election?
Jim: very stoked
Stacie: Does the song "A Broken Promise" refer to any broken promises in particular?
Jim: no-
Stacie: What's one trait that you dislike about yourself at the moment?
Jim: i am passive/aggressive- and it sometimes makes personal relationships difficult, i try to control it
Stacie: Your musical endeavors progressed from hardcore, to a little less hardcore, to alt-country. Have you found a genre that fits well with Sleepercar?
Jim: i think sleepercar is pretty flexible in the genre department- we have been on quite a few different tours, it makes me happy...
Sun Nov 16 2008 · Posted in Interviews
Bitch Interview - Live at Mohawk with Girl in a Coma - November 9th, 2008
Can you put an artist like Bitch in a nutshell? Let's try, shall we... from '95-'04 she performed with Bitch and Animal and toured with Ani DiFranco (who produced two of B&A's albums under her Righteous Babe Records label). Bitch's new band, Bitch + The Exciting Conclusion, formed in February of '05. Bitch just produced Ferron's latest album "Boulder" on her own label, Short Story Records (Ferron=one of the most influential writers and performers of women's music). She lives in NYC and appeared in the 2006 film Shortbus and the Bright Eyes video "First Day of My Life" alongside her L-Word starring girlfriend, Daniela Sea. She plays the electric violin, bass, keyboards and ukulele like it's going out of style. She's an amazing lyricist and poet. She's not a big fan of Bush (the presidential kind). She tap dances. And you should buy (not illegally download) all of her albums.
Austinites can checkout Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion live on Sunday, November 9th at Mohawk with Mocktigers and Girl in a Coma (outside, starting @ 9:00pm).
Before Bitch and I got down to business, I mentioned that our lovely readers (myself included) all have adult ADD and are checking out more MySpace bulletins then novels these days (...hence the slew of random questions).
Stacie: How many tattoos do you have?
Bitch: Zero. I've designed a lot of tattoos. But it's like Daniela says, once you have one you'll never have none again.
Stacie: Yeah, they're addicting too.
Bitch: And I don't need another hobby. Maybe one day.
Stacie: Piercings?
Bitch: Not really. My ears. I had a nipple pierced once.
Stacie: Just one nipple?
Bitch: Just one nipple.
Stacie: Do you like hugs from strangers, or do they freak you out?
Bitch: They don't freak me out. It really depends on the context. I just visited the World...
Tue Oct 28 2008 · Posted in Interviews
Astronautalis Interview
In between cat lovin' and folding socks packin' for his new tour, Astronautalis (aka Andy Bothewell) took some time to shed some light on rap, American history, leaking albums, scary music making, over-hyping indie music blogs, album *yawns* reviews and the lingering fear of getting popular. Regardless of how you define his style, all three albums <You and Yer Good Ideas-2005, The Mighty Ocean and Nine Dark Theaters-2006, Pomegranate-2008> won't disappoint. A live show is on the "highly recommended" list and even we vegetarians can't get enough of this HAM.
Stacie: With the progression of your three albums, there's been some debate over how to categorize your music. Can you define it?
Andy: A long time ago, I gave a response that was about ten minutes long, with compound words and about twenty six hyphens in it. My third record was a chance to see some different takes on my musical style, a singer/songwriter side, but I'd still call it rap music. The funniest part of a recent review was someone saying I was "experimenting with hip hop and rapping". For fifteen years I've been rapping. No matter how far away I venture musically, I'll always be a rapper. I can't not rhyme. I still keep the basic aesthetics of rapping, and my main influence has always been rap. It's rap. Rap Music. Period.
Stacie: In hindsight, it's hard to define rap itself. I've also heard the term shoegazer thrown into your musical description. Would you consider yourself a shoegazer?
Andy: For me, shoegazing basically means people are staring at their shoes because they're looking down at the pedals they're using to help crank out these sounds. It reminds me a lot of tenth grade mix tapes. I think I put it out there for my last record. I grew up listening to a lot of shoegaze- The Verve, Ride, Mogwai- and it hit home for me. Huge giant drums, lots of bass, washy guitars, huge layers of sound. It's something I latched onto. With the third...
Tue Oct 14 2008 · Posted in Interviews
Interview with The Morning Benders
The Morning Benders will storm Southern California to coincide with the release of their
debut LP "Talking Through Tin Cans" by stopping by the Echo this
Thursday May 8th. If you purchase the album through their website, you
can get a free ticket to their show as well as assorted b-sides and
goodies. I managed to sit down on a windy afternoon and ask Chris Chu
(Vocals/Guitars) and Joe Ferrell (Guitars) some questions about their
album and tour with The Kooks.
LR: Congratulations on the
upcoming release of the album. I was impressed that Chris is credited
for producing, engineering, and mixing the album. Was it difficult
wearing that many hats?
CC: It was a lot of running around.
Especially when I was working on my own parts. When I was tracking I
would move microphones around and play something and then run into the
control room. It was a busy experience.
LR: Is it something you would want to do again?
CC: I think I probably will always have some input. I would like to have
someone else do certain parts of it. A lot of the time I am trying to
find a sound. It is distracting when you are turning knobs and find
something that is interesting as well.