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| JB's Blog
| | Interview – Silversun Pickups |
Keyboardist Joe Lester talks about the direction Silversun Pickups took on new album Neck of the Woods, its psychological underpinnings, writing longer songs and why there’s no bonus to being on a major label.
"With Dangerbird, there’s, like, eight people that work there. It’s six blocks from my house, so if there’s a problem I can just walk down and talk to them about it. I can’t really imagine a better situation for wanting to put out a record and then go about doing it. Why the fuck would we go with a major label? Our record isn’t going to sell 800,000 copies in the first week, and we’d just get buried by whatever the next crappy pop band is. We have everything we need from a small label. It’s not like there’s these crazy deals you hear about, like R.E.M. getting $90 million for 16 records or something ridiculous. They don’t even do that anymore, so we couldn’t even be assholes and take a bunch of money. That’s not even there, so what do they have to offer?" | | Tags: silversun pickups, interview |
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| | Interview – Greg Laswell |
Greg Laswell discusses his latest album Landline, the desire to break away from writing sad songs, marriage with Ingrid Michaelson and not having a career backup plan.
"In interviews people ask me, 'What advice would you give to another singer-songwriter, or another artist, or whatever?' It’s always if you have a plan B, then that’s a pretty good indicator you should probably go ahead and skip to that and do that instead. It really does take a lot. It takes everything you have to do this sort of thing. I never really had one. It was always music or bust. It allows you to have those huge, catastrophic failures, but you don’t have the choice of walking away from it. You have to get back up and you have to keep trying. Whereas if you do have another option, it’s after those failures that you’re going to go to what’s next on your list. It was always in my plan to either be a producer, or score for films and television, or actually be a singer and play live shows. It was always in music. There was never any other thing I was going to try to do." | | Tags: greg laswell, interview |
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| | Interview – fun. |
Keyboardist Andrew Dost talks about breakout record Some Nights, the band’s recent shot to stardom, maintaining a high degree of integrity and not forgetting the original fans.
"I know that feeling really well, of feeling like a band who’s my little secret and then having them sort of get taken away from me in a way. I understand that feeling, but I would hope that our fans who have been around for a while are still happy for us and still like the music we’re writing. We’re making the same songs and doing the same things with the integrity we’ve always had." | | Tags: fun., andrew dost, interview, some nights |
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| | Interview – Lovedrug |
Frontman Michael Shepard chats about the progression the band took on new album Wild Blood, falling in love with music again, what it’s like to be without a label and staying off the beaten track.
"I don’t like saying things in a way that other people have said them, which is really difficult to do. It’s sort of impossible. There’s nothing new under the sun, and I realize that. If I’m going to write a love song, for instance, I don’t want to use the typical metaphors and clichés everyone else uses that you hear on the radio every single day that everyone’s sick of. I want to talk about it in a different way. Maybe I’m going to set it within a story about something that’s got nothing to do with a typical love story. I’m just always trying to think outside the box. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, so for better or worse I’m a little off the beaten track." | | Tags: interview, lovedrug, michael shepard |
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| | | Interview – States |
Vocalist Mindy White chats about making the band’s first full-length, how States first got started, being without a label and her past in Lydia.
"I don’t try and work to make things sound super mysterious. I love experimenting and thinking of different ways to say different things, and musically the guys are the same way, but for us we just wanted to have fun with it and do something different than what we ever did before. We didn’t want to put an album out and have it sound like Copeland 2.0 or Lydia 2.0." | | Tags: states, mindy white, interview |
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| | Interview – Switchfoot/Anberlin |
Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman and Anberlin’s Stephen Christian converse about musical inspirations, writing when depressed and not wanting to be placed in a box.
"I think that’s what everyone wants in journalism is a handle. They want to say, “Steve Jobs,” and then four or five words, and then maybe a date of birth and a date of death. There’s his entire life in a one-liner. If you’re Steve Jobs’ wife or daughter, you’re like that does not define him as a man. It’s the same thing as a band." | | Tags: switchfoot, anberlin, interview |
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| | Interview – Thrice |
Frontman Dustin Kensrue offers a behind-the-scenes look into the writing, mindset and theology behind Thrice’s newest album, Major/Minor.
"I try to write in a way that people from multiple backgrounds can engage with at least, even if they don’t agree with it, and that it will make them think, it will make them feel... My hope is always that it wouldn’t leave someone unmoved in some way, that they would have to wrestle with it, that it would affect them in some way." | | Tags: thrice, major/minor, dustin kensrue, interview |
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| | Interview – New Found Glory |
Guitarist Steve Klein chats about writing the band’s new record Radiosurgery and the inspirations behind it, as well as why every record NFG has ever done is its own thing.
"The mentality for us, going on our seventh record, is to keep relevant and keep writing songs that people like... With this record, I feel like we had more of a vision than any other record we’ve ever had. Especially lyrically and musically, it all came together into a complete thought." | | Tags: new found glory, steve klein, radiosurgery, interview |
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| | Interview – Kevin Devine |
Kevin Devine speaks about his latest record Between the Concrete & Clouds, his fascination with religion and why he always writes about life experience.
"In a sense, the last record was a lot more all over the place. It really developed the band’s style and sound in these interesting directions, but this record is a more solid and complete record in my mind. It’s the fullest realization of our band’s sound I think that we have had at this point." | | Tags: kevin devine, interview |
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| | Interview – MUTEMATH |
MUTEMATH drummer Darren King discusses the band’s new sound and unique approach to creating Odd Soul, the importance of trust among bandmates, and his religious upbringing.
"We imagined almost that the four guys who were going to play these shows were different guys than us and we were going to do them a big favor by creating music for them that they would have a blast with. We tried to make an album that was instantly fun to play live. That was intentional, but the fact that it took that guitarish turn was just because we got excited about it." | | Tags: mutemath, odd soul, darren king, interview |
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| | Interview – Patrick Stump |
My interview with Patrick Stump can be found here. Stump opens up about his new solo career, the challenges of finding his own voice, being comfortable as a musician, and the past and future of Fall Out Boy.
"Career wise, [going solo] really was nothing to lose. There’s nothing worse that anyone could say about me as a performer, I’ve heard everything. There’s nothing worse anyone could assume about my motivations. I think it made the record a little bit more pop to me because I love pop music. I’m not scared of saying it anymore because I’ve already been called a sell out. I’ve already been called the worst things in the world. I don’t have guilty pleasures because I’m comfortable with who I am and I’m comfortable with where I am." | | Tags: patrick stump, interview, odd soul, fall out boy |
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| | | Live Review – Incubus |
Incubus
Incubus HQ Live
Los Angeles, CA
July 6, 2011
Incubus’ sixth major label album, If Not Now, When?, is already shaping up to be the band’s most polarizing effort, and it hasn’t even officially been released yet. It is that album the band chose to play front-to-back to close out its weeklong Incubus HQ Live, a special web streaming event that saw the band interacting with both fans and press in a variety of creative ways. The shindig took place in a converted storefront in the middle of Los Angeles, where a makeshift practice space was assembled amid pieces of artwork and a reggae soundtrack. Each day closed with an impromptu performance, whether jam sessions from the band’s deep catalogue or run-throughs of well-loved albums Morning View and Make Yourself.
Which brings us to the present and aforementioned album, If Not Now, When? The group has always prided itself in how each album is its own entity with its own unique sound, and that is certainly true here on its boldest departure yet. Gone are the crunchy guitars and monster choruses that have made Incubus a modern rock staple for the last decade plus. In their place is a mellower and more delicate sound, relying less on guitars and hooks and more on space and tone. Lead singer Brandon Boyd referred to it as a headphone album at one point during the show, and he is right on the money.
It should come as no surprise, then, the album is a grower and needs time to digest. The record leaked three months ago, terrible news for Incubus, but at least it means I’ve had ample time to personally soak it in. I remember mixed reactions upon first listen but have definitely come to appreciate it more and more, and there’s no question it has more spark in a live setting. Mike Einzinger, the band’s not-so-secret weapon, had his guitars somewhat muted on the record. Live, however, they are much more pronounced and he is given more room to operate, which obviously plays to his strengths. The entire band, in fact, has always excelled in a live setting, where its high-grade musicianship and Boyd’s unparalleled voice truly shine, so it only makes sense the album sounds stronger as a result.
If Not Now, When’s liveliest moments, such as the second half of “In the Company of Wolves,” the bass funky “Switch Blade” and lead single “Adolescents,” should fit right at home in a greatest hits set list and are sure to become live favorites. Other tracks I’ve come to love, like “The Original” and “Isadore,” were in fine form as well, and you’d never guess that a handful of songs were making their live debut. Nevertheless, the two lackluster songs on the record, “Friends and Lovers” and “Tomorrow’s Food,” come across better live but still amount to little more than filler, especially when compared to what the quintet is capable of.
Throughout the evening the band was clearly loose and relaxed, constantly joking around while being surrounded by family, friends and even a dog, and being mere feet from the performance was an experience in and of itself. To those who thought If Not Now, When? was a boring record, give it another chance, especially if you have the opportunity to see the songs live. While it might be the band’s weakest record to date, it is far from a bad one and worth seeking out for its own merits.
 | | Tags: incubus, live review, if not now when |
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