Seven Questions In Heaven With Look Out Love

Today we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with Look Out Love's Jordan Benker.

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
Hi! I'm Jordan Benker and I make music under the name Look Out Love. I like to define my music as "hella rad indie pop." I'd say my music has a little something for everyone to take away from it, even if the feeling is just being happy or wanting to dance. My music has its own sound but if I were to recommend my music to others, it would be towards listeners of The 1975, Vampire Weekend, and Two Door Cinema Club.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
My biggest musical influences are The Beatles, hands down. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even be writing music if it weren't for John Lennon's influence. It's also safe to say that you can hear many "Beatle-y" elements in my music. Nirvana has also made a pretty deep impact on me. As far as modern artists go, I'm sort of all over the map with influences, but of course the indie bands such as The 1975 and twenty one pilots inspire me the most.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
Well I remember when I was 3 or 4 years old, my dad gave me 2 CDs: Van Halen's Best of Vol. 1 and Aerosmith's Big Ones. I fell in love with both instantly and it was just a musical domino effect after that. I can't seem to remember what the first CD I bought myself was... part of me wants to say it was either Van Halen's first album or Led Zeppelin 4.



What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
The strangest gig I've ever played was back in high school, I was in a wannabe '80s rock band and we somehow booked this show at a comedy club. Let's just say it was just plain awkward... We were so out of place, but we still played a good show. Then we left and never returned haha.

What is your current favorite guilty pleasure?
I don't really consider myself to have guilty pleasures. Especially with music, if there's something I enjoy listening to that's a bit out of my realm, so be it, nothing to be embarrassed about. For example, I really like Drake, totally out of the box, but his "Nothing Was The Same" record is one of my favorites. I'm also really into heavy music. Nothing gets me pumped like some Slipknot or Memphis May Fire.

If they named an ice cream flavor after you, what would be the name and why?
If I had an ice cream flavor named after me, it would have to be vanilla ice cream with crushed up M&M's in it. The name would have to be "The Oh Boy."

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
For my dream festival line-up, I'd play with The Beatles (of course) circa 1969, 1987 Guns N' Roses, 1991 Nirvana, The Eagles circa 1976, and Van Halen circa 1984. The last jam song would definitely be "The End" by The Beatles.

More Look Out Love: Official | Facebook | Twitter

Seven Questions In Heaven With Hope Vista



On September 25th, you'll be able to purchase "Dominance," the first single off Hope Vista's upcoming EP. In the meantime, give a listen to "Wild Girl" while you check out our Seven Questions In Heaven with Hope Vista!

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
It's a very rock-oriented alternative sound with some power pop and little grunge influences. I've said that if you take '70s Joan Jett, modern day Cody Carson, 2004 Avril Lavigne, '90s Courtney Love, and a splash of Patty Walters, that's the sound!

Who are your musical influences and idols?
Joan Jett is a massive idol of mine, same with Avril Lavigne. The '70s female rock n' roll artists, like Pat Benatar and Heart, they've influenced me a lot when it comes to having a gritty and honest sound. The Rolling Stones are a big one, and so are the Backstreet Boys. Mainly because of their longevity, they just don't stop and I love that determination. Modern day influences are Linkin Park, Set It Off, I've been big on PVRIS lately. Those three bands all have a strong and unique twist to their sounds; I can really admire a band who strives to create something signature that sets them apart.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
I remember the first CD I ever got was Britney Spears's ...Baby One More Time, but that was my parents' money. I'm not sure what my first one with my own money was! When I was young I used to go to this bomb record store off the Princeton University campus and give myself a $20 limit, but CD's and vinyls were between $1-$4, so I could walk out with 20 new records every time.



What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
Strangest was probably this time I opened for Aaron Carter in 2013 in Jersey. He sang all of his old songs and he's much older now, so to hear him singing about breaking his parents' lamp was so awesome, I loved it. There were also around 800 people at that show and I had a manager out to watch my set, and I forgot to plug my guitar in, which was just ridiculous on my end. I could see my dad sweating out his nerves in the back. That night was just a string of strange events. But to this day it's my favorite show I've ever played!

What is your current favorite guilty pleasure?
Current is Parks and Recreation! I was just in Atlanta and watched an obscene amount of episodes every night. It was Parks and Rec, wine, and ice cream. It's such a ridiculously funny show, you feel so good when you watch it because you're constantly laughing. I wish I would've watched it when it was still on TV, but now I can binge watch it on Netflix :)

If they named an ice cream flavor after you, what would be the name and why?
THE HURRICANE. My nickname is Hurricane Hope and my fanbase is called the "Hurricanes," so it'd be tying everything together! I'd have them put cookie dough, Oreos, and potato chips in it. Gah. Just a mess of snacks in one ice cream.

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
The Runaways, Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, The Stones, and of course the Backstreet Boys! 5 of my all-time favorite and most influential artists. Final song would honestly be my favorite song EVER. "Shape Of My Heart" by the Backstreet Boys. I have a really strong rock background, but that song just gets me every time. The key change, Nick's bridge. One of my lifelong dreams since 2001 has been to sing that song with them. And then I'd cry afterwards.

More Hope Vista: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Seven Questions In Heaven With Mabel

Today we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with Mabel!

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
'50s and '60s inspired dirty pop rock.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
Bruce Springsteen, The Strokes, Foxboro Hot Tubs, AC/DC, Roy Orbison, The Turtles.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
Mike: Smash Mouth, Astro Lounge
Romeo: Nirvana, In Utero
Alvin: Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory
Jeff: Metallica, Hero Of The Day

What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
Back in the day we had a bass player who was underage so we had to run a cable off the stage, through the door out the front so he could play with us from the street!



What's the first thing you look for when you hit a new town?
Food! Just something delicious and tasty. Preferably with bacon.

What is your current favorite guilty pleasure?
Mixed netball, End Of The Road by Boyz II Men.

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
The Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix, Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, and Led Zeppelin (with John Bonham). "Evie" by Stevie Wright.

More Mabel: Official | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

Vaden Todd Lewis: The Culture Brats Interview



On Friday, September 11th, you'll find the Toadies at their eighth annual Dia De Los Toadies music festival in Fort Worth, Texas. On the 18th, the band will be release Heretics, their new album of reconstructed Toadies classics and more. Last week, we spoke with singer Vaden Todd Lewis on his fiftieth birthday about Heretics, the new songs on the album, the "Heart Of Glass" cover, Dia De Los Toadies, beer, and The Blues Brothers.

Happy birthday, man!
Thanks!

You have anything exciting planned for later today or tonight?
We had a big day yesterday and then tomorrow we have a big party over at a club around the corner.

Cool. I love Heretics and I love what you guys did with some of your classic songs. What made you decide to go back, deconstruct, and recreate these songs?
Well, it started with our festival, which is called Dia De Los Toadies. This year is the eighth one and starts a week from today, the 11th and 12th. Two stages, all day long, fun in the sun, it's a blast. In the third year of Dia De Los Toadies, we decided to bump it up to two nights, and the first night would be Friday and we'd keep it kind of scaled down and play acoustic, sort of semi-unplugged. So we did that, and the next year we added some keyboards. The next year we added a mandolin. We just morphed into these weird alternate versions of these songs. After last year's Dia De Los Toadies, we decided that it would be great to do this where it's a totally controlled environment, where we could run wild with it. We only have so many hands. We have extra players come up for pedal steel and vocals and guitar and whatever else, but we can only do so much live. We thought, "What if we went in the studio with our good friend Rob Schnapf, who did Rubberneck and Hell Below and Feeler, and have him just go to town?" We went into the studio with the basic idea that we'd do these songs that we'd worked on the arrangements. We got in the studio and cranked out two brand-new songs as well as a few songs that have never made it onto a recording and a cover song. It was a blast, man. It was a great time and I'm looking forward to seeing how people receive it.



It's like listening to killer new songs that you already know the words to.
Yeah! What struck me while deconstructing and putting them back together with this different instrumentation, they just have a different feel, a totally different vibe. I'm really happy with it.

Were there any songs that you redid that didn't make the cut?
We have a couple that are bonus tracks. We have one, "I Come From The Water," it's going to be on the vinyl release. But on the CD or download, it's going to be a bonus track. That one, it just didn't fit in. We wanted to limit it to x number of songs. We didn't want it to be too long on the regular release. It didn't fit, and we always need bonus tracks for whatever. We did a version of "The Appeal" with our good friend Will Johnson from Centro-matic singing. It's chilling, that guy's so good. But we decided in the end that the album should have my voice on it since I'm the singer, so that's a bonus track too. So if you buy the LP, you get a four-sided LP with all the stuff on it.


Tell us about "Queen Of Scars," one of the two new tracks.
Of course, the two new ones are my favorites. The newest songs are always my favorite ones. "Queen Of Scars," we wrote that in the studio. At that point, Doni had gone home for a little bit. It was just me and Rez and Clark in the studio in LA. I can't even remember what we were tracking, but it was one of the songs we had arranged and worked out. We were using all this vintage gear and it breaks all the time because it's old. The keyboards broke. Meanwhile, Rez and I are still in our isolation booths with our headphones on and our mics are still hot. We can still hear each other. I just started dicking around and wrote this little turnaround on the acoustic and Rez was playing along and accenting just the way he does. By the end of the next night, we had a full arrangement and we recorded it and sent it off to Doni to get tracked.

Does it have anything to do with "Jigsaw Girl?"
Yeah, it does. I didn't have any words at that point. I had the arrangement and I knew how I wanted the words to go, but you fill in the blanks with what you want to say. So I went home. This recording session was done in spurts. It was like a week or two here, and then a week there, just did it when we could get away. So I flew out to do vocals on that one and a couple of others for the very last session. And yeah, I had always wondered what might have happened to the main characters in "Jigsaw Girl." You wouldn't know it by listening to them, but a lot of them have recurring characters that pop up here and there throughout these different albums. I'd always wondered what if this guy used his magic on this girl and did his spell or voodoo. That's what "Queen Of Scars" is about. It's like a sequel.

Let's talk about Blondie's "Heart Of Glass." You didn't change any of the words, but it feels like you're listening to a totally different song.
Yeah, I've got a backstory on that. I've got a little girl who's now twelve. She's in band, singing, into music, all this stuff. Having a girl that sings--I've always liked that Blondie song--my ear is more attuned to females singers because I think of her singing. Anyway, I heard that song for about the 1,000,001st time but it was the first time I really listened to the words. If you pull the words out of that song, they're really sad. So I took it home and sat with my daughter and worked on the arrangement. We just kind of messed around with it a little bit, slowed it down, and figured it out on guitar. I sent it off to the guys and they loved it.



You mentioned that the eighth Dia De Los Toadies is next weekend. How did that festival come about?
We broke up in '01 and got back together periodically for radio festivals. Those are fun to do, but it's just a bunch of bands that are on the radio, which more often than not, are not my favorite bands. Nothing against them, it's just not what I would pick to have us headline for or open under. When we got back together in '07 and we were working in pre-production for No Deliverance, we started spitballing the idea, "What if we stopped doing those all the time? What if we cut back on those and create our own demand and do our own music festival where we get to promote it ourselves and we get to pick the bands and pick everything, the food trucks, the beer, everything?" It just took off from there.

Within a couple weeks, we had a couple ideas for the site for the first one. The very first one was out at Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas. The next one was in central Texas, out near Granbury. It was out in the country, way out in the middle of nowhere. Then we went down to New Braunfels for a few years. Now we're on our third year in Fort Worth.

You guys are doing a short tour of Texas dance halls in October before mounting a US tour in November. Why Texas dance halls?
We just thought it would be fun. I've always wanted to go to these places and hang out. We've always wanted to play these places but we couldn't because we're a rock band. We're too big, it'll get too raucous and too crazy. But this current incarnation is more chill and more laid back. So we're going to go do it, film some of it, and record some of it. It's going to be a lot of fun.

But you're not going to be performing behind chicken wire like in The Blues Brothers?
We should set that up! That would be awesome.


You guys have your own beer. How did that come about?
It started about two-and-a-half years ago when we were working on the re-release of Rubberneck. Last year was the 20th anniversary of that album's release. We were thinking, "What can we do to blow this up and make this cool and weird?" A little backstory on me: I'm all about everything Fort Worth. I love this town, I love the people in it and the creativity here. Such cool businesses and such a unique perspective on what life is like here. So we started looking around. We knew some other bands that had beers, like one-offs, done and we thought, "That would be great if we could do one to commemorate the record." There's a brewery here in Fort Worth called Martin House and they said, "Around the time the 20th anniversary of Rubberneck happens, it'll be our first anniversary as being open as a brewery, so why don't we get together and make a beer?" So last year around May, Rubberneck Red came out and that sold like crazy. It sold all over Texas. It was a limited run so it's gone now, but my understanding is they're bringing it back for Dia De Los Toadies next weekend in kegs. I think you'll be able to get it there. But that went so well, they came back to us and said, "You want to work some more with us? What do you want to do?" We came up with a different slant on a kind of beer. There are very few bock beers that you can find. There's Shiner Bock and a few others. They're good, but they're not our beer. They put together this kickass beer [Bockslider] and it's out now. It's really good.

I've got one more question for you. I know you already have Dia De Los Toadies, but we ask everyone this question. You're in charge of a music festival and you can get any five artists, dead or alive, to appear on the bill with you. Who do you choose?
That would be AC/DC with Bon Scott and Phil Rudd. Queen. You gotta get your Zeppelin in there. This is one you're going to have to Google: Brainiac. The fifth one? Probably Mousetrap. Those two are bands that were on Grass Records way back in the day with us. They just kicked a lot of ass.

What song do you all perform together as the final jam?
That's tough, man. I think it would be fun to do "Feel Like Makin' Love." That's one of my guilty pleasure rock songs.

More Toadies: Official | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

First Look/Listen: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Downtown"

Is it too early to declare this song/video of the year? Loving Eric Nally's chorus. And Kool Moe Dee getting some love!

And Ken Griffey Jr.?

Too awesome.

First Look: The Final Girls

OMG! It's like a horror movie version of Teen Beach Movie!



All kidding aside, this looks freaking awesome!

Kim Shattuck: The Culture Brats Interview



Last week, Omnivore Recordings released a remastered edition of The Muffs' debut album, which also contains ten bonus tracks. We caught up with Muffs singer Kim Shattuck to discuss the debut album, the excellent new Omnivore reissue, The Pandoras, the Pixies, the five songs that define The Muffs, and "Kids In America."

What made you decide to do a resissue of your debut album now?
Actually, we just got asked. It's not like it's a significant anniversary or anything. When Omnivore presented it to us, it sounded really cool. And they're tied into Warner Brothers, so it wasn't like just anybody was doing it.

In the liner notes, Ronnie Barnett mentioned that there may have been too many cooks in the studio during the recording...
Oh my God, that's even an understatement. Everyone seemed to have a say. Everyone. Seriously, even people walking by when we were picking mixes. It was super horrible. It was not a good way to operate a band. Everyone should get a say, but not everyone should get a say at the same time. The person deciding should probably be the producer and not everybody. It was very frustrating. It pretty much formed the way I ran the band the rest of the time.

So how much of that album was your vision, given that everyone had an input?
The songs were songs that I had been writing since 1988. The ones before '88 sucked. There was nothing good coming out of me until about '88. I got better and better at songwriting in my own opinion. I was like, "Ok, I can see this being a song. I can see a band playing this song."

The songs were the vision I had, but the collection of songs weren't necessarily the collection that I wanted it to be. That was more Warner Bros. having to do their A&R job. Some of the demos that I presented to them were rejected. When I listen to them again, I'm thinking, "Hmm, these are actually pretty good. I wonder why these got rejected."



He also said that you and he used to dismiss the album. Have you come to embrace it?
Now that it's remastered, yes! The mastering job was so terrible. In the past, I always blamed the mix. Bad mastering can make a good mix terrible. I knew I liked a lot of the songs, but I didn't like the recording of it. Now that I hear the remastered thing, I've changed my mind completely. I love it.

Let's talk about the previously unreleased demos. Were they recorded around the same time as the original album?
They were recorded pre-band. A lot of my demos were recorded around 1989 or 1990. That was pre-band.

I really like songs like "Do You Want Her" and "I Don't Expect It." What kept those from showing up on future albums?
I had forgotten about them completely. I did the demos and I put them away. They were rejected for some reason, I'm not even sure why. They kind of went on the back burner. Eventually, I got rid of my 4-track or it broke or something. I really had no way of listening to them. Part of the process of this Omnivore record was to go through the demos. They wanted to know if I had stuff and I thought, "You know, I do have stuff but I can't listen to it." So I went on eBay and I bought a new TASCAM and I listened to them like that. It was hard because it kept breaking down. I had to hit it like Fonzie to make it come back on.

The answering machine messages at the end of the album... Who's Dave?
Who's Dave? Dave was one of the co-producers of the album and also our co-A&R guy. We had two A&R guys, Rob Cavallo and Dave Katznelson. We decided to have both of them produce, even though Dave had never ever produced before and Rob had only produced one thing. I had never produced.

Does he know those messages are on the album?
He does. We reconnected with him. He's a super nice guy. This answering machine message came after the record was recorded and released. I was really mad at him and I didn't want to talk to him so he drunkenly called me up one night and tried to get me on the phone. He thinks it's funny. He has a really good sense of humor and he was like, "Yeah, put it out. It's funny."

I read on Facebook where you're working with Melanie Vammen again. What are you working on?
The Pandoras. We put The Pandoras back together with me obviously singing. We're not trying to do new songs, we're trying to do the old songs the way we remember them and the way we like them. Melanie and I hadn't worked together in forever, so we're excited to work together again. We've done some shows and we're about to go to Europe and do a big European tour, so that's what we're doing Pandoras-wise.

The Muffs recently did a string of dates in Spain. How did that go?
That was really fun! It was the most sweatiest time. Every club was super hot, super packed, super excited and fun.



Before the end, what was it like performing with the Pixies?
Before the very end? Actually, it was fun playing with the Pixies. It was really fun. Their crowds, the people that go see Pixies shows, are really into it. It was fun performing for those people. The behind the scenes stuff was a little bit awkward. Sometimes it was fun, but sometimes it was awkward. I feel like it was a good experience overall.

I've got one more question for you: what five songs do you feel define The Muffs?
I always pick my favorites, I don't know... I'm going to say "Sad Tomorrow," "From Your Girl," "Honeymoon," "Lucky Guy," and unfortunately or fortunately, "Kids In America," not even a song I wrote.

Were you involved in anything regarding the twentieth anniversary of the Clueless soundtrack?
We were asked to play on the VH1 morning show with Nick Lehee... Is that his name? Lahee? I don't know how you pronounce it.

The guy who was married to Jessica Simpson?
Yeah! It was his show. We played "Kids In America" on his show. We had to learn the song because we had never ever played it. We learned it and now we play it live sometimes. It was funny. We had never really considered playing it live. It was always a thorn in our side but we ended up doing it.

Why did you feel it was a thorn in your side?
The lyrics are really stupid. It's very embarrassing to sing them. I just had an attitude about it because I didn't write it. We play other cover sometimes... I don't know. It was just kind of weird and awkward for us to play it but once we started playing it, we realized people really enjoy seeing us play that song and the fact that we didn't really play it was kind of rebellious for no reason.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk with me today and I hope this reissue leads to further reissues down the road, too.
There are more coming down the pipe!

More Muffs: Facebook | Twitter

More Kim Shattuck: Facebook | Twitter

More Omnivore Recordings: Official | Facebook | Twitter

Seven Questions In Heaven With Skittish



Today we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with Skittish's singer/songwriter/bandleader Jeff Noller!

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
Folk-rock, with thorns. Arcade Fire indie sensibilities with a literary writing style and a flair for the dramatic.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
Beatles, Radiohead, Bright Eyes, Trent Reznor, Paul Simon.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
I think it was a Nirvana bootleg CD from Germany. Live performances and unreleased stuff. It was in a dingy little independant record shop in a strip mall. There's no replacing the feeling, smell, and sounds in those kinds of places. The iTunes store doesn't have quite the same vibe.



What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
A street fair in San Diego. I remember looking out from behind the microphone at one point and seeing a giraffe walk by. I've played plenty of venues, but rarely do you see a giraffe while playing.

What is your current favorite guilty pleasure?
The TV show Rick And Morty. Its great, but hours of watching a cartoon instead of doing something productive brings the guilt.

If they named an ice cream flavor after you, what would be the name and why?
SexyLexy. For when you want to go out and try to meet that special someone, but your social anxiety won't allow it. Its mostly made of whiskey and Lexapro, with a few Altoids sprinkled in for fresh breath.

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
Johnny Cash, The Doors, The Smiths, Radiohead, and The Beatles. After Jim Morrison passes out backstage in a drunken stupor and Morrissey storms off in a huff about some trumped-up travesty, the rest of us would gather on stage to sing "All You Need Is Love" with John Lennon in the middle.

More Skittish: Official | Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp

Seven Questions In Heaven With SHEL



SHEL are sisters Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and Liza Holbrook. They were nice enough to spend Seven Questions In Heaven with us!

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
Eva: Our music is a journey, an exploration of moving sounds, so you hear classical and cinematic influences mixed with beatboxing, fiddle solos, raging drums, and thrashing mandolin.  Since we all sing, four-part harmony is a big part of our sound as well.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
SHEL: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Harry Nilsson, Bach, Chopin, Florence and the Machine, The Eurythmics, The Who, Imogene Heap, The Police.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
Eva: The Police, Greatest Hits.



What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
Sarah: Our very first gig as young kids was a performance on vacuum cleaner pipes. Nothing's topped that for strange:) But the most nerve wracking is to play one of your songs while the bride walks down the aisle. You only get one shot. Talk about pressure!

What's the first thing you look for when you hit a new town?
Liza: A good spot for fresh fish tacos and a good drink.

What is your current favorite guilty pleasure?
Liza: "Don't Tell Em" by Jeremih. Also Oreos.

If they named an ice cream flavor after you, what would be the name and why?
Hannah: This actually happened!  An ice cream shop created a flavor to match our song "The Latest and Greatest Blueberry Rubber Band." It was blueberry flavored with blueberry licorice.  I didn't even get to taste it because it sold out so fast!  If we did it again, I'd pick some sort of vanilla/strawberry cheesecake/cotton candy flavor to match our song, "The Man Who Was The Circus."

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
Hannah: Best question EVER!    The Beatles, Sting, Ennio Morricone conducting the Boston Pops, Imogen Heap with her awesome vocalizing keytar, and John Mayer. And we'd jam out on Led Zeppelin's "When The Levee Breaks."

More SHEL: Official | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Seven Questions In Heaven With The Karma Killers



Today we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with The Karma Killers' Micky James!

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
We consider our music as 'Night/Pop.' We blended a melting pot of our influences and infused them together to make what we feel comes across as 'Night/Pop' music.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
Our musical influences are very broad as a band. As for me, I am very influenced by The Beatles, David Bowie, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, The Strokes... the list is endless.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
The first album I ever bought was when I was around 6 or 7 and it was the self titled Third Eye Blind record. Still until this day one of the most influential albums of my generation. I listen to that record as much as I can.



What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
The strangest gig I ever played was back in 2012 with The Karma Killers. It took place at some bake shop in Gillette, NJ. It was bizarre. It's hard to explain.

What's the first thing you look for when you hit a new town?
Clothing stores. Always.

If they named an ice cream flavor after you, what would be the name and why?
Vanilla. Cause it's fucking awesome.

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
Queen, INXS, Nirvana, The Doors, and The Rolling Stones. We would close the show out with Bohemian Rhapsody. It would be absolutely magical.

More Karma Killers: Official | Facebook | Twitter