RTX

MARGOT AND THE NUCLEAR SO AND SO’S:

QUINTRON

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL

How long did it take to shoot the cover photo?

Quintron:

Obviously a snake is not going to pose.

I’m sure that being fed helps. It eats larger meals than you or I do, whole chickens and rabbits.

But they’re smaller snakes, right?

DEERHOOF

Offend Maggie

Kill Rock Stars

What is “Basketball Got Its Groove Back” about?

Ed Rodriguez [guitar]:

Deerhoof’s “Who Let the Dogs Out?”

CIVET

Hell Hath No Fury

Hellcat

Forgive my ignorance, but what does the name of the band mean?

Liza Graves [lead vocals, guitar]:

Did you choose it because it correlates to the band’s sound… because it’s an aggressive animal?

CATFISH HAVEN

Devastator

Secretly Canadian

Why is it called Devastator?

George Hunter [vocals, guitar]:

I hear a lot of 70s work-all-week-and-let-loose-on-the-weekend rock on the record.

What is the band named after? A restaurant or rural fishing lodge?

AIDS WOLF

Cities of Glass

Skin Graft

Is the album named after the Paul Auster novel?

Chloe Lum [vocals]:

City of Glass

That’s the graphic novelization of the Paul Auster novel. It’s a great, famously left-field crime-fiction novel. Anyway, I’m detecting a Black Flag influence.

Get in the Van

Captain Beefheart

RTX

JJ Got Live RaTX

Drag City

I didn’t know you went by “JJ,” like in the title.

Jennifer Herrema [singer, songwriter]:

Yeah, I like it…

I said yes, I like it. I like the record.

mimicking me

Jennifer, do you know how many records I DON’T like?

It’s not right! You know what else is not right? Hash.

DUNGEN

Kemado

How’d you come up with that title?

Gustav Ejstes [main dude]:

Do you think this album is going to open you up to a bigger audience?

PARTS AND LABOR

Receivers

Jagjaguar

J Warshaw [vocals, bass, electronics]:

Vice

Oh, err, hey, I hear some Alan Parsons Project on this record, which I like. Ever gotten that one?

It’s not a bad thing. My promo copy came with a blurb sticker that said you guys combined Hüsker Dü and the Minutemen with the noise of Wolf Eyes. How do you feel about that? Personally, it sounds sort of ridiculous to me. It was from Wire magazine.

Vice

CRYSTAL STILTS

S/T

Woodsist

You were just at soundcheck? Who are you playing with tonight?

Andy Adler [bass]:

Pootie Tang? A band called Pootie Tang? Not only is it dated, but there’s something else wrong with that.

Oh. Describe the Crystal Stilts audience.

Like, Flying Nun fanatics?

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL

Heart On

Downtown

Are you worried how this record is going to be received? It is different from the other two.

Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes [vocals, guitar, percussion]:

There’s a pretty serious Stones thing going here. You can’t deny that.

And “Now I’m a Fool,” the ballad…

EARLY MAN

Beware the Circling Fin

The End

Are you totally happy with Jack Endino’s production work on this record?

Mike Conte [vocals, guitar, bass]:

Since you’re from Tampa, which was at one time the American death-metal capital of the world, has your band gotten a reaction from any of the old-school death-metal guys who still live there?

Matt Coplon [vocals, lyrics]:

affects a deep voice

THE SECRET MACHINES

S/T

TSM Recordings

Being a drummer, especially one with a particular style, do you get sick of people asking, “How do you get that drum sound?”

Josh Garza [drums]:

WHORE'S MASCARA

Like This but Sexy

Self-released

Chaz Kourday [vocals]:

Sweet Georgia [vocals]:

Yes, please.

Chaz:

Wow. How randy do your live shows get?

Georgia:

Chaz:

So you’re like the Fugazi of post-electroclash. You charge a nice low rate.

Chaz:

WETNURSE

Invisible City

Seventh Rule

Aside from the hardcore/metal combination, something else I hear on your album is an updating of the late-80s and early-90s aggro scene, but it’s not like Clockcleaner or Pissed Jeans, who pull from the looser Cows or Jesus Lizard side of that, it’s the more technical examples like Today Is the Day and Hammerhead.

Curran Reynolds [drums]:

Willpower

GANG GANG DANCE

Saint Dymphna

Social Registry

Hello?

Josh Diamond [guitar]:

Sampled robotic voice answers with a hardly intelligible “Hello”

Hello?

More robot voice

Oh, OK, I get it..

Look, this is loose. We can talk about anything. I mean, I don’t really care what the fuck we talk about.

Why is that?

Do you have people actually bemoan the introduction of more structure into your music?

WINDY AND CARL

Songs for the Broken Hearted

Kranky

Your last album came out three years ago. To some people in the music industry that’s a lifetime. When you recorded this, did it seem like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes or did it seem like putting on a hair shirt?

Windy Weber [vocals, bass]:

NINJASONIK

Tight Pants EP

Chief

You’re nasty, but in a lovable way.

Telli Gramz [vocals, lyrics]:

So what’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened at a Ninjasonik show?

ENSLAVED

Vertebrae

Indie Recordings

So how is this record different from Ruun?

Grutle Kjellson [vocals, bass]:

It’s eight in the morning over here and late afternoon over there in Norway, so I must ask, what is the future like?

Yes, you’re nine hours ahead of me. What happens in the future?

RISE AGAINST

Appeal to Reason

Geffen

Have people ever come to you and asked, “How can you guys be on a major? Isn’t that hypocritical or something?” Because you write songs that criticize capitalist culture and whatnot?

Tim McIlrath [vocals, guitar]:

MARGOT AND THE NUCLEAR SO AND SO’S:

Animal/Not Animal

Epic

Why the double album?

Richard Edwards [vocals, guitar]:

Why so much material at once?

Animal

Not Animal

I didn’t get a full-art promo, what’s the cover art going to be?

Animal

Not Animal

Well, there you go.