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Duck, Little Brother, Duck! Interview/Music

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A sick band, with some amazing parts, and one that is not by far unheard of! If you dance at their shows you are in love, if they capture your hearts, they won't let go, and if you're there in the morning, you'll know it's so. I don't know why I said that, it serves no purpose, but Duck, Little Brother, Duck! Is sick and you should support and get a shirt to sleep in.

1. Where did the name Duck, Little Brother, Duck!, come from?

It’s from the book “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. Jon was reading the book at the time, and it is an all time favorite book of mine (Kyle Souder) as well. We needed a name, and particularly liked the part of the book that line was a part of, so we went with it. We changed the punctuation though like a bunch of nerds.

2. How long has the band been together? When did it start up, and how long have you guys all known each other? Who are the members and what do they bring to the group?

We started the band in March 2009, so I guess that means it’s been about three and a half years now. Three of the four of us (Myself, Jon Scheid and Kyle Parisi) have known each other for a long time; probably since we were around 10 or 11 years old. We grew up for the most part, in the same shitty suburb outside of Portland, went to the same schools, had the same friends etc...

Jon and Phil were in a band together that started probably around 2005-2006. It was called the Jezebel Spirit (it was REALLY good, you should check it out). Kyle Parisi was briefly in that band as well.

The members are Myself (Kyle Souder), Jon Scheid, Kyle Parisi, and Phil Cleary. I play bass, Jon plays guitar and does vocals, Kyle plays guitar and does vocals, Phil plays the drums. In terms of what each of us bring outside of the instruments we play, that is kind of hard to describe.

3. What do you have in the works right now as in new music, or maybe a tour?

We are currently working on some new music. We actually have a ton of “new” music even since the recording of Don’t Take Our Filth Away. We had a lot of material that didn’t get used for that record, but that we still would like to use. We have also been working on getting back into the swing of writing since we returned from our U.S. tour in July. We have a six way split in the works as well with some other really awesome bands. Hopefully that ends up panning out if all continues accordingly. I don’t want to say any more on that really though, in fear of jynxing it.

We don’t have any concrete plans to tour in the near future. We just got back from a pretty long excursion, and we are hoping to devote our energy to writing for a new record. There are some tentative plans for a tour next summer, that one will be a pretty big deal if it all works out. There are also some plans to maybe do some smaller things between now and then also, but none absolutely concrete as well (Washington trips, SXSW). Again though, I don’t want to jynx anything, so I am not going to divulge too much.

There’s also new music from members of this band performing in other bands. Kyle and Phil have a band called Soft Skills, and it’s absolutely incredible. It’s other members are Keith McGraw who recorded Don’t Take Our Filth Away and Pat Dougherty who was in the Jezebel Spirit. There isn’t much from it floating around online, aside from a few videos perhaps, but it’s worth trying to look for.. It’s genuinely really amazing.

Jon and Phil also have a band called U Sco, with Ryan Miller who was formerly in With Eyes Abstract. This band is pretty crazy, and if you want to have your face melted off, it’s definitely worth checking out.

4. How has the sound between records changed? Whether it just be the song writing, or how the songs are composed?

I think the sound between Survival Is Not A Workout and Don’t Take Our Filth Away has changed drastically. Our approach has changed since the first record, as well as the way we look at the band. Survival... was just us writing music, and playing together. The band wasn’t initially started with the intent to necessarily keep being a band. We played together for a year, and recorded everything we wrote. I recorded it, so we had the opportunity to do a lot of crazy production stuff, and mess around a lot. None of us really ever even thought people might hear that record.

Since Survival Is Not A Workout we also got rid of all of our pedals for the most part. Where a lot of the “noise” on that record is a bunch of nob turning, now we have gotten really into feedback. Now the only pedals that are used, are two Fuzz Factory’s.

The lyrics, and music itself has also taken a much more serious direction. The newer material is definitely influenced by a different aesthetic, that we feel like we don’t really see/hear. It’s our hopes to kind of try to bring that out a little in what we have been doing. Not to rehash something that’s already been done, but to borrow from things that we feel are pretty underrated.

There is also currently a shift from how we approached Don’t Take Our Filth Away, to where we want to be now. We are kind of examining how we work together as a band, and what we’d like to do differently right now. We want to try to make the next record the best we can, and keep changing like we have thus far. We are trying to find out what is going to enable us to do that again.

5. One thing I love about your songs are the words, even though they can be few and far apart, not including the ahhh's and ohhh's which are in fact wonderful, but what is the comprising factor in the words going into the songs, whether it be past experiences or lost love?

Kyle and Jon mostly write all the words. The process is kind of interesting, they both have different approaches to what they want to say/convey. Occasionally they will agree with each other. “Calvin Young” is a good example, it was a collective lyric writing process, and it’s pretty much all about our Summer ‘11 tour.

Typically though, Kyle likes to write about more tangible experiences; his approach seems a bit more blunt, and to the point. Kyle would also be the one more likely to write about love. Jon seems more concerned with imagery. His lyrics are usually a lot more ambiguous. He writes a lot about ideas and feelings, things that aren’t really tangible or “real” in the physical sense. Jon usually draws more from past experiences and how they have shaped him (In Duck. Kyle does plenty of this in his other band).

Despite having pretty different approaches, and ideas, in the end they usually manage to come together and create something pretty cohesive.

6. What is something you want people to keep in mind about your music, or when they come out and see you guys play in a awesome small basement?

I am not sure what I’d want people to keep in mind when listening to the music. Everyone’s listening experience is different, and what they take away from each experience is different as well. I guess the only thing I could suggest is the reassurance that the people making it really love what they’re doing.

When people come to a show, have a good time, think about the music, don’t over think it.

7. Have you been keeping yourself real busy this year? What are some of your accomplishments that you have achieved in this band?

Definitely have been pretty busy this year. We put out a record on Topshelf Records. It was released this August. We had a real good mini-tour in Washington. We did a [mostly] full U.S. tour this summer, most of which we were joined by our friends in Octaves. That is pretty much it; we still have two more months of 2012 though, to try to do something really crazy.

Jon, Kyle and Phil’s other bands should also all have some recordings, or new recordings available before the year is over.

8. What is the best show you have played to date? Whether it be you got to play with some awesome friends, or just the atmoshpere was one on another level?

This is a really tough question actually. We’ve played A LOT of really awesome shows. From just this summer alone there were some super memorable ones. Our tour kickoff show with Zoogirl, and Lee Corey Oswald was pretty insane. Denton, TX was pretty awesome. It was in a barn... In Texas. We played with our friends in Innards and Father Figure, Slingshot Dakota played, we made new friends with Sohns, who are also amazing; it was just a pretty ideal show. Boston, MA was awesome also. There were no local bands on the show, and a really solid group of people still came out. We played with Adaje, who we had just done several dates with leading up to this show, Octaves, and our friends in Fugue(RIP) for the last show of 3 shows with them.

To The North Interview/Music

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To The North is one of my all time favorites, sadly they are not playing anymore and are on hiatus for any future endeavors, but read up on this and continue to support them, and any new music you should hear from their members in the future. One of the best interviews I've ever done, Cameron Gillard sat down and gave me all the details on what's been going on so many thank you's to him.

1. What inspired the name To The North?

We were called John Travolta for a small period of time because we had a lot of trouble all agreeing on a name! I think Josh suggested To the North at a jam and it was the only one we all didn't hate, so it stuck. Josh got the idea from a Settlefish song title if i recall correctly.

2. How long has To The North been a band? Where are you guys from, and who does the band consist of?

We were a band from December 2006 until February 2012, while not broken up officially we are on permanent hiatus. We are from Brisbane Australia. Simon plays drums, Errol guitar, Josh bass and myself, Cam on vocals.

3. During the time you were writing new records, from 06 up until 12, do you feel there was a specific time you were at the height of your popularity? Which record do you think got you there?

When "Lustre" (our only full length) came out we were touring quite alot, so i think if there was ever a peak it was just after that record was released in the summer of 2010/2011.

4. Would you say in your own personal opinion that you have a favorite show played to date, rather it be for the performance or overall atmosphere?

There are so many it's quite hard to choose. The most memorable for me, would be the last time we played the Arthouse hotel in Melbourne. The crowd were phenomenal and we played with such passion and pride that it felt amazing.

5. What brought upon the hiatus? For such a prominent band as To The North to just stop one day is surely heartbreaking to more than just myself.

It was a culmination of a few things. Errol battled cancer which was very tough for him, we are very happy he is in remission now! We toured Australia quite a lot which put a strain on our bank accounts and sometimes our friendships. I wasn't interested in touring over here as much anymore as i want to travel the world in the next few years. In the end though i think it just came down to timing. We had done so much with To the North and we felt it was a good time to stop i guess. We are all great friends and i would like to do something in the future but for now it is good to be free!

6. Between records did the writing change at all? Rephrased, do you feel that in the time since your first release you improved or just the way of doing things changed in your music, or your sound changed? I have a live recording and it sounds just as good as the actual mixed releases, which can be a hard thing to acquire.

Yeah it did change a fair bit. Our first ep came together effortlessly and not a great deal of time went into it. We practiced and fleshed out a bunch of songs until they were ready then recorded "landscapes" with our friend Leigh under his house. That recording was pretty much live with the vocals overdubbed, for what it was i think it turned out great.

From that point on we took a little more time with the writing. Like most bands we wanted to produce something different and a step up. From the landscapes ep onward we started playing a lot so our next release ended up being a 1 song split with Ohana! We recorded this in Byron bay with our pal Dave Williams’ and were super happy with how it turned out.

From that point on we started working on what we thought would be the album! Quite a bit of time had passed without a release so we decided to do a 4 song ep "to work and not feed" until we had enough material to do an album. This release was recorder with Bryce Moorehead.

From that point onward we bunkered down to get "Lustre" finished. The nature of how we wrote songs changed drastically for the record. We wanted to produce something amazing so instead of just writing songs and being chilled about it, we were all hyper critical. We would pull apart the songs and re work them over and over until they were perfect to us. This was a mammoth task and meant that, even though we are very proud of the record it took a little bit of a toll on our sanity. Recording it was a great experience though as we tracked with Bryce Moorehead and got Dave Williams to mix so it was like recording with your family, both those guys understood what we wanted to achieve.

It's great there are a bunch of high quality live recordings of us kicking around and i am glad we sound live, like we do recorded. Nothing worse than an auto tuned bands that sounds nothing like the recording.

7. Can you say that you honestly miss the band? Just making music and having that experience with some of your best of friends. Do you think there is more you could have accomplished or more you wish you could have done?

Yes i miss it like crazy but i have my new band Little Shadow to fill the creative void. The best analogy i guess, is it's like breaking up with a girlfriend. There is always so much time and love invested but sometimes it's best for all involved to move on. We could have accomplished so much more, as we planned to tour America with La Dispute and we were working on a bunch of new songs when it fell apart. I would still like to rekindle the band at some point in the future, i guess we will have to wait and see how it all plays out.

8. Doing something like a band can be fun but sometimes stressful, but I think you'd say ultimately a very good experience. Is there something you'd say to people who hear your music and it inspires them to branch on their own and start a band? Just a small bit of advice from someone who has done it and done it well.

Thanks mate! Playing music is the most rewarding thing i have ever done in my life, and continues to be. It has no limits and is one of the very few human expressions, that can be as true as you want it to be.

I love finding new bands/music and tapping into someone’s mood and head space. To feel and understand what someone else feels, through music is a beautiful experience. My advice would be to find something you are passionate about and pursue it with as much vigour as you can give it.

Kittyhawk Interview/Music

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No music yet, recorded at least. But I was recommend so I serve, a supposed sick band out of Chicago, Kittyhawk will soon have music to fill your hair infested ears with sound waves that will trigger nerve responses that will tell your face muscles to smile, and your feet to dance. Read, and stay tuned.
Not, they now have music, well one song and they are working on more so stay in touch with all the butch dudes in this band. Mark Jaeschke is a lord of the underworld and his fate is trapped, but I still love him.

1. Where did the name Kittyhawk come from?

we were sitting in erik's basement one afternoon at our "first practice" (really, erik and i had written one song a piece) trying to think of band names.  i wanted it to do with aviation, because i like flying, so eventually we came up with that.  it was originally kittyhawk, nc (north carolina), but it's just easier that way.  there's apparently a prog band from decades ago that has the same name.  oh well.

2. How long has the band been together? As well as who is in the band? And what is each persons contribution?

we've technically been a band for about a year, although we finally started getting the ball rolling about 4 months ago.  as far as the band goes, we have erik czaja one of the two guitar players, who also plays with dowsing, herzog and a few other projects.  evan loritsch plays drums for us, and also drums in the island of misfit toys, options, warren franklin, and plays with literally a million other people.  literally.  kate grube plays keyboards and writes the lyrics and she was in a band called walrus a while back and does backing vocals on a lot of into it. over it.'s material.  i'm mark jaeschke and i play guitar.  i'm also in the island of misfit toys, warren franklin, and i play horns with joie de vivre.

3. Considering it is a relatively new band how much longer do you see it lasting? Is it sometimes hard with all the other projects going on?

haha, i have no idea!  hopefully for a while.  i've been working on a few song ideas for a full-length record, but we'll take it as it comes.  all of our other projects are working on new releases for 2013, so it'll be a busy year for everyone.

4. So now you are finally fucking recording shit, how is that going so far? Would you tour with it just yet?

we're actually almost done.  we're gonna be working on two more songs tomorrow and then i have a few guitar things i wanna work on.  as far as touring goes, we'd totally go out with that ep!  we have hopes to try to go to the east coast in january, but it's really all tentative right now.

5. You spoke it! A tentative tour to the east, tell more. Would you be going with someone? Atleast give some people there a small shred of hope to hear you.

hm, i dunno really!  we really just talked about it today while we were recording, haha!   there are a few cities we'd definitely like to hit up in new jersey and pennsylvania to play with some friends.  erik wants to tour with brave bird, which would be super fun.  we'll keep you posted!

6. Have you played any shows yet? If so has the been a favorite one played so far, unless there are none or is just a single show played.

we haven't played any!  our first show is october 6th with my other band, the island of misfit toys, cherry cola champions, and unraveler.  it's at erik's house, so we have home field advantage!

7. Since you are a new band, what is some piece of advice you would give to an aspiring musician or someone who wants to start up a band?

haha, no sweat dude.  hang out with your friends, go to shows, and listen to records.  our band happened by complete happenstance, so there's nothing stopping other folks from doing the same.

Pardee Shorts Interview/Music

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Listen to the first song, and if your head doesn't start moving, and you feet are swaying, then you probably are so heartless. Just get into it, have a good time, move around to this sweet sex music. If Cyrus' drum beats don't make you move, if Reids' bass doesn't make you groove, and if Kevin's keys don't make you sneeze, then get out. But seriously, Reid on bass, Cyrus on drums, and Kevin on keys makes the perfect trio. Awesome guys, read up on this interview, and support!

1. Why the name Pardee Shorts?

Well there are a few reasons why we came to decide on this name, the original reason was a suggestion from an old friend Jonathan Reddick who said we should call are band Party Shorts, however we wanted it to be a little more meaningful to us and our lives. We took his suggestion and made it work with a street which was a block away from where we practiced called Pardee ST in Portland. Also it's kind of a play on words about our music in which it felt as which each part or "pardee" was drastically different then the next, which would change quickly, hence shorts. Think Tom and Jerry chasing eachother.

2. What do you guys have in the works right now? New songs or a tour?

Right now we are in the works of recording 3 songs for a 7 inch. We have talked about trying to play a few house shows out in South by Southwest, this is still rather tentative.

3. What made you want to start up the band? I fucking love it, my everything moves when I hear it. Did you just want dance songs?

Well I met Cyrus (drummer) in 2008  and really wanted to play music with him after watching his old math rock band Trifina Trifosa. The original idea was to just play and see what happens. I think we wanted to just encompass a lot of our influences into our own style and at times that can be danceable I suppose.

4. Do you have a favorite show that you have played so far?

Well recently we did a few shows up in Bellingham, Seattle, and Bellevue and we got to play with some of our friends up there which was a great time. I would say all of those shows were really fun especially Bellevue because we got to play one of the first shows at the new Ground Zero which was awesome to see a scene still flourishing with the type of youthfulness that music needs today . We also played a show on New Years that I felt was a blast because we had a ton of friends there and it was just an all around good time.

5. Do you have more vocals in the newer songs? Or is it still the same awesome progression of parts from before?

I think yes there is going to be more vocals in the newer songs even as far as a bit of singing. I'd like to incorporate all of our vocals and have more group parts.

6. How much longer do you see this band lasting?

Well a simple answer would be "til the bitter end".

7. Is there a certain song you love to play live? Or maybe one that you had a good hand in writing?

One of my favorite to play live is Happy Ghost, it has a very nice tempo throughout and I feel quite confident playing it. It is also a song that was written in a very organic way, in the sense that it kind of came out of all of us in just the right way. I think that a lot of our song writing starts with piano parts I have written and then becomes something considerably different upon completion. I'd like to think that the songs are equally crafted.

8. Has the way the songs are written or sound change on the new songs?

A little bit. I feel like we are now more conscience of our melodic and rhythmic structures a know a little bit more of what we want things to sound like. I'd say a little more grown up but with the same energy if that makes sense.

9. What is something you want people to know or keep in mind when they listen to your music?!

That's a pretty hard question. I would say just have fun and don't be afraid to try something different. Whether it be walking a different road home or learning about something you were unfamiliar with. Don't give up with any pursuit you have in life, unless it's romance. Just kidding!

The Sky Above and Earth Below Interview/Music

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The Sky Above and Earth Below is an imaginative band, with lyrics, and a name, full of imagery to set your mind at ease or break your heart. What was once a one piece, became a two piece, and on their next record will be a three piece! Read and listen, and be sure to stay tuned for the new stuff this band is putting out it is sure to melt your brain.

1. Where did the name The Sky Above And Earth Below come from?

It didn't come as a reference to anything, and wasn't really inspired by anything specific. I just liked the imagery it created for me. It just has to do with where we are, as humans, physically, of course. Very literal.

2. How long has the band been together? When did it start up, and who doe's it consist of?

Well sometime in 2008 a band that I was in called A Ghost's Face Two Inches From Your Own Face was coming to an end and I had several songs I had written that we did not finish together. Edward (the other guitarist in that band) and I have played music together pretty much constantly since then but it was never as aggressive as our previous endeavors, so I sat on those songs for a couple of years and finally recorded them track by track, by myself, in 2010. That was the Quest's Timescape ep. I had been in another band last year called Grandfather which featured the best fucking drummer I have ever had the pleasure of playing with, Sam Pape, and I worked up the gall to ask him to play drums with me so that I could play shows with TSAAEB. We started playing as a two piece in late 2011 I think, and sometime a few months ago our friend Reid Stubblefield of Pardee Shorts joined us on bass.

3. So did the dynamic change after he started playing drums? By that I mean does he help write the songs now, or is it still a Miller life when it comes to the songs?

Well we are about to record a full length, and somewhere near the end of writing that we began integrating the whole band into the writing process, rather than me writing songs and showing them to Sam and Reid. I'm excited to see where it goes after we put this record out because they are both very creative and, I feel, can bring an awful lot to the table.

4. Do you think the new songs with them are better? Or that having the in the band definitely makes the band fuller?

Most of the new stuff is still stuff that I wrote and brought to them. That being said, the songs are different, but I try not to get the idea that what I'm doing now is better than what I was doing two or four years ago. It's just different, and it should be; we all need to progress when we write music.

5. What was the first show you played with Sam playing the drums? And what as well has been the best played show yet?

We play a lot of shows at this bookstore in Portland, mainly because there are not many other places to book all ages, DIY shows in the city right now. Our first show was there, I believe with Cower, and I think we covered Ghoul's Night Out by the Misfits... My favorite shows are when we get to play with good bands from out of town that I've never heard of. Last month we played with a band called Sinatra from DC and they were crazy good. Very mid-2000's sounding post hardcore. I'm a sucker for it.

Also, we've finally played enough shows as a band to get locked in and not sound like poop. Tonally, I think we sound better every show.

6. Well lyrically how are your songs put together? From past experiences, or do you use hit points in your music to know where to write something?

Sam and I have actually been writing most of the lyrics together. We enjoy writing about love, not specifically romantic love but the love we have for our friends, family, and those we've lost. Our upcoming album has a lyrical concept that we put quite a bit of effort into.

7. Care to divulge a little on this concept? Or would you rather wait until it releases?

Not at all, it's about a young kid losing his best friend. The lyrics are written from both the perspective of the kid who dies and the kid who is alive, they deal with a child's understanding of love and death and coming to terms with mortality, as well as discovering what it means to be dead (which is expressed lyrically through confusion, not knowing where one is or what it happening). It is hard not to be pretentious when talking about death but we tried.

8. Do you think this will make people fall in love with your music more? What was the reasoning behind deciding on this lyrical path for the new album?

Hah, I'm not sure but I'm betting it will at least be taken more seriously not having anything to do with Zelda. That is one reason why I wanted to have a strong concept on this album, to set it straight that we are not a Zelda-themed band, although the songs on the ep are about Zelda. I think I wrote about Zelda to make the songs less personal, so I could share it without really spilling my heart out. At this point in my life, I think spilling your heart out is one of the most important things to  do with your art.

9. Is there anything you want to say to people who want to start their own music, or that your music inspires them to want to do something?

Please do it, even if you live in a shitty town or don't have anyone to play music with or your family doesn't understand what you feel passionate about, struggle to make music. It's worth it, even just for yourself.

Dads Just Because

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Dads is from NJ. They love to play play. Music all day day. They recently released a new album, American Radass (This is Important), and are also touring playing songs from this album and some old ones you fell in love with back in the day. If you know that they are going to be near you anytime soon, you must take it upon yourself to go see them, and line their pockets with the money you asked your mom for when she dropped you off there. Don't ask to play shit twins, it's too long. But I digress, I love Scott and John, they are great guys, and they are having an awesome tour. Everyone should support them in listening, and if you have the money to buy some merchandise do so. Let them get home safe and all that gooey shit.