The Two Tens

Photo by OlyKaz

     I can’t recall how or when exactly I first heard this tremendous L.A. duo, it was recently though, that much I remember. Since then I’ve been fiendishly listening to their music and watching their videos. I do remember as I pressed play for the first time on their self-released debut EP Volume 1, I felt like I was curiously peering inside a dark barrel, unable to see the bottom and when the music started it felt as if something suddenly jumped up, grabbed me by the face and pulled me in at reptilian speed. The first song I heard called “Scene” is such a hook filled garage rock n’ roll monster of a tune and I was all in it, completely submerged and basking in all of its thundering glory! 

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start out by telling me who’s currently in the band:

ADAM: It’s just the two of us. Adam Bones and Rikky Styxx.

How did you two meet and decide to play music together?

ADAM: Rikki and I started performing in my previous solo project band. We played in that band for about a year and when that just didn’t seem to be working out I asked if she’d start a new project with me. Just the two of us. Luckily she said yes!

What band or musician would you say has had the biggest influence on your life?  Tell me a bit about the first time you heard him or her and how it made you feel:

ADAM: I think the biggest musical influence on this band is the Ramones. When I was first introduced to their music, I loved it, but wasn’t obsessed just yet. I was fortunate enough to have actually gotten to see them live as a kid and that changed my life. After that night, it was all Ramones all the time.

I was really surprised to hear The Two Tens have only been around a year and you have already released 4 EP’s and your sound, as odd as this may seem, sounds to me very confident, not a lot of shaky ground in your songs. Did you have this particular sound in mind for the band when you two started playing together?

ADAM: It’s because we kick ass, ha, ha. J We actually had a good idea on how we wanted things to sound from the start. Also, we’re both experienced enough to know how to make things sound good.

And speaking of your EP’s; from what I understand you recorded them all together with some pretty heavy hitters Bruce Duff producing, Paul Roessler engineering and Jim Diamond mixing. What was it like to work with all these guys?

ADAM: It’s great. They’re all really good at what they do. We’re pretty fortunate to have worked with them. I’ve known Duff for years. We’ve turned each other onto music for a long time. He understood what we were going for. Bruce brought us to Paul’s studio to record. Paul was a pleasure to work with. His easy going demeanor made the recording experience pretty great. And his musical input was very helpful as well. Jim brought it all together and made it sound exactly like how we wanted it to sound in the end.

Photo by Zb Images

Personally, I love music videos. I grew up on MTV and I feel there is something really powerful about coupling images with song. You’ve released a video for one of the songs from each of your EP’s. Even though MTV is no longer what it once was, do you feel music videos should still be a priority for rock n’ roll bands?

ADAM: Living in a content driven world, having videos is important. It’s too bad that there isn’t a good video platform for videos to thrive on television, like how MTV was. But people discover new music on YouTube all the time. So having videos is a good idea. Plus, nowadays, anyone can make a video with their iPhones, so it can be done easy and cheap. Also, making our vids were just a lot of fun.

Your band has received a lot of positive press, everything from the Los Angeles Times to The Huffington Post. One thing I’ve noticed is how a lot of people comment about how great you sound for being a two-piece band. Did you set out being a two piece band originally and do you feel more exposed playing live on stage with it only being you two up there?

ADAM: The one thing that people almost always say to us after seeing us perform is that we have a big sound for just two people. When I approached Rikki about starting the band, I wanted it to just be the two of us. Mostly because I just wanted to be in a band with someone that I liked hanging out with. The less band members the better. And it’s great be because we have the same work ethic, taste in music and humor. As far as the live show, we don’t feel more exposed. We both know how to command the stage.

Even though you recorded all the songs on your EP’s in the same session, Volume 4 for some reason to me seems darker. What sorts of things typically inspire you song lyrics? Are there any subjects you purposely try to stay away from? 

ADAM: I get inspiration for lyrics mostly from life experiences and how I’m feeling about things. In this band I’m actually trying to not stray away from any subjects. I’ve limited myself in the past and I don’t want to do that anymore.

You recently did a tour of the Southwest U.S.. How do you feel it went and tell me about some of the highs and lows you experienced when you were out?

ADAM: We’ve done two tours now in the short time we’ve been a band. First was in March making our way to SXSW. More recently we went on the road with our friends, Turbulent Hearts, up to the Pacific Northwest and back. We’ve had a lot of fun on the road. Plenty of stories. We also learn a lot when we’re on the road. How to tour better next time around, we try to mix up our set lists, play some new songs and get them down. 

Where can people go to listen to or get your music?

ADAM: We’re on iTunes, Spotify and anywhere else. We have a Bandcamp page as well (https://thetwotens.bandcamp.com/). Or just go to our website www.thetwotens.com.

What lies in the near future for The Two Tens? 

ADAM: We have a lot of really great shows on the horizon. We just got added to Echo Park Rising, we’ll be playing Aug 15. Then we’re playing the Hi-Fi Rockfest in Long Beach with Dead Kennedys, Street Dogs, The Sonics, Naked Raygun and a bunch more bands. Then we’re opening for The Misfits on Nov 13 at the Glass House in Pomona.

Try to keep up with the Two Tens here:

www.thetwotens.com

https://www.facebook.com/thetwotens

https://thetwotens.bandcamp.com/

www.instagram.com/thetwotens

www.twitter.com/thetwotens

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTwoTensBand 

We’re keeping busy!

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Petty Things

     Petty Things unleash a murky, swirling psychedelic garage rock much like their forefathers did in The Seeds and The Count Five, and other bands in the mid to late 1960’s that still held on to their Rock N’ Roll roots, but just took it to a wildly new and chaotic level. Petty Things have tapped into the benevolent and malevolent spirits of the Sonorant Desert itself and channel these transcendental energies to us in song form, much like a Native American Shaman. If you listen to Petty Things songs carefully the mysteries of the universe shall be revealed unto you.

Interview by Jay Castro

Please introduce yourself and how you contribute to Petty Things?

Hello, my name is Jordan Owen and I play guitar, sing, and write the songs for Petty Things.

Where are you all from originally and how did you all meet and decide to play music together?

Everyone in the band is either from Phoenix or Tempe, and since the beginning of the band the main nucleus has been me and my brother (Austin) with a range of different players hopping on and off around us. At the moment, the band consists of me, my brother on bass, Doug James on lead guitar, and Chris Gerber on drums. Pretty much everyone that has ever played with us, the current lineup included, I met through just playing and going to shows around the Phoenix/Tempe area and for most of them I can’t really remember exactly how we met and decided to start playing together, but everything’s always worked out really well and I love what we’ve got going on at the moment.

I notice you guys play out quite a bit.  What’s the scene like for you in the Phoenix Metro area?  Do you find the typical crowd reaction positive?

Yeah, playing in front of a good crowd is possibly the best experience ever so we try to play out as much as we can. The scene in Phoenix can be a little fickle at times depending on the day of the week or the venue. I’m sure it’s the same everywhere else. For the most part, the best shows are the ones that are either free or all ages. All ages shows are definitely always the best. Kids are so much more willing to get crazy and have a blast which always gets us pumped up and feeling better on stage. It kinda sucks to admit since everyone in the band is a part of that age group, but the 21+ shows we play are usually the ones with the least crowd response. Our dream show is an all ages, BYOB, do as you please house show. It doesn’t always work out that we play those kinds of dream shows, but whenever we get the chance we hop on those.

I read in Valley Hype that your song “Bored” was inspired by the tragedy in Oklahoma where some teenagers killed a 22 year old Australian baseball player simply because of boredom.  Do you guys often get musically inspired by current events?  What other things inspire your tunes?

Actually, I hardly ever write songs inspired by the news. Even though I probably listen to the news nearly as much as I listen to music, those stories don’t normally make it into my songs. I think with that song what happened was I had all the music worked out, the melody pretty well structured, but didn’t know what to write about. Then I saw that story and it just stuck with me. I tried some lyric ideas out when I got home and it worked out really good. I also really liked that the song has a pretty and poppy kind of sound but has lyrics about a gruesome subject. Besides that song, day-to-day people, thoughts, and events inspire most of my songs. Also, lately they’ve been getting a little sexier, which has been really fun. But yeah, for the most part I find myself writing about people and my relationship with them, sometimes real, sometimes totally made up.

In your opinion, what bands do people need to know and understand in order to better appreciate your music?

We get influenced by a lot of different bands from a bunch of different time frames and locations. Obviously there’s a lot of DIY/lo-fi/garage rock and stuff like that that works its way in. But what would probably help people understand what we’re doing the best is to look into the tape labels Gnar Tapes in Portland, OR and Rubber Brother Records in Tempe, AZ. They are responsible for providing us, at least in my mind, with some of our biggest influences. These guys are putting out some of the raddest music, most of which has had a huge influence on what I write. Some of the favorites from both labels are White Fang, Love Cop, Today’s Hits, The Memories, Playboy Manbaby, The Thin Bloods, Webs, Fungi Girls, Guantanamo Baywatch, and a ton more. I seriously can’t express just how large my love for these labels is, too huge.

I see that Petty Things are playing PHX Fest and SXSW this year. Pretty major stuff!  How did those gigs materialize?

I would like to say that it was all our hard work and stuff that got us on those shows but really we just got a ton of help and support from our labels. Rubber Brother put in a good word for us to get on Viva Phx and Gnar Tapes is hosting a showcase at SXSW that we were invited to play. It’s all pretty wild to think of us playing these “bigger” kind of shows since we’ve only been a band for about 9 months. But yeah, we’re super grateful and really, really stoked to be a part of them.

What’s been the most unforgettable show you’ve played, good or bad and what made it so memorable?

Man, that’s really hard to nail down. There have been some absolutely amazing shows that we’ve played. The one that seems to stand out the most in my mind is our EP release show at the Trunk Space in Phoenix. We had only been a band for a couple months and had yet to play a show to more than like a handful people, but that night there had to be at least 150 kids all packed into this ferociously hot dungeon of a venue, all sweating and having fun. We played toward the end of the night and the crowd went crazy the whole time. The whole thing felt so good and I guess that’s part of why it’s one of the most memorable. Just realizing that people were actually into what we were doing felt so rad, and there’s really nothing better than playing to people that wanna hear you.

You guys are also in another band called Los Puchos. Can you tell me a bit about that project?

Yeah, that’s my Brother Austin’s project. Everybody in Petty Things also plays in Los Puchos with me on bass, Doug on lead guitar, Chris on 12 string/baritone guitar, and Austin singing. How it started was Austin had recorded some really awesome songs on the side, and since he’s leaving to join the Peace Corps in May for 2 years he decided to go all out with the short time he has here and turn his project into this mysterious party band. It’s really blown up since we’ve started and there have been some epic shows. Rubber Brother is releasing our EP on March 1 so look out for that. 

Where are the best places for people to hear or buy your music?

You can listen to and buy our music either on our Bandcamp (https://pettythings.bandcamp.com/) or on the Gnar Tapes and Rubber Brother Bandcamps. Or you can come to one of our shows, hear and see us play, test the waters, and then come and meet us and buy a tape or some other kind of merch there. We love the second option the most.

http://gnartapes.bandcamp.com/album/bored

What does the band have in store for us in the near or not so near future?

Whole bunch of rad stuff coming up! Biggest news is that that we’re releasing our first full length album at the end of April. That’ll be coming out on Gnar Tapes/Rubber Brother Records, of course. Then for the first week of May we’ll be going on a west coast tour all the way up into BC, Canada. So look out for the album online and look out for us playing in your west coast town really soon! Before all that we’re playing Viva Phx on March 7 and SXSW at the Gnar Showcase on March 14. All in all things are looking mighty fine for the Petty boys.  

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Sonic Avenues

     Sonic Avenues is the kind of band that writes such good songs they can afford to not release them on their LP’s as evidenced by Sixteen Wires that was released/uploaded on bandcamp in March. They write power pop that has equal importance on both power and pop. A mix of Buzzcocks, Pointed Sticks, Powerpearls and the Cheap Rewards re-issues LP’s blended into a fine music cocktail. Currently, the band is finishing up writing their third LP and looking to play the world. 

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Max

Where is the band from?

Montréal, La Belle Province, Canada.

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?

I play guitar and I do lead vocals, Seb plays lead guitar, Chance is the guy on bass and JC beats on the old pots and pans.

How did the band start?

A couple of years ago, I used to live in a house with three roommates. We used to throw EPIC parties in that place. I had a room in the basement, which had drums, and amps set up. It was perfect for not studying while bugging the shit out of my roommates and neighbours. Needless to say that my room quickly became the scene of many late night drunken trashy jams. My buddy Jamie was a regular. He’d come over with a bunch of beers a couple of nights every week and we’d just bash it out for a couple of hours. After a while, we had a couple of (pretty shitty) original songs. That’s when we decided to take the idea of starting an actual band a bit more seriously. But it’s mainly because of him that Sonic Avenues saw the light of day. I was very lazy while he was motivated and insistent about it. So, I figured we might as well give it a shot and see what happens. At that point, drunken jams progressively turned into actual rehearsals. And once we had a few presentable songs, we approached a few people to see if they wanted to be in the band. That’s when JC and Seb joined the group. That was in 2006. 

What bands did you have in mind when starting this band?

We were really going after the garage 60‘s movement initially. Bands like The Kinks, The Zombies, The Who, The Litter, etc, were dominant driving influences. Basically, we were punks trying to do 60‘s; all those punk and powerpop records were never far during that time. I always loved bands like The Real Kids, Barracudas, Adverts, Buzzcocks, Pointed Sticks, etc...  These were always an underlying influence no matter what we were trying to do. And eventually, they became predominant and took over the main direction of our song writing.

How is the recording the third LP coming along? Any schedule release date?

We haven’t started to record it yet. We’re still in the process of writing the last few songs. So far, we have gone through a LOT of songs that we decided not to keep. It sounded too much like the old stuff. We just want to keep things fresh and interesting; not just for the people out there who like our band, but also for us. I’m very happy with the songs we have now. It’s most definitely our strongest material to date. At least it feels that way. Variety - while remaining true to our style - is what we are trying to achieve this time around: dark, bright, long songs, shorter songs, different tempos, etc. I can’t wait to start recording it. Studio time will start this spring and if all goes well, the album should be released later this year.  

Do you think music can still be a vital force in such a disposable age?

Of course! I do realize that there are thousands of records being released every year and that it has become really, really hard to keep track of it all. Lots of good stuff just keeps flying right under our noses all the time… That to me is where the downside of that situation is. These days, people go through a lot of records real fast without looking back because of the rate at which they come out. But every now and then, there’s a record that’ll just stand right out of the bunch. That one will just stick to the turntable and for a while, there will be no other ones! Those are the records that you actually come back to. Luckily, music like this is still being released these days and this is very reassuring. So yeah, most of it is disposable nowadays but there’s still great music out there that will keep coming looking for you. The search of mind-blowing tunes may prove to be harder in this era but the reward of finding them is certainly well worth the effort in the end!

It seems like Sonic Avenues and Steve Adamyk Band have toured a lot in the past and have released a split 7”. Is there any future tours planned with the two bands? How did this band friendship come about?

Initially, we were introduced to the Ottawa scene by local Ian Manhire (Going Gaga Records, Sedatives, White Wires, Voicemail) when he invited us to play a basement show a few years ago. I think it was one of the first White Wires show, too... It was awesome. It was a shock for us to see how great and ‘together’ that scene was (and still is). It was the best thing I’d seen since the Spaceshits reign over Montreal more than 10 years ago. It was the real thing; a bunch of kids hanging out, drinking beers and partying to some bands in a basement. It can’t get any better than that. So, shows after shows in Ottawa, we started to become real good friends with some of the people there. They made us feel like we belonged to their awesome, growing scene. It was a good feeling. Especially after having spent months/years in a city (Montreal) that was experiencing a bit of a lull in terms of punk scene activity, where most bands were operating essentially on their own which sucked. Luckily, that is changing I think. Anyways, Steve and his bandmates were some of the people we felt really connected to and we quickly became solid buds. Both our music goes really well together. We’re all on the same wavelength and that makes life on the road not only easy, but a lot of fun. Steve has also filled in for our bassist on a few occasions and Seb, JC and I were his backing band at SXSW last year. And now we officially share one member: Seb. About future touring plans, Steve and I were very recently talking about it and it looks like the bands are gonna hit the road together once again in the nearish future. We have no official details yet, though.

First of all the song “Sixteen Years” that was just released sounds like a power pop gem. How did this song not make the Television Youth LP? I like Television Youth, but “Sixteen Years” is a cool song. 

Thanks! That’s one of the first feedback I get about that song. To be honest, I kind of regret not putting “Sixteen Years” on Television Youth. I think it would have been a good counter weight to balance the darker side of the album. The only reason why it didn’t make the cut was primarily because we were just sick of it and we collectively started to think that it wasn’t good. We also wanted a 10-song album. So, some of the material had to be cut. Two other songs found their way into the garbage bin... Maybe I’ll throw them all on a 7” one day. One of them was called Bored With Love and it was meant to be the song used for the Steve Adamyk Band/Sonic Aves tour split. That 7” was gonna be called the Bored With Love split. It would’ve been cool. But then that song suffered the same fate as Sixteen Years; we thought it sucked and preferred new material over it. So I picked Fadin’ Love instead for the 7”. I’m probably gonna remix Bored With Love eventually though… it had a pretty cool noisy surf-style part played on a classical guitar. We’ll see...

Exclaim stated when describing Television Youth “distilling old-school punk and garage rock into a joyous racket. The arrangements are more complicated, but the hooks, which are what matter most when we're talking about this kind of music, remain firmly in place.” While writing the second LP was this a conscious decision or maturation or the band’s song writing?

I’d say it was a bit of both. On TV Youth, we consciously wanted to show our darker side, which wasn’t really reflected by our first album. We tried to write songs that would take a few spins in order to fully “get”. To me, this happens when the structure of a song is a bit less familiar or intuitive. But at the same time, you don’t want to become plain weird in the end. It’s a delicate balance. But as far as conscious planning goes, that was it. The rest seems to have happened on its own. So, I guess we did maybe mature a bit as a band.

Dusted Reviews wrote “Sonic Avenues’ really excellent album Television Youth is an anachronism, not just in its musical references – The Jam, The Clash, The Only Ones and certain harder-edged elements of The Kinks – but in its way of looking at the world. It’s just not the same being a punk kid in a dead-end town anymore. No matter where you live, no matter how far away the nearest rock club or comic book store, there are kids just like you at the other end of your Wi-Fi connection.” Do you agree with that; it’s not the same being a punk kid in a dead-end town?  What about that statement from Television Youth about being an anachronism? Do you still think this term is applicable today?

I think that being a punk kid has always been the same wherever, whenever, technology progress or not. It’s essentially always been about music and DIY. Being punk is about the love for an honest, unpretentious style of music. A music that beats to the rhythm of an agitated excited heart: 150-200+ beats per minute. Being a punk musician is about writing, playing, rehearsing and recording songs, organizing tours, supporting the community. All of that on top of an (often shitty) 40-hour/week job. That is what being a punk is all about.

Now, about that statement... First, I have to admit that when I first saw that review I was amazed to find out that some people actually read or thought about our lyrics! I think the subject tackled in TV Youth still absolutely applies today. More so than ever if anything. In fact, smart phones and all those modern gadgets ARE the new TV’s. TV’s on mega steroids. I mean, they’re amazing machines. I love the social and informative aspects of them. But they epitomize what TV’s have always been about to most people: easy access entertainment. I don’t think that the critic who wrote the review knew I was actually going after this very specific thing, that TV’s are just an image used to represent it all. In short, that song was written about the fact that a lot of people born with amazing creative potential seem to let it erode with time to the profit of hours (days or even years) spent in idle mode. Some people let their brains get filled with a constant influx of shitty information instead of activating their own neurones and become what they were meant to be. I know there’s waaaay more to intellectual potential being wasted than just ‘idle mode entertainment’ but that would’ve turned Television Youth into a shitty and lyrically overloaded punk opera. Another the reason why I decided to name the song “Television Youth” was also based on phonetics. It just sounded good to my ear. “Television” was a better, cooler word than many other options I was playing with at the time.

So, yeah anyways, I do love TV and I think I’m gonna go watch Point Break after this. Word.

50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects music in any way?

Well, I think some people are definitely getting richer but it’s definitely not your average musicians! It’s incredibly hard to live off your art. In fact, it’s nearly impossible, especially with the genre of music we play. I think that never changed. The only difference is that now the artists’ products cover more grounds way more easily. I think artists like us don’t profit financially from it but we do benefit in some ways because of the increased exposure and easy access.

Where can people hear the band?

Online - http://sonicavenues.bandcamp.com/

Live - we don’t have a lot of shows booked for the next few months as we’re going to be busy recording. Go on our facebook page to keep track of show scheduling: https://www.facebook.com/SonicAvenues.

What’s next?

Recording the new album! Also, we wanna play everywhere: US, Europe, Japan, Canada, etc. So LOTS of shows are going to follow the release of the new record. We also want to do a bunch of 7”’s this year. So, as early as this summer we’ll get going with this series of singles project. 

Also, the Ottawa Explosion 2013 weekend is coming in June (19-23) and we’re playing. Best w-e of the year. Spread the werd.

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The Resonars

     The Resonars are full of the vocal harmonies and jangly guitar melodies that made the early to mid-1960’s so sweet before the Vietnam War changed the social and musical landscape. Originally beginning as a full band, later becoming a solo project for years and now recently becoming a full band again at the insistence of Burger to play this year’s SXSW. The Resonars seemed renewed and full of purpose with an EP and a few LP’s being released and re-released. The band’s brand of Byrds and Hollies influenced songs is poised to introduce them to a whole new set of ears.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Matt Rendon

Jeremy Schliewe

Where is the band from?

Tucson, AZ

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?

James Peters – drums

Isaac Reyes – guitar, vocals

Matt Rendon – guitar, vocals

Jeremy Schliewe – bass, vocals

How did the band start? 

Matt: It’s been a solo recording project since 1997. The performing band started when we were invited to SXSW early last year.

What was the reason to release the Long Lost Thoughts EP where Matt plays every instrument and sings everything by himself after a few releases? Bright and Dark is done the same way with only Matt playing everything too. Has there been a release where the entire band plays on the recording?

Matt: The four-way split released on Trouble In Mind next month will be the first with the entire band.

In 2012, it looks like a full band was brought together for a SXSW performance. Can you elaborate on this story?

Matt: Sean Bohrman called Isaac, and asked if he could cajole me into playing a Burger Caravan show in Tucson and SXSW a week later. Isaac brought in James and I brought in Jeremy.

Jeremy: As far as my end is concerned, I was playing with Matt in another band called The Freezing Hands.  At this time The Resonars was still a one-man show.  Matt was toying around with the idea of making The Resonars a live act.  He asked me if I would like to be a part of it.  I answered yes, of course, with no hesitation.  I had heard a good chunk of his music, though not all of it, and thought it was great.  It was precisely the type of band I wanted to be in.

Do you think music can still be a vital force in such a disposable age?

Jeremy: Music will always be a vital force.  The landscape may have changed—it seems there is a lot more out there now because bands don't have to wait around to be snatched up by a big label in order to get exposure.  With so much music available for a minimum of effort, it does seem to create a lot of flashes in the pan, acts that will probably not enjoy as long a stint of popularity.  That's just the nature of the beast these days.  It doesn't mean that tan act is bad or in it for the wrong reason.  It's just the way of the listening public.  Things come and go quickly—at least that's how it seems to me, but the love of music will always be there in one form or another.

Matt: There’s always gonna be kids, adults too, who need music to reflect their feelings, or to make them feel better so in that sense, absolutely. Can it be a vital force socially? I don’t think so. Everything is too splintered. There are microcosms, like the Burger scene in Fullerton where there seems to be an unending flood of talent, bands exchanging ideas and influencing each other, it’s a culture. Of course, that is an observation from an old fart in Tucson, I could be completely wrong.

How do the band hook up with Burger? It looks like Burger put out Crummy Desert Sound, That Evil Drone and re-released Bright and Dark.

Matt: I had That Evil Drone recorded and the label I was on at the time didn’t seem that interested. I was despondent and ready to quit making records when the Makeout Party rolled in to Tucson. Sean and Lee had just started Burger and I kind of sheepishly asked them if they would want to release it. They were genuinely excited to do it, and as anyone can tell you who knows them, their excitement is pretty contagious.

How is the Tucson scene? Are there any similar bands that play in the same vein as The Resonars?  I know Tucson is known primarily as a college town with University of Arizona being there.

Matt: The Tucson scene is OK. There needs to be more youth and there are some new bands I’m genuinely excited about. The Resonars are pretty unpopular, though. People think we’re too loud and we’re not arty, gimmicky, or doing the Americana thing.

Jeremy: Not being from Tucson originally, I don’t have as good a grasp on the "scene" as the other Resonars do.  It seems to me that what we're doing is fairly unique, in that our sound does have a heavy sixties rock influence.  There are certainly other bands I enjoy seeing here, but I can't think of any others that go for the sixties vibe to such a degree.

It looks like the band is playing Europe in the fall. Do you know any bands The Resonars will play with? How excited is the band for this opportunity?

Matt: Yeah, we’re touring Europe in September/October with a bunch of other Trouble In Mind bands. We’re so excited about it that we’re all willing to give up our jobs to do it.

Jeremy:  Personally, I'm really excited for this tour.  It's a great opportunity to see some cool places and share what we do with another chunk of the world.  I know we'll be playing with Mmoss, which will be awesome.  I'm a big fan of their stuff.

50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects music in any way?

Jeremy:  It has its good points and bad points.  Growing up, it was much harder for me to get my hands on music.  I had to scrape up the money for it and hope that one of the local dealers had something in their stock that was to my liking.  I get a little envious of the younger generation sometimes because of all the easy access they had to music from a young age.  I wonder sometimes if I'd be a different or better musician if I had what they did.  In the end, though, I think that this wide availability—whether it's paid for or not--is a positive thing since it's all for the love of music.

Matt: Whereas I, as a kid, would have to wait months to find a copy of say, a Pretty Things record, today’s kids have access to it instantly. Someone tells them about a band, it sounds interesting, and they can hear them that minute. I think for people who are looking to be inspired, it’s definitely a good thing.

I’ve read a couple interviews where The Resonars records where done primarily with a 4-track. In blurt-online there is a quote “I got a hold of a four-track reel-to-reel and it ended up breaking. I got an eight-track reel-to-reel and didn't like it. Then I started working with an ADAT and that sound was far too clean. I also tried an eight track cassette, but nothing seemed to work," he says. "I was getting more and more frustrated, until finally I just said ‘fuck it' and went back to the original four-track cassette.” How influential is that in the sound of the recordings? What is it about the 4-track that is so special in the recording process?

Matt: It’s the only machine I’m truly comfortable with. I’m a total dunderhead when it comes to machinery and recording technology. With that 4-track (it’s a Vestax MR-44, by the way) I can hit record and not worry about the bullshit and just focus on the music. I got it to the point where I can make it sound at least as good as any 1960s garage-punk recording.

"Photographs, if you give them the time, they can almost create a sound. You start hearing the soundtrack behind this photograph. It doesn't matter what the images are, they always sort of set something off[.]" Most bands usually just use life experience as a lyrical starting point. What brought about the photograph idea?

Matt: I don’t even remember! I think I was just leafing through one and a song popped in to my head, and then another, and another.

Where can people hear the band?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Resonars/114993301867228

http://www.reverbnation.com/theresonars

What’s next for The Resonars?

Jeremy: I am going to keep rocking with these fine fellows.

Matt: We need to start recording a new LP, the first to be recorded by a full band. We tour Europe for three weeks in September/October. After that, who knows? I’d like to stay on the road!

Photo credit by Jessie Jones.

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