Unwelcome Guests

In the heavily wintered cities like Buffalo, is melody a way to keep warm through the harshly cold winters? Well, maybe not, but Unwelcome Guests have taken the pages of later Husker Du and Replacements and created their latest LP, Wavering, built on the belief of melody first and the rest will follow. It had been four years since their first LP, Don’t Go Swimming, but now the band are back and one review has already billed Wavering “as one of the best of 2014.”

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions? 

Micah Winship and Stephen Schmitt 

Where is the band from? 

Buffalo, NY

  

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play? 
Micah Winship: Guitar, Vocals
Stephen Schmitt: Lead Guitar
Stephen Floyd: Bass
Jason Bauers: Drums  

Micah: Chris Oakes was the bass player and he’s on Wavering.  Stephen Floyd started playing with us after he helped put the record out (he runs One Percent Press); probably to make sure we actually did stuff to promote it, ha. Chris got married, had a baby and is settling down in the small-town-apple-farming-life he was destined for. His wife is awesome and the baby is super cute so I guess it’s alright.

How did Unwelcome Guests start? I had read that initially the band was a two-piece folk band then became a full band. Can you give some background on this? 
Micah: Yeah, that's how it began. The first year consisted of me playing acoustic guitar and Colin Scharf playing electric guitar. We got some people to play bass and guitar because full band is a million times more fun. A year later Colin moved away and Steve started playing guitar. It's funny how different things sound, I have a hard time hearing the super early stuff now.  

Steve: I think Micah actually went on a search-and-destroy mission to eradicate all the physical copies of the early stuff. I’ve never even heard it.

What is the scene like in Buffalo?  
Micah: The scene in Buffalo is constantly changing. There has always been a strong hardcore music following though. Bands that play music on the fringes of the definition of punk come along and mix in with everything else. For example, Failures' Union is a rock band but some members have a strong hardcore music background and the singer, Tony, plays Saxophone in a funky, dance, soul band called Mallwalkers - with everyone else in the scene (there are 9 people in that band, including Steve). They're weird and good. I know that some cities have multiple punk scenes and they don't crossover. Buffalo has one music scene and we all know each other.

Due to Buffalo’s location right by the Canadian border, does the city have a lot more Canadian bands come through town than US bands? 

Micah: Not so much on a DIY level because the border is super annoying. If a band is going to deal with that they often times do a larger tour. We do have a lot of Canadian beer though such as Molson and Labatt. Steve and I go to Wellington pub every Monday for what were once $1 Molson pints; they’re $1.50 now but we still go. Big radio bands like Tragically Hip are household names here and people in the South have usually never heard of them.   

Steve: I haven’t read too much about it yet, but I believe Canada has removed work permit restrictions for bands so hopefully there will be an influx of Canadian DIY bands now able to play here and vice versa. I also want to go to Newfoundland badly so maybe we can plan a hassle-free Canadian tour now?

How did you get connected to Dirt Cult Records? Did Dirt Cult seek you out or did you send them a demo of the tracks for Wavering? 

Micah: Dirt Cult put out our Painter EP 7” and Chris Mason helped us book a West Coast tour back in 2007. I thought that Wavering sounded more like a Dirt Cult release than Don’t Go Swimming so I asked him if he’d be interested. One Percent Press, which is run by Stephen Floyd, split released it with Dirt Cult. Then Stephen joined our band.

Steve: Chris hasn’t asked to join the band yet, but we hope he does.

I had read in an interview in Rock Star Journalist, Micah, referring to the split record with Saint Sweetheart, said, “I really don’t like that record. I’m fairly proud of all of our material that has made its way to vinyl but if I could pluck that out of existence, I would.” Did this bit of disappointment regarding a prior release have anything to do with Wavering taking about two years to record? 

Micah: I do hate that record. Not to downplay the fact that we put a lot of time and effort into Wavering but what took the most time had nothing to do with us perfecting every detail – we’re not that complicated, ha. After Don’t Go Swimming our drummer quit and we went on a tour with a different guy which didn’t work out and then our previous drummer came back and then we went on tour in England with a different bass player and drummer. You get the point; we had a lot of changes in the band and life stuff just kind of got in the way. It made it really hard to get the songs tight and record them. I’m really enjoying our current lineup and we all seem to be on the same page.

Steve: I’m still pretty charmed by the cover of that release: a crayon (I think) drawing of a lounging beaver and a wily-looking alligator. I like absurd stuff.  But, yeah, it was a weird, tumultuous time when we recorded the Saint Sweetheart 7” and the recordings kind of reflect that in a bad way.

One review of Wavering stated, “Despite the fact that we are only three full months into this year, I am confident in labeling this album as one of the best of 2014.” I’m guessing when reading a review like that made it worth it to put so much time into Wavering and not rush a follow up release after Don’t Go Swimming? 

Micah: I’m glad that people are enjoying the record. The big differences between Don’t Go Swimming and Wavering are the production and the drumming. Zac was great and we definitely came into our sound with him, but Jason is insanely good and there’s a lot more variety and clever little percussive things going on with Wavering. The production also captured what we do live a lot better because we’re a loud band and John Angelo (guy who recorded Wavering) did a great job of capturing a sound that conveys that. We also wanted a record that was really concise and went with 10 songs that go well together. We were tinkering with a full band version of “Resolutions” from the demo we did beforehand, but it didn’t fit with the rest of the songs so we ditched it. 

Steve: It was definitely a protracted process, so it’s great to see positive reviews.  It’s great to see any kind of attention at all after so long between releases!

There have been a few reviews that I have read that compare Unwelcome Guests to Husker Du, Replacements and Bruce Springsteen. Are any if these bands influences on the band’s sound and songwriting? 

Micah: Of course, they’re all wonderful. I’m surprised no one has commented on how similar the beginning of New Day Rising is to Aerostatic, which wasn’t intentional but I felt no need to change. 

Steve: There must be some connection between Buffalo and Minneapolis, maybe the winters or the regional accents? Micah introduced me to the Replacements, and they’re great, so definitely an influence. I know almost nothing about Bruce Springsteen though. Except when he did that Super Bowl halftime show and slid on his knees and his crotch collided with the camera. That’s an influence, for sure.

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

Steve: Definitely, people are always going to connect with music, despite the way the majority of the world consumes it now; and nothing beats a live show. We recently saw Cher perform and it was mind-blowing. She emerged from a full-size Trojan horse. Full-size. Fucking. Trojan. Horse.  I guess that made the music kind of secondary. I don’t remember what my point was.

Micah: Yeah, I don’t know. Music and art have always been important but our interaction with each just changes with each generation. 

In an interview with Eighty-sixed Fanzine, there is a quote from Micah that reads “I can’t imagine where I’d be if it weren’t for going to Cobra La when I was a teenager and for that reason I feel like every town and city should have a common space for kids to get together and work on creative projects.”  Does Buffalo have these types of places?  

Micah: Yeah, we have Sugar City, which is an all-ages art space. They’ve actually been without a space for the last couple of years and would hold events at other venues to fundraise. They used that money and some weird grant that landed in their lap to open a new space. Should be open soon from what I understand. 

Steve: I got into playing music and going to shows pretty late; I wish there was a space like Sugar City when/where I grew up. 

  

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? 

Steve: That’s a pretty striking analogy. I’m guilty of subscribing to the digital age myself. Of course, I love how easy it is to just search and listen to any song on Spotify or Google Play and get instant gratification. So I think it makes it even more necessary for bands to put on a great live show, have interesting artwork on releases and cool merch. For example, I recently saw Psychic Teens (from Philly). I had enjoyed listening to them on the internet and whatnot before, but when I saw them live, they were amazing - their LP artwork is fantastic and they have a T-shirt with Winona Ryder (as Lydia from “Beetlejuice”) on it which I bought instantly.

Where can people hear Unwelcome Guests and what’s next for the band?

Micah: We’re working on a new record and hope it won’t take so long to get it finished and out there. It’s about half way put together and less concise than Wavering and bounces around to a lot of different sounds and styles, so far anyway.  Our “to do” list has return trips to Puerto Rico, England, and the West Coast on it. We’d really love to do a full European trip but aren’t really sure how to make that happen at this point.

Steve: Also, Newfoundland.

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Nude Beach

At this point, Nude Beach seems to be on a similar path as The Replacements. Their origins playing together in punk bands since high school is showcased in the band’s punk infused songwriting heard on their demo tape and first LP I.  A change of direction with the release of II, and their brand new single “What Can Ya Do,” Nude Beach have displayed their musical leanings toward American style power-pop and Rock ‘N’ Roll. Calling from the likes of The Replacements, mid-period Jam and early Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, Nude Beach has created a sound that focuses more on melody and craft that would not be out of place in the mid-1970’s and is just as vital today.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Jimmy

Where is the band from?

Brooklyn, NY

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

Chuck – guitar and vocals

Jim – bass

Ryan – drums and vocals

How did the band start?

I was living in Brooklyn for a few months and spending a lot of time on Chuck’s couch.  Ryan would come over a lot too, and we’d hang out drinking beers, listening to music, and occasionally mention playing together.  We had all played music with each other in various projects in the past, and none of us were in a band at the time, so it transformed from something we’d talk about to an actual band pretty fast and was a fairly natural process.

In an interview with The Phoenix, it was mentioned that “met in high school on Long Island while playing in punk and hardcore bands like Guadalupe, Dustheads, and Religious Knives.” There have been quite a few musicians that have started in punk and then moved to a power-pop band. For example, Gentlemen Jesse was in the Carbonas and Ben Cook, who was in Marvelous Darlings, is currently in Fucked Up. Does the band have any thoughts on this progression from punk to power-pop especially in regards to Nude Beach?

I don’t really think of it as a progression in the sense of leaving punk behind.  At least personally, I continue to listen to a lot of punk and hardcore bands and go to shows on a regular basis.  Ryan, our drummer, plays in a hardcore band called Warthog. I live in a big punk house that has done shows for years, so I consider it something that I’m still interested and involved in, rather than something I’ve moved on from.  In terms of the way our songs have progressed from album to album, I think it’s a matter of being fans of music beyond the sometimes narrow scope of punk, being into collecting records to some extent, and embracing a variety of bands, records, genres, etc.  Sure, we like power-pop and more straightforward Rock ‘N’ Roll, and our songs touch on those influences because we’re fans.  We never really identified with one genre over another in the first place, and just try to write good songs.

In the same interview, it was stated that the band’s “aesthetic change was mostly inspired after writing the song "Walkin' Down My Street."” What was about this song that “kind of bridged the gap between our first record, which was more punky, and the second record, which was more melodic, with more hooks." What was it about that song that the band realized a new direction?

We didn’t sit around and talk about a new direction for the band-- things progressed pretty organically. With our demo and our first LP, save for a few, most of the songs were fairly short, fast, and straight to the point. I don’t think any of that stuff was lacking in melody, but “Walkin’” was the first song we worked on that would eventually appear on “II” and I suppose it was kind of a test of whether it would work to really embrace some more traditional rock and roll aesthetics—the song isn’t that fast, it probably sounds more like Bruce Springsteen than The Clash, and there’s a long guitar solo. We had a lot of fun playing stuff like this and maybe “Walkin” signaled that it was fine to just go for it, but ultimately it was never much of a conscious decision. 

It seems like the original goal of the band was to play house parties in the Brooklyn, but the band has surpassed that. What are some of the new goals of Nude Beach?

We’ve toured a lot in the US—we want to start getting to Europe, Japan, and wherever else people might be interested.  Chuck writes a lot of music, so just recording more and putting music out as much as possible.

If you could choose two out of these five bands/musicians to have in your record collection which ones would you choose between Elvis Costello, The Jam, The Replacements, Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen?

I can’t speak for everyone in the band, but I would choose The Replacements as my number one by a landslide. They’re pretty much an ideal band in my mind. Springsteen would be second, and gets the slight edge over Tom Petty just because I think more of his records are consistent from start to finish. 

Following up to the previous question do you feel any of these bands have influenced Nude Beach at all in sounds and/or songwriting?

A lot of people mention the Costello influence in reviews, and I get it on some level, but I can’t say we ever really sat around listening to “My Aim Is True” on repeat, or even talking about him much at all. Don’t get me wrong, some of those Elvis records are great, but in terms of influences or ideas kind of seeping into our heads, it’s probably coming much more from other places. We like all the bands you mentioned and think they’re great songwriters, but there’s a pretty wide range of bands and songwriters I feel just as inspired by—and you could get five different answers depending on which of us you talked to. We all like Big Star.

One of the best Nude Beach shows the band has played so far?

House show in Flagstaff, AZ.  We had no expectations going into it and had never heard anything about the music scene in Flagstaff.  We went there on a whim and played in a cavelike basement to a bunch of sweaty, booze and drug-fueled freaks who were dancing like crazy.  The show was a wild party and we were really well received.  Any time we’re out on tour and think the show could be a bust, then get surprised by something like that out of the blue, it’s pretty memorable.

How did the band link up with Tom Scharpling, who directed the “Some Kinda Love” video? Was the pop-up video idea the bands or his?

The Scharpling video came about because Other Music had let them shoot some stuff in the store a few years ago.  They already had a friendship and working relationship through that, and I think they sent Tom our record and asked him if he’d be interested.  He agreed to it and came up with the idea pretty quickly.  I’m a big Best Show fan so I was excited, and he was super fun and easy to work with.  Granted, I’m not sure what kind of video stars we are.  Probably faces best left for radio.

How did the band become associated with both Other Music Recording Company and Fat Possum?

We recorded “II” in our practice space and put it out ourselves in March of 2012.  We were mailing copies out for distribution and Ryan, who worked at Academy Records at the time, was literally walking from record store to record store trying to sell copies.  Other Music bought some, and sold them pretty fast. Then they bought some more, and they sold just as quickly. They were starting the record label around this time, and I think were looking to put something out by a NY band.  The record was doing pretty well at the store and the Other crew seemed into it, so they contacted us about doing a wider release through their new label.  It was a small operation, local, and they seemed genuinely interested in us, so that relationship developed easily.  Fat Possum is kind of their parent label and handle some of the business and distro work, but we’ve actually gotten to know those folks well too, and have had a lot of fun playing and partying with them down in Oxford, MS where their whole operation is based out of.

Jimmy was quoted in Stereogum about being interested in “DIY models for music releases, distribution, and sustainability, and think there are a lot of possibilities for bands and musicians on that side of things.” 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?

It’s a mixed bag.  Mainly because of the internet, music is incredibly accessible today and people are exposed to a much larger variety much more easily than at any prior point in time.  It’s also much easier to record and release music than at any other point.  This democratization is interesting and has produced some really cool work, but it also seems to engender hyper-specialization and self-identification with micro genres— chillwave, witchhouse, nu-, post-, psych-, whatever—with pretty mixed results.  It also seems to encourage a lot of overinflated hype, flavor of the week bands, and I just wonder how much, if any, of this time period’s music will have lasting meaning for people.  I’m all for the collapse of the old record industry and anyone being able to get their own work out there, but maybe there was something about having to bust your ass to get your music heard in the past—be it on a big label or a DIY cassette release—that weeded out crap the way that instantly uploading a Garageband file to Bandcamp doesn’t.

Where can people hear the band?

Well…  Bandcamp, actually.  http://nudebeach.bandcamp.com

What’s next for Nude Beach?

Recording our third LP this summer, then more tour dates in September

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The Breakup Society

      After hearing the Breakup Society for the first time, I felt ashamed that I had never seen them play live.  I truly believe they are one of Arizona’s best kept secrets. The band cranks out power pop rock n roll in the same school as Dramarama, Buffalo Tom, and The Replacements.  The band has 3 consistently great full lengths with the legendary Get Hip Records.  With comedic, cynically introspective lyrics and a barrage of guitar volume, this band deserves your attention, your time, and your attendance!

Interview by Jay Castro

Who’s answering the questions here?

This is Ed Masley. I sing lead, play guitar and write the songs.

Is the band originally from the Phoenix area?

That question is more complicated than it seems. I’m actually from Pittsburgh but I flew in with two members of my former band, the Frampton Brothers, to make an album with producer Bob Hoag, also formerly a Frampton Brother, at Flying Blanket Recording in Mesa. In the process of making what was meant to be a solo record, the Frampton Brothers imploded, and I was starting to dread the idea of putting my own name on that album, “James at 35,” because I was worried that people would maybe assume it was more of a singer-songwriter deal with just my name out there. So, I needed a name. And the Breakup Society struck me as a cool way to acknowledge that the guys who made that album packed with breakup songs had broken up while making it. So, we were kind of born in Mesa. But I was still living in Pittsburgh, so I formed a Breakup Society there and that first lineup stayed together for several years until I moved to Phoenix in 2006 and formed a new Breakup Society here.

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

The current lineup is:

Ed Masley – lead vocals, guitar

Nick Pasco – drums and backing vocals

Joe Golfen – keyboards

Jason McGraw – lead guitar

Chris Adams – bass, backing vocals

When starting the band, did you have a particular sound or artist in mind?

That first album, “James at 35,” was meant to be a straight-up tribute to the power-pop recordings of my youth because the subject matter of the first half, in particular, was just very nostalgic. But I’d pretty much abandoned that idea by the time we did our second album, called “Nobody Likes a Winner.” I’ve always liked the idea of being a rock and roll band, like the Beatles, where you write a song and that’s the song. You don’t worry about what genre you’re supposed to be. You just play music.

At a young age, what bands/musicians inspired you to want to pick up an instrument in the first place?

The Beatles changed my life. I had horrible taste in music until I saw one of their movies (“Help”). The Beatles had been broken up for years by then but they still hit me like the revolutionary force they are. That got me into the British Invasion and Dylan so I was immersed in all this music from another era (the Kinks, the Beatles and the Who, in particular) when the punk/New Wave thing kind of rocked my world just as I was writing my first songs. So, I can’t help but gravitate toward filtering those ’60s sensibilities – that sense of songcraft – through the attitudes and some would argue sloppiness of punk and New Wave.

You recently opened up for Soul Asylum.  Out of any local band, I can’t think of anyone better suited to do so.  How did that go?  Were you guy’s fans of theirs prior to this?

That was probably my favorite show I’ve played since moving here. I was a big fan in the “Hang Time” days and I think that new album’s everything you could have wanted it to be. They had to play that show without their drummer, who was having trouble with his leg, and they were just amazing, rising to the challenge of carrying on with the show despite the lack of drums.

The song “The Way We Weren’t” on your newest album So Much Unhappiness, So Little Time was written in collaboration with singer/songwriter John Wesley Harding, how did that relationship come about?

We had opened for John Wesley Harding in Pittsburgh and struck up a friendship. Then, he emailed me in Phoenix to ask if I could play one of his Cabinet of Wonders shows in Pittsburgh. I said, well, I can’t afford to fly to Pittsburgh for one show, but while I have your attention, would you wanna write a song together? I’d written the music to that song and didn’t feel like I could do it justice with my darkly comic sensibilities. It had that whole ’70s Lennon vibe and I was thinking he might have a better shot at coming through with something closer to “Imagine.” So instead, he wrote “The Way We Weren’t.” And I was glad he did. In fact, I can’t believe he beat me to that title. And it suits the album better than a song more in the spirit of “Imagine” would have.

I noticed you count The Mr. T Experience as one of your influences.  I happen to be a long time fan of theirs as well.  Front man Frank Portman has written a few books which, as far as I know, at least one of them is being adapted into a feature length film (King Dork).  With The Breakup Society lyrics being so narrative, do you have any interests in such aspirations or endeavors as well? 

I actually just started writing my first book five days ago. I’m thinking “darkly comic” is the way most people will describe it. Some may even mean that as a good thing.

You have had a long affiliation with Get Hip Records, Was it intimidating at first being on a label with such a history and an impressive roster of acts like The Cynics, The Beat and The Fleshtones?

It was intimidating, sure, especially because the Cynics are so popular and Get Hip had never expressed any interest in doing a Frampton Brothers record. But they really like these three albums I’ve made with the Breakup Society.

I hear songwriters like Joe Jackson and Paul Westerberg in your music a lot.  Much like these guys, the lyrics in The Breakup Society seem to wear their heart on their sleeve, so to speak.  I can’t think of anything other than some firsthand experiences that can inspire lyrics like this.  Either that or you really know how to crawl inside the heads of characters from old John Hughes movies!  Is it sometimes difficult revealing some of these experiences in your life to the public or is it rather therapeutic?

Well, you know, the feelings in those songs are almost always based on feelings I’ve experienced. But the actual details can be fairly fictional. Or based on a reality I’ve witnessed but not lived. So, it is therapeutic to write them but because I tend to blur the line between reality and fiction, I don’t find it difficult to share, although I have made people feel uncomfortable because they thought for sure a certain song was aimed at them, which it frequently wasn’t. The working title of this album was “A Collection of First-Person Character Sketches” to get at the fact that there’s almost always some of both in every song. And “Mary Shelley” kind of gets at that whole concept.

I read a quote by someone saying that, above all the art forms; music has the ability to instantly change a person’s disposition.  Do you agree with this?  And if so, is there any song or artist or songs that you can think of that can lift you out of a serious slump, or vice versa?

The Kinks can always make me smile. Or sometimes cry, and that’s good too. It’s kind of hard to have a shitty day while the Ramones are playing. And the Beatles always make me smile. But if I had to pick one song, it’s probably “A Quick One, While He’s Away” by the Who.

Do you think the art of music can still be a vital and inspiring force to kids in such a disposable age?

I think music matters now as much as ever. I just think we’ve grown into a culture where people feel comfortable stealing their music. And I’m fine that, I guess. But maybe if musicians aren’t expected to be paid, they also shouldn’t have to pay for anything. You know, like the doctor can download your music for free and that’s OK, but in return, he has to see you when you’re sick and not expect some sort of payment in return.

50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects the music industry, epically the artist?

I think I accidentally answered this on the previous question. It’s bad for the industry, obviously. But that’s just how we’re wired now. I wish it hadn’t come to this. But when you write a song, you write it in the hope that people will listen. So, if that’s the way we listen now, then steal my music, please.

Where can people go hear the band or purchase your music?

We’re pretty good about letting you know when and where we’ll be playing on Facebook at facebook.com/thebreakupsociety. Are new album, “So Much Unhappiness, So Little Time…” is available here in Phoenix at Stinkweeds, for sure. And all three albums can be found at Amazon and iTunes.

What’s next for The Breakup Society?

I’d like to make a few more videos for this most recent album and I know we have enough new songs to start the next one soon. I’d like to get into the studio before the year is out. And in the meantime, of course, we’ll be trying to play as many shows as possible. I think the next album is feeling like more of a rocker because we’ve been playing so much.


The Breakup Society on Get Hip Recordings 

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