isroxxor interviews, april 2008
1. adam levy (the honeydogs)
isroxxor: what motivates you to write songs?
adam levy: life. visits from the muses. beautiful birds. giorgio di chirico. cotes du rhone. my children. artificial intelligence. string theory. oprah winfrey's chair.
isroxxor: how important is it to you that your lyrics tell a story? do you need to be understood, or is just being heard enough?
adam levy: i’ve been told that i write songs like a rubik's cube...with a couple different solutions. they are puzzles and hopefully the listener walks away with multiple meanings.
isroxxor:which do you enjoy more, recording or concert performance?
adam levy: i enjoy songwriting more than both of those activities. but it's like comparing apples and oranges. recording is a temporal process, something occurs over time with edits, kind of like lithography. live performance is a moment in time, fixed, fleeting but thrilling and always different. i write because i love making music. i perform live because i love connecting with people.
isroxxor: does stardom interest you? how big do you think you would need to be to start freaking out about it?
adam levy: stardom is an illusion. it is ephemeral, what tastes i've had of it.
isroxxor: favorite rock and roll towns / venues?
adam levy: first avenue
isroxxor: best show you ever saw?
adam levy: radiohead at the state theater in mpls
isroxxor: what makes a show most satisfying for you?
adam levy: if the club soda has enough fuzz in it.
isroxxor: ringo or stewart copeland?
adam levy: ringo
isroxxor: wilco or son volt?
adam levy: sunnoco gas is the best
isroxxor: first record you bought?
adam levy: kiss destroyer
isroxxor: do you write together? if not, what role does the band play in shaping the songs?
adam levy: songwriting is musical autoeroticism. i don't like when people "touch" or watch me.
isroxxor: ever inspired by novelists, poets, painters, photographers? who?
adam levy: cyndy sherman, robert kaplan, leroi jones, steven spielberg, david sedaris, gregory corso, william blake, max ernst, claude levi strauss
isroxxor: favorite bill murray movie?
adam levy: what's the film that took place in japan with ms johansson?
isroxxor: rushmore or royal tenenbaums?
adam levy: tenenbaums
isroxxor: kirk or picard?
adam levy: kirk
2. dan israel
isroxxor: what motivates you to write songs?
dan israel: anything and everything, really. i will admit that frustration and anger are often songwriting motivators, but not always the best ones. in other words, i toss out a lot of those songs because they're just so rageful and specific (and often irrational) as to render them un-listenable. still, some of them are keepers, for sure. i think a lot of my best songs (and the best songs in general, from other songwriters) come from those epiphany moments, where you're able to step back a little from your life and see the bigger picture - all the joy and sadness at once, if you will. for me, really, the best songs (not necessarily the ones i wrote) have that "big picture" feel - the individual and universal experience kind of merge, and maybe even time and space become irrelevant, in a way. those are the songs that really move me, that transport me out of the ordinary and make me transcend the nuisances and petty concerns of daily life.
isroxxor: how important is it to you that your lyrics tell a story? do you need to be understood, or is just being heard enough?
dan israel: i like to convey something that's understandable on some level, without being blatant or overly simplistic. total abstraction doesn't interest me, but neither does "hit-you-over-the-head" obviousness. i think that's the challenge with a lot of songwriter - to say something that's comprehensible, but still say it with a bit of poetry, of a sort.
isroxxor: which do you enjoy more, recording or concert performance?
dan israel: recording, really. i'll be honest. i love performing, but hearing a song that i wrote start to take shape in the studio and go from being some little ditty that i wrote on an acoustic guitar to being a full-fledged, full-band listening experience, with all of the touches that one can only pull off in the studio, is a magic moment for me, and as much as i've had some great experiences on stage, i think i treasure those moments in the studio even more. it's part of being an introvert - some who know me might think i'm an extrovert, but you'll have to believe me here - in my heart, i'm really not!
isroxxor: does stardom interest you? how big do you think you would need to be to start freaking out about it?
dan israel: i've gone through the whole gamut of wanting the "brass ring" to being resigned to being a nobody, and now, i'd just like to have a music career that was a little more successful and allowed me to make more money off of music and perhaps get to the point where i could quit my job. i don't aim for superstardom, don't think i will attain it, and figure it would ruin my life anyway. i do aim for increased recognition, and make no bones about it, but try not to let that desire consume me. if i was on conan o'brien tonight, i'd probably freak out a little, but i think i could probably still come back to earth after that!
isroxxor: favorite rock and roll towns/venues?
dan israel: the ones i've lived in: minneapolis, chicago, and austin, tx. best venues in the twin cities are still turf club, first ave., 318 in excelsior and 331 club in northeast minneapolis, lee's, mayslack's, etc. have forgotten a lot of the names of venues in chicago and austin, or they're gone now. like lounge ax in chicago or liberty lunch in austin. hole in the wall in austin is still great.
isroxxor: best show you ever saw?
dan israel: cheap trick at first avenue in minneapolis, when they played their entire first album straight through. i grew up worshiping that album, and it was like a dream come true.
isroxxor: what makes a show most satisfying for you?
dan israel: when it creates a memory that sticks in my mind forever. and that can only happen when a show taps into your deepest emotions and psyche. a rare thing, but a glorious event when it occurs.
isroxxor: ringo or stewart copeland?
dan israel: ringo, but not by much. copeland's amazing - love him.
isroxxor: wilco or son volt?
dan israel: wilco, but i am a big fan of the first couple son volt albums, particularly "trace" (the first one). wilco's just a little more pop, which is a little more "me," but i have always loved son volt's sound.
isroxxor: first record you bought?
dan israel: billy joel's "the stranger" (i think). not ashamed of that purchase at all.
isroxxor: do you write together? if not, what role does the band play in shaping the songs?
dan israel: no, i write the music and lyrics myself, but we do arrange and produce the songs together. they contribute a great deal to that part of it.
isroxxor: ever inspired by novelists, poets, painters, photographers? who?
dan israel: sure, lots of 'em. too many to list, though, sorry.
isroxxor: favorite bill murray movie?
dan israel: i'd have to offer up my off-beat pick as "meatballs". it's juvenile and stupid, but murray is truly hilarious in it. watch it again if you don't believe me.
isroxxor: rushmore or royal tenenbaums?
dan israel: rushmore. by tenenbaums, i was already getting a bit tired of wes anderson's schtick. sorry if that offends anybody.
isroxxor: kirk or picard?
dan israel: kirk! totally kirk!
isroxxor: paper or plastic? (jk)
dan israel: for environmental reasons, i try to use paper. but i don't sneer at people if they use plastic bags, because, if you have a small child, there is nothing better for tying up nasty diapers than grocery store plastic bags. sorry to leave you all with that pleasant image!
isroxxor: what motivates you to write songs?
jason shannon: if i knew what motivated me, i'd probably turn the switch to "off" so i had a more normal life. answer: i don't know.
isroxxor: how important is it to you that your lyrics tell a story? do you need to be understood, or is just being heard enough?
jason shannon: it's important for me to be as open as i can to be the emergence of a song when it starts to appear to me in the moment. i can tell a song is a "real" song if i don't choose its unfolding. it happens on its own and i sort of it tell it for the physical world (myself included) to later hear it and make sense out of it.
isroxxor: which do you enjoy more, recording or concert performance?
jason shannon: i like them the same. recording and performing, to me, are two distinct activities. in fact, the only way they really compare in similar terms is that there is a song at hand to be interpreted. but they are different to me because of the environment in which they take place and the energy exchange that happens in those environments.
isroxxor: does stardom interest you? how big do you think you would need to be to start freaking out about it?
jason shannon: i'm only interested in a success that allows me and the people i work with to do more of what i/we do with greater ease, flexibility, and free time. i would be freaking out about stardom and its shadowy attributes if it robbed me of the aforementioned objectives.
isroxxor: favorite rock and roll towns/venues?
jason shannon: minneapolis
isroxxor: best show you ever saw?
jason shannon: too many to name. really any show that moves me closer to the moment.
isroxxor: what makes a show most satisfying for you?
jason shannon: when i feel like the performers are transcending their material and are talking one-on-one with each listener. and that you feel it differently.
isroxxor: ringo or stewart copeland?
jason shannon: ringo. and jim keltner.
isroxxor: wilco or son volt?
jason shannon: wilco. but son volt's good too.
isroxxor: first record you bought?
jason shannon: "elvira" by kenny rodgers as performed by the oak ridge boys. my first cd album was jimi hendrix's greatest hits.
isroxxor: do you write together? if not, what role does the band play in shaping the songs?
jason shannon: i usually write by myself or with my songwriting partner, eli amerson. every once in awhile when the band has time, we write together. but it always is unplanned--which is good. i have a pretty good idea of the arrangement of a songbefore i present it. otherwise, a band can spend a lot of time horsing around and trying things out. this can be good but it isn't easy when there are a number of ideas simultaneously floating in a collaborative space. so i'll have the arrangement down and then i'll let my guys interpret things on their own without my guidance. this way they can bring their fresh ideas to the table and feel good about what they're doing for someone else's creative work. if their ideas aren't working for me, then i'll usually step in and offer direction.
isroxxor: ever inspired by novelists, poets, painters, photographers? who?
jason shannon: yeah, but i'm not naming names. i'm inspired by anything really. if i knew how i was inspired, i'd just be inspired all the time!
isroxxor: favorite bill murray movie?
jason shannon: what about bob?
isroxxor: rushmore or royal tenenbaums?
jason shannon: rushmore
isroxxor: kirk or picard?
jason shannon: han solo
isroxxor: paper or plastic? (jk)
jason shannon: neither. but thank you.
4. john ostby (kentucky air, formerly of spymob)
isroxxor: what motivates you to write songs?
john ostby: other great songs
isroxxor: how important is it to you that your lyrics tell a story? do you need to be understood, or is just being heard enough?
john ostby: i don't necessarily care if my lyrics tell a story. i like writing lyrics that are easily understood though i like many lyricists whose lyrics i don't understand.
isroxxor: which do you enjoy more, recording or concert performance?
john ostby: i enjoy performing much more than recording.
isroxxor: does stardom interest you? how big do you think you would need to be to start freaking out about it?
john ostby: stardom is not a goal for me now. i did spend eleven years of my life in my last band trying to "make it" and become famous. regarding freaking out, i don't think my personality would have been well-suited to being famous. i enjoy being an average joe.
isroxxor: favorite rock and roll towns/venues?
john ostby: my favorite music town outside of the twin cities is austin, texas. the people in that town have a very good taste in music and can spot a phony in a second.
isroxxor: best show you ever saw?
john ostby: one of my first concerts ever was u2 the unforgettable fire tour at the cow palace in south san francisco. it was probably the best show that i've ever seen. other favorite shows: dean magraw in a house concert performance five years ago in minneapolis. rolling stones at the target center on the no security tour. i had zero expectations and was completely blown away. mary j. blige in tokyo five years ago. went in to the show not really knowing her music and was floored.
isroxxor: what makes a show most satisfying for you?
john ostby: when you feel like you are sharing something with the performer that is unique to that show. when a performer is really on.
isroxxor: ringo or stewart copeland?
john ostby: i am a huge fan of both drummers. i feel like ringo starr is one of the best drummers in the history of popular music yet somehow many people don't see him as being hugely talented. very strange. i love stewart copeland as well. neither drummer was a virtuoso, in my opinion, yet each had a completely unique artistic voice. both were amazing composers of drum parts.
isroxxor: wilco or son volt?
john ostby: wilco-yet (and i know i'm gonna get in trouble here) wilco and the beastie boys are two examples of bands that are seen as artistically holier than thou when they don't always produce great work.
isroxxor: first record you bought?
john ostby: first record i bought was peter frampton's i'm in you.
isroxxor: do you write together? if not, what role does the band play in shaping the songs?
john ostby: my strength has always been to write alone and then bring it to a band which does a number on it.
isroxxor: ever inspired by novelists, poets, painters, photographers? who?
john ostby: discovered jack kerouac and ernest hemingway in my late teens and early twenties. both were huge inspirations and influences.
isroxxor: favorite bill murray movie?
john ostby: favorite bill murray movie is what about bob.
isroxxor: rushmore or royal tenenbaums?
john ostby: no opinion
isroxxor: kirk or picard?
john ostby: no opinion
isroxxor: paper or plastic? (jk)
john ostby: i've always loved both.
5. andy ulseth
rx: what motivates you to write songs?
au: basically just the fact that i like writing songs is my motivation. the fulfillment i get when i’ve written something is really my greatest high. my anti-drug.
rx: how important is it to you that your lyrics tell a story? do you need to be understood, or is just being heard enough?
au: not very important. at one point, i put a lot of emphasis on trying to make coherent stories, but i realized that often times, imagery can convey just as much information. i found that when i tried to write narratives, i got too wordy. i think concise language is a staple of strong writing, so i try not to say too much.
rx: which do you enjoy more, recording or concert performance?
au: it depends. i find recording more satisfying. i think because recording to me is part of the creative process, where as performing is more of a recitation. that said, i do have a lot of fun performing.
rx: does stardom interest you? how big do you think you would need to be to start freaking out about it?
au: yes, it does. at least to an extent. i figure that the bigger star one becomes, the more time they have to work on their art. imagine being able to work on songs all day as oppose to having to go to class or work. plus, the more money i can make doing music, the better. it would allow me to do more music.
rx: favorite rock and roll towns/venues?
au: i really like the 400 bar in minneapolis. it has so much history, and so many awesome acts have played there. it’s legendary. plus, the sound is second to none.
rx: best show you ever saw?
au:
the most memorable experience i’ve ever had at a show was weezer. i was a diehard weezer fan in high school, so i never miss them whenever they come to town. this particular show was special because earlier that day, i got punched in the face at school by this bully type guy. it was bad. i ended up sneaking down to the general admission section about eight feet in front of rivers cuomo. the best part was that the band went on to play a whole slew of songs off of pinkerton, their most legendary album, which was very rare for them at that point. i flew my nerd flag high that night.
rx: what makes a show most satisfying for you?
au: i really enjoy it when i know i’ve connected with the audience. when i play a quiet part of a song and the room is silent because everyone is listening closely, it lets me know i’m doing my job.
rx: ringo or stewart copeland?
au: i’ve never been a huge police fan, and have always been a huge beatles fan. despite the fact that ringo may not be the most technically proficient drummer, the songs he played on make his drumming more meaningful to me.
rx: wilco or son volt?
au: duh, have you heard yankee hotel foxtrot?
rx: first record you bought?
au: i don’t remember the first record i went into the store with my own money and purchased, but the first one i remember having as my own was please please me by the beatles. i must’ve been 9 years old and i got it for christmas. it started a lifelong obsession with the beatles.
rx: do you write together? if not, what role does the band play in shaping the songs?
au: i’m a solo artist so i do almost all of the writing. i’ll often times bring the songs to my band and tell them what i have in mind. occasionally, they’ll hear something in the song i didn’t and it’ll sound awesome. they’re great.
rx: ever inspired by novelists, poets, painters, photographers? who?
au: definitely. mostly novelists. it’s long been germinating in the back of my head that i’ll one day release some kind of record made entirely of songs based on j.d. salinger stories. it’d be a total pet project.
rx: favorite bill murray movie?
au: i don’t have one. he’s hilarious though. for some reason, not one of his performances stands out to me as the best right now though.
rx: rushmore or royal tenenbaums?
au: i love both movies, but since i always refer to tenenbaums as my favorite movie, i’ll go with that.
rx: kirk or picard?
au: i’m more of a star wars guy. i tend to think that star trek fans are even nerdy by star wars fans' standards.
rx: what motivates you to write songs?
bj: sometimes my life helps me write, sometimes i think i have something to say, and sometimes i’m just babbling.
rx: how important is it to you that your lyrics tell a story? do you need to be understood, or is just being heard enough?
bj: everyone likes to be heard, understood, and feel connected with others. i mostly need to work on my listening.
rx: which do you enjoy more, recording or concert performance?
bj: playing live.
rx: does stardom interest you? how big do you think you would need to be to start freaking out about it?
bj: i’m curious about stardom, and
how i’d react to it. i’m uncertain if i’d wear it well or not.
rx: favorite rock and roll towns/venues?
bj: i like to play where people listen.
rx: best show you ever saw?
bj: prince.
rx: what makes a show most satisfying for you?
bj: playing and singing well is satisfying to me.
rx: ringo or stewart copeland?
bj: stewart copeland.
rx: wilco or son volt?
bj: son volt.
rx: first record you bought?
bj: i have a bad memory, but i do know all the first albums i had were hand-me-downs from my sister and my folks. kris kristofferson, willie nelson, j cash, etc.
rx: ever inspired by novelists, poets, painters, photographers? who?
bj: i’m inspired by poets, painters, photographers, mailmen, old ladies, baristas, bums and everyone else.
rx: rushmore or royal tenenbaums?
bj: rushmore.
rx: kirk or picard?
bj: i’ve never watched one minute of star trek. i’m not sure if that makes me cool or very much not cool.