I’m pleased to start the week out with another interview for the “get to know your blogger” feature. I’m sure many of you have made Songs:Illinois a daily stop, but did you know that Craig also runs Swedesplease? If you’re unfamiliar with either of these sights please check them out. I’d like to thank Craig for taking the time to answer my questions, and I hope everyone enjoys the interview.
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Let’s get some general background on you. Where do you live, how long, etc.
I’m in the Chicago metro area and have been for over ten years. Originally from Boston though and still feel connected to that area (Red Sox, Throwing Muses, Pixies, Aimee Mann etc). I’ve worked in music one way or the other most of that time at a variety of roots labels. Now I’m taking some time off to raise my two boys.
I want get an idea of your musical taste evolution if you will. What were some of the first albums/tapes/CD’s you bought?
I remember hearing “Biko” by Peter Gabriel from one of his self-titled records and loving it. It wasn’t til I got the record home that I learned the song was about South African civil rights leader Stephen Biko. That record led me to Talking Heads, The Smiths and Robyn Hitchcock.
How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased?
I got to say I’m not the best example for the RIAA, I don’t buy a lot of music as I have been either directly involved in the music industry or tangentally involved like with my blogs. I can tell you the records I’ve been listening to though…Rachel Ries, Steve Dawson, Syd Matters, and Tom Brousseau.
Where do you buy the majority of your records? Do you support a particular record store in your area, buy online, and if so, where?
I like Old School Records in Forest Park. They get a lot of great stuff in and the owners are actually nice and that’s rare in retail.
When I started listening to music, there were certain musicians that led me in the path of a lot of other bands. Did you have any similar experiences with bands growing up?
Yes Robyn Hitchcock led me to his previous band Soft Boys, REM led me to Vic Chesnutt (M. Stipe produced). Replacements “Alex Chilton” led me to Alex Chiton which led me to Big Star. The list of six degrees connections go on and on. I still think this is a great way to find new artists, just now these connections are usually virtual either through links and friends (via the web and MySpace).
What are some of your favorite records of all time?
The Smiths – Meat Is Murder, Robyn Hitchcock – Invisible Hitchcock, Jayhawks – Holywood Town Hall, Gang Of Four – Entertainment, Greg Brown – Poet Game.
Any idea how many albums are in your collection?
Probably 300 Records and 1000 discs and a hard drive or two of mp3′s.
If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?
As I said I grew up in Boston and was old enough to go to all ages shows in `84-87. This was one of the most fertile times in Boston Rock and some of the shows I remember best were Throwing Muses at this tiny club in a basement called Ratskellar. The Pixies were great in a small club with that dual guitar sound. I was also relatively obsessed with the band instrumental band Birdsongs of the Mesozoic (which featured members of Mission Of Burma).
I’m sure you’ve seen some great concerts. Can you tell me what the first concert you saw was and when? To follow that up, are there any particular shows that stand out in terms of being favorites?
I saw all the ones that I wanted as a teen/college student and I’m pretty happy about that (the Cure, The Smiths, Echo, Siousxie etc).
What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?
I try to get out to see anything I’m interested in so I guess the answer to that is no.
How did you choose the name of your blog?
I liked (not loved mind you) the band Songs:Ohia and simply co-opted that names for Songs:Illinois. I nearly forgot for a moment that I also write the blog Swedesplease and that one I just came up with on a whim.
Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?
I was reading all the blogs as a fan and no matter how hard I looked I couldn’t find a blog that represented the worlds of amercana, folk (singer-songwriters really), alt-country or blues influenced music. So I thought I would just fill that void. Same goes for Swedesplease as I was including some Swedish music in my regular blog and I just decided to spin it off. I don’t track how popular or unpopular my blogs are and since I write about niche artists that don’t get a lot of other attention. I don’t expect to get a lot of traffic and at this point my goal is to really drive people away by not posting anything popular.
What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.
I like all the regular haunts but certainly Catbird Seat and Said the Gramaphone are at the very top. Since I started other rootsy blogs have come along so I check them out as well. Those include Big Rock Candy Mountain, Lonesome Music, and Womenfolk.
How important do you think music blogs are in general? Do you think they will continue to be as popular as they are today?
I’ve heard some say that blogs have “jumped the shark” and while I don’t think that’s completely true I think the shear number of blogs has diluted the message. While a vast number of choices is usually a good thing in this case I think there is some serious duplication. Instead of another blog leading the way with new Cat Power, Arcade Fire, or even Casiotone for the Painfully Alone I’d like to see a great “free jazz” blog, or a polka blog or anything that’s a little off the beaten track.
Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite movies and television shows?
Favorite movie probably “Birdie”, favorite show right now “The Office”.
Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?
My other interests revolve around my family so it’s children’s museums, zoo’s and playdates for the next 10 years for me. I used to be an audiophile but I’ve built the perfect stereo system (until the next great pair of speakers or amp is built) so I have jumped off that revolving carousel.
A lot of people have a favorite concert t-shirt, do you have one?
Actually I’m more of a college or community radio t-shirt kind of guy. I like my KZSU shirt and my WFMU community radio shirt.
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Not.
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