Our excitement builds for the upcoming Horse Feathers show at Cafe Montmartre on Saturday, September 29th. In our excitement we got in touch with Justin Ringle, who happily obliged our request to participate in our ongoing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature.

On this tour will you be playing any new material not found on Words Are Dead? What, if any, future plans are there for recording and releasing new material?

Yes, we play a handful of new songs that will be on our next record which should be done by the end of the year.

What was the last show you went to see, as a fan? Also, who’s at the top of your list as far as concerts you’d want to see?

I just saw Damian Jurado here in Portland for Music Fest NW, I like his stuff quite a bit. As far as concerts I want to see, I’d like to check out the Animal Collective. I saw a poster of theirs the other day and I thought that would be an unusual change of pace. . .

Who would you like to hear cover a night’s worth of your material? On the flip side, if you were to play an entire set of someone else’s songs, whose would you choose and/or enjoy the most?

I guess I would like to hear Chan Marshall sing a song or two of mine. Her voice has so much character that she would make them sound like her songs anyway. . . If I were to play an entire set of someone else’s that would have to be Bob Dylan. He’s the only one with enough songs that I like enough to put the energy into learning.

The internet has dramatically altered the way bands can reach an audience. With things like blogs/myspace/etc, what are your thoughts on the power of the internet in terms of helping (or hurting) your music?

Well, the internet has helped us considerably. Bloggers said some very kind things about our last record even before it was officially released, which created the initial momentum for more people to notice us. So in that sense it’s an amazing tool, but on the flipside the instant exposure and pace of electronic media promotes oversaturation, and a very limited shelf life with music. Pitchfork has totally destroyed some peoples’ (a few I know) careers and lives in the short term because of their posts. For them to have that much power is ridiculous, however, they are the kings of contextual reviewing, which people attach to to wade through the millions of bands out there right now. My verdict is that it’s a double edged sword.

What are some of the places/things you miss most about Portland while you’re out on the road for a month, and are there any places you’re really excited to see while away?

I mostly miss my friends and powells in that order. I’m excited to see Vermont in October and to check out Pop Montreal.

Myspace: Horse Feathers
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Related: Muzzleofbees.com – 2006 Favorites: Albums
Related: Download 4 free Horse Feathers MP3′s from their Daytrotter Session.
Related: 5 Questions with Johanna Kunin