Let’s get some general background on you. Where do you live, how long, etc.

I live in San Diego, in a neighborhood called Pacific Beach. We live across the street from the beach and next to Ralphs, a grocery store. My record for going to Ralphs is four times in one day. I’ve lived in San Diego since fall 2003, and before that attended UVA and before that lived in Vienna, VA, home of the Vienna Inn and the Shouse Village Sharks.

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?

The first albums I ever obtained were given to me as gifts. First would probably be Billy Joel “Storm Front” which included every third graders inexplicable favorite song “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” I wrote and performed parody lyrics to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” at our third grade year end picnic. After that came “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘em.” The first CDs that I ever purchased of my own accord were Nirvana “Nevermind” and Metallica “The Black album.” I bought Metallica in person, and ordered Nirvana from BMG. So I probably took steps to buy Nevermind first, but had Metallica in my possession before it arrived.

How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased?

I bought a CD by a band called Holiday & The Adventure Pop Collective after I saw them play at a local bar. I was in a friendly, “support the arts” kind of mood and their live show was pretty awesome. My mom just gave me a CD called West of the West by Dave Alvin who recorded a bunch of songs by different musicians that were born in California. On Itunes I bought a bluegrass version of Hail To The Redskins the day that they lost to the Seahawks in the playoffs this season and a version of “Honky Tonk Woman” by Humble Pie that I heard on XM and had to have.

Do you support a particular record store in your area, buy online, and if so, where?

I don’t. To me, the quality neighborhood record store is kind of like appreciating Jazz or liking sushi. All are things that, in theory, I wish were part of my life. Appreciating a nice Jazz piece, or wanting to try the Super Spicy Octopus roll are things that I would love to be able to do, but accept that that sort of appreciation in practicality is either boring or disgusting. A good local record store I see the same way. Sure, it would be nice to have a place where you can go and trust the clerks for recommendations, and walk out with a band you’ve never heard of, all while meeting new people and discovering something new about yourself. But I have bought into this “internet” thing pretty hard, and believe that will be where I get my music recommendations, samples, news, rumors, all that sort of stuff. Especially since now you have access to the same or better sources that previously were closely guarded by the elitist music store clerks.

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?

It’s hard to really map out paths of music. I would say that friends of mine influenced my listening more than a certain artist opening up doors that I never knew existed. Sometimes when I find an artist that I like and try to listen to the recommended artists that in theory “go along” with that artist, I’m severely disappointed. An example of this would be listening to everyone that is described as being like Neutral Milk Hotel. That’s how someone sold the Decemberists to me. What a vulgar, offensive, horseshit comparison. That’s like in Friday where Smokey gets told the blind date he’s set up with looks like Janet Jackson and ends up looking like Freddie Jackson.

But one example that sticks out in my mind is how the Wu-Tang Clan turned me around to rap. In the ninth grade I borrowed a dubbed tape of 36 Chambers from a guy who was borrowing it from someone else. I didn’t like what I thought I knew about rap at that point in time, but I found myself strangely transfixed by this tape, which I listened to over and over again, A) what the hell was going on, B) what movies those kung fu samples came from, C) who each voice belonged to and D) was this RZA guy the same person as the GZA? That made me want to seek out more rap, which I learned was not just vulgar, mysoginistic, violent music. It was vulgar, mysoginistic, violent music with cool nicknames that lets you debate which of your friends equates to which member of the Wu.

What are some of your favorite records of all time?

Velvet Underground “Loaded”, Paul Simon “Paul Simon”, Snoop Dogg “Doggystyle”, Bob Dylan “Blood on the Tracks”, Neutral Milk Hotel “In the Aeroplane Over The Sea”. Those are five in no particular order. My favorite albums are ones that I pretty much can’t/don’t listen to anymore because there have been times when I’ve just overloaded on them. But as opposed to the forgettable albums and songs that you overdose on and never return to again, the rare times I’ll put one of these on is like pouring through an old photo album in terms of the memories and feelings they bring up. Knowing every stitch of them inside and out (except for “Oh Comely” And “Rosemary, Lily and the Jack of Hearts” which I always skip over) can only be a result of listening to each of these for what would definitely amount to a solid week each if you put each listening period back to back

Any idea how many albums are in your collection?

I pretty much run everything through Itunes, so here’s what Itunes has to say: 1238 Artists, 2247 Albums, 28,814 Songs and 82 Days, 9 Hours, 23 Minutes and 15 seconds of playing time. I also remember distinctly when I was forced by multiple BMG membershps to upgrade to the unwieldy double wide 48 CD CaseLogic case.

If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?

I’d say Bob Dylan. I don’t imagine he’d be that fun, but I’ve listened to him so much, at so many different historical moments in my life, that I’d like to do it nevertheless. I’ve had two dreams where I’ve hung with him, and they’ve both been really wierd, but strangely normal encounters. I’d also say Tom Waits, since he seems like far more of an entertaining person and gregarious personality. I’d just like to listen to his stories all night, even though I think I remember reading that he doesn’t drink anymore. Third is a definite drop off from the top two, but I’ll pick Snoop in terms of how much fun it would be to just roll around town with him all night long. I don’t see how that could conceivably be anything other than the greatest night possible.

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?

The first concert I saw was Green Day at the Patriot Center in 1994. This was 8th grade, and it was the big time. I got separated from the friend I went with, Edward Patterson, during the opening gay punk band “Pansy Division.” I spent the whole time in “The Pit.” I “Crowd surfed.” I wore the shirt to school the next day, as did at least a dozen other kids. It was awesome. What made it more awesome was that I had gotten detention twice in the month leading up to the concert, both times in Mrs. Hudson’s gym class, and my parents said if I got one more detention I couldn’t go, so the whole concert had a sort of forbidden, “could be snatched away at any minute” feel to it.

I have seen some great shows. Radiohead in Montreal. Bob Dylan & Paul Simon. Arcade Fire at the Casbah. Bruce Springsteen earlier this week at the Greek. Probably the fondest and most unique memory I have though was the Tibetan Freedom Concert in ’98 at RFK Stadium. A guy got us backstage passes, and I ended up chasing Mike D of the Beastie Boys down after they had just performed so I could shake his hand. I said “Can I tell my friends I shook your hand?” He sort of frowned and said “You don’t actually have to shake my hand, you can just tell them you did.” I said: “I don’t want to lie to them man!” Then he briskly shook my hand and walked off. If you read the messages I wrote in peoples yearbooks that year, pretty much 90% of them deal with Mike D and how awesome it was when I shook his hand.

What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?

Definitely Tom Waits. He needs to get his act together and play some damn shows. Brian Wilson doing Smile would have been cool. And probaby Guns N’ Roses. I went to the show in Philly on the first ill-fated Chinese Democracy tour, which I believe was the last or second to last show before the tour got cancelled. It was pretty nuts, a borderline riot. People ripping chairs up, storming around angry, lighting a few fires, full riot gear police. It was kind of what you sort of hope happens at a GNR concert, because it is a good story, but it was scarier than you’d think. I’d like to see them actually perform at some point in time.

How did you choose the name of your blog?

When I decided to start a blog, I knew picking a name was the kind of thing that could take forever if you really thought about it, so I just did it really quickly. San Diego Serenade is a song by Tom Waits off of “The Heart of Saturday Night.” It doesn’t mention the city by name, but is one of the few songs related to the city in some degree, and certainly one of the few by an artist who I really like. As a bonus, the domain name was available. Sometimes I wish I had taken a bit more time to come up with the name, becuase San Diego Serenade seems kind of wussy at times. But as I said, I usually spend more time coming up with an answer to being asked “You want fries with that?” than I did kicking around names for my blog.

The possibilities for a new blog names are endless and ridiculous: “Pianos filled with flames.” “Sparks that ring” “A little boy in Spain” (used ironically or by an actual male blogging from Spain.) And all those are just from one song

Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?

On February 7th, 2006, at 11:44 AM, my friend Richard sent me this brief email: “Is there a good SD music blog? Why don¹t you do that?”
I wrote back: “I was just thinking that. i dont know if there is one, I’ll look at it. I dont know if i have it in me though. reporting on just minutae (sic) about fucking everyone coming to town. i guess i could give it a shot though.”

As you can tell I was enthusiastic about the suggestion. But give it a shot I did. I think I registered the domain name later that day. I didn’t tell anyone about it for a while, I just sort of let it build on its own. The RBI Baseball ’86 World Series video made it a secret no longer, and is probably responsible for how most people came across it. I’ve been able to maintain a fraction of that ridiculous traffic, and am happy to have done so. I guess you could say I’m surprised. I pretty much just write about stuff I like, in manner that I enjoy. When it overlaps with the interests of other people, I think that’s great. When it conflicts with other peoples interests and tastes, those people are morons.

What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.

I like reading Muzzle of Bees because even though I’ve never met you, you’re my friends friend so I feel like we’re on the same page. I like reading Brooklyn Vegan because my friend dates him and so I’ve met him a few times. I like reading Aquarium Drunkard because he posts good music, and he was one of the first blogs someone pointed out to me so I got in the habit of checking him out. I read Pitchfork, but I don’t really read it as much as skim it for interesting sounding news or artists that I might like. I rely on the Hype Machine a great deal to show me what people are excited about. I rely on other peoples blogs and blog rolls to point out some of the best stuff that is going on. Like I say below, I love all the information that is available, but at times it can overwhelm me. When you find yourself reading about music on blogs more than you actually listen to music, your priorities are out of wack, and I feel like that can happen rather easily.

Non music wise I like Boing Boing. I think that stuff they post about copyright, DRM, the Electronic Frontiers Foundation is all very interesting. So much stuff has changed and is going to change further because of the internet, such as music, movies, media, software, information, and I find the resistance to it on behalf of major corporations to be almost as interesting as the changes themselves.

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 think that they are important and that they will get more important. When one person can gain an audience for his opinions about music, that is never a bad thing. Consolidation of outlets to hear about new artists is the direction that other forms of media have gone in, and blogs are the exact opposite. The community of music bloggers seems like a welcoming and encouraging one, thankfully not as elitist as one would fear.

However, I think it’s important to keep things in perspective in terms of the influence of blogs. I have a few main fears for the future of music blogs:

1. Readership often depends on access to music. It’s no secret that a large part of the attraction for anyone reading a music blog is the free music provided. It’s easy to go to a blog, skirt over or ignore anything written, and download all the posted content. Many artists support blogs and give their mp3s out freely to them, but I feel like the up-front nature of blogs, with their easily identifiable owners, is still in its pre-napster phase. There’s no way to tell how or if this is going to change, but when it does it will be bad. Part of what makes something like the Summer Songs series on Muzzle of Bees great is that you can listen to the song while you read someones description of it. If that were taken away from a blog, you would have substantially less interest I imagine.

2. The torrential pace at which things move. New content attracts readers, obviously. But I don’t like the frenetic pace at which artists come and go through the blogs. To me, having constant recommendations for artists, songs, albums, concerts, can sometimes amount to a Boy Who Cried Wolf scenario, as in, if everything is heartily recommended by a blog, how do we know when they are REALLY heartily recommending something, like seriously this time? Like what is that Beirut guy up to these days? Was that his moment in the sun? Are people still talking about him? I think part of what makes music fun is anticipation and permanence, and blogs, and the internet as a whole, have chipped away at both of these two things.

Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite movies and television shows?

Movies – Field of Dreams, Rushmore, Dirty Work, Disney’s Robin Hood, Dazed & Confused, The Stoned Age, The Queens of Comedy, The Natural, The Royal Tenenbaums, Akira, It’s a Wonderful Life. All are tremendous movies worth watching over and over again. If the Stoned Age doesn’t sit well with you the first time, that’s understandable. Its production values are a major obstacle to overcome, yet repeated viewings of it reveal it’s brilliance like the tough outer layers of an artichoke giving way to the sweet, sweet heart. Derek, if you’re reading this, I want my copy of it back.

I believe that the worst movie of all time is The Deer Hunter. It is mind numbing.

TV – The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Family Guy, The Daily Show, The Wonder Years, The Shield, Lost. No real surprises here. As dedicated as I was to the Simpsons for the majority of my life (I got our third grade mock city to adopt the “Bart” as our unit of currency), and as religiously as I watch it now, the show is a sad shell of its golden years. The Wonder Years is as good as you remember it (read: Winnie Cooper is as hot as you remember her.) And I recently watched both Seasons of Lost, 45 episodes in under ten days.

Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?

Yes indeed. I play bass guitar for a band, Re-Ree, that I’ve been in since 8th Grade. We get in one show a year, if we’re lucky. One time our drummers dad, after hearing us rehearse a particularly vulgar song, told us “There’s a line…and Re-Ree is just way, way over that line.” I also write a comic strip, Permanent Tanooki that is published on the internet. I wrote that for three years during college and just started it up again recently. I also am heavily involved in the High Five community, and champion the holiday I co-founded, National High Five Day every April. I root for the Nationals and pray for the Mets to lose.

A lot of people have a favorite concert t-shirt, do you have one?

I stopped buying the concert shirts early on in my concert going career. I’d rather make my own t-shirts. However, I purchased shirts from the first two concerts I went to, and still have and wear both of them. They are both from 1994, one is a black Green Day “Dookie Tour ’94″ shirt, and the other is an off white Hootie and the Blowfish shirt.

In your opinion, what’s the best place to eat on your city?

The place I go to most often is the Liar’s Club, in Mission Beach. Great varieties of beer on tap, delicious bar-style food, good jukebox, and on the rare occasions they have live music, and awesome place to see a band. That’s pretty much my go to place that friends are undoubtedly tired of me suggesting. Also delicious is Phil’s Bar B Q in Mission Hills. I first discovered it when we were going to a nearby fancy restaurant. I could smell the BBQ aroma from two blocks away, and intensely regretted that we weren’t going there. It was like driving past DisneyLand on the way to The Museum of Macrame. As far as nicer places go, you can’t go wrong with Kemo Sabe in Hillcrest. My family was blown away when we took them there. Unique dishes, awesome deserts, and I never thought I’d say this about a restaurant, but the presentation of the food is ridiculously cool. You definitely crane your neck to see what other people have ordered when it arrives.

Animals dressed as humans. Funny or not?

Emphatic vote for funny. Also very funny are animals dressed as other animals. Please link to these pictures: Frog-cat, chick-cat and bear-cat. I would rank, in order of funniness:

1. Animals dressed as other animals.

2. Animals dressed as people, especially specific subsets/professions of people, such as detectives, ballerinas or monacle sporting tycoons/barons.

3. (A distant third) People dressed as animals. However, depending on how shitty the costume is the funniness can vary greatly. The only time this surpasses #2 is when the person dressed as an animal is being harassed and abused by children. The only time it surpasses #1 is when blows or projectiles to the crotch are involved. As a man of refined tastes, I find myself thinking about these scenarios quite a bit.

Now that I think about it, “A Man Of Refined Tastes” would have been a great name for my blog…

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Let’s get some general background on you. Where do you live, how long, etc.

I currently live in Plano, a suburb of Dallas. I have lived here since I moved from Austin in August 2005.

Before that I lived in Austin for the summer post-graduation. Before that, I lived in San Marcos (30 minutes south of Austin) where I went to the university Texas State University for 4 years.

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?

The first cassette I remember owning was a ’50s mix w/ Buddy Holly and Fats Domino – that I got at the craft store Michaels. I listened to music way before then in the car with my dad – The Beatles, James Taylor and NPR.

The first CD I ever bought was Ride The Lightning by Metallica. When I was in high school, Metallica opposed Napster so aggressively that I ripped all of their catalog onto my hard drive and sold them to Half Price Books. I think I got $9 but I had made my peace and haven’t listened to them since.

How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased?

Luiz Bonfa – Solo in Rio 1959. It’s a beautifully minimalistic work. Lovely guitar virtuoso work with this Brazilian bossa-nova core.

Electric President – s/t.

I bought some of the Bob Dylan live records over the summer. I buy old music I just now come across (recently it was Joni Mitchell’s Court & Spark and Nico’s Chelsea Girls). For new music, I buy more music at shows than at a shop.

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?

Good Records is the only place in Dallas worth your time. They just moved. It’s now on Lower Greenville. If I can’t find it there, or they can’t special order it quickly, it’s not available. Period.

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?

Totally. I have a list, a short list, of the bands who like wildfire led me on journeys. Built to Spill is one. Sunny Day Real Estate is one.

But more than bands, it’s been friends of mine. People who wouldn’t let you leave without hearing this or that. They know who they are. It makes me be just that aggressive with sharing bands to those with a desire for something new to their palette.

What are some of your favorite records of all time?

Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker.

Modest Mouse – Lonesome Crowded West.

Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children.

Godspeed! You Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists…

Clem Snide – Ghost of Fashion.

The Long Winters – When I Pretend To Fall.

Hank Williams Sr. – Original Singles Collection…Plus

Any idea how many albums are in your collection?

I have a weak vinyl collection which I have been hesitant to boost. I have been reducing a lot on music spending and thanks to amazing promoters, I have still had the ability to hear amazing new things without the enormous cost. 200 cds & 200 vinyls approximately & an iPod full.

If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?

Jeff Tweedy, John Roderick, Beck

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?

My first concert was Nickelodeon’s The Elephant Show with Sharon, Lois & Bram at the Michigan State campus in Lansing in 1990. I was 8 and it was surely one of the highlights of my first 10 years on the planet.

I saw David Dondero in Dallas 8 months ago (during the Hurricane Katrina/Rita evacuations) and it was just me and my former roommate. Dondero was our summer addiction. To have the night with just us and him was bizarre but incredible. He took requests by asking “What do y’all want to hear?” followed by a snicker. It’s also moment where it became perfectly clear to me Dallas ISN’T Austin.

Other cool shows have been Jimmy Eat World @ Fitzgerald’s in Houston (2000), The Promise Ring at a Chicago street festival (2001), Andrew Bird @ Hole in the Wall in Austin (2003), Bonnie Prince Billy @ Triple Crown in San Marcos (2004), The Polyphonic Spree @ Stubb’s (inside) also in Austin (2003).

What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?

Do Make Say Think, The Baptist Generals, Cat Power, The Coral, TV on the Radio (Dallas – 4/23) and bands that don’t exist (Dismemberment Plan, At The Drive In, and Halo Benders)

How did you choose the name of your blog/podcast?

I knew I wanted to start doing podcasts with independent artists and not just the ordinary playlist podcast, but interviews coupled with music. So IndieInterviews.com was just a basic addition of those ideas. I was also trying to avoid paying for shows. If I had gone and found IndieInterviews.com not available, I had considered the domain Guestlisted.com. I never got there because IndieInterviews was available. I don’t know if the other is open or not.

Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?

I was reading an absurd amount of blogs and it was informing me of a ton of music. I wanted to somehow involve myself within that. I had just got out of school where I had worked for the college radio station (KTSW 89.9) and had this need to stay involved somehow with that. And to the latter, absolutely. I am really amazed. Some days even just knowing that my podcast is on iTunes is cool and surprising.

What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.

LargeHeartedBoy.com, Gorilla Vs Bear.net, YouAin’tNoPicasso, My favorite podcasts are Tracks Up The Tree, a few NPR podcasts & the alt/modern rock channel on IndieFeed.com.

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 think they are amazingly important. I love that fact that most blogs are clearly the taste and perspective of one person. Not the averaged tastes of a staff all working within the publication’s parameters. I think this alone is success. Word of mouth translated onto screen. I hope it all becomes more popular, trusted and successful.

Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite movies and television shows?

I am really into Hitchcock and Woody Allen films. Rear Window is my favorite film ever.

I don’t have fancy cable television so I Netflix HBO & Showtime series like Deadwood, Carnivale and Six Feet Under.

Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?

I just got my cousin’s PlayStation2 and I play Katamari Damacy after work sometimes.

A lot of people have a favorite concert t-shirt, do you have one?

No. I have donated most of mine as my interest is lost in the bands. I think the only remaining band shirt I have is for the Denton band Midlake.

In your opinion, what’s the best place to eat on your city?

I don’t really have a favorite in Dallas yet. As for Austin, the vegetarian restaurant Mother’s, Jimmy John’s Subs and Thai Kitchen on Guadalupe.

Animals dressed as humans. Funny or not?

Yes. But a human dressed like an animal, that’s even funnier.

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Let’s get some general background on you. Where do you live, how long, etc.

First, let me say thanks for asking me to participate in your GTKYB series. An honor and a privilege. So here goes…

I live in Raleigh, NC with my wife and we have been here for about 5 years now. I love the city and it’s neighbors, Chapel Hill and Durham. There is a pretty large music scene here and my buddy Todd, who was a DJ for WXYC, and a fellow music fanatic, has been bringing me up to date on, let’s say the past 15/20 years of this area’s music scene.

Before NC, I lived in Gainesville and attended the University of Florida for my college experience. Looking back now, I guess UF really shaped my musical tastes. It was a great scene, a lot of great people and I practically lived at The Covered Dish.

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?

Man, this has really made me think back. I’m an only child, so I didn’t have the luxury of an older brother/sister paving the way with cool punk/indie bands or whatever. So I kind of had to feel my way around a bit. The first tapes that I remember, and they were gifts, were John Cougar Melloncamp’s Scarecrow and The Cars: Greatest Hits, but I was listening to my parents vinyl at a really early age. I had a little plastic record player and I think I wore out their 45” of Yellow Submarine, bands like Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Elvis Presley, The Beatles…so I got a great foundation early on.

I loved Micheal Jackson’s Off the Wall and Kool and the Gang’s Celebrate growing up, but as I got older and I could actually buy tapes/cds, my tastes went though many changes. I remember buying R.E.M.’s Document and playing that thing to death. I remember my rap phase that held some great stuff I still listen too, The Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill literally got played until the tape broke and Run DMC’s S/T was always on. I guess it’s only recently (the past 7/8 years or so, that I really got into more folk, acoustic guitar, alt-country (although I hate that moniker) and stuff like that.

How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased?

Last year was an awesome year for music in my opinion and I feel like I’m playing check up with my emusic subscription to some of those, but you said recent, let’s see, I just got Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s Summer in the Southeast and CYHSY S/T on vinyl, I got my copy of J. Tillman’s Long May You Run, J. Tillman, I recently downloaded the They Shoot Horses Don’t They release Boo Hoo Hoo Boo, The Mountain Goats’ The Coroner’s Gambit, and Unbunny’s Snow Tires. I purchased the amazing deal of the year in The Jolly Rogers/Oh No Oh My! CDR for a buck fifty. Best Dollar Fifty I’ve ever spent. And the best purchase of the year so far has definitely been Tortoise and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s The Brave and the Bold.

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 buy a lot at School Kids Records here in Raleigh. I try to buy local, mainly vinyl though. I’m a big downloader too. At first with iTunes and then now about 90 songs a month from emusic. It’s such a great way to get your music. And of course, though the artist’s themselves and at shows. A lot of what I listen to, this is the only way to get their music.

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?

I listen to more music now than when I was “growing up” but I totally agree that a lot of bands lead you to others. An example, The Beatles lead me to George Harrision’s All Things Must Pass, which lead to A Concert for Bangladesh, in turn to Leon Russell and Eric Clapton. I saw R.E.M. on tour in 1995 and Radiohead opened for them and now Radiohead, well actually from then on, they are one of my favorite bands. The Velvet Underground to Lou Reed to early Bowie, I mean I seem to find it works all the time. When I hear something I like, I want to hear their influences, and honestly sometimes, others that sound similar. I love reading reviews that lead me to some great artist because someone said their sound was similar to Neil Young’s or Will Oldham’s, or whatever.

What are some of your favorite records of all time?

Favorites, that’s a tough question. I refuse to name favorite movies, because there are so many, and I guess I’m that way with music. I’ll list a few records I could not live without, how about that. Neil Young’s “Ditch Trilogy”, or “Dark Trilogy”, are must haves for any music lover (Tonight’s the Night, On the Beach, Time Fades Away) Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue, The Flying Burrito Brother’s Gilded Palace of Sin, The Cars’ Greatest Hits, The Clash’s The Clash. Some newer stuff that I can’t stop listening to is Radiohead’s Kid A, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s Master and Everyone, Joanna Newsom’s Milk Eyed Mender, Cocorosie’s Noah’s Ark, Jen Lekman’s Oh Your So Silent Jens, and anything by Iron & Wine.

Any idea how many albums are in your collection?

I have around 150/200 lps, 200/300 cds, and a little over 40gb on my Mac.

If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?

The first would be Neil Young without a doubt. His music has been a constant on the soundtrack of my life. The second would be Thom Yorke and the third, although I would be afraid for my life and enjoy every moment, would be Shane MacGowan of The Pogues. Man would that be fun.

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?

First concert…I really can’t remember. It probably would have been like Poison or Def Leppard, some eighties “rock” band. Some outstanding concerts have been Noahs Red Tattoo at the Cover Dish (any time they played) That R.E.M. concert I mentioned earlier (The Monster Tour. No one likes that album, but I love it) Sufjan Stevens and Devendra Banhart from last year were pretty awesome.

What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?

I would like to see Iron & Wine, and Joanna Newsom. I think they both would be amazing.

How did you choose the name of your blog?

The Perm & The Skullet. The name comes from a faux band that my friends and I created after a late night at The Flying Saucer here in Raleigh. The night started like any other, but would culminate with the meeting of two middle aged individuals, one male, one female, one hairstyle a perm and the other one a skullet. They chattered amongst themselves, courting and toying with one another. Finding this combination fascinating and bizarre in our state of mind, we could not turn away. We started joking with the name and thought it would be the perfect name of a metal band or something. We made flyers and talked “the band” up at some shows, just for laughs, but it kind of caught on, even so much that we got asked to play at a local bar. To all you bands out there, PROMOTION…that’s the key. I needed a name for my blog, so as I joke, I changed the name from Hayhurst’s Blog (prior name) to The Perm & The Skullet back in July and for some reason it just stuck.

Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?

I started blogging because of one of the television shows I produce. Our website was down and we needed a way to get out information. I started exploring the blogging community and I was amazed. I had already had a music recommendation/mix tapes page up at my homepage I put together for my family and friends and when I saw the possibilities for reaching others through blogs, I jumped at the chance. I was totally surprised and continue to be fascinated by the growth of the community. My blog isn’t the biggest or best one out there, but it’s the music I like and I figure I’ve got a few regulars that share the same taste in music and I appreciate everyone who stops by. It’s truly amazing!

What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.

When I started exploring music/mp3 blogs I only knew a few, like Fluxblog, and Gorilla vs. Bear had just recently started up, and my favorite up to the day Josh took a break, was Uncommon Folk. Josh was actually the first blog to link to me and I’ll never forget that. Since then blogs have been popping up everywhere. The ones I read on a daily basis are this one, Muzzle of Bees, GvB, Ear Farm, Aquarium Drunkard, So Much Silence, My Old Kentucky Blog, and Songs: Illinois. I have a list of blogs on the side of my site and I visit every one of those almost daily and all are great or they wouldn’t be there.

How important do you think music blogs are in general? Do you think they will continue to be as popular as they are today?

Music blogs are extremely important to both fellow music lovers and for musicians. For one, it’s free publicity, who doesn’t want that. But it’s great for independent or diy bands to get the exposure they deserve and trust me, there are a lot of great labels reading these blogs. Look at the bands like CYHSY and others that have had a huge following through the net and now everyone knows who they are. I get tons of email from labels about their latest releases and I didn’t ask to be put on any lists, they just realize the great resource blogging can be for them and their bands. I will say, I don’t post everything I get, I feel that I have to really like the band to post about them, but my point is, if it wasn’t an important resource, then the attention we are getting wouldn’t happen.

As far as a selfish reason, I love it when I find out about a new band. When I head over to one of the above mentioned blogs or wherever, and listen to a band for the first time that I like, man it’s awesome. It truly connects not only the country but the world in terms of spreading the music. So, yes, I think music blogs will be around for a while, but like everything, it will hit it’s peak and then recede, leaving those dedicated blogs standing.

Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite movies and television shows?

The favorite movie question. Yikes. Well, I watch a ton of films, that was my major in college. I make films and tv for a living, so entertainment and art are a big part of my life. I guess I’ll just start listing a few favorite directors and films. Directors: Monte Hellman, Samuel Fuller, Werner Herzog, John Cassavettes, Jean Luc Godard, David Lynch, Errol Morris, Robert Altman, Anthony Mann, Jim Jarmusch, Alfred Hitchcock, The Coen Brothers, Darron Arnofsky, Cameron Crowe. I know there’s more, but off the top of my head, that’s what comes out. I love documentaries, foreign films, westerns, sci-fi, comedies. Movies that I can always watch, no matter what are High Fidelity, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Big Lebowski, Two Lane Blacktop, Aguirre Wrath of God, and any early Clint Eastwood western.I pretty much will give any movie a chance within reason.

On TV there are a few things that I always watch. I love Arrested Development, hopefully someone picks it up. I like Scrubs, Family Guy, The Sheild, Robot Chicken, and I’m catching up on Freaks and Geeks with Net Flix.

Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?

Outside of music, I live and breath film and tv. I co-produce a show titled Second Cinema, in which we highlight filmmakers from across the region and we showcase their films, go to festivals, conduct interviews, etc… It airs throughout the state and has been on around 3 years now and it just won a Telly Award this year. I also just started a new show called The Collective which airs music videos from local as well as national known musicians. I’ll take this time to say, that if anyone is in a band, knows a band, or represents a band and has music videos please send them our way. We would love to put them on the show.

A lot of people have a favorite concert t-shirt, do you have one?

I don’t have a favorite concert T.

In your opinion, what’s the best place to eat on your city?

I really like this Mexican joint, El Rodeo that’s by my place. I like Buffalo Brothers and this sports bar, Playmakers. Honestly, I really enjoy to grill out at my house, have some people over, a few beers, and make an afternoon of it. That’s my favorite way to eat.

Animals dressed as humans. Funny or not?

Not funny. More like sad.

Let’s get some general background on you. Where do you live, how long, etc.

I live in Victoria, British Columbia. I moved to BC from Ontario four years ago to go to university. Victoria has got the whole mountains and ocean thing working for it. Plus, it’s close enough to Vancouver and Seattle.

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 don’t really remember what the first album was that I actually purchased myself. It was probably something really terrible. I was pretty young when my dad gave me his old record player and a stack of his old vinyls from the 70s which I thought was the coolest thing. I do remember that the Mini Pops and the Snoopy albums got spun a lot (those were my album, not my dad’s). When I was growing up, my dad was almost always playing music, which gave me an appreciation for older music like the Stones, the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Neil Young. In high school, I was into the whole Seattle scene. I had a lot of Nirvana cds, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Dinosaur Jr., Smashing Pumpkins, the Lemonheads, Jane’s Addiction, Sonic Youth, Eric’s Trip. I was hugely into the Beastie Boys then too. Eventually, I found Radiohead.

How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased?

The other day I bought Grandaddy–Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla, Wilco–A.M., Neil Young with Crazyhorse–Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Belle and Sebastian–The Life Pursuit, the Village Green, Giant Drag–Hearts and Unicorns, and Rocky Votolato–Makers. Before that, I bought Ted Leo and the Pharmacists–Tyranny of Distance, Cat Power–The Greatest, Slender Means–Neon and Ruin, Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins–Rabbit Fur Coat, the Elected–Sun, Sun, Sun, and We Are Scientists–Love and Squalor.

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?

In Victoria, I usually shop at A&B Sound or Lyle’s Place. When I’m in Vancouver, I usually go to Zulu. And I never leave Seattle without going to Easy Street Records and Sonic Boom (my favourite record stores). They have a lot of great in-store performances too. With the exception of A&B Sound (which is a chain store in western Canada), I like to try and support independent record stores whenever I can. If I can’t find a cd or if I am too impatient to wait for the Canadian release, I usually order it online from Insound, CDBaby, or directly from the label or band’s site.

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?

When I was younger and started listening to music, I stumbled haphazardly upon some bands on my own or would mostly listen to what my friends introduced me to. Radiohead was one band that definitely opened the door to a lot of others musicians and older bands that I had missed or had been too young to really appreciate. Now, I’d say that one band leading to listening to another happens to me all the time. When I get into a band, I look into what music they like and other bands that they are associated with.

What are some of your favorite records of all time?

The Velvet Underground–Loaded, the Velvet Underground with Nico, the Smiths–Meat is Murder, Neil Young–After the Gold Rush, Elliott Smith–From a Basement on a Hill, Elliott Smith-(self-titled), Bright Eyes–Lifted, Radiohead–the Bends, Radiohead–Ok Computer, Wilco–A Ghost is Born, Belle and Sebastian–the Boy With the Arab Strap, the Kinks–The Kink Kronikles, Rilo Kiley–Execution of All Things. More recently, Wolf Parade–Apologies to the Queen Mary, Arcade Fire-Funeral and Feist–Let It Die.

Any idea how many albums are in your collection?

About a quarter of my collection is in another province, but I’d say that I have about 350 or 400 cds, and I have a ton of music on my computer.

If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?

Lou Reed and Neil Young are at the top of the list because I am fascinated by both of them, and Feist or Emily Hanes because they seem like they would be fun to hang out with.

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 don’t remember the first show that I went to. When I was younger, I used to go to a lot of shows by local bands, but that don’t really count. A recent favourite show that stands out was when I saw the Faint last spring in New York. I went to one show, and then I was given some VIP passes, so I convinced my friends to see them for the second time in a few days. They are a fantastic live band. My Morning Jacket in Seattle last fall was a great show too.

What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?

There are a ton of bands that I’m looking forward to seeing this year. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolf Parade, the Shins, Destroyer, Neko Case, Editors, Cat Power, Built to Spill, Voxtrot, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists.

How did you choose the name of your blog?

‘Villains Always Blink’ is a Velvet Underground lyric from ‘Sweet Jane.’ “You know that women never really faint and that villains always blink their eyes. And that children are the only ones who blush, and that life is just to die.” I was listening to the Velvet Underground a lot when I started my blog. I don’t know. I’m terrible at naming things. I hate to think how long it would take me to name my kid if I ever had one, or even a pet for that matter.

Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?

There were a few things that lead me to starting a music blog. I had a job that gave me a lot of free time (probably too much free time). One of my favourite things to do is to talk about music, and having a blog is a great excuse to talk about music as much as I want. I’m always reading about bands or searching out and hearing new bands and then of course, I want to share these little discoveries. I love introducing my friends to new bands. For a long time, I was reading blogs, and I wanted to write a blog, but I was hesitant. There are some really amazing bloggers out there who have impeccable taste in music and that was a bit intimidating, but I decided that I would give it a try anyway. My taste in music is a work in progress. It’s been a lot of fun so far. I don’t really know how popular my blog. I’m appreciative that people stop by to read what I’ve got to say or listen to a band that I’m into.

What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.

The blogs that I read everyday are Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan (Brooklyn Vegan was one of the first blogs that I started reading regularly), You Ain’t No Picasso, Gorilla vs. Bear, My Old Kentucky Blog, Central Village, the Modern Age, Chromewaves, For the Records, Just Keep Bloggin’, Clever Titles Are So Last Summer, Yeti Don’t Dance, Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands, Sixeyes, Aquarium Drunkard, and of course Muzzle of Bees. Indie Interviews does a great weekly podcast. I read pretty much all the blogs that I have listed on my site regularly.

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 think that for new indie bands (especially unsigned ones) blogs are very important. Blogs offer free exposure and the attention that unknown bands want. Every once and awhile, I think that they can help give an up and coming band even more momentum to break out. For bands that are already pretty well-known, I don’t know how much effect blogs have on their album sales. Well-known bands can stay relevant more easily on their own. In the short time that I’ve been blogging, it seems like the number of music blogs out there has doubled. I hope that they do continue to be popular. They generate discussion about new music and get people talking about their favourite bands.

Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite movies and television shows?

I love The Office (both the American and BBC versions), the Daily Show, Grey’s Anatomy, Conan O’Brien, Spenny vs. Kenny, and the Family Guy.

I watched Walk the Line a few weeks ago, and it was really pretty good. Others movies that I like are the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Annie Hall, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Sin City, and I love music documentaries.

Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?

Other than listening to music incessantly, one of my favourite things to do is to write. I write short stories sometimes, and I’m looking into writing for a few more sites.

A lot of people have a favorite concert t-shirt, do you have one?

I don’t really buy concert t-shirts anymore. I stopped buying t-shirts from shows when I realized that I never wear them, and they just stayed in my drawer. I would rather buy a cd at a show.

In your opinion, what’s the best place to eat on your city?

There is a restaurant called Pagliacci’s that I like. The diner at the end of my street called Pluto’s that has an awesome breakfast.

Animals dressed as humans. Funny or not?

Humiliating for everyone involved.

Let’s get some general background on you. Where do you live, how long, etc.

I’m originally from Memphis, but I have lived all over the place. After graduating from NYU some years ago, I ended up in Seattle on a whim. For seven priceless years that I remember fondly, I left the I-5 Corridor only to perform music and work. As a musician in Seattle, I toured opening for a whole slough of people – Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, Mary Lou Lord, The Posies, Lori Carson, just to name a few. I went through a change of heart, got burned out on “the Seattle scene” and retreated homeward in 1998. One move to New York and one move to Los Angeles later, I discovered there was great opportunity right here in good ol’ Memphis that I never appreciated before. I’ve stayed put for almost five years now.

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 started records at the tender age of three years old. My brothers were heavily into rock ‘n roll music and were already collecting albums by the time I was born. My father was an attorney who had several clients that worked for Stax/Volt and for record pressing plants. I loved music and I would sit for hours playing the boxes of records that dad’s clients gave him on my orange-and-white Playschool turntable – Junior Walker & The All-Stars, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Rufus Thomas, Brenda Patterson, Jimmy McGriff, Willie Hutch, and Johnnie Taylor just to name a few.

The first record I ever actually bought was Sly & The Family Stone’s “Fresh” which I convinced my mother to buy me for my 4^th birthday. I still remember how excited I was to go with her to Zayre (the record store near our house) and pick it out of the record rack – I liked it because the dude on the cover was doing a jump kick! My brothers also bought me a 4^th birthday present – I got to choose between “Bloodrock Live” and Jethro Tull’s “Stand Up”. I picked Bloodrock, but in retrospect I think I would have been better off with the Jethro Tull. The maximum overexposure to rock n’ roll and soul music led to my lifelong love of music. It has always been my best friend.

How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased?

I recently bought The Life Pursuit by Belle & Sebastian, Hibernation by The Glass, The Soft and the Hardcore by Tender Forever, See No Stars by Cake on Cake, Multiply by Jamie Lidell, and a used copy of Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams to replace my heavily played copy.

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 try to buy things from Goner Records, Shangri-La Records, or Last Chance Records here in Memphis. The center of a music community is the record stores that support the local artists, and by supporting them it’s saying that you support local music and local businesses. Amongst the three of them, there is nothing that anyone else has that I could ask for. If they don’t have it, I don’t need it.

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?

First of all, let me state for the record that I have musical multiple personality disorder. I was, quite literally, into everything as a kid. I listened to all of it, and there was never a day of my life where I wasn’t into something new. I was fat, lonely, and highly precocious as a kid – while my friends were playing with Barbies and Tonka Trucks, I was getting records by bands like The Jam, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Wreckless Eric, The Stooges, and X. I blame it all on a store here in Memphis called Rare Records where I spent many Saturday afternoons digging through the record bins with my father. Bobby, who ran the store, turned me on to so much music it almost seems surreal to me today. Everything about my knowledge of British music from 1978-1983 came from Bobby.

I was a fan of Prince from the first time I ever heard “I Wanna Be Your Lover” on the radio, and that love turned me onto Joni Mitchell (whom Prince called his favorite artist). Court And Spark was the very first CD that I ever purchased (back when CD’s were still relatively new). I stood in Pop Tunes for three hours looking at CD’s trying to decide what to buy for my new CD player, and I came home with that. What a stroke of good luck that was – Prince was out, Joni was in. I didn’t realize that Joni had written “Woodstock” which was one of my favorite songs by CSN&Y. I became a rabid Joni Mitchell fan overnight. That love turned me on to Neil Young’s solo records, Bob Dylan, and The Byrds.

Part of my musical evolution was learning to evolve with the music. What I listen to on a daily basis today is very different from what I was listening to even two years ago. I owe that to the freedom my parents and my brothers gave me to embrace music from a very early age.

What are some of your favorite records of all time?

Zuma by Neil Young, Hejira by Joni Mitchell, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan, Frosting On The Beater by The Posies, Truck Turner OST by Isaac Hayes, London Calling by The Clash, Computerworld by Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra by Yellow Magic Orchestra, Roman Candle by Elliott Smith, Mezzanine by Massive Attack, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams, Lookin’ For A Love Again by Bobby Womack, Songs In The Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, Madman Across The Water by Elton John, The Low-End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest, Mecca and the Soul Brother by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

Any idea how many albums are in your collection?

Until a fire destroyed them, I had nearly 5000 albums in my collection. I’ve been bitterly trying to rebuild them.

If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?

I have been fortunate to be blessed with time with so many, but I’ll give you the ones I have not ever had a chance to interact with:

1) Joni Mitchell. She is my hero and that’s that.
2) Bob Dylan. Same deal.
3) Bobby Womack. He blows me away, plain and simple.

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?

My first concert was at the Mid-South Coliseum for The Kids Are Alright 1979 Tour of The Who. I almost got arrested for climbing over the railing so I could be on the floor. This fat, mean security guard came after me, running out of breath the whole way. My brother Charles talked him out of it. I sneaked over anyways and didn’t get caught.

My favorite shows: Pink Floyd at BC Place in Vancouver, BC 1994, 2 nights. I got to spend time with my friends Chris and Shaun and that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had.

Coldplay at the Ryman in Nashville – I can’t stand Coldplay, but for some reason that night brought tears to my eyes.

Jeff Buckley, Café Paradiso, Seattle – I got dragged to this show by my friend Chris who insisted I would love it. I didn’t want to leave the house, but he insisted that I come down. I saw this scrawny-looking dude with big hair wearing a v-neck t-shirt and a key on a chain around his neck plug in to his amp and say, “Hello.” The next hour was filled with stunned silence as I heard a voice like Billie Holliday coming from the same guy who was playing his guitar like Robert Johnson and Jimmy Page. Somehow, I knew I would never be the same after that night. It was one of the most earth-shattering moments of my entire life.

Foo Fighters, Velvet Elvis, Seattle – Yes, I stood on the stage with a hundred other people and watched them rip through those songs I’d heard on the C-60 cassette for the last several weeks.

Smashing Pumpkins, Shudder To Think, Oz, Seattle – It was my birthday. My college friend Craig walked up to me in line and said, “What are you doing here?” I told him I was living in Seattle. He told me his band was opening for the Pumpkins. Both bands were stunning. After the show, Craig invited me to come with them to The Tiki Lounge inside The Dog House (a now-closed Seattle diner that had been there since 1939). I got tanked with Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Shudder To Think, Smashing Pumpkins, and my friend Shaun. D’arcy and James had a disagreement, I ended up being referee. It was surreal.

Built To Spill, Butterfly Train, Heavenly, The Halo Benders at the O.K. Hotel in Seattle – can you even begin to imagine that line-up? It was a benefit for the Northwest AIDS Foundation to boot.

Beck and Mary Lou Lord, O.K. Hotel, Seattle – Beck was still unknown in the rest of the world, but he was HUGE in Seattle. The place was packed to the gills. Mary Lou Lord opened. Chris Ballew auditioned to be Beck’s beat box and got the job (because he could play bass). It was a zany time.

De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School, 3^rd Bass, The Ritz, NYC – Do I really have to explain this? The heyday of hip-hop, and that show was BANGIN.

The Who, 1979, Mid-South Coliseum – I almost got arrested. The explosion at the end of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” blinded half the crowd. I saw Dan Akroyd and John Belushi hanging out at the side of the stage. What wasn’t to remember about this night?

What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?

I have this conversation all the time – Kraftwerk is the band I dream, dream, dream of seeing live. Can’t wait to see Fischerspooner, The Knife, Editors, New Pornographers, and Belle & Sebastian. Other than that, I’m not sure.

How did you choose the name of your blog?

Rachel chose it, actually. She got me into blogging and I will never forgive her for it.

Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?

I connected with Rachel in 2004 and we hit it off right away. She told me about her music blog and I was just bored to tears with what I was doing. She asked me to write some stuff without ever realizing how deeply involved in music I have been my whole life. Surprised by the popularity? I think if you follow your heart, the popularity that comes with it is always a pleasant surprise.

What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.

My Old Kentucky Blog, TTIKTDA, Fluxblog, Gorilla vs. Bear, Stereogum, Buddyhead, Aurgasm, and Brooklyn Vegan are ones I read every or nearly every day.

How important do you think music blogs are in general? Do you think they will continue to be as popular as they are today?

Who is to say what tomorrow’s movement will be? I think the power of blogging is representative of this time in history. They always come up with something newer and different. Eventually, if human evolution holds true, this will pass at some point in the next hundred years.

Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite movies and television shows?

My favorite movies are City of God, Breaking Away, Over The Edge, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder version), My Own Private Idaho, Scarface, The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Le Samourai, and Oldboy. I don’t watch TV, but I do like The Boondocks, Desperate Housewives, and Law & Order/L&O-SVU. If not for the fact that I don’t own a television, I’d probably watch way more.

Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?

I work in production on film & television. Recently, I worked on Black Snake Moan, the new Samuel L. Jackson/Christina Ricci/Justin Timberlake movie directed by Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) and I love to travel.

A lot of people have a favorite concert t-shirt, do you have one?

My 1977 YES concert shirt. I wasn’t there, but the t-shirt was. I never wear it.

In your opinion, what’s the best place to eat on your city?

Pho Hoa Binh. I love Vietnamese food because it’s inexpensive, it’s healthy, and it’s damned good. Pho Hoa Binh, man oh man….Han is the supreme tofu master of all the universe. You’ll never have better Lemongrass Tofu anywhere ever, period.

Animals dressed as humans. Funny or not?

Hilarious! What if Animal Farm really happened?

__________

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.

Animals dressed as humans. Funny or not?

Not.