Post by sleepyhead on Feb 11, 2005 19:39:31 GMT -5
What made you first start playing?
The first time i really ever felt the need to drum was after watching
Ty Peterson drumming for Lance Seaton and Sonny Cruz in their punk
original/cover band they had in high school called Muscle Car Phil.
They were practicing in the garage of a friend. Ty let me try out his
set after they were done. I didn't do much because I was too
self-conscious to make any noise. You know, worried i'd make a bad
sound and everyone would hear it. But since then, I was always hoping
the band room in the high school would be left unlocked so that i
could sneak in when no one was around and beat with no one listening.
I would sit and study the drumming on all sorts of cd's, mostly NOFX,
Lagwagon, and some Wutang that my brother had. My parents finally got
me a set of my own after they realized that this drumming thing wasn't
just a passing phase. That was Christmas of 1999.
Who inspired you in your early days?
My early inspirations were strictly punk. The fact that Eric from
NOFX did not use a double kick pedal and only had a four-piece set
really inspired me to learn to play fast and efficiently with minimal
gear. The Lagwagon drummer was always very technically sound also,
and I learned a lot from him mostly in the dynamics realm. But my
influences early on were primarily Elliot Johnson and Ty Peterson,
both from Kodiak who both played with the high school band at
different times. Ty taught me how to play faster and harder, EJ
taught me more about technicality. Every single time I saw either of
these guys play, I learned something new. They kicked me out of my
box and allowed me to expand. EJ actually let me take his place for a
song during a basketball game in high school. Biggest venue I'd ever
played!
How long have you known each other?
Nautilus and I somehow became friends in 6th grade, I believe through
Hunter Berns. We were "skaters" and "cupcakers." Through the year,
we eventually became somehow rivalled and separated cliques. In 7th
grade, Andy had become a "jock" and I remained a "skater" and in the
same year, I met and befriended Chris Whiddon, a future bandmate of
Rudy's Hill. Then as the fine lines between cliques started fading
away in high school, Andy and I became friends again and here we are
living together writing music in Bellingham.
What is it you like about Kodiak?
The never ending familiarity. I can just be. The scenery, the
wildlife, the indifference to appearance, the smell of Harborside, the
people and my parents. I like being able to get back to kodiak often
enough so I don't notice my parents getting older.
Kodiak is home field advantage. It's a break. I can relax and take a
load off, no matter what I'm doing. It's a comfortable environment
after living there for over 15 years. And the plentiful fresh
seafood...
I could go on and on.
How has Kodiak had an effect on your music and life in general?
Kodiak has influenced my music only through influencing my life in
general. My writing reflects my life in general, so maybe kodiak
comes through. I'm not overly excited and happy, so I'm not sitting
around writing pop hits. I'm not so incredibly despondent that I
write dragging melodies and rhythms with dark overtones. I enjoy
music and its associated fields more than any other "hobby" I've ever
had, and I owe it mostly to my upbringing in Kodiak.
Where would you like to see your music go?
I just want to get drunk and play rawcious shows. The most fun i ever
had was drumming while drinking and abandoning any concern for noise
levels. Playing shows just means I can share the experience with
anyone attending. And it's also a little bit of extra cash. It
usually just pays for the preconsumed alcohol. I'm not all that
worried about signing a contract or really going somewhere with what I
do, mostly because I think what I do doesn't appeal to the common ear.
I don't think there's anything I can do about that, but really, I
don't care to change it. I'll make some huge money some other way.
Maybe engineering. Hopefully engineering.
What are you currently working on now?
Andy and I have been getting into the studio as often as we can to
finish mixing and mastering two more L-throw songs, "We're Not in the
Hotel" and "I'm a Big Fan of Radio Control." We have about three
others on file we plan on finishing writing and getting on tape as
soon as can happen. We are sans practice space right now and it's a
little frustrating. That's next in line on the list.
Do you remember your first show? When was it? What was it like? Who
was there?
Our first show was in Bell's Flats on the outside deck of Dan Grave's
house as andy's, whiddon's and my punk cover band "Mr. Meaner." We
deemed the show "Bell's Flats Spring Break Meaner Tour 2000." It was
on the first weekend of spring break that year and the three of us had
only been together since New Year's night 2000. The audience was just
a bunch of peers drinking beers and requesting silly songs, only few
of which we could actually play. It was somewhat cold and honestly, I
can't recall actually playing the songs, but i do remember the night
was really fun and rewarding.
What was the first song you ever wrote?
The first song we wrote as the trio was called "It's Time." It was
directly influenced by Good Riddance and actually wasn't too bad. The
only time that Mr. Meaner really wrote a truly original song was after
we transformed into Rudy's Hill here in Bellingham. Actually, Chris
and Andy got here first and let me listen to what they were writing
over the phone and they said they wanted me to drum for it. Long
story short, I eventually showed up and did. Rudy's first song was
called "Coins" and is a rare track because it's so stupid, but it's
out there somewhere. Select few actually own it. Andy was very early
at work on what was later to be called "The Rock Bottom" but Coins was
finished first. As far as L-throw goes, "What Skeletons Could We
Have?" was the first off the presses.
Where can people hear you play?
People can only hear us play if we happen to bring our stuff into the
Fairhaven studio for a little messing around and practicing. Andy
lost his nice Fender Jazz Bass in that unfortunate FedEx plane crash
on long island in Kodiak over this summer (along with some other
valuables). We haven't been able to resurrect his nice tone since
then. Hopefully soon, the insurance will repair it for him and we'll
get another bassist and some miscellaneous keys/percussion guy and we
can play a show again at a bar in Bellingham opening for a sick metal
band that has so prominantly taken over the Bellingham music scene.
What are your current interests?
My current and probably permanent influence and interest in terms of
drumming is Matthew "Cornbread" Compton of Engine Down. He taught me
power and confidence. Jeff McIsaac from Aveo taught me true passion.
Judah of The Velvet Teen teaches me to sing in an elevated register.
You can listen to the albums all you want and never get the impact a
live show offers. You must see the people live and perhaps meet them
to really know whether or not they are the guys you want to be
investing time into studying.
Where do you see yourselves 5-10 years from now?
Myself, I'm hoping for a steady income and a woman to care for. I'll
always love music; that's not a choice of mine. Music will always be
a part of my life, so I find no need to pursue it to the point where
it becomes a career. Some say that when what you love becomes your
job, you start to dislike it more and more. I don't really believe it
too much, but I'm taking the safe road. Not to say I wouldn't love to
engineer (record mix and master) for a living. I could never hate
that.
Do you have any advice for the people back home?
In terms of music? Just go for it. You don't need to put life on
hold to enjoy the world of songwriting and performing. Just do a
little on the side to keep the flame fueled. People get signed and
hired from a demo they heard from an old eighties boombox recording.
It's not the quality of the sound that gets the first step, it's the
care put into the writing for the purpose desired. If you can get a
band together and you like what's going on and how it sounds when
practicing, record a shitty demo and give it to venues with a phone
number. Chances are, if you know what you're doing, you'll be getting
calls. Quality only tells how lucky or how wealthy you are. If
you're poor but good, people want to help you out. If you're rich and
good, it's almost just assumed and you don't need anyone's help, so
they'll pick the shitty demo over your quality of the same genre. Let
the passion run rampant; it'll make itself present in the music.
Sometimes when sitting down with a guitar or at my set, I'll try to
find something sweet to extrapulate. More often than not, I'll
stumble on a cool riff or sweet fill or rhythm just by sitting down
with no expectations. Just be sure to take a little time to do it
every day if you can. But maybe this is just me. (Don't make me
sound like a condescending ass! That's not my tone!)
What do you think of the site?
The site is a great way to get back to where you came from. People
generally don't expect anyone born and/or raised in Kodiak to amount
to anything. It should be nice to be able to find out at moment's
notice who's doing what and where that has a tie to Kodiak.
( i never did get a response from andy, and i think some of this information is out of date, haha.)
The first time i really ever felt the need to drum was after watching
Ty Peterson drumming for Lance Seaton and Sonny Cruz in their punk
original/cover band they had in high school called Muscle Car Phil.
They were practicing in the garage of a friend. Ty let me try out his
set after they were done. I didn't do much because I was too
self-conscious to make any noise. You know, worried i'd make a bad
sound and everyone would hear it. But since then, I was always hoping
the band room in the high school would be left unlocked so that i
could sneak in when no one was around and beat with no one listening.
I would sit and study the drumming on all sorts of cd's, mostly NOFX,
Lagwagon, and some Wutang that my brother had. My parents finally got
me a set of my own after they realized that this drumming thing wasn't
just a passing phase. That was Christmas of 1999.
Who inspired you in your early days?
My early inspirations were strictly punk. The fact that Eric from
NOFX did not use a double kick pedal and only had a four-piece set
really inspired me to learn to play fast and efficiently with minimal
gear. The Lagwagon drummer was always very technically sound also,
and I learned a lot from him mostly in the dynamics realm. But my
influences early on were primarily Elliot Johnson and Ty Peterson,
both from Kodiak who both played with the high school band at
different times. Ty taught me how to play faster and harder, EJ
taught me more about technicality. Every single time I saw either of
these guys play, I learned something new. They kicked me out of my
box and allowed me to expand. EJ actually let me take his place for a
song during a basketball game in high school. Biggest venue I'd ever
played!
How long have you known each other?
Nautilus and I somehow became friends in 6th grade, I believe through
Hunter Berns. We were "skaters" and "cupcakers." Through the year,
we eventually became somehow rivalled and separated cliques. In 7th
grade, Andy had become a "jock" and I remained a "skater" and in the
same year, I met and befriended Chris Whiddon, a future bandmate of
Rudy's Hill. Then as the fine lines between cliques started fading
away in high school, Andy and I became friends again and here we are
living together writing music in Bellingham.
What is it you like about Kodiak?
The never ending familiarity. I can just be. The scenery, the
wildlife, the indifference to appearance, the smell of Harborside, the
people and my parents. I like being able to get back to kodiak often
enough so I don't notice my parents getting older.
Kodiak is home field advantage. It's a break. I can relax and take a
load off, no matter what I'm doing. It's a comfortable environment
after living there for over 15 years. And the plentiful fresh
seafood...
I could go on and on.
How has Kodiak had an effect on your music and life in general?
Kodiak has influenced my music only through influencing my life in
general. My writing reflects my life in general, so maybe kodiak
comes through. I'm not overly excited and happy, so I'm not sitting
around writing pop hits. I'm not so incredibly despondent that I
write dragging melodies and rhythms with dark overtones. I enjoy
music and its associated fields more than any other "hobby" I've ever
had, and I owe it mostly to my upbringing in Kodiak.
Where would you like to see your music go?
I just want to get drunk and play rawcious shows. The most fun i ever
had was drumming while drinking and abandoning any concern for noise
levels. Playing shows just means I can share the experience with
anyone attending. And it's also a little bit of extra cash. It
usually just pays for the preconsumed alcohol. I'm not all that
worried about signing a contract or really going somewhere with what I
do, mostly because I think what I do doesn't appeal to the common ear.
I don't think there's anything I can do about that, but really, I
don't care to change it. I'll make some huge money some other way.
Maybe engineering. Hopefully engineering.
What are you currently working on now?
Andy and I have been getting into the studio as often as we can to
finish mixing and mastering two more L-throw songs, "We're Not in the
Hotel" and "I'm a Big Fan of Radio Control." We have about three
others on file we plan on finishing writing and getting on tape as
soon as can happen. We are sans practice space right now and it's a
little frustrating. That's next in line on the list.
Do you remember your first show? When was it? What was it like? Who
was there?
Our first show was in Bell's Flats on the outside deck of Dan Grave's
house as andy's, whiddon's and my punk cover band "Mr. Meaner." We
deemed the show "Bell's Flats Spring Break Meaner Tour 2000." It was
on the first weekend of spring break that year and the three of us had
only been together since New Year's night 2000. The audience was just
a bunch of peers drinking beers and requesting silly songs, only few
of which we could actually play. It was somewhat cold and honestly, I
can't recall actually playing the songs, but i do remember the night
was really fun and rewarding.
What was the first song you ever wrote?
The first song we wrote as the trio was called "It's Time." It was
directly influenced by Good Riddance and actually wasn't too bad. The
only time that Mr. Meaner really wrote a truly original song was after
we transformed into Rudy's Hill here in Bellingham. Actually, Chris
and Andy got here first and let me listen to what they were writing
over the phone and they said they wanted me to drum for it. Long
story short, I eventually showed up and did. Rudy's first song was
called "Coins" and is a rare track because it's so stupid, but it's
out there somewhere. Select few actually own it. Andy was very early
at work on what was later to be called "The Rock Bottom" but Coins was
finished first. As far as L-throw goes, "What Skeletons Could We
Have?" was the first off the presses.
Where can people hear you play?
People can only hear us play if we happen to bring our stuff into the
Fairhaven studio for a little messing around and practicing. Andy
lost his nice Fender Jazz Bass in that unfortunate FedEx plane crash
on long island in Kodiak over this summer (along with some other
valuables). We haven't been able to resurrect his nice tone since
then. Hopefully soon, the insurance will repair it for him and we'll
get another bassist and some miscellaneous keys/percussion guy and we
can play a show again at a bar in Bellingham opening for a sick metal
band that has so prominantly taken over the Bellingham music scene.
What are your current interests?
My current and probably permanent influence and interest in terms of
drumming is Matthew "Cornbread" Compton of Engine Down. He taught me
power and confidence. Jeff McIsaac from Aveo taught me true passion.
Judah of The Velvet Teen teaches me to sing in an elevated register.
You can listen to the albums all you want and never get the impact a
live show offers. You must see the people live and perhaps meet them
to really know whether or not they are the guys you want to be
investing time into studying.
Where do you see yourselves 5-10 years from now?
Myself, I'm hoping for a steady income and a woman to care for. I'll
always love music; that's not a choice of mine. Music will always be
a part of my life, so I find no need to pursue it to the point where
it becomes a career. Some say that when what you love becomes your
job, you start to dislike it more and more. I don't really believe it
too much, but I'm taking the safe road. Not to say I wouldn't love to
engineer (record mix and master) for a living. I could never hate
that.
Do you have any advice for the people back home?
In terms of music? Just go for it. You don't need to put life on
hold to enjoy the world of songwriting and performing. Just do a
little on the side to keep the flame fueled. People get signed and
hired from a demo they heard from an old eighties boombox recording.
It's not the quality of the sound that gets the first step, it's the
care put into the writing for the purpose desired. If you can get a
band together and you like what's going on and how it sounds when
practicing, record a shitty demo and give it to venues with a phone
number. Chances are, if you know what you're doing, you'll be getting
calls. Quality only tells how lucky or how wealthy you are. If
you're poor but good, people want to help you out. If you're rich and
good, it's almost just assumed and you don't need anyone's help, so
they'll pick the shitty demo over your quality of the same genre. Let
the passion run rampant; it'll make itself present in the music.
Sometimes when sitting down with a guitar or at my set, I'll try to
find something sweet to extrapulate. More often than not, I'll
stumble on a cool riff or sweet fill or rhythm just by sitting down
with no expectations. Just be sure to take a little time to do it
every day if you can. But maybe this is just me. (Don't make me
sound like a condescending ass! That's not my tone!)
What do you think of the site?
The site is a great way to get back to where you came from. People
generally don't expect anyone born and/or raised in Kodiak to amount
to anything. It should be nice to be able to find out at moment's
notice who's doing what and where that has a tie to Kodiak.
( i never did get a response from andy, and i think some of this information is out of date, haha.)
