SLOTHPOP as interviewed by Andrew Jackson

Robert Denby here, posting on behalf of Willimantics own Andrew Jackson. He sent a "questionnaire" to SLOTHPOP and the fruits of it are here for you to enjoy!
note: answers are in italic
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Coming up on November 11, 2011 (that’s 11/11/11) the smooth sound waves of Slothpop will be hitting us live from their actual instruments (as altered through their amplifiers). Yes they are traveling all the way to us from Indiana to entertain us at the Oak (Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, CT). We decided to get to know them a bit better. This is not so much an interview as it is a questionnaire. I sent all of these questions to them already typed up, they were kind enough to answer them and send them promptly back.

Hey guys, we really don’t have the budget for a full on interview so I was hoping you could fill out this questionnaire. It’s like an interview but you don’t have to worry about me constantly cutting you off to talk about myself. You may assign a single person or answer all together. You may be brief or you may carry on for pages. It would be good if you identified who was answering. Our goal is to make this the third best performance experience you have ever had. So let us begin shall we?

Real quick, here are all of our names (with instruments), so you know who is answering what:

Kristin Newborn – lead vocals, guitar, keyboard
Drew Malott – bass, vocals
Bryan Unruh – drums
Lauren Eison – violin, vocals
Dan Zender – guitar


For starters, I am sure everyone is wondering about your name. Is your music aimed towards arboreal, lethargic primates or generally lazy ne’er-do-wells doomed to walk the first circle of hell?

Yep.

Interesting. So let’s hear about your new release. Where did you record it? How long in the making?

It was recorded at Queensize Studios in Indianapolis. It took about six months from the start of tracking until mixing and overdubbing was complete. - Drew

It seems everyone has only the nicest things to say about it, assuming you consider “weird” a compliment (which I do and I like it). What is the weirdest song? What is the most beautiful song? Not to be crass but, is it selling?

It depends on your definition of “weird.” If you mean weirdest in tone and meaning, it would be “Leaping Over Books.” If you mean weirdest in structure, it would be “Magenta.” – Bryan “Shuffler,” is the most beautiful because it’s inspired by two humans pollinating. -Kristin

We handle all of our distribution, so it’s selling well in the places we’ve played and where people have discovered us. We’re in a very cool place right now because, when people do discover us, they are discovering it for themselves or through their best friends, so they often end up loving it passionately. It’s neat little secret that they’re excited to be a part of. - Drew

Nor, would I my friend…nor would I. Speaking of which, I thought your little stage diagram was adorable. I use it in my D&D campaign as the goblin king’s lair. As it turns out the defensive positioning is often too much for even a fifth level magic user to handle. Where did you get your tactical training? How often do you have to fend off ragtag adventurers seeking fortune and glory at your shows?

The three vocal mics are +3 to INT and STR. Really, though, we all come from varied musical backgrounds and training. Kristin is a classically trained pianist, I studied music tech at Ball State (Muncie, IN; see next question), and so on. We’ve all been in various ensembles with diverse experience. - Drew

As it happens, I am from Indiana myself. I will give you three guesses as to where the coolest bar in Muncie is.

Lauren, Bryan, and Drew went to Ball State, and we all agree it’s the Heorot. But if you’re asking coolest venue, it’s Be Here Now.

Aw, so close, it is the Heorot. It would have been Savages if they had live music there. Ok, now you tell me what the 3 best places to play in Indy are.

White Rabbit, Radio Radio, and, uhhh…

I can see that, although the Alley Cat does have an indescribable charm.

So did you notice how I started each question segment with a phrase that made it sound like I was responding to what you will answer in the future? Do you think that will fool anyone? Did you even try to tailor your answer to fit the responses?

It fooled us.

How is the Indy scene these days? What are some of the other bands you guys are into right now? You can assume “Indy” to include the entire state of Indiana, even Bloomington, although that might piss off those music school snobs. Not “the region” up in the northwest corner though. Let those jerks claim they are from Chicago, everyone knows they are full of crap…am I right?

You’re definitely right. As for favorite bands, we love America Owns the Moon, the Bonesetters, Everything, Now!, Amo Joy, Crys, Jookabox, and Oreo Jones.

So it looks like that person really jacked up their clavicle. Who is that and what the hell happened to it? Has it affected your music at all?

On one fateful day, I was longboarding, and there happened to be a pothole in my way as I glided gracefully down the street. In my periphery, I did not see, the thing that would steal the step from my feet. It broke in five places, and I had to get surgery. It didn’t really affect the music except I had to sit down for our whole tour in June and July. And I always sit in the front seat in the van. - Dan

Speaking of affecting your music, what about all this neutrino business? If it turns out that this particle is actually capable of traveling at speeds faster than light, it could very well turn the music world on its ear. Do you think your band will be able to adapt to a universe where a particle can travel 500 miles in less than 3ms?
We were breaking the speed of light when the neutrinos were still underground.

Well, we should wrap this up I suppose or else no one is going to want to read it when they see how long it is…man you guys like to ramble huh? One last question, well, more of a task. The Beatles were often categorized into one single adjective per band member (ie Ringo the quiet one, John the cute one, George the fast one, and Paul the kleptomaniac). Assuming your fans are this shallow or you are all that mundane, what is the single descriptor you would assign to each of you? Take your time on this, it will be on your permanent record.
Drew: lazy
Kristin: lazy
Lauren: lazy
Bryan: lazy
Dan: priceless


Well, that is all we have timespace for today. Thank you for your gracious answers and we all very much look forward to seeing you at the Oak.

In case you, the reader, missed it:

Friday, November 11, 2011:

Slothpop
Little Ugly
Rum Glass Serenade

Doors open at 8

We ask 6$ at the door or 5$ and a veggie canned good to be donated to Hartford Food Not Bombs however no one is turned away for lack of funds.