1. If I knew absolutely nothing about Skamper,
how would you describe the group’s music to me?
-- Murder-pop? Schitzo-pop? I'm not quite sure
how to describe my music because it seems to combine several genres. It
can be dark and ugly, ambient but noisy, frantic and poppy.
2. If I were to buy your new album Thunderbeast,
what songs should I pay particular attention to and why?
-- Two Feet By, Two Feet By is quite a nice little
song that started out as some layers of noise that come together with
a beat and create this pulsating foundation of the song. It's sparse
but beautiful. I harmonize with myself a lot and I do it the most in
this song. I feel like it has an erie sound. I wrote it after I walked
along the beach with a good friend of mine that I haven't had a private
moment with in a long time. It was great to reconnect with each other
and this is what came out of it.
3. When and where did the band form, and where didthe
name come from? -- Skamper was actually
formed in London. I was living there for sometime with a friend of mine.
I had written a few songs before I left Los Angeles, and when I arrived I
met a guitarist by the name of Stu Mason. He took my songs and we worked
on them together and started to write some more songs. Soon enough we met
a bassist and drummer and started booking shows. It was great fun to be out
of LA for the time and really just dedicating myself to music and find out
our style and sound. After I moved back to Los Angeles, I reformed the band
and continued writing and playing shows.
4.
What was your worst on stage experience? What was your
best?
-- My worst.... I sprained my ankle once about
a week before a show. It was going to be our last show for a while so
I didn't want to cancel it. I took some pain killers and went at it.
It was incredibly painful, but it was exhilarating at the same time.
I think the pain added to the performance somehow.
As for the best? I
think it's everytime we do a show. Playing live is an incredible experience
and every time we do it it's a new adventure. It never
gets old.
5. Do you think that the Internet (whether it be Internet
radio, legal downloading, MySpace, streaming audio, etc.) is a good tool
for musicians or is it a bad thing because it hinders profits?
-- I believe it's a great tool. Finally now everyone
has a fair shot at getting their music out to a wide audience. It's leveled
the playing field and really opens up the doors to musicians who might not
make it in the commercial arena. It gives everyone an outlet for their art,
music, film... whatever they want to create.
