
LittleBook: Why did you start a band??
The Mindless Things: We started this band to make rock and roll music and push mostly original songs to people who like that sort of thing. All of us are or have been in other bands too and have been at this for a while.
LB: How did you find each other??
TMT: The bass player, Skeet, and I went to high school together in Las Vegas.We had another friend, Eric Aurandt, who is a fantastic Canadian outlaw and played drums when we started this band last year but he and his wife decided to have a son so he no longer had time for a band. Dusty saw us play at the Knockout one night and liked what he heard so he introduced himself and we played together shortly after that. He's a welcome new friend and great addition to the rock n' roll effort.
LB: What's your most memorable moment as a band??
TMT: The next moment is always the best.
LB: Favorite pre / post show; food, indulgence or ritual??
TMT: Some kind of food is a good idea before playing a show, as is a good, stiff shot of whisky.
LB: What do you drink at practice??
TMT: We drink only herbal tea and only while kneeling on the prayer mat. No, usually a few bottles of beer.
LB: What's the hardest thing about being a Band in the Bay Area??
TMT: The same things are hard about being a band here that are hard in any dense city; where to practice without bothering anyone or spending a fortune on studio rent. This is a competitive music town, but if what you're doing is of any value then you aren't doing exactly the same thing ten other local bands are doing anyway.
LB: What do you want people to know about your band, what are you doing next?? TMT: People should know we want to bring the house down and we hope they'll dance to it on occasion too. We have two shows coming a month apart: Annie's Social Club with Knights of the new Crusade and The Teutonics, Fri., April 30th. Then at The Knockout, Sat., May 22nd with The Boars and The Shangorillas. We'd also like to record a real record by the end of this summer and put it out somehow.
LB: What's up with your CD where can I get it, where did you record it??
TMT: The only CDs we have so far are some demos we made in Dusty's garage that we'll be handing out at upcoming shows.
LB: Favorite San Francisco Band or a memorable show??
TMT: I don't know about a favorite. San Francisco has a number of great bands and there are some great bands in Oakland, too. We love The Boars.
LB: Favorite venue to Play??
TMT: Where's the next house party?!

LB: Have you ever played the Knockout before? What do you like about it?
TMT: Yeah, we've played the Knockout three times. We love the Knockout.
We'll be back there in May.
LB: Do any of the members ever take their shirts off at a show or at practice?
TMT: O.K., you caught us. All we actually do is take our shirts off at every opportunity. Is being in a band really about anything else?
LB: Who's the smelliest member after a sweaty gig??
TMT: I don't know who's the smelliest? We don't usually get cuddly enough to find out. I think the drummer is usually that guy in any band but I know I'm a runner up. Showering helps prevent that sort of hygiene issue too.
LB: Where do you think live music is heading??
TMT: Live music is and will always be a lot more fun than any recording could ever be. As a trend I think it's headed down a very steady road of sameness; we're not gonna see packed arenas full of teenagers any more but it's not going away either. Just like vinyl records, it keeps tenaciously being important.
LB: How do you feel about people downloading your songs for free , do you offer free downloads??
TMT: People can have a few songs. If nobody ever buys anything, though, then bands don't make money for their work and it means only rich kids will be able to do it because they can afford an expensive hobby. Those kids also have less tough life experience and hence, less to say in songs that doesn't come from their college poetry class. It's hard to try and hoard your material these days, though. In hindsight, record companies, not musicians, made off with most of the big bucks before the internet anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment