RIVER CITY HIGH TR: How much of the southern feel do you want to capture in your music? We don't feel like we capture the sound of say Lynnard Skynnard or the Allman Brothers or Molly Hatchett (heh heh), but I guess by living in the south all our lives we can't help but have that come through every now and then. TR: How do you feel about the recent acceptance of "country-folk-americana" into the indie fold via bands like Whiskeytown? We like all those bands, we listen to them all the time. Ryan Adams is some good shit...IT seems like roots rock is something everyone gets into when they get a little older. People want to know what it is that got them where they are now, musically speaking. TR: Do you think that the multitude of new bands, along with the greater separation of the mainstream/major acts from the indie-world, and the greater expense of touring than it used to be, will create a new music scene based on the local? I don't think that touring is a greater expense now. All it takes is a minivan and every suburban kid can borrow their parents' for two weeks a year...I've done that in the past! I think that with all the new bands, and all these new bands that tour, it's harder for a band to stick out from the pack. Bands that want to be successful have to work harder, stick their necks out, you know, just do it and don't look back. TR: Do you consider your band Punk, or is it Rock? And does it matter? No, it doesn't matter, everything is now kind of merging into eachother, pop is now what punk has become, radio is gaining new ground. It's pretty exciting. We like to just say we play rock, therefore we don't alienate anybody when we say that. We leave it up to the listener. TR: Do you feel "history" in your music? Does it feel like you're adding your voice to a tradition? Good question. It's easy to feel inconsequential when surrounded by so much talent in music. We feel pretty confident about our sound, and feel like we are doing a good job, but at the same time when you play to three people you don't really feel like you are making a dent. We do love music and rock in general, everynight when we play it's the some total of all past experiences, ya know? TR: Do you have a day job and what is it? nope, we tour all the time...this is all we do. TR: What is your definition of success? It's the achievement of every truism: the right place at the right time, beautiful simplicity, dumb luck. TR: Would you sell your songs to a pop-star band if they wanted to record them? It would have to be come back tours for washed-up 70s rockers like the Bay City ROllers or somebody like that. I think it would be cool if bands actually wrote songs for eachother. The Rolling Stones did a Lennon/McCartney song...it would be cool if we could do a Hoppus/Delonge original. TR: Would you be happy being a one hit wonder? All it takes is one song. Nobody wants to think they only have one shot, but what appears to be "one shot" to the public may not be the only shot a band gets. There are so many tiers of success, bands that only have one hit can still tour and live off of the one hit. At least we could get on a cool comp put out by Time Life in 10 years. TR: Do musicians in general lose credibility with the mass popular audience as their music becomes free as traded mp3s on the Internet? It just becomes more accessible. CDs, records, cassettes, they are all media for recorded material. MP3s are just another medium for such a transfer. TR: Do you think making your music is a socio-politcal act? I don't think you have ever heard our band if you asked that question! We write about girls and tight pants! TR: How important do you feel guitar is in contemporary music and is this good or bad? I read an interview with Radiohead and they said "guitars are good for tension." Man, I guess I must need some type of stress relief, cause that's what rock is, just lots of guitar. And loud. I might be immature, but I can't imagine anything else. TR: What type of guitars do you play on? Gibson SGs, we are the dueling SGs. TR: What band from the 90's did the world miss out on? THe Doughboys, Archers of Loaf, Hot Water, Jawbreaker TR: Do you think making your music is a socio-politcal act? unfortunately, no.. TR: What bands do you feel aren't getting the attention they deserve? Samiam, Leatherface, Pop Unknown TR: Where do you think indie music is going? More folk, more pop, more hip hop? More pop, it's seeping from the airwaves. Learn more about River City High at their website http://www.rivercityhigh.com/