the HELGAS TR: How would you define the music your band makes? I like to refer to it as "home-style", that is to say we leave out what we don't like (or don't have) and add over-size amounts of what we do like. It's real basic, loud and honest. TR: How long did you write songs together before you recorded the album? The thing we are doing with Craig (they still..) is a 5 song "single" - we put the songs together in 6 months or so. TR: How does this album translate into a live show? The only real difference is that we TRY to limit the mistakes when recording. TR: How important do you feel the guitar is to contemporary music and is this good or bad? People keep remarking that the guitar is out of style, but every time I turn on the TV (and it's quite often) somebody, wether it's a commercial, video or sitcom, is playing the guitar! I don't know if it is good or bad. TR: How important is dance-ability within your songs? To see people really dance at a rocknroll show would make me happy - so far it has not occurred. TR: Why do you think more audiences these days dance less than they used to? Is it because of the legacy of the mosh pit? I think the mosh pit was/is dancing, what I am talking about is people essentially standing still during the recitation of the song and then clapping and cheering when it's over. I don't know why this is the case (especially at a local show) but it is. Everyone is jaded, self conscious or just too cool?, I don't know. TR: How often do you tour? Nationally or locally? The latter. TR: What recommendations would you make to other bands on music as a careers choice? I would like someone to show me how it could be a career. TR: Do you have a day job and what is it? I am an antique dealer. TR: Do work a 40 hour week? and are they real antiques? I work about 35 hrs a week. The real antique versus new construct ratio is about 50/50. TR: What does it take to have a hit song? Hit song? I don't know, a good song makes a direct connection to the listener's heart. TR: What is your definition of success? To even TRY to do something truthful and beautiful is to be a success. TR: Would you sell your songs to a pop-star, like Mariah Carey, if she wanted to record them? Hell yeah! TR: Would you be happy being a one hit wonder? I am happy bieng a no-hit wonder- so I would imagine being a one-hit would be one better. TR: How often do you tour? Rarely. TR: What is your favorite venue to play at? A club here in Atlanta called the Star Bar. TR: What makes a good song? A good song speaks directly to the heart and conveys the feelings of the LISTENER in a way that he or she is not able to. When I was 14 and listened to "Nervous Breakdown" by Black Flag I suddenly heard my most innermost feelings expressed with a style and a level of intensity that I had never imagined, in other words, they spoke for ME and in the process enriched and emboldened me. TR: Do musicians in general lose credibility with the mass popular audience as their music becomes free as traded mp3s on the Internet? I am not try to short-change you on the interview, but I really don't know how you could measure something like credibility. TR: What do you think is going to happen with Napster? I guess it will go away. TR: Where do you get most of your music? Online stores, traditional record stores? Both TR: What % is indie vs. major? I generally buy older records- the majority are probably major label back catalouge. TR: What bands do you feel aren't getting the attention they deserve? I have lots and lots of records by great bands that just never really got that big - I guess somebdy like The Muffs jump to mind,I mean they WERE on a major,but they never really peaked out. TR: Are indie bands even the underground anymore? And if not them, who is? ANYTHING can be underground, but I would say the most "underground" thing I have run up against is the whole white power/pagan metal thing. TR: What influence do you think our new president will have on indie music? None. Learn more about the Helgas at their website http://thehelgas.8k.com