Kilford, The Music Painter

KILFORD PAINTING LIVE DURING THE WOODENTOPS1 - pic by Guy Levy

KILFORD PAINTING LIVE WITH BAABA MAAL - picture credit Guy Levy

KILFORD PAINTING LIVE WITH ERNEST RANGLIN AT RONNIE SCOTTS - pic credit Guy Levy

what is your name?

Kilford, The Music Painter

how would you describe what you do?

I paint music.  I see colours when I hear music so I paint those colours live alongside bands during their gigs, or people ask me to paint single songs for them, or I sketch single songs.  Other than that I do a lot of shoe shopping, googling and drinking a lot of cardamom tea, I smoke a lot, think even more, I get my arse kicked in the gym and eat a lot of peanut butter (it’s a power food apparently)

what are you currently working on?

Painting wise I’m painting a few commissioned pieces inspired by single songs including Halo, Empire State of Mind, Heroes and Bad Romance.  I’m also sorting out my first ‘One Love’ music painting night at The Social in Feb www.thesocial.com I’m proper excited about that, I painted with The Charlatans, Magic Numbers and Saint Etienne at the club for the 10th Anniversay last month…it was rockin.  Plus I’m designing the pilot of our Music Painter Documentary which is fun.  What else, oh yeah launching an online store which focuses on selling top quality art for stupidly low prices all in the name of “Art for Everyone” so anyone can be a collector of great art for the price of two packs of cigarette and a vodka redbull!

what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Music is my number 1 influence. But if you mean influence in terms of what I create etc, then its people, either via commissions or Facebook people, I sketch lots of stuff based on facebook fan requests, so they influence what I create and I dig it, they are fab.

What is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
I don’t think there are any misconceptions, it does what it says on the tin.  The Music Painter, Paints Pictures of Music…it’s not the Cat Painter or the Landscape Painter or the Paints Anything Painter.  The Music Painter, nice and simple.

what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?

I use acrylic.  Main strength is the dry time, it has to dry quickly after a gig, basically in the time it takes to pull the set down. Weakness, is that it doesn’t completely accommodate my colour spectrum, I feel restricted with blues specifically.  I used to use a metallic blue and the manufacturers stopped making it. I suggested they call it Music Painter Blue and re-launch it but it hasn’t happened yet.

how has technology impacted upon the work you do?

it hasn’t impacted on my work, it is at the centre and is critical to all of my work.  Any artist that isn’t interested in using modern technology can stay in the last millennium as far as I am concerned.  The challenge I have, is that we are working on technology that doesn’t exist yet, so trying to get companies to make it is 1) a nightmare 2) bloody expensive.

what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
two things 1) Fuck em, paint what you want to paint and don’t let anyone tell you differently 2) be what you want to become

where can we find you online?

I’m on my facebook site far too much for my own good www.facebook.com/themusicpainter i twitter too much at www.twitter.com/themusicpainter plus if you want to look through my work, there are over 700 pieces online and all of them are free to download in high resolution from www.themusicpainter.com

what are you reading at the moment?
Twitters, no books at the moment…I like reading real lives in real time.

what are you listening to at the moment?
right now, I’m in the studio so I am focused on these Halo, Empire State of Mind, Heroes and Bad Romance.  I have to engulf myself in the song, I have to know every part of it just as you know every part of your lovers body.

anything else we should know?
…I use ear buds twice a day and I shouldn’t, I bite my nails, I like Guinness, I’m addicted to Swarovski and anything that sparkles, I have dents on my thumbs because I use my blackberry too much, I love brown sauce on most things and I don’t like to sleep.

[Via http://intoviews.wordpress.com]

Lolita interview: Laura Andrews

Hello everyone! How are you guys today? Yesterday I had the pleasure of interviewing 23 year old Lolita, Laura Andrews.

Lolita Laura Andrews in a dress she made.

Laura: How are you?

Ame: Pretty good ^_^.
Ok, let’s start this thing!!!
What got you interested in Lolita?

Laura: I hope this doesn’t sound too lame, but when I was young I really liked anime, and then I started learning more about Japanese culture as a result.. and I think the first time I saw anything “lolita” was when I found out about the book Fruits.

The dress she's wearing on a dress form.

Ame: Hahaha, not lame at all! I LOVED anime when I was a kid, FRUiTS, huh? That’s pretty cool.
What were your first thoughts about the fashion?
Laura: I’m not exactly sure! I think I was exposed to it little by little over a long period of time before I really got into it and started wearing it. I have always been interested in fashion, so I am pretty opened minded when it comes to new things.

Ame: That’s great ^^.
So, when did you start wearing Lolita? What was your first dress?

Laura: I didn’t start wearing real Lolita clothes until last fall (although for a long time before that I was always wearing frilly dresses that weren’t Lolita). I actually made my first dress.. but the first dress I bought was the fruits parlor replica from Bodyline.

Laura Andrews (so cute)

Ame: How would you classify yourself (Gothic, Sweet, Classic….)

Laura: Definitely sweet.

Ame: ^__^.
What is your favorite brand? Have you bought anything from this brand?

Laura: I can never pick between Angelic Pretty and Baby. I have a lot of AP accessories like socks and wrist cuffs. I have one dress from Baby that I bought at Closet Child when I lived in Japan. I really love the brand dresses, but I love making my own too. It feels so much better when I get a compliment on a dress that made versus a dress that I bought.. so I tend to spend most of my money on making my own clothes.

Ame: I totally know what you mean! And the dresses you make are really gorgeous too!
You lived in Japan? How was that?

Laura: It was incredible! I only was there for 3 months because of tourist visa restrictions.. but it was great. It ended up being a kind of sabbatical for me and it gave me a ton of inspiration for my work (in addition to making clothes, I also do a lot of art).
I really miss being able to just walk into all the brand stores and look at the dresses whenever I want haha

Nail Set from Kawaii Nails

Ame: AW!
You say you do lot of art, does that relate to your kawaiinails site?

Laura: Yes it does actually! I designed the site and learned how to code it and everything myself.In addition to doing graphic design, I also work on conceptual projects.

Ame: That’s pretty amazing! As for the nails, do you design them yourself?

Super adorable nails from KawaiiNails

Laura: No, I don’t design them, unfortunately! I have a lot of respect for the nail technicians that do make them, they are incredibly talented! In the future, I would like to have some way for customers to easily design their own nails.. maybe some kind of flash interface built into the site. It won’t be soon, but it’s definitely one of my goals for the future!

Ame: Hahahaha ^__^. That would definitely be awesome!!!!
What are some of your other goals?

Laura: My other passion is sewing, so I am trying to get my clothing line going. I have been designing my own fabric and getting it printed at Spoonflower. My prints are very sweet lolita inspired, but more abstract. There isn’t a huge demand for hand-made lolita clothing, but I hope that by using my own prints, it will set me apart from other designers/seamstresses.

Ame: Absolutely! I love buying handmade Lolita clothes! I hope it gets popular!
Anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

Laura: I just want to say thanks for reading, and I’m very glad to be a part of the Lolita community!

CHECK OUT HER SITES

Kawaiinails

Laura Andrews

Etsy

[Via http://baranoame.wordpress.com]

the outline

the outline

what is your name?
The Outline

how would you describe what you do?
We try to create the best music we possibly we can

what are you currently working on?
A new album titled “Who You Love” produced by Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age, Mini Mansions)

what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Our heroes – and the desire to create something half as good as they’ve created. I mean, ideally as good or better, but here’s to modesty.
what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
We were lumped into the pop-punk Alternative Press world for a long time, and in no way knocking that genre, I don’t feel that’s ever been our sound, and certainly not the sound of what we do now. We just want people to listen with open ears – we’re really proud of this new batch of tunes.

what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
there’s nothing we’d rather be doing than making music, but it’s certainly a difficult world to navigate and get ahead in.
how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
we <3 drum machines. and computers. and the ability to make things sound great in our own bedrooms.
what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
don’t wear loafers in the showers. ya know, blisters.
where can we find you online?
myspace.com/theoutline
what are you reading at the moment?
This interview
what are you listening to at the moment?
Jingle Cats
anything else we should know?
Mighty Ducks is a classic film.

[Via http://intoviews.wordpress.com]

DIRTY sound system Re-versed interview

Merry Black Christmas to you All!

Best of wishes for these laidback days.

This is a special post.

We reversed the usual interview form of Dirty SS’s blog www.alainfinkielkrautrock.com and asked from the French dudes to answer it.You can also find it printed on our NEXT BIG SHIT column at this month’s SONIK magazine.

DO NOT FORGET: Guillaume Sorge & Clovis Goux are coming from Paris to rock our new series of parties tonight @ 6 D.O.G.S.

Be there early cause they will do the warm wth weird but wonderful French Psychedelics from 60’s – 70’s era.

What turns you on?
Guillaume: Wet muscles in a friendly shower (via Discodeine).
Clovis: Next Trax seminary at la fistinère (http://www.lafistiniere.com/)

What is your favorite word?

G: Foutriquet
C: Papouffes

What sound or noise do you love?

G: Sound of my parent’s coffee machine in the morning.
C: Sound of my parents fucking in the morning

Have you driven anyone insane?

G: Maybe but not intentionally.
C: Me probably

Have you ever made a practice of confusing people?

G: Sometimes but they were worth it.
C: Customs officer at the Jerusalem airport (don’t try)

What should everyone shut up about?

G: Ecology.
C: Israel and Palestine

What advice should you have taken, but did not?

G: Eat light, make exercise. I think about starting smoking again.
C: Stop gossips

What is your vital daily ritual?

G: Spend time with my 2 wonderboys.
C: Smoking cigarettes and thinking about death

What do you fear most?

G: Stupidity.
C: Madness

How would you like to die?

G: Quietly.

C: Suddenly

What is your earliest memory?

G: Figs trees in portugal.
C: My mother with blond hair (she looked like Michael Caine in Dressed to kill)

Do you collect anything?
G: Memories.
C: Fake friends

A fundamental thinker?
G: Roland Barthes Simpson.
C: Alain Finkielkrautrock

What is your most recent extravagance?

G: A Candida Romero painting.
C: Subscribe to Oops magazine

What five words best describe you?

G: Échouer. Échouer encore. Échouer mieux. (via Samuel Beckett)
C: I am a woman in love (via Barbra Streisand)

What is your worst addiction?

G: Fine food.
C: Rumination

What were you doing at midnight last night?

G: Dreaming.
C: Watching “Meat” by Frederik Wiseman

Who is your worst enemy?

G: Self indulgence.
C: Depression

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?

G: The Tracy Chapman Brothers.
C: Mike Blueberry, Dirty Harry, Bartleby

Who are your favorite heroines in real life?

G: Joan Didion (at the moment).
C: Aurélie Chaffel

Who would you have liked to be?

G: I’m pretty happy trying to be myself.
C: Snoopy
What turns you on?
Guillaume: Wet muscles in a friendly shower (via Discodeine).
Clovis: Next Trax seminary at la fistinère (http://www.lafistiniere.com/)

What is your favorite word?

G: Foutriquet
C: Papouffes

What sound or noise do you love?

G: Sound of my parent’s coffee machine in the morning.
C: Sound of my parents fucking in the morning

Have you driven anyone insane?

G: Maybe but not intentionally.
C: Me probably

Have you ever made a practice of confusing people?

G: Sometimes but they were worth it.
C: Customs officer at the Jerusalem airport (don’t try)

What should everyone shut up about?

G: Ecology.
C: Israel and Palestine

What advice should you have taken, but did not?

G: Eat light, make exercise. I think about starting smoking again.
C: Stop gossips

What is your vital daily ritual?

G: Spend time with my 2 wonderboys.
C: Smoking cigarettes and thinking about death

What do you fear most?

G: Stupidity.

C: Madness

How would you like to die?

G: Quietly.
C: Suddenly

What is your earliest memory?

G: Figs trees in portugal.
C: My mother with blond hair (she looked like Michael Caine in Dressed to kill)

Do you collect anything?
G: Memories.
C: Fake friends

A fundamental thinker?
G: Roland Barthes Simpson.
C: Alain Finkielkrautrock

What is your most recent extravagance?

G: A Candida Romero painting.
C: Subscribe to Oops magazine

What five words best describe you?

G: Échouer. Échouer encore. Échouer mieux. (via Samuel Beckett)
C: I am a woman in love (via Barbra Streisand)

What is your worst addiction?

G: Fine food.
C: Rumination

What were you doing at midnight last night?

G: Dreaming.
C: Watching “Meat” by Frederik Wiseman

Who is your worst enemy?

G: Self indulgence.
C: Depression

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?

G: The Tracy Chapman Brothers.
C: Mike Blueberry, Dirty Harry, Bartleby

Who are your favorite heroines in real life?

G: Joan Didion (at the moment).
C: Aurélie Chaffel

Who would you have liked to be?

G: I’m pretty happy trying to be myself.

C: Snoopy
What turns you on?
Guillaume: Wet muscles in a friendly shower (via Discodeine).
Clovis: Next Trax seminary at la fistinère (http://www.lafistiniere.com/)

What is your favorite word?

G: Foutriquet
C: Papouffes

What sound or noise do you love?

G: Sound of my parent’s coffee machine in the morning.
C: Sound of my parents fucking in the morning

Have you driven anyone insane?

G: Maybe but not intentionally.
C: Me probably

Have you ever made a practice of confusing people?

G: Sometimes but they were worth it.
C: Customs officer at the Jerusalem airport (don’t try)

What should everyone shut up about?

G: Ecology.
C: Israel and Palestine

What advice should you have taken, but did not?

G: Eat light, make exercise. I think about starting smoking again.
C: Stop gossips

What is your vital daily ritual?

G: Spend time with my 2 wonderboys.
C: Smoking cigarettes and thinking about death

What do you fear most?

G: Stupidity.

C: Madness

How would you like to die?

G: Quietly.
C: Suddenly

What is your earliest memory?

G: Figs trees in portugal.
C: My mother with blond hair (she looked like Michael Caine in Dressed to kill)

Do you collect anything?
G: Memories.
C: Fake friends

A fundamental thinker?
G: Roland Barthes Simpson.
C: Alain Finkielkrautrock

What is your most recent extravagance?

G: A Candida Romero painting.
C: Subscribe to Oops magazine

What five words best describe you?

G: Échouer. Échouer encore. Échouer mieux. (via Samuel Beckett)
C: I am a woman in love (via Barbra Streisand)

What is your worst addiction?

G: Fine food.
C: Rumination

What were you doing at midnight last night?

G: Dreaming.
C: Watching “Meat” by Frederik Wiseman

Who is your worst enemy?

G: Self indulgence.
C: Depression

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?

G: The Tracy Chapman Brothers.
C: Mike Blueberry, Dirty Harry, Bartleby

Who are your favorite heroines in real life?

G: Joan Didion (at the moment).
C: Aurélie Chaffel

Who would you have liked to be?

G: I’m pretty happy trying to be myself.
C: Snoopy

[Via http://justgazing.wordpress.com]

An interview with Stephen Patterson from White Rabbits

As with Nick, I have been slightly quiet in NJV parts, but hopefully these things will change, as I have a few things up my sleeve for 2010. Anywhoo enough of that…

A few days ago, I got a chance to sit down and have a chat with Stephen Patterson from the band White Rabbits prior to their performances here at both Falls Festival, Rhythm & Vines Festival in New Zealand and other sideshows around the country. Their track ‘Percussion Gun’ has been given a huge flogging on the transistor radios (and other radios) around the joint, and the rest of the album isn’t too bad either, gathering a sound that’s a bit of a cross of syncopated poppiness and acoustic psychedelia. Their album It’s Frightening has been the only release here in Australia that’s been of note from them, but they have had a previous release called Fort Nightly brought out in other parts of the world. Here’s the transcript of our interview:

Philippe: I thought I’d start off with a strange question. The band seems to be doing a bit of touring in support of It’s Frightening. The majority of it being in the US. I want to know though if crowds that you play to overseas differ from the crowds you get in the US?

Stephen: It’s not very dissimilar to the US I suppose. It depends on the city. Audiences in larger cities simply do fold their arms. Smaller cities seem to have audiences jump around a bit more physically.

It’s not too dissimilar here in Australia either…

Well, that’s good to know. I’ll prepare myself then.

I was wondering if you could briefly give Australian audiences the story of how White Rabbits got together?

Um, we got together around 20034 in the Midwest of America. I worked at a record store with Greg who sings alongside myself and we just kind of bonded over records. He had a few friends in a band he was playing with, and I simply just joined! I was initially the drummer in the band when we were back there in the Midwest. We wrote a bunch of songs that weren’t very good and when we graduated from college, we moved on to somewhere else. We moved to a different city as many people do when people finish school.

So we just packed our things up and moved to the East Coast to Brooklyn and switched things up a bit. We just were a bunch of friends who got along really well and had similar tastes in music – that was our main concern in a way. That we liked each other as people, and then think, “let’s write songs together”. The hard part is finding a group of people that enjoy being around each other in terms of being in a band. Writing songs is the easy part.

Did the surroundings with the big move to Brooklyn influence the way you worked?

I think we were more motivated in Brooklyn then we were in the Midwest, which is most likely due to financial strain. We also didn’t want to work the jobs we did at the time. I think we just kind of, worked harder and were motivated to get better.
New York though is expensive in itself to live as though, isn’t it?

Well, yeah it is fairly expensive, compared to the Midwest, yes!

Tell me about the recording of It’s Frightening. Did you record this in Brooklyn?

Yeah we did record it over there in the course of a month.

How different was the recording process compared to your other releases?

Well, we recorded it in Manhattan not too far from Brooklyn. I think we definitely learnt from that first record a better way to record an album. Not to get too technical here, but we moved into a large space and set up our own studio. So we were to write and record at the same time. So as a musician, it really, really important – that you have an idea and an idea that excites you – that you are able to record it the moment and that sort of feeling the moment that you have it. You get that feeling across better in that moment then you would after you slept on it and thought about it too much.

So we thought we’d capture the spirit of the song and go from there. We essentially recorded our record in the practice space before we went into the studio. We were a lot more prepared for sure than we were for our record…

I suppose time was a playing factor if you had everything at home.

Yeah, yeah that was crucial. We were able to record it quickly, which is a good way to do things and not over think it. It was good to do it over the course of a as opposed to a year which was how long it took for our first record to do. And it wasn’t because we didn’t… um, it took us a year not because we had so many ideas that we had to put down, it was more that we didn’t really know what we were doing back then.

This time we just simply knew what we were doing and did it in a month.

Was it kind of like having a blueprint there and bringing it together by talking it all out?

Absolutely! With little moments of improvisation and new ideas here and there…

It’s interesting you say improvisation there though. A lot of musicians I speak to don’t utilise improvisation to develop new song. Musicians who are involved in anything other than the jazz scene just can’t see it as a form of songwriting. Do you find improvisation is a good way to form the basis to many of the band’s songs?

Yeah, yeah I find it’s the best way to do it. At first it’s like, we got a track like ‘Percussion Gun’ – its lyrics were 75% improvised. Also, to go into detail, those handclaps were just like just going with a feeling we had at the moment. Everyone in the control room was going “Yes, lets go with that!”. I find that doing those things make the music sound the best to your ears.

It’s intangible, but you can feel it. That you are going along with that feeling, that simple notion at that particular moment. You just have to do it that way. Not enough bands record their tracks as live as they should record it. Some great records were made just because they were spur of the moment, live recordings.

Regarding touring – you will be down here over the New Year period. Are you doing more touring after you have come down to Australia?

I think when we finish touring Australia, we will be going over to the UK and Europe and touring the record there. I don’t think the record is coming out until mid January there. So we will be having commitments over there. It seems in my short time of doing this we tour for about two years, so yeah it will be a hectic schedule.

I’m happy to spend New Years Eve in Tasmainia, that will be a thrill!

Have you heard much about Tasmania? Planning on doing the tourist thing?

No I don’t! I plan on reading up on it during the holidays.

It’s a lovely island, so I’m hoping you enjoy it. Thanks for speaking with me.

Great, thanks.

White Rabbits – ‘Percussion Gun’
White Rabbits website myspace

[Via http://njvendetta.wordpress.com]

Gingerbread

I first met Elizabeth, head pastry chef at Kona Village Resort, on a family trip to Hawaii when I was about 10 years old. She used to let my sister and I come into the kitchen where we would be able to watch her plate desserts. It was always so exciting to see the hustle and bustle going on behind the scenes. It was a few years later that I began to hear about the wonderful gingerbread work that Elizabeth would do for Christmas at Kona Village.  I have always been enamored by the time, creativity and intricate detailing that goes into building gingerbread structures. This year I had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth about her craft.

Elizabeth Therialt, Dessert Chef

Kona Village Resort, Hawaii

1) How did you become a pastry chef? What drew you to this field?

Baking has always been a part of my life. I grew up in a family of hunters, bakers, fishermen and gardeners. I knew that baking was an expression of love. It was a way to be able to give and please people. My uncle and grandfather were bakers in a commercial setting. My grandfather was actually called “Whitey” because he was in charge of the flour and sugar and was often found covered in a light dusting of white powder. I always baked as a hobby, but didn’t consider it as a career until I took a course in Cooking for Wellness at a local college.

2) You are known for the amazing Gingerbread structures you create for the Holidays at Kona Village. When did you begin this tradition?

I began doing the gingerbread houses in 1995. This is the 15th gingerbread house that I have made. My third year of building the houses I actually made two structures; one for each restaurant (which was a huge undertaking). I am a storyteller and use the gingerbread as my medium. I try to present my point of view of the Hawaiian culture.

3) Where do you get your inspiration from?

I grew up next to Disneyland, which has greatly affected my imagination. It is based on this thought process of imagineering that I find inspiration for my gingerbread houses. I want to create a fantasy within my pieces. I create mini scavenger hunts in the structure. Allowing the guests to try and figure out what items were used to create the structure. It’s following in the spirit of discerning what is and is not real in ones own life. Many times the guests visit and revisit the pieces and each time discover some new detail or element to the piece.

This year’s theme is based on Kalaemano – a property just North of Kona Village. The learning center and path to the ocean is the main focal point of the property. My themes are based on what captures my heart. As Chef Elizabeth so eloquently states in a description of  this years piece, “This learning center is a portal to the past and a bridge to the future as we discover how the place got peopled, why the mountains and terrain carry the names they do. There are many a hidden message here….waiting for our ears and hearts to embrace them.”

Kalaemano

Petroglyphs Ki’i Pohaku

Breadfruit Tree

Learning Center’s Amphitheater

4) What goes into building a gingerbread house?

Some years the maintenance crew helps me build the wooden structure, while other years I choose not to engage in that collaboration. When I am building these structures I strive to create as much as I can out of edible materials. Everything comes from the land or the kitchen.  When I am unable to use food for certain parts of the structure I will turn to other supplies found in the kitchen such as ice cream cartons and asparagus crates. It is a structure completely comprised of renewable parts.

Each gingerbread structure takes 100 + hours to build. This years structure has the thatching made of shredded wheat, the lava is a powdered sugar/gelatin mixture that is baked and burnt, the sand is made of rice-krispies, sesame seeds and white rice, the grass is dyed coconut, and the benches are made of vanilla beans. The entire structure is held together with gingerbread cement which uses about 75 pounds of powdered sugar and 50 egg whites!

5) When do you begin planning/building the gingerbread house?

In thought, the planning begins the day after or during the previous years design. In action, I begin in September or October.

6) You are not only an extremely talented pastry chef, but you have quite a number of other jobs and hobbies. Please tell us a little about what makes you so special.

My uniqueness is no different than anyone elses. We each have an individual connection to the divine and I am blessed to use that connection. I just prioritize it. I have a passion for passion. I find the delight in the unusual and in the spiritual cleverness in the unexpected and the creative presentation of spirit. That is what I look for. I try to see the weaving of the creative mastery that goes on around us. The drum in particular has caught my heart. Every rhythm of life has a heart beat. During the year before I joined the staff at Kona Village I spent time in Sedona where I made my first drum. So really both drumming and pastry came to me around the same time in my life. It allows me to know love and be loved in the most expanded way possible.

Here are some pictures from the gingerbread structures that Chef Elizabeth has created in the past

Hale Samoa Restaraunt

Hale Moana Restaraunt

Maori Hale (guest bungalow)

Kona Village Fitness Center

Kona Village Gate House

Kona Village Reception Center with Staff

Chocolate Pahu Drum and Honu

Hale Samoa Restaurant at Night

[Via http://urbansweets.wordpress.com]

Interview with Kennedy Brock of The Maine

Pop/Punk band The Maine have been gaining some popularity within the past couple of months. After a handful of opener acts on tours with bands like We The Kings and All Time Low, The Maine co-headlined the 2009 AP Tour as well as performed on the Hurley Stage throughout Warped Tour ‘09. Recently, the band appeared along side Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, A Rocket To The Moon, and VersaEmerge on the OP Presents Love Drunk Tour.

I was able to ask guitarist Kennedy Brock a couple of questions shortly after the end of the Love Drunk Tour. Click the jump to read the full interview!

- How was the OP/Love Drunk tour with Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, A Rocket To The Moon, and VersaEmerge?

The tour was amazing, easily the best crowds we have ever had! We are great friends with ARTTM, Versa, and BLG, so there weren’t too many new faces to learn, which is always nice. Cobra Starship turned out to be great people also. It’s crazy how fast the tour went, I really wish it would have been longer!

- Did you have a favorite date of the tour?

I think that St. Louis was my favorite date of this tour, I love The Pageant, it is such a great venue, and the crowd was insane that night.

- Do you have a favorite band that you toured with?

It’s hard to choose a favorite band. We have toured with a lot of cool people, but if I had to, I’d say it’s ARTTM [A Rocket To The Moon], I have known them since I joined this band, and have never had a dull moment. They are some of the most down to earth guys around!

- Do you have a favorite song to perform live?

I enjoy playing Into Your Arms.

- What do you think sets your band apart from other bands of your genre?

It’s hard to answer that question without coming off [as] arrogant. Everyone always thinks they stand out, it’s hard to say what really makes the difference. We work hard, we love our fans, and we try to write good songs, hopefully that does the trick and sets us apart.

- Have you started working on a new album? If so, can you talk about it?

Nope, we are going to take the rest of this year off to hang with our families and start the early stages of the writing process.

- Do you have any plans for 2010? A future tour?

Not sure yet, hopefully it’s going to be a good year though!

- As a musician, who are some of your major influences?

My band mates first of all, as for bands, I am a big fan of Third Eye Blind, and Tom Petty!

- Would you like to add anything else?

Thanks for your time, see you next year!

[Via http://moshtothis.com]