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The Big Takeover Issue #93
Interviews
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Interview: Ramesh Srivastava (Voxtrot)

25 July 2022

Ramesh Srivastava is guardedly optimistic about Voxtrot’s future. Reuniting for the first time since 2010, the Austin-based band has reissued two albums worth of older material (EPs, B-Sides, demos) and has a short tour coming up this fall. If nothing else happens, it will have been worth it but Srivastava envisions more touring and potentially writing new music with his bandmates.

Grunge Pop Records logo

Interview: Grunge Pop Records

25 July 2022

Grunge Pop Records is spearheading the grunge revival with an impressive list of up-and-coming artists. We discussed the need for real rock music, the sound of grunge and how it has evolved over thirty years, the international reach of the genre, and the future of Grunge Pop Records and its roster of soon-to-be world-famous bands.

Interview: Queen Kwong

12 July 2022

Carré Callaway’s life story may be as interesting and wild as her latest album, Couples Only, released under the Queen Kwong moniker. Callaway discusses both in this in-depth conversation.

Interview: The Bearer

10 July 2022

Austin TX based hardcore/punk band The Bearer rages with heavy and ferocious riffs, pounding drums, complex time changes and vocals with the same intensity as the music. I was pleased to get a chance to speak with drummer/vocalist Colton Siegmund about the new record Chained to a Tree, available now via Silent Pendulum Records.

Interview: Riley Downing (The Deslondes)

8 July 2022

There’s a chance The Deslondes extended hiatus may have lasted longer had John James Tourville (fiddle/pedal steel) not proposed getting the band back together during the pandemic. Riley Downing (vocals/guitar) talks about the band’s reunion, it’s new album, Ways & Means, life on the road and more.

ABC frontman Martin Fry

A Brief Chat with ABC Frontman Martin Fry

7 July 2022

ABC frontman Martin Fry discusses COVID’s effects, and what comes next for the band

Interview: Pit Pony

7 July 2022

Thanks to support from the PRS Foundation and Help Musicians, UK artist Pit Pony was afforded the opportunity to record it’s blistering, melodic-punk debut, World To Me, during an otherwise daunting time in world history. Jackie Purver, Garth Purver, and Andrew Jones discuss how living in Newcastle helps shape the band’s sound.

Beth Arzy and members of Jetstream Pony.

A Cloud In My Heart: A Chat with Beth Arzy of Jetstream Pony

5 July 2022

Beth Arzy is well known for her sweet vocal work in Aberdeen/Trembling Blue Stars/The Luxembourg Signal, Lightning in a Twilight Hour, and now the excellent UK band *Jetstream Pony.

Interview: Spacey Jane

30 June 2022

Spacey Jane’s sophomore album, Here Comes Everybody, follows close on the heels of the Australian band’s debut which came out in June 2020. Singer Caleb Harper talks lyrical inspirations, mental wellbeing, and seeking Jeff Tweedy’s approval on the album title.

Interview: Haunted Summer

27 June 2022

With a sound rooted in folky and dreamy psychedelic-pop, Haunted Summer’s third album, Whole, proves you can judge a band by it’s name. We catch up with wife-and-husband duo Bridgette Moody and John Seasons as they happily return to the touring lifestyle they put on hold for the last two years.

JB Dunckel

Interview: JB Dunckel of Air Discusses Solo Album

24 June 2022

JB Dunckel – half of the celebrated electronic band Air – discusses his new solo album, Carbon

Rob Janicke's Top 5 Favorite Rock Reads

23 June 2022

‘Generation Riff’ founder Rob Janicke shares his five favorite non-fiction rock books.

Interview: Alice Merton

17 June 2022

After experiencing a whirlwind career-starting single, “No Roots,” (which currently has been streamed over 1 billion times worldwide), Alice Merton is learning to slow down and enjoy whatever life throws at her. Her new album, S.I.D.E.S., is the result of purging two years worth of dark thoughts and emotions as a form of therapy.

James Spooner's Top 5 Favorite Black Female-/Non-Binary Fronted Punk Bands

8 June 2022

‘The High Desert’ author James Spooner shares his five favorite black female-/non-binary fronted punk bands.

A Short Conversation with Sam Robbins

4 June 2022

With a new album about to drop and a cool single, “Reverence” giving a taste of its sound, I sat down with Sam Robbins to find out all about him, his music and where it all goes next.

Interview: Eli Winderman (Dopapod)

27 May 2022

With the listener in mind, progressive jam band Dopapod put a lot of thought into how they want the audience to experience their new album. From the sequencing of the songs, to the album artwork, to the board game that is part of the vinyl package, everything was carefully calculated. Eli Winderman talks about the album, touring and more.

Mark Palm's Top 5 Favorite Underrated Songwriters

27 May 2022

Supercrush guitarist/vocalist Mark Palm shares his five favorite underrated songwriters.

A Short Conversation With Jim Styring and Peter Holsapple About Recent It's Karma It's Cool Activities

25 May 2022

A lot has been happening in the It’s Karma It’s Cool camp of late. Gigs at The iconic Cavern Club, new tunes about to be launched upon the unsuspecting public and they even got to work with Peter Holsapple whose musical resume includes the likes of The dBs R.E.M., Hootie & The Blowfish, to name but three. It seemed the perfect time to sit down with Jim and Peter and find out a bit more about what’s been happening.

Jaret Reddick's Top 5 Favorite Stand-Up Comedians

20 May 2022

Bowling For Soup frontman Jaret Reddick shares his five favorite stand-up comedians.

Interview: Isaac Gibson (49 Winchester)

13 May 2022

Isaac Gibson reflects on how living in a small mountain town in Virginia helps shape 49 Winchester’s sound on the band’s new album, Fortune Favors the Bold and how to feel a sense of “home” when playing in big cities.

Larry Jaffee's Top 5 Favorite 'Record Store Day' Releases

12 May 2022

Larry Jaffee, author of ‘Record Store Day: The Most Improbable Comeback of the 21st Century,’ shares his five favorite Record Store Day releases.

Interview: Duquette Johnston

10 May 2022

Following the release of his fifth solo album, The Social Animals, former Verbena bassist Duquette Johnston shares what it was like working with John Agnello, talks about balancing priorities, and shines the light on Birmingham, Alabama.

Hannah Judge's Top 5 Favorite Rilo Kiley Songs

28 April 2022

Hannah Judge of fanclubwallet shares her five favorite Rilo Kiley songs.

Interview: Joshua Hedley

21 April 2022

After drugs and alcohol nearly derailed Nashville’s Joshua Hedley’s career, the now-sober singer/songwriter is back with an album paying homage to the ’90s country music he grew up listening to.

Ronnie Barnett's Top 5 Favorite KISS Songs

21 April 2022

The Muffs bassist Ronnie Barnett shares his five favorite KISS songs.

EXTC Delivers Everything to Fans Who've Waited 40 Years

18 April 2022

EXTC featuring original XTC drummer Terry Chambers concluded a sixteen-date North American club tour April 9th in Toronto. The band will resume live shows in the UK in July. It has been forty years since XTC toured the United States, and hardcore fans were keen to attend. Philamonjaro interviews the band.

Slowdive's Neil Halstead

Interview: Neil Halstead of Slowdive Discusses The Unknown Country

16 April 2022

Slowdive frontman Neil Halstead talks about working on the soundtrack for indie film The Unknown Country

Interview: Pat Graham (Big Nothing)

15 April 2022

Pat Graham of Philadelphia’s Big Nothing shares how the band approached writing and recording Dog Hours in the midst of the pandemic and the never-ending quest he’s on to write the perfect pop song.

Jim Ruland—Top 5 Punk Books

'Corporate Rock Sucks': Jim Ruland Interview

11 April 2022

Author Jim Ruland talks about his new book ‘Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise and Fall of SST Records.’

Photo by Jacob Ball

Seeking An Oasis: A Conversation with Matthew Doty of Deserta

7 April 2022

“I think figuring out better ways to record and sing was another reason I wanted to work with more people on this album rather than doing it myself again and just keep doing the same thing. I mean, even the first project there was not anything that I didn’t like about the way it turned out but I wanted to try something new and see if there was something I could be doing better.” – Matthew Doty

Hudley Flipside's Top 5 Favorite Punk Drummers

6 April 2022

An exclusive excerpt from the new book, ‘Forbidden Beat: Perspectives on Punk Drumming.’

Interview: Yelawolf & Shooter Jennings (Sometimes Y)

4 April 2022

What do you get when you mix the outlaw country songwriter/producer Shooter Jennings with a predominant name in the hip-hop world, Yelawolf? Probably not what you’d expect. Sometimes Y delivers a modern rock album with influences from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Jennings and Yelawolf share with us how they came together and why two opposites attract.

Photo by Chris Frisina

A Tradition Of Evolution: An Interview With Rosali

3 April 2022

“I realized that removing myself from my daily life and all the other other things going on that make it so hard to focus, was really helpful. That time definitely made me see that if I had this concerted effort to which I can dedicate time to writing songs, helped really sort out a lot of things that I was thinking and feeling instead it feeling like it’s all a jumbled mess …” – Rosali

A Short Conversation with Emilio Palame of Knights of Swing

31 March 2022

With Knights of Swing just released via Vimeo it was the perfect time to sit down with actor, co-director and musical arranger, Emilio Palame to learn more about this fantastic film and equally exciting soundtrack, his own career and what the film has to say to a modern audience.

Tim Hinely's Top 5 Favorite Venues

31 March 2022

Tim Hinely, founder of ‘Dagger’ zine and author of ‘Where The Wild Gigs Were,’ shares his five favorite venues.

A Short Conversation with Chris Mitchard of Charlton Lane

30 March 2022

With a new album from Charlton Lane dropping very soon, it seemed the right time to sit down with the man at the musical helm and find out all-out this project, the Mendip Soul Stew and all the other wonderful things that he has got up to over the years.

Day Wave

Interview: Jackson Phillips of Day Wave

29 March 2022

Jackson Phillips, the mastermind behind acclaimed dream pop act Day Wave, discusses the band’s latest single, upcoming album, and his career overall

Stabbing Westward

Interview: Stabbing Westward frontman Christopher Hall

27 March 2022

Christopher Hall of Stabbing Westward discusses Chasing Ghosts, the band’s first album in 21 years, as well as their career overall

Interview: Deerhoof - Treefort 2022 Pick of the Day

27 March 2022

Founded by drummer Greg Saunier in 1994, the San Francisco heroes will support their latest record, 2021’s Actually, You Can. We talked with Saunier about what the band has in store for their Treefort set, his joke-telling skills.

Interview: Yob - Treefort 2022 Pick of the Day

26 March 2022

The most reliably solid performance of the festival’s penultimate day will come courtesy of Eugene, Oregon’s doom-dealers. We recently caught up with bassist Aaron Rieseberg for a preview of his band’s Treefort set.

Interview: The Mysterines

25 March 2022

Racking up honors and accolades in the UK with their explosive brand of guitar-driven rock, The Mysterines now has its sights set on the U.S. Singer Lia Metcalfe and drummer Paul Crilly discuss making the debut album, Reeling, influences, festival lineups and “pinch me” moments.

Interview: Magic Sword - Treefort 2022 Pick of the Day

25 March 2022

While generally shrouded in mystery, one member of the rock/electronic music trio — who goes by the name The Keeper — recently touched base with the Big Takeover ahead of Magic Sword’s much-anticipated show on Friday night.

Osees

Interview: Osees - Treefort 2022 Pick of the Day

24 March 2022

Self-proclaimed “psych-punk psychic warrior” and “ear-worm farmer” John Dwyer shared his enthusiasm about returning to Treefort, taking the Main Stage torch from GbV and playing on a lineup as sprawling as his own catalog.

U.S. Highball's Top 5 Favorite Glasgow Albums

24 March 2022

Calvin Halliday and James Hindle of U.S. Highball share their five favorite Glasgow albums.

Interview: Guided by Voices - Treefort 2022 Pick of the Day

23 March 2022

Treefort Music Fest is undergoing a rite of passage with two GbV concerts: a Wednesday evening performance at El Korah Shrine that is booked for a two-and-a-half-hours, and a Main Stage dinnertime show slated for the following day.

Interview: Deafheaven - Treefort 2022 Pick of the Fest

22 March 2022

Whereas Deafheaven were somewhat incongruent with Treefort in 2017 — playing a thunderous, full-metal set — this time around, they’re supporting a new post-rock album (Infinite Granite) that couldn’t be better suited for the festival.

Wolf Alice

Interview: Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice

21 March 2022

Wolf Alice frontwoman Ellie Rowsell discusses the band’s current North American tour, their distinctive sound, and why their fans are so fervent

Quinquis

Interview: Quinquis

10 March 2022

Quinquis (f/k/a Tiny Feet) discusses Seim, the album inspired by her home on the isolated island of Ushant

Linus of Hollywood's Top 5 Favorite Classic Metal Albums

10 March 2022

Nerf Herder guitarist Linus of Hollywood shares his five favorite classic metal albums.

A Short Conversation with Wood Willow

7 March 2022

With the new album Southern Intentions and lead single “So Much Runnin’” about to drop, I sat down with Becca Herrod and Joel Parks of Wood Willow to find out how the band came to be, what the new album offers and where it all goes next.