Dex Romweber Duo: ‘Images 13’

Posted on by Nikki Smith

“Dex Romweber was and is a huge influence on my music. I owned all of his records as a teenager, and was thrilled at the fact that we were able to play together recently on tour. [He is] is one of the best kept secrets of the rock n roll underground.” —Jack White, White Stripes

Hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Dex Romweber Duo has released their first album since 2011, Images 13. The sibling duo is made up of singer and guitarist, Dex Romweber and drummer, Sara Romweber. Images 13, produced through Bloodshot Records, hit March 18th.

You know you’ve accomplished a prodigious musical goal when Jack White considers you somewhat of a personal hero. There is nothing more valuable in the music industry than inspiring other artists, rather than competing against each other. Dex Romweber should not only be honored to have such a talented artists praise him, but to know he had a part in influencing a praise-worthy artist. More interesting is Romweber’s contributions to Athens. Bloodshot Record’s artist page states, “He starred alongside R.E.M. and The B-52’s in the 1987 cult classic film ‘Athens, GA Inside Out’.” Are you looking it up on Netflix now? Let me save you the time and sorrow and tell you it is “unavailable to stream.” Every time! Yeah, too bad we’ll never get to see an ’87 Athens mullet.

Images 13 opens with energy in “Roll On.” Romweber immediately exhibits his coarse, but surprisingly smooth, voice. Although the duo is primarily rock, they diverge into a surf rock sound in “Blackout!” and “Blue Surf,” both of which are instrumental.  Still, Romweber is able to turn it down a notch with a classical, deep voice similar to Roy Orbison’s in “I Don’t Want to Listen.” The duo is versatile and is able to make listeners energetic with “Long Battle Coming,” and then immediately create a slow, emotional tone with “One Sided Love Affair.” Dex Romweber Duo leaves a lasting imprint accompanied with conflicting feelings. The album can make you feel lawless, heart broken, and weird with simple instruments and vocals, all in one sitting.

4/5

Listen: Lana Del Rey: “Meet Me In The Pale Moonlight”

Posted on by Bobby French

Eat it up, people! Lana Del Rey’s newest single “Meet Me In The Pale Moonlight” leaked yesterday, and it’s got that same ‘ole Lana sound. We’re not entirely sure if this track will be a part of her sophomore album Ultraviolence, due to drop later this year, but it’s a bit more disco with some retro rhythm guitar – less kick drum than usual – but just as many strings as a typical Lana song would have.

It’s good to see an artist keep a similar sound with their music, but to me, she just seems to do the same things with all her songs: angelic, roomy vocals, a huge symphony behind her, and kick drums to the max. I don’t have a problem with that – it’s a refreshing change of pace from what’s normally in my headphones – but it’s not something that I would play on repeat. I’d get lost with which song was which. Either way, there’s no doubt that she has taken over the music scene these last couple of years with her signature, retro sound. Take a quick listen to “Meet Me In The Pale Moonlight” down below.

 

Watch: Sharon Van Etten: “Taking Chances”

Posted on by Emily McBride

Sharon Van Etten is sharing her new video for “Taking Chances,” the first single off Are We There, out May 27th on Jagjaguwar.

Inspired by Agnès Varda and her 1962 film, Cleo from 5 to 7, the video was written, shot and directed by Michael Palmieri.  But if a video inspired by a movie you’ve probably never seen isn’t enough to interest you, read on, because fate plays a part in this collab.  Apparently, Van Etten and Palmieri were both super into Varda and inspired to tribute her in this project before even speaking to each other. Mutual obsession with obscure (and very specific) French cinema? Sounds like destiny to me.

Michael says:

When I first heard the song, the lyrics immediately made me think about the opening sequence to the great Agnes Varda film, Cleo from 5 to 7, one of my favorites. I usually take time to mull over ideas before coming up with something decent to share with an artist, but this one just came out immediately.

I sketched an idea and sent it off to Sharon and Zeke Hutchins, her manager, and didn’t hear back from them for over a week. I thought I’d blown it! But soon Zeke contacted me and asked if Sharon had sent me the album artwork. I said I hadn’t even heard anything else off the album yet, let alone seen anything from it. Sharon then texted me pretty much the same question, ‘Did Zeke send you the album before you wrote this?’ I didn’t understand what the big deal was . . .

Finally they sent me a photograph that is a big component of the album artwork. It is a beautifully aged picture of Agnes Varda standing in front of a bazillion reels of 16mm film. This image of one of my filmmaking heroes has been hanging on Sharon’s wall wherever she has lived for years and years to the point where it’s all tattered and weather-worn. I like to think that Ms. Varda is standing in front of a bunch of reels from Cleo from 5 to 7, but who knows. It’s just one of the strangest coincidences, and it made us all feel like the video had to be made. So now I can safely say the video is inspired by two incredible women: Sharon, for her musical inspiration, and Agnes Varda, whose inspiration on the both of us is quite apparent.”

Sharon Van Etten Tour Dates:

Thu. May 8 – Northampton, MA  @ Iron Horse Music Hall

Fri. May 9 – Hudson, NY @ Helsinki Hudson

Sat. May 10 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre

Sun. May 11 – Hamden, CT @ Ballroom at the Outer Space

Sun. May 25 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Grand Salon (Nuits Botanique)

Wed. May 28 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse

Fri. May 30 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound

Sun. June 1 – Koln, DE @ Studio 672

Mon. June 2 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub

Tue. June 3 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet

Thu. June 5 – London, UK @ KOKO

Wed. June 11 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair

Thu. June 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall at Williamsburg (Northside Festival)

Fri. June 13 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Sat. June 14 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Tue. June 17 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

Wed. June 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

Thu. June 19 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small’s

Fri. June 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom

Sat. June 21 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In

Tue. June 24 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater

Wed. June 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge

Sat. June 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre

Sun. June 29 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Mon. June 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Wed. July 2 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir

Thu. July 3 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir

Sat. July 5 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre

Sun. July 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre

Tue. July 8 – Calgary, AB @ Republik

Wed. July 9 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room

Thu. July 10 – Saskataoon, SK @ Amigo’s Cantina

Mon. July 14 – Fargo, ND @ Aquarium

Wed. July 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

Thu. July 17 – Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin

Fri. July 18 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival

Sat. July 19-Sun. July 20 – Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival

Thu. Aug. 14 – Sun. Aug. 17 – Crickhowell, UK @ Glanusk Park – Green Man Festival

SXSW 2014: Jagwar Ma x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Jessamyn McTwigan

Walking down historical Congress Street through the steady droves of Southby-goers to meet with the Australian band Jagwar Ma, I listened to the bands debut album, Howlin’.  When an album can be defined as psychedelic dance rock while at the same time evoking a chill wave vibe (and somehow bringing some Beach Boys-esque melodies to the mix), you know you’ve got something unique.

Jagwar Ma was formed in 2011 by Gabriel Winterfield (lead vocalist/guitarist), Jono Ma (guitar, beats, synths, production), and bass guitarist/vocalist Jack Freeman.  Howlin’ was released in 2013, and they have been touring the album internationally through Future Classics, Mom + Pop Music and Marathon Artists.  I caught up with the band at the eclectic antique shop, Uncommon Objects, an Austin soho staple – very fitting for the band’s first SXSW.

VM: You guys just put out Howlin’ – are you ready to put out a second album?

Jono Ma:  People ask us a lot about the second record, and we’ve definitely been looking at our crystal ball and [doing] a lot of sketching and things but, realistically, we’ve got a pretty hectic touring schedule coming up and want to stay focused on that for now.

VM:  I saw that!  You’re heading back to New York this summer, right? Plus playing Coachella?

JM:  Oh yeah, and all over really – headed back to South America in a couple days, Chili, Columbia, Brazil and Argentina, all leading up to Coachella.

VM:  Wow, how do you guys keep up with the pace?

JM: Picking our battles. Like, last night for example, it was 2 a.m., and I was standing in the middle of the road outside of The Mohawk with the band Warpaint debating: should I go party?  I decided in the end to go home and get some rest.

VM:  You definitely can burn out quickly I imagine.  Now, how did you guys meet?

Gabriel Winterfield:  We met in Sydney; we both played in other bands that would play the same venues and tour together.  It’s not abnormal in Sydney for cross-pollination in bands.

VM:  Is Sydney a good culture for that?

GW:  Yeah, it certainly was, and I think it still is, It’s got a really good vibe for bands.  I was renting an office that I turned into a little studio, and Jono actually had a professional studio to work from.

VM: Did you produce all of your music yourself?

GW:  Yeah, Jono produced this record; I sort of dabbled in demo recordings, but the fact is, we had the opportunity to make our own sh*t, and people would come to jam. It was a pretty good time.

VM: It seems that’s one of the best ways to create new music, so that’s really fortunate.  Are there any new artists that you feel you would like to work with in the future or are inspired by?

JM:  We’re quite comfortable, musically, just the two of us, because we can really cover a lot of ground.  I can do a lot of technical stuff – we can both play guitar and keyboards, but we’re excited about the prospects of working with great visual directors and artists like Chris Cunningham and maybe Spike Jonze, because that’s not our forte’.  As pretentious as it might sound, I would like to work with a lot of designers.

VM:  Why do you think that sounds pretentious?  Are you afraid of coming across as pretentious?

JM: Well, I don’t know. I guess, ‘what does physical clothing have to do with it?’ maybe…

VM:  This is your first SXSW right? How has it been so far?

JM:  Yeah, our first time – it’s good… quite chaotic, but we haven’t smashed Southby yet.  We’ve only been here two days. I’ve seen some tired looking heads.

VM:  You must get used to travelling a lot.  You’re now based in the UK, right?

GW:  Yeah, we’re based in North East London.  There’s a bit of a vibe there. We’re not there too often, but when we are, we love it.  It’s a place that makes the most sense for us at the moment.

VM:  Right, because you are signed to a couple of labels right?  I know you work with Future Classic in Australia, Marathon in the UK and Mom+Pop here in the US. How does that all work out?

JM:  With great difficulty.

VM:  Do they all get along?  For instance, who handles the tour to South America?

JM:  Yeah, but they just work on their territories separately; it’s not that unusual of a structure.  South America is the wild west – we’re just gonna wing it down there. God, I don’t even know, but we have really great management that takes care of it all for us.

VM: Who do you wanna see at Southby?  I know you guys are friends with Cut Copy [who are] playing tonight.

JM:  Yes!  We need to get a hold of them; it would be great to see what they are doing at the moment.  I also really wanna see Danny Brown. We just did the Laneway tour, and he was on it.

 

SXSW 2014: SW/MM/NG x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

As a seasoned SXSW attendee (two consecutive years constitutes as seasoned, right?), I’ve come to realize that – while not many – there are a few things you are guaranteed take with you from your experience.

You will, without a doubt, always leave with a full backpack-worth of “swag”- koozies, stickers, matches, sunglasses, t-shirts, CDs or whatever else was shoved in your hand as you were cramming a taco into your face while power-walking through the masses to get to Red 7 by five minutes ago.

Second, you will definitely leave with some sort of battle wound. Battle wounds take on a variation of forms, so be prepared to endure them in (potentially) multiple fashions, such as blistered ankles from the 10 miles you walked in six hours, or an unevenly proportioned sunburn (also resulting from the 10 miles you walked in those six hours of blazing sunshine).

While those things are all good, great and dandy, the last thing you are guaranteed to take away is probably most relative to what brought you to this week of SXSW in the first place – you came for the music, and without a doubt, you left with at least one new band that really, really did it for you.

For me this year, that band was SW/MM/ING.  SW/MM/NG is a five-piece from Arkansas that makes whimsically dreamy tunes that put you somewhere between the California coast and the year 2004 in your mind. Following their showcase at Valhalla, we were able to catch up with some of the guys and find out completely relevant things like where they were eating and potential lawsuits they were witness to. Read for yourself, and then download their demo “Feel Not Bad” (if you’re into things like ear candy and good feels).


Vinyl Mag: Tonight was your first showcase, correct? How do you feel it went?

Jared Hennessey: Yeah, it was our first showcase and first show with Jack on pianos. It went pretty well, I think.

VM: Oh, first show with the band?

Jack Paul: Well, I’ve been with the band playing drums, but I’ve assumed a new position, because we got a better drummer.

VM: Right on! What has been memorable for you thus far [during SXSW]?

 

Jared Hennessey: We tried to catch some shows today, but every time we would be walking up, everyone else would be walking out.

Brian Kuppillas: The Portals showcase was really cool, though. And actually, a great set we caught was Trash Talk, and it was right outside of Beer Land. It was nuts- the cops were called; people were jumping off of the roof and falling out of trees. There was a huge mosh pit in the center of the street, and the cops rode up on their ATV’s with their sirens on during a song, and it just made the song so much cooler. Other than that, we’ve just been partying with buddies.

VM: I noticed you had a substantial amount of people at your showcase tonight who knew you guys- were those real- life friends or fans?

JP: A lot of people move away from Fayetteville, and Austin is pretty close, so they come here. We have friends all over, so they come to support.

JH: We actually have no fans – just a lot of friends.

BK: Arkansas is a good place for leaving, so they all head to bigger cities.

VM: Well, Arkansas seems to keep you content, right?

BK: It’s fine. It’s easy and really cheap in the city.

VM: I noticed when trying to google the band that you’re actually very hard to google- is that an intentional thing?

JH: No, we’re working on it. We’re thinking about it pretty hard right now.

BK: Can we talk about the story behind it?

VM: I would love to talk about the story behind it.

BK: So, there’s this UK band called Swimming, and they called Jared up one day around 8 a.m. while we were in Virginia Beach on our first or second tour. They went on with some ‘manager of the band Swimming’ stuff, and I was like, ‘No, we don’t need a manager, but thanks for the call’ or whatever. Meanwhile, he had this ridiculous accent, so I had no idea of half of the stuff he was trying to say. It pretty much came around to him stating that he was calling because he might sue us if we didn’t change the name.

VM: So, this is how the slashes in the band name came about?

JH: Yeah, that’s how that started. But there’s also this band in Australia with the name Swimming, so we may as well just call ourselves Swimming.

JP: Their main concern was that it would be too hard to tell apart in iTunes, so now we just write it differently.

VM: Well, I guess this segways nicely into another question of mine- I saw that you [were on] a list of ‘Worst Band Names of SXSW’- how do you feel about that?

JH: Well, there’s a good point to that that a friend of mine mentioned- you can literally take any of the ‘best band names’ and put them on the ‘worst band names,’ and it all still works. They’re all easily interchangeable.

BK: For example, I think Perfect Pussy is a fine band name. But as far as how I feel about it, I love that we made that list.

VM: To be honest, the name is what drew us in to check you guys out, so I guess it’s all relative.

BK: Well, that’s awesome. It could always be worse- like, The Goo Goo Dolls or something.

VM: Serious question- are you food truck people or BBQ joint people when you’re Austin?

JP: Can we be all of those people? Because we’ve already done both of those today.

VM: What exactly have you done today?

BK: The Bearded Lady and Austin Daily Press. They’re both dope places to eat, so check them out. They literally have the best hush puppies, and I hate hush puppies.

VM: Where were you when the accident happened in front of the Mohawk?

JH: Still in Fayetteville, actually. We didn’t even hear about until we were driving down here. It was really weird pulling up here and knowing we’re right beside where it all went down.

JP: I was texting my girlfriend on the way down here about how I was worried about the energy we would be coming into, but the vibes have been really good, all things considered.

VM: What’s currently playing in your tour bus at the moment?

BK: We’re all obsessed with the solo record from Kevin Morby, who is the guitarist in Woods.

JH: I’ve listened to it four times in the same day, and I never do that with any record. I’m obsessed with it- you let him know that.

BK: Our drummer is obsessed with The Zombies, so we listened to a lot of that, also.

VM: What’s the best/worst artist comparison you’ve received?

BK: I’ll never understand it, but there was this dude who said we sounded like Hootie and the Blowfish. I’ve also gotten the guy from Dashboard Confessional, and I don’t hear that one, either.

JH: People seem to relate things that they personally like to other things they personally like, even if there is no real comparison there.

JP: My girlfriend always says The Cure, and we’re all totally down with that.

VM: In that same token, what’s the weirdest thing anyone has said to you about their thoughts on your music?

BK: So, this dude named Buffalo once told us that our music took him to the spirit realm, but he was tripping really hard, so I’m not sure how much of that was musically-induced or drug-induced.

VM: Do you ever have those moments where you get those vibes off of your own music?

BK: There are times when you think about something too much that it doesn’t seem real anymore. You can do it with a word, even. If you say ‘orange’ over and over again it becomes meaningless; it’s easy to feel that way when you’ve played something hundreds of times. But, there are those times when you realize that you’re essentially five strangers, and everything worked out so well that you ended up together, and now you’re all playing the same song, and you’re very much in tune with one another. That’s what usually pops in my head and throws me out of it for a second.

JP: Because I live in Little Rock and not Fayetteville, I come to things a little bit later, so I have more of that outside perspective where I listen to the music and can really appreciate what’s being made.

 

SXSW 2014: Night Riots x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Emma Cramer

What would you get if U2 and The Killers had a baby?  Night Riots – that’s what. Hailing from central California, this rock band has such an infectious sound that both MTV and Rolling Stone have taken notice. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat with them during their stint in Austin during SXSW, so read on to hear about how the band formed, their influences, one band member’s premonitions, and what’s in store for Night Riots down the road.

Vinyl Mag: So you guys have playing together since you were teenagers, how did the band form?

Travis Hawley: Well Matt and I met in middle school, and then the rest of us started playing together when we were little kids. We grew up playing music together and it has just been that way ever since.

VM: Comparisons have been drawn between Night Riots and big names such as The Killers, The Clash, and U2. How would you define your sound?

Nick Fotinakes: Sort of like a mix between The Killers and U2. I don’t know; I like it. I think it has the nostalgia of U2 or maybe some 80’s stuff. But, we also grew up listening to a lot of punk music, so it still has a lot of angst and darkness. I don’t know; it’s just rock with a listenability.

VM:You guys had to change your band name due to copyright infringements. How did you guys settle on the name Night Riots?

TH: It came to Mikel in a dream.

NF: Mikel has a lot of premonitions. Like on the flight over here, he thought we were all going to crash.

Matt DePauw: No, he saw a ring of light, and it was hopeful. He grabbed my wrist and was shaking, and then his eyes went completely white, and he saw a vision…

VM: You raised the money to put out your EP Young Lore independently. How was that experience?

TH: It was fun; it was a actually a cool way to give back to our fans. You know, they would donate surprising amount of money, and then we just tried our best to make worthwhile things to give back to them. So, we just had a bunch of cool little perks.

VM: Who would you guys say are your biggest musical influences?

TH: I like INXS.

NF: Travis.

MD: Dr. Dre, 2001. I mean it, it’s a great album. It inspired me a lot.

VM: So, welcome to the heaven that is South by Southwest! Any really cool experiences yet? Or anything you guys are really looking forward to?

Rico Rodriguez: South by Southwest is just pure chaos. You have people throwing up on people, Lady Gaga flying around on meat, barbeques.

MD: Pretty much in the streets, too. She’s throwing up on stage, then you walk outside. Mikel saw that one in a premonition. He saw us eating gyros later, too…

VM: What is your favorite venue you guys have played?

TH: I like the Great American Music Hall in San Fransico; that’s pretty awesome.

NF: I like this place called Humphrey’s by the Bay in San Diego. It’s like a big outdoor amphitheater. You saw people on their boats pull up and watch the show.

VM: You were featured on Rolling Stone and on MTV Buzzworthy in 2011 and 2012. How did that feel to get that exposure?

NF: Pretty cool – like surreal. It’s something you never really think is going to happen, but then it does, and I don’t know. It doesn’t really click in until someone tells you it’s cool, and then you think it’s cool. I am really peer-pressure-influenced.

VM: How would you say your music has evolved since the beginning of the band?

TH: Since the beginning of time. It has just evolved. It has all been pretty organic, and I think recently we have been exploring a lot more textures and sounds and rhythm, so I think that’s the biggest thing. But also, just pushing ourselves to be a little bit more outside of the box.

VM: If you could play a live show or collaborate with any band or artist dead or alive, who would it be?

MD: Freddy Mercury. Or that guy Death Grips.

VM: What can we expect from Night Riots after SXSW?

Mikel Van Kranenburg: Lots of gold, gold rings. That’s what I saw.

TH: We are going to come home, and then we are actually just spending a couple of months just writing music, get[ting] a couple of music videos done. A bit of touring, and then we are going to start it all over again.

Street Style Profile: Tucker Alford

Posted on by Aubrey Mascali

This weeks Street Style Profile features UGA art student and musician Tucker Alford. Were always impressed by his unique ability to blend patterns and his interest in supporting sustainable clothing companies- like his shoes- made by Nisolo- a micro enterprise that provides consistent livelihood for workers in developing countries. Tucker is an-all around good soul with an interesting personality- so we were thrilled to hear about some of his inspirations and his favorite music. Don’t forget to scroll down for Tucker’s specially curated playlist.

Who or what inspires your personal style?

I don’t know if a certain person really influences my style, but I do like a lot of what I’ve seen musicians wear, and characters in Wes Anderson films. I always just try to wear what makes me happy. I really like hats, so I guess I have Beck Hansen to thank for that.

What are you currently listening to?

I’ve been listening to a lot of things lately, but the things that I’ve been listening to most are Beck’s new album Morning Phase, Atlas Sound, Neutral Milk Hotel (always), Mac Demarco, Gauntlet Hair and Vampire Weekend to name a few. I’m also listening to a lot of Paul Simon’s stuff from the 80’s.

Are there any upcoming shows your looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to seeing Mac Demarco in Atlanta in a few weeks as well as Vampire Weekend in May. It’ll be my third time seeing Vampy Weeks, and I’m real jazzed about it, seeing as they are my favorite band. I’m also looking forward to Lollapalooza in early August in Chicago.

You are an art student- can you tell us a bit about your art work or what interests you within your discipline- what you aspire to do in the future?

I’d really consider myself a musician. I play my own stuff, and I play at churches and such, but as far as art comes, I’m pretty new to it. I really enjoy sculpting things and stuff like that, but I don’t have a certain plan for where art will take me in the future. I see myself playing music though.

Most importantly-boxers or briefs?

Ok, just kidding…

Any words of wisdom/favorite advice/quotes you want to end with?

Words of wisdom. I don’t do this often, but here it goes. Don’t take yourself too seriously (it’s fun to not care), but treat the life you’ve been given and the people in it very seriously.

SXSW 2014: Bert McCracken x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Emma Cramer

As frontman of the well-known rock band The Used hailing from Orem, Utah, Bert McCracken is far from inexperienced in both performing and interviewing. During SXSW, we were lucky enough to sit down and talk with the veteran rocker for a few minutes of his jam-packed schedule. Despite his experience, we chatted about how he still gets nervous to perform, his fondness of Australia and the new The Used record that’s coming out this month.

VM: The Used manages to combine heavy rock and roll with strong, catchy melodies. [What is] your main focus when writing a song?

Bert McCracken: My main focus is the lyrics first, then melody second. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Neil Diamond, and so I appreciate pop melody and pop sensibility. I want to write a song that I want to hear.

VM: You have a new album, Imaginary Enemy, coming out in April. What can we expect from your sixth studio album?

BM: It’s really a more selfless record than we have ever written. We wanted to ask some big questions about some really serious issues facing the world, inequality, and love and humanity, and what are we all doing not treating each other with respect…these kinds of things. So, we really keep the writing general enough so you can take it for what it means in your own personal life. But this record is going a bit deeper than we have before, and just like your typical Used record, I think there are a lot of colors that paint this canvas. So you have your heavier songs and your lighter songs and your more experimental stuff, but I think the focus is more on the consciousness of the message.

VM: How do you feel like you have evolved as a band and stayed relevant since starting out 13 years ago?

BM: I think the relevance is in part to do with our passion, and also directly a product of honest, pure love of music…there are a lot of bands out there like The Used that are just truly passionate about what they do, because they love music. And I think that is the most important thing for us – status aside, money aside, attention aside, everything else aside – other than this unadulterated love for music.

VM: Let’s talk about the heaven that is SXSW. What’s your favorite part of the Austin festival?

BM: My favorite part of SXSW is just the camaraderie and the freedom of music. There is a band here, there’s a band there, there’s a band there, there’s a band there – how great is that? Purely for the music.

VM: What’s the coolest venue or event that you’ve ever played?

BM: The Gorge in Washington is really awesome. It’s this outdoor venue that’s right in front of this cliff.

VM: What has been your most outrageous experience with a fan?

BM: There is a fan that has this fake leg that he always throws up on stage, and we always talk about it. He’s got a beer keg in his leg, so there’s a tap, and he’s got drawers, adult cigarettes and all. But we also had a Make a Wish Foundation cancer victim who chose to come spend a day with the Used in 2005, and we became super close. We talked on the phone all the time. His name was David Smith, and he lost his battle with cancer about a year ago. But that was the most outrageous fan experience.

VM: Do you still get nervous before you perform live?

BM: Very nervous. And if I didn’t, maybe I would need to re-evaluate my passion a little bit. I care a lot about what I do, and I want everyone to have a really amazing time. I want that healthy escape to be as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

VM: How have you managed to preserve your voice after years of recording and performing?

BM: I don’t know. I don’t think I have. I just take it easy, really really easy.

VM: Who are some of your biggest influences?

BM: I would say a Brazilian Revolutionary named Paolo Freire is one on my major influences. Noam Chomsky, T.S. Elliot, Umberto Eco, Charles Dickens…George Orwell is one of my main influences. I would say authors influence me a lot more than other artists. I am a writer first.

VM: If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d be doing?

BM: Writing.

VM: So you have a pretty sweet set-up living in Australia. What is your favorite part about living in the land down under?

BM: I love the Australian way of kind of protected market systems. They have really strong protection for family-owned independent business. I think the whole world should feel that out.