#kyotolofi

Maxwell: Sounds similar to Bloomington here in Indiana. It's a college town. There are lots of artists and bands stationed down there. A handful of record labels too. The scene is really growing.

Nehuen: Yes, we have heard of Bloomington. For sure.

Maxwell: So, what have been some overall… inspirations for you guys as a band? What do you find yourselves listening to and taking into your own music?

Gabe: As far as personal tastes for me I like a lot of English stuff. Classic rock. The Smiths, The Beatles, David Bowie. I typically listen to a lot of older stuff. I gravitate towards anything from Motown to Country to R&B. I'm influenced by a wide range of sounds.

Nehuen: Well, Bloc Party’s former drummer Matt Tong has been a big inspiration… for my drumming. He plays really fast and has really good fills. I was never really into The Strokes as much. I was more into Interpol. But… Nico loves The Strokes so I dove into them more. I've been appreciating more pops type beats. Simple beats. That can be really really good. It gives the song taste. Phoenix is one of my favorite bands too. We have a large range of inspirations.

Maxwell: I understand. It's good to listen to as much as you can. Take inspiration from whatever you can. There are so many sounds out there.

So, to kind of jump into the next one… what have been some of the biggest struggles you guys have encountered as a band? Whether it be from playing live or recording or writing new material.

Nehuen: I think one of the biggest ones was the whole bassist situation.

Nico: We were working our way up in the local scene and every so often whatever bassist we had at the time would drop out. So it was definitely a hindrance.

Nehuen: But… we would spend 3 months trying finding a bassist, teach him the parts… then start gigging again and the same thing would happen. Boom. Back to it again. It was a lot of personal stuff at times.

Gabe: There were a number of things. Just with past bassists… whether they didn't see the musical vision, or we didn't get along with them the best, or the level of dedication wasn't there. Things like that.

Nico: However; when Paul came in it all started to click. We all vibed well together. We started to really get moving with this lineup.

Maxwell: At any point through all of this was there a time when you guys had doubts? Thinking that you should maybe give up on the idea of this band?

Gabe: I think… at times when you get lost in the back of your mind, everyone has doubts about things. As an artist… when you get into your head with crippling self-doubt it can be pretty hard. Though, you really have to think positively. Keeping up the inspiration versus the self-doubt.

Maxwell: You guys are doing it for the love of the music. It isn't always going to be so easy. It's not an easy path to go down. At least not all the time.

Paul: We have definitely all had to give each other pep talks. It just comes down to supporting each other and loving each other. Making it through.

Maxwell: Well said… and what is next for you guys?

Nico: Hopefully before the year ends… we should have a new project out. New material. Handful of things coming up this summer gig wise. Whenever the new project comes out we are planning on touring as much as possible.