(Special Edition!) Kuestionnaire: Boy in the Bubble
Friday, February 19th, 2010
This week I posted about Bay Area based band, Boy in the Bubble, who had their last record played on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. The band will be hosting a record release party tonight at Bottom of the Hill with Birdmonster, Here Come The Saviors, and the reunited Girl Band. Which means you now have something to do tonight!
The new record, entitled The King, is a 5×7 illustrated book chock full of song download codes. Avoiding the boring and inevitable death of CDs, Boy in the Bubble went above and beyond by emphasizing their imagination and creativity with this colorful and fun little book/record.
So make your way to the Bottom of the Hill tonight and pick up a copy. Not only is the package amazing, the record is ridiculously awesome as well.
So today we have lead vocalist and mastermind behind BITB Josh Seidenfeld answer a special Kuestionnaire just before he hits the stage tonight to rock the fuck out! Enjoy!
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1. Could you state your name and what you do in the band?
Josh Seidenfeld – I sing, play guitar, and write songs.
2. How would you describe your sound?
I always ask people to help me with that because it’s really hard to do, like cutting your own hair. People say: John Lennon and other Beatles stuff, Bowie, someone said “Lou Reed if he sang more in tune.”
3. What is your favorite local band?
Carne Cruda
4. Any concerts that blew your mind recently?
Vidya at Yoshi’s. They’re trained in both Indian classical music and in jazz and play a fusion of the two, which could go horribly wrong, but they pull it off really artfully. There’s a place in the world for bringing together different styles of music – you just have to do it right, and they do. And I think their drummer, Samir Gupta, is the messiah.
5. Any non-musical influences you would like to mention?
YES YES YES! I’m so glad you asked that because lately the things that influence me the most aren’t music. I have a lot of friends who are fiction writers and they keep the bar really high for creating characters and stories people will care about. I love to read and steal shamelessly from what I read; 3 of the songs on the new record are drawn directly from others’ fiction and nonfiction. “In the Company Town” is based on King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild, and “Telescope” is based on a short story by Diana Lind.
6. If your music was to be the theme of a film/TV show, what would it be?
I can tell you, with some regret, that it probably won’t be gay porn. Our old drummer’s cousin is a gay porn star and wanted to take his company legit by making a video for us. The result was three days of shooting, among other things: a guy with really hot abs and our drummer making out with her girlfriend in the shower. Sounds awesome right? But it just didn’t quite work, mostly because a gay porn star does not a director make.
7. What musician/artist would you like to collaborate with for a day?
Bob Dylan, hands down. He’s kind of like the Pope to me.
8. What is the album you listen to on a cold rainy day?
Money Jungle – Duke Ellington, and Mingus plays on it.
9. List four songs you would listen to on a roadtrip?
Welcome to the Jungle – G’n’R
Blues in the Night – just about any version from 1950 – 1970
All You Need is Love – Beatles
There is a Light That Never Goes Out – Smiths
10. Where do you see yourselves in 7 years?
Right here in Oakland, hopefully having made a few more records and helped to make a couple kids.
11. What is the last book you read?
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
12. Is image a factor in music or is it a waste of time?
Both! But if anyone tells you playing rock music on a stage isn’t theater they’re lying. And part of theater is dressing up, so you gotta have fun with that part of it – I love that stuff. Unfortunately the people who are really good at dressing up usually get more attention than the people who are really good at making music!
13. Any embarrassing moments on stage you would like to share?
Pretty much every time I played until a couple years ago when I started to feel like I knew what I was doing.
14. Any favorite tour locations?
I played a pub in London called Filthy McNasty’s. That was pretty rad mostly because of the name, but also because a ton of Americans showed up to see a guy from California play and sing. I guess people get really homesick in London because they speak a different language?
15. Lastly, what is your present state of mind?
A little manic! Our record’s coming out with a big release party this Friday (Tonight!) at Bottom of the Hill, and my wife’s pregnant and about to burst with our first baby, so things are a little crazy!
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[mp3] Boy in the Bubble – Telescope from The King (2010)
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[mp3] Carne Cruda – El Pulpo from Spicy Sea Adventures (2005)
Welcome to February. Forget “This Week” in Bay Area Live Shows, think of this post as “This Month” in Bay Area Live Shows. I mean look at what’s in store this month! Two Gallants, The Appleseed Cast, Lykke Li, two Andrew Bird shows and a shitload more. As for this week, I’ll be at the Mae Shi show at House of Nostromos in Oakland and a Friday evening with one of my idols, Henry Rollins. I have yet to witness a Mae Shi show but from what I hear, it’s supposed to be a wild ride. If you’re looking for some face-melting, make it to Slim’s this Wednesday for Meshuggah. See you guys out there!
