#slinkweed

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The 113 Bands Project: #73-78

Bands 73-78 of The 113 Bands Project:

Select Start

Shisho

Shut Up and Deal

Slinkweed

So Long Davey

South Jordan

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[circlesandsoundwaves]

Interview with Slinkweed, 9/18/11

I was first introduced to Slinkweed through One Days Notice- Chris (ODN's lead singer) mentioned Slinkweed as one of his favorite local bands, so I knew I had to check them out. A few emails and chats later, and we set up an interview at their show with Phone Calls From Home at Akron, Ohio's Musica.

Read on for the interview, where we talked about what genres of music are actually popular in Northeast Ohio, their favorite bands, and what influenced them early on.

  C&S: For the record can you all introduce yourselves, your role in the band, and tell me one random fact about yourself?

  James: Well, I'm James Legget. I'm the drummer for Slinkweed, and one random fact, I'm wearing a hat. [Everyone laughs.]

C&S: I'm not sure if that counts. I'm pretty sure everyone's wearing a hat.

  James: Well, I'm affected by peer pressure.

C&S: Do drugs.

  Tyler: I'm Tyler Irby. I play guitar and do vocals for Slinkweed, and I like gummy bears.

C&S: What's your favorite flavor?

  Tyler: Probably the red ones.

C&S: I'd agree. I think the orange ones and the clear ones- the clear ones are weird.

  Tyler: The clear ones- like what is that supposed to be, lemon?

C&S: I think it's pineapple, because there's yellow sometimes, which would be lemon.

  Kyle: I'm Kyle, and I'm definitely trying to play the bass.

C&S: Trying?

  Tyler: Yeah, he's trying.

Kyle: Yeah, usually no one cares, but anyway, I like food.

C&S: What's your favorite?

  Tyler: Just say pizza.

Kyle: McDonald's.

C&S: Oh, not pizza. Okay. Alright, so tell me, where does the name Slinkweed come from?

  James: Well, it was passed down through my ancient Chinese uncle. [Everyone cracks up.]

Tyler: Yeah, no. We had this friend of ours in high school- well, he was a friend of mine, they didn't know her. Her name's Ashley, and she told us she worked at a library of some sort, and she told us she had this word because I was like, "I need a band name. I'm starting this band, and I need something cool and catchy." So she was like, "Well there's this word, it's called 'slinkweed,' and it's basically this plant. It's poisonous and when cows eat it, it causes them to miscarry."

Kyle: It sounds like some kind of death metal.

Tyler: It sounds so bad.

James: Which is why we're in a deathcore metal band.

C&S: You're pretty, like, metal- intense, like black metal and dying babies.

  James:  Like Salt the Wound, or there's actually [a band called] Dying Fetus.

Tyler: But actually, the name, I don't know, it was catchy and it was simple. People remember it, so.

Kyle: Plus I liked it because it sounds like blink-182, kind of.

C&S: Tyler, do you like blink-182?

  Tyler: No, I don't like that band. Just kidding.

James: Kyle does. [Points to Kyle's Blink-182 t-shirt.]

Tyler: Actually, they're one of my favorite bands.

C&S: [Sarcastically] Really, I wouldn't have guessed. [Ed.- Anyone who has met Tyler can tell you that he LOVES blink-182.]

  [Enter side conversation about blink-182.]

C&S: Alright, talk to me about your local music scene. What's it like? How do you guys fit in on that?

  Tyler: That's a good question.

James: It's like flying ponies with the rainbow behind it and the horn- we call them unicorns- and it's beautiful, and that's how our music is…beautiful.

Tyler: I wouldn't say there's a big scene for our kind of music especially in this part of Ohio.

Kyle: They suck.

Tyler: I think there's a lot of bands around here that are in bands of that same genre, and we kind of make our own scene, especially up in Cleveland where it's a big metal, post-hardcore thing where kids are doing breakdowns.

C&S: Well, to be perfectly honest, I interviewed a metal band last month, and their bassist was like, "It's all pop-punk."

  Tyler: Yeah, I think it's kind of biased.

C&S: Like, grass is always greener on the other side.

  Tyler: Every time I've been up to Cleveland, it's always- I never really see true pop-punk bands like blink.

C&S: I think a lot of it comes out of Akron, around here.

  Tyler: Yeah.

C&S: I mean you guys, Call It Fiction, Exit Cleveland, Hometown Remedy, and Hit The Ground Running are all fromAkron/Canton.

  Tyler: Right, exactly. Cause we opened for Hawthorne Heights, and a lot of those bands weren't actually… I mean, there were a couple pop-punk bands, like Hit The Ground Running , who were on that show.

C&S: And One Days Notice.

  Tyler: Yeah, and One Days Notice was on it, but most of those bands were either post-hardcore, like Bring Down The Sky.

C&S: Cicada Sunrise was on that show.

  Tyler: Yeah, and they kind of were more post-hardcore, or there was…

C&S: Well, Hawthorne isn't a straight up pop-punk band, like at all.

  Tyler: Well no, they were more- when the emo scene was popular, but you know, you do what you can.

C&S: Alright, so we're going to play with the Interview Hat now. Basically how this works is you're going to take turns passing it along. First person is going to reach in, pick a question, read it out loud, and then all three of you are going to answer it. Alright, who wants to go first?

  James: Does it matter if we all get the same answer? [Picks question off the top of the pile.]

C&S: You can reach in, dig deep.

  James: What was your least favorite class in high school?

Tyler: Probably for me, anything math-related cause I'm not good [at math]. I graduated with like straight Ds in that subject, so anything math-related I'm just not good at.

C&S: So not an Advanced Calculus, AP Physics kind of guy?

  Tyler: No. I don't even know how to spell the word calculus to be honest.

James: I'd have to say anything English-related. I hate reading.

C&S: So were you more of a math person then?

  James: No, science, actually.

Tyler: He doesn't like English because he's so used to Ebonics.

Kyle: He speaks his own language.

James: Yo, what you sayin', dawg? [Everyone laughs.]

C&S: [To Kyle] What about you?

  Kyle: Uh, shit. It's hard to say. I slept in most of my classes, so…

C&S: Well, which one did you sleep in most?

  Kyle: Probably Cisco. That class sucked ass.

C&S: What is that?

  Kyle: Some computer class. Honestly, I don't even know. I just kind of took it because it was easy. Yeah, Cisco.

C&S: Alright, pass the hat.

  Tyler: [Grabbing the hat from James.] I'll pass it to myself thank you very much.

C&S: Hold on to the thing, don't throw it away.

  Tyler: Tell me about the most embarrassing Halloween costume you had when you were a kid. Okay. Mine wasn't really embarrassing because I know a lot of people did it, but I just felt like a poor kid cause I didn't really have a Halloween costume. It was one of those, like, my mom took a sheet and put holes in it.

C&S: You were a ghost?

  Tyler: Exactly. It was stupid.

James: I have to say, my mom insisted on making me a chair for Halloween, and people were sitting on me. I was like, "Thank you." I don't know. I never really celebrated Halloween. I got the candy though.

C&S: That's good. Candy's most important

  Kyle: I was a Power Ranger.

C&S: That was embarrassing?

  Kyle: Kinda, cause I was the pink one. [Everyone laughs.]

C&S: Oh, wow. Why were you the pink Power Ranger?

  Kyle: My mom. It's a long story.

James: [Imitating Kyle's mom.] Kyle, you look so cute in your pink outfit.

Kyle: Yeah, I've still got some pictures.

James: [Still imitating Kyle's mom.] That's my baby!

C&S: How old were you when you did that?

  Kyle: Like, five or six. It was embarrassing.

C&S: Alright. Next question.

  Kyle: What is something people would be surprised to know about you? Oh, I'm gay. I'm just playing.

Tyler: I knew you were gonna say that, I was gonna say it!

Kyle: James doesn't look surprised.

Tyler: What is something people would be surprised about? I know, it doesn't really surprise anyone with what I say or do anymore. Probably that I watch a lot of little kids shows.

C&S: Like what shows?

  Tyler: Like, cartoons… what's that one…

James: Lazy Town?

Tyler: No. The cartoon with the dog, not Scooby Doo.

James: Clifford?

Tyler: No, no, no. It's a new one. Tough Puppy, I watch that.

C&S: I've never even heard of that.

  Tyler: I watch Tough Puppy, and I watch Ben 10.

James: I watch Ben 10!

Tyler: I love Ben 10!

James: I think what's surprising for me is I'm a Cheryl Crow fan. I love Cheryl Crow. Ashlee Simpson, I like her music, and I like her looks. I don't know. I have some Britney Spears.

Kyle: She's legit! I hate her last album though, it sucks.

James: Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC are on there also.

C&S: Well, Backstreet Boys, I had a thing for them.

  James: It's all about *NSYNC, girl!

C&S: Nuh-uh. [Breaks into singing “I Want It That Way” and Kyle joins in.]

  Kyle: I love the Jonas Brothers. They're amazing.

C&S: I'm from Jersey originally, so I consider them my homeboys. They're pretty great.

  Kyle: They're awesome. I listened to a couple of their songs- what was that one guy, Alan Jonas?

Tyler: Alan?

C&S: It's either Nick, Kevin, or Joe.

  Kyle: I don't know. One of the Jonas Brothers came out with a new song.

James: That'd be Joe.

C&S: Nick or Joe.

  James: It was Joe, for sure.

Kyle: Well, he came out with a new single. It was pretty sweet, I guess.

C&S: Cool. Alright, let's do another round of the interview hat.

  James: Another round of questions. Let's see what we've got. If you were going to quit music, and pursue a career as a professional athlete, what sport would you play, and why?

Tyler: It'd be football, dawg!

Kyle: Prostitution for me!

Tyler: I know football is a manly thing to say, but I would probably actually…

Kyle: Masturbation.

C&S: Figure skating.

  James: Yes!

Tyler: That's it. No, I'd probably go try to be a pro baseball player, like a pitcher, cause I really like baseball.

Kyle: Nah, I thought you'd be the catcher.

Tyler: Cause you'd rather be the pitcher than the catcher, right?

James: I'd play paddleball.

C&S: I'm not really sure if that counts, but I'll take it.

  Kyle: Basketball for me, easy.

Tyler: It's cause you're tall.

C&S: Would you take Lebron's place on the Cavs?

James: Yep, we'd lose every season.

Kyle: I think so. It wouldn't be hard. [Realizing what James said.] We'd lose every season, you ass.

Tyler: Well, they already do that anyway, so… Ouch. Got them.

What was the first album you bought? First album I actually bought… Surprisingly it wasn't a Blink album.

James: Surprisingly it wasn't a Linkin Park album.

Tyler: The first album I ever actually bought was Papa Roach's Infest when it came out.

C&S: Really?

  Tyler: Yes, I bought that.

C&S: When did that come out?

  James: That's a good question.

Tyler: I was nine or ten at time, but I don't remember.

C&S: That's really cool. So was that pre-Blink then?

  Tyler: I mean, I don't know if it was pre-Blink, I just remember I really liked that song that they came out with. What was that song called?

Kyle: What one?

James: Cut my life into pieces… [Ed.- The song is "Last Resort."]

Tyler: Yeah.

James: Linkin Park for me. Hybrid Theory. Everyone had that album cause of "In the End." [Starts singing a little bit.] I was like, "Get this."

Kyle:  Definitely, [legitimately], Brittany Spears. Thought she was hot, fell in love with her, bought her album, had me at hello.

C&S: How'd that relationship work out?

  James: She broke up with him and went and had kids.

Kyle: Yeah. I told her I was a better choice.

If you were an item of clothing, what would you be, and why? I would definitely be, probably, a thong.

C&S: What material? Like cotton? Lace? Satin?

  Kyle: I have no clue.

Tyler: I would definitely, definitely be a bra cause it would be the closest I could get to actually touching a real boob, so…

James: I want to be a sock.

C&S: Why?

  James: Cause they're long and tubey.

Kyle: Plus, you'd be white.

C&S: Alright, real quick, one last question. What's your response to haters or anyone who doubts your band?

  James: I think we go with it kind of, like, "Alright. Sweet."

Tyler: I've never gotten mad at people telling us we suck. I mean, if they go, "Oh, you guys suck. I don't like you." I'm like, "Okay, that's fine." The thing that really bothers me is when they tell us we rip-off another band.

James: That's the worst.

Tyler: I had someone tell us we ripped-off Green Day or something like that. It was either Green Day or blink, and I was just like, you know what, if you actually listen to our music, there's a lot of influence in it, but I don't think…

C&S: But you're definitely not exactly like them.

  Tyler: Yeah, I don't think it's a rip-off of anything.

James: Although we did name some of our songs like, "All of This." We had…

Tyler: Shut up.

C&S: "Dammit," "Darnit."

  Tyler: I wrote this song called "Down." It was sweet.

James: We had "Anthem Part Three" though. We named it part three.

C&S: "What's My Age Once Again?"

  James: "What's My Age Yesterday?" I think that's all.

C&S: Okay. I think that's legit.

  Tyler: "All The Big Things."

C&S: Thank you guys very much!

  Thanks for the interview, guys!

C&S readers, check out Slinkweed's Facebook if you haven't already.

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