Quick background: Twin Steps are a four piece band from Oakland,CA. Their music can be described as; difficult punk, r&b, romantic shred soul violence (according to their bandcamp tags) (it's a pretty spot on description though). They released one ep on a green 10" colored vinyl with Cola Bruin (SF,Ca) in April of 2012. One 7" record featuring two songs with 1-2-3-4 Go! Records( a kick-ass independent record store/label in Oakland) in August of 2013. There's also one demo on their bandcamp that will dig an earworm all up in your brain with it's unforgettable guitar riff. I was lucky enough to catch them at the smell on February 28th of 2014. I mustered up the courage to introduce myself and thank them for their performance after the set which resulted in this interview. Now see, this is a very important interview to me, I had been recently inspired and decided to start a collective music zine. Twin Steps was the first band that I had ever interviewed and being given this chance was new to me. If i remember correctly Devv's response was,"Yeah that sounds great! We'll be in LA a few days-we can all meet up, grab some tacos and chat with you."
So, here it is my first ever interview, enjoy!
Sasha:What/Who are your major influences?
Twin Steps: Campy horror/exploitation films, the apocalypse/post apocalypse, good candy, Charles Manson, Michael Jackson, and girls (love & heartbreak; everything before, after, and in-between).
S:What is the first record/CD/Tape you ever bought?
Jonathan: tape De La Soul - Three Feet High & Rising, which my older brother had shown me / cd Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary, which i bought with the first paycheck i ever got.
Drew: Queen's Greatest Hits, because it had the mighty ducks song on it.
Nick: Space Jam Soundtrack. I bought Willenium for a girl haha..
Devvin: Will Smith - Big Willie Style.
S:Any album that you can throw on during a terrible day and it just totally changes your mood immediately?
J: Whitney Houston - Whitney
DP: The Roots of Chicha
N: Andrew WK - I Get Wet
DT: Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
S:Who are some of your favorite bands/artists right now?
J: Each Other (from Montreal)
DP: Drake
N: Jamaican Queens
DT: Yvette, Nitzer Ebb. I've been digging the newest Ponytail album a lot recently too, the song "music tunes" is soooo good.
S:What are some of your goals as a band right now?
TS:To be the first band to transform completely into a mobile app.
Also, to get wet and make people happy, to dip.
S:When you're at your show up on stage and you look out into the crowd what's favorite thing to see?
DP: sweat.
N: swimming pools, candy kids lol.
DT: I like it when people climb on stuff, lots of movement.
S:(on Drew's dance moves during the set)Do you lose yourself in the moment or are u definitely inspired by flash dance?
DP: I definitely lose myself in the moment. I've never seen Flashdance, but sometimes I practice in the mirror.
S:I LOVE YOUR USE OF SAMPLES. One thing that instantly attracted me to your band was the sample of Etta James on the track, Pinkie Promise. What about a song makes you decide, "I want to sample this."? Is there a process?
J: There are so many lost and looked over sounds from the past that stand out to us as these hidden gems of sorts, long since forgotten.. The general idea is to take something old, cut it up, warp it, effect it, distort it, and then repurpose it similar to a musical collage to create something new. For instance, take that one amazing measure in the beginning of some obscure soul or girl group song from the 60's, maybe it's an intro or a bridge.. It's not the main theme of the song and probably doesn't even get repeated in the composition, but we will capture it and use that find as a background for us to build a new song around. The first step in us writing songs is always listening to/sharing records & old music. We are all avid music collectors/appreciators and i don't think there is really any one thing that stands out as a specific requirement for a song to be sampled by us. We just do what feels right...
3/15/14
"We just do what feels right...".
It was this authentic and courteous nature that made this interview and their band possible. They announced their decision to dismember in November 2014 on their facebook page;
"attention lovers and listeners: unfortunately, this is probably going to be our last show tonight. it has been an incredibly joyous and trying 3 years. we have made plans to record what we have created with in the next month or so but we have all come to a mutual agreement that this project has reached a stopping point for now. good things will come from this, but for now all we have are our tears. we'll keep you posted on new projects and other exciting news. we love you. see you tonight davis!"
luckily they continuously create new material so here's some important links:
Here we are standing on the concrete floor in the main room of The Smell, only a few feet away from the fierce front-woman Dana Poblete of Batwings Catwings. She begins to deliver unrelenting vocals that hail over driving guitar sounds and energetic drums that trash and tear up beats to commence a post-punk dance party. The audience of young people seem to feel part of the performance experience as some kids frivolously hurl their bodies around in random bombarding expressions and some sing along.
"Let's resume the workout," Dana encourages, as one song ends and a new (equally emotive) one begins. At one point a guy from the audience comes up and places a shiny, plastic Mardi Gras necklace around her neck, which doesn't phase her a bit.
"It's really awkward to perform in rain boots" she admits at one point, but from an audience member's take in of her, and the bands collective energy, there seems to be no evidence of awkwardness whatsoever. An engaging and evocative experience, nicely done BWCW!
The second band, The Flytraps comes on and three gals clad in black (clearly seasoned rockstars) with guitars and bass share center stage in front of a drummer. I get the vibe (more in stylistic presence rather then musically speaking) of the 70's rock group The Runaways. In the middle of their set one of the guitar ladies nonchalantly climbs on top of her amp to play. Now don't get me wrong, this sort of thing has been done before, and I typically wouldn't take note of it, but she seriously pulls it off. A seamless transition takes place as she confidently commands control of her guitar and shreds above her audience, who get even more revved up at this sight. Some fan guys are thrashing and most people are at least aggressively bobbing as the girls trade off vocal parts and collectively deliver a charged up, gritty supply of rock.
Inside Oakland's beloved TWIN STEPS continue the dance party and later BEACH PARTY slay the room to pieces.
Outside, between bands I stand conversing in a group of some of the local town legends. Nicholas Ventura (guitarist of HOTT MT) playfully announces he is my editor as he snatches my mini yellow notepad. Holding back the laughs, he attempts to read the scribbled (almost indecipherable) sentence:
"when she gets on guitar amp, some bands make moves like this and it seems cliché but she got a nonchalant indifference."
Mind you- I was penning this in the dark amongst an angsty crowd
He pointedly poses the question, "is it possible to do something CHALANTLY?"
Walt Gorecki (of- walt! productions, former Homeroom operator) raises a brow in intrigued amusement. Miram Brummel (Even Keel imagery) chuckles with a nod of curiosity.
None of us know the answer, so Nick looks it up on his phone and quickly delivers a definition via Urbandictionary.com. Chalant means to have "extreme concern about an object". SO THERE YOU GO. We all learned something tonight.
To put it use, I am chalantly sorry for accidentally stealing the very notepad and pen that I jotted down notes on from The Smell. In conclusion, Thank you sincerely to the owner and operator Jim Smith for making this article possible, and for continuing to maintain the environment for raucous shows like this one to thrive on and lead us to enjoy truly unique experiences.
