MUEN: So, how did your recent gig at High Five go? And what about this Realfest coming up in Lancaster, OH. September 30?
Keith: (High Five) A lot of effort for a small turn out. No support. (REALFEST) People, pot, pup tents, and rock 'n roll: what else do you need?
Jason: The High Five show was a pretty average night out for us, lots of blood, sweat, broken strings and blank stares. Realfest should be interesting, we've never really done anything like this so I'm sure we'll do everything in our power to make it a special night and irritate as many hippies as possible.
MUEN: How did you decide on Workbook Studios to record your debut, MESH? And who is Neal Schmitt and Jon Chinn? They did a great job in co-producing and engineering this album...
J: There is a real genuine quality about the CD's that have come out of Workbook. They know how to add just enough production to make it sound great without making you sound like someone else. That is important to us, I think we primarily think of ourselves as a live band, and that's essentially what we wanted to capture on tape, but just with a little more polish. Jon and Neal know how to do that.
K: We use a Ouija board in making all our decisions like studios, tattoo parlors, and strip clubs. We believe Neal and Jon to be messengers of the devil so we thought it all worked out nicely.
T: People network like crazy, we met some people, who knew people, very mob-ish if you ask me. Anyway, we ended up talking with Neal, showing him demos, and he said he thought he could give us what we wanted in terms of our sound. Jon and Neal are in the band Pretty Mighty Mighty, one hell of an indie rock band that makes you want to lay down your instrument and go home sometimes because they are so good.
MUEN: The selection of songs on MESH seem so diverse, in comparison to a lot of other local band efforts that seem to have songs with limited perspectives. How many other songs does Jenkins, Dziak, and Minneci have, that do not appear on this release? And have you made plans for another release yet?
J: I've always loved diverse bands and diverse albums. It's something that is lacking in today's music - everyone makes cookie cutter, formula albums. I love to hear a band that really explores many sounds but still maintains some sort of consistent sound. That is the big challenge, how far can you push it and still make everything sound good together? Every member of the band writes constantly on their own and then we decide together what stuff fits into the Stepford Five sound. So far it's been mostly myself and Keith but Tim has brought some good stuff to the band recently and I'm looking forward to working on some of Mark's ideas in the future. We've got about 12 new TS5 songs that will be considered for the next record and hope to add a couple more to that list before we head into the studio this winter.
M: Hey, wait a minute.....Doesn't The Stepford Five have 4 members?
T: Even though Mark isn't listed in the credits as far as "writing" the songs, he's just as important in defining the sound of this band. "Contact Illusion," with its' huge drum/bass intro, would be just another rock song with out his contribution. I think our diversity as a band comes from our variety of influences and lack of concentration on one thing at any given time.
MUEN: Sorry Mark I guess I skipped you there. What are you doing to get this CD into the "right hands"? And/or are there any labels or industry people you are currently focusing on?
K: I focus on women in the adult film industry. Anything in their hands is a good thing.
T: I wish I had thought of that.
M: Prostituting ourselves to each and every individual who shows the slightest bit of interest in our "art". We have had label interest, but I think they got scared and ran away at one of our shows this month.
J: Well, we are following many different avenues in our quest to move to the next level. We did the traditional "open submission" to big and medium labels and actually had some bites that have opened some doors.
We also have considered signing to a regional label and building from that point and through internet promotion we've gotten some interest from a large management firm who is interested in what we're doing. Everything is very much in the early stages right now but it's been exciting and hopefully something will come out of it.
MUEN: It has been said that the members of The Stepford Five have different influences from one another. What are some of those different influences in the form of genres? And who is the shy one and who has the mouth? hehe
J: We all might dabble in other genres but it all ends up coming back to rock. Keith might listen to a little electronic music or Mark might buy a jazz CD, but at the end of the day we all take a little bit of those influences and write rock and roll music. As for who has the mouth? Well, let's just say that Tim and myself usually come off as pretty shy but get to know us a little and it won't take you long to find out where we stand with our opinions.
M: It's easier to answer this question in terms of influential bands but if you want genres. Rock, space rock, goth rock, punk, jazz, pop, emo, metal, glam, indie, industrial, experimental...etc.
T: To outsiders, we probably all appear a bit shy, although Keith has been the one to establish the most contacts/friendships within the scene and industry. It's probably because we are all so focused and such a tight knit group that we become weary of outsiders. On gig nights, Mark has a "three beer" peak, which means that during beer #3, he is as sociable as hell, after that he starts ranting about the "bourgeoisie" and such.
MUEN: We read in your bio that Tim Minneci (currently playing bass) was originally called in to do keyboards, but in the CD sleeve it says Jason Dziak does guitar and keys. Did Minneci do any keys on the album?
J: Tim played a little keys on the album (synth in "contact illusion", bells in "overcoming eve"). I guess technically I'm a more skilled player, but Tim has some good ideas when it comes to keys so usually we'll collaborate and usually I'll end up doing the performance. I switch between keys and guitar live.
K: Uuhhh Tim plays bass now? When did this happen???
T: Duh, where have you been? I guess I didn't play keyboards on MESH as much as make noise. I've always had interest in the little things that most people don't notice on records, the "production," and I wanted to throw in sonic nuggets. Jason is the keyboards for this band, and the newer batch of songs we're working on really showcase how much he can do. Four or five of the new tunes feature a lot of diverse, difficult piano and organ playing.
MUEN: What did Jenkins and Dziak major in, when they attended BGSU?
T: Jenkins majored in not getting kicked out, otherwise known as Telecommunications. Jason majored in Graphic Design or something. He does our website, posters, the cd artwork. From what I've seen, he's earned his degree.
MUEN: Does the band plan on remaining in the Columbus area for long? Or are there plans to move eventually?
T: When a big label buys us a mansion somewhere and pays all our bills, we’ll be happy to move. Otherwise, Columbus suits us fine. We have the most movie theatres of any city in the USA, ya know! You can't beat that!
J: I think we'll be here for a while, I mean even if we take a leap up to the national level we'll still be based out of Columbus for a while.
MUEN: Of course it is widely known that Columbus has had many great bands emerge in the past few years (Howlin' Maggie, Scrawl, Watershed). How is the local scene reflected at all by this? Does the local scene there in Columbus thrive? Or do you think it needs more work?
M: Every city has good bands and bad bands. Columbus is no different. One of the things that is nice about Columbus is that you have a diverse selection of live music to choose from - any night of the week. Many cities have live music on weekends only. With so many students attending Ohio State University it's pretty lame that they all would rather ingest the radio status quo. On the other hand, maybe we all suck at music.
K: It's reflected by the same three bands getting all the good gigs.
J: The Columbus scene is very cynical. It's very much ruled by a lot of people who pretty much believe they've been there, seen it, done it and are really fast to write you off. Don't get me wrong, there are a staggering amount of talented bands here but unfortunately, too few people who support them or believe in them. We've got venues to play but for the most part there is very little interaction between the clubs and the bands. Pretty much they open the door for you and sell liquor, that's about it. I think if there was a little more effort for the bands and the clubs to take equal responsibility to book, promote and generally provide the best possible night of entertainment for people I think this scene could become major. Really, the main competition in this town for bars booking original music is dance clubs, cover bars and movie theaters. You have to put together strong bills with great sound and a fun environment on a consistent basis if you want to win over those people.
MUEN: How often does the band rehearse? And what do you like the most - performing live, or creating and polishing the songs in the studio?
M: I'd rather play live music and create than record. Recording is very tedious. It's difficult to analyze and re-analyze your music until you arrive at a point where one is satisfied with what has been accomplished at the end of say 10 hours.
T: There is a unknown in performing live, and that is exciting. I like the idea of the spontaneity of things happening on stage, and slowly but surely we've gotten more confident to not be completely restricted to just "the song." The studio is fun for me because I am a idea freak, so I have plenty of toys and gadgets to screw around with when recording. Plus, it's always nice to hear a permanent interpretation of the song.
J: We rehearse 1 to 2 times a week and we play out at least two to three times a month. The best part about performing live is just every once in a while catching someone genuinely enjoying what your doing. It seems to happen more out of town than it does in Columbus. I think the studio and playing live are completely different beasts, they both have their rewards and downfalls. I guess if had to choose one or the other I'd go with recording just because it's a permanent chronicle of your work that can be spread infinitely and hopefully enjoyed forever.
MUEN: Why do you think the chemistry works so well in this band? And if there was one thing that you would change about the band, what would it be?
K: Group interventions keep us together. I wish we were a generic funk party band. We'd make more money and get more chicks.
J: Our chemistry is honestly the main reason why we've come as far as we have, and maintaining it will determine how far we go in the future. It's vital not only to our writing process but also to the business side of the band (which a lot of bands overlook). I just think it's all based on mutual respect I think we all genuinely recognize and value what each of us brings to the band and realize without one of those elements we wouldn't have a chance. The only thing I would change is for all of us to be able to do this as a full time gig so we could write more.
M: It also works because we all view music in very different ways. We all see the same picture but each of our interpretations differ. If I could change one thing about the band, I'd make us all musicians.
T: Yeah, day jobs are a pain. I wanna rock 24/7.
MUEN: What are some of the best experiences the band has ever had playing live, and/or anything else?
T: When we played the Columbusmusic.com showcase and dressed in military fatigues a la The Clash or Manic Street Preachers. We were making a "statement" or something, we're still living that one down.
M: The combat show at Little Brothers was cool. I also enjoy "Weekends of Rock" (see stepfordfive.com for more information on those).
K: Louisville--boots...Athens--when the girl shoved my mic up her *&*$??$%...when we performed under the name Winger at Fat Jacks.
J: I think live we sort of appreciate the little things. The other night in Athens a bunch of eager college freshman stayed around after the show to buy cd's and talk. The only girl just made a comment that "We put on a really good concert". That meant a lot to me just because I think that she got that we don't just get up there and play our songs. It's about more than that.
MUEN: What type of gear is the bands favorite to use?
J: We all play Fender guitars (Strats, Tele, Jazz bass). I occasionally will play a Gibson Sonex but I just love the Telecaster. Besides that they stay in tune like a motherfucker. Trust me I beat, the shit out of my Tele's and I rarely have to tune during a set. That does it for me, I'm sold!
M: Rolling Rock
T: Fenders and whatever the used deal of the month is at Music Go Round.
K: Trojans and Lifestyles.
MUEN: The Stepford Five appear to be doing a lot of the "right things" in the form of promotion, studio work, webpage, etc. What sort of advice would you give to other aspiring artists who are seeking direction?
T: Listen to people who know and aren't jaded 20-year career local musicians. People who are successful become successful for a reason. Put as much money from merch, gigs, etc. back into the band as possible - this isn't a freakin' second job! Be 100% dedicated to the music, and don't join other bands! It's all clichéd, I know, but I can't emphasize it enough.
K: Get a graphic designer to join your band. Even if he can't play. Let him do spoken word if he has to.
J: I would tell bands to really focus on writing great songs, that is what is most important. After you've done that, learn to embrace the fact that this is the entertainment industry. SO ENTERTAIN PEOPLE! You might write the best songs ever but if you can't sell them live or find a way to connect with a group of people, it doesn't matter. The last thing would be to not expect anyone to give you anything, you have to fight for every step you make and push your way through the door. If you talk to any label right now they will tell you that they are looking for bands who have done it on their own, built up a strong fan base by touring and promoting. Labels should be looked at like a partner not a lottery jackpot.
MUEN: Please add any other info on important topics we may not have touched on:
K: Who's leather pants are tighter Dziak or Jenkins?
T: What the hell happened to MTV? Where exactly is the "M" besides in the back ground of the newest episode of Real World? I'm starting a website called "www.iwantmymtvback.com" tomorrow.
MUEN: List here, any other URL addresses where the Stepford Five can be found: stepfordfive.com (everything in the Stepford universe)
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