Last week I received a press kit in the mail from a new Columbus Based band calling themselves The Stepford Five. After looking at their photograph, I knew these guys were musicians, not mathematicians. I gave the CD a whirl at work and about half way through it I noticed that I was taping my foot. Not only had the band's self described "sexy, guitar-driven" riffs manage to get my extremities mobile, but I actually found my self humming "No Chance" yesterday in the shower. Sorry for the mental image, but my point had to be made.
Over the past few days, I conversed with the band via e-mail. The following is the first in what I hope will be many more AMN Interviews with local bands and musicians.
AMN: How long have you been together?
TS5: The current lineup has only been together about a year. Mark joined in January of '99. Keith, Jay and myself (Tim) were in another band called 10watt at BGSU from fall of '97 to spring of '98.
AMN: How do you describe your music style?
TS5: The only category that seems to fit us is just good old plain ROCK. Like any good rock band though, we draw from many different styles, metal, glam, r&b, blues, pop, whatever, but we don't let any cliché from any style work its way into our music. For example, we all like the blues, but we're not going to write a song with a blues progression in B, because it's been done to death. We're not trying to be blatantly anything, just picking and choosing bits and pieces to arrive at our sound: big guitars, big drums, and hooks.
AMN: Did the desire, artistic expression or the chance to have female groupies inspire you all to become a band?
TS5: All, but mostly the enjoyment of being in debt and the constant need for attention.
AMN: Are you all planning on playing Athens any time soon? Which bar?
TS5: We just played Athens for the first time January 15th, 2000 at Baker's Hall with Templeton. We are planning on returning to the area soon.
AMN: What bands, if any, do you think have inspired your musical style?
TS5: The Afghan Whigs, Catherine Wheel, Jeff Buckley, The Cult, Howlin' Maggie, Pretty Mighty Mighty, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Hellacopters, Shawn Smith of Brad, Satchel and Pigeonhed, The Rolling Stones, the list just goes on and on...
AMN: What's the goal of the band? Fame fortune and a record contract or just the ability to support yourself by playing music?
TS5: The dream is to have control over your own destiny, if that means a record contract, then so be it, but we've gotten along fine without one so far. If we can continue to just write good rock songs, act out our childhood fantasy of being rock stars a la Kiss "Alive" on stage, then we're fortunate.
AMN: Do you all get along? How long have you all known each other?
TS5: We get along so well it's scary. Keith and Jay have been friends since 6th grade, and I've been friends with the two of them since college. When Mark joined the band, we were on the same page about everything from music to life in general, so it was like finding a new brother. Of course, since we're like family, our arguments sometimes turn into childish shouting matches, but for the most part we're lucky.
AMN: Where did you record "Mesh", your new CD? Would you recommend them to other bands?
TS5: We recorded at Workbook Studio in Columbus, which is owned by Neal Schmitt and Jon Chinn of the band Pretty Mighty Mighty. We had a great time and are already talking about going back for the next record, so I guess that's the best endorsement.
AMN: They've done a lot of great Columbus bands. If I'm not mistaken, they recorded the Templeton's and even Athens own Cactus Pears CD. Who did the mastering for you guys? Are you satisfied with it?
TS5: Joe Viers at the John Schwab Studios did it. We told him we wanted a big loud rock record and that's what he gave us. Our CD was mastered just a little bit louder than most... the Spinal Tap "turn it to eleven" mentality, I guess. We love it, it embodies everything this band is about.
AMN: How long did it take you to make your CD?
TS5: We started recording in July of '99. We could only get into the studio for a couple hours a day once, maybe twice a week. I think the last mix session was in October. It took about a week to get mastered, and then we had to finish up the artwork. We finally sent it off to get reproduced right before Christmas and got it back just after the new year.
AMN: What is your band's opinion of MP3's? Do you think people swapping your MP3's for free helps or hurts your group?
TS5: MP3's have been our friends. People have downloaded off of the various sites we've posted songs, like Columbusmusic.com, MP3.com, Riffage, Rollingstone, etc. and we actually gotten feedback from people who may never had listened or even heard of us if it had not been for MP3's.
AMN: Are you on MP3.com?
TS5: Yep.
AMN: Who is your favorite Ohio based band, besides yourselves?
TS5: The Afghan Whigs
AMN: What equipment do you use? Any equipment you'd like to get?
Keith - 1991 Fender Stratocasters (yellow/white pick guard), 1991 Fender Stratocaster (silver/white pick guard), Peavey 5150 half stack, Marshall JCM2000, Crybaby Wah Wah,
Jay - 1997 Fender Telecaster (red/black pick guard), 1998 Fender Telecaster (Dark sunburst/black pick guard), Peavey 5150 cabinet half stack, Sovtek MIG 100 head, Dunlop Rotovibe, Roland keyboard.
Tim - Fender Jazz Bass, Hartke 410 cabinet, Hartke HA3500 350watt head.
Mark - Five Piece Black, Pearl Export, Cymbals: 14" Avedis Zildjian New Beat Hi-Hat, 12" Avedis Zildjian Splash Medium, 16" Sabian AAX Stage Crash, 18" Zildjian A Custom Crash, 20" Avedis Zildjian Medium Ride, 20" Zildjian A Custom China, Hardware: Pearl Gibralter, and Pro-mark sticks.
AMN: Your press kit looked real professional and I read your article on the Columbusmusic.com web site. Do you guys have a manager to publicize you guys?
TS5: We don't have a manager. The responsibilities are broken up like this: Tim - Promotions/Public Relations, Jay - Graphic Design, Keith - Booker, Liaison, Mark - grunt.
AMN: How important do you think a good manager is to a new band?
TS5: Quite honestly, I don't think they are that important. Any band with enough will power and brains can do everything themselves.
AMN: This is kinda a stock question, but I like to ask it nonetheless: Where do you see yourselves as a group in five years?
TS5: Hopefully releasing our 3rd or 4th record, possibly our double live album, not having day jobs and touring constantly.
AMN: Good answer. But hopefully when you guys are big you won't forget the little people. Who has helped you out the most in your early years? You can list several people if you like.
TS5: Jay's fiancé Courtney helps us in so many ways it's ridiculous. It's like having a built in consultant/critic/referee. She's not a Yoko Ono trying to break up the band to start her own. Sometimes when your friends don't necessarily like something, they won't tell you. Courtney will, and bluntly, which is the way we need to hear it. Too many bands are isolated and don't take into account so many things, like stage presence, because they're used to hearing "yeah, you guys rocked." Courtney will give us feedback like "I think the verse in such and such a song was shaky, you should work on that," or "I don't think spitting blood is appropriate in a ballad," stuff like that.
AMN: What was the inspiration for your lyrics on your new CD?
TS5: Life, relationships, and everything that goes on in both of them. There is definitely a lot of room for interpretation in the lyrics, which gives people the chance to attach their own meaning to the songs as opposed to locking down a single interpretation or definition of what a song means.
AMN: I liked a lot of the songs on your new CD. I'm curious to know, what is each band member's favorite song?
TS5: Keith, Jay and Mark - Contact Illusion, myself (Tim) - Broken Skin
AMN: Which national or local band or musician do you think deserves more attention and why?
TS5: National: Jeff Buckley, Shawn Smith, The Afghan Whigs, Catherine Wheel, Manic Street Preachers, Jawbox, Howlin' Maggie, London Suede, Hellacopters. Local: Pretty Mighty Mighty, Tiara, Miranda Sound, Stonevelvet, The Pop Quiz, The Marbles
AMN: Yeah, I like the Marbles and Pretty Mighty Mighty myself. I actually got to gig with the Marbles in Columbus. We had a horrible show. I don't think they'd remember us. Or maybe they do. Oh well. Anyhow, are any of you guys married? How does that dynamic affect the band? Practices, levels of commitment, time etc?
TS5: I don't think it legal, but Keith and Jay claimed to have married their new half stacks. They really, REALLY like them.
AMN: I told you guys what my worst gig was. What has been your favorite gig so far? Where was it and why was it so great?
TS5: The last show we played here in Columbus at Oldfield's was incredibly fun. People were up out of their seats shakin' their asses, having a good time. So many gigs, people just plant themselves in a seat and give a polite applause when the song is over, and that does more to kill a rock and roll show than anything. This last show was pure energy from start to finish, everybody had a blast and nobody got hurt.
AMN: Have any good road stories?
TS5: We played a benefit at BGSU last spring, and when we got there Jay realized he forgot all his cables, wires and pedals. That was bad. We borrowed a cable from another band, but we lost the keys and effects.
AMN: Yikes, that must have been stressful. Do you have a tip for new musicians (besides follow your dream)? Equipment tips, manager tips, CD production tips, stuff like that.
TS5: Don't be afraid to put your ass on the line. If you truly believe in what you're doing, no amount of criticism should matter. Push the boundaries, see how much you can get away with, if someone tells you it can't be done, do it, and if you failed, at least you tried. Also, please stay away from crappy equipment. For the love of god, ante up the money and buy a decent guitar that stays in tune for more than one song.
AMN: You guys don't have a web site. Do you think web based promotion helps young bands or does it make little difference in your opinion.
TS5: stepfordfive.com The web site gives us the opportunity to say, "if you like the music, or want to see what we're about, check this out." With Jay being a graphic designer, we got lucky in that he has the knowledge and skills to create something that enhances what we're doing.
AMN: Now that I notice it, you're right. You guys do have a web site. It even says so on your press kit and CD. I guess I didn't have enough coffee in me when I asked you that. Moving on, about how much per day does it cost to keep you guys touring?
TS5: We haven't really toured, just a few out of town shows. It's something we're working on with the CD release.
