May 20th, 2009
Ten Questions With: Robes
I first heard the Philly band Robes late last year when they opened for Little Joy at the Khyber, and I must say I was pretty impressed with their ’90s-Brit-pop-inspired psych-pop and electro-rock songs — in lesser hands, the clear nods to baggy Madchester, Ride (circa Going Blank Again)-style shoegazing and Oasis/Stone Roses stadium anthemry would have been annoying, but they managed to reshape those sounds into something distinctive and appealing. They’re playing the North Star tomorrow night as part of the Bag of Songs vs. The Broken Bell vs. Girl About Town “Battle of the Blogs,” which promises to be a great good time. We caught up with Robes singer Greg Nearhood and guitarist Ryan Shafer today and threw some questions their way:
What are you most looking forward to about tomorrow night’s show at the North Star?
Greg: Winning all the gold we know is hidden under the stage.
What goes through your mind the 10 minutes before you take the stage, and then the 10 minutes after you’re done playing?
Greg: 10 minutes before: “I need to finish this beer and get another.” Ten minutes after is a lot harder to say because it depends how it went, and sometimes it takes a day or two to figure that out.
Ryan: Before: “Do I have time to get another beer?” After: “I need another beer.”
What’s the weirdest or most interesting thing someone in the crowd has shouted at you during one of your sets?
Greg: “ONE MORE FOG” — one fog led to another and soon no one could see more than a foot in front of their face, and between songs you could hearing the sounds of people coughing as they slowly shuffled out of the room. We never should have let that guy control the fog machine.
Is it an enjoyable process being in the studio recording songs? Do you ever do any “rock moves” that you might do onstage when you’re recording, just to create a vibe?
Greg: Our recording process until recently has been a very laid-back, late-night thing me and Ryan would do in the basement of whatever house he was/is living in. There’s no better feeling than waking up in the morning with a few new songs we don’t remember writing. Now, being in a real studio is a totally different animal because we’ve invested a lot into this and have set high standards for ourselves and this recording, inevitably there’s a pressure that comes with that. Fortunately we’re working with a great producer we really respect, Brian McTear, and are really excited by the possibilities. We don’t usually work on moves — we just move.
Ryan: Being an aspiring producer/engineer myself I would obviously say yes, it’s a enjoyable process. At least most of the time. You may have a frustrating two hours trying to get the most tedious things done but it’s all worth it when you are sitting back and listening saying, “Holy shit, we made this. This is great.” And I’m sure the rock moves may creep out subconsciously here and there.
How has Philadelphia treated you? What are the pros and cons of being a band here?
Greg: Philly has been awesome. Tons of great venues, always awesome bands coming through that occasionally we get to play with. Hands down best food in America. Cons: Two drink tickets is just never enough. There are certain places it’s nearly impossible to get people to pay to go to.
Ryan: Philadelphia is a great place to be in a band. The location is perfect for networking to other major East Coast cities and there are a ton of great venues to play locally. However, I feel like the people in Philly tend to expect a lot out of you. If you put out a couple good new tracks and play a few shows around them, people will really start digging you for maybe two weeks tops. You need to keep things exciting and interesting to hold the attention, which can be tough when you’re also working — a.k.a. wasting time — a full-time job to pay the bills. Another con is that it’s also hard to break out of the 21 bar crowd, especially when you are 21.
What’s your favorite swear word?
Greg: We don’t cuss. We do lie.
Ryan: Chang Chang.
What’s the one question about you, your music, or your band that you wish fans would ask you after a show but don’t?
Greg: “Can we carry that for you? It looks heavy and sensitive souls like yourselves shouldn’t have to do this.” Also, “We’re having an afterparty. Would it be cool if I left my credit card at the bar and you guys could just help yourselves to whatever?”
What’s the one question about you, your music, or your band that you wish journalists would ask you during interviews but don’t?
Greg: “What is it that gets you up in the morning?”
Ryan: “Would you like to try answering that again?”
If you had a friend from out of town coming to Philadelphia and they only had one day to spend here, what would you recommend they do here?
Greg: This requires a list: Golden Empress, Devil’s Pond, Oscars Tavern, watch the World Fucking Champions at Citizens Bank Park, shoot BB guns off [bassist] J.J.’s roof, late night trip to the pretzel factory, fall off a bike and sleep on a floor only to be woken by a carbon monoxide detector. It would be a delicious, death defying day.
What’s the single greatest thing about being in this band?
Greg: Our hearing is all so damaged that we barely hear when dudes on the bus/subway listen to their ringtones like it’s an iPod.
Ryan: Socially it brings friends, new and old, together to engage in something that I love. Musically, as a band we all understand each other it’s kinda scary. And free drink tickets are always a plus.
Robes — along with the Shots and River City Extension — plays the “Battle of the Blogs” show at the North Star on Thursday, May 21 at 8pm. $8.
