SXSW 2014 Interview: Fletcher C. Johnson
Fletcher C. Johnson reminds me a lot of Nobunny, in some manner. They have a similar vocal delivery, though FCJ seems to have his own approach on things, adding a bit more sheen and twang to it. It makes sense, as they’ve got relatives in Texas, so that’s kind of cool.
ATH: There was a lot of hubbub last year concerning corporate sponsors and pay to play and what not at SXSW. As a band, what’s your reason for coming to pay at the festival? What do you hope to get out of it?
FCJ: John’s (drums) mom lives in Austin. She’s going to cook me grill cheese sandwiches. Then I’m going to hang out with all my friends from the West Coast that I haven’t seen in a while. Then I’m going to get a sinus infection. SXSW.
ATH: For most SXSW sets, you get 30 minutes to leave a lasting impression. What’s your plan of attack? You have a set list mapped out yet?
FCJ: We never make a set list. We just feel the crowd and go with what they need. At CMJ this year we had a 25 minute time slot. Usually we would bang out some of our most known songs but, up to this point in the show, the audience seemed pretty stagnant, low energy. We just did all party covers, covers we would play at a house show to get people excited. It worked. I think we did one original. It was our first show with our new drummer, John. He had never played any of those songs before. People said it was one of our worst/most-fun sets to date!
ATH: The festival caters to music fans, but food and booze are an important aspect of the fans and the bands. What’s your band’s food and beverage of choice?
FCJ: I always keep a Subway Sandwich hoagie under my seat in the van for emergencies. When I’m hungry I turn into a whiney little baby.
ATH: Let’s say your band has been booked an official showcase at a pop up venue somewhere in the middle of 6th street. The lineup features thrash metal, hip-hop, spoken word, and you. The sound is horrible, the lineup is not your style, and the crowd seems angry at the world. How would your band deal with such a situation?
Fletcher: Xanax, weed, booze.
Todd: Anger, sitting in the van.
John and Adam:
John, “Dude! Did you see that thrash metal band? They were amazing!”
Adam, “Not as awesome as that hip-hop band. So good!”
John, “I know!!! Man, if that hip-hop band got the spoken word guy in for a breakdown or something, how amazing would that be?!”
Adam, “AMAZING!”
ATH: What’s your favorite album to come out in the last year? What’s playing in the tour bus?
FCJ: MGMT. They’re the best band of the last ten years. If it wasn’t for them, I would never have gotten into contemporary music. I would only be listening to things from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. “Congratulations” renewed my faith in music.
ATH: The digital age is upon us, like it or not. What are your band’s thoughts on streaming services like spotify, pandora, etc.? Blow em all up? Or embrace the future?
FCJ: Embrace. All music, movies, and television are free now. Fact.
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