SXSW 2014 Interview: The Rebel Set
Arizona’s The Rebel Set released a blast of a record this year, How to Make a Monster. Now it’s time for all those go-getters to track the band down and check out what they’re all about. They’ll be playing a lot of the Burger Records sponsored events, which is their home label, but get to know the band a little bit by checking them out in our interview!
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?
RS: We are coming to SXSW to see as many bands as humanly possible and make a new fan or two.
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?
RS: No set list mapped out yet, we’ll probably figure that out about ten minutes before we play. That is our usual plan of attack and it seems to be going well so far.
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?
RS: We are big fans of burritos and black coffee.
ATH: There are tons of bands coming into town. Who would you ideally like to play with of the 1000s of bands gracing our city? Make your own optimal line-up.
RS: There are so many bands that I wouldn’t know where to start, however, if time and place were not an issue I would probably include The Beach Boys and Rocket From The Crypt.
ATH: We are partial to SXSW obviously, but what festival do you feel is the best around?
RS: The Neon Reverb Festival was pretty good in Vegas but I don’t think they are doing that anymore. Any festival where you have to stand in a field with 90,000 other people is one I’m likely to skip.
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?
RS: We’ve been in similar situations before and we’ve managed to make the best of it. We just do what we always do so that even the metal heads are left saying we may not be their cup of tea, but we’re pretty good at what we do.
ATH: What’s your favorite album to come out in the last year? What’s playing in the tour bus?
RS: That is a good question, once we get the tour bus we’ll let you know what is playing in it.
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?
RS: Well, the future is upon us so there is no point fighting it. Personally, I like to have a physical copy of an album but it is convenient to have every song in the world available on your phone. I would like to see someone come up with a streaming or download service that has better sound quality and maybe pays a little better.
ATH: Day parties have replaced showcases for music discovery? Is the conference really completely upside-down?
RS: I hope so.
ATH: Flatstock is a crowd favorite. Have you ever been to browse? Find a print to buy? Find a print from one of your shows you didn’t know existing?
RS: I’ve never looked at it but I think I’m going to right now.
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