SXSW Interviews: MAITA

I hope you people are enjoying our SXSW interview pieces as things really start to heat up with show announcements and schedules coming out at a rapid pace. It’s crazy that we are seeing what might just be a somewhat “normal” festival this year. I don’t know about you, but I am so very ready to get back out there and discover new music. Today I am carrying on with out interviews, this time from Portland based outfit MAITA. Hit the jump for the full interview with some tunes.

These were answered as a band collective by MAITA.

ATH: Describe your groups sound.

M: We are a four-piece band that strives to capture the emotional subtleties and intensities of life through a sound that ranges from grungy rock to lush folk.

ATH: What was your most recent release? Any planned releases for 2022?

M: We just released our record I Just Want To Be Wild For You on February 18th and will be touring on that record throughout 2022!

ATH: Everyones been focused on the negative aspects of the last few years? What are a few good things that came about for you as an individual or the band as a whole during the last two pandemic-stricken years?

M: I suppose the upside of not touring for two years is that we were able to reassess how we want to live our lives and what we value. It was nice to get a reset and build some healthy habits that are often hard to keep on the road. It was also helpful to get excited about traveling and meeting new people again, which was one of the things I missed most about touring and will not take for granted again.

ATH: Why play SXSW? Whats the draw for the band? What about this festival will bring you to Austin?

M: I’ve never been to Texas before but have heard so much about SXSW over the years. I love the idea of being right in the middle of so much creativity and activity–I’m really looking forward to hearing a whole new set of bands I’ve never heard before and playing for a brand new audience.

ATH:.Lets say your band has 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 is growing ancy. How would your band deal with such a situation?

M: We would just get up on stage and try to play our set as well as we possibly can–that’s our goal any night. We just want to enjoy playing with one another, and make sure to honor that one person in the audience who might be there to see you, regardless of what the rest of the crowd is doing.

ATH: There are tons of bands coming into town, but if you could create your own perfect festival, who would you have playing? Would it have a sick name? Where would it take place?

M: I love a good camping festival in the woods. There’s nothing like listening to music below a canopy of trees at night. I’m horrible at coming up with clever or catchy names for things but would love to have a diverse array of music with a good balance of local and national (or international) acts.

ATH: What has everyone in the band been listening to, or, what plays in the tour van/car/bus?

M: Some music we’ve been listening to: Hand Habits, The Hackles, Sasami, Big Thief, Rosalia,

ATH: Theres been a lot of discussion about Spotify and streaming and all that these last few monthswhere does the band stand? Whats your solution?

M: Streaming can be a pretty frustrating nut to crack. For now, we are grateful that it allows so many people access to music who maybe didn’t have it before. I think it can be a great pathway for music discovery, an easy way to fall in love with a band. I don’t think it’s going away any time soon, so all we can really do is encourage people to support those artists they fall in love with in another way–whether that means buying their album on Bandcamp or buying a ticket to their show, or just telling their friends about the music they love.

ATH: The band gets to create their own food truck to take on the road. Whats it called, and what are you serving?

M: I think we would start a Japanese rice ball truck. We could call it Musubi or something like that, and feature rice balls grilled with sweet miso paste, stuffed with a variety of fillings. Super portable, yummy, and economical.

Thanks again to everyone involved in answering these questions! Check out latest single “Where Do You Go?” below and also maybe consider purchasing the recently released I Just Want to be Wild For You in a variety of formats.