SXSW Interviews: Mumblr
Fleeting Youth Records is bringing a ton of great bands down to Austin in March for the annual SXSW festival. One of those promising up and coming bands is Philly punk rockers Mumblr. As we lead up to the festival, these boys were nice enough to sit down and answer our pressing questions. Follow the jump for see what they have to say.
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?
Mumblr: SXSW has always been this mecca of underground artists; artists who have the opportunity to change the face of music and distort people’s idea of what is cool. It’s been a dream of ours for years to play at SX. Our label, Fleeting Youth Records, is based in Austin and was able to add us to a showcase. We sold a bunch of our stuff, threw a few parties and moved some drugs in order to fund the 48 hours of driving and the week on the road. What do we hope to get out of it?Pussy.
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?
Mumblr: Did President Lincoln write down his own Gettysburg Address? Hey. C’mon. Fugget About It. We are more worried about physically getting down there, the playing part is the only thing we actually know how to do.
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?
Mumblr: We all work in restaurants so we are men of much refined tastes. Let’s dive into this:
Scott (drums): “Deschutes’s Black Butte Porter is my favorite beer right now because it has good balance and is like nothing I’ve tasted before.”
Sean (bass): “Duck Rabbit Milk Stout. It’s dark, heavy, sweet and gets me through the winter.
Ian (guitar): “Yard’s Philadelphia Pale Ale. It’s bright, crisp and it’s everything I want in a beer.”
Nick (vox and gitar): “Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Walt Wit. It’s a simple, smooth, Belgian White with class. They brew it on the same block that we all live on and we drink it like everyday.”
As far as food goes, our favorite place in Philly is Han Dynasty, an authentic Szechuan Chinese restaurant. It’s spicy, the food is in your face, and the owner is a fucking rock star who doesn’t trade his integrity for people’s approval. The Dan Dan Noodle, Double Cooked Fish, Pea Leaves with garlic and Spicy Cucumbers are some of the best dishes on the menu. If you are in Philly, New York or in backwoods Pennsylvania you have to go.
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.
Mumblr: Our dream lineup: Limp Bizkit—Trainyard Buffalo—The Dallas—-U2—-The Rolling Stones Magazine—-Pizza Underground—-The Brooklyn Urban Academy Men’s Choir—Ladysmith Black Bamboozle—Mumblr (obviously headlining).
ATH: We are partial to SXSW obviously, but what festival do you feel is the best around?
Mumblr: This is a Philly plug: Two years ago Kat Kat Records (http://www.katkatrecords.com/) started a small city-wide festival called Kat Kat Phest that covers four days and three neighborhoods leading up to a New Years Eve spectacular. In the small time it’s existed, it has grown at an alarming rate and could one day become the flag-ship underground music festival in Philadelphia, showcasing the best of the circuit’s Emo, Punk, Rock and Indie bands.
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?
Mumblr: Plan A: We fight everybody there and go home with their girlfriends.
ATH: What’s your favorite album to come out in the last year? What’s playing in the tour bus?
Mumblr: Well first off, Ludacris is playing and second off our tour bus is a van and it’s only because Austin is land locked and we couldn’t sail our yacht. The harbor master said it just can’t be done. We are listening to a lot of Ovlov and Pile and Speedy Ortiz. But still… Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out The Trash by The Replacements, Bad Brain’s first album, Kendrick’s Good Kid and all the Death Grips albums flow on steady repeat. But only when we turn off the radio and make up our own versions to Bruce Springsteen songs off his latest album Hasta La Pasta. Best album of 2013? Major Arcana by Speedy Ortiz.
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?
Mumblr: Dude, embrace them. We live in a generation where we are given almost total access to the past. Music as a whole has gotten more interesting and has been more likely to span genres. Pandora and Spotify and the like have given us a catalog of what has come before us. Music is a giant conversation that we as a band are hoping to join.
Thanks again amigos!