This interview also marks my first live interview which I transcribed. (Note: this is edited somewhat because the 3 of us say "like" in between other words kind of a lot.)
I feel like I don't need to tell you that I love brick mower and Kristin and Eric to pieces but well, I just said it. Now you know. Here it is! Enjoy!
Miranda: Hey. Here we are with Brick Mower.
Eric: Hello.
Kristin: Hello.
M: Well, I should say Kristin and Eric and not all of brick mower. That was obnoxious.
K: That’s obnoxious, Miranda.
M: THIS IS OVER! Just kidding. So, how did you guys meet?
E: Oh, boy. How did we meet?
K: We met at Montclair State, and we both went to a floor
meeting for, like, “the holiday season is coming so you have to unplug your
fridge”.
E: Clean out your rooms.
K: That’s how we met.
E: I never went to the floor meetings before that. First
time!
K: Yeah, me too.
M: Destiny, man, at work.
E: I needed a pen to sign the sheet and say I was there.
K: And I was like, “This guy is really annoying”, but the
next day I realized he was apparently very drunk, and was like, “Sorry I was so
drunk” and then I was like, “Ok, he’s cool.” He didn’t seem drunk, he was just knocking
on my door every five minutes.
E: Trying to give you CDs.
K: He was like, “Hey, uh, I burned this Jawbreaker mix for
you.” It was very nice. That’s how we met.
E: Yup, that’s the big story.
M: That was your first impressions? You noticed each other
for sure.
K: Yeah, definitely.
M: Ok. When did you guys decide to start doing music
together?
E: I was doing home recordings, stuff on a four-track, and I
asked Kristin if she wanted to play bass. She mentioned she could play a little
piano, which I still can’t play two keys at the same time on the piano… so I
said “Ok maybe we could do something on a song that I’m recording, you can play
piano or you wanna play bass?”
K: And Eric was in a couple bands at that point…
M: And what were those bands?
K: Paris Gun
E: Paris Gun was a band and then our band was Network of
Halos, but that was our recording thing we eventually started playing live.
M: How long had you been seeing each other before that
happened?
K: 6 Months?
E: Hmmm, it was in October…we played our first show 9 or 10
months after we met and Kristin recorded some stuff about 6 months after we met.
So within half a year we were playing some music together.
M: That’s awesome. Kristin, what other bands were you in? Or
were you in any bands before this?
K: No! NONE of my friends played anything unless it was just
absolute like, metal. People in bands that I knew were in the kinds of bands that
would just terrify me. I couldn’t even think about it. I was just a weird emo
kid.
E: Bands would play a weird show at club Krome, and be like “Yeah,
we were 1 of 7 bands to open up for Converge.”
K: It was all like hardcore, metal kids. And that’s fine…
M: Not your jam…
K: Yeah, not my jam.
M: And I mean had you always wanted to play? Or were you
just like yeah I’ll play bass whatever…
K: I guess I always wanted to play. I was gonna be a musical
theater kid. That’s what I was into. I liked punk, I loved the same kind of
bands that I like now, but I was just like, I’m going to go listen to some Broadway songs (laughing)
M: (laughing) Yeah I’m gonna be in “Cats” anyway so who
cares?
K: (laughing) Yeah, exactly
E: And speaking of musical theater, I thought it was cool
that she could hit some notes or had some sort of idea of how to sing, where I
still don’t have any idea how to sing.
K: But then I spent all my effort into trying not to sing
like that…like it is almost like a detriment. You don’t want to sing like a
Disney Princess when you’re singing in a band. You wanna sound like, “cool.” It
sounds a little out of place.
Laughter!!
M: So how did actual brick mower start, was that after
Network of Halos?
K: We did Network of Halos. We played shows. We were like,
here’s this thing we recorded, let’s play this café…we were under 21 or had
just turned 21.
E: My brother was playing drums and he had just turned 14.
Then our friend Mike, who turned to a life of graffiti and eventual arrests…
great guy… no last names. Cool guy. He lives in another state now. But yeah he played
guitar. My brother who was 14 played drums. He had a notebook of beats that I
would write it out. It was really great.
K: Yeah we would play shows and he would have his
composition notebook that he would look at while he was playing.
E: And it was really just 1,2,3,4… 1,2,3,4
Laughter!!
E: Yeah we played under 20 shows like 17 or 18 shows…we
wanted to crack 20 shows.
K: We played Maxwell’s which seemed terrifying at the time…
and that was pretty cool but it wasn’t
such a big deal…It was that someone had
rented it out. But that was cool. That was our biggest show.
E: We just made cd’s and put out a tape and a bunch of
releases in like 2 years that maybe 30 people have. And then we decided to
break up. A band with my brother and our friend Mike was tough at the time. So
we were like, let’s just break up. What was that 2007?
K: That was 2007 and then I graduated college. And then that
was when I was like, OK let’s do a real band.
E: We had talked about doing a real band for a while and we
were just putting it off. I started playing drums in other bands. We were
kicking the idea around. And we lived in Bellville up in north Jersey for a
year. Then we moved back to Keansburg and Kristin was like, “We should really
start a band, like we aren’t doing anything.” I was playing drums and that’s
fine, but I was getting bored with that too. I wanted to do something else. One
night Kristin was like, “Let’s just do what we said we were gonna do for the
last year and a half and just like… play.” I was like, “OK! Let’s do it.”
M: And what year was this?
E: This is 2009. We started talking about it in and got into
gear in June 2009. We started putting songs together. I called my friend Eric
Gieg who has a recording studio in his basement, he went to school for audio
engineering, and I was in a band with him at the time. And I said, “Can you
just do some demos? I’ll play drums, Kristin’s gonna play the bass, and I’ll
record the guitar over it.” And then we recorded our first EP, the Floors EP, just
the 2 of us, in August 2009. We did our first show 2009. So from June to
October, we just slapped it together.
M: Who are some inspirations for you guys at that time? Who
were you into?
E: Well, it’s pretty evident we both like Superchunk. And we
get that comparison all the time.
K: I mean that’s kind of the reason I did this band…that’s a
huge huge influence and it’s not really a secret!
E: In like 2008 Kristin got super into Superchunk
K: Maybe too much…
Laughter!
K: There are a ton of influences that we didn’t and don’t
sound anything like. I LOVE the band Mclusky too. And I’m never gonna be in a
band as good as Mclusky ever…nobody is! But I can’t listen to those records and
not wanna do something.
E: Yeah we don’t sound anything like that band but you listen
to those records and it’s an inspiring thing.
K: Yeah there are things that I take from it like I like dirty
bass…
E: And I was also getting into home recording and stuff,
which Guided by Voices and Sebadoh were a big inspiration. But I don’t know if
that’s a detriment to how I like to work. Sometimes it seems like, “Ok we
finished it. It’s done! Move onto the next thing.” Only, without smoothing things out. We’ve a
gotten a little bit better at that. But even
on the first EP, we went and did those songs quickly and put them out. We just
throw it out there and see what sticks.
M: Yeah I feel you should never overdo it. So what made you
wanna be in a band and not just watch? What made you want to participate
instead of being a fan. I always say that and feel bad because it sounds like
I’m putting down being a fan and I’m not...but what is the difference for you
guys?
E: No, I know what you mean.
K: Yeah…I don’t know! I think about that a lot. I can watch
and enjoy something but I’m not the kind of person who can just say “Well that
was nice,” and walk away from that. If I really was moved by something, I have
to be a part of that in SOME way. And I don’t know why…I don’t know what it is
that makes me not satisfied?
E: Yeah I agree with that too. If you’re taking in and
appreciating some kind of art it should be for a reason. I guess eventually I personally
wanna start participating and put something out. Even if I go through some sort
of lull or I’m not really motivated. Eventually, if I read enough, listen to
enough stuff, watch enough movies I’m like, “Ok now I’m kind of bored,” and the
wheels start spinning again. It’s like I gotta get out there and DO it.
M: Right.
E: But for a long time I put off writing songs. I would be
like “Oh I’m 18. I should be on tour by now! Well, I have no idea how to do
that. Now I’m 20 and I’m too old to tour because I’m not 18 anymore. Now I’m 22
and that’s too old to write a SONG!” So finally when I was 24 I started writing
songs. I thought “Ok… I’m not too old. I’ll never be too old.” What the hell
was I thinking!? I was just putting things off.
K: It was just an excuse.
E: It was an excuse to say I couldn’t. There are always excuses.
M: Yeah. Well eventually it happened, that’s what matters.
E: Did that answer the question?
M: Yeah that was one of the better answers! It’s hard to explain,
I know.
K: I can look at a painting and be like “That’s beautiful,” but
it doesn’t make me wanna paint. But when I was 12 and I listened to a record I
thought was awesome, and I said “God… one day I’m gonna do that.”
M: All of it is fairly inexplicable. It’s hard to be like
“HERE’S how it happened.”
K: I think that proves it is what you’re supposed to be
doing.
M: Yeah. I think all of my favorites are people who CANNOT
explain why. They’re like “I dunno, I gotta.”
K: There was an interview with Fugazi, and I don’t remember
it exactly, but they asked “What makes you wanna do it?” And the answer was “I
dunno. I try not to think about it.” He was saying like, why break it down?
M: Yeah there’s no NEED to break it down, but I’m curious!
K: It’s kind of fascinating!
E: From an outsider’s point of view, it probably seems
crazy.
K: Well sometimes, you’ll think “What are we doing? We’re
playing for people…when you think about it, it’s SO WEIRD.”
M: It is SO weird!
K: I guess that’s true of anything.
E: It doesn’t make any sense! I guess I’m not putting any
SUPER great importance on it but it’s like, it’s GREAT. I dunno.
M: Well once you do it and you’re like “Well, that ruled!” It’s
pretty hard to be like, “I’m never doing that again!” You kinda want to repeat.
E: I hear so many people say “Well, when I hit a certain age
I’m not gonna do it anymore,” but I couldn’t think of not doing SOMETHING in
music anymore.
M: Yeah then maybe we’re not doing it for the same reasons.
E: Right
K: Exactly. There have definitely been people who have been
in bands and then been like “That was great…it’s over now!” What!? How can you
say that?
M: How and why!
K: Yeah I dunno. It’s different.
M: So talk about the importance of touring and its effects
on a band. I mean we all know that it is really useful to like, LEAVE NJ…
E: For a second I thought you were gonna say “useless…”
M: Oh yeah we all know it’s useless and a waste of time and
money!
K: Completely unimportant and a silly thing to do.
M: But I mean you guys toured a lot last year and I’m
curious about how you feel it affected your band.
E: We definitely got people to actually listen to the music.
Nowadays with the internet, someone will just put something out and then
suddenly have this big following. That is a different route to getting
“popular.”
K: Touring is almost like an investment. You don’t see it
right away but…
E: …it starts to pick up.
K: Yeah. Like the other day Eric got a text from someone we
met in Chicago just to say they saw our sticker up somewhere! Stupid stuff like
that.
E: That’s small and on a personal level.
K: It is very small. But yeah, in terms of the importance
that touring has on a band, it’s the time that you put in. At first you may not
even feel any type of reward. But after some time, you start to see it and it
starts to build.
E: Yeah and it’s what we as a band are comfortable doing. Like
I’m sure there are other avenues to take- like maybe there’s a way around
touring in order to get your music out there. But this is what we are geared
towards.
K: And you meet a lot people that are awesome.
E: The country seems so much smaller. Out here, people
complain about driving an hour somewhere. I guess it’s relative if you’re
living in a smaller state.
K: And I also think it’s important to do something that, at
first, seems crazy and impossible. Then you realize that you can totally do it.
Once you get over it, you see how completely accessible it all is.
M: And what about in terms of your playing? I always feel at
the end of a tour I feel insanely comfortable playing a set.
K: Oh yeah totally. That’s another residual thing. Definitely
after being on tour for 30 days, on day 30, you’re gonna be tight. And then
even if you’re taking a break, once get back you still have that experience and
comfort of playing with one another.
E: It has definitely helped tighten us up. I mean, we might still
have some wonky shows here and there. Sometimes, I think about how I’d rather
be taking a nap.
Laughter!
K: Also, not every show feels like the end of the world.
E: Yeah there’s always tomorrow.
M: That effect never occurred to me but I absolutely agree.
You feel like, “OK. I messed up…that’s fine. I’m not gonna go hang myself.”
E: Right, not a big deal. There’ll be another show
tomorrow…if it doesn’t get cancelled.
LAUGHTER!
K: Whereas if you only play once in a while, every note you
miss you will remember for months.
E: Sometimes I’ll see a band that only plays once in a while
and I wonder if they put all their eggs in a basket for that single show. Are
all the members of this band super pumped tonight because they haven’t played
in 6 months and they might not play again in another 6 months?
M: Yeah totally.
(PERSONAL QUESTIONS)
M: Ok, talk about your parents.
E: My parents are funny people. My Dad is a state trooper
and my Mom is a teacher. Both blue collar-ish. They got me a drum set when I
was in 5th grade for Christmas. I told them it was the only thing I
wanted. So we all opened our gifts and then the last gift I opened was a very
beginner style drum-set that I didn’t know how to set up. That was cool. They’ve
been supportive up to a point with my music, but after a certain point they
don’t get what’s going on and I can’t fault them completely for that. They’re
still together. I drop in sometimes. They ask me what I’m doing. Ask me when I’m
gonna get a real job. Even though I work some real jobs… I’m not sure what they
mean. I don’t know what kind of job they want me to work. I expressed interest
in being a teacher years ago for the sole purposes of getting summers off and
that’s come up a couple times. They ask, “Why don’t you want to pursue that?” I
personally think you really need to be dedicated to be a teacher. So if my main
goal is to get summers off -then maybe I shouldn’t be a teacher. But then they
still don’t get that. I think they have our first record.
K: They’re like, “Why can’t I hear your vocals on this??”
E: Yeah. But they are great and very good parents.
M: And you Kristin…
K: Well, speaking of blue collar, my Mom is a nurse and my
Dad was a police officer. My father died when I was in Middle school. We were super
close. He was my Dad and my bud or
whatever. He was actually super into music and he was a really good guitar
player. And he wanted me to learn guitar. He also wanted me to be, like, a pro
golfer. He just thought I could and should do whatever! He was like “Hey you
wanna be a professional jump-roper??!!” He was super awesome. And in terms of
music he was into weird country music. He used to say “I stopped listening to
music after 1965!” Oh and both my parents are much older. They had me when they
were in their mid-to late 40’s. It was awesome because it was like I was only child,
but with 5 older siblings. My Mom’s really kooky and very supportive with
absolutely everything. She thinks it’s really great that we have a band. I hear
her talking to her sisters and she’s like “Oh yeah! Kristin’s band is great! They
go all OVAH! It’s great!”
E: Where my parents are like, “Why do you leave? Why are you
going places?”
K: Or like “Yeah you’ll go on tour and then you’ll settle
down.” It’s like, what are you guys taking
about? This is it!
M: Yeah like, this is settled as far as I’m concerned.
K: But yeah. I have/had great parents. I’m very, very, very,
lucky.
M: That’s nice. That’s awesome. Yay. Ok so talk about your
siblings.
E: I have one brother. We’re pretty close. Brian is 7 years
younger than me. He’s the one who played drums in Network of Halos.
K: He’s the coolest.
E: He’s a cool kid. He’s really good at baseball. He’s the
athletic one in the family, whereas I am NOT. He has a really warped sense of
humor which he credits me with helping him shape but I think he might be even
slightly more warped than I am. Like his boundaries are a little blurry.
K: His snapchats are ON POINT.
E: Sometimes his jokes, I don’t get them. They’re not “to
get” sometimes. Yeah he’s a cool kid. So he’s playing all sides of the fence-
as far as being an athletic kid, but then just totally out there. He’s a cool
guy.
M: And Kristin-all of your 40 siblings? Go ahead.
E: Yeah it’s like Kristin’s army.
Laughter!
K: Yeah, like I said, I was the “later in life” baby. I have
4 brothers: Drew, Dave, Doug, and Russ. And I have one sister, Denise. My 2nd
oldest brother is insane and hilarious and one of the funniest people. I’ll
meet people and say my last name and they’ll be like “Oh do you know Dave??”
Everyone knows him and he is hilarious. He’s out of his mind. The 2 older ones
think they have to be the guardians of the family. And then I have Doug who is
wonderfully insane and I love him. He’s like the most offensive yet most lovable
person you’ll ever meet in your life. He’s a crazy fuckin’ rebel.
M: Alright. I got one more question, guys.
K: Uh huh…
M: I feel like you know what’s coming…
K: I don’t think that I do…
M: (drum roll on the table) Do you have any… GHOST STORIES!?
Now Kristin, I know you have hours of scary conversation for us so just hit us
with the worst, most intense one.
K: OK. I always say, if it didn’t happen to me I would
absolutely not believe it. I’m very artsy farts-y, but then I’m also very
logical. So I totally get that people don’t believe me when I tell this story.
BUT, my scariest, creepiest story is this: The house I grew up in used to be an
old boarding house back when people would actually vacation in Keansburg. The
house is in books about the history of Keansburg. I was about 8 years old. I
had already heard stuff, been terrified by stuff, and I just knew the house was
different and that I wasn’t just making myself scared. One night, I was
sleeping and all of a sudden –out of NOWHERE in the middle of the night- I was
100% awake, like someone had shaken me. And I was like, “Why am I absolutely
shitting my pants scared right now?” I had a daybed against the wall and I
looked over by the daybed and there was a pitch black figure with fucking red
eyes. It’s ridiculous even saying it. It was like a movie moment where the
person cleans their glasses. I was like “No that CANNOT be what I’m seeing.” I
was just lying there, staring at it, and so scared. Eventually, I was just like
“I have to get out of here.” So I held my breath and ran through the bathroom
that adjoined my room with my parents’ room. I went to my Mom’s side of the bed
and shook her awake and was like “Move over and let me go under the covers.” I
got the courage to peek out to see if it was there. I saw the figure standing
in the bathroom doorway as if it had followed me. And then, like it was out of
a movie, it dissipated. I never talked about it with my parents. I thought, “If
I say it, it is gonna happen again. It’s gonna come back.” Talking about it
made it real, and I couldn’t relive it.
M: Right.
K: A LOT of other stuff happened in that house. One day
after we had moved out, I was talking with my Mom and she was like “Remember that
one time there was that thing that looked like Darth Vader in the doorway??” I
was just like “WHAT??” And she was like “Remember you woke me up and I looked
and that thing was there and then it just disappeared!” It was exactly how it
happened. I already knew it happened but then there was confirmation.
M: UGH. It’s so scary. I have heard you talk about this
before and every time it freaks me the fuck out.
Ok Eric! Yours!
E: OK. I was recording in my parents’ house by myself on a 4
track in the basement. I had come up with 5 song ideas and I was hitting record
and drumming for each track. Before each one I’d be like, “This is track 1,
this is track 2,” for reference. At one point I lost count and I said “This is
either track 4 or track 5” and the ANOTHER voice said “It’s 5.” And it was 5.
K: Yeah and it WAS track 5!
M: WHOAAAAA! Somebody was hanging out!
E: It’s low but it was very clear. It wasn’t me. It didn’t
sound like me. I played it for someone else and they were like, “That doesn’t
sound like you.”
K: Eric’s roommate at the time hated scary stuff sooo much.
And Eric played it for him and he threw his headphones off and ran outta the
room. He was like “FUCK THIS SHIT!!!”
M: That’s my kind of guy!
E: That was the only thing that happened.
M: Hey. I love you guys. You’re the best. That was awesome.
You’re the best.
THANKS YOU GUYS. Check out brick mower here. <3
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