Here's another Christmas present from me to you - an exclusive interview with Gabe and Rory of Slowreader. Click READ MORE to get their opinions on what bands got them into the punk scene, if there will ever be an Impossibles reunion, if that hot tub will really going on the road with them, and lots more. If you want to read about Slowreader's debut album, out now on Fueled By Ramen, all you have to do is click here.
SCOTT: Please say who you are and what you do in the band.
RORY: my name's Rory, I play guitar write songs and sing backups with a band called Slowreader, I also produced our new album
GABE: Gabe, I sing and play guitar/keyboard
S: We'll start off with a user submission that, no matter how stupid, was asked: "Is there any chance that the Impossibles will be getting back together?"
R: as an active band, almost certainly no… as far as playing a few shows or something it's anyone's guess… it feels like a whole other lifetime to me at this point, I wouldnât mind revisiting it, but I have no interest in reliving it
S: I figured not. Now, onto real questions - how long has the idea of Slowreader been around? Who thought of it first?
R: Slowreader was originally a name I came up with for my slower solo project when I was still in the stereo… the idea kinda sat on the shelf until it became me and Gabe right before the impossibles reunion, and then came to fruition when the impossibles broke up and we finally had some time on our hands…
G: Rory thought of the name I don't know how long ago and we started work under that name around the same time the impossibles were getting back together after two years apart. Rory and I wound up living together in a small one bedroom apartment and as we begun working on the songs, or more accurately, the concept, the whole impossibles thing kind of presented itself and slow reader took a back seat. we really didn't start any serious work on the project until the impossibles had broken up again, two years later.
S: Do you ever think the band will be more than two people creatively [I don't mean while performing, I mean while writing/recording]?
R: definitely… the band is already expanding to include our live drummer Ian…. gabe and I are pretty open to outside ideas, as long as they make sense within the context of the band….
S: Is Slowreader a one-time deal, or do you guys plan on continuing with this moniker for a while?
R: the plan is to make music and records and tour for as long as it's fun and rewarding…. we're already writing for the next record, and I imagine we'll still have some left after that, but I donât want to jinx myself
G: the arrangement we've carved out should make it pretty easy and fun for us to keep doing slow reader records. recording at Roryâs house is nice and stress free. plus, we both really enjoy what were doing.
S: Who are you getting to play other instruments during touring?
R: live slowreader is Gabe, myself, and our friend Ian Richardson who plays drums and occasional keyboards/bass
S: Rory - what's the deal with 20goto10? Is it ever going to happen?
G: I don't know, Iâm Gabe. But you should go the the20goto10.net. bookmark that shit!
R: yes, i've written about 10 songs and I'm still working on more… the20goto10 is my outlet for the pop rock songs I write, Iâm putting together a band and Iâm planning on making a record for release at some point next year
S: Another user submission: "Did you want to return to that smooth emo sound that the Impossibles had, or were you trying to do something drastically different? What would you say is the main difference between Slowreader and the Impossibles? Do you have more room to experiment in this band?"
G: we had to do something drastically different for this record. the new name provided a certain liberation that was important for us to pay attention to. I personally wanted to make a great record to listen to while smoking weed. silly as it might sound, I think that that is a specific type of record.
R: well the impossibles were basically confined to the fact that we were a rock band, and were expected to make rock records… doing slowreader allowed us to make a record that you could chill out to, or fall asleep, or makeout to, or whatever… a lot of our favorite music was not the kind of thing you would go to an all ages club and slam dance to, so we collected the songs that were going in a different direction and just went with it… slowreader has no real history to contend with, which was a big problem for us toward the end… obviously we still deal with it to an extent, but its not like we're trying to bend our band in some direction people donât want to follow, we're just starting over all together…
S: And another: "Do you guys listen to Radiohead?"
R: yes
G: not like some people, but I always buy their records and am interested in what they're doing.
S: And another: "What happened to Craig? And why wasn't he involved in the Slowreader project?"
R: Craigâs raising his beautiful baby girl and working full-time and going to school…. Iâm not sure why anyone would expect him to be in slowreader other than the fact that he was in the impossibles, but I donât really have a good reason for why he's not in it, he's just not…
G: Craig was never excluded from slow reader since, from the beginning, it was always going to be Rory and me. I miss Craig and he is truly the most talented bassist Iâve ever known, but he's doing well and has actually reproduced in the form of a baby girl. he's working on a band of his own that should be great.
S: And another: "Why do you guys read so slow? Are you guys illiterate or what!?"
G: Rory can read four words a minute. I can too but I can't retain any of it.
R: I think I read slow because I have ADD. maybe I should be on riddalin…
S: Why was "Colorcast" not on the album? Are there any more unreleased Slowreader songs in storage somewhere? Any plans for upcoming releases?
G: it had been around for a long time. originally, it was going to be a mellow impossibles song. once we realized that a lot of people had copies of the song it didn't seem like as bad a thing to leave it off the full length.
R: we tried rerecording colorcast (the original recording was lost when my hard drive decided to die) but it just didnât turn out as well… I like the idea of having a good song thatâs not on the album that we can play live… most people who like the band have the mp3 anyway so Iâm not sure why it's so important to actually put it on the record…. just add it to your burned cd because I know you didnât buy the record anyway, you bastard.
S: Both of you guys have been playing shows for a long time - please describe your worst show ever.
R: about a week ago I got food poisoning in phoenix Arizona and threw up every hour for about 12 hours stopping long enough to play a show… gabe got into a fight with a kid and bitch slapped him. that was the worst show ever.
G: phoenix, two weeks ago. Rory had food poisoning, I was pissed about something, I don't even remember what, and we were still so tired from the drive. there were a ton of technical and cerebral difficulties. I was yelling into the mike between songs. Rory was on death's door. actually, Ian had a pretty good show.
S: Both of you guys have been touring for a long time - please describe your funniest tour story ever. Bonus points for nudity.
G: pat from the impossibles was turning twenty in Orlando so we went all out and got a room at the holiday inn express and got dddrunk! after pat passed out I took out my cock-a-doodle and started shoving it in pat's ear. then I proceeded to draw nasty little images all over his arms and back. about thirty minutes later I started to feel guilty and composed a letter of apology that took up most of his back. there are pictures somewhere.
S: If you could prevent one death, would it be Kurt Cobain's or John Lennon's, and why?
R: Kurt Cobain, only because it's more personal and a part of my generation… I really feel like the world has lacked something by being deprived from his artistic output, and I donât think the vines are any type of substitute…
G: Iâd like to prevent my own gruesome death first.
S: What is the worst song you think you've ever written?
G: "I got you babe"
R: probably something off the first impossibles record… I always hate that I wrote funny songs because I think thatâs kind of the lowest possible form of music… 'fatboy' comes to mind, or maybe 'frances'… take your pick
S: Is the hot tub seriously going on the road with you?
R: yes
S: Seriously?
R: no
S: Who are your ideal tourmates?
G: Rory, Ian, korn.
R: I think it's kind of a dream of ours to tour with someone like Elliott smith or yo la tengo, but really I think anyone whose audience doesnât mind listening to bands that sit down to play…
S: What was the first band that got you into the punk scene?
R: officially the first punk record I bought was nevermind the bullocks, but I didnât really get into the indie punk scene until green day and operation ivy, which lead to fugazi and carbomb … Iâm not really that punk though to be honest, my favorite bands always seem to be on major labels… right now my favorite record is Ted Leo though, and that's on lookout, so maybe it's all come full circle
G: green day
S: What's currently receiving massive airplay from you guys, CD-wise?
R: Ted Leo, Interpol, daft punk, basement jaxx, the new beck, les savy fav, the new q and not u, Ian brown, recover, the go reflex, flaming lips, trail of dead, nada surf, grandaddy, and oasis
G: spoon, Jackson Browne, Mississippi john hurt
S: Don't you hate pants???
G: I hate underwear.
R: I have one pair… I wear them almost every day.
S: Okay, free time. Write whatever you want here.
G: do you hate underwear?
R: I think this is the best record Iâve ever been a part of (if that's saying much, I donât know) but either way I hope you hear it and I hope you like it, thanks
S: Thanks again, guys!
G: yeah!