7: How was it coming back to Coachella after being here 2 years ago?

SS: Well we just got here.  Last time we were here for two days, today we just showed up and everyone’s been here already and everyone like “whoopiedoo”.  We just got here and we’re trying to catch up with the vibe.

7: have you been able to catch anyone playing right now?

SS: Metric, they’re friends of ours.

7:  Is there anyone else you’re interested in seeing?

SS: Madonna, who else is playing?

7:  You guys have toured a lot with a lot of different bands, who was the most memorable band you guys have toured with?

SS: Memorable?  Memorable band?

7: Or what was the most memorable experience?

SS:  We did this crazy show in Hyde Park in London.  It was opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers, when the band between us… we were first of three.  The second band had to be changed at the last minute and they put in James Brown.  And it’s pretty fucking sweet to play with James Brown.  There was 90,000 people there.

7: Do you guys like playing larger venues?

SS: Not really.  Small tight rooms with the audience right in front of you is sometimes the best vibe you can possibly get.  Not small rooms but the 90,000 thing is a little bit crazy.  Yea, it was a bit separate.  Your 30ft away from the crowd.

7: Do you guys dig being out on tour or are you more of a studio band?

SS: I think it’s different for each member.  I’m personally very much about recording music after music, but it doesn’t really work that way.

I love being out on tour.  Reality is coming back in a day or two and I’m not so thrilled about it.

See, Michael feels productive on tour, and it is.  It’s more productive than what most people do… going out, playing shows and meeting fans everyday.  But I find it to be unproductive in a way as far as writing new music because it’s hard to write on the road.  There’s just no time for the band to get together.  Sound checks are for sound checking.  Not really long enough to write music.

7:  Who do you guys draw a lot of your inspiration from?

SS: Yani…   inspiration?  Anything you know... the tree… whatever… musically, Bob Dylan, Elliot Smith.  I like singer song writers.

7: A lot of people are saying that your music is 80’s driven.  Would you say you agree with that?

SS: I wouldn’t say its 80’s driven.  I would say we have influences of a lot of  bands we love are from the 80’s.  But it’s not inspired by that really, it’s more of a subconscious thing.

M: You know there are a lot of band in the early 90’s that I feel we’re slightly more a kin too.  My Bloody Valentine and things like that… some of those that were really getting there stint around 91.

7: How’d you guys meetup?

SS: I found Michael in the gutter.  I said “Hey man, wanna play guitar?”  He’s like “Alright dude”…

M: “Just buy me a drink…”

7:  Alright… drink of choice?

M:  I think I might be changing it and people are going to get mad at me because they all know I drink Jack and Coke’s but all tour I’ve been drinking Jameson’s on the rocks.  And I’ve been really digging it.  So it might have just changed.

?:  Mine’s water, and only water…

7:  You’re live show, how would you describe it?

SS: I’d describe it like a bacon cheeseburger melt on rye… or sourdough.

M: yea, with the fries with the seasoning on it.

7: You mean the curly fries?

M: Yea, the curly fries.

7:  You guys played south by southwest… how was that?

M: I love SxS…

SS: I think SxS is probably the most fun as a goer… you know to go to the festivals.  To play it is a huge pain in the ass for every band.  But every band loves doing it because the playing it only a 45 minutes thing and the rest is like a huge party.

7: So how would you compare that to here?

SS: This is way better to play a festival like this.  The fun thing about SxS is that you get to see these bigger bands in these tiny little small venues and there’s a big party in the street.  Coachella… the thing is being a band in those small clubs… you know being rushed on and off can be annoying, and here it’s not like that at all… it’s like smooth operation.

7: What kind of advice would you give to other bands starting out in the industry?

SS: Don’t look at your label as a bank.   Treat them like they’re your bread and butter, and like your livelihood.  Have a good relationship with them.  A lot of bands sign a label and don’t talk to them ever again.  They just hope that they magically become huge.  It’s just not going to happen.  You need to keep a healthy relationship with your label.

M: Songs are always better when you actually mean it and it comes from you.  There are a lot of bands that are trying to do something that isn’t them and they should just stick with what they are.

7:  What do you guys have coming up next?

SS: Writing... we’ll be demo’ing some stuff right after this tour.

SS: I have an idea.  You know how this myspace thing is taking over the world.  To come up with a made up band… and start a myspace page but put our new demo on there.

7: Do you guys have any parting words?

SS:  Just make sure you wax thoroughly.