Scott Colburn on April 14, 1983)
SCOTT:O.K.,Let's start with new
record.
Greg:Check,check
S:How's the new record selling?
Bob:Well it's selling real well
We started out with the initial
pressing of 5000 copies and sent
them out to distributors.As soon
as that money comes in we'll press
another 2000 but that takes 60-90
days.
S:Are you still selling your old stuff?
B:Statues is out of print.In A Free
Land is out of print.Land Speed
Record is essentially out of print
but you can still find them in
stores.
S:I heard AOF talking about how
you rejected Electra
B:Ha ha ha ha,Here it goes fin-
ally got out.Well essentially what
it was is that a guy that worked
for Electra had been calling a
couple times and was real interest
-ed in the band.Basically we just
said no.
S:That's good.
B:Well the reason being that there
is nothing wrong with being on one
of those labels,but we're not
ready yet cos I'm not ready to
sign my life away and secondly
we don't exactly have a big plan
What I mean is how much stuff we
are going to turn over to a label
like that.As far as artistic
control and all that it's a touchy
thing to do .We've been doing it
for 4 years and we still don't
know too much about the business.
It just wasn't the right time.I
don't think there's anything bad
about major labels it's just you
have to know what you want before
you do something like that.You
can't just go 'Yeah we got a call
from BBbbbbbooooom.Let's jump on
it and you're fucked.'You gotta
figure out what you want to do and
talk to people before.It takes
alot of planning to do something
that major.
with Spot.
B:Oh,for the studio stuff?Yeah.
S:What was it like working with him.
B:Real good.He's real energetic the
same way we are.We like to do things
quick.He's real creative and real
open to suggestion about sound or
sound textures and things like that.
G:Provides a lot of suggestions.
B:Yeah,and I think that it could
have come out better.We've done
some stuff with him since that album
that sound 100 x better.It's a full
-er sound than we've had on the
other albums.It just seems to get
better.
S:Are you on tour right now?
G:Yeah we're on our [way] to the east
coast.It's basically a quick tour.
We'll only be on the road for 3
weeks.
S:Is this the first part of it?
G:Yeah,this is the 3rd show and
from here we go to Philadelphia.
Then we'll do a week on the east
coast itself and the last week
work our way back.
B:New York,Boston,Providence,D.C.,
Richmond,then work our way back.It's
pretty much one week,one week,one
week.
S:Do you have a schedule like 2
shows a week
B:We like to play every night.
G:We're trying to play as many
nights as possible.7 nights a week
sounds good.
B:If we could do it we would.That's
the only way to tour.Days off are
money spent.
Marvin:Are you doing alot of all age
shows?
G: Yeah we're trying to do as many
as possible.
B:I think we got one that's not.
One or two
S:This one.
B:The Chicago show we just did
and I don't know if the Cleaveland
show is or not.
Marvin:You guys were up against
Circle Jerks in Chicago.How did
that go?
At the over 21 show they had the
same amout people we did.We did bad
though.I'm sure they did equally as
bad.There's no over 21 scene in
Chicago anymore.It's all kids.
S:That's what Vic told me.If you
play Chicago play all age or you'll
get wiped out.
Marvin:That's the way it is every-
where now.We could have set you up
at a bar but nobody would get in
that wanted to see you
S:Skitz is too sly.They know us....
..Weren't you just on tour?
B:Yeah Dec. and Jan.?
G:Yeah last weeks of Dec. and Jan.
We went south to Texas then west up
to SF.Then basically retraced our
rounds to come back.
S:Did you play in Canada?
G:Not the last trip.
S:What were your experiences with
other people in other areas?
B:Pretty much everywhere we get a
good reception.Every city's differ-
ent.Alot of it has to do with the
economy and whether it's all ages
or not.There's alot of things invol-
ved.It's hard to say one place is
better than the other.We have fave-
orite places but in a couple of citys
you get nobody at all and it's not
that much fun.
(interview moves to store front)
S:O.K. here we go this is like a
studio....What's the scene like in
Minneapolis?
B: It's real good.There's alot of
new bands.I'll say it again.It's
hard to compare scenes, but minne-
apolis is real strong.It just seems
like every time you turn around
there's new bands.Every month there
is a new band.Everyone's trying to
get records or tapes out.That's
good.
G: There's a couple of places to
play.
B: You can do all age show pretty
easy,but Minneapolis is good cos
the scene isn't just under 21 or
under 19.There's alot of people
in their 20's and 30's that go
out.It's a real open city.People
are real open-minded to it.
S: Do you guy's help set up gigs
in your area?
S: Do you do most of it or are there
promotors too?
B: There are no promotors but there
are people who book shows.There's
1st avenue.There's a guy who does
shows there.There's Upper Deck.There's
a guy who does shows there.Basically
it's real easy if we have to play
a liazon between a band that's not
real well known,a club owner will
gladly do it.Like say Mecht Mensh
from Madison,We'll say yeah you
should book these guys they are
friends of ours.They are a real
good band.People know who they are.
We don't set up shows straight out
we just help people do it.The club
owners are real easy to work with.
They are not out to screw people.
S: How about a classic question.
What does the name mean?
G: It's Dannish and it means Do
You or Can You Remember
S: Here's a interesting and original
question.What kind of equiptment do
you use?
B: OH OH All right Grant go ahead.
Grant:NO,I got Ludwigs,the old Lud-
wigs 3-ply.umm,Regal tipped sticks
(all laughing:Speed King Pedals
and Tama seat)
S: You had a piece of cardboard
inside the bass drum.What was that?
Grant:It's a new experiment tonight.
It's in there to protect the drum
while it's being moved.When we set
up today I hit it a few times and it
sounded cool.
B: Ohh,I got the Ibanez flying V'76.
I got a Yamaha G-100 guitar head
and a Ampeg V-2 bass cabinet with
4x12" for that big sound.
G: Gibson Victory bass Standard
model.MXR distortion box and bass
flanger.GBX powered bass bottoms
with 4x10"90 watts and a ½ watt
pre-amp.It's Canadian.
B: I use the MXR distortion too and
a stereo chorus
S: Any special message you want to
communicate?
B: We just want people to think for
themselves.Do something,don't be
discouraged.
S: Isn't your newer stuff slower than
normal?
everything else you're trying to do.
B: Yeah speed for the sake of being
fast is the worst thing you can do.
We started to get in that rut and we
said'Wait a minute,the tunes are
being obscured and people don't
here the words,They don't here the
riffs.
S: Any last comments?
B: Everyone should do something to
help out alot.
Grant: Send Husker Du alot of money!
B: Boycott Stroh's until they change
the can back.The money would help
us.It's just hard to put into words.I
just hate to see kids lay around
and do nothing.
Grant: Support you local rock move-
ment!