[Interview Number 37]
This time, we get to know Maurice and the Stiff Sisters. Their track "Fender XII" is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.
Link To New Artist Spotlight Playlists:
Okay, letโs get into the Ten questions for Maurice and the Stiff Sisters!
๐ญ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐? We are from Portland, Oregon. My hobby is building and modifying effects pedals. Our sax player Aaron Mattison is a skilled wood worker (look up his business On Larch Mountain), our trombone player Bryant Byers is a talented artist (pen and ink impressions, and one-line-drawings). Bass player Mike Doherty is an excellent amateur chef and professional sommelier, and our drummer Dave Shur is a fortune teller, crystal ball and everything.
๐ฎ. ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ/๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? I was no good at sports. Just awful. The last person picked to be on the team? I was usually assigned to the better team to even the odds.
Just kidding (kind of). I was introduced to music in 4th grade, playing trombone in school band. Never stopped.
๐ฏ. ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐?
I love pop-minded songwriters like Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock and Jonathan Richman - folks who filter their experiences through the rose-tinted glasses of psychedelia and power-pop. But Pink Floyd (especially Syd Barrett era) is my all-time go-to classic.
๐ฐ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ? Wrote my first song on my mother's acoustic guitar before I knedw how to play chords. This is at age 15. I found the cassette tape the other day....waiting until courage allows me to play it.
๐ฑ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐? To engender 1,000 fans of our music in every medium-sized market in the USA and Canada. Then convince them to join our religion.
๐ฒ. ๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ? Your house, right now.
My favorite natural amphitheater is the Red Rocks outside of Denver, Colorado. The Mile High city! The air is thin up high in the Rocky Mountains but the sound in that natural environment is something you should hear for yourself.
๐ณ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด? While "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens never fails to cheer me up and is my go-to soundcheck song, I think that the best song ever composed is "The Universe Song" by Eric Idle of Monty Python. It's both optimistic and nihilistic at the same time, cheery and maudlin, and educational (although the facts and figures are a little out of date...)
๐ด. ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐? Oh! That would have to be the time I prematurely declared myself the winner of the 2020 United States Presidential election, then refused to concede once it had been established that I had lost both the popular vote and the electoral college. How embarrassing!
๐ต. ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐?
My proudest accomplishment has been recording our debut album, "Welcome To Love," and releasing it on 12" vinyl. The production is spot-on, the artwork absolutely pops in a larger format, and I couldn't be more proud of the songs, how the lyrics came together, and the communal effort and commitment that this group has put in.
๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ?ย One of these days I would like to record an song with a few of my favorite producers: John Congleton (the pAper chAse), Dave Friedman (Flaming Lips), larry Crane (Elliott Smith), Brian Eno (Brian Eno), John Brion (Robyn Hitchcock), Jim O'Rourke (Wilco).
"Fender XII" on Spotify
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