SHOW FOR NOBODY

Brace yourselves Festakotans...

It is looking like Dreyfest is hosting another bittersweet goodbye. This one is from our friends and peers (and enemies? (and lovers? (and guys we occasionally see at Sears when we are in need of lightly starched khaki workslacks? (I'm talking about Henry; which is weird because I ran into him at Sears even though he's the only one in the band who doesn't work there. (That never actually happened; I would never frequent a place where Jordan or Michael work. (Unless they worked at that Thai restaurant on the westend, but even then, I would probably just get it for take out so I wouldn't have to see them for longer than two minutes. (What were we talking about? (Oh yeah!)))))))): SHOW FOR NOBODY.

So the guys are going off to school (middle school exchange programs??) and we are all going to miss them and wish their band was still a thing. I don't feel like I need to explain why or anything, but I will anyway: their band is really good. They know I think that, and I was even supposed to write something up for them about why they kick so much ass, but with a billion things on my list of to-dos, I think I probably won't get to it. Which sucks...but as a consolation, I can at least say something short and sweet here: 

People don't realize how rare it is for a band to have a fully formed identity- one that is natural, but unique enough to be soley "theirs"- I don't even know that THESE guys are aware of it, but they have it. It may have to do with having a few common musical influences between them...but a bigger contributer to their band's identity is just that they are friends in a band with other friends. They have the sort of mutual respect and mutual disrespect that only good friends can have for each other, and it makes their music seem as natural as the evident interplay between their personalities when the three of them engage in conversation. Who knows what they will do musically after the band breaks up, but I'm 100% sure that they will look back at Show For Nobody with the same fondness that they hold for each other as people. And then they'll probably ridicule each other.

And that cinches it: the 80's are back.

You are ________, and you ____________ the ____________ with __________ and ___________ in _________________.

H: Henry Goodridge, protect, drums, sticks, sometimes kicks, Chex Mix

J: J, o, r, d, a, n

M: Michael "Michael" Siebert, play, bass, fire, passion, Show for Nobody

OK songwriting-wise...uh....how does that even work for you guys? 

I mean, from what you've told me in the past, Jordan is a perfectionist and a fairly accomplished guitarist, studied in lessons, music theroy, etc. 

Michael- You are the complete opposite and do everything by ear. ...Just total instinct and feeling it out.

Henry- The other two guys have made me think that you are the heart or spirit of the band. That you are the motivator and kick their asses into gear. 

How does this play out, chemistry-wise, and how do you go about writing/arranging songs??

H: Jordan writes most of the riffs and does all the recording, mixing, and mastering for our recordings and Michael sets up all of our shows, handles the record label, and does all our social media interactions. I tell them try harder and then turn around and hit things with pieces of wood.

J: Generally I will write an entire song on guitar and bring it to practice to have Henry and Michael fill in their parts. A lot of times I have rough ideas of what the bass and drums should sound like, but by the time the writing process is over their parts are generally their own.

M: Honestly, Jordan comes to each of us with the skeleton of a song. He'll have simple drums and bass written-in, and then Henry and I go back in and fuck everything up with our own parts. My theory knowledge is limited - I can do like major and minor scales, but when Jordan starts talking about modes I pretty much check out. He basically has to sit down and be like, "I'm playing this chord here so do something with that" and I'll be like "you mean just play a shitton of notes" and he's like "Yeah that's perfect!" Could I learn to understand theory? Probably. Do I really want to? Not particularly. 

Are you more into construction or destruction?

H: Is this some sort of social commentary?

J: Why would anyone build without a hammer?

M: There was this guy named Yamataka Eye that drove a bulldozer through a venue once. That was pretty cool. Destruction, I guess. 

Some of you are in a band that plays shows at a fast food chain. Care to spill the beans? Or tots? Or uh...fishwich?

H: Jordan and I are in the BK Lounge Band, and Michael's mad because he misses out on the free Mello Yello we get.

J: BK House Band. Burger King Jazz on Grand. Michael is super supportive. Come check us out on most Saturday and grab a Whooper

M: I swear to Christ if I ever have to hear another word about the fucking BK House Band...

Henry, are you hoping to gain a Boston accent when you move for college? 

Ehhhhh, I'd prefer an Italian one, but I'll take what I can get.

Jordan and Michael, are you hoping to gain a fondness for patchoulli when you move for college?

J: I would if I had a nose.

M: Is that a weed joke? Is it because patchouli, (the mighty plant known as Pogostemon cablin to the more scientifically-minded) is often used as an herbal incense, which is often used to cover up the pungent odors left by cannabinoids? Because I honestly don't know if that's what you're getting it, I had to Wikipedia the living shit out of "patchouli." Went right over my head. Whoosh. 

Current non-SFN endeavors:

H: Sometimes I watch salt dissolve in water.

J: Uncle Dumpty, a shitty recording project I have with Henry for the summer. I'm getting a handful of musicians around town to sing and play horns. Should be releasing an EP by mid August. And Eat Strike, a kind of industrial punk-ish duo Michael and I recently started for Missoula.

M: I write for this music blog called Die Angry. I also try and write a lot in general in my spare time. I've been reading a shitload of comic books - if you aren't reading Love and Rockets then you aren't living. Also, I have a label that releases tapes and downloads: Girlfriend Party Records

Garrett would like to know when you are going to make make CDs, rather than tapes.

H: Whenever Garrett throws away his Walkman.

J: Hey, Garrett.

M: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVoMCuemhxc

I know you guys are big music geeks, so hopefully you'll hate that I want to print this...what is your most guilty pleasure artist/band? Be honest or Richard Dreyfuss will haunt you when he dies. And not like a friendly ghost like casper or a helpful ghost like the ghost of Christmas present or a fake ghost like a ghost in Scooby Doo or a sexual ghost like the one that does that thing to Ray in Ghostbusters or like Patrick Swayze, who played a ghost in the movie Ghost, or like the band Ghost (aka Ghost B.C.) who are not even actually ghosts, but a band (named "Ghost", of course (Likewise with Ghostface Killah, who is not a band, but a man, who is also not a ghost )), but like a scary ghost who would scare you like Large Marge from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.

H: Definitely Mindless Self-Indulgence.

J: I the Mighty or Mindless Self Indulgence. I the Mighty are hella "Hot Topic", as Michael would describe them, but they're super catchy. Mindless Self Indulgence have some of the worst lyrics on the planet and are a bunch of shit heads, but I can't help but like some of their earlier stuff.

M: I've always wanted to be the guy who's like "Maaaaaaan, fuck guilty pleasures, just like what you like!" but I absolutely cringe at some of the shit that I listen to. I still really, really love My Chemical Romance. I think they're some of the catchiest songwriters ever. Also, Taylor Swift. You know what, fuck it, I actually love Taylor Swift unabashedly. She is way too talented to be some shitty hip kid's guilty pleasure.  

So, are you ready for the big announcement (that you've already made but I am making seem like you didn't, so as to hook the readers into believing this is THE source for all SFN-related news)? ARE YOU BREAKING UP????

H: We're actually making up. We've been fighting for a while now.

J: If Michael wasn't super lame, we could play "reunion" shows on our breaks from school. So it's all Michael's fault. Show for Nobody got run over by a reindeer, and that reindeer is Michael.

M: Done. Gonzo. Kaputt. Ratatouille. No more SFN after Dreyfest. We're very sad about it and I'm making a zine about how sad I am. (This is not a joke you can get copies from me when I finish them.) I'm not necessarily opposed to reunion shows but I don't want to get back together, get all excited about writing new shit and then have to break up again in six weeks. 

Is there anything you'd like to say in what may very well be your last interview for Show For Nobody?

H: I waited by the construction zone for Wily Walter. I waited for a long time. No Wily. I decided to have a brew. No Wily. And no brew. Wily was doing it again. He was taking my brews. I thought there was no Wily, but there was actually no brews. But then I thought. Wily isn't coming. Wily is my liver. My liver is stopping me from having a brew. Thanks liver. Thanks Wily.

J: Henry sucks. 

M: Fletcher walked into Albyson's. wrap.at for life. Buy Amos and Coleman some hand soap. Madison has a great spare room if you ever need a mattress and he's cool with letting you stay. Kelly is my hero and my greatest enemy. Shit in Nels' kit even if you're unoriginal. Hammer-ons and pull-offs forever. The world will one day belong to the everyone in SENSORY! because they're better than most adults at everything they do. Fuck Kickstarter, fuck "making it big," fuck anything that isn't DIY. Book Your Own Fuckin' Life. I love this shitty town and everyone in it and I'm going to miss this band and all of you. 

Goddamnit, I'm sad already. See Show For Nobody's LAST SHOW Friday at YVBC at 7:30pm. 



Also, See You At Dreyfest!!!!!