Because of the movies and TV, I think all musicians are complete jackasses. They trash hotel rooms, do tons of drugs (and groupies), and have egos the size of Texas. Obviously, this is a stereotype. I’m sure most musicians are very nice people. And those who happen to be jackasses were probably jackasses long before they were musicians.

But I stray. I want to talk about my first ever band interview. On the day after Halloween, I had the opportunity to interview The Spinto Band before they played Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. At first, I didn’t want to do it. I had never interviewed anyone before, let alone a popular indie band. Also – and I know this sounds quite stupid – I thought they would be mean to me. Probably because I believed all musicians to be jackasses. In the end, however, I decided it was too good of an opportunity to pass by.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous as I sat down to interview Jeff Hobson (drums) and Joe Hobson (guitar and backing vocals) from The Spinto Band. But before talking about the interview, let me first provide a brief history of the band.

The Spinto Band first started recording music in 1998. They self released a handful of albums over the course of a few years, finally gaining some notoriety in 2005 thanks to an infectious little song “Oh Mandy” and a lot of buzz from the blogosphere. They just released Moonwink, their second album on a major indie label, and are currently near the end of a North American tour with Frightened Rabbit. The Spinto Band has six members: Jon Eaton, Nick Krill, Thomas Hughes, Jeffrey Hobson, Sam Hughes, and Joe Hobson.

While it wasn’t my initial intention, I ended up using the interview to dispel my misconceptions about musicians. After a few questions, I soon realized that Jeff and Joe are really nice guys who enjoy playing and recording music. Not at all jackasses. Here are some interesting things I learned about them and the band:

Last night was, in a word, amazing. Simply amazing. One of those experiences that rejuvenates your soul and makes the daily grind seem almost tolerable. My previous encounter with this feeling came a year ago when I saw Menomena at the Independent (and probably also this past winter while snowboarding).

Last night Sera Cahoone and Grand Archives played at Slim’s in San Francisco and it was easily one of the best concerts I’ve seen. Both acts were exceptional. Sera opened the show with a set that couldn’t have been more perfect. Highlights included “Only As the Day Is Long,” “Baker Lake,” “Happy When I’m Gone,” “Couch Song,” and an incredible version of “You’re Not Broken.” Her vocals were spot-on and her backing band equally impressive (especially the guy on lap steel).

Following her set, she sat at the merch table and chatted with fans. I asked her to sign my copy of Only As the Day Is Long and happily purchased a t-shirt from her. I hope she starts headlining shows in the future. She is a phenomenal musician and songwriter.

It took me a little while to come down from my Cahoone-induced high, but when I did, I found myself in the middle of the Grand Archives’ set. I honestly would’ve been happy if they played “Sleepdriving” and nothing else, but I actually enjoyed some of their other songs more, especially “Torn Blue Foam Couch,” “George Kaminski,” and a raucous version of “Crime Window.” The true highlight, however, was a duet version of “Louis Riel” featuring Sera Cahoone and Mat Brooke.

The show ended around 11:30pm but I wanted more. Unfortunately, this was the last stop of their tour, so I can’t tell you to go see them for yourself. Which is a true shame because they all looked like they were having a great time playing together. Instead of catching them live, I recommend reading my previous posts (here and here), downloading the songs below, and purchasing their albums if you enjoy. And then hope they decide to tour together again in the future.