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.

The Spinto Band live at Bottom of the Hill

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:

• As you might expect, they sometimes get tired of playing the same songs over and over again at their shows.
• Whoever is driving the tour van has complete control of the radio.
• Being a professional musician hasn’t destroyed their love of music.
• “Oh Mandy” is not about a girl but rather a mandolin.
• They devote their free time to things other than music (like video games) and, somewhat surprisingly, don’t stay too current with the latest bands and releases.
• They like music blogs but sadly have never read mine.

Frightened Rabbit live at Bottom of the Hill

After interviewing Jeff and Joe, I bumped into Frightened Rabbit and chatted with them for a few minutes. Again, they were incredibly nice guys — not at all jackasses. I think I’ve finally gotten over my silly misconceptions about musicians.

As for the actual concert, neither band disappointed. Frightened Rabbit opened with a loud, emotional set. The highlight was definitely when Scott Hutchison stepped in front of his microphone and sang a truly acoustic version of “Poke.” The Spinto Band followed suit, playing with an insane amount of energy. All six members crammed onto the tiny stage and, quite amazingly, managed to avoid hitting each other during their spastic gyrations. They looked like they were having a lot of fun up there.

I know I definitely did.

[mp3] The Spinto Band :: Oh Mandy