Answers by Marko 72, Sugarcult Guitar

1.Marko, I noticed an engagement notice in the local newspaper(Bakersfield Californian)… congrats. Who is this beautiful girl and how did this all come about?
Thanks. Her name is Victoria, I met her years ago in Santa Barbara, but she's originally from Bako. Her family lives there and I swear to god I've probably been there like a million fucking times. I like Dewars Ice Cream, Caesar's Deli, Front Porch Music, Jerry's Pizza and that bar in the Hotel Padre where all the old drag queen's drink!

2.The band is now in the process of recording its second full-length album. There were about 20 songs that didn’t make it on Start Static, will any of them find there way onto the new album? What will the new album be called and what can we expect?
Going into the studio to do a record can be like going to the supermarket on an empty stomach. If you're not careful you can end up overdoing it and cramming too many ideas in the shopping cart, that's how all those mysterious things end up taking up space in the back of your 'fridge. As a band that wants to make timeless well-rounded records we are cautious of making the mistake of putting songs together that don't belong together; we treat our records as though people are going to listen all the way through, rather than insulting our fans' intelligence by only putting a couple 'singles' on there padded with a bunch of filler nonsense. That said, a few really great songs were deliberately left off of "Start Static" because they didn't fit the vibe of the record for whatever reason. We always thought they'd go on the next record, but after 2 years of constant touring, your life changes and you evolve as people and as songwriters so our new album reflects that. So far, all the songs on this new album were written in the last half year. To me, the new stuff is more confident, a bit more aggressive and deep. Those other songs can hold their own though, and most are available on our mail-order only collection of songs from our early days called "Wrap Me Up in Plastic" (buy it at www.sugarcult.com).

3.You originally played bass in bands like, Santa Barbara’s Lapdancers, Swinging Utters, Popsicko, Nerf Herder, the Ataris, and your ongoing side project, Bad Astronaught (with Joey Cape of Lagwagon). What else do you do in your spare time? Does anyone else in the band have side projects?
We come from a pretty small town called Santa Barbara, lots of tourists come there to enjoy the nice weather and beautiful scenery; when you grow up there all you want to do is get together with your friends and make noise in a dark sweaty practice studio! That's why I've played in so many bands. I feel very fortunate to come from a place where so many great musicians live. The bands from your hometown that go on to some success show you that with lots of hard work (and luck) you can do it too. Bako kids can relate with bands like Korn, Adema, and Buck Owens! As far as spare time goes, we don't really have that anymore! Before we started doing this professionally, I used to promote shows around town, I did a weekly local music show on the radio, recording projects here and there, digging through thrift stores for used records, etc. I'm pretty one-track-minded, almost everything I do is music related. I'll get home for a few days between tours and jump in the studio to record some Bad Astronaut stuff. Airin (Sugarcult bassist) has a wacky group of friends that he records weird hip-hop and r&b jams with. Tim (SC singer) has become obsessed with recording equipment, so he's always on eBay hunting down some rare microphone or compressor.

4. Sugarcult is definitely a live band. Amazing on album but energetic and straight up rock and roll at a show. What was your first show, and how did that affect your view on music and ultimately your style and stage presence?
We love playing live. I went to my first concert when I was 11 years old; it was a heavy metal show; Dio w/ Black n Blue opening. I went to tons of metal shows, in 8th or 9th grade I think I wore a different band shirt every day! You name an 80's metal band I saw them: Motley Crue, Guns n Roses, LA Guns, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, Ozzy, etc. I loved the larger than life spectacle of it all, but at the same time I went to tons of underground punk shows at one rented out hall or another, and really connected with the stripped-down intensity, accessibility and passion of those bands. There'd be like 8 bands on one bill, and there was something so exciting about it all, you felt like you were a part of it, rather than just someone in the audience who bought a ticket. I try to combine elements of both for Sugarcult. We always involve the audience in our show and make ourselves available to hang out, at the same time we know that they want to be entertained not just watch us standing up there feeling sorry for ourselves. We have a good time, it's fucking rock n roll, it's supposed to be fun!

5. Start Static and an older album Wrap Me Up in Plastic were released by Ultimatum music. How did you get their attention and why did you choose to sign to them?
Well, "Wrap me up.." we put out ourselves. We played around locally for about 2 years and got to the point where we felt ready to make a record and get out of town. We sent our music out to a bunch of labels and invited them to our shows. Ultimatum was probably the last label we talked to and the least known, but they were the most passionate about our band and our songs. It wasn't just the president blowing smoke up your ass going "yeah, sounds promising, let me hear more", it was every staff member in the front row singing along and telling us how they genuinely wanted to work with us. We figured it was a good match, they needed a band to break them out of obscurity and we needed a label to do the same for us. We celebrate every small victory together because we took a chance on eachother. Before us their biggest seller had barely hit 10,000; our record has sold almost 300,000 copies.

6. Your debut album is now getting distro in Europe. How did you guys hook up with Mr. Brett and the boys at Epitaph? Why the change in Album Art?
We're stoked to finally have our album out overseas (it's now out in Japan as well, with even more different cover art!). I went to a party at Brett's house and he overheard a conversation I was having about the band. He comes up and says "what about Sugarcult?, I'm like "uh, it's my band", so he takes me in the other room and introduces me to his wife and asks for my autograph; apparently we are one of his son's favorite bands. Brett said he knew and liked our songs having heard them in the car when he drives his kid to soccer practice or whatever. Fat Mike from NOFX was there too and backed me up saying "yeah, I love the Sugarcult album too, except the slow songs suck!" which I thought was funny. The next day I was on the phone with our manager saying, "dude, call Epitaph, Brett likes us." It's an honor to be a part of that family, we have a lot of respect for Brett and Epitaph. The are is basically the same with a reversal of the guitar cable and an updated photo on the back. I'm a record collector and always think it's fun when bands have varied art for different pressings, also it helps fans to not mistakingly pay a higher price for an import version. Less confusion.

7. I read that you were a student at UCSB and studied Sociology. How was your college experience?
I got my degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Sociology. I knew I was going to do music, but I didn't want to miss out on the chance to go through college, so I chose subjects that are useful in the real world rather than treating the experience as a 'job-training' course. Looking back, I wish I would have taken more literature and writing oriented courses because I love to read and write. Graphic Art would have been cool too as we constantly have to deal with artwork for album covers, merchandise, etc. I had a few professors that totally rocked and inspired me to be a better person. I learned how to work under pressure, how to function on no sleep, and how to do research. All the party stuff I already learned in high school; how to use a beer bong, etc. So I tried to take school pretty seriously, I also played in a band the whole time (Popsicko) so that was my outlet for fun.

8. What are your Top 10 Albums to listen to on the road?
in no particular order:
It really depends on where we are; driving through the heartland of America it sounds good to hear acoustic music like Neil Young or Bob Dylan, sometimes even the country radio station! If we're in England it's time to put on overcast music like Coldplay or the Smiths; driving in the city sometimes you just wanna be retarded and crank up the most corporate hip-hop station you can find. Here's my list anyway...
-Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street"
-Tom Waits (I bring a different one on each tour)
-The Clash "London Calling"
-the Pixies "Doolittle"
-Ryan Adams "Heartbreaker"
-Wilco (either "Being There"or the last two)
-DJ Shadow "endroducing"
-Bob Marley "Rastaman Vibration"
-Something by whatever my friends' bands are just putting out (Lagwagon, Foo Fighters, the Used, the Ataris, Utters, etc.)
-then it varies between something by: Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, the Ramones, David Bowie, Boards of Canada, Jets to Brazil, Flaming Lips, Steve Earle or reggae like: King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Lee "Scratch" Perry."
As a side note I'd like to add that Airin has ruined Radiohead for me; I love the band but he will literally play there albums over and over again in the van until we all want to kill eachother!

surrender,
Marko 72 (sugarcult)