Star Polish Interview (Part 1, Questions 1-6)
Answers by: Marko 72 (Sugarcult Guitarist)
1. Before being signed, you produced your own demo records, and managed to get radio airplay with major Cali stations. How did you maneuver that? What was your method of getting your demo into the right hands?
I always like to advise upcoming bands to apply the environmentalist motto to their career: Think globally, act locally. That's what we did, we used what was immediately available to us and that eventually led us to the bigger picture of where we are today with a record, videos, singles, tours, etc. Our drummer Ben lived in his own tiny recording studio producing and recording demos for other artists for a living. We rehearsed there and were lucky to have Ben's gear on hand to demo up songs along the way (two of which ended up being included in their demo-form on "Start Static"; "I Changed My Name" and the hidden track, "Underwear".) I was deeply involved in the local music mix in Santa Barbara; I promoted 3 monthly shows at various clubs; hosted a weekly local music show on KJEE (the modern rock station); contributed reviews to the free weekly entertainment paper; worked part-time at the best independent record store in town; and even put out a CD by another local band (Blazing Haley). I made an effort learn as much as I could locally about the different facets of the music business. It's good to play a lot of shows and socialize often as well, you build a fan base and sooner or later you end up partying with someone who works for someone who knows someone who can hook you up with a cool opportunity or whatever. Be the band people think of when they think of your town. If there is another band in town that is bigger than you, become their favorite opening band and learn from them, while earning the respect of their fans. That way you also get their hand-me-downs (gigs, connections, etc.) Most of the airplay we got as an unsigned band was a fluke; again, somebody would hand our demo to a friend, and so on. Most stations have "Specialty Shows" that showcase new bands, if you get lucky, your song might get played. It's important not to stress out about radio too much as an unsigned band 'cause it's so fucking political you basically don't have a prayer. The best thing is to focus on your local and regional scene(s) and get involved. No scene? Create one...or move.
2. Your music blends modern rock with a 70’s style punk edge, and you
have listed songs from artists who started in that era, such as Cheap Trick
and Elvis Costello, as songwriting inspirations. What aspects of those songs
are you trying achieve with your own music? What gives a track the mark of Sugarcult?
We'd rather be timeless than "hip"; bands like The Ramones, AC/DC, Cheap Trick, The Pretenders, The Clash, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, etc. never go out of style or seem ridiculous in retrospect. Elvis Costello is important to us because our singer Tim was really into him at the malleable time when he was first learning to sing write songs so EC is ingrained in his musical DNA cells. Some popular modern bands we look up to are: Superdrag, Foo Fighters, Green Day, etc. We generally try to trim all the fat out of our songs and keep them simple, quick, and to the point. We let the attitude of the band and style of the players carry the songs. Rock music can be simple in a deceiving way; it's a lot easier to sit down and write something that sounds esoteric and dissonant like Sonic Youth than it is to write a catchy melody and a sing-along chorus around 3 chords like Cheap Trick's "Surrender". Plus, we're a pretty bare bones touring band; usually no sound check, rarely a guitar tech, and never our own soundman so we like our songs to be live-proof: no real fancy effects...and easy enough to play after a few drinks!
3. Arin and/or Tim, Sugarcult is your very first band, while Ben and Marko have
played around more. What about being a signed band has been surprising to you?
Ben and/or Marko, how does Sugarcult compare to other projects you have been
involved with?
Of all the band situations I've been in, Sugarcult has the best chemistry. It's not the technical skill that matters so much as the style, attitude, heart, soul, ambition and dedication to a hard work ethic. There's probably a million better players than all of us sitting on there couch right now playing guitar during commercial breaks and in between bong hits! Like any lasting relationship, a band takes work and commitment. It's good to play with a lot of musicians and band scenarios to increase your odds of coming across like-minded individuals that have similar goals as you. I look at all the bands I played in leading up to this as my dating years, Sugarcult is marriage (my side band Bad Astronaut is my mistress!).
4. Sugarcult started with the philosophy of " three chords, two guitars, and one van". As success grows for you guys, have you been able to keep this sweetly simple approach to your work with Sugarcult going?
We've always grown at a natural pace rather than trying to force it. Start with the basics and add as needed. You can behave professionally at a local level without wasting all your money on road cases and fancy racks for all your equipment. Spend your money on a website to connect with your fans, or recording time. When we started touring consistently, we bought cases for our amps. When I got sick of being on the phone all day long we got a booking agent and a manager, when we started selling more CDs than we could burn in our practice room; we got a record deal. Eventually quality of time, comfort level, and maintaining one's physical and mental health become reasons to expand.
5. I’d like to chat about your work showing up on the big and small screen. Your song "Bouncing Off The Walls” was on soundtrack of the very popular recent movie “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder” In fact, yours was the lead single and you filmed a video with the star, Tara Reid (that must have been rough for you). How did you choose a song for the soundtrack, and it ensure it was chosen for the soundtrack? Does the subject of a film matter to you if your song will be contributed to the soundtrack?
We have a song to promote; so we get to do a video; it calls for a female role. Tara Reid has a movie to promote; our band is on the soundtrack. You do the math! Before we even saw the movie we were excited about the soundtrack. It had bands we knew and respected on it: Jimmy Eat World, American Hi Fi, Living End, Abandoned Pools, Sum 41, NERD, etc. We grew up on National Lampoon movies (Vacation, Animal House) so it was an honor to be a part of. We let them use whatever songs they saw fit to be in the movie, but for the soundtrack we pushed for "Bouncing.." because that was our single at the time. Luckily, they were cool with that. Since our fans are the ones who have to listen to it we conducted a poll on our website for fans to cast votes to decide our single, "Bouncing.." won. Movies are a great way to reach the general public. Someone might not go to shows, hang out in record stores, listen to the radio; but everyone goes to the movies. We got tons of emails from folks who bought our CD based on hearing it in the movie or even the trailers! Still, it is important to know what the movie is about and view it, you don't want your beloved song to wind up as the backing track to a rape scene or something horrible like that.
6. Your music has appeared on four different television shows, all on extremely popular networks (Fox, MTV, and WB). How did you work that out?
We write, record, and go out and play live like mad. As a result of that, the phones at our manager's office start ringing with offers and opportunities. We take many of them, not so much for the pocket change but, again, for the exposure to new people.