You want to go outside and do it? Obviously
a lot of questions focused around the new
record. So I will start there. A number of
people have commented on that you wrote a
couple of songs in the record. And there
does seem to be a change in terms of more
people contributing songs and stuff like
that. What would you say to people who are
commenting on that in terms of what
accounts for that?

Two things. The main one being that
everybody has been going through this
period of dissatisfaction I guess. You know
not having as much creative input as they
wanted or just with we are just scraping and
there are all these bands zooming past us.
That is the main thing and then the
secondary reasons probably some of the
time when Mike doesn’t have enough songs.
It’s like a natural evolution as well as people
wanting to contribute more songs to it. So
then the songs with the most votes make the
record. It is like a certain cut off or
something. Well a number of people have
commented on it is going to take a live and a
number of people thought that would be a
good choice for a single.
I have heard that a lot. Yea.
Have you given any thought to that?
Well I don’t think the band would think of
that as a single at all. I think that it would
need a better mix. It doesn’t really blend
that well, but it obviously got that were you
anticipate the words kind of thing. On the
other hand, I don’t think that the length will
grab on to anything in the lyrics.
That is interesting because a number of
people have speculated what the song is
about. Well what would you say having
wrote it?
Well the funny thing about that is probably
that the speculation is all wrong. I was
writing it from the perspective of someone
who is really disenchanted with radio and
basically I was saying that the only way that
we would ever get a song on the radio is if
someone was totally insincere and popped it
on the radio anyway.
Yea, a lot of people have interpretations
about relationships or family members.
Yea, there is elements of that but when I
started writing the lyrics I was thinking
about radio.
A number of people have also commented on
the Hill off of I don’t think it made the cut
for weird food. Has there been any talk
about other than it wound up on a
soundtrack (Scream) doing anything with
that?
No, the interesting thing is that that song is
that a lot of people really took emotions. We
didn’t try to be clever because that is not
how I am.
It circulated quite a bit. I know a lot of fans
have tapes and stuff that include songs that
didn’t make the records and stuff like that.
People are really commenting on boy I
really wish that this had been on a record or
something like that.
Yea, Mike’s twin came up to me one day.
Yea, I got a lot of comments on that. They
are all like through away songs.
One thing I noticed and a couple of really
die hard fans. People like Dee Dee and Wee
Collins and some of these other players.
Sheryl Wolf have all commented on Bruise
and Bitter Pill have a similar feel.
Yea, definitely.
There is kind of a companionship there with
these songs. A number of people was like o-
kay how come Bruise made a record that
Bitter Pill didn’t.
I think it all has to do with circumstances
so many more songs when we did Weird
Food so there is definitely songs on the
record that I wouldn’t have on there. There
are a couple of songs that didn’t make the
record.
What is it like to work with Jim Scott?
I like working with Jim. He is real straight
ahead no bullshit. We had a good time. The
comment he made to me. You know working
on this James Ehall record. He is really
great. He didn’t embellish too much.
He seemed to have a certain type of feeling
sparseness almost. You get a sense of that
on Live as opposed to the samples that are
on Weird Food. They are really different
records. I think the producers played at
least a small part in that.
I think that the one thing that I regret with
Weird Food is that he did a good job, but I
think he was what we was going for. Maybe
there was too many tracks and sending
mixes to us. He was sending us mixes while
we were in Europe probably the main
reason is that there were at least no
apparent reason I’m sure that once it was
mastered it sounded really good and all that
but we want our records to have a sound so
I think Tim had a roadmap and he wasn’t
able to communicate that to us he had to
much respect for Richard’s reputation. He
told me in Orlando a guy who had actually
engineered on the record. Why do they want
me to mix on the record?
Would you think of working with Jim Scott
again?
Oh yea.
You guys talked that far ahead yet?
I would. I don’t think Michael would.
Oh yea, why not?
I think he has already said that he didn’t
want to. He is searching for that one perfect
one. Which he will never find. I think that
Mike’s respect. He is searching for this hit.
Is this something you guys think about when
you guys are in the studio when you’re
working on songs or like this is the obvious
single? Or this is the one that has got the
potential to be the hit.
Yea, we definitely think about which songs
seem like singles to us. At times once they go
through the transformation they loose a lot
when we make a record cause our demos are
a lot better.
Have you thought about a live recording?
Jim wants to do one.
He would be like the perfect choice.
I’m sure in the contract material it says new
material. I think they would be happy to do
it. It definitely wouldn’t count as a record
on the project. We could do for very little
money.
It you could go into a space and play live
without too much tinkering or machine or
production process. Or you could even play
like in front of a home type crowd or
something like that. I heard really great
things I almost was going to drive down for
that event that Saturday and decided not to
and all these people were like oh you can
stay at my house. I was like oh no I got kids
I can’t do this, but then I heard from people
you should have really been there. I guess it
was a lot of fun.
It was a lot of fun. It sold out. Evidently
there was people camped out. You could
bring your own alcohol and drink. There
was like people in the woods, across the
street, everything. Ironically the radio
station that sponsored it didn’t know that
we had that kind of impact. They had
screwed up the first ads. They was only
playing the song during the day.
That is going back a few years.
I think that maybe it has made a difference.
Have you guys started thinking as far as
how long the tour is going to last and stuff
like that.
We have been talking about it if something
happens with the radio then it would
obviously extent the tour.
They’re promoting the record to the end of
the year right.
Yea.
You will figure it out from there.
Yea.
A number of people have asked. In the
history of the band is there a record or song
that you like the most or that you identify
the most with?
I definitely enjoy Boys Hat the most
creatively on that record. I think that just
being allowed to follow my heart with me is
always the best and I really work hard for
the first idea. It is like I could just go just
boom but I’m not going to be satisfied. I
mean if it works for the song then great but
the songs like Choose a Side or the Sky’s the
Limit and I don’t know what else they are
like things where I listened and tinkered
around and finally came up with these ideas.
Maybe some of them was o-kay over all at
the time but still it is like they are really
personal and that out of all of our songs
Another Soverenir
Why do you say Another Soverneir?
I don’t know it’s just the emotions of it. It is
sort of melancholy.
That is an interesting choice. I could see
that. A lot of people are curious as far as
how the process works in terms of like
recording and like when people come in with
songs. Like when Doug or Mike or Steve or
George comes in with a song. Do they like
already have an idea like I want you to do
this or I want this kind of syncopation or
something?
Sometimes, sometimes.
Is there times when they have like no idea
and they come to you and say we need you to
come up with something.
Yea.
In terms of you and David is there like a lot
of collaboration there?
No, I would say that usually cause I’m
quicker off the key you find him trying to
work on it a track, but I have already laid
down the groundwork.
So there is a clear process of collaboration?
Yea.
Or at least partial collaboration?
Yea, because when he comes back there then
I have to usually modify what I’m doing
slightly.
Another set of questions that just relate to
how you guys are playing. A number of
people have commented that you seem to
sound better live. This tour just real
subjective interpretations from people so a
number of people were asking me to just go
ahead and bring that up with the different
guys that I talk to. Do you agree with that?
Do you guys hear a change? Do you notice
the difference would be the best way to
describe it?
I was surprised when I heard that after the
Raleigh show. Because in my opinion we
sort of reached maybe a pinnacle.
And then related to that people were
commenting that the band seems more up. I
don’t know if that is the right adjective or
verb to use. People are just moving around
more. There is a whole thread of people
talking about Mike’s jumping up and down
and Dave’s doing this more side-to-side stuff
and everyone seems more energetic at least
people are just wondering about that kind of
loud.
Yea, I think that I have noticed that.
You don’t think that is a major issue or
concern in any way?
No, no.
Dancing and like we are jumping all over
the stage last night?
I keep wondering especially with Mike
David being the driving force in a while.
Another question from one of our listeners.
This one is from a 17 year-old. A younger
listener. Again one of those questions. She
was just wondering how you like this as a
profession? How do you find this?
I love it. I have always loved it. Since I was
13 or 14, I realized that this is what I
wanted to do. So I accomplished it and
worked totally hard. The travel. All of the
people I get to meet. I love the fact that
people respond to what I do.
Some people were curious, and I think I
mentioned this to Doug and Mike in the
recent past, some people were curious about
what would you define as successful. How
would you define success for the band?
For me, really being happy in context.
Really enjoying life. It is like feeding
yourself. Some of the things you care about.
Of course the logical follow-up to that is are
their people in the band who are concerned
about the more business side of things or
the money side of things?
At this point yes. I think that it is natural at
the point where we are at in our lives. Our
ages.
A couple of other questions that people had
I don’t want to monopolize all your time
here. How do you plan to travel? There are
like ten or twelve guys in the bus. I think ten
is on the official web page and there have
been pictures of you guys slipping by. Isn’t
that very close for ten or twelve guys?
I think it took a while for us to figure out
everybody’s patterns and all that. It is
interesting. There is basically three areas of
the bus. I rarely sit in the front lounge. I
almost always sit in the back lounge. Mike,
Tim, Dave, and Steve are usually up front.
As well as George who has trouble sleeping
on the bus. When we get to a town, he will
get up earlier than everyone else and the
rest of us don’t usually get up until the
morning.
That is an illness. The morning people. I
don’t understand it myself. I’m an
insomniac. This whole idea that you could
go to bed at 10 or 11 and get up at six. The
whole idea sounds really perverse to me.
Yea, same here. I can’t even think about
going to sleep then. I might get in the bed at
eleven but read for a couple of years.
As some point you realize oh I should go to
sleep?
Yea.
Then there are pretty much like patterns
that get established on the bus?
Yes.
So it is not like everyone congregates in one
spot.
No. No.
The bus is pretty big.
There is almost always someone sleeping.
Right. Well we’ll get off the whole traveling
kick. We will get back to some of the more
music questions.  People are also interested
in what other bands you are listening to?
I always like that question.
It almost always changes.
? and I was talking about Ok Computer
which is a record that I like a lot. I am still
listening to the Last Whiskey record and
stuff like that. Now he is mixing the release
of this earlier record?
Yea.
I’m sorry. I’m digressing here. So what are
you listening to?
I still listen to Ok Computer. That is one of
those that is a timeless record. I am
listening to a lot of drum and bass music.
It seems like a natural since you are a
drummer.
Well yea, but the thing is that it is sort of a
misnomer because you deal with drum and
basses and you realize that you can’t judge
all this electronic stuff the same way you
would judge other music. A lot of it has
grown out of or at least initially grew out of
or is more about the process of drum and
bass than the jazz sensibility, but he works
his ass off you know probably two or three
samples of real drummers and it creates
these sequences. It is really interesting. He
was a jazz musician.
To be able to leave on a computer
somewhere and not really use.
And he has been doing it every sense a long
time. He is like totally interested in the DJ
culture and all of that. I see DJs are here.
Like last night more and more are listening
to his records. His records will definitely
evolve. It is called hysteria in Canada. His
songs yet. Maybe that will come hopefully.
That is o-kay there is no correct answer to
that question. It is purely subjective. Each
individual brings their own concerns.
Yea, I mean a lot of the stuff that I listen to.
That makes real sense to me. Well there are
some parallels. I remember when I first
heard it I thought that sounds like the
Connells.
That is what my best friend said.
It is not perfect. There is not any
duplication or anything but there are
components of the song.
It is really funny. I really noticed elements
of the song, but it happens all the time and
the context is different.
Somebody said good artists create, great
artists steal. So there you are. There are a
lot of these questions that Mike had no idea
how to answer these questions and I just
kind of laughed so I will throw them at you.
Do you have any sense of where you see
yourself in 10 or 15 years from now?
Yea, I do definitely. There is a lot that I
want to do and a lot of it won’t ever get done
in the Connells so I am well entrenched in
new things.
Like a project of your own?
Yea, projects maybe.
Do you have any opportunities besides with
the Connells to do any of that production?
Just a demo for a band that I really didn’t
like at all. I am not really sure that I ever
heard the final product. At times they would
just put a spot in a song under the solo and
then move from there into a solo spot. The
recording process in which a good engineer
helped me out and I like to do it with
someone who I really, really like. That was a
lot of fun because he hates recording new
songs.
Have you ever heard of a band out of
Milwaukee called the Guns?
Yea, I heard a lot of people talking about
them.
A lot of people on the list and to me
personally like these guys clearly seemed to
be influenced although the interesting thing
is that people say that they don’t have as
good a drummer as Peele. People are really
out. I actually own a couple of things by the
Guns because Chad a friend of ours who is
in anthropology is getting his degree out of
Milwaukee and so I able to hear it. I hear
the similarities and certainly in terms of the
song structure and the lead vocalists. But I
have also spotted me some fans of that
group and they actually cite you guys as one
of their musical influences.
Wow, cool.
So have you heard any of there stuff?
Yea, the interesting thing is that I heard
them on the radio in Raleigh on a college
station and yet it turned out that it was the
Guns. I had already heard about them and
then I met the drummer.
They tend to do smaller tours. They do some
stuff nationwide but I know they played in
Atlanta and Athens. They regularly hit
Chicago but it does seem like Milwaukee,
Madison, and Chicago. That is where their
base of support is.  I think that their last
record was on a decent size label but it
doesn’t seem like they are getting any push.
Clearly radio is fairly conservative and
given the business of radio. Any videos?
Not yet.
No videos for this record?
We got a couple of good treatments. One for
Norwood Cheek and another one for?
It seems like the video is tied directly into
some story-telling notion or the narrative of
the song. Even for a relatively straight
forward or some inexpensive video. It still
seems to cost quite a bit of money here.
I was talking with my best friend about this
and he is a director and I told him and he
said they are going to want a $100,000
video. It definitely a catch 22 when making
a video. There is not some guarantee that it
will get video play or air play in general.
Your last two videos were really neat. I
loved the video for 5th Fret with the Psycho
theme. Well the video for Maybe taking off
of the deliverance one. That is a great movie.
But I just thought these are great.
Yea, I wish that the 5th Fret video did the
execution better on it. At least the
performance on it is.
Steve ends us as Ned Bailey because he is
newest in the band. I am sure that that is
not a role that people are lining up to do.
Definitely not.
People said I’m not doing that. That is
exactly what I would say.
Oh he was fine. He thought it would be a lot
of fun.
Norman Cheek was involved with that.
Yea, it was Brainy Cooper. I went to school
in Chapel Hill and became friends with my
best friend. Is it the tape?
No, I’m doing just fine. I have to check it
every once in a while. Let me ask you one
thing about videos and then I think that I
have pretty much exhausted all the
questions that I have. What video do you
think is most characteristic of the band?
Oh, good question. It has to be two videos
because there are definitely two sides to the
band. And they are both?
It is like just walking around is it Raleigh?
And then 74 and 75 was with the whole?
was with the people from the yearbook.  
Because it is so solemn and I think that it
really captures the band. It is like I was
telling my friend. He didn’t really work for
DVD.
That was kind of tuff for him?
Yea, he hated it. But then he tends to feel
sorry for himself.
I can understand that TBT is not
organizationally that they have a few issues
to work out. Not just in terms of you guys
but they have real difficulty with
distribution and promotion and man if that
is not the centerpiece of a record company
other then the whole creation. I don’t know
what is.
Well they should have, I mean I know they
do good work as far as being their own
distributor and those kinds of things. Those
kinds of things happen a lot to us to.
You are the first rock band that they signed.
They just put out novelty tunes before that
and still are come to think of it. It does
seem like there are quite a few bands at this
point.
There are.
There is? and a few others that I seen a few
promotions for.
And those, they can promote those bands
because word of mouth. Well all right.

The lost Peele
Wimberley Interview