Hey guys! It’s Saturday, and you
know what that means? I get to
pester another band I really like, that’s what. Today’s band is Salsa Shark. You’ll recall my glowing review of some of their first
releases. Since then the band has
put out some new material, and gaining some serious momentum. However, these guys aren’t too big to
sit down, and answer a fan that’s pestering them. If you don’t believe me then feast your eyes:
How’d you guys start Salsa Shark?
I was playing in another campus jam band, Lavonius and the Mothership,
that broke up at about four years ago. I had always known Mykk as an awesome
musician who knew kids around the scene as well. We met Bert through a music
theory class we all had together, and a drummer named Jordan Malpass who Mykk
had grown up with, we all started jamming and playing shows at a local coffee
house called the Village and realized that we had some type of connection going
on, so we decided to get serious with it.
-Curt
I assume you guys got the name from the infamous Clerks scene right?
Absolutely, it was funny because I had never actually seen the movie,
my roommate Jeff just got done watching it and suggested it to us. We’ve been
billed as the Polly-o Problem (a shout to one of our favorite bands the String
Cheese Incident) and Neon Noise before we decided on Salsa Shark.
-Curt
How long have you guys been playing together?
Mykk, Bert, and I have been playing together now for 2 years, since the
start of the band we’ve gone through countless drummers that just weren’t on
the same page or just couldn’t make the commitment, but Tom has been doing
alright thus far!
-Curt
Do you guys think you’ve grown or changed much
since you guys have started playing together?
It
boggles my mind to listen to our early stuff and see how we've changed. Over
the past year and a half, we've truly learned how to listen to each other and
play parts that fit the puzzle; in the beginning, we were all throwing out our
coolest ideas right away. Only time can give you the patience and experience to
know what is going to work and when it's going to work.
-Mykk
You guys are a self-proclaimed jam band. That’s kind of a broad
category. What does being a jam band mean to you guys?
For
us, the term "jam band" refers more to our approach and mindset than
our actual sound. It's all about creating an organic and dynamic experience
from the ground up: changing setlists, sandwiching songs and segueing between
them seamlessly, and reacting to the crowd. Traditional "solo
sections" just don't cut the mustard, so we focus our improvisations on
building, concluding, and rebuilding textures; it doesn't sound like a guitar
solo so much as two or three different song ideas.
-Mykk
Where do you guys see yourselves in 10 years?
Hopefully still doing this with consistent people in the audience.
Ideally we’d like to take this to the top, tour nationally play big venues and
really be a professional band. The overall goal is to be able to fully support
ourselves through playing music in Salsa Shark.
-Curt
When you guys perform do you have some covers you guys like to do?
We’ve experimented with different types of covers before, ones that are
just plain funny and kind of gags, and others from musicians that we really
admire. My personal favorite song we cover is Jessica by the Allman Brothers
just because I get to rip at the end of it haha, but I think our favorite types
of covers to play are ones that come from bands and musicians we all really
respect. We do a Cissy Strut cover by the Meters, we've Down with Disease by
Phish, and Fire on the Mountain by the Dead. We're also working on a Cake cover
at the moment which should be cool. It’s fun to close your eyes and pretend
that you’re one of them while playing it live.
-Curt
The opening riff on MoPark is SWEET. How’d you guys come up with
that?
We were sound checking before a show at the North Star, and Bert
started playing this real groovy chord progression. We all stopped and looked
over at him like, “WTF is that dude, and why havn’t you played that before???”
So the next practice Bert and I sat down and hashed out the remainder of the
song.
FUN FACT:
The song is actually about the house we live at now and all the stupid
shenanigans we get into.
-Curt
In general how do you guys come up with your song?
The process
has certainly evolved, but there has always been a collaborative spirit
regardless of who was generating whatever percentage of the ideas. Curt has
been the most prolific songwriter throughout our time together and now he and I
are on a bit of a collaborative roll; Curt and I have complementary approaches
to composition, so we get the best of each other. The common thread, no matter
the original composer(s), is the freedom that we give each other to create
parts; beyond unison lines and harmonies, we each have the space to apply our
distinctive musical voices. Our songs sound like "us" very quickly
that way.
-Mykk
You guys are yet another great example of music coming out of Philly
(represent!) What do you think the biggest impact living here has had on your
music?
Just the variety of different music that comes out of philly. We all
love going to shows around the city whether they’re just local bands or big
touring bands. There’s so many different scenes that thrive in Philly to the
point where it’s neat to hear what other people are doing and how it influences
our own music.
-Curt
Do you guys have a favorite type of venue?
Outside for sure. Playing an
outdoor show when the sun is shining and the pretty girls are dancing is the
coolest feeling in the world.
-All of us
If you guys could open up for anyone who would you choose?
We all have such different and unique tastes in what we listen to
leisurely so we all picked our own.
Curt- Phish
Mykk- Too
many bands to choose from
Bert- Rush
Tom- Minus
the Bear
Can we be expecting some new material soon?
Oh yeah, we’re constantly working on new material, and will be hitting
the studio again in late August so keep a look out for new studio tunes.
-Curt
Anyone who comes to see Salsa Shark live can
expect to hear new material on a fairly regular basis; we've had a bit of a
creative renaissance and have been churning out new songs at an enjoyable rate
-Mykk
I
want to thank the guys for letting us into the inner workings of Salsa
Shark. I guess there’s nothing
left to do, but sign these guys off with a track. This was a track the band personally suggested for me. A live track from the Blockley (a venue
near the blogs own Drexel U) of their new song “Seasonal Flows on Warm Martian
Slopes.” The tracks available for
download on their facebook. While
you’re at it check out some of their shows, and what-have-you.
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