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Saturday, July 14, 2012

A Gentlemanly Conversation with Salsa Shark



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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