Como Backdoor Interviews (TRANSCRIPTS)
A collection of interviews taken at the Como Backdoor on October 11th, 2024.
Audio version:
Interview Transcripts:
I Have No Love For Men Like You:
First I had to choke back the tears nearly induced by their last song, before asking them if they’d like to be interviewed for a magazine. After ten minutes of trying to figure out where Robert, one of the guitar players, had gone, the interview finally took place.
J: What is your name?
R: My name is Robert and I’m in I Have No Love For Men Like You.
I: My name is Isaac and I am also in that band.
J: When did you guys form?
R: We formed December of last year, but we really started practicing in about February.
J: Who plays what in the band?
R: I play electric guitar.
I: I play the bass guitar, Jackson plays the drums, and Dylan sings and also plays the electric guitar.
J: What is your guys’ favorite song that you have written?
R: Oh, Jesus, probably the song, it’s, uh, Street Fighter.
I: (Long um), probably our most recent song, honestly. We don’t have a title for it yet.
J: Is it the last one that you played?
I: The one before the last one, Seven-Four (?).
J: What is your favorite thing about Como Backdoor?
R: It’s like a pillar of the DIY community, it’s been around for years, and swapped so many different hands, and so many really really sick-ass bands have come through here, it’s just kind of so surreal to play here.
(Someone who sounds like Truck): What are you guys talking about?
J: Como Backdoor, the place that we’re at right now!
(Noise I could not reproduce in words)
I: I actually fucking hate this venue.
J: That’s sick, I’m quoting you on that. Thank you.
Calla Mae:
I did no background research on Calla Mae and that is evident given my initial questions.
J: What is your band’s name?
C: It’s my artist, like, solo name, but it’s Calla Mae.
J: When did you form?
C: I’ve had another lineup of this group, but our group that played tonight, we got together in like September.
J: Who plays in the band?
C: I play some lead guitar parts as well as singing–I do my best–and then Julia plays drums, Emily plays rhythm and lead guitar depending [on the song], and she also sings backing vocals, and then my friend Grace plays bass.
J: What’s your favorite song that you have written?
C: My favorite song that I’ve written is probably Pleaser? Either Pleaser because I feel like it’s something that’s super relatable for a lot of people who are like people pleasers. Or Pixie, just cause it’s mad and it’s loud and it’s cool.
J: Was that the last one?
C: Yeah.
J: What’s your favorite thing about Como Backdoor?
C: My favorite thing about Como Backdoor is that it’s a super safe space for everybody. I know there’s been a lot of turnover in the people who have run it, but the current–I guess management?–is super awesome and super welcoming, so that's probably my favorite thing, just the community and safety of it.
Bluedriver:
Next I interviewed Bluedriver, cooling down outside after we each wiped off the several gallons of sweat produced during their set. Unfortunately I only recorded an audio interview, and I physically cannot tell the difference between their voices.
J: I’m here to interview you, what’s your band name?
A: Bluedriver. It’s one word.
J: When did you form?
A: Late 2017.
J: That was a good year.
H: Yeah, it kinda was.
A: Except for that
J: Bluedriver was the worst thing to happen that year.
A: Thank you.
H: Probably, honestly.
J: Who plays what in the band?
A: It kind of depends, when we’re a four-piece, I play guitar, Angie plays drums, Mystery Person plays bass, Henry plays guitar. When we’re a three piece, I play bass, Angie plays drums, and Henry [plays] guitars, and we all sing.
J: What is your name?
A: Spartacus.
Angie (Background): Antonio
J: What’s your favorite song–?
A: Wannabe by the Spice Girls
J: Of yours?
A: Oh, I really like I Am the Law, that one’s very fun and really, really sad, but I think the funness overshadows the sadness, and nobody knows what I’m saying anyways, so it’s like (laughs) we’re having fun! I’m so sad (laughs again).
Angie: I think Beat My Ass, kind of because of the same reasons, like the lyrics kind of get a little deep and a little dark and a little sad, but it’s a fun song that you can dance to, you know what I mean? Also, I get to use the cowbell.
J: I heard, I noticed the cowbell. When the first cowbell hit, I got transported to another fucking planet.
A (I think): That’s what we’re going for!
J (asking H): Yours?
H: I would say–I don’t mean to be a copycat–but I would also go with Beat My Ass. Maybe cause it’s a newer one that we’ve recently gotten done with, but also I think instrumentally it’s got more going on than some of our earlier songs. It’s got more riffs, more melodies.
A (I think): It’s very melodic.
H: It changes up. I love it, it’s fun to play it, too.
A: That’s one of those song’s that’s kind of like three songs in one, so I really like being able to do that, cause it’s like little baby songs. And, it has some of my favorite lyrics I’ve ever written, one being "everything is on fire and my water’s cut off, I forgot to pay bills, I leave that up to God.”
J: Hard as fuck.
J: What’s your favorite thing about Como Backdoor?
A: I think it’s by far–at least [from] what we’ve played–the best basement venue. It has enough space, and since they’ve redone it–this is our first time being back–they’ve got the signs up everywhere saying, like, hey, what’s up, purple bandana if you need help or whatever, and that’s something that not a lot of house venues even think to do, so the fact that people are going out of their way to make sure it’s a safe space, it’s just a great spot. It’s all brick and it’s all open, and people can run into each other and it’s awesome.
Angie: I would say the same thing, yeah, I love the flyers that they put up where it’s like hey, if you’re feeling uncomfortable or you’re too intoxicated, or something like [that], call us, you know? They’re being very adamant that this is a safe space, you know?
H: Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve been here, but the way they’ve redone the place is fucking awesome, man. I mean, every time I’ve played here, or even seen shows here, I’ve had a fucking great time. People always show out and always reminds me how fucking awesome the community is, how much support there is for the local music scene. People in Minneapolis and Saint Paul fucking rule in that way.
A: Another thing I appreciate about this venue is that they have their own PA system–
J: That’s huge.
A: Yeah, and a lot of venues don’t have their own and then it’s in the group chat the day before, like, by the way, can somebody bring a PA? And everybody’s like no! No one wants to do that.
J: I got a special question just for all of you, would you say that you’re an anti-rabies band on account of your water-loving sentiments?
A: You know, I am anti-rabies–it has a one-hundred percent kill rate. That’s a real fact. Like, if you have rabies, it’s gonna kill you unless you kill yourself first.
H: Or if you treat it before symptoms show!
A: Yeah, it makes you afraid of water. That’s insane.
J: Would that be devastating if you were afraid of water?
A: If I had rabies, I would kill myself because of the water fear.
(Random person walks by)
J: What about you?
RP: Oh yeah, immediately. I don’t even know what the conversation is about.
J: Rabies. What’s your opinion on rabies?
RP: So like, a friend of a friend of a mom of an aunt got rabies, and they did the thing where they gotta put her into a coma for a year, and she comes out of it and she’s like fifty percent okay. Like, if you don’t do that right away or you get like fifty vaccines in your stomach, dude, you die of rabies.
A: That’s terrifying.
RP: It’s called Milwaukee protocol, dude, they put you in a coma and I don;t know what they do but they fix it.
J: So to conclude, you guys are Bluedriver: anti-rabies, pro-water.
A: We are anti-rabies, we are anti- most diseases, I’d like to believe.
Angie: Yeah, we’re anti-disease.
A: We’re pro-vaccine.
Angie: Yeah, we’re pro-vax. Sorry, liberals.
J: Alright, well thank you all so much, that’s it.
I guess I didn’t talk to them enough, because later on I got another–shorter–interview with Antonio and Henry from Bluedriver, featuring one of the guitar players from Killed by Kiwis.
J: So, according to your merch table, you say “Bluedrive sucked my cock and all I got was this stupid shirt.” Do you suck the cock of every single person who buys that shirt?
A: We suck the cock first so that the shirt is factual.
J (turning towards Henry): Is that true?
H: Yeah, it’s unfortunately true.
KBK guy: I would like to go on record as an anonymous source that it is, in fact, true, gahd damn!
J: What is the name of this anonymous source?
KBK guy: That’s not how that works.
J: Fuck.
Killed By Kiwis:
A semi-rushed interview conducted while the band broke down their gear and I was mentally preparing myself for going to Wendy’s. I never took into account the fact that I do not remember the names of the people who I interviewed in this section.
J: First of all, what’s your opinion on the OJ Simpson case?
Griffin: On the OJ Simpson case? Wait, didn’t something happen with OJ recently?
J: He died.
Frankie: He died recently, yeah.
Eli: I don’t like dead people.
J: That’s fair.
Eli: I’m glad the Bronco’s back in circulation
J: What’s your band’s name?
Griffin: Our band’s name is Killed by Kiwis
J (turning to Eli): Is that true?
Eli: Uh, I can confirm that, yeah.
Griffin: He was there.
J: When did you form?
Griffin: Legally, 2018. More functionally, probably 2020-21.
Frankie (Background): Are you a journalist?
J: I am. Would you like to be in–
Frankie (shouting): Don’t trust the fucking media! I’m just kidding.
J: Who plays what in the band?
Frankie: Griffin Bauman plays guitar, Frankie Carlson plays guitar, Eli Hauglin (?) plays synthesizer, Quinn Severs plays drums, Annie Thoma sings, and Matt Heely plays bass.
J: What’s your favorite song of yours?
Frankie: Safe answer, Sleep.
Griffin: Probably, like, to play, probably Session Factory or Stone and Cold.
Eli: I’m gonna double Session Factory.
J (turning to Annie): What’s your favorite song of yours?
Annie: That’s a good–Stone Cold!
J: What’s your favorite thing about Como Backdoor?
Griffin: That the cops will only get called every once in a while.
Eli: Also, this space down here is awesome.
Frankie: The cops only get called like every six years.
J: Would you say your name is inspired by a morbid fear of people from New Zealand?
Griffin: You know, we’ve been asked about New Zealand and we’ve never even actually been asked that specific phrasing.
Frankie: We love the New Zealish, we think they’re great people.
Griffin: We love New Zealand, and we’d love to go there, but honestly, sadly our name has less connection with New Zealand, and we kind of thought of it on a whim.
Frankie: Hey, government of New Zealand, if you see this, fly us out.
J: When’s the New Zealand tour coming?
Griffin: That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Whenever someone gives us thousands of dollars to fly with our equipment.
Frankie: I fucking love Lord of the Rings, you know what I’m saying?
J: Hell yeah.
Iris:
Iris was an exceedingly kind person who, just from listening to her talk, I could tell she has a deep love for the scene she is a part of and has taken it into her own hands to make something that she wished she would see more of, which I have an extreme amount of respect for.
J: What is your name?
I: My name is Iris Bolton.
J: As the runner of Como Backdoor, what is your favorite thing about it?
I: Ultimately what this is, it’s a passion project to create a queer and lesbian space in a city that does not have that. I have been influenced by lesbian bars across the country, and it’s my goal to create a space that can serve as a place that queer people can come to be safe and have fun and to feel community. It’s a community building exercise.