New Stefan MySpace Interview Up

[Nitro1515]

http://www.izstyle.com go to the features section

[Blake]

can someone cut and paste it? i cant see anything

[carter29]

sorry man, I can see it but I can't highlight it to copy it.

edit: its a decent read though

[Elliottman]

i would love to comment on so much of that but its too long. Top bloke for taking time to do it though!

Just off the top of my head he said "More DVDs coming your way"! or something like that!?

[tbillie41]

good read.

[Nitro1515]

Code: Select all

MSF INTERVIEW - Fonzy Hi everyone. Thank you to everybody who took the time to send in questions. Without further ado...


MSF: Are you still going to throw stuff into the crowd regardless of injuries to people?? We love keepsakes!

SL: Of course, Camelbaks will be flying through the air...wear helmets


MSF: You guys spend a lot of time together especially during the tour. I know you like to bike around the concert area, but what else do you do to unwind? Does the band spend a lot of time together after a concert just winding down? Also, when you get home after touring, does the band take time off from each other or do you still hang together?

SL: If it's nice out, I'm doing something outside. Biking, swimming, boating, riding dune buggies, skim boarding, body surfing, surfing, hiking, horseback riding, just to name a few. I usually like to top off a good day with a good dinner out somewhere and a movie, or bowling, or maybe just a quiet walk along the beach (if I'm lucky enough to be by a beach).

We each have our separate schedules, personal lives, ways of spending down time, and travel arrangements. We get together around 4:00PM for a sound check and then back together again for the show. There are those times when, after the show, we might all be hanging out together. Maybe we're all on a plane together or at a dinner together, and if that happens, we love it. We're great friends and we love each other like family, but we all lead very separate, busy lives. That's why, on many nights, the show is the greatest moment of our day when we can all get together and have some fun with each other.


MSF: What do we need to do to get you guys to put out some more DVDs? Teasing me with the 2005 Red Rocks just made me hungry for more! I would love to have seen you do "Exodus". The band must have some footage of your concerts just lying around. I will beg if necessary. I can't get enough of those DVDs - and I have every one of them!

SL: Don't worry. There's always more on the way!


MSF: Are you a cheesehead (cheese lover)? If so, what is your favorite kind of cheese?

SL: I do love cheese! Gouda gold and sharp cheddar are my cheeses to die for.


MSF: So, when you first joined the band, what was it like playing for a band that was soon-to-be HUGE?

SL: We worked really hard. We traveled in a van, drove throughout the night, ate junk food from gas stations and fast food joints, shared rooms, and played every gig that was offered to us. I had no idea that I was in a band that would be so successful. I was just having the time of my life with a bunch of guys and it was all about playing music and having a good time doing it.


MSF: How and why do you think people became so passionate about your band's music?

SL: Music affects people on very different levels. I believe that because of Dave's approach to lyrics, with the heart of the songs coming from love and sincerity, plus the fact that we all write and play our parts with our souls invested, that we make music that really effects a lot of our listeners. For me, certain songs stay with me because of events that happened around that song and the emotions that I felt at the time I heard it. I believe that music evokes common feelings in all of us as human beings. Some bands only hit a few of those emotions but I feel that we hit almost all of them. For me, that's the biggest reason why we have such a dedicated and passionate fan base.


MSF: Do you and Dave paint together?

SL: Although we haven't actually painted together, there are some collaborative sketches roaming around out there somewhere.


MSF: Using one word only, describe MySpace.

SL: Overwhelming!

MSF: Where do you go for genuine tranquility, to get away from all the craziness in life? Is there someone special there with you, or do you prefer to be alone?

SL: I go snowboarding somewhere out west. I love riding with friends and then finding myself separated from the pack. I find a good spot, sit down, and take everything in. I feel most connected to the earth and sky, and most at peace there on the mountain.


MSF: Since you have been with the band since a very young age, is there anything in life that you feel you've missed out on?

SL: College. I really missed it when I was younger. Making college friends, learning, the parties, the whole experience of being a fresh mind and living on a campus are all things that I missed out on. I had a hard time the first time I visited Boulder, CO. I almost jumped ship - I was 19.


MSF: What was the first concert you ever went to, not including your own band?

SL: The Go-Go's, opening up for INXS, opening up for The Bangles at Kings Dominion in Richmond, VA. I was like 11.


MSF: Name one band that is a "must see" before it's all over.

SL: TOOL


MSF: Do you like break beats?

SL: Yep


MSF: Nachos or pie?

SL: Nachos


MSF: What's your favorite kind of pie?

SL: Key Lime


MSF: When did you start painting? From where do you draw your inspiration?

SL: I started painting in the 8th grade. I painted throughout high school but music took up too much of my time to continue seriously with painting. I tried to paint on the road but I like large canvases, so that wasn't going to happen. About four years ago I had a bunch of down time, so I pulled out the canvas and paints and got to work. I'm inspired by Andy Warhol, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, and Shepard Fairly just to name a few. I read Juxtapoz to get inspiration and learn about new artists.


MSF:If you were an animal, what would you be?

SL: If I got to be an animal for one day I would want to be a hawk. To be able to go into a dive and reach over 200 miles per hour has got to be one of the coolest things in the animal kingdom.


MSF: You have kids, so I am curious: I went to a bunch of shows this summer and saw kids at many of them - many under age 5. I have even seen babies in the pit! What's your take on bringing babies and toddlers to shows? Does that distract you from your playing or throw you off? Are you concerned about the children? Or do you just say that if this is what the parent wants, then so be it?

SL: I love to see kids at our shows and I bring my own children to our shows too. Aside from a few rough words here and there, we have a pretty tame show - fun for the whole family. However, we are loud, so please have your children wear earplugs and just be aware of the people around you. If anything sketchy seems to be happening, please get your children out of there just to be safe. I've seen plenty of fights break out in front of us, and I would hate to see any little children or babies get hurt because of some idiots. Just make sure you have a good escape route.


MSF: Do you prefer to play on a four-string bass or a five-string?

SL: I have the most fun on my four-string; sometimes I feel more creative when I have fewer options to choose from.


MSF: What is your favorite topping on pizza?

SL: Pineapple and turkey ham.

MSF: Where do you love to perform the most?

SL: Wherever the last gig of the year is :-). No but really, I don't have one place that I love over others. I have the most fun in different or new places, like the Bridge School Benefit, or a packed tent at the Blues and Roots Festival in Byron Bay Australia.


MSF: If you were going to lose one of your five senses, which one would it be and why?

SL: Smell. It would probably be the least traumatic on me. I love all my senses....


MSF: If you're in traffic, and someone lets you merge in front of them, do you give them a 'Thank You' wave? And on the flip side, do you let people merge?

SL: Yes and yes.


MSF: What did you think/do when you got your first big paycheck from being a member of DMB?

SL: I was very excited, of course. I helped out my family a bit and I put a down payment on a house up in Woodstock, NY. My family never had much money growing up so it was a whole new thing for me.


MSF: Fonz - Wow. I have been amazed by your writing skills. I am a huge fan of the band - have been since 1995 - and never really got onto the boards to read about stuff. Found this site and have been truly inspired and fascinated with your writings. So, my first questions are - how did you become such a good writer? Does it come naturally? Have you always written and do you enjoy it? You truly have a gift and I love reading your stories about your life!!

SL: Gees thanks (blushing). Music, art and writing are my creative passions of life. I took some creative writing in high school as well as a couple of online courses in poetry and fiction through the New School and The Gotham City Writers Workshop. I found out that I have a hard time with fiction but do better with poetry and short pieces. The stuff on this site is a little more journalistic which I'd never done before. It's been a lot of fun and it gives me a good reason to keep writing.


MSF: When you are playing on stage, do you purposefully wink or is that just a "tick" that happens while playing? (hee, hee) At Fenway, I had 5th row and my husband and I thought you were winking at me and others - had a good laugh thinking you'd actually be "looking at us and winking"! I know - goofy question, but I had to lighten it up a little bit!

SL: BOTH! I do wink and nod at people in the audience. I like making connections with people and miss the intimacy of small places. I also have a nervous blink that I do, not a wink, but a blink. Here's looking at you!


MSF: What's your favorite thing about being a dad? Your new daughter is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations!

SL: My children remind me that life is beautiful and my life with them is incredibly full of love. This is what I love most about being a dad.


MSF: Okay, all of us have our most memorable shows, what are a few of yours, and why? (Don't forget Giants Stadium in the storm!!)

SL: The most memorable show for me was Rock n' Rio in 2001. The excitement of being in Brazil, playing to over 150,000 Brazilians, being around so much international music. For me, so far, that was the most memorable. There are many gigs over the years that stand out in my mind - Giants Stadium and the storm is one of those too.


MSF: I'd like to ask about the subject matter and mysticism of "Halloween." That's such an intense song. Where did the inspiration for the song come?

SL: All I can say is that it's a love song.


MSF: I was wondering what you would pick if you had a bass (acoustic, electric, or upright) custom made for you, and what would you call it?

SL: I would definitely start with a custom four-string. I've never thought about what I would call it. Maybe something like The Baby Jude by Stefan Lessard - written in a really fancy cursive or something.


MSF: What do you think YOUR best work has been in your musical career?

SL: I would have to say that I am most proud of my playing on Before These Crowded Streets. A lot of those songs mean a lot to me because I had a big part in the writing and arrangements of them. Check the liner notes - more than any other album.


MSF: Thanks for taking questions - I'll keep it short. In some songs, you guys will throw in a line or two from a different band. A few that come to mind are a line from a David Bowie song during Too Much in Antioch '04, and "For What It's Worth" in Jimi Thing. Who comes up with these ideas, and do you go over it before the show? Or is it all just spontaneous and improvised?

SL: You got it right, anything like that is almost always spontaneous and improvised.


MSF: To you, what was the moment you said, "Wow I think I'm a rock star..."?

SL: From the first performance of my sixth grade boy's choir singing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in our PJs. That's when I knew it. Or was it when two girls from Japan asked me for my autograph after a show at Trax in Charlottesville when I was 17?


MSF: Most every band/group has specific requests for backstage. I was just wondering what your "must haves" are backstage (specific foods, drinks, music, etc.)???

SL: For me: One bottle of 18-year old Macallan's Scotch, Pacifico and Stella Artois beer, some roasted almonds, Vita water, Fiji water, fruit, and a fine selection of gum and hard candies. What else? I have to leave some things for you all to wonder about.


MSF: When fans throw things up on stage, do you actually keep them? My best friend threw a plastic ring on stage (Assembly Hall '05) and you picked it up. Since then I've wondered if you guys actually kept those little fan gifts or if you just tossed them out.

SL: We keep everything.


MSF: I'm thinking about moving to Charlottesville... Since you still reside there, how do you feel the city has changed since the band grew to a national level and it was voted America's Best Place To Live?

SL: We now have a Target to shop at, there are a lot more subdivisions, old farms that I used to play on don't exist now, and the traffic has gotten a lot worse. But that's like any other growing town in this country. Charlottesville is a great place to live, raise kids, start a company and grow up in.


MSF: My kind of most-random question is: What happened to verses three and four of Grey Street? Verse four was dropped at Busted Stuff, and verse three got weaned out, I think, back in 2004. Was the song too long (does that happen?) or did you guys just decide that you didn't like the last verse?

SL: Can't help you out on that one. I can't remember why those verses were dropped.


MSF: I know you were/are a big Nirvana fan, as am I. I was wondering what were you doing and where you were when you found out about Kurt Cobain's death.

SL: I was in a field somewhere in Tennessee, getting ready to play a festival with a bunch of other bands. I was devastated. The drum tech, guitar tech, and myself were the only Nirvana fans out of our whole entourage. I just spaced away the whole day in a cloud of smoke and denial and then eventually played the show before drinking a good amount and listening to Nirvana in the back lounge of our tour bus. What a sad day for our generation that was.


MSF: What does the I-Z stand for in IZSTYLE...? Thanks to Poli @ Hershey, I was corrected as I had been pronouncing it "is style" and not I-Z Style.

SL: I-Z stands for Interzone. I own a company by the name of Interzone. What is the Interzone? That is for you all to find out on your own. So in a way, IZSTYLE stands for Interzone Style. Confused?


MSF: Since you are only about five years older than me, we both grew up during the 80's. What are some of your favorite memories of that weird decade?

SL: I remember the how great pop music was back then. And how fresh rap and hip-hop were back then. I mean U2, The Beastie Boys, The Fat Boys, Run-DMC, just to name a few. I really loved a lot of the music that came out of the 80s; I'm still influenced by it today.

MSF: A couple years ago freedom/pirate radio was emerging as FCC-regulated stations were monopolizing the airwaves with the same bubblegum pop. Although "technically" this was stealing, a lot of really fantastic music was getting opened up to American youth through these non-profit (and sometimes in-the-red) radio waves. What is your view on the semi-monopolization of the airwaves? What is your view on these newer free Internet radio stations such as pandora.com and wdmbradio.com?

SL: Whew! I like it all, to tell you the truth. I'm a media consumer. I love Internet radio, XM, Sirius, and public-supported radio. Give me as many choices as possible.


MSF: The American and Canadian educational systems have been slashing budgets over the years, and the art departments have unfortunately been one of the first to be removed, often to keep the focus on science. I personally think that the arts are just as important as the sciences (more so to me as that is what I study at university), and the removal of arts programs shouldn't be allowed. Children aren't getting exposed to the wonderful aspects that music and art have to offer, or to how great of an emotional outlet they can be. Do you think that the removal of these programs, and the students' subsequent lack of exposure to music, could alter the new generation's mindset on what constitutes a "real" musician, band, or performer?

SL: I do believe that the youth of today will conceive of music differently than our generation did. They're not really aware or taught what it takes to make music. But this is changing everyday. When I was 14, my dad bought me a four-track. I fell in love and started making music on it. Now I can make music on my laptop without ever touching a real instrument. There used to be a time when most of the music played never got recorded. The only recording of live music at one time was the memory of those who played it and heard it. I wonder what some of the classical masters would have thought about what music is like today. Nowadays it sometimes seems that you need to know more about computers then you do about real music in order to make music. But I also believe that for as long as there are humans on this planet there will be music made the old fashion way: sitting around with a group of other people and a bunch of instruments and making something musical together. On my street, I still hear young bands rehearsing, a young drummer practicing, a young pianist practicing. Every once and a while, one of my neighbors will blare some Lyle Lovett while their kids swim in their pool. The face of music is always changing, but the really important thing is how the music affects the listener. Music is a personal element to a person's life. Today more than ever before, people have the ability to add their own soundtracks to their lives. And that is a good thing.

I am a strong believer that the public school system's lack of quality art and musical education is a shame, but I also believe that how we define what is "real" in music has always evolved and grown. It will continue to do so and shouldn't be subject to one single definition.

Sorry for the essay, I could go on and on. Your question would make a great thread on any music board!


MSF: Hey man! It's cool that you bring guest artists on stage to jam with you on a song or two. If you had the opportunity to go on stage for one song with a band that's currently touring, what one would it be?

SL: If you had asked who I would like to do side projects with, I could give you a list miles long. But if you're talking about jumping on stage with my axe in my hand, ready to crush the low end and walk away feeling proud...well my friend, that scares the crap out of me. Most of the bands I like aren't really the type that you can just jump right in and catch a groove with. Or they already have bass players who are my idols and I would never want to try and walk in their shoes. But since you asked...Damian Marley. I already know some of his bass lines and I think that I could put a signature twist on a couple of his songs if I ever got invited on stage with him. Yeah, that would rock, DUB IZSTYLE...

[Blake]

thanks koam

[Nitro1515]

thanks koam

no problem

[GSR]

Pretty boring.

[pacific34]

If i had 1 question to ask steffan, it wouldn't be "do you and dave paint together."

[Nitro1515]

Pretty boring.

yep, he pretty much ignored all the tough questions that I know a lot of people asked and he totally dodged the only serious one about Grey Street. Its still cool that he takes the time to do this and it is nice to know that he recognizes BTCS as their best work.

[carter29]

Pretty boring.

yep, he pretty much ignored all the tough questions that I know a lot of people asked and he totally dodged the only serious one about Grey Street. Its still cool that he takes the time to do this and it is nice to know that he recognizes BTCS as their best work.

yeah, sad thing is there were probably even worse questions that werent considered. But ya, nothing to in depth

[Easy E]

MSF: If you're in traffic, and someone lets you merge in front of them, do you give them a 'Thank You' wave? And on the flip side, do you let people merge?

SL: Yes and yes.

are you fucking serious?

[Blake]

that was the worst one.

[carter29]

yep, like wtf....that was choosen over other questions that were surely more well thought out