Interview Fantasmagoria: Steve Choi from Rx Bandits Shouts Out:

Do I feel cool or what... I recently got the opportunity to express my inner Cameron Crowe (so jealous of that guy! I wish I could have been a prepubescent rock journalist for Rolling Stone) and pepper Steve Choi of Rx Bandits (Myspace) with an electronic shotgun blast of inquisitiveness. I asked; he answered. The results are pure sass, just the way we like it.

Bit-o-background: Rx Bandits are a five piece of musical genius hailing from good ol' CA. Their lineup includes Matt Embree (lead vocals/guitar), Steve Choi (guitar, keyboards), Chris Sheets (trombone, backing vocals, percussion), Joseph Troy (bass), and Cristopher Tsagakis (drums). The band has five albums under their belt, with their latest ...And the Battle Begun having been released in the summer of '06. Known for their high energy live performances and eclectic sound (a mash up of ska, prog-rock, punk, and reggae) one shant be caught with at least one, if not all of their albums on heavy rotation. I had the pleasure of witnessing their splendor first hand when they toured earlier this year with Gym Class Heroes (Myspace) and needless to say, was blown away...

And without further distraction, let the questions begin:

SC: Hi hi. This is Steve Choi Guitar/keyboards, from my keyboard to your screen.

A&R: We've noticed in recent years that you and other band members prefer to perform sans-foot apparel. Is there a comfort issue or perhaps a statement against the inhumane treatment of sneaker factory workers in Southeast Asia? Corollary: What's the gnarliest thing you're feet have encountered on stage?

SC: Its actually not barefoot, despite what it may look like. It is in fact a new type of cutting edge organic based foot-wear called 'Gnar-boots'. There is no manufacturing, no exploitation, no marketing and no logo's... however it may take a few weeks to fully develop ones own special "Gnar-boot"; once there, it is a fully functional option... with the surrender of some personal hygiene. I particularly am still partial to shoes, however like any good Californian, will rep the 'gnar-boots' all summer myself.

A&R: We've noticed you guys prefer touring with bands that would be considered outside of your "genre" (I use the term loosely, as no one likes labels). What's your philosophy on selecting bands to tour with?

SC: Our first and foremost criteria is usually our personal vibes with the people. Since you have to spend a lot of time with the particular people you go on tour with, taking friends and people you love to hangout with is invaluable. Like any band, we still tour with bands we've never met before regularly but we've been very lucky and have made friends with most.

A&R: Speaking of which, I was at your last show with Gym Class Heroes and would love to know what it was like touring with those guys? Any on-the-road pranks/stories?

SC: The tour started in February on the east coast, so for a good portion of the tour it was waaaaay too freezing for our California asses, so we spent a lot of time just chillin on the bus like everyone else did. Lots of tofurkey sandwiches, cereal, and movies.

A&R: Tofurkey to keep warm...love it. Being that you are from the west coast, and I'm from the east coast (NY represent; let the rap vendetta ensue), do you have a favorite home and/or on the road performing venue/club/festival,whatever? If so, what's magical about that spot?

SC: We really love Philly, we always have a good time there, and shows at the TLA are always amazing. Phoenix, AZ is kind of a home away from home for our band. Something crazy ALWAYS happens to us in NYC, but our whole east coast crew of friends are always around to hang. SAN FRANCISCO!! Of course! We all love that city, being from the Bay Area in northern California. It's where I get to see my family and friends when we play, and we always have great shows at Slim's.

A&R: As loyal followers and quasi-stalkers, we are keenly aware and huge fans of the many side projects many of you are involved with (expect a blog on The Sound of Animals Fighting real soon). How does stepping away from the RX Bandits influence the creative process when you guys are together? What is a typical writing/recording session like for you guys?

SC: Side projects allow everyone to fully indulge their personal tastes and choices in full. Being able to play everything yourself exactly how you want is a change of pace from playing in an ensemble. Although, I prefer my band to anything else I may love. Doing my music on the side not only helps stimulate new ideas and pushes me to try new things, it also helps put into perspective the chemistry and sparks that Rx still has together when we're in the same room rockin' out. Writing usually begins with Matt and/or myself bringing a framework, bits and pieces, or whole songs to the group and we all begin sculpting it together. There are beer, smoke, and taco breaks... occasional basketball games, shootin' the shit, and mass avocado consumption that also goes down.

A&R: Obligatory mid-interview "non-sequitur" - I love horns in my rock music and I have the fondest memories of seeing the likes of Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, and the Mad Caddies live. In addition to your ska roots, what musical influences do you think have shaped your current sound the most?

SC: I think our resentment of the concept of genres has had a huge influence. Don't get me wrong, genres have their place in communicating types of music and themes, but having been a band who was pigeon-holed by label and tours certainly made us want to smash it all down and create music in spite of it. Its a really cool feeling to know that the music you're making isn't limited to boundaries you or your audience set. Of course our fans have a huge part in influencing our sound, its through their appreciation and love that we have even more confidence to continue and surprise everyone including ourselves with the music we make.

A&R: In addition to your unique musical perspective, it's pretty evident from researching past interviews you guys have a strong point of view concerning the music business, commercialism, and anything that might stifle creative expression in general. What are your feelings concerning some of the new business "models" popping up in the industry these days, a la the pay-what-you-want plan courtesy of Radiohead?

SC: I think it's amazing. Although no one can say how it will develop, how long it will last or which direction it'll go.. I love where its going right now. If putting the power and control back into the hands of musicians is a huge radical change or a new business "model", then that certainly ramifies that things were pretty fucked up. Once again, I take my hat off to Radiohead for always being cutting edge. There's many bands and groups of people who have been doing exactly what Radiohead has recently done for a long time. Our last album was put out ourselves with the support of our management syndicate Sargent House, who is the backbone for facilitating this approach for us and many of the other bands on the roster. The difference is, is that Radiohead reaches a number of people and has the sheer hugeness to make a huge impact through this DIY approach which has been the only way true underground music has existed.

A&R: Do you think technology has finally given the "music-consumer" (aka. loyal fans) the upper hand on corporate music? If so, what consequences do you think music-sharing has had for independent bands like yourselves?

SC: I'm not quite sure how I feel about this yet.. I'm torn in way. The climate of music and the technology surrounding it is somewhat overwhelming, everything is changing so fast that its hard to see the big picture and feel convinced about any of where it's gonna end up. As a musician in a band who doesn't play in arenas or sell millions of records, my initial reaction is to be excited about my music being spread in any way possible and being satisfied with the reward of a potential new listener and fan. On the flip side, not being on a label means that making a living for us depends on the few records we do sell, so obviously a high percentage of music-sharing could mean trouble for us. I would be lying if I said I never got albums from my friends rather than buying it. But this is where having a very thoughtful and loyal fan base comes into play, and makes all the difference.

A&R: We know you guys also encourage bootlegging of your live shows for public consumption. Its obvious getting rich isn't at the top of your priorities and we here at A&R champion that. So what fuels your fire to push on and make great music? Seeing as how music permeates every aspect of our lives, would you say you guys work to live or live to work?

SC: I can't really say what fuels my fire... I just know it's there and burning and I'm happy it's doing its thing. To us it's just music, and it's what we want to do and have to do... It's only by good fortune and some hard work that we have listeners there to even put the word "great" and "music" together regarding us, so like any working artist you must to a certain degree live and work in spite of any reputation and praise you may receive. We live to play music, and we are fortunate enough to make a living doing it, there is some work and discipline involved, but that's part of having more control over everything. There are also still hard times; we are an independent band and management firm who haven't been in helpful current of trends to push us along, and with the level control over our band comes the risks and responsibility for us. None of this would be possible without the support group we have around the band, our management and families make executing all these things possible.

A&R: On a less cerebral note, we all have guilty pleasure music we're not entirely proud of listening to (the writers for A&R are no different -- closet JT fan right here), can you please hit us with some tunes that send you to music confessional in the morning:

SC: I too am JT fan. Another guilty pleasure for is the new M.I.A record... and Enya, yea that's the big one, I cannot avoid getting made fun of by everyone... or at least getting an uneasy look about listening to Enya.

A&R: Armedready.com is about spreading the word on bands we think rock to people we feel rock so that we may all rock as one blogtastic family. Being that we highly recommend you guys, what bands would you like to "pay-it-forward to" and see receive a seriously juicy, man blogging from A&R? (NOTE: we take most of our moral cues from Haley Joel Osment movies and Dr. Seuss books)

SC: Hmm. Our friends from the Bay Area in Facing New York (Myspace). They have electrified us live, and we have watched them develop from their conception just a few years ago, you must see them live. Nurses (Myspace)are also incredible, we recently did some eastcoast dates with them. And Battering Ram, nuff said.

...damn straight -- check these dudes out.

- Rawktastic voyage

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mq0j2Ot1NHo[/youtube]