Sara: For the record state your name and what you do in The Spill Canvas
Nick: My name is Nick and I play guitar and sing
Joe: My name is Joe and I play drums

Sara: What would you change about the current music scene?
Nick: Oh wow, I guess I would just try to open everyone’s ear a little more to you know new styles of music and be a little more… not to sound like a hippie but open to everything and everybody that has evolved.
Joe: Yeah that’s pretty much what I’d have to say. Open it up.

Sara: You are from South Dakota correct?
Nick: Yes.
Sara: And South Dakota is not really known for music so how has that influenced you or affected your music?
Nick: You know I think it has because we are not exposed to that constant pulsing machine of music music music and new bands new bands and it was just it’s more.. it’s a very kinda of safe enclosed area that we live where it’s so pure and you kinda have that natural innocence that is surrounding that area. It’s really nice to be able to have a little bit of a weird edge thinking being from the middle of nowhere would not be good but in weird way it really is because you are able to see what you are doing out in a distance and a lot clearer and there is not all the stuff in the way. I think it’s awesome. It’s the best

Sara: It’s been about 2 years since your last released and you’ve been recording… or you just finished recording.. or…?
Joe: Yeah we just finished recording actually.
Sara: Do you have an idea of when it’s going to be released and what should be expect?
Joe: We are hoping for a fall release September-ish I guess
Nick: You know September-ish and you know it’s just the most vast thing that we’ve ever tried to conquer as a band and it’s covers so many different areas that we were just so scared to try and we are just thankful to be able to do and we couldn’t be more proud of the record. So we’ll wait and we’ll see.
Joe: Yeah we are so excited for people to hear it.
Nick: Yeah!

Sara: There has been a lot of anticipation for this record, since your last release did this create any pressure for you to reach people’s standards of what they want from you?
Joe: Yeah, I think when we got in the studio we were just like ‘alright we are going to relax and just do this record’ and when we got in there I don’t think we felt any pressure to record and once we had the songs written it’s just like we felt so confident about what we had put together I think it’s great.
Nick: Yeah, and the pressure was there obviously in a very faint way but on average but it was just this big… really we just had fun and wrote and did our best and it turned out awesome. I think.
Joe: We’ll see. Again.

Sara: How do you think this record is different than your other ones?
Nick: It’s like.. it’s more honest I think than anything we’ve ever done. It’s very candid, it’s very real. I think it really portrays us better than anything we’ve ever done. We’re looking forward do it.

Sara: What was the recording process like?
Joe: It was great! We were out in LA and we got to spend 3 months out there and put the songs together and record. It was just so much fun. We got to have live strings, live horns and it was just such an honor to work some of the crazy musicians that we got to work with. It was really cool
Nick: It was so much fun. It was a very… it was such a hard working environment but at the same time it was very almost surreal kind of community. It was really cool.

Sara: One of those musician you worked with was Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin?
Nick: Yes.
Sara: What was it like working with him?
Nick: Amazing. We had just been friends for a little bit and he had actually been able to be in town when we were kinda wrapping up and doing guest things. So we called him up he came down and hung out and we used him in a few songs. It was so cool. He’s one of the greatest dudes in this genre of music.
Joe: He’s a pioneer
Nick: Oh yeah! He’s definitely done… his life is a very admirable thing. He is just an awesome person. It was really cool to be a part of something like that with him.

Sara: If you were told that you could only have 3 CDs for the rest of your life and those were the only ones that you could listen to which one would you pick and why?
Nick: You go ahead.
Joe: Okay. I’ll do… Saves The Day.. it’s hard to pick a record of their’s.. but I’ll pick…oh my God… Stay What You Are and then I’ll pick… a Mindy Smith record… and after that I’ll pick a Nickel Creek record after that
Nick: I think I would say... Van Morrison, Astral Weeks it was like his first record ever and it’s say Jimmy Eat World, Clarity and then I’d probably go with… maybe I need something hard maybe like maybe just like a Saves The Day, Through Being Cool

Sara: So what band did you listen to growing up?
Nick: Saves The Day, Jimmy Eat World. I listened to a lot of folky type of stuff growing up actually because my dad was so into that stuff. Like I grew up listen to Rod Stewart and Van Morrison, he’s amazing. Just like…
Joe: Jimmy Mack
Nick: Yeah just old rock for me.
Joe: Yeah grew listening to the same kind of stuff.

Sara: What would your dream tour be?
Joe: Not to have to live in a van.
Nick: I’d say Jimmy Eat World and Saves The Day
Joe: For sure.
Nick: Like U2 and I think a little Coldplay.
Joe: It’d be a pretty sick tour.
Nick: For us. Everybody would be like who’s that band.
[everyone laughs]
Joe: Yeah I know. For sure.
Nick: I’m really itchy right now.
Sara: You should get some itch cream.
Nick: Yeah…

Sara: If you could be anyone for a day who would you be why?
Joe: I’d be big bird because he is an inspiration figure for a lot of kids.
Nick: I’d probably be.. what ever guy is dating Scarlet Johanson right now or at that moment. I want to be that guy for a day. As long as she’s around if I could be around.
Joe: What if she was like on a movie set…
[Joe laughs]
Nick: I’d be so pissed. I’d call her and talk to her.

Sara: Do you have anything else to say to the World Wide Web?
Nick: Myspace is evil. Don’t do it.
Joe: And drink your orange juice.