Sound Bites

Sound Bites Interview: Gerard Cosloy

Gerard Cosloy is Co-President of Matador Records, and ran Homestead Records before that. (My cassette of Homestead's seminal 1988 compilation Human Music still gets play when I visit the parents.) When he's not busy doing those things, he blogs about baseball. I pulled him aside after the Blog Factor panel at SXSW to talk, ever so briefly, about food. I was a little nervous, as the last time I'd spoken to Cosloy (on the phone as a college radio MD trying to get Matador to send us the Teenage Fanclub record; our station was more mainstream than a lot of college stations) he yelled at me. But it made his Top 10 Highlights of SXSW So Far, apparently, so maybe now would be a good time to hit him up again for A Catholic Education.

Sound Bites: The Matablog seems to be turning into a food blog.

Gerard Cosloy: Yeah, well we get hungry. Patrick [Amory, Matador GM] is a wiz in the kitchen. I do think if you look throughout the years, most people who were degenerate record collectors – as they move on in their lives, the only thing left for them is food. I look forward to the day when we move exclusively to food coverage and can stop putting out records altogether. That's our five year goal.

SB: I know you posted endorsing Torchy's Tacos as the place many may eat every meal during SXSW. Have you managed to eat elsewhere?

GC: I have, as a matter of fact.

SB: So what's the best thing you've eaten this week?

GC: I'd rather not say -- Austin restaurants are overrun this week as it is.

SB: This won't go up till after SXSW.

GC: Well, in that case, Jonathan from Shearwater to me to a Vietnamese place on East Oltorf called Hai Ky which, for better or worse, is probably my favorite place in town these days. Very cheap, the food's awesome, the people who work there are great. Sadly they're closed Sundays, but what can you do?

MP3: The Young Fresh Fellows - Taco Wagon (buy)

Photo courtesy Mr. Cosloy; credit, according to him, "Dick Avedon." Ahem.

Sound Bites Interview: The Duke Spirit

I'm resurrecting this dormant feature where I interview bands about food. About time. Dan Higgins plays guitar for Brit rock band The Duke Spirit whose new album, Neptune, was recorded in Joshua Tree, CA and is miles better than anything the band has released to date -- where the music is really worthy of powerhouse vocalist Liela Moss. They'll be playing Mercury Lounge on Wednesday (sold out) and Union Hall on Thursday (still tickets).

Bill P: I know Liela is a staunch vegetarian. Where does the rest of the band fall on that subject?

Dan Higgins: Well, we care what we put into our bodies, really. It's gotta be good. We're all pretty healthy people. I'm not a vegetarian, and none of the others apart from Leila are either, but we all try to eat well. I try to eat organic as much as possible. I don’t' like to be hypocritical. Some people say "I'm not going to eat meat because of how badly animals are treated," and then they go and snort a load of drugs. Somebody suffered down the line for that, you know? So I do eat meat but I try to buy from farms or whatever that treat the animals in the best possible way.

BP: How hard is it to eat well when you're on the road –- in Middle America for example?

DH: It is, but it was never as hard as I thought it would be. In most cities you go to you can always find something or somewhere that's fairly decent. Surprising, but maybe my expectations were too low. In a way, everywhere you go you get the lowest common denominator in food. I can't tell if it's better or worse in America. But it was never too hard. When you're living in a van, you just have to remember take lots of fruit with you to see you through. It's a funny thing to worry about.

BP: Was there a particular food that fueled the making of your new album, Neptune?

DH: I think it might have been Dave Catching's cooking. He plays in Eagles of Death Metal and Queens of the Stone age and owns the studio we recorded the new album. He used to be a chef and he's a master at the barbeque. So I think it would have to be barbecue. Barbecued corn and hot sauce.

BP: Now the new album is starting to make a little more sense.

DH: (Laughs) Well, maybe but we wrote the record in England so it could be a product of the food we ate there as well. The Bagel Bake in East London or the English Breakfasts. All the cabbage in the fields, the traditional English roast dinner. It's the sum of all those things maybe.

BP: I know you spent a lot of time here in America touring. What was the first thing you wanted to eat when you went back to England?

DH: Hmmm… fish? I come from the countryside of England, down by the sea. So maybe just a good sea bream or something. Or something homey, like a good roast beef.

BP: Is there a city you look forward to playing, partly for the food?

DH: What I really love is Southern food and Cajun food. So in the South – Tennessee, Louisiana… oh and Mexican food! Texas, L.A. and all of California. The Mexican food is just fantastic. You can eat so well, you know? New York City is great too, but the Southern and Mexican food is just amazing.  Because you can't get that in England. For there to be a great taco stand in London would be a dream, but it just doesn't exist. So I always look forward to Los Angeles because you know you're going to get the best tacos, tamales or quesadillas…[makes the Homer Simpson drooling sound]… I just love that food.

BP: You realize I'm going to have to write "Dan makes Homer Simpson noise" don't you?

DH: Well it's true – I'm almost drooling myself! The other thing that's really great in American cities, that you don’t get to the same degree in England, are the macrobiotic restaurants. Or good vegan restaurants. Because, sure, sometimes when you're on tour you may want a steak. But sometimes you want something that is more, um, nourishing. Where you're doing yourself such a favor by making sure you eat this great food. I like that democracy in food. I hate people who say, "Ooh I don’t like Spanish food or Indian food. I don’t like that, I don't eat that." It's all life's rich platter, isn't it?

BP: Especially in places like New York where you can get just about anything.

DH: Absolutely.

BP: Except maybe good curry.

DH: I don’t know. I've seen a few places that I like the looks of. There's a place in the East Village called Tastes of Pakistan or something.

BP: Do you eat before a show?

DH: No I can't because I tend to get really nervous. Plus, I want to get all G'd up, you know, feel a bit of power before I go on. If you eat too much you feel like you're in some sort of chubby '70s pub rock band, standing there looking bored. No energy. I like to feel a bit of Holy Magic Power before I go on stage. Usually that comes from booze. I eat afterwards.

BP: And are there any foods you dislike, just don't like the taste of?

DH: Marmite. It's like vegemite. I just can't get with it, though I wish I could. I really want to like it, it's so quintessentially English. But I can't. Maybe that will change one day.

BP: It's still popular?

DH: Oh yeah. That'll never die.

BP: Literally. It never goes bad.

DH: (laughs) I don’t even know what marmite is made from -- malt or something. It's an arcane process to make it, I think. But yeah, marmite and the cockroaches -- someday that'll be all that's left.

The Duke Spirit's new album, Neptune, is out now as a download. The CD will be out April 8.

Sound Bites Interview: Sloan's Andrew Scott

This is a continuing series of interviews in which musicians talk about food, and chefs talk about music. One of Canada's national treasures, Sloan are now in their 15th year as a band and have just released their eighth album, the 30-track Never Hear the End of It. Through hits, misses, appearances in various Don McKellar projects, and the kind of record company woes that would kill most groups, Sloan have maintained the same lineup throughout, and all four members share writing and singing duties. Andrew Scott spends most of his time behind the drums, but also knows his way around the guitar and Fender Rhodes. He is also an accomplished painter and, as you'll soon read, quite the epicurean.

Sound Bites: Did any food in particular fuel the making of Never Hear the End of It?

Andrew Scott: Nothing great – mainly bad coffees and Portuguese "club sandwiches" from this place called Nova Era Bakery down the road from our space. The surliest service in town.

SB: Who is the best cook in the band?

AS: I'm going to have to nominate myself although I've never tasted the others cooking.

SB: Who is the most finicky eater?

AS: Jay.

SB: According to Wikipedia, Jay's favorite food is shrimp. [This has since been removed from Jay's entry - Ed] Can you confirm? What is yours?

AS: I doubt Jay has ever had a shrimp. As far as I know his favorite food is French Fries or steak – “well done.” Mine would be cassoulet soup, made with my own goose stock and real goose meat and really good cured sausage; not to mention beans that do not come from a can, dry white wine, tons of fresh thyme, shallots and, the most important thing of all, butter. Pretty yummy in the winter.

SB: Is there a city you look forward to playing… for the food?

AS: Any city in Japan because it is all so good – or Spain for the same reasons, but add the coffee. Japan has some work to do in that department. Then again, Spain has no sushi infrastructure as yet...should i go on?

SB: Any good food-related band anecdotes?

AS: Not really – our band has generally treated food and eating as a way to go off on one's own for a while. Until recently. We've started to venture to a good restaurant now and then as a group and it sits better when someone, inevitably me, will look to Mike (Nelson, Sloan's manager) and suggest we "band it." We've had many a fine bottle of wine on the Sloan tab.

SB: Which city has better bagels: NYC or Montreal?

AS: Montreal.

SB: What is your hangover food of choice?

AS: Bacon and eggs.

SB: You're a dad now. What do your kids refuse to eat?

AS: Quite a bit but, to their credit, they have both expanded their horizons somewhat. For the longest time anything green – naturally – is shunned, however every new meal is just that. They are pretty easy to feed these days. They just eat whatever we eat. A lot of salmon or pastas with pancetta. Lots of lollipops, cookies and popsicles.

SB: You've been living in Toronto for some time now. Are there any advantages, culinarily, to living there as opposed to Halifax?

AS: I never had a relationship with food when I lived there last but the benefits of living in Toronto are so many. Really fresh ingredients are everywhere – organic markets, butchers, dairies, produce and fish...etc. Halifax, one would think, has great seafood but, really, all the best fish is shipped here and to other big cities. They get left with a pretty unfortunate selection. You have to get out to the country to get the best fish I think.

SB: You were in a rap band in college called Oreos in Reverse. What’s your favorite cookie?

AS: My wife Fiona makes this one which is like a folk art chocolate chip cookie with demerara molasses sugar…mmmmmmm...

Sound Bites Interview: Hot Chip

This is a continuing series of interviews in which musicians talk about food, and chefs talk about music. London-based electronic act Hot Chip have previously sung about crap Kraft dinners and other foods. Even though it features no gastronomic references whatsoever, their new album, The Warning, is Hot Chip's tastiest yet. Frequently shirtless member Al Doyle was kind enough to let me grill him briefly.

SoundBites: Are you into food, apart from sustenance?

Al Doyle:  Sure. I like eating as much as the next man, and the next man is Joe [Goddard, Hot Chip's co-leader].

SB: Did any particular food fuel the making of The Warning?

Al:  There aren't any songs that directly reference food on the new album, like there were on Coming on Strong or the singles. Joe and Alexis have differing tastes. Alexis is definitely on the dirtier, fast food side of the equation. What he likes better than anything is KFC, so he'll always be ducking out for that. Joe, however, is much more of a foodie. When he was living at his dad's place, he had a very well equipped kitchen with a lovely smoothie maker, a nice set of really sharp chef's knives, and a chart on the wall with every chili pepper in the world and their varying strengths. We all enjoyed going there to record because he'd whip up a nice dish for us to snack on late in the day.

SB: What about you?

Al: I tend to eat a lot of vegetarian food because my girlfriend is a vegetarian, and a lot of my friends are but I do go for some meat now and again. One of the revelations when we went to America was discovering Whole Foods. That was such a good thing for us. We went to the flagship store in Austin during SXSW. It's mind-blowing. So huge, with all these little micro-restaurants within it. It's at least twice the size of the one in Union Square. There's bbq, a fish restaurant where they cook the fish right in front of you, and all the standard stuff like sushi, and soups. I think I walked around in there for 20 minutes before I even bought anything. That was real Extreme America for us.

SB: When you were in Austin for SXSW did you also indulge in BBQ?

Al: Oh yeah, absolutely. I had my ribs and brisket. This was fine by me but Owen (Clarke) and Felix (Martin) are staunch vegetarians and they had to subsist on potato salad and cold beans. It's the only thing you can get at those barbeque places. It is quite strange doing SXSW because you get a lot of people from the cities coming in expecting their nice vegetarian food. So the few places that do serve something besides Mexican or barbeque are so swamped with people it's nearly impossible to get a table.

SB: Is there a food that you all agree on?

Al: We're all big fans of Japanese food and sushi. That's one of the easy things you can get on tour that's fairly healthy. Some nice miso soup and some sushi is really great for us, as a band. Otherwise it's cold salads -- anything that doesn't make you feel bad or robs you of the will to live before you have to go onstage and play.

SB: Is there a city you look forward to playing -- for the food?

Al: We had some really good seafood in Seattle when we were there. The biggest scallops I've ever seen -- the size of your fist. They were all there in these little aquariums. You could go there and not eat anything, just look at the fish. France is also great. Good bread and cheese. I'm a big pastry aficionado. There's a very nice regional pastry that they do in Brittany called Kouign-Aman. It's a wonderous, doughy thing that has this amazing caramelized coating. You can tap in on the table and it seems hard, but as soon as you bite into it, it gives way to a light, doughy inside. There's also a faint apple-y taste to it. It's amazing and you can really only get it there. When I found that out I was just eating as many as possible. We're still waiting to go to Japan and really pig out. I think it will happen this year.

SB: Are there any foods that you won't eat?

Al: Not really. I went to a city farm the other day and I saw some baby lambs. They had been bottle-fed so they come up to you and eat out of your hand. Very cuddly. So I promised myself -- really, sincerely -- that I wouldn't eat lamb after that. But just today (laughs) we went to a Turkish restaurant and they had these really nice lamb kebabs with yogurt and tahini sauce. I gave in pretty much straight away. Other than that, I personally don't like sweet corn that much. I also don’t care for Licorice flavors, so no fennel for me, though absinthe is another story.

SB: If you were performing on a breakfast chat show and the producers asked you to change the lyrics of "The Warning" from "Hot Chip will break your legs" to "Hot Chip will make some eggs" would you do it?

Al: (Laughs) Yes. We're willing to do it -- but keep it under your hat.

Look for The Warning in store May 22 in the UK and June 13 in America. Please buy it.

Sound Bites Interview: Elbow

This is a continuing series of interviews in which musicians talk about food, and chefs talk about music. Elbow, a most excellent rock band from Manchester, England, are not named after the macaroni. The whole band probably would've talked for an hour about food but, sadly, there were other questions (not found here) on the agenda as well.  Singer Guy Garvey (left) and bassist Pete Turner (right) did most of the talking, as guitarist Mark Potter (middle) was too engrossed in his Eggs Benedict to contribute to this interview. Can't blame him. 

SoundBites: Are you all into food, beyond sustenance?

Guy Garvey: I would say I'm less into food than the rest of the band, even though I probably eat the most. We talk about it a hell of a lot, though. When we recorded Leaders of the Free World we got these guys, The Soup Collective to film us writing and recording it and Mark, the guy who was editing the outtake footage, said he could three hours out of us alone discussing food.

SB: Do you have special food requirements on your tour rider?

GG: We tend not to. I don’t eat meat and chicken, and Pete can't eat Brazil nuts or anything Brazil Nut-related, or he could die.

Pete Turner: The rider is mainly booze. We ask for snacks and stuff, but you want to spend the majority of it on booze. Our crew are greedy as fuck! They drink as much as we do, so we have to order lots of alcohol.

GG: As far as food goes, I could tell you what most of the band would order off a menu. After ten years as a band, we know each other's orders quite well.

SB: OK, let's hear it.

GG: Pete likes his food very simple and traditional. He likes meat and two vegetables. A good piece of meat and some good fresh vegetables. He likes prawns.

PT: Well, at the moment I'm very into scallops. It was mussels before that.

GG: Didn't you overdo it with lobster once?

PT: Well, lobster can be a bit sweet, a bit rich. It's easy to overdo.

GG: My favorite food is probably pasta. I eat far too much of it. Very good at cooking it, if I do say so.

PT: I used to live with Guy about five years ago and it wasn't that he couldn't do it, he just wouldn't try cooking anything. I knew that he could, because late at night he'd cook things up but if I was around he wouldn't do it. I think it's living by yourself, but he's become quite a good cook.

GG: I live in the city center, so it's very easy to eat out all the time. So I got into cooking to combat that.

SB: Do you actually go as far as to make your own pasta?

GG:  I'm not that adventurous. My friend Andy does, though, and he sometimes drops some off -- he's got a pasta maker. But maybe someday.

Elbow's third album, Leaders of the Free World, is in stores now. The import was my pick for Best Album of 2005.

Check out more food-related Q&As in the Soundbites Interview Archive.

Sound Bites Interview: The Darkness

This is a continuing series of interviews in which musicians talk about food, and chefs talk about music. The Darkness are the finest rock band ever to hail from Lowestoft, England. 

SoundBites: What's the best hangover food?

Dan Hawkins (guitar): I like chicken noodle soup.

Richie Edwards (bass): Really bad food like Burger King really cures my ills.

Justin Hawkins (vocals, guitar): I find a really nice flavoured lemon ice lolly before you do anything -- then you're off.

Ed Graham (drums): There's a place in London, Soho, called Mr. Woo's. It's a Chinese Buffet. All you can eat for five Pounds. [whole band cracks up. Mr. Woo's is somewhat infamous - ed]

Dan: Trouble is you've got to get down there.

Ed: If I've got a hangover, I get a cab and go straight into town.

Dan: But that's £7.50 already, then.

Ed: Well, the cab's more than the dinner [Laughter]... but it's perfect for a hangover.

SoundBites: Justin, can you eat what you want and still fit into the catsuit?

Justin: I eat everything. I eat to the point of bursting at every opportunity. My concession to it is to try and eat slightly less. But it never works out.

Dan: You end up having like six main meals a day.

Justin: I do the J Plan. It's a celebrity diet sort of thing. I'm writing a book about it -- to help others. Here's how it works. Basically, three days a week -- don't eat anything. Don't sleep either. The other four days just eat two meals for every one. And if worst come to worst, bulimia. [Laughter]

Ed: Justin, I don't think you should be advising other people to do that.

Justin: Obviously, not everyone can live on the J Plan.

Dan: Including Jay.

Ed: Previously I was on the Ed Plan, which was very similar, but I only lasted a week.

Justin: The J Plan is a good one, but it's expensive.

SoundBites: What food is the penguin bringing you in the "One Way Ticket" video?

Richie: It's a curry. The most expensive curry ever purchased, I think.

Ed: It was about £500, or $1000, 'cause in Iceland, it's such a remote place, everything has to be imported. But it was worth it.

The Darkness' way-over-the-top second album, One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back!, is out now. It goes well with just about any food, from pizza and beer to braised striped bass with razor clam gratinée and a flute of Krug Grand Cuvee. Thanks to Erich Scholz for asking the questions.

Check out SoundBites' interview with Super Furry Animals.

More Questions About Buildings and Food

I thought I had the market cornered on talking to indie rock musicians about food (all two interviews!) but Ganda over at Eat Drink One Woman has scored a genuine A-Lister for her always-fascinating "You Are What You Eat" Q&As. David Byrne took time out from his busy schedule of going to see The Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to reveal that he had pumpkin pie for breakfast this morning. That's the way to live, people. Would you like to know more?

BTW...I made Ganda's curried cauliflower recipe for Thanksgiving this year and it was a major hit.

Sound Bites Interview: SFA's Guto Pryce

The first in what will hopefully be a long series of interviews asking musicians about food (and maybe some chefs about music). Guto Pryce plays bass for Wales' finest band, Super Furry Animals.

SoundBites: Is there such a thing as Welsh cuisine?

Guto Pryce: There is. It's not very good, really. It's probably a peasant food, not really fine cuisine as such. There are some good cheeses in Wales, though.

SB: Is there a signature Welsh dish?

GP: Well, there's the Welsh Rarebit...which is cheese on toast. I don't know what makes cheese on toast particularly Welsh. The signature vegetable of Wales is the leek. When we used to fight the English, you wore a leek in your helmet to distinguish yourself from the enemy.

SB: Are there any foods you strongly dislike?

GP: Butter. I'm not a fussy eater, but that's just bullshit. I'm not into it at all. Unnecessary. I should clarify -- it's fine to cook with, but I don't want it on a sandwich.

SB: When you come to America, is there anything you look forward to eating?

GP: I've had jetlag all week, so I wake up every day at 6AM craving eggs. Just shitloads of eggs. I don't know what it is about America that makes me want to eat eggs... we have them at home, obviously. The future of this country is it's multiculturalism and the fine array of world cuisine you can have just by walking down the street.

SB: Is the band into food, actively I mean?

GP: Oh yeah. Cian [Ciarán, SFA's keyboardist] is a cook. He can rustle up a tasty meal out of strange ingredients.

SB: Does he have a specialty?

GP: He's a pasta man. Red wine and pasta is his thing. We're all big fans of Sushi. We were in Japan recently so we had a whole week of eating all kinds of Japanese food. Japanese beer as well is amazing.

SB: What's your favorite piece of sushi?

GP: I actually like the vegetarian one -- kappa. Cucumber. But a bit of tuna is good. I'm not big on eel.

SB: What about sea urchin?

GP: I like it, but I prefer an oyster. When we were in Brazil mixing the album, the food was amazing. All you could eat -- seafood or meat.

SB: The skewer places... it's called rodizio?

GP: Right. You have a little coin on your table -- one side is green for go, the other side red for stop. You just turn it over when you want more food. It's a challenge and you just feel like Homer Simpson. The idea is to eat more than you spend.

SB: "Receptacle for the Respectable" features a celery solo. How much of the stuff have you gone through since you've been performing it.

GP: It's not always celery. Sometimes it's crisps [potato chips]. They've got a good crunch to them. Carrots, apples... you can't get celery everywhere you go, so we have to branch out a little. On this tour, though, it's been celery every night. We go through a whole package a night.

SB: On the album (Rings Around the World) it's Paul McCartney doing the chomping. Is it celery or something else?

GP: It's in stereo, and one side is celery and the other side is carrots. I couldn't tell you which sides is which, unfortunately, but maybe a discerning listener could. The carrots may sound a little crisper in crunch. Put your headphones on, folks.

--Super Furry Animals are touring North America through December 1. Dates can be found here.

Photo courtesy Information Leafblower, who has some really amazing behind-the-scenes SFA photos on his Flickr photostream.