RB: So what do you think? Do you think they sound like Phish?
MM: The first time I saw them they did‚ I mean it was silly. But that was a couple of years ago.
RB: Yeah‚ they grew.
MM: Yeah‚ and that goes back to Greg Bell. I remember he had them opening for someone in Albany a few years back and he said‚ "This band is really good." And then he went on to say something along the lines of that every good jam band that starts out sounds like either Phish or the Dead. It's like the same conversation we had in 1995 when the Disco Biscuits were playing the same bar to about twenty people. They sounded just like Phish and Zappa when they first got started and they grew into their own thing. I think it's great - they have this jammy‚ electronic‚ gobi thing going on and it's great. So more bands are sounding like that now‚ you know?
RB: I haven't really gotten into that stuff. Who knows though‚ maybe next year I'll be into that. One techno-ish album I got into was Jeff Beck's album from a couple of years ago‚ You Had It Coming. You should check it out.
MM: Yeah‚ I went through a heavy Jeff Beck period. I don't know if you would call it funk…
RB: Yeah‚ like Blow by Blow type of stuff.
MM: Yeah‚ and Wired. I mean‚ that stuff is just great.
RB: Yeah‚ it's insane. But this album he's just playing over techno beats and it's really interesting.
MM: Yeah‚ I think that's the thing that got me into that type of music - the organic side of it. You see a live band playing like that and it's interesting. But I've been accused of being too cynical of synthetic music; you know‚ like a DJ playing and I'm like‚ "Whatever" (laughs). Which‚ you know…
RB: Yeah‚ it's like I don't know enough about it.
MM: Sure‚ that's my problem: I'm guilty of ignorance. I listen to it and I'm not moved.
RB: Yeah‚ who's to say; you can't give anyone shit for liking what they like.
MM: Exactly‚ like I saw you sleeping while moe. was noodling for twenty minutes while I was dancing (laughter).
RB: I had to wake you up for the good parts!
Note: This conversation continued on for a while - we had a long discussion about a good "closer" for the interview. Rob suggested the idea of the "Morning Dew" of interviews‚ but we ended up noodling until it got late and we both had to go to bed.
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