Talkin' Music Magic With THE SUZAN

  Valentine's Day is in the air, is it not? It's very obviously February outside. Winter fatigue has set in city-wide. A dusting of snow that would have been considered beautiful in December feels about as welcome of pigeon shit falling out of the sky. So it's time for winter's last holiday to rear it's ugly head, pass us by, and allow the springtime healing season of rebirth and romance to engulf us all. As an expert on being single on well, basically every day of the year, I highly recommend going to a show. You don't have to talk to anyone though there will be other people around, it's totally ok to spontaneously dance or stand in the corner and look at your shoes, and there will be all the alcohol you need (and then some).

  We're really exited for the Hearts Bleed Radio 2nd annual Valentine's Day show. Closing out the night is THE SUZAN. Transplants from Japan, they are always an engaging live show, as they transition between bubblegum pop and arty noise assaults. I spoke with Rie, Saori, and Nico via email. Here's the transcript:


Hearts Bleed Radio: Were you exposed to a lot of rock and roll growing up in Japan? Were your parents into it, or was it something you had to find on your own?

THE SUZAN: Rock and Roll is not so major in Japan, so we had to find cool foreign music on internet or music stores on our own.

Rie: My parents loved R&B or Soul music, Dance music.

HBR: Who are your biggest influences?

Rie: The Beatles.

HBR: You guys switch between bouncy pop music and noise punk. Does one style feel more natural than the other?

THE SUZAN: We are genre-less band. We have a lot of styles of music. Last week, we had a studio session, and made a dark heavy rock song. We play the music that we want to play. It's natural.

Radical Dads! Japan/CMJ/Songwriting... They are awesome. Just listen to them.

Last night's showcase went off without a hitch... Everyone had fun... I had fun, which is all that really matters. Tomorrow's showcase (10/19) is going to be incredible. I really can't wait to share all these bands with you. Radical Dads has been one of my favorite local acts since I first saw them play about two years ago. The trio of Lindsay Baker (guitar vox), Chris Diken (Guitar), and Robbie Guertin (drums) play bombastic indie rock that is very representative of the genre, without being generic. If you don't know these guys, check them out. You're going to love them. I did a little email interview with Robbie and Chris.

Here's the exchange:

Hearts Bleed Radio: Robbie, when I was talking to you last, after one of your Northside shows, you said you absolutely had to play with Lindsay and Chris when you heard they were getting something going. What about them makes them so special?

Robbie: Well first off, I wanted to play with them because they're my best friends! That makes them super special in my book. On top of that, though, they are also two of the best musicians and songwriters that I know, so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being involved! So, as I told you before, they were both playing guitar, and they needed a drummer, so I decided it was time for me to learn how to play the drums.

HBR: How do you guys compose? If I had to guess I’d say it would seem like a group effort?

Robbie: Yep, usually it ends up being a group effort. The general Rad Dads songwriting formula is that Chris or Lindsay will come in with some guitar parts. Sometimes it's just one part, sometimes 2 or 3 parts that fit together, and other times, it's 7 or 8 parts that fit together (that's usually what Chris does). So whoever brings in the new parts plays them while the other two play along and figure out our own parts to fit with it. It is very scientific. Sometimes new parts are added, or parts are taken away. Then we usually try it in a bunch of different configurations, usually with me being very bossy about it, until we find the right combination/length that works. Vocals and lyrics usually come last, but sometimes they are figured out somewhere along the way. Now you know our secret.

Rad Dads are going to make you as happy as a bear with a watermelon. 

HBR: How have you evolved in the period between Mega Rama and Rapid Reality? Has your approach changed?

Robbie: I think in a lot of ways we've stayed the same, but overall we've just become more confident in playing together, and we've started to figure out what works and what doesn't work.