Lueda Alia
01/27/09, 06:02 PM
Last month I had the chance to get in touch with Aaron Distler who made it possible to set up an interview with How I Became the Bomb (http://www.myspace.com/howibecamethebomb). So thank you, Aaron, and thank you Jon Burr for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us!
Could you introduce "How I Became the Bomb" to our readers that have yet to listen to the band?
How I Became the Bomb is a small group of fellows come together to make music that is evocative of the good pop we've all experienced (i.e. ABBA, Spector, ELO, DEVO, Kubrick, Silver Age comics, Alan Moore, etc.) while hoping to create something new. Hopefully, this creation is something that moves people, in one way or another. There's a dancing joke in there, somewhere, amongst all that pompous drivel! In less elaborate terms, we're just some guys who got together to make the sort of fun, dance-able music that we've been missing these last couple of decades.
How would you describe your sound and what song would you recommend someone to check out first to get familiar with it?
Little movies in our head put to music that, let us hope, has, in the words of so many, "a good beat." As far as good jumping-off points go, I'll recommend "Secret Identity" off of the EP or "Mothership" from Foremost Sentinel. Good litmus tests, I'd say.
How often do people ask about your name and what it stands for?
As often as I'm interviewed. We didn't come up with it, but it's out of a mutual admiration for Dr. Strangelove and, I'm afraid, an oblique reference to my own resemblance to the titular character. A friend named us. At least, we think it's a friend.
What made you guys decide to play music for the rest of your lives?
Well, it certainly beats the life of a hamster, doesn't it? This band serves as a way for us to create an aesthetic and not just musically. Through our website, videos, and other paraphernalia we can make our own little world.
Do any of you still have a "day job"? If yes, how do you find the time to balance your job and music career?
Between the lot of us, there's a mathematician, paper shredder, gambler, and a short order cook. Being the sporting man, it's fairly easy for me to concentrate on the music. I don't think there is much balance, really. How much of one's mind does it take to work a 9 to 5? I think the secret is to not let the daily grind sap your energies.
Clay Aiken seems to be an influence according to your myspace (to the readers: do not stop reading yet!). Tell us about that and the real bands that have actually influenced your music.
Oh, the Clay Aiken bit is just some silliness I jotted up on the myspace when I created the page. The "name your influences" game, which is useful, certainly, really seems to be a pissing contest most of the time, so we decided to skip it. I know it can be a helpful query, but since the music automatically plays on the page anyways, it seemed a little redundant. Aiken's success does give us some hope, however. If he's made it this far, what's to stop those of us who actually make compelling music?
Speaking for myself, my favorite bands are ABBA, ELO, and DEVO. At least those are my favorite bands that I can name in three-to-four capitalized letters each.
It seems as though your band received attention overseas pretty quickly, which is impressive. What was it like to tour in Europe along such bands as Spoon and the Arcade Fire?
It was good, clean fun, and a great stroke of luck. It's certainly easier to break in overseas, thanks to the geography and the way the kids pay attention to music. Everyone still reads the mags over there, whereas, do you really know anyone who reads Rolling Stone or Spin? Here in the States, it's just so damned large and harder to get ahold of everyone. You have to infect the populace, like a virus, it seems. We're working on that.
Looking back at your first EP, Lets Go!, is there any thing that you would improve or change?
Everyone hates their first stab, but I do think it's an accurate representation of what our live show sounded like, when recorded by true professionals. We recorded that EP almost immediately after we formed the band.
Are these new 3 song volumes that you are working on going to be a lot different from your first EP?
Much more time, work, and ingenuity goes into our recording process now. We aren't the rank amateurs we were previously and we've found a way to get all of the stuff in our heads into the song now. A lot of that has to be attributed to our relationship with our producer, John Shelley Baldwin, who has become integral to the point of very nearly being a member of the band. I'd categorize our first endeavour, Let's Go!, as a fun portrayal of what we could do at the time, where now, when describing the volumes we're presently working on, I like to bandy about phrases like "epic soundscape" and the like. It makes me sound ridiculous, but I really do think we're making big sounds these days.
How have fans reacted to the first volume: Vol. I: Who Dares Wins?
Very positively, thankfully. I was very afraid that all the bells and whistles would scare people away! Adherence to a sort of DIY ethos or a "keep it simple, stupid" approach is prevalent these days and that's not what we want to do, at all. We want to do all the wacky business that we find in the records we love.
I read that you plan to compile all the "volumes" in an Annual which includes physical packaging, vinyl, DVD and some bonus tracks. How is that coming about? The year is almost ending!
The first Annual will come out after four or five volumes. Since we started towards the end of a calendar year, it wouldn't make much sense to put out an Annual after just two volumes, so we'll have to figure out how we're going to do that. We still want to offer physical merchandise to our most ardent followers, so the Annual will have all sorts of extra stuff, besides just the music and videos. But, the plan is to do an Annual each year, yes, just like all of our favorite comic books used to do.
You took somewhat of a break in the last year. Any plans for a national or international tour anytime soon?
The only break we took was a writing sabbatical after three months of touring in Europe. We love to tour, but we'll keep it pretty close to home except for special trips while the early phases of our little release plan take shape. This is why, when one downloads the tracks, one is prompted to give their location. We want to come visit! As our listenership grows, so will the circles in which we travel.
Are there any bands that you would love to tour with? Who?
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
What has so far been the best part of being in a band?
Making stories with friends.
One last question because I love dancing and I find your music extremely catchy: Do you dance to your own songs?!
But, of course! When the dancing stops, it's time to call it a day, I'd say.
I lied above, because I have another question! Do you have any last words to say to our readers?
We'd like to offer our many thanks for reading. Remember, our music is for you, at no cost! Volumes I and II are out now, with the third on the way. Keep checking www.howibecamethebomb.com (http://www.howibecamethebomb.com/) for musical and visual stimulation.
I would just like to thank you for agreeing to do the interview. I hope that 2009 is an even bigger year for the band because your songs sound fantastic. I absolutely love them, so keep up the good work and good luck with everything!
Thanks for taking the time to ask the questions. Same to you.
Could you introduce "How I Became the Bomb" to our readers that have yet to listen to the band?
How I Became the Bomb is a small group of fellows come together to make music that is evocative of the good pop we've all experienced (i.e. ABBA, Spector, ELO, DEVO, Kubrick, Silver Age comics, Alan Moore, etc.) while hoping to create something new. Hopefully, this creation is something that moves people, in one way or another. There's a dancing joke in there, somewhere, amongst all that pompous drivel! In less elaborate terms, we're just some guys who got together to make the sort of fun, dance-able music that we've been missing these last couple of decades.
How would you describe your sound and what song would you recommend someone to check out first to get familiar with it?
Little movies in our head put to music that, let us hope, has, in the words of so many, "a good beat." As far as good jumping-off points go, I'll recommend "Secret Identity" off of the EP or "Mothership" from Foremost Sentinel. Good litmus tests, I'd say.
How often do people ask about your name and what it stands for?
As often as I'm interviewed. We didn't come up with it, but it's out of a mutual admiration for Dr. Strangelove and, I'm afraid, an oblique reference to my own resemblance to the titular character. A friend named us. At least, we think it's a friend.
What made you guys decide to play music for the rest of your lives?
Well, it certainly beats the life of a hamster, doesn't it? This band serves as a way for us to create an aesthetic and not just musically. Through our website, videos, and other paraphernalia we can make our own little world.
Do any of you still have a "day job"? If yes, how do you find the time to balance your job and music career?
Between the lot of us, there's a mathematician, paper shredder, gambler, and a short order cook. Being the sporting man, it's fairly easy for me to concentrate on the music. I don't think there is much balance, really. How much of one's mind does it take to work a 9 to 5? I think the secret is to not let the daily grind sap your energies.
Clay Aiken seems to be an influence according to your myspace (to the readers: do not stop reading yet!). Tell us about that and the real bands that have actually influenced your music.
Oh, the Clay Aiken bit is just some silliness I jotted up on the myspace when I created the page. The "name your influences" game, which is useful, certainly, really seems to be a pissing contest most of the time, so we decided to skip it. I know it can be a helpful query, but since the music automatically plays on the page anyways, it seemed a little redundant. Aiken's success does give us some hope, however. If he's made it this far, what's to stop those of us who actually make compelling music?
Speaking for myself, my favorite bands are ABBA, ELO, and DEVO. At least those are my favorite bands that I can name in three-to-four capitalized letters each.
It seems as though your band received attention overseas pretty quickly, which is impressive. What was it like to tour in Europe along such bands as Spoon and the Arcade Fire?
It was good, clean fun, and a great stroke of luck. It's certainly easier to break in overseas, thanks to the geography and the way the kids pay attention to music. Everyone still reads the mags over there, whereas, do you really know anyone who reads Rolling Stone or Spin? Here in the States, it's just so damned large and harder to get ahold of everyone. You have to infect the populace, like a virus, it seems. We're working on that.
Looking back at your first EP, Lets Go!, is there any thing that you would improve or change?
Everyone hates their first stab, but I do think it's an accurate representation of what our live show sounded like, when recorded by true professionals. We recorded that EP almost immediately after we formed the band.
Are these new 3 song volumes that you are working on going to be a lot different from your first EP?
Much more time, work, and ingenuity goes into our recording process now. We aren't the rank amateurs we were previously and we've found a way to get all of the stuff in our heads into the song now. A lot of that has to be attributed to our relationship with our producer, John Shelley Baldwin, who has become integral to the point of very nearly being a member of the band. I'd categorize our first endeavour, Let's Go!, as a fun portrayal of what we could do at the time, where now, when describing the volumes we're presently working on, I like to bandy about phrases like "epic soundscape" and the like. It makes me sound ridiculous, but I really do think we're making big sounds these days.
How have fans reacted to the first volume: Vol. I: Who Dares Wins?
Very positively, thankfully. I was very afraid that all the bells and whistles would scare people away! Adherence to a sort of DIY ethos or a "keep it simple, stupid" approach is prevalent these days and that's not what we want to do, at all. We want to do all the wacky business that we find in the records we love.
I read that you plan to compile all the "volumes" in an Annual which includes physical packaging, vinyl, DVD and some bonus tracks. How is that coming about? The year is almost ending!
The first Annual will come out after four or five volumes. Since we started towards the end of a calendar year, it wouldn't make much sense to put out an Annual after just two volumes, so we'll have to figure out how we're going to do that. We still want to offer physical merchandise to our most ardent followers, so the Annual will have all sorts of extra stuff, besides just the music and videos. But, the plan is to do an Annual each year, yes, just like all of our favorite comic books used to do.
You took somewhat of a break in the last year. Any plans for a national or international tour anytime soon?
The only break we took was a writing sabbatical after three months of touring in Europe. We love to tour, but we'll keep it pretty close to home except for special trips while the early phases of our little release plan take shape. This is why, when one downloads the tracks, one is prompted to give their location. We want to come visit! As our listenership grows, so will the circles in which we travel.
Are there any bands that you would love to tour with? Who?
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
What has so far been the best part of being in a band?
Making stories with friends.
One last question because I love dancing and I find your music extremely catchy: Do you dance to your own songs?!
But, of course! When the dancing stops, it's time to call it a day, I'd say.
I lied above, because I have another question! Do you have any last words to say to our readers?
We'd like to offer our many thanks for reading. Remember, our music is for you, at no cost! Volumes I and II are out now, with the third on the way. Keep checking www.howibecamethebomb.com (http://www.howibecamethebomb.com/) for musical and visual stimulation.
I would just like to thank you for agreeing to do the interview. I hope that 2009 is an even bigger year for the band because your songs sound fantastic. I absolutely love them, so keep up the good work and good luck with everything!
Thanks for taking the time to ask the questions. Same to you.