I had a brief question and answer thing with the spewgrass guys. It’s on the spewgrass.com homepage now, but I thought I’d post it here for posterity:
This month’s guest artist is Craig Tanis, sous chef and mixmaster extraordinaire. Craig took a few moments from trying to make rhymes out of Reason to answer a few questions for us….
It seems as though the majority of your work is
loop based recording. How do you feel this compares
with traditional multitrack recording techniques?I think looping is a logical extension of the studio-as-instrument concept. It gives the artist the opportunity (and obligation) to do things that you can’t do any other way. I don’t mean to say I think I’m constantly breaking new musical grounds, though — it can also be a huge timesaver. It’s really just another tool in the toolbox — most of my current recordings are multitracked parts alongside
arranged loops, in Ableton Live.You seem to have found a nice little niche with the
over-the-top goodness you do as Starfinger. Are there any other music styles or genres that you haven’t explored yet that you would like to explore in the future?Tons. I want to do it all. I’d like to be in a genuine band some day that has people who can play the guitar in it.
What’s your take on the whole music downloading and the RIAA issue?
The RIAA is a bane — the internet is changing the way that people experience music, and I don’t think there’s a place for them here. On the other hand, I love buying CD’s, so they’re still getting my money. I guess I’m part of the problem and the solution.
Are there any artists or influences you’d like to
give a shout about? What do you listen to that you
think is really good these days?Spewgrass has some great stuff! I bought the Donkey T and Brad
Sucks albums recently, and love them all. In the commercial
sector, I’ve always admired Bowie, Prince, Mike Patton, Aphex Twin, Bill Laswell, and many more — tons of people that have influenced me in some way or another.What do you like more than soup?
Riblets are good.