Ripe Like Candy

What are the best and worst venues you’ve played?

Düsseldorf, Germany at Ratinger Hof. Best sound ever. Düsseldorf is where dreams come true. We met TAKA who makes his own crazy instruments, like a 20-foot-long tube trumpet and wild video game gun noise machines. He played with us on stage, he had the most curious, gentle, beautiful, delicate energy.  Then took us to his giant, giant, giant, Walmart-sized studio and showed us all his creations. Like a helmet with a cymbal on top and you can feel all the reverberations in your bones. Also, I couldn’t find a place to park our van that wasn’t a million dollars and these punks rode with me across town to a special place and then walked me an hour all the way back to the venue in the rain and gave me their coat. Worst venue…can’t remember right now but anywhere that’s really cold without a green room, makes you pay for drinks, takes merch percentage, and rushes through soundcheck. Such bad vibes.

Budget notwithstanding, what’s your dream stage show (pyro, trapdoors, hot dog cannons, etc.)?

Something like Disney on Ice, definitely hot dog cannons. Tommy Lee drum cage, but an acrylic box that spins over the crowd and I’m not strapped in.

Ideally, what would your music create?

Fearlessness.

What’s inspired the band recently?

There is a cheese we found in France, we call it chaos cheese. It tastes like everything at the same time, it’s called Saint-Félicien à La Lyonnaise or Rocamadour.