Interview: Stephanie Anne
08.31.24
Interview and photos by Sattva Photo
Psymon Spine: Just being on the road. It’s been a lot of the inside of the van, seeing as we drove here from New York, so I’m seeing a lot of backseat, a lot of frontseat, a lot of steering wheel, but we’ve gone swimming every day. Literally every day. We were swimming in Lake Michigan. Pools, hot tubs. We went to one pool, though, and literally, like, within a minute, a kid pooped in the pool, and they shut it down. So there you go. Highlights and a lowlight.
Seattle Music News: Oh, wow. Yikes! Well, for folks who maybe haven’t heard you before, how would you describe Psymon Spine?
Psymon Spine: The music’s good, fun, loud, precise, agile…wait, we’re describing Pikachu also. Electric, rosy cheeks, lightning bolt.
Seattle Music News: How’d you all meet what was like to your origin story?
Psymon Spine: Michael and I met when I was 15, and he was 17. We went to high school together. I thought he was truly cool. Wanted to be his friend. He didn’t think I was that cool, and then I convinced him to be my best friend.
Went to college and met Peter. Peter and I did a little European tour together when we were 18, and then, yeah, and we went through a lot of different lineup changes. Zeb came in after that, several years later, and Aubrey is now on her second tour with us.
Seattle Music News: What would go on the best of the best Psymon Spine 3 track EP?
Psymon Spine: Ohhh, this might break up the band. “Jacket”, “Wizard”, and “Jump Rope.” All the two year olds love “Jump Rope.” I think that “Jump Rope” is one of those songs. Our friend Sabine wrote it. She lives in Berlin. We sort of collaborate remotely with her. And I think, I think it’s fun, because you’re going to interpret the lyrics so literally being a bad jump rope if you’re a child, or you can, you can be like, “This is what I gotta do.” It’s kind of like the Hokey Pokey.
Or it’s about the system, man. Is the “Hokey Pokey” about the system? Well, believe it or not, if you look at it with some critical lens, that line, “death to the bourgeoisie.” It’s all about the bottom line.
Seattle Music News: How’s the how’s the reception been the Head Body Connector?
Psymon Spine: It’s hard to say with internet music. There’s been ups and downs with it, but when we go on tour, we we meet people who know the words to the weird songs, and that’s incredible. I think it’s been less widely played, but the people do come out. It’s also been so fun playing them live. Like, I mean, we have a blast with the people that are listening to us. And the new songs have been just, it’s just like, a very different direction. And I think it’s really informed the way that we play our older songs, too. It’s been really good for the sound and for the performance.
Seattle Music News: Is there any specific artist or band with whom you’d like to share the stage or record?
Psymon Spine: I think for comedic sake, like Mumford and Sons. We’d get Steve Martin in on the banjo. Steve, that wouldn’t be a joke. I feel like a Talking Heads reunion would be the dream. We just got Oasis back, so who knows?
Seattle Music News: Would you put up with Liam for a half hour?
Psymon Spine: Absolutely.
Seattle Music News: What if he just looked at you and just leered the whole time?
Psymon Spine: That happens in the band anyways. And leer is a move that Pokemon can learn, like Pikachu, which is like us. Wow. Full circle moment, right? It’s called a callback.
Seattle Music News: What’s next on your tour?
Psymon Spine: Fort Collins next. And then five shows until we’re back home in Brooklyn. We never figured about Omaha. It’s supposed to be a beautiful city. We drove through. I was paying attention and I was like, “it’s beautiful here.”
Seattle Music News: Is one of you the specific driver?
Psymon Spine: At the moment, Peter and I are the only two on the rental agreement. So we’ve been piloting, but it’s been nice. Like, with 10 hour drives. It’s like something to do. And then every time we go around a turn, they just drift around. It’s pretty safe. Then I get a green shell.
Seattle Music News: You’re in the van for so many hours at a time. Do you get sick of one another? And if so, what tips do you have to navigate a road trip as a band?
Psymon Spine: Just listen to “The Spark” by Kabin Crew. That’s gonna galvanize. It’s all you need to hear. Extremely inspiring. It’s these Irish kids that I think it’s like a sky camp program, Kabin Crew. It’s electrifying it, honestly. Listening to that song was one of the most uplifting things that’s happened to me.
And, alone time. I think everyone’s gotten better at knowing when to take a little bit of time for themselves. It’s noise canceling. Noise canceling headphones. Taking a left when everyone goes right at a gas station. So you can get, you can micro, I call it micro dosing on alone time, because it’s like, I need a lot of alone time, and when you’re on tour, you don’t get a lot of it.
But also shared meals at Applebee’s. $3 shots and stuff. I had an eight ounce steak and a glass of Josh. And also, when all of us turn right at the gas station, Michael turns left and brings us all together when we have to find Michael.
