Interviews

Interview w/ S Band

By Stoney ⋅ January 7, 2008 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

With a colorful blend of art and rock the Augusta band simply known as “S” have painted a rock and roll picture on the area music scene that is part fun, part introspective and all rock. During two decades of mainstream musical self-loathing painter/guitarist/singer Billy S has refused to cave in keeping the “Happy to Be Alive” spirit of rock alive. Teaming up with former Sixth Hour drummer Adam Tolar led to the formation of “S” and now with recent addition Aaron Bradshaw on bass this Augusta power trio look to unleash an infectious live show and brand new CD on the rock faithful of the CSRA.

LL - First of lemme just say Happy New Year!

S -(loud shouting) hey Stoney! Hello Augusta , happy New Year !!! And good luck to you guys this year .

LL - So 2007 was a busy year for S…new CD, shows, etc. What kind of momentum do you feel you have going into 2008?

BS - We are steadily promoting the new disc with things like a new YouTube video filmed at 7g, some cool out of town shows.
AB - Yeah, and we are rehearsing the music now for another release later this year.
AT - We are even switching up instruments with each other. It’s really fun stuff.

LL - Speaking of your new CD, we got it featured here on the Lokal Loudness podcast. Which track do you think will grab listeners the most?

AT – “Collide”.
AB - Yeah, that one.
AT - You may have heard it on the Radar Radio recently with Joe and Jason.
BS - Yeah, and the ladies all love
“September Blue”, song #7!
AT - Yee-hah !

LL - Now looking at the CD, and in some ways listening to it, this disc just glows all things Billy but you think of it more as a band than a solo/backing band thing.

BS - This is a 3 piece band. there are no solo artists here . Come see us play live and you will see.
AT - Word to yo mamma…

LL - I’ve also noticed that this CD has a darker tone musically compared to what we’re used to from Billy. Can that also be attributed to the band dynamic?

AT - Darker ?!?
Aaron: Well we did record it at night ! Yeah, and we all had headlamp sets on our heads just to see! ( band laughs)

LL - Billy and Adam, you guys went through a period after the formation of the band where you were minus a bass player. Where’d you guys dig up Aaron and how is this version of S different from the original band lineup?

AT – We were just trying to find the right person for the spot.
BS - Yeah, and a few of our
best friends have helped us out, but Aaron is the right man.
AT – Man, Aaron didn’t even have a bass!
AB - Yeah, I recognized Adam from Big City Music and my calculus class at ASU , and was helping him find a player for the “S” band. and then just said, “man, fuck it, I’ll just do it !”

LL - For years now Billy has done most of his recording at the Jam Room in Columbia. What made you guys decide to go with Sector 7G instead?

AB - Nick is family, and we want to continue to support our local music scene.
AT - Nick is awesome.
BS - And it’s always a great vibe in there! And he knows the software.

LL - So what’s up with the title “I Love This”? Do you guys just really dig your own tunes or is it some sorta inside band joke?

BS - We all love getting to play live anywhere! We have so much fun, you can tell by the
amount of sweat created.
AB - Or…it’s a psycological puzzle that sticks in your head.
AT - Nice!

LL - What do you guys hope to accomplish with this cd?

AB - Just to get our name out there more and play more live shows.
AT - Well, we love to make our music, and and we want to keep experimenting with it live.
BS - Yes, our live shows are much crazier than the c.d. !

LL - And you’re gonna have copies at the Soul Bar? That show is when?

BS - Oh, definitely ! And , we always give one or two away during the live show!
AB - Hey, Stoney, you can also get yours today at Silver City, Tie Dye Rosie’s, Borders Bookstore, Big City Music, all our live shows , and download them now from cdbaby.com
AT - Oh yeah, and our Soul Bar show is Thursday January. 24th with Sound Equation !

LL - As we begin the new year…any funny S stories from 2007 you can leave us with?

AB - Well, after our gig at House of Blues Aaron and an annonymous sound engineer who plays in “Number 9″ went with the Drifters to the Crazy Horse and partied all night… no lie.!!!
(Adam and Billy Laughing out Loud!!!)

LL - Lovely! Thanks Guys!

S - Friend us at Myspace.com/sband

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