Posts in Q&A
Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard Gives a Quarantine Q&A

For everyone in the U.S. and for many more abroad, the past weeks dealing with the deadly Coronavirus have felt like a fever dream. Most of the Western world has shut down, with only hospitals, pharmacies and grocery stores open to the public. For musicians, tours have been cancelled and plans for festivals and new releases have been put on hold.

Many songwriters, as a result, have turned to digital shows for both a creative release and as a means to interact with fans. One such prominent name to throw his hat into the digital arena is Death Cab For Cutie frontman, Ben Gibbard, who has pledged to play live every day for two weeks. And Gibbard’s shows are popular, with each garnering hundreds of thousands of views from fans.

We wanted to catch up with the Seattle-based Gibbard to talk about his relationship to the recent public health crisis and how he’s tried to cope through music.

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Greg Dulli on “Random Desire”

Greg Dulli, frontman for The Afghan Whigs, has just released his first-ever solo record, Random Desire, via Royal Cream/BMG. The 10-song album, which was written and recorded almost entirely by Dulli, features his signature beseeching, powerful voice and the songwriter's intellectual heft that comes along with it. Random Desire, which is comprised of tracks that feel both forlorn and triumphant, is reflective. Solemn piano playing blends with howling vocals, snare hits and flashes of electric guitar. The album, which follows The Afghan Whigs' latest release, 2017's In Spades, distinguishes Dulli as a solid solo performer while also adding two handfuls of well-crafted songs to his long catalogue of heartfelt, personal music. We spoke to Dulli about the writing and recording of Random Desire, as well as the surprising influence of Bob Fosse.

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Q&AJake UittiUnder The Radar
Josh Klinghoffer Discusses RHCP, Danger Mouse, and His Solo Project, Pluralone

Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, Josh Klinghoffer, has a lengthy and prestigious musical résumé. Among his many professional accomplishments, Klinghoffer has worked extensively with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Gnarles Barkley.

This year, he is set to go on tour, opening for Pearl Jam with his new solo project, Pluralone. The band, Klinghoffer says, has yet to play a single show. But now they’re head on one of the most recognizable bills in the country, stopping at cities like New York City, Toronto and Nashville, among many others. Pluralone, though, which sounds like a mix of Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead, should please rock fans with its elastic vocals and thoughtful, pulsing instrumentation.

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ABNEY PARK’S CAPTAIN ROBERT: THE GODFATHER OF STEAMPUNK MUSIC SPEAKS

Most people have at least heard the term “steampunk.” But most people have no idea what the term means – myself, until about two weeks ago, included. Someone who absolutely knows what the word means (incidentally, it’s a sub-genre of science fiction set in Victorian era or Wild West times) is Robert Brown, who many say invented the idea.

Brown, also known as Captain Robert, created whole worlds and myriad characters to inhabit them and these real-world-though-fictional creations make up the stories in the songs he plays with his band, Abney Park. Men with mechanical hearts, pirates flying through the sky in planes or hot air balloons, wars between robotic tribes – these are his artistic manifestations. To discuss these worlds, we caught up with Brown and asked him about the origins of steampunk, and how he came to love it.

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Q&AJake UittiArtist Home
KEN JENNINGS TALKS BUZZER STRATEGY, MARVEL MOVIES, AND ALEX TREBEK

On January 14th, longtime Jeopardy! contestant Ken Jennings was crowned “The Greatest of All Time,” defeating two other longtime accomplished contestants, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer. Jennings, who also holds the longest winning streak in Jeopardy! history with 74 consecutive wins, took home $1,000,000 for his efforts. Jennings is also a published author (many times over), a former magazine columnist, and current podcast host. He has his own board game. But, perhaps more than anything, he is the modern face of knowledge. We caught up with the trivia GOAT to ask him about his early days watching the show, his thirst for competition, and his relationship with Alex Trebek.

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This is Why 13,000 WA State Nurses & Hospital Workers Will Strike in Jan 2020

Nurse Whittney Powers is on the negotiating team that’s discussing a new contract between a union of about 8,000 Seattle-area hospital employees and the Providence Health & Services-owned Swedish Hospital healthcare system. 

The strike, which has been contentious at times, has many implications, including on patient care and employee futures. 

We caught up with Powers to ask her what led up to the strike, what happens next and how both parties might be affected. 

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Q&AJake UittiNurse.org
CNA to Nurse Practitioner - YouTube Star's Immigration Story Will Give You Goosebumps

Nurse Mercy Gono has worked hard to become who she is today. After moving from Liberia in West Africa to the United States, Gono learned English, studied hard, and has progressed through the nursing profession. Mercy started her medical career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and then continued on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and is currently working on her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She obtained success in large part to her self dedication and belief in education. 

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Q&AJake UittiNurse.org
R&B Dynamo Parisalexa on 'Songland', Billboard and Ambition

Parisalexa, the 21-year-old R&B songwriting dynamo from Seattle, by way of New Jersey, is already a rising star in the pop music world. That's evidenced by her tens of thousands of streams on YouTube and her recent appearance on the popular NBC television show, Songland, during which she pitched a nearly perfect pop song to famed songwriter, Charlie Puth. And while Paris didn't win, Billboard said after the episode that hers was not only the top song of the episode but of the entire season. With that in her back pocket, Paris continues to write and record and release new music, including this new jam of late. We caught up with the artist to ask her about her first-ever song, her experience on NBC, and what the word "ambition" means to her.

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Q&AJake UittiPopMatters
ARTIST HOME INTERVIEW: SHELTON HARRIS ON MANAGING TRAVIS THOMPSON AND BUILDING A FAN BASE

If you’re a fan of the Seattle music world, you’ve likely heard the name Travis Thompson in the past year, or so. He’s the bombastic rapper who, still in his early 20s, has played Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, collaborated with Macklemore, Sir Mix A Lot and Geo, and headlined the Showbox. But a name you might not know quite as well – but one that is no less significant – is Shelton Harris. He is Thompson’s manager and the person who has been with the burgeoning rapper every step of the way, from Burien to MTV. 

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Q&AJake UittiArtist Home
BENDELACREME SOUNDS OFF ON JOE BIDEN, CHER, AND HERSELF

For fans of drag, the name BenDeLaCreme is likely a household one. “DeLa,” as she’s often known, was a standout on season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race and appeared famously on the show’s All-Stars season, shockingly eliminating herself in one of the rounds when she was a favorite to win the competition. Nevertheless, the Seattle-based drag queen has toured the world several times over, bringing her unique sense of goofy physicality, rubbery facial expressions, and heart-warming charm to audiences. This winter, BenDeLaCreme (born Benjamin Putnam) is on tour with fellow Emerald City drag celebrity, Jinkx Monsoon, a former Drag Race champion, bringing their latest project “All I Want For Christmas Is Attention” around the country. We caught up with DeLa to ask her for her thoughts on myriad topics, from Frosty the Snowman to butt implants, and everything in between.

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JOHN WATERS WEIGHS IN ON LIZZO, TINDER, AND SANTA CLAUS

John Waters, the mastermind filmmaker behind classics like Hairspray and Pink Flamingos, is known for his remarkable balance between the snooty and the trashy. He is dichotomous in his creative works, keeping a well-groomed thin mustache while filming his star, Divine, eating literal dog poop off the street. Walking a tightrope between well-kempt and tawdry, Waters has risen to fame and notoriety for his stories and unique sense of charm. Of late, the artist received a Grammy nomination for the spoken word album adapted from his book, Mr. Know-It-All, and recorded a vinyl single, “Make Trouble,” with Jack White’s label, Third Man Records. In December, Waters will tour his annual Yuletide show, “A John Waters Christmas,” which is always profane and never not entertaining. We caught up with the infamous raconteur to ask his thoughts on a myriad display of semi-random topics, from Donald Trump to Disney+.

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Hip-Hop Legend Kurtis Blow: The Interview

Kurtis Blow was there at the beginning of hip-hop. Without him, the genre may never have become the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. To list off, Blow was the first rapper to sign to a major label, receive a gold record for rap, tour the US and Europe, record a national commercial, create a rap music video, and the first rap millionaire. Today, he is on tour with the production of the Hip-Hop Nutcracker as the show's - what else - emcee.

Blow, known for his songs, "The Breaks", "Basketball", and "If I Ruled the World", is generous in conversation. A man of faith, he speaks freely about his history at the birth of hip-hop as well as his time working as a minister, spreading religion. We caught up with the emcee-orator to talk about his origins in hip-hop, how the genre grew, and what he might have become hadn't it been for the truly American invention.

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Q&AJake UittiPopMatters
BRITTANY HOWARD IS LISTENING TO RICO NASTY, NINA SIMONE, AND BLADE RUNNER

This is “Add to Queue,” our attempt to sort through the cacophony of music floating in the algorithmic atmosphere by consulting the experts themselves. Our favorite musicians tell us about their favorite music—the sad, the happy, the dinner party-y, the songs they want played at their funeral. In this edition, we speak with Brittany Howard, the powerfully piped singer who rose to fame with her Grammy-winning band, Alabama Shakes. After releasing her debut solo album, Jaime, recorded during an extended hiatus from the Shakes, she spoke with Interview about growing up with Elvis, getting married to Dylan, and (one day) collaborating with Björk.

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J. PINDER ON WORKING WITH DR. DRE IN L.A. AND PAYING IT FORWARD IN SEATTLE

J Pinder speaks smoothly. If his voice were a person walking down the street, that person would be gliding, as if perfectly calibrated for steady movement against all possible pitfalls. J Pinder is also a rapper who grew up in Seattle and later found himself in the throws of Los Angeles working for none other than the legend, Dr. Dre. In the studio, he helped with recording, writing and A&R. Now, the man is back in the Emerald City to bring some of that L.A. knowhow to Seattle, to bolster its infrastructure and to help up-and-coming artists know what it takes on the next level. We caught up with J Pinder to ask him about his early inspirations, how he landed in L.A. and much more. 

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Q&AJake UittiArtist Home
Interview// Play for Mortal Stakes: A Conversation with Richard Kenney

At a glance, the award-winning poet, Richard Kenney, can seem like a book hard to crack. His prowess with language, his oratory muscles, his years nose-buried in highfalutin tomes—all of these might suggest a question-and-answer interview would prove more mind-boggling than equal-footed back-and-forth. However, in reality, Kenney is a warm chap, as willing to explain an idea at length as he is to sit quietly over a cup of tea and ponder whatever words linger in the grey area between the conscious and unconscious. A world-class writer, Kenney is, perhaps above all else, a teacher, a guide. In this way, he embodies the literature that he’s fallen in love with. At its best, he’ll tell you, literature is a way to learn how to be. And in Kenney’s presence, that road map is laid out on the table, compass beside it.

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