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ABOVE
Shayne
Eastin posing for a few photos en route to Austin, Texas
for SXSW during one of our many fuel stops. We drove non
stop for 27 hours from Los Angeles to Austin, on the way
back, there were nine people in the van plus equipement
and luggage.
Photographed
on March 19, 2009. |
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I
had the unique opportunity to spend 27 consecutive hours
in a van with Spider Problem en route to Austin for SXSW
last year and can honestly say that Shayne Eastin is the
nicest, most thoughtful, and friendliest person who would
ever purposefully spit in your direction. Granted, it'd
be in the heat of the moment while she's performing, but
still it'd make you think an ocean divides her on and off
stage personalities until you realize the constant between
the two: her unparalleled passion for music and self-expression.
I spoke with Shayne in January 2010 and was surprised to
hear that John, who played guitar in Spider Problem since
it's inception, had finally left the band for good. And
though this may appear to be a set back, Shayne made it
quite clear in our conversation that Spider Problem has
never been more creative than they are today.
When
we first met up to talk about this project you were living
off Franklin.
Shyane Eastin: I was living on Argyle of
Franklin.
And
then you lived...
SE: After that I lived in, okay let me think
about it. After there I moved to an apartment in Silverlake
and I had to move out because it was infested with bed bugs
and cockroaches. I was living there in July too when there
was that week where it was really really hot and I had no
air conditioning or anything. When I would fall asleep I
would see three or four cockroaches climbing up the wall,
not even just one. And then I had a very big change and
moved to The Oakwoods in the valley. My friend, her and
her boyfriend got into a big fight and split up, he moved
and she needed someone to help on the rent. I lived there
for a couple of months. Now I'm living in a loft downtown
that my friend is letting me stay at for free. And I have
to move again by the end of the month. (laughs)
Oh
god.
SE: I've moved ever since I lived here.
I move all the time, I can't help it.
Where
did you grow up?
SE: Part of it is that I grew up going
back and forth between North Hollywood and a suburb of Chicago
my whole life. I flew like six to eight times a year so
I'm used to moving around a lot.
How
is Spider Problem going? It sounds like it's hard right
now for you guys.
SE: It's not very hard for
us right now. I'm more confident than ever about our music,
and even our live show. Even though we just lost John as
a member I think we're stronger and better and louder and
crazier and more creative than we've ever been.
How
long had you been playing with John?
SE: I was playing with John since we've
been a band, so three years. We've also had different drummers
and bass players come in and out.
Are
you gonna go to SXSW again this year?
SE: I'm thinking about it still, I don't
know. I know that if I wanted to I could go and play a show
but I don't know. I guess I don't really remember last year.
(laughs)
You
don't remember last year?
SE: I mean, I do remember
it. I had an amazing time. We might go, we'll see.
I
remember last year.
SE: I remember going with you last year.
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I
was only there for the beginning part, I missed the part
back.
SE: That was one of the best parts, waiting
three hours for the tires to get put on the van. (laughs)
One
of the things I love about you and your band is that you
have this awesome on stage persona, it's very in your face,
out of control rock n' roll. But off stage you're not assholes,
you're friendly and nice and on the ball.
SE: I read a review of us
after we played a Vice Magazine party somewhere in Hollywood,
this person said that we were really wild and crazy and
great and scary but then they met us and we were actually
very nice people, "bummer". (laughs) And I didn't
really know how to respond to that.
I
don't think that's a bummer, that's a good thing.
SE: I think it's a good
thing. A lot of people come off as huge dicks when they're
musicians, they have some sort of ego that they're protecting.
We're all pretty nice people, we're all really fun to drink
with and joke around with, so I don't know. When we play
we really take our performances seriously, even though we're
a band where a lot of people come and have fun, every song
that we have has a message. We want people to fall in love
with rock n' roll music again. Really that's all it is,
that's all Spider Problem is. It's just people who really
love rock n' roll, that's who we are.
Sometimes
your shows feel a little over the top, but not really, most
of the time it feels really genuine and sincere. You put
on fantastic shows.
SE: I feel it's pretty genuine
and sincere. When we do it we try not to think cause if
you're standing up there going, "okay, how do I look
right now, am I looking sincere," then you're not,
you know? We just try and leap before we even look, to sort
of go there and be raw, to have fun. I don't know, the more
you talk about it the more of a dick you sound like.
Your
performances are so elevated, so energized, I would just
assume that you enjoy performing more than recording. How
do you feel about performing versus recording?
SE: I think that performing
is a lot...oh god, that's a hard question to ask. It's all
the same to me, whenever we've recorded anything all we're
trying to do is bring the live sound that we have and the
live energy and put it on tape. I love both but something
that's funny is that no matter what, recording can always
be stressful, we can get on each other's nerves because
not everybody agrees at times, but that makes it a better
song in the end.
When
you were writing with John was it a collaborative process?
SE: Yes it was, it was a
collaborative process. We would both bring different things
to the table, we would work together.
When
you perform you're only singing so how do you write songs
when you're along? On guitar?
SE: I write songs on guitar
when I'm alone. Also I just write a lot of poetry and lyrics.
It's hard to say. I feel like if there was one certain way
of writing a song it wouldn't be a very good song because
the more you get set in your ways like, "first I'm
gonna write the guitar part, and then I'm gonna write the
melody and then add the lyrics," the second you have
a system you lose the ability to make a mistake but have
it be a really good mistake. If you have a system of doing
things it doesn't leave much room for the creative subconscious
to pop in and change it up. |
