What is your name and role within the band?
Sarah Storm, guitar/vocals.
How did you start?
I got an acoustic guitar for my tenth birthday. I taught myself and started writing songs. In high school I met Andrew Flaherty (drums) and made him start a band with me. We met Steph Castor at a show we played together with her old band and recruited her. After a few tours without bass we found Matt Muckenthaler who had played with Steph several years before.
Where are you based?
Kansas City, MO.
What are you working on right now?
Writing! We recently teamed up with a manager and are writing new music and have been making plans for some studio time throughout the summer.
What is your gear setup?
We are sponsored by an amazing company based in Austin, Texas called Moniker. They custom design instruments and currently Steph and Matt are both rocking Moniker guitars. I mostly play my American Fender Telecaster in natural wood with a purple pick guard.
Drums : Tama Maple five-piece with Zildjian Custom A Series Cymbals.
Bass rig : Tech 21 pre-amp with an Ampeg SVT 4 Pro, with an Ampeg 8×10. Matt’s a super nerd and built his own pedal board which he keeps maxed out.
Guitar Amps: I have Vox AC 15 Steph plays on a 1975 Fender Super Twin.
What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?
I’m a bartender at a couple music venues in Lawrence, Kansas and I love doing that. I also love to write poetry and do visual art. If anything I’d say music influences my non-music life. I try to spend most of my time playing, writing, or finding other ways to be creative. My job really just supplements our music career because I am always building a network of musicians to play with and grow our scene.
How would you describe your music genre?
Loud and pretty.
Do you know any music theory?
I do have a slight background in theory. I took a few classes in college, but we write and play by ear most of the time. Sometimes we’ll talk about keys and tuning, but for the most part we don’t use theory much.
What are your plans for the future?
We would love to be able to pay the bills doing this, but overall I think just to do it as long as possible is the goal. We are writing a new album right now and are spending the summer getting stuff recorded independently. We are planning a longer U.S. tour for the fall which will be announced in the near future.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Modest Mouse and Brand New are long time favorites that never really leave our playlists. The Shins, The Clash, and a few records from The Smiths (mostly just the first couple).
Who are your top 5 influences and icons?
Modest Mouse
Brand New
Circa Survive
The Killers
Joan Jett.
When are you playing next?
May 27– Replay Lounge (Lawrence, KS)
June 11– Pittsburgh Pride (Pittsburgh, PA)
June 17– Haunted Kitchen (Lawrence, KS)
July 1– The Bottleneck (Lawrence, KS)
July 7– Californo’s (Kansas City, MO)
July 15– Lawrence Field Day Fest (Lawrence, KS)
August 31– The Bottleneck (Lawrence, KS).
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